Shopping Blues

The weather around here these past few days has been all kinds of gloomy, so I set out Saturday afternoon for some shopping therapy. Ha ha! (Insert snowy, rainy, hot, cold, sunny,  for gloomy - any weather is the right weather for shopping in my book!) I was on the hunt for a few things from the antique malls around town, but came up empty handed.  Drat! So on the way home I ran into Tuesday Morning.  I don't usually find much there, but every once in awhile....And today was the day! I have a wall in our living room that needed a little change and I found the perfect thing.

Blurry! (sorry) But this is a before shot.  I actually quite like this arrangement, but the wall pocket was starting to feel a little overpowering and I wanted to bring in  a bit more aqua for spring.

I bought this gorgeous pottery wall pocket for $14.99, scavenged some greens from around the house and voila!  It is a great shot of color and the texture of the piece is amazing.

This is a closer view of the vignette.  Two cute floral prints, along with a pair of aqua sconces, coral pot with ivy, and a sweet little plate from Home Goods I bought on clearance a month or so ago.  The lamp was a Hobby Lobby 90% off steal three years ago.

Sorry about the shades being down - the windows were creating a terrible glare! Yikes!

One last look!

Wishing you happiness,

Jane

                          Joining in the fun at these fabulous parties:

A Date With Desk-iny!

Hi everyone! I want to share a cute little desk I picked up for just $4.99 at GW not too long ago for my guest room.  Sadly, I do not have any before pics but it was your typical GW sorta-thing, dark stain 1960's era desk.  It is solid wood and dove-tailed, so it is very sturdy and good quality.

I spray painted it out in Rustoleum 2X Ultra Strawflower, distressed it, glazed over with walnut, and finished with a top dressing of wax.

*Apparently Parker was napping and not too keen on the photo shoot idea*

Isn't it a sweetheart?  It fits in perfectly for our guest room corner.  I needed something that could function as a night stand and as a sewing table/craft center.  Perfect! For about $5.00 in paint and the cost of the desk, this nifty little addition was only about $9.99!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wishing you happiness,
Jane

Linking to Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Now, I will admit that I LOOOOVVVEEE deep, rich fall color for decorating.  Cozy. Enveloping. Charming. But - like so many of you these days - I feel my space needs a little lightening up.  Lately, I've been painting this and that, adding creams, buttery yellows, and cool, calm aqua.  Knowing me (and I do!), I am pretty certain I will return to the all cozy-all the time vibe come fall, but for now I am enjoying this new lighter look!

Today I was looking at two cheapo mirrors I have hanging stack style in our sitting room.  They were from Kirkland's a few years back and are plastic made to look like deeply embossed tin.  Feeling the urge to paint s-o-m-e-t-h-i-n-g, these became my decided upon victims. I figure that since they were cheapy to begin with, no harm could come to them from the paint brush.  Out came the cream and blue paints, along with some glaze & antiquing medium.

These were the perfect candidates for painting.  Look at that raised design - perfect for antiquing! I am also proud of myself for taping off - I really hate the prep part of crafting!

Here is the first coat of just some leftover white paint I had laying around.  Afterwards, I dry brushed on some very, very light blue that I mixed with clear glaze.  I finished off with some dark glaze thinned way down with water. I also dry brushed white on the roping trim around the mirror.

There they are in their new "suits," looking quite spiffy I might add.  It really perks up this short wall between the kitchen and TV room.

Here is a closeup - it is very chippy, distressed.  It looks like a framed ceiling tin.  I really like it and of course, the beauty of it is that another transformation is only a brush stroke away should I tire of it. 

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Wishing you happiness,

Jane

Linking to

Rooster Tin

Just wanted to do a quick little post on a super cute tin I picked up at Hobby Lobby over the weekend. My point and shoot camera doesn't do it justice and I apologize for the blurry photos! Nonetheless, I think this tin is adorable and I had fun mixing it in with some painted Mason jars placed on a galvanized tray.

I placed the tin on a little black cabinet I have in a corner of my kitchen.  The curtains are from Pottery Barn in the Alessandre pattern.  I really like the muted gold tones.  My walls are showing a green cast today, but are actually a very soft buttery yellow.

I am still enjoying my Easter centerpiece of carnations and tulips in an aqua Mercury glass vase.

This photo is a good representation of the true colors of this grouping. Thanks for checking me out today!

Wishing you happiness,

Jane

Partying with Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Plate It Up!

Last week, Mr. Bluebird and I went to Branson, MO to celebrate our 30th anniversary.  Neither of us had been there before, but we had such a fabulous time.  They have a beautiful riverfront area filled with shops, restaurants, and an hourly water show.  We also saw several shows, the very, very best being a family group called The Haygoods.  Any of you seen them?  They are a-m-a-z-i-n-g! Check them out on YouTube.  I highly recommend the song Shenandoah. Beautiful.

                                            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DcBHjDp2x8

Now, you all know I couldn't leave that beautiful state without some kind of nifty remembrance to show off in our home.  Coffe mug? Um, noooo. Collector spoon?  Really, um, noooo. I decided upon a vintage Missouri license plate from 1982 (the year we were married).  It's black and white, and is perfect.  Did I think of this idea on my own?  Also, um, noooo.  I picked up this idea few weeks ago from Kelly atThe Essence of Home.  She has the most amazing blog and her cute Frenchy license plate was my inspiration!

Did I mention how much I love this plate? (Only $3.99!)

Well, that's my ode to our wonderful, fun, amazing trip!  Have a great rest of the week!

Wishing you happiness,

Jane

Linking to

What A Girl Wants

Hi everyone and happy Monday!  I've been away on a little 30th anniversary trip with Mr. Bluebird. We went to Branson, MO and had an absolutely fabulous time.  We were a little worried that it might be a little too Hee Haw/old timer for us, but we were sooooooo wrong.  It is wonderful in every way and we cannot wait to go back!  (I  am trying to convince him to go this weekend.....lol!)

Today I am going to show you my college-age daughter's bathroom.  We recently did a little re-do, which included new flooring.  Sorry!!! No before pics!  This room had sported a very teen girl look of bright orange, purple, & hot pink for quite a few years.  With my daughter being away at college, I longed for something a little more subdued and guest friendly.  It was a compromise every step of the way - she still wanted it girly and I wanted sophistication.  We found a cute fashion themed shower curtain, which was our jumping off point.

I love the canvas lined towel bin that I found at HomeGoods about a month ago.  Fun to have the rolled up towels at the ready - always seems so luxurious!

The walls are a very, very pale pink with a slight gray cast.  Isn't that pink rug with the ruffled lattice adorable? A cute little TJ Maxx find and a steal at $6.99! Woot! There's my towel bin up close - loving, loving, loving......

Not necessarily a fan of over the toilet storage towers, but she has soooo much stuff it really was a necessity.  I am actually starting to like it.  Hard to see, but the Kirkland prints are of high heels.

We decided to take the doors off her linen closet - and I have to say it was life transforming! The room seems bigger and I think it will be easier to keep it looking tidy.  Closed doors = junk stash.  We took out one of the shelves and now there is room for her hamper.  To the right of the sink is a little ode to ballet.  Daughter has been a dancer since age two and half!  

The original builder mirror was transformed with a little moulding and corner blocks - painted the same pink as the walls and topped with silver metallic glaze.  I hot glued and then caulked the pieces onto the mirror.  Love it!! (uh oh, the reflection in the mirror is showing the "before" of my current project...)

Here is a close up of her linen closet.  We added painted moulding to the metal wire shelving (using heavy duty Velcro).  I love this!  I had seen so many similar ideas on other blogs so copy, copy, copy! The hamper is also a nifty thing.  It has a black hinged top, and is made out of wrought iron, lined with a removable canvas bag.  Soooo pretty. I actually purchased it online from QVC.  I had been searching for years for a pretty hamper that could sit out and this was it! Not a bargain at $68, but I am ok with it since I had done my best in searching out something special.

Well, that is my daughter's bathroom.  It really captures her personality and is gently nudging her to a more grown up look in decorating. I do like it and if I really feel  the need to "class" it up, I can always add a new shower curtain and artwork for the months she is gone away at school.  I will post another day about the awesome flooring we put in this room - it is really cool!

Thanks for visiting!

Linking toBetween Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday

Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesday
Debbiedoos Newbie Party

Wishing you happiness,

Jane 

Happy Easter

 

Happy Easter!

I have been off on vacation for the past week and unfortunately did not stockpile any posts during that time! (Newbie, newbie, newbie!)

I plan on being back with a little something Sunday evening or early Monday morning.  In the meantime, I hope you all have a blessed Easter!

Wishing you happiness (and chocolate bunnies),

Jane