Friday, January 31, 2014

TGIF!!!!

 

A little inspiration in red, the color of love

to start your weekend off right!

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I love this red and white living room (from Tumbleweed and Dandelion on Houzz)

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Bench and plate rack

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559752_387027221383703_571184209_n.jpg 427×640 pixels

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En Invierno Hay Mas Amor #photos, #bestofpinterest, #greatshots, https://facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=106186096099420

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Stay warm and have

a great weekend my friends!!!!!

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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

More antlers……

 

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The antler mount I had hung

above the shutters previously got moved to another spot.

So, I bought this set to replace them.

They came all the way from Lithuania!

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antlers 6

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I like that they are mounted on

a dark wood mount verses the lighter wood

that you normally see.

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antlers

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I am not sure of the age, I was just told they

are vintage.

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antlers 5

 

shutters2

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It is overcast and cold here today but it is

supposed to be much warmer

tomorrow thankfully.

Stay warm my friends!

Hope you will join the party at:

Savvy Southern Style

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Sunday, January 26, 2014

Peaceful Sunday

 

.Wedding Chapel

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How Do I Love TheeBy: Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

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Saturday, January 25, 2014

TGIF!!!

Starting the weekend off with a little eye candy…..

wooden beams!

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Wooden beams

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Love the wooden beams!

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Beamed ceiling with neutral palatte & chandelier.

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beautiful white neutral kitchen with wooden beams

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Have a great weekend my friends!

Stay warm…..

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Thursday, January 23, 2014

Sooooooo cold!

 

I am soooo ready for spring!

It is 0 degrees right now with a wind chill of –20 degrees.

Here are some beautiful spring pics

to help us get thru yet another artic blast!

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flowers on the counter

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rustic verdigris...

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Stay warm and be sure to bundle up

if you dare to venture outdoors….

you can get frost bite in a matter of minutes!

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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

My new Craig’s List table……..

 

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table 3

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I found this beautiful table on Craig’s List right before Christmas.

It appears to be in pretty good condition in this picture……..

but as we all know pictures can sometimes

be a little deceiving.

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I didn’t plan on painting the table originally.

However the top was in pretty

 rough shape so I planned on refinishing just the top.

After looking at the table to come

up with a plan I realized

that two of the legs were faded from sunlight and were lighter.

Being the lazy person that I am I decided to just

paint the table because the thought of refinishing the

entire table didn’t sound all that appealing.

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table 2

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Originally the table had gold around the edge

of the top so after I painted and distressed the table I added a little

gold Rub N’ Buff to all the raised areas.

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table 4

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The little table has now found a spot behind the settee in the living room.

This wasn’t the spot I originally had in mind but

it all worked out in the end.

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Joining the party at:

 Savvy Southern Style

Hope to see you there!

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Monday, January 20, 2014

A little Monday inspiration…….

 

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Foyer

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Lovely tall doors.

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Here we are at Monday again…..

I have to admit, I am really dragging today and

not feeling the greatest.

Have a great week my friends!

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Sunday, January 19, 2014

Happy Sunday!

 

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Stone church Love old churches with steeples!

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Let us always meet each other with a smile,

for the smile is the beginning of love.

-Mother Teresa

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Saturday, January 18, 2014

Romantic bedrooms…

 

With Valentine’s Day

just around the corner I thought it would be

fun to start the weekend off with a little eye candy…….

romantic bedrooms.

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Could totally be sleeping beauty in this bedroom

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French Bed

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French bedroom

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love this bedrooms

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hand painted headboard and white linens

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Have a great weekend my friends!!!

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Wednesday, January 15, 2014

My new coffee table…….

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A couple of people already spied my new coffee table

when I posted about my new terra cotta bowl.

The new table was a Christmas gift from my sweet husband.

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coffee table 010

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My old table was pretty fabulous but I

knew from the beginning it was too big for the room.

I struggled to make it work for four years but finally came to

the conclusion that I needed a smaller table

since even the simple task of vacuuming wasn’t so simple.

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coffee table 3

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coffee table 1

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I love how much bigger the room seems now……

and vacuuming is much easier too!

Joining the party at:

 Savvy Southern Style

Hope to see you there!

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Sunday, January 12, 2014

Hope…..

 

Lovely old church

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HOPE

If I can hold hope in my hand,
If I can have enough faith to believe, even if it is as small as a grain of sand,
If I can love and learn to live,
If I can let bygones be bygones and try to forgive,
If I can see solutions in problems and not the other way round,
If I can regain sanity and not hear a sound,
If I can strive for peace and find the rainbows gold,
If I can retain the good times and remember them when I am old,
If I can see the sunshine and banish the rain,
If I can climb mountains and block out the pain,
Then I can start to recover and can face a new day,
Then I can face tomorrow and continue on my way,
If someone walks with me and we help each other somehow to smile,
Then I know that I am living and that life is worthwhile.

by, Sue Willets
UK

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Friday, January 10, 2014

A new terra cotta bowl……

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I have always wanted a French confit bowl like this one.

This one can be yours for $239 which includes shipping.

It is actually a fabulous deal even with the broken handle, I have seen them for

much,much more!

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However, there always seems to be something else I need more so

I have never spent the money for one.

Then the other day I was looking on Etsy for terra cotta

flower pots  and this popped up in the search.

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Rustic Hand Thrown Terra Cotta Bowl w Slip Decoration and Clear Overglaze

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This bowl was $48 plus shipping and I just couldn’t resist

it so I am now the proud owner!!!!

The seller has one more bowl that is similar if you need one like I did.

The shop is called Petunia's Place and they specialize in

mid century furniture, art, and one of a kind collectibles.

I am using my new bowl in the living room on the coffee table

with a live Orchid inside.

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terra cotta bowl 1

 

terra cotta bowl2

 

terra cotta bowl 3

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The history of the confit courtesy of D'Artagnan:

Smoking, curing and drying have been used to preserve food supplies since prehistoric times. Before eating seasonally became a trend, it was a necessity. Game meats were only available in season, and domesticated animals were slaughtered before winter came, to save on feed and to fill the larder. So a method to preserve meat before the days of refrigeration was a vital development in culinary history. Confit is a cooking term for a variety of foods, but most commonly meats, cooked and preserved in their own fat.

Confit is the past participle of the French verb confire, "to preserve." In this method, meats are cooked in fat for a long time, sometimes days, at a low temperature. This renders tough cuts, like duck legs, more tender and palatable. The meat that has been through this cooking process is also called confit, as in duck leg confit, or confit of goose.

In the days before vacuum packing, confit meats were placed in crockery pots or jars filled with duck fat, then covered with pork fat and stored in a cool cellar. This impenetrable top protected the confit throughout the long winter and on into the spring. In the southwest region of France, Gascony, you’ll still find many small jars filled with confit stored in the cellars. Since the entire small container can be used at one time, the confit isn’t exposed to the outside air for long and can’t spoil.

Duck leg confit is a favorite of Gascons, and is a vital ingredient in the classic cassoulet from the region. Because it is so tender, duck confit can be shredded and served over salad, in stews or on bread. But confit can be made from any part of the bird. Legs, breasts, giblets and even foie gras can be salted and simmered, then preserved in fat.

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I love my new bowl and smile every time I walk into the room now!!!

Have a great weekend my friends!!!!

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Wednesday, January 8, 2014

A new goodie!

 

One day while browsing Craig’s List I came across an ad

for a shop called Tallgrass Antiques that had architectural salvage items.

A few items caught my eye so we decided to hop in the truck and make

a little day trip to Cottonwood Falls Kansas.

I found this wonderful hay rake and a few other items too.

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hay rake 4

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It is all pegged together with the

exception of a couple of screws that were added later for stability.

It has such great patina that can only be achieved with time!

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hay rake 3

 

hay rake2

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So, if you are looking for architectural salvage items……..

or need a piece refinished or

restored be sure to check out  Richard’s shop!

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Joining the party at:

Savvy Southern Style

Hope to see you there!

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Sunday, January 5, 2014

A new year wish…….

 

Incredible Journey

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Happy New Year Wish

My Happy New Year wish for you
Is for your best year yet,
A year where life is peaceful,
And what you want, you get.

A year in which you cherish
The past year’s memories,
And live your life each new day,
Full of bright expectancies.

I wish for you a holiday
With happiness galore;
And when it’s done, I wish you
Happy New Year, and many more.

By Joanna Fuchs

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Saturday, January 4, 2014

Changing things up……

 

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Remember my search for the perfect sconce…..and how excited I was when I found this one?

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Well, one day I walked into the dining room and knew instantly that the sconce would look perfect hanging on the chippy shutters I have in there.

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Of course once you move one thing that leads to another……and then another right? So, then I needed something for the wall where the sconce was hanging. I bought these French script pages months ago at the antique market but never found the right spot for them.

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When I first hung them they were floating between two pieces of plexi glass.They were beautiful but I knew as soon as I got them hung that they needed to be framed. I searched and searched for the perfect frames and ended up buying three Italian frames on EBay. I waited and waited for them to arrived and after a couple of weeks I emailed the seller and asked when I might expect them.I never received a reply, instead they finally sent a tracking number.I think they might have forgotten about my order!!?!Anyways I was so excited when they finally arrived only to discover they did not come with glass!!!!!!!I went back and read the listing description and apparently if you want glass you have to ask for it! SO, there I was with my beautiful Italian frames and no glass.Then it hit me, I could hot glue the plexi glass into the frame and not even take them apart.It worked like a charm and saved me the time and money of having to order glass for the frames.

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My sweet husband brought me these flowers on Christmas Eve in this cute little galvanized pail. He arranged them by himself and had them sitting on the coffee table when I came down the stairs!!!!

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Stay warm and have a great weekend my friends!

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