April 2007

Some people consider my house slightly foo-fooed up.  I do have to admit there is a lot going on, and it is drenched in flowers. I paint watercolors of flowers and hang on the walls, I paint flowers on the furniture, on old shutters, on the floor, well everywhere.  And I go for what I think, are light and romantic colors.

I get asked how I live with a husband and two boys in such a flowery home.  I tell them that my husband never notices anything.  Actually, we quote Lonesome Dove and say he is "not a noticer."  Rich only notices changes if they are something too heavy for me to maneuver into the house alone and I have to cajole him into helping me.

Today we were at my sister-in-law’s as part of the big Nathan family weekend, with the house guests.  She had this magazine on the table, and I told my mother-in-law that my bedroom was in that issue. So, my husband starts to show her the pictures. Telling her in detail about the pages and what and where it all was in our house.  Well, he was looking at someone else’s home!! He didn’t even notice it wasn’t his house.  The thing is, he was actually telling her about how "this page was before we redid the attic room" and that page was "the old bedroom before we fixed it up for our grand baby". 

Well, for one thing—WE?  I don’t think he has ever touched a paint brush in his life.  For another, does he even know what his own home looks like?  I guess he saw some pictures that had flowery pages and it looked close enough.  Although, he really was pretty sweet, when he was telling his mom how proud he was of me and how beautiful the rooms were.  Even though they weren’t my rooms, it was still sweet of him to brag about me to his mother.  And it was pretty cute.

Guests are coming this weekend, so I am gearing up for Easter and dinner parties.  Here is a close up of the dining room table center piece. 

On Monday, http://shabbyinthecity.blogspot.com/ called for a "Virtual Potluck"  for tomorrow, Friday the 6th, because so many of us enjoyed the Virtual Tea Party that was hosted by http://www.artsymama.blogspot.com/ last month.  Since I am setting up for a big party weekend anyway, I thought I’d share some photos of the upcoming festivities as part of the pot luck.  I am not a recipe person, more of a pinch of this, dab of that cook, making things up as I go, so I won’t have a recipe to share, although I’ll be cooking for a houseful.  I think maybe 16 for dinner on Sat. night?

  I did redo my dining room for this weekend, wanted it more Springy.  Doesn’t everyone repaint their chairs for a party???  I guess I don’t do it every time, and sometimes I simply switch out chairs from the vast collection I have throughout the house, studio, and garden shed. 

When my son got married, I started a table and chair collection.  I bought them for months at garage sales and junk shops, painted them white and then set them up in the garden for the reception. I have since sold a lot of the tables, but kept a most of my favorite chairs.  My garage was packed with tables stacked up on top of themselves and chairs hanging from the rafters for a while. But why waste a garage on cars when you can fill it with cool junk?

Yesterday, I repainted the bench.  It was my mom’s from the 60’s, and I got it from her estate.  So I can never sell it, but I do get a little bit tired of it, and repaint it every year or so.  I am not one to keep things forever, unless they are extremely sentimental to me.  She made the blue cushion for it, sometimes I sew a little slip cover to put over it, but I always use it on the bench. I like to have things she made around me.

Two chairs got repainted yesterday and I found the cushions for them at TJMaxx for $7 each.  What a deal, can’t beat that place. The blue toile curtains are vintage and only cost $20 for the whole set of 4 panels!! I got them from a friend’s garage sale.

I went with bluebird and pink roses on this chair.  Both chairs have been numerous colors in the past, last incarnation was black, which really does well when painted over and then distressed.

Mom’s bench got a lot of pizazz. Or just became gaudy? 

Yes, I know this room won’t seat 16 people.  I will have to set up my art studio for the big dinner.  We’ll use this dining room for the smaller meals when the whole bunch doesn’t come.  I’ll post photos of the art studio/dining room tomorrow for the Virtual Potluck party. 

Little Miss Sugar Wings, my fairy grand daughter, gets new dishes for Easter.  I found this set of fairy-ware for her.  Her parents won’t let her sit in the vintage high chair I found for her, they might be right about it not being safe for her now, but she’ll grow into it and will use it over the years.  I adore the chippy pink and blue paint ( I sealed it so it won’t come off for her to nibble on).  Can’t you picture a resourceful mom, years ago, repainting her son’s blue high chair when she has a daughter?

The painting on the wall behind the high chair is one that I did, I love to do paintings that look old fashioned, not new.

See you at the potluck tomorrow?

When my son and his family moved out last fall, I went ahead and gave them all the furniture I had bought for the bedroom he had been using.  While the dresser and chest were antiques, and really nice, they were too nice too paint.  And I love painted furniture in my home.  He is a carpenter and loves wood grain, so it seemed safer to just give it to him before I couldn’t stop myself and I painted over the gorgeous wood! 

So, with more guests arriving this weekend, I thought I should finally get this room set back up.  I had to buy a mattress, but everything else I put in it is from my stash of bargain redos.  It is a small, attic room, so not easy to fit pieces into.  This large, chest of drawers is one of my favorites, ever. It is from Sparks/White Cloud Flea Market, I bought it for $50 and repainted it.

I had it stored in the garage, thinking I would sell it, but when an open spot in my house became available, I was begging the family to help my haul it up the stairs!

The hamper next to it, was one I found in the trash and painted an iris on.   

Here is a close up of the painted chest. I am crazy about the curved drawer on the top!

Next to it, hangs my favorite antique print of all time.  I traded a small mural for this one, at a little hole in the wall antique shop in Topeka.

As much as I love these two pieces, I usually go for a lighter, brighter look and the dark colors and rich golds don’t really go with my downstairs.  So, I was thrilled to find a spot for them in my guest room.

I tried to still keep the room light by using a white desk that I had made from a cast off (and free to me) drop leaf table.  See, the drop leaves have now become the back of the desk and the shelf, supported by some salvage posts. I made it for a Romantic Homes article I wrote last year and have had it out in the garden shed.  With the tall bed ($15 iron frame from an auction), the desk is a good height for a bedside table.  On the other side, I actually stacked two little tables and threw a silk curtain panel (from Good will for $2) over them. 

The bedspread ($5) is from a garage sale, two years ago.  I loved it, but have never had a place to use it.  Sometimes, I just have to buy something whether there is a spot for it just yet, or not.  I usually end up with the perfect place to use it, or else find someone else who will love it too.

The throw is vintage velvet squares, not sturdy enough for daily use, but a good fit for a guest room.  It was only $11 at a great little place south of here, called 4 Corners.  There are always bargains there!!! 

Here is the rest of the room. Like I said, very small. I think it is 12’x13′, and of course the slanted ceiling makes it seem smaller.  I faux finished the walls in creams, tans, golds with lots of iridescent glitter thrown in the paint so the walls are reflective and I hope they keep the room from feeling too closed in.

The lamp is another garage sale find, only $3, and pretty old. I had to rewire it to make it safe.

Vintage green velvet from the Sparks/White Cloud flea mkt is used on the hand painted chair.  I love to find chairs with wide backs like this, they just call out for roses to be painted on them!