Saturday, March 19, 2016

Spring Cleaning

As I was doing some Spring Cleaning and getting ready for a
family weekend, I also put up some
simple Spring decorations

I wanted to keep it simple this year,

eggs in a nest, birds and birdhouse, sprig of cotton
on the entry table;

all white mantel,


lavender and vintage Easter cards,

bunny and flowers and large birdhouse,

and an egg in the Quimper dish,

all fill the living room;

dried hydrangeas,

and white tulips are all I need for the dining room.




Monday, March 14, 2016

A Cottage Bedroom

True to form, the master bedroom in this
House with Potential
is the last to get attention!

When we first moved in, I painted the walls a soft
Robin's Egg blue, put up the black four-poster,
added a few pictures and called it a day.

But when I updated the family room, I was missing
those cottage-style touches, like the red-checked curtains
and Mount Vernon family tree.



So, I decided to finally work on my bedroom and add
those cottage touches in here.

The red curtains looked great with the wall color
and the family tree worked well over the bed.

I also painted the bed white and took down the footboard posts
to make the room feel larger.

Next, I needed bedding.
I wanted something simple, but it had to bring
together all the colors and work with the cottage theme.

I looked everywhere, to no avail, until I realized
the solution was right under my nose!


I brought in some quilts and pillows I already had
and just played with the combinations until I was happy.

To tie it all together, I went to my fabric stash and pulled out
this Waverly fabric I bought years ago for $1/yard
(that's right, $1)!
I glued a strip of the red checks to the bottom and,
viola, a bedskirt!

Then, I just raided my stash pile and other rooms in the house
until I had a collection of frames, old windows,
white plates and other miscellaneous items
for the walls and tables.

I framed a baby dress that had belonged
to my grandmother for one wall.

I liked it so much, I hung another one
on this old window.

I was painting this $5 dresser to sell
when I realized it was the perfect size and style
to hold the tv, and what could be easier
than hanging up an old window and
some empty frames?

This wall was already decorated,
and it fit right in!

I have a few things left to do, and probably
a few tweaks along the way, but overall,
happy cottage bedroom!