Holiday Weekend Makeover Project

It is a holiday weekend, so I have three days of blogging and posts to come up with. Now that I have tried my hand at painting cabinetry to pretty satisfactory results and I still have the supplies, I think I will try my hand at the dish dresser. Mr. Bill made the dish dresser in 1988 or so. It was one of his first furniture attempts and I have always loved it and cherished it. It was in style in the 80's. We were rocking the country, shaker look. It is based on the style of hunt boards or dish dressers. That is what I have always called it. It isn't a shelf or a hutch even though it could be.
But here is the dilemma. I love it but the color of the stain is very outdated. We stained it in the stain of the day and it matched the dining room table my dad made in the 50's or 60's. Her is a close up of the stain.

Now these two pieces are not even in the same room. Bill was okay with giving it away. I don't want to do that, because I think she can have a second life. This piece was supposed to be in our breakfast room, but we don't have a wall for it, so it is in the garden room where it gets seasonal displays.
Here it was last spring during my lemon period.

The bowl of lemons was not supposed to sit there but this pup kept stealing the fake lemons and hiding them under the deck.

Who Me?

                She is much better about that now. She hasn't stolen a pine cone at all this winter. 

At least not that I know of. 

Here is my quandry. Do I go with a distressed white finish or should I paint it black? 

Here is the other furniture in the room. The settee was at my grandparents lake house. 

The spool cabinet I got at a garage sale, same thing with the French cane chair. They were both 5 bucks.

The trunk belonged to my brother. The ice cream table was a freebie from one of my co-workers. 

(I love that little table to pieces.) Oh and the painting was a watercolor I found at a garage sale. It is a copy of picture found in the old "Victoria" magazine. I recognized it immediately because that has always been my favorite publication. The oil lamp was my parents. 

White would be cute. I have "pinned" at least a dozen white furniture shots on Pinterest. 

Black would be cute because I have so many black accents in that room.

I will keep you posted with a finished shot of my weekend project. 

Sprinkled with paint,

Katie

Living Fine Everyday

I have 10 tips for living "fine" everyday. Remember the "Fine Living Network"? I don't think they have it anymore. They changed it to "Wealth" or some such thing. It got even more pretentious than it was. I liked "Fine Living" better, because you don't have to be wealthy to live well. I believe that we all should live well everyday. How that looks is up to each of us.

I don't know what has happened to the word "fancy"? Nobody really uses that word anymore. 

 

Don't you love her? That is a hat.

Now, I find myself saying high-end instead of fancy. If Bill says fancy he is usually being sarcastic. I remember when we had fancy dishes, linens and silver for company. I have good china and it very rarely gets used. What a shame. (I think I will use it tonight!)

I had some favorite fancy things when I was little. One was my gold stretch bracelet with a heart. I also had a cute dalmatian pin. My sister and I love collecting and wearing our pins. Back then I could only wear my jewelry to church. I am sure I was also sporting my black or white patent leather shoes. I even had a pair that required a shoe hook. I'm sure I just dated myself with that. I still have a thing for black patent leather shoes. 

Shoes c/o Christian Louboutin 

These shoes are my holy grail shoes.

I remember when we were cleaning out my grandparent's house. My grandmother had boxes of new nighties just stacked in the attic. I guess she was saving them for a special occasion, but that special day never came.

My husband's grandmother, on the other hand, used her fine things. I cleaned out her house when she went to assisted living. The estate sale man didn't really buy much because there was very little that was not chipped or cracked. She used her wonderful things. That is how I want my stuff to look. I don't want to be a new pajamas stacked in the attic type of girl. 

So here are some things I do to live fine all the time:

1. The sterling silver shell (spoon) is always in the sugar bowl. (The rest of the service may not get used all the time, but I see something from it everyday.)

2. I fix coffee house coffee everyday. There are so many cheater recipes online. Plus it is sooooo much cheaper. I'm sorry about the amount of o's in so, but I had to get my point across.

3. I have a cloth on the table all the time. Initially it was to protect the table top, but I love how it looks and feels to dine with a tablecloth. Your thing could be placements, but the idea is the same. The table cloth thing has been the bane of my family's existence because invariably they spill on a fresh cloth. Sometimes we even use cloth napkins and napkin rings. 

4. I have a centerpiece on the table all year and I rotate it for the seasons. No pushing the mail aside to eat. 

5. We light candles during dinner. Okay, they are lanterns. Okay we just started this since all the kids moved out, but I love it. 

Most of the above is assuming you eat at the table. You should. At least some of the time although I love eating in front of the T.V. 

6. Having a cup of tea or coffee in one of the good cups is such a treat. 

7.  I wear my jewelry. It doesn't just sit.

8. Get the best sheets you can afford. Bill and I got Peacock Alley sheets at Tuesday Morning. They are soft and wonderful. They were double what they would have cost at Walmart, about the same as Bed, Bath and Beyond, but they are so worth it. I'm resisting the urge to add more o's to my so. 

9. Make the bed everyday! It feels restful to come home to a pretty bed. 

It appears I only have 9. I'm sure I have more ideas rattling around in my Ginkgo deprived brain. 

I will share them with you as I remember them. 

Did you know that the name of this blog is an accident? Rebekah and I were playing around with names and she accidentally hit the save button. I would not have chosen it, because it is not a food blog.  It was serendipitous because I love to sprinkle my life with wonderful things.
Sprinkle yours with something fine,

Katie 

Photos are mine or freebies.  

Dumpster Divine

It's Trashy Tuesday!
You can find some fabulous stuff in the trash. 
I called it dumpster diving but I have only pulled something out of a dumpster once.
The rest have all been trash picks found on the side of the road.
This first one Rebekah and I found when we were headed to the grocery store. I spotted it out of the corner of my eye. When I first saw it, I thought it might be a new piece. I was astonished that it was an empire chest from the early 1800's. It is all hand made. It had a small problem with one of the feet, but the talented Mr. Bill cut a new foot and put it on. This piece is massive. It stands about 4 feet tall. We have it in our entry way. It had crystal knobs on it when I found it. I got these replacement knobs at Home Depot. These are much more in keeping with the original. I'm sure Rebekah was horrified someone would see us stuffing this thing into the van. 

The portrait is Bill's grandmother. Nobody else in the family wanted it and in fact it sat for years in a garage. It was painted in the 20's or 30's.

The lamp is a reproduction of an antique Tiffany. It is made by Tiffany. It was my Christmas present a few years ago. Bill made the clock using wood that his friends found on a hike in Pennsylvania.

The next piece is a little loveseat I found on my way to work one morning. It was covered in a white damask. 

I learned to recover furniture years ago. I started with chairs and worked my way up to this. Bill and I have another chair to recover. I really can't do it alone anymore because it is so physically exhausting. It takes effort to keep moving and flipping the furniture over to attach the new fabric. The fabric pieces you take off become the pattern for the new fabric. When we start on our chair we will take before, during and after pics for this blog. I got this brown chenille at Joanns and it cost about $200.00 to recover. I usually don't spend that much on a free piece, but this one needed new foam. 

The final piece is one that Bill found while out walking one morning. He had to go home and get the car to pick it up. I am so happy that it was still there.

The little trunk on the top was my grandmother's doll trunk. 

The back was cardboard even though the rest of the bookshelf is oak. Bill put a new piece of plywood from Home Depot on it and touched up the stain. It is a perfect match to the craftsman look we have going on in this room. 

I will never forget my first dumpster dive. I had my new friend Wally with me. I am sure she had never done anything like this in her refined, prim and proper life. We climbed up on the side of that dumpster and pulled down two wicker patio chairs. They were super comfortable and in pretty good shape. I got about 10 more years out of those chairs. 

I hope that this inspires you to keep your eyes peeled. If something is by the side of the road go ahead and grab it. Hopefully you can find some good stuff. 

Sprinkled with trash,

Katie

The Chicks Have Left The Nest

Happy Wednesday!

Mr. Bill and I are spreading out in our empty nest.

Here is what we looked like 13 years ago. I think it's time for a new family portrait.

It doesn't seem possible that after 27 years the nest is empty. It only happened a few weeks ago so we are still adjusting to this new normal. 
We spent New Year's Day spreading out our closets. I was able to move all my spring and summer clothes to an extra bedroom closet. I put them in the closet of the room I staged as a dressing room.
http://katietreasures.blogspot.com/2011/12/dressing-room.html


Finally, For the first time since we moved into this house Bill has his own closet. He has had to share one side of his with all of my out of season clothes. Poor thing his side was cramped. I am not exactly the queen of neat when it comes to closets, drawers, cabinets etc. My stuff tended to multiply and morph to his side. He has been so patient with me. 
He decided to build some storage. He amazes me. Last weekend he measured and got busy busting out a storage system. He built it in a day and half and then stained it the next weekend. 
Here is what his storage looked like before.

Here is what it looks like now. Completely custom to fill the space. I can't wait to show you what else he has been up to recently. 

He got a template from Rockler to do the holes for the shelves. It looks professional. 

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=25379&filter=template%20for%20drill%20for%20shelves

He can move the little brackets to adjust shelf height. I love that he adjusted the height to fit his shoes and boots. He stained this piece a danish modern color and finished it with shellac. Shellac has fallen out of favor with the popularity of polyurethane, but it gives the wood a rich glow.

I will repurpose the old components from Home Depot for my accessories closet. 

Next up the pantry.

 Needs some work! It should not look like this for just two people. 

Sprinkled with organization,

Katie

Chalkboard Makeover

I have been stalking Pinterest lately. It is a networking site for recipes, decorating ideas, fashion and much more. It's tons of fun. I kept seeing these cute chalkboards for the dining room or kitchen. They were not your average schoolhouse chalkboard. These had more ornate frames. I have seen them in magazines for a while, so I decided I would make one.
I figured I would make ours with chalkboard paint and plywood. Instead I spotted an old chalkboard at one of my favorite thrift stores. It was marked $6.50 but everything in the store was marked down an additional 25%. I love that it has some marks on it from some children. I guess the teacher in me likes preserving something kids played with.  It adds to the charm. A gallon of chalkboard paint can be about $40.00.

 

I have a thing for vintage frames. I pick them up when I see them at garage sales and thrift shops. I very rarely pay more that $10 dollars per frame and I have gotten some good ones for a dollar. I even snatched one out of someone's trash on my way to work. Sometimes the old ones have chipped plaster on the corners, but I'm okay with that. I love things that are imperfect.

The frames above were my choices for the frame. I was pulling for the black one, because it has hung around the house the longest, but it was too big. My second choice was the black and gold one but it didn't  look as good as the gold one.

I cut a little slit in the old frame so I could get the chalkboard out. 

I borrowed the ruler and square from Mr. Bill. I measured the frame and marked the chalkboard. I cut it on the table saw. Make sure you wear goggles or glasses. You really don't want to have to take a trip to the emergency room with a chalkboard sliver in your eye. 

If you have not used a saw before, have someone show you how. It really is not hard and is no more intimidating than using a mixer. 

Tack the board into the frame and you are good to go. 

Just make sure you have chalk in the house. 

I have more of the board left. I'll use the rest in another frame for my little office or classroom. 

I feel like I'm dining in a French bistro. Too much? 

Happy New Year!

Sprinkled with chalk dust and saw dust,

Katie 

Winter White

I am taking Christmas down this week. I don't know about you but I get a little depressed when Christmas is over. The house looks so empty when all the decorations are put away. I started decorating for fall in early October so the house has looked festive for a few months. If it would snow in Texas we might have something beautiful to look at outside. Let It Snow!
I only got one new decor item for Christmas, so I need a little inspiration. I love a winter white look at Christmas and have done that a few times. The last few years I have gone with a warmer pallet, so my white Christmas decorations haven't been used in a few years. I have some snowmen, white cottages, snowflakes, and of course pine cones. I pulled these out and spread them around the house to add a little interest.
Winter white is perfect for getting through the winter doldrums until spring gets here. The retailers would have us decorating for Valentine's day but I really don't want Valentine's decorations around for six weeks if at all.

Here are a few things I do to bring a little cheer to my winter woes.

• White throws of differing textures tossed over the sofa or the end of the bed will add warmth and comfort. I love different shades from off white to a rich cream. Brown and white is a nice combination as well. Pottery Barn has some beautiful throws and they are 30% off right now.

• I am not opposed to artificial flowers. My favorite are velvet. I have picked up different ones over the years in different colors. Pottery Barn usually has some cute faux potted plants each season. They look pretty real. If you can't go faux, add a little life with white flowers from the grocery store. I always intend to buy flowers  for Christmas, but I get too caught up in the holiday festivities to remember to pick them up. Add some sprigs of ivy or other greenery from your winter garden for a just picked look. My amaryllis refused to cooperate and bloom for Christmas so I have that to look forward to in a day or so. I bought pink and white or white just in case. (I can't remember. It was quite a few weeks ago, so it will be a surprise!) You may find something similar at the nursery or grocery right now. 

I love vintage post cards. I picked these up last summer while antiquing in East Texas. 

Look at the message on the one below. A Happy New Year! I forgot that I found this until I pulled these out yesterday. I love that they are in my color pallet. 

I love little white tealight cottages. Mine has a snowman on the side. It was a thrifty find for about a dollar. 

• I will keep my Snowbaby collection on display for a few weeks. I also have two little antique German cake toppers that take center stage as soon as all the other decor is put away.

   

• Finally I like to keep a few of my snowmen out. I chose a few that don't have too much red decoration so they don't feel overly Christmasy. 

I pulled out my brown transfer ware again. It was on hiatus after I repainted my kitchen last summer. It has a hot chocolate and marshmallow feel.

If you are like me and are in decorating withdrawal, repurpose some of your Christmas decor to take you into January.

Sprinkled with snowy white,
Katie

Dressing Room

As of last week my husband and I have an empty nest.

Apparently I only take pictures of my house in the snow. (White Christmas 2009)

 I am so happy for my kids. This economy has made it tough on young adults and they have persevered to get out on their own. I am not really one of those weepy moms. I enjoyed my years raising my children and have very fond memories of the different life stages they went through, even the teenage stages. I miss those stages sometimes, but I am not really one to get all emotional about them moving on. I do miss them, but I know that they will always stop by. They are welcome to my washer anytime. ;)

I don't know why, but I just cannot have company in the house if  I have a room in transition.
Since this last one was fairly sudden, I didn't have time to make a plan for the makeover.  Usually I have a fair amount of warning, so I can decide what the decor will be and what the room will be used for.  I have company coming on Saturday for Christmas Eve. I used it to wrap gifts earlier this week, but I couldn't just shut the door and leave it for another day.
This is what it looked like on Saturday.

Part of me was so tempted to go out and buy a bed for this room. But, I could not spend $500 or so on a new mattress during the holidays. Eventually it will have a full bed, but I have yet to see the bed of my dreams at a price I want to pay. I went thrifting to see if I could find a headboard but no such luck. I found some very scary mattresses, but I just really don't think I want to bring bed bugs into the house at this point! This is the first time we haven't had a headboard in the attic waiting for a room. I have a crib for grandchildren but no bed.

The kids thought I should turn it into an craft room.

But, I really don't need another craft room. I have a little cubicle desk in one of the closets downstairs. (That will have to be another post.) I usually set up my sewing machine in there or in the creepy doll room.

I thought about it and decided I would turn it into a makeshift craft room until we find a bed. The folding table could stay for Saturday. I added some chairs. (I have a chair problem. I like to rescue old chairs.
Maybe I am worried the zombies won't have enough seating during the Zombie Apocalypse.)
I created a little seating group with my daughter's pink vintage chair and one from my Nana.

• The tea table is from my Grandmother.
• The ottoman is a garage sale find. 
• The needlepoint pillow was made by one of my husband little aunties.
• The crochet throw was made by grandmother-in-law. It probably won't always stay out, but since I was going dusty pink I pulled it out.  

This secretary is "Gene". What? You don't name your furniture? We inherited it from my mother-in-law. It belonged to a cousin or uncle that was a Texas state representative. In the years preceding my house it had been a gun cabinet. I stripped Gene back to the original finish because it had been antiqued a red color in the 70's. Rebekah named the secretary "Gene" when she was about 12. Gene is a she. Rebekah didn't know Jean is the way to spell the female version of the name. 

She would have liked to take it to her apartment,  but it is very hard to move. 

I love my little New Home Sewing Machine. I almost got rid of it this past summer, because I had no place to put it in the house. My husband talked me into keeping it and I am so happy that I listened to him.  

It belonged to my great grandmother. I bet she was so proud of that thing. 

Finally, I staged the folding table to look like a dressing table instead of a craft table. Crafting supplies are a little messy. Besides, I have always wanted a dressing table.  

I mean, Jean Harlow looks so glamorous. Maybe I could look like that. 

. 

• The antique curling iron came from my Granny.
• The mock dress form was birthday gift a few years ago.
• The jewel box was an ugly thrifted thing I painted black and edged in gold.
• The mirror and clock were from garage sales.
• The dresser set came from another one of the aunties. 

There you go. Now I can have my company and not be in a tizzy about having an empty room. 

This really should be called the little aunt and granny room. It has so many of their accoutrements.

Here is a sneak peak at one of the other projects I have in the works for next week. 

I can't wait to show you what I am doing with one of those. 

Sprinkled with stuff from little old ladies,

Katie