Treasure Hunting

The weekend got off to a good start, when on Friday, I was returning home after running some errands and saw…yes, a yardsale sign right in my own neighborhood. It was a 2 day sale and I almost didn’t go by, since it was already 12:30 and most of the time, the good things are long gone by then. But, that day turned out to be different. These folks had LOTS of great stuff, antiques and collectibles. I took a quick look around and this shabby cabinet caught my eye. It had a Sold sign on it and was marked $25 (she had originally marked it at $40), so I asked if it was indeed Sold. They said that the people who wanted it changed their minds, so it was mine. Yippee! She bought it at Lakewood Antiques (for I’m quite sure much more than I paid) in Atlanta, one of my favorite old haunts, that is sadly gone. So, this means something special to me, since I spent many a Saturday at Lakewood, browsing the treasures.

It’s shabbied up just right with chippy white paint. See the handle, one of those old-fashioned wooden turns. And it’s quite large at about 3x3’ .

Cute, huh?

Shelves inside will be great for display. I’m thinking dishes. But, the question now is: Where do I put it?? Here are my choices, so y’all can help me brainstorm this. Anywhere in my house will require moving things around, which you know I don’t mind doing.

A logical place would be to take this black shelf down in the downstairs guestbath and put it above the toilet.

Or, how would it look over my cupboard in the kitchen? Filled with dishes. I’d have to rearrange all of this but it could be done.

I could take down one set of shelves in the diningroom and add it there OR how would it look over the sideboard instead of the mirror. I’m in a quandry. Where do I put it? I love it, so I’d really like to put it in a good spot, even though it means rearranging things. It may be too shabby to put in the dining room. I wish I had an extra wall in the kitchen, but maybe over the cupboard would be good.

At the same sale, I picked up this large Wedgewood creamy white platter for $3. It’s a beauty too.

Delicate details on the edge.

And stamped on the back. Anyone know anything about Wellesley Wedgewood? I sure don’t, so fill me in if you do. It’s even engraved in another spot with Wedgewood on the back.

Found a frame for Fifi’s painting that I just showed you, for $2. See, this always happens, when I need something, it turns up in a short time. That’s the beauty of yardsales! Now, this one will have to be painted, but for $2, that’s a no-brainer.

Remember those green napkins from last weekend? Found 4 more in almost the identical fabric (minus the white trim), these were $1 for all.

And I just love this little beauty for $3. A pretty candolier that will go outside somewhere. Maybe under that gazebo that we will probably put on the deck. :) This one is pretty big and I just love it. I can add candles there all around the flat curved part too.

So, that’s all I bought this weekend. I did good, huh?! Now, let me show you just 2 things that I saw that were great buys. Of course, I have no room for them, but this is the kind of thing I see all the time out there.

This was a gorgeous set of painted furniture, full size bed (headboard & footboard), dresser, which you can’t see, but it was really pretty with a nice mirror attached too, and this chest, all for $300. How cute is this?!

And this piece was in my neighorhood too, same place I bought the shabby wall cabinet, great lines on it, wouldn’t it be beautiful all painted up? $130, a steal! In case you aren’t convinced that yardsales are great, this is just a small sampling of what is out there, at least in my town.

So, those are my prizes. How did YOU do this weekend? You know how to play with Mr. Linky by now, so add your post and let’s get Monday rolling.

Remember to please link back to THIS post in your post, so that everyone can find the party. And that's just common courtesy with blog parties. And also remember to add you permalink (your blog party post url, NOT your blog url) please! Some of you still don't have that right!

1. Nissa 2. Kammy-Small Home in the Country 3. Olive Rue 4. ALVN of WhisperWood Cottage (Beach Cottage Cabinet) 5. Carol @ Old Glory Cottage 6. Junkologie 7. Puna - my yard sale 8. Kathi 9. Debbie @...Plate Addict 10. Pat@Back Porch Musings 11. Manuela @ Pleasures of Homemaking 12. Dawn - Big Fat Pencils 13. Junk-Fest 14. marty@ A Stroll thru Life 15. Amanda @ Serenity Now (Girls Gone Yard Saling!) 16. The Shabby Chic Cottage 17. Mandy @ Great Expectations 18. Beth 19. Beverly @ The Buzz 20. Brittany 21. Cathy 22. Brittany 23. Heather 24. MelanieElissa 25. Mary 26. Dab of This and that 27. Arlene @ For the Love of It 28. Helen JOY 29. Pam @ Cocomama 30. Horseshoes 2 yr old style 31. Jenn@First Comes Love 32. White Dish - paulsbride 33. Charla @ For the Sake of Time 34. Twice As Nice 35. Jen@Balancing Beauty and Bedlam(furniture fun) 36. Toni 37. Sofia@Expressive Creations 38. Angie @ The Happy Homebody 39. chris @ free range furnishings 40. Chandy 41. The Bloom Girls - Loveseat in need of Love 42. Shery 43. Shery (Friday) 44. Amanda@ Imperfectly Beautiful 45. Sue@SullivanandMurphy 46. KARA @ MADE 2 CREATE 47. Debbie 48. A Beach Cottage ~ Vintage Shabby Old Dresser 49. Reluctant Entertainer 50. Puna - the yard sale money 51. Renee @ Cottage Lifestyle 52. Days of Grace 53. Southernseven ( my $5 chandi plus many other great deals) 54. Mary Lou @marmielu's Nest 55. Llyn M 56. glenda 57. Queen of Fifty Cents 58. TidyMom 59. Jen's Thrift Store Treasures 60. Nichole @ Abounding Blessings 61. Patricia@InMyFreeTime 62. Grannyann-a bird house day 63. mytinyrobotheart vintage bedsheet quilt 64. Cassie 65. Caro's Treasures of the Week!! :) 66. Junk Mammas 67. Vanessa 68. Rebecca at How I Burb 69. Kim-Manning Family Tree 70. SusieQ 71. Katie @ Clean and Classic Interiors (and a giveaway!) 72. Carrie - Oak Rise Cottage 73. The Undomesticated Wife 74. Sara @ Be Still and Know 75. Kennesha @ Me & My House 76. RedAries-Home decor 77. Lady Katherine 78. Terry @ Cherished Treasures 79. Tina~Adventures in Decorating 80. Carla@Tales of the T's 81. Caroline@Forever Vintage 82. MyFragrantLife 83. Deb @ Wise Old Owl

Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.

A Fifi Flowers Original

A few months ago, I was fortunate to win a giveaway from Fifi Flowers, a wonderful artist who does some amazing paintings. I had admired her work and when I won her giveaway, I was really excited. The prize was any photo that I wanted to send her, she would turn into note cards. So, I chose my very colorful lime green and black laundry room. I got the note cards and honestly, I haven’t used them, cause I hated to give them away! But, now I can actually use them.

Fifi really made my day recently by sending me a note that she was going to send me the original 5x7 painting for me to have for my very own! I got it in the mail and now all I have to do is find the perfect frame for it and it will be displayed in it’s rightful place….the laundry room.

If you haven’t seen my laundry room before, click on that link. It’s one of my favorite spots in the house. Here’s the pic that I sent Fifi, isn’t her drawing wonderful?

I hope you’ll go over and check out Fifi’s Etsy shop. These would make a very memorable gift for someone special. She can do anything you’d like from an original painting to notecards. All you have to do is send her an online pic and you can get your very own room forever remembered. Fifi-fied! Isn’t it adorable?!

I''m out at the yardsales this morning. And I found something really, really neat on Friday that I can't wait to show you. Now, just where in the world am I gonna put it?

The hubby and I are hitting our local Jazz Fest on Sunday afternoon/evening (can't wait!), but I'll get the party post up too, so see you Sunday evening for Today's Thrifty Treasures!

Burlap Party Highlights

Just thought it would be fun to add in some highlight pics from the burlap party. Now, please don’t get your feelings hurt if I didn’t use one of your pics. I just tried to get some variety and show a lot of different things that burlap can be used for, so enjoy the party finale. Someone asked about where to get burlap. This stuff goes way back and as far as I know, can be found at most fabric stores. I know Hobby Lobby has it regular price for $2.99 a yard. And if you use your 40% off coupon, cheap-cheap!

Above, Amanda at The Eck Life, added a pretty burlap starfish to a simple creamy white pillow. Love the coastal feel of this.

Tami, at Aunt Mimi’s Creations, added a pretty burlap border to a hurricane lantern. Love the little button too.

Crystal, at Brew Who, made herself some sassy black trimmed burlap window treatments and they are adorable.

Crystal, at Olive Rue, found this table and chairs at a garage sale, shabbied it up with some white paint and added burlap to the seats. I just love this one!

Kara at Kara’s Cottage got really industrious and wallpapered a room with burlap. I think this is really creative!

Kasey is displaying a pretty monogrammed table runner that her mom had made for her. What a great gift that is!

Kathleen at The Bliss Journey used burlap to wrap a package. How cute is this?

Lois went the easy on the time route and ordered drapes and a table skirt from Ballards Designs. They have been onto the burlap game for quite sometime. Always ahead of the curve, that Ballards is.

Melissa at Huckleberry Prairie, made fabric covered canvas boards for over her fireplace and added in some burlap to break up the pattern. Great way to add some texture to a room.

Pam made a cute little burlap shade for her bathroom. I am loving burlap on the windows. Wish I had another one to treat. :)

Randee made the cutest window treatment out of that famous birdie shower curtain that has been around blogland. I love how she personalized it with a burlap border.

Closeup of Randee’s window treatment.

Sarah, the undeniable Burlap Queen, has thrilled us with her use of burlap all over that beautiful Beach Cottage of hers. The girl just takes some gorgeous photos as well.

Sarah at Clover Lane, came up with another great window treatment use for burlap. I adore this bordered valance. Reminds me of a jute rug with a pretty patterned border.

Sue, at Thistlepatch Hill, made a beautiful black with burlap memo board that is very chic.

Vanessa at Vanilla Lavender covered a chair seat with burlap AND added a cute as pie coffee bag pillow. Love this!

Terry at Cherished Treasures framed a key on burlap. And how cute it looks!

And last, but not least, Vintage Swamp Girl (what a name she has:) came up with this adorable burlap and blue fabric pillow.

So, those are a few of the VERY fun burlap projects shared today. I have been by every single blog to visit and really got inspired to do something else with my stash. Thanks to all of you who joined the party and for those who came by to visit. These parties are always a lot of fun for me.

And I hope YOU got inspired too!

Burlap: What have you done with me lately?

Are you all ready for the burlap party? I’ve got my projects all ready to show and I hope you do too. Burlap, that inexpensive, fun and textured, hip and happening fabric. What have you done with it lately?

Do tell.

Just for fun, I added in an old pic of the red dining room. I can’t believe how it has changed so drastically in the last year. I just started this creamware collection about a year and 1/2 ago and had quite a bit already in this pic from about a year ago. Now, take a look at the lampshades. That’s the before…before burlap, that is.

Looking back, the red looks SO heavy to me now. Light and airy, I’m loving the new and classic look. And with the new look, I decided that I needed to cover those shades with burlap and add a monogram last year. Take a look here if you want to see how that happened, along with links to my lampshade covering tutorials. You can do this to any lampshade you own with any fabric. Believe me, I've covered a bunch of them.

I’m totally diggin’ the burlap and monogram on these shades. The black gimp trim just finished them off.

Burlap just has the neatest texture to it. I’ve got a bundle that I found at a yardsale (actually FREE) a few weeks ago, so I need some more projects to use it for.

Now, you will all remember the corner cabinet that was found at the antique mall and revamped with paint and burlap. If you click on all those links, you can see where it started, the redo process, and the finished project.

And burlap was the highlight of this project. I had a brainstorm to cover the back of the cabinet with burlap and add some herb words with simple tracing and paint. With the addition of some black tacks (and the handy-dandy staple gun), this cabinet went from dowdy and country to sassy and chic.

And now it holds some special dishes in our kitchen.

So, let’s see those burlap projects. I can’t wait to get inspired by what all of you have done too. Here are the party rules: Please link back to THIS post from your burlap party post, so that all your readers can get in on the fun too. Either a link with the button or just a link to this post will be fine. Be sure to add your permalink (the burlap party post url) and NOT just your blog link!

Nester's having a lamp party on Thursday too, so I'm linking up with her party also.

OK, let’s party!

1. Vintage Swampgirl 2. The Shabby Chic Cottage 3. Debilou 4. randee 5. Linda @Nina's Nest 6. Katie @ Clean and Classic Interiors 7. Sue@Thistlepatchhill 8. Kennesha @ Me & My House 9. A Beach Cottage ~ The Burlap Queen 10. Jadehollow 11. Vanessa @Vanilla Lavender 12. Rhonda~Scooterblu's Whimsy 13. Leigh from Tales from Bloggeritaville 14. Barb @ Grits and Glamour 15. Kasey 16. Melissa @ Huckleberry Prairie 17. KarasKottage 18. Amanda-TheEckLife 19. Olive Rue 20. Crystal 21. Sarah@Clover Lane Easy Burlap Window Treatment 22. Joy@joysofhome 23. Blanca 24. Tami ~ Aunt Mimis Creations 25. Chris @ Free Range Furnishings 26. Elise from Nest Sweet Nest 27. Lois 28. Pam @ Ramblings of a Happy Homemaker 29. The Bliss Journey 30. The Cornell Family 31. Lisa S. 32. Chrissie Grace 33. Kitty Scraps 34. Jenelle at This Lady Blogs 35. Terry 36. Roxanne @ Beverly Sandhills 37. DebraK @ Bungalow, monograms 38. The Gaines Gang ( Table runner) 39. Joni-Cote de Texas (burlap pillows) 40. Deb @ Wise Old Owl

Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.

Outdoor Gazebos

(from Target.com, the Madaga gazebo)

Do you have one of these pretty things and do you like it? We are seriously considering adding one of these to our back deck so that we can enjoy the nice weather and stay out of the sun, but before we invest in anything, I’d love to get some opinions on how these things hold up. I got online at Target and they have many to choose from and there are so many different opinions, in that some of the frames are fairly stable, but big gusts of wind can create havoc with these gazebos and it was mentioned that the canvas tops are not particularly long lasting. I saw some reviews where the thing blew over and crumpled the frame and the canvas tops were torn to shreds. I would probably go ahead and purchase a replacement top, since it seems that they do not last more than 2 to 3 seasons at most. They aren’t cheap, so I don’t want to waste my money. I definitely want one that can be bolted to our deck for stablity.

When I saw this article in Better Homes and Garden’s May edition, called Tent Show, my wheels started turning and I thought it would be really great to have a version of this on our deck. I already have lots of wicker stored away in the garage just waiting to be used again. The ideal situation would be to build a screened porch on our existing deck, but that will cost thousands of dollars and it’s not in the picture right now, so I’d love an alternative.

Isn’t this dreamy? I would love to have just a simple version of this feel on our deck.

Any opinions on these? If you have one, I’d love to hear about it, pros and cons. Our deck is about 9 1/2 feet by 13 feet, so not too big. I’d love to get a 10x10’, but I don’t think it will work, since the frame has to bolt together and our deck is not 10' wide, just under that. Ideally, this would be bolted to the wood deck for stability, but I don’t want it to be a throwaway thing after only one season. I know that taking the top down at the end of the season is a must. I’ve been online doing some research. My hubby wants me to find one with a hard top, but I’m not sure that exists.

So, let’s talk about gazebos! I’d love to hear your thoughts. What do you have on your deck to keep the sun out and to enjoy the Summer months outdoors?

Also, don't forget the Burlap Par-tay on Thursday! (click the sidebar button for details) Get your posts ready to go and I'll get Mr. Linky up early.

Coastal Design: by Angie

I'd like for you all to say hello to a new friend I've met in blogland, Angie with Angelica Grace Designs and Angie Seaman Photography. I came across her home on a kitchen tour and fell in love with it, as well as the rest of her beautiful home. I asked Angie to come by here and do a guest post for me and show off her familyroom. You are going to LOVE it. I know many of you really enjoy coastal and seaside decorating and Angie has got it going on. Be prepared to be wowed, as you see Angie's room. You'll have to go over and check out her pretty blog to see the kitchen too. Reading through this post has allowed me to get to know Angie better and I'm so happy that we met. I love making new blog friends. Angie, I love your story and all the inspiring ideas that you've dived into head first. I think it's SO important to follow our dreams and let our creativity shine. Welcome, Angie!

Hi - I'm Angie, a life long Hoosier from the Midwest. I've been born and raised in Indiana but have a deep, deep, love - rather obsession with the sea. I'm known for trying to keep things positive in life and rely on my Lord and Saviour to help me accomplish that hopeful, optimistic, positive attitude. My husband and I were high school sweethearts and I have been married for 15+ years now. We have two beautiful children - our son, Brennen, who is 10 and our daughter, Kenidi (pronounced Kennedy), who is almost 6. Kenidi has special needs so we are continually encouraged and inspired by her on a daily basis.

I worked in the corporate world before having children. After they come along, I became a stay at home mom. Once my daughter was born, I found myself very consumed with her medical diagnosis. I needed something positive to focus on amidst all of the medical visits, details, etc. we were enduring regarding her future. There were many times when I was so upset over the latest test she underwent, etc. that I just felt like we were drowning in bad news. I told my husband that I needed to find an outlet or a hobby to focus my down time on. I just needed something to deter my thoughts from the last medical procedure or doctor visit in general. In 2004, Angelica Grace Designs, came along. I had never sewn before in my life (with the exception of a few home-ec classes back in school) but yet decided I was going to buy a sewing machine and begin making little girls clothing. Thus, how the AGD designs were born. To learn more about that story and how I almost quit the idea on my first night of sewing class, read HERE. My husband encouraged me to stick with the classes and even recruited his friends Mother to come over and help me learn to thread my sewing machine. From there, AGD was born. Since then, along with the designing and creating of women's jewelry and children's clothing, I've begun pursuing my passion for photography. I've always loved photography and took some college courses back in the day for it, but just now decided to devote my life to it. It's been such a rewarding decision thus far. I can't imagine ever going through life without it.

In the end, my need to design and create always spills over into my home somehow as well. Our family spends a great deal of time in Southwest, Florida. We build many memories there every couple of months at the most. In doing so, our full time residence/home in Indiana has come to mimic our home near the Sea. I find that I love walking in the door each day (here in Indiana) feeling like I'm near the beach just because of our decor. I've been told over and over again that our house propels visitors to another location - to a far off resort or retreat. That is the best compliment anyone can pay us in my opinion. Love that!

With that said, I have to thank Rhoda for even wanting to feature our home here on her blog. I'm beyond flattered and extremely humbled by her interest. Considering the fact that I rank her as queen of decor, I'm honored to be here. We just moved into our new home last August so we haven't even lived here a full year as of yet. So...step on in...let me show you around our great room (within our home in Indiana). This room is the room that Rhoda asked to feature and I'm happy to do so. Make yourselves at home...

The room shown above is where I feel closest to the beach when I'm not actually there. The oyster colored cotton ball comfy sofa really lets me relax and hang out with a good book. It makes a great conversation room as well when guests are over. Eventually the right hand side wall will be adorned with several photography canvases of our children done in a black and white theme. We are saving that space until all of those canvases are completed and ready to hang all together. During the day, this room puts off some serious light as the natural warming of the sun shines through the big open windows. The old antique style church pew bench has storage inside it which makes a great home for all of my tons and tons of photographs.

This view below is actually a view from inside the great room looking toward part of the kitchen and hearth room areas of our home. As you can see, we like to mix whites with blacks and blacks with brown tones, etc. when it comes to the wood and furniture. I was always taught that the more color the better in a home. The more diversity, the more interesting. The more "non-themed" approach in relation to furniture is best. When you look through decorating magazines and books, you'll notice a trend in how nothing matches anymore. So in an effort to follow the trends, we strayed away from the "matchy matchy" decor. Now, who knows how true all that is but it is something we ran with inside our home. In a year, it will probably all be back to matchy matchy. Ha ha! I apologize for the yellow tones in these pictures. It appears as though all of our lights are brass or gold, however, they are a nickel brushed silver. The camera had a hard time picking all of the correct tones up apparently.

And back to the heart of the great room itself...

Just some miscellaneous decor/accessories on one of the end tables...couple of my favorite books and a large oyster shell.

And some more accessories on the coffee table...

And the fireplace which houses some additional mis-matched accessories from other travels as well as some more of my favorite books. Again, the use of more whites, blacks, and different toned/colored wood items together.

And there you have it...our great room. I cannot tell you guys how much I appreciate your willingness to even browse through this post. I hope it has been an enjoyable topic for you today. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at my own personal blog which can be found HERE. And should you ever have a photography need, you can catch me via my photography blog HERE.

Lastly, a huge thanks to Rhoda for even allowing me to guest post here on her turf today. What fun this has been. Thank you Rhoda! You are the best! And for those of you wanting more of Rhoda (like me), she has done a guest post for me over on my blog today as well. Feel free to come on over and show her some love while checking out her guest blogger topic for the day. Too fun!

Blessings, Angie

Thank you, Angie! That was SO much fun to have you stop by. And yes, I'm guestposting over at Angie's today too, so check that out also. Aren't ya'll glad you stopped by today?!