Got The Red Out

After years of having red walls in our family room,

they are now a
delightfully, delicious
chocolate brown.Yum!

Too Much Results In Too Little

Oh my, it's been way too long since I posted! It's not because I've stopped decorating and doing projects. In fact it's just the opposite. I have too many projects on my plate! Let's take a look shall we. . .

I've decided to change the paint color in the family room.The wall in the dining room has been an on-going project for months; painting and re-painting at least a half dozen times now.I have a great idea of a make-over for the china cabinet.I enjoyed your comments about the lampshades and am still tossing around a few ideas.I've been rearranging the master bedroom.And there is still Christmas decorating to do.
Please tell me that I'm not the only one that gets PROJECT CRAZED this time of year! Do you???

My Neighbors Might Wonder

I'm sure that if my neighbors looked into
my home in the evening
they would stop and take a second look.

They might be puzzled or bewildered.
They might wonder if I had lost my sense of style.
Wouldn't you if you saw such a sight?

It's just my way of trying to decide
which style of shade I like most for my thrifted,
awesome, oversize lamps.

Tell me, which style do you like most?

What's Old Is New

This is one of the last remaining original cabinets in our home that has not been removed or had a paint make-over. It will eventually be replaced with a beautiful thrift store piece that we will fit a bathroom sink into. When we first moved into our home I was overwhelmed with the amount of cheap, ugly, cabinets and hardware. But little by little we have managed to turn ugly into lovely on a very tight budget, which even surprises me.
I remember our first year in this home when I counted all of the cabinet handles on our first floor. It amounted to over one hundred! I knew if I could only replace the ugly antique brass it would update the cabinetry, but with so many pieces even that could prove costly. So little by little we removed some doors, some entire cabinets, and then primed and painted what remained until our home began to look like ours instead of a contractor's bargain build.
Years ago I couldn't wait to get rid of the antique brass hardware but, ironically, just a few weeks ago I added antique brass back. It looks beautiful against the now painted, but still original (cheap) cabinetry. Of course I would love to have all new cabinets in my home but I am very content with the beauty that I have been able to achieve with a small amount of money, time, and energy. It's very rewarding to be able to make a house

your home!

Coffee Table Talk

I've been making some changes to our living room. What can I say, I get bored with the same old look after a while. As much as I loved the coffee table we made from an old door, I couldn't resist buying this authentic factory cart from a cabinet factory that was going out of business. It's currently loaded with pumpkins.

A real pumpkin is resting on a gorgeous thrifted frame

and the pumpkins that I made last year
are grouped inside a wooden box,
also a thrift store find,
that I added a handle to give it the look of an old drawer.

I love to change things around because it makes me look at
old things in a new way.

Happy Pilgrim and Helping a Friend

On my front porch there stands a grinning little fellow. He's a Pilgrim constructed from a large pole. I made him years ago when I was in my tole painting phase. He's a little outdated but how could I get rid of such a happy decoration. I love my Thanksgiving decorations!

My friend Meg

loves her Christmas decorations and is anxious to put them up. However her husband has given her a challenge. She has written and illustrated a beautiful book with an awesome message, which is a feat for anyone but most especially for Meg because she's quadriplegic. Her husband has challenged her to sell a few books before she pulls out her Christmas decor. If you want to buy a meaningful gift for someone special, go listen as Meg reads her book. If you love the message you can purchase the book. It's a gift that will make the recipient happy, as well as my friend Meg. Then everyone will be grinning like my little pole Pilgrim!

Autumnal Scenes

My "official" Thanksgiving decorations
are still packed away.But this morning I am enjoying the early rays of sunlight
shining upon the few autumnal scenes
I have thrown together in my living room. I love this time of year!

Happy Halloween

Have a Simply
Happy Halloween!

In Remembrance

One of the things my Mother-in-law was know for was her love of jewelry. She was always adorned with sparkly earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. She believed it was important for a woman to look her best, and up until just days before her passing she consistently wore make-up, nice clothes, and jewelry. She taught her daughters: If you spend the time to get yourself ready in the morning then you can focus completely on other people throughout the day.

After she passed I was fortunate enough to receive a couple pair of her old clip-on earrings. I placed them on the tops of the lampshades in our living and dining rooms. They are a sweet little reminder of a life well lived in

love, service, and beauty.

Spooky Greetings And a Gift Card Winner

I have been slow to decorate for Halloween. It seems that the old wife's tale that death comes in threes is true for our family. My sweet mother's loving husband recently passed and things have been difficult. We miss him dearly!
But I have learned that one of the best ways for me to take my mind off of my troubles is to beautify my surroundings.
I started with these terracotta pumpkins that I've had for years. They needed a little updating and since my favorite color of late is gray that's the color they became. A spritz of black glitter gave them a little glam.I paired them up with bright green lanterns and grocery store pumpkins.Then I filled an urn with some dead branches where crows can rest.A spider is feeling at home too.The frame got a spray paint makeover to match the lanterns.And now my porch is ready for the season.I am excited to announce that "Little Old Me" was randomly selected to receive the $100 Wal*Mart gift card. Congratulations! Please email me so I can pass on your information.

Back In Love

I have loved my long green table for years. It was a thrift find that may have once been a school science table---the old gum stuck underneath, as well as the holes from a pencil sharpener would indicate that that was it's previous life. I painted and distressed it to match my home decor but that was a few years back and my style has evolved since then.
A couple of weeks ago I stopped to look at the mis-tints at the big orange box store. I fell in love with a quart of muddy gray paint that someone else did not care for. A few coats of paint and it looked like new.Wanting to keep the story of the science table in tact I gave it a glaze, darkening it over the dings and scratches, to bring out the previous chapters of it's life.Then to give it a little more interest and height I added some casters.

I am back in love with my table!

***Enter for a $100 Wal*mart gift card HERE***

Topped Off Topiary

While thrift store shopping I found this sad,

yet potentially awesome, topiary. It just needed to be
stripped of the things
that were weighing it down---
old lights, faded greenery, and the too tall stem.

With the help of several bags
of dollar store moss rocks cut in half, a bunch of glue sticks . . .

a few hot glue blisters . . .a couple of hours . . .

and a fresh dabbling of paint to the pot . . .

the topiary was re-born!

***Don't forget to

enter for the $100 gift card
to Wal*mart***