Tag Archives: Our Home

Home & Garden, Tips & How To

Ticking and Toile in the Dining Room

Hi Friends~

My last couple of posts have been sharing all the changes I made while preparing for a photo shoot with Romantic Homes. I've shared the living room and entry with you and today I'm sharing the dining room.

I used a beautiful toile, that I found recently, in the living room, and since the living room and dining room are essentially the same room, I used it in the dining room too.

I made two new slipcovers for the head and foot of the table. I made these slipcovers more fitted than my previous ones made out of drop cloths and added a gentle ruffle. I'm keeping the old slipcovers to use when my sweet (messy) grandchildren eat over. ;)
I had originally covered the cane-backed dining room chairs with the same drop cloth. But after finding this toile and the coordinating ticking, I decided to recover them with ticking. I added a few layers of batting before adding the fabric to make them more comfortable.
 I got these beautiful delphinium from our local florist ~ Megan at This and That. If you live in the Big Rapids area, be sure to visit her beautiful shop! She special~ordered these and had them waiting for me the day before the shoot. I used to have these growing in my yard but they didn't survive one of our cold Michigan winters. They are one of my favorite flower because of beautiful blues.

I still have not found any bar stools that I love at the price I want to spend. I've painted ours an antique white so that they 'disappear' a little.



Sorry for the poor quality of the picture below. It's really hard to get certain angles with all the windows in our house and the glare off the floors.
Kristen had a list of shots that Staci Dumoski, the editor of Romantic Homes, had specifically requested, but she took pictures of everything! Even things I hadn't planned on. I'm sure most of them won't make the magazine but there was no stone left unturned!  You can see her list here on the dining room table.
I'll be back soon with pictures of our family room. I moved our new coffee table that was in the living room to the family room and the industrial cart has a new home in the basement. I did it for the shoot but we all like it so much that I think it's going to stay that way. It really lightened up the room.

Our shower door and claw-foot slipper tub have been delivered. We ordered these from Menards and they shipped within days. A plumber is coming today to see what needs to be done in our master bath for the new tub and vanity. Demo is scheduled for next Wednesday so I am boxing things up and my husband and I are moving to the main floor bathroom. We have another bathroom upstairs but my son uses that, so we'll use the downstairs for a couple of weeks.

As soon as we hear from the plumber, I'll order a vanity. We need to make sure our plumbing comes out of the wall. Our current vanity sits on the floor and the one I'd like has legs.

love and blessings~


"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."
Isaiah 54:11,12

I'm joining these linky parties:
Rattlebridge Farms
.dwellings-theheartofyourhome
scoop-229
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Home & Garden, Tips & How To

Ticking and Toile in the Dining Room

Hi Friends~

My last couple of posts have been sharing all the changes I made while preparing for a photo shoot with Romantic Homes. I've shared the living room and entry with you and today I'm sharing the dining room.

I used a beautiful toile, that I found recently, in the living room, and since the living room and dining room are essentially the same room, I used it in the dining room too.

I made two new slipcovers for the head and foot of the table. I made these slipcovers more fitted than my previous ones made out of drop cloths and added a gentle ruffle. I'm keeping the old slipcovers to use when my sweet (messy) grandchildren eat over. ;)
I had originally covered the cane-backed dining room chairs with the same drop cloth. But after finding this toile and the coordinating ticking, I decided to recover them with ticking. I added a few layers of batting before adding the fabric to make them more comfortable.
 I got these beautiful delphinium from our local florist ~ Megan at This and That. If you live in the Big Rapids area, be sure to visit her beautiful shop! She special~ordered these and had them waiting for me the day before the shoot. I used to have these growing in my yard but they didn't survive one of our cold Michigan winters. They are one of my favorite flower because of beautiful blues.

I still have not found any bar stools that I love at the price I want to spend. I've painted ours an antique white so that they 'disappear' a little.



Sorry for the poor quality of the picture below. It's really hard to get certain angles with all the windows in our house and the glare off the floors.
Kristen had a list of shots that Staci Dumoski, the editor of Romantic Homes, had specifically requested, but she took pictures of everything! Even things I hadn't planned on. I'm sure most of them won't make the magazine but there was no stone left unturned!  You can see her list here on the dining room table.
I'll be back soon with pictures of our family room. I moved our new coffee table that was in the living room to the family room and the industrial cart has a new home in the basement. I did it for the shoot but we all like it so much that I think it's going to stay that way. It really lightened up the room.

Our shower door and claw-foot slipper tub have been delivered. We ordered these from Menards and they shipped within days. A plumber is coming today to see what needs to be done in our master bath for the new tub and vanity. Demo is scheduled for next Wednesday so I am boxing things up and my husband and I are moving to the main floor bathroom. We have another bathroom upstairs but my son uses that, so we'll use the downstairs for a couple of weeks.

As soon as we hear from the plumber, I'll order a vanity. We need to make sure our plumbing comes out of the wall. Our current vanity sits on the floor and the one I'd like has legs.

love and blessings~


"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."
Isaiah 54:11,12

I'm joining these linky parties:
Rattlebridge Farms
.dwellings-theheartofyourhome
scoop-229
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Home & Garden, Tips & How To

Our Photo Shoot with Romantic Homes~Entry

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a wonderful day!

Well, our photo shoot is over.  And after working so hard to get everything ready for the last two months, I have crashed!

What an adventure! It would be one thing to have one or two rooms ready to photograph but having eight rooms ready really wiped me out! My husband claims I collapsed on the kitchen counter as soon as the photographer left. He might be right.

I know HE was the one who drove an hour to Grand Rapids to pick up our son at the airport while I took a nap!

Anyway, our photographer was Kristen Wheeler at khphotographics and she was so enjoyable! She's originally from Michigan and now lives with her husband close to New Orleans. She came alone and stayed almost three hours. She used one lense and got overall shots of each room. Then changed lenses and got close-ups of details.

She also did a live video connecting to all the people at Romantic Homes! That was cool. If you're on Facebook you can watch it on my page. Otherwise, here's the link.

So in the next several posts, I'll try to show you our house as it was staged for the photo shoot.

In our entry, I bought two sweetheart roses for my little wheelbarrow. I just placed the plastic pots in the wheelbarrow and covered them with foliage.  This picture was taken before I staged the French shopping cart.

I got a new camera and I love that it takes a wider shot. Here you can see the entry as it goes into the rest of the house. You're looking straight down a hall and into the kitchen. You can also see how our stairs go up.


Then shortly before Kristen arrived, I took these flowers out of water, wrapped them in craft paper, and put them in my basket.
We played around with this a little bit, staging it in front of the dresser. I think I might have liked just the white flowers better, even though I chose the bright pink, but Kristen really liked the pop of color. The photos are planned for a Spring issue so the colors are appropriate. An umbrella, a rain coat and a loaf of French bread complete the vignette.



I haven't shown you the other end of the room for a while. The clock used to be on this wall. It's now in the living room. (see the last post) And these pictures used to be above the piano.
You can also see my door painted here.

Our baker's rack is still in the other corner.

I'm sorry I didn't get pictures of the whole room. I was just taking pictures while I waited for Kirsten to get here. And if you saw my instagram today you know there's a bike in here waiting for the upcoming birthday party now! And lots of shoes. ;)

We were blessed with beautiful weather! This was the view out our patio door at the end of the room.
As you can see, we haven't had a chance to do anything to our cabana yet. We're still going to try. I'll show you pictures of our whole deck very soon.

Here's sweet Kristen working hard.

I'm at home waiting for our new shower door to be delivered and tomorrow our new slipper tub will arrive. Our son will be here until Tuesday, and on Wednesday the demo on our master bathroom starts!

(Don't tell my family but I was happy to be the one to stay home today and wait for the shower door! Ha!)

I'll try to be back as soon as I can and share the rest of the rooms with you!

love and blessings~
"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."


Standard
Home & Garden, Tips & How To

Our Photo Shoot with Romantic Homes~Entry

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a wonderful day!

Well, our photo shoot is over.  And after working so hard to get everything ready for the last two months, I have crashed!

What an adventure! It would be one thing to have one or two rooms ready to photograph but having eight rooms ready really wiped me out! My husband claims I collapsed on the kitchen counter as soon as the photographer left. He might be right.

I know HE was the one who drove an hour to Grand Rapids to pick up our son at the airport while I took a nap!

Anyway, our photographer was Kristen Wheeler at khphotographics and she was so enjoyable! She's originally from Michigan and now lives with her husband close to New Orleans. She came alone and stayed almost three hours. She used one lense and got overall shots of each room. Then changed lenses and got close-ups of details.

She also did a live video connecting to all the people at Romantic Homes! That was cool. If you're on Facebook you can watch it on my page. Otherwise, here's the link.

So in the next several posts, I'll try to show you our house as it was staged for the photo shoot.

In our entry, I bought two sweetheart roses for my little wheelbarrow. I just placed the plastic pots in the wheelbarrow and covered them with foliage.  This picture was taken before I staged the French shopping cart.

I got a new camera and I love that it takes a wider shot. Here you can see the entry as it goes into the rest of the house. You're looking straight down a hall and into the kitchen. You can also see how our stairs go up.


Then shortly before Kristen arrived, I took these flowers out of water, wrapped them in craft paper, and put them in my basket.
We played around with this a little bit, staging it in front of the dresser. I think I might have liked just the white flowers better, even though I chose the bright pink, but Kristen really liked the pop of color. The photos are planned for a Spring issue so the colors are appropriate. An umbrella, a rain coat and a loaf of French bread complete the vignette.



I haven't shown you the other end of the room for a while. The clock used to be on this wall. It's now in the living room. (see the last post) And these pictures used to be above the piano.
You can also see my door painted here.

Our baker's rack is still in the other corner.

I'm sorry I didn't get pictures of the whole room. I was just taking pictures while I waited for Kirsten to get here. And if you saw my instagram today you know there's a bike in here waiting for the upcoming birthday party now! And lots of shoes. ;)

We were blessed with beautiful weather! This was the view out our patio door at the end of the room.
As you can see, we haven't had a chance to do anything to our cabana yet. We're still going to try. I'll show you pictures of our whole deck very soon.

Here's sweet Kristen working hard.

I'm at home waiting for our new shower door to be delivered and tomorrow our new slipper tub will arrive. Our son will be here until Tuesday, and on Wednesday the demo on our master bathroom starts!

(Don't tell my family but I was happy to be the one to stay home today and wait for the shower door! Ha!)

I'll try to be back as soon as I can and share the rest of the rooms with you!

love and blessings~
"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."


Standard
Home & Garden, Tips & How To

Ticking and Toile and a Photo Shoot with Romantic Homes!

Hi Friends!

Sorry to be gone for SO long! There's honestly been so much going on and I just haven't taken the time to blog it. I will try to catch up!

Staci Dumoski, the editor of Romantic Homes magazine, contacted me a couple of months ago and asked if I would be interested in them sending a photographer to our house for a photo shoot. When I quit screaming, I sent back a very dignified, "Yes! Of course!" Ha!

Now I don't know about you but when you think pictures of your home might be in a magazine, you begin to look around with a very critical eye. Staci told me they planned on photographing our entry, living room, dining room, family room, guest room, master bedroom and possibly the kitchen. (I don't think I've ever had all those rooms looking perfect at the same before!)

About that same time, I spotted a fabric that I loved and that always starts the redecorating process.

So we started by finishing the beams in our living room. (See how we built them here.) We had made the one closest to the dining room and I was hoping for another one by the fireplace. My husband has been so sweet! We now have two beams!
Staci requested that the ottoman be back in the living room and the two chairs be in front of the fireplace. That left a bare wall so we moved our grandfather clock into the room and I love it there! It has been in the entry but now it's found a new home. Thanks, Staci!

I made several pillows with the new blue toile and recovered the back of the blue chair (again!) You can see how I do that here.


I love this fabric! The pattern is stitched on ~ not printed. I got both the fabric and the tassel fringe at warehousefabrics.

I also made a couple of pillows out of a blue and white ticking that I got at warehousefabrics.

This little ottoman that's been in the entry got recovered with the new toile fabric too.




For those of you who have been following along, I got all my doors and frames painted. They flow well with the beams and faux rustic wood.  I love the way our new beam looks as you enter the room.
I finally figured out what to do with my little blue and white stand. I got all three of these pieces; the stand, the bowl and the topiary frame, at HomeGoods. This is my new favorite thing! Wait. Maybe my beams are my new favorite thing...or the toile...
Our photo shoot is Tuesday. I'll take lots of pictures of the photographer taking lots of pictures and post them.  I'll also be posting them on instagram.

My son arrives from Boston the evening of the photo shoot and is staying with us for a week. During that week, we'll be celebrating two of our grandchildren's birthdays! Rhynn will be four and Lucas will be one! There's a BIG party in the works! :)

Then before our son leaves, the contractors will be arriving to start the demo on our master bathroom!

So my brain is in a bit of a whirl and I'm a little tired. I'll be cleaning madly tomorrow and running around picking up fresh flowers and a few other little things for the photo shoot.

I'll be back soon to show you the new slipcovers and seat covers I made out of the same ticking and toile in the dining room and the other changes I made for Romantic Homes.

Thanks to the thoughtful ladies that sent me emails and messages checking on me during my absence. You made me feel so loved! I am so blessed.

Love and blessings~

"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."


Standard
Home & Garden, Tips & How To

Ticking and Toile and a Photo Shoot with Romantic Homes!

Hi Friends!

Sorry to be gone for SO long! There's honestly been so much going on and I just haven't taken the time to blog it. I will try to catch up!

Staci Dumoski, the editor of Romantic Homes magazine, contacted me a couple of months ago and asked if I would be interested in them sending a photographer to our house for a photo shoot. When I quit screaming, I sent back a very dignified, "Yes! Of course!" Ha!

Now I don't know about you but when you think pictures of your home might be in a magazine, you begin to look around with a very critical eye. Staci told me they planned on photographing our entry, living room, dining room, family room, guest room, master bedroom and possibly the kitchen. (I don't think I've ever had all those rooms looking perfect at the same before!)

About that same time, I spotted a fabric that I loved and that always starts the redecorating process.

So we started by finishing the beams in our living room. (See how we built them here.) We had made the one closest to the dining room and I was hoping for another one by the fireplace. My husband has been so sweet! We now have two beams!
Staci requested that the ottoman be back in the living room and the two chairs be in front of the fireplace. That left a bare wall so we moved our grandfather clock into the room and I love it there! It has been in the entry but now it's found a new home. Thanks, Staci!

I made several pillows with the new blue toile and recovered the back of the blue chair (again!) You can see how I do that here.


I love this fabric! The pattern is stitched on ~ not printed. I got both the fabric and the tassel fringe at warehousefabrics.

I also made a couple of pillows out of a blue and white ticking that I got at warehousefabrics.

This little ottoman that's been in the entry got recovered with the new toile fabric too.




For those of you who have been following along, I got all my doors and frames painted. They flow well with the beams and faux rustic wood.  I love the way our new beam looks as you enter the room.
I finally figured out what to do with my little blue and white stand. I got all three of these pieces; the stand, the bowl and the topiary frame, at HomeGoods. This is my new favorite thing! Wait. Maybe my beams are my new favorite thing...or the toile...
Our photo shoot is Tuesday. I'll take lots of pictures of the photographer taking lots of pictures and post them.  I'll also be posting them on instagram.

My son arrives from Boston the evening of the photo shoot and is staying with us for a week. During that week, we'll be celebrating two of our grandchildren's birthdays! Rhynn will be four and Lucas will be one! There's a BIG party in the works! :)

Then before our son leaves, the contractors will be arriving to start the demo on our master bathroom!

So my brain is in a bit of a whirl and I'm a little tired. I'll be cleaning madly tomorrow and running around picking up fresh flowers and a few other little things for the photo shoot.

I'll be back soon to show you the new slipcovers and seat covers I made out of the same ticking and toile in the dining room and the other changes I made for Romantic Homes.

Thanks to the thoughtful ladies that sent me emails and messages checking on me during my absence. You made me feel so loved! I am so blessed.

Love and blessings~

"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."


Standard
Home & Garden, Tips & How To

Adding Spring to the Family Room

Lately I've been craving color and pattern.

Maybe it's Spring. Or maybe I'm getting tired of neutrals. I don't know... but I have been pulling out fabric that I've had stashed away for a while and some of my old treasures that I just couldn't stand to get rid of when I redecorated and adding them back into our decor.

My lattice fabric that I recently added to the living room goes beautifully with florals and I've added it and a mix of floral fabrics into our family room.

I  loved seeing everyone's beautiful gardens and even though I knew it was early to purchase flowers for the garden here in Michigan, I couldn't stand it and I did. And then we had frost again. So I've been enjoying my flowers here in the house.

I bought this blue and white planter at HomeGoods. I just put these hyacinths into the pot and covered the plastic pots with spanish moss. They're starting to turn a little yellow and may not even be blooming anymore by the time we get past the danger of frost. Oh well! They've been a treat in here.

 The trees are in bloom here now. I've added some branches and a bird cage to the table behind the couch.
My gate got another coat of paint. I didn't like how blue it was and toned it down by dry-brushing it with SW Deer Valley.

I've also been pulling out all my bird cages and topiaries. Looks like a little bit of English Country has invaded the French Country. ;)



I've had this bird cage for a couple of years. I got it at HomeGoods. I also bought several of these beautiful rose bushes and am afraid to plant them yet. I'm planning on putting them in pots on the deck. In the mean time, we're also enjoying them here in the house.
My giant blue and white tea cup is holding a mix of herbs. My previous herb garden wasn't doing well and I'm convinced it was the terra cotta pots. I stuck these new plants in this ceramic pot and they're growing like weeds.

I don't know if I've ever shown you the back of this chair. It's really fun. I should probably put it somewhere it's more noticeable. 
I'm hoping to add some of the rustic wood in here like we did in the living room. That's now been added to my husband's honey-do list. :)
Hope you're having a wonderful week and getting lots of nice weather.

I've been trying to give our deck furniture a fresh coat of paint but we've been having lots of rain. So, I guess I've got plenty of time because we're not going to eat on the deck in the rain anyway!

Be back soon with more projects!

love and blessings~
"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."
Isaiah 54:11,12

Standard
Home & Garden, Tips & How To

Adding Spring to the Family Room

Lately I've been craving color and pattern.

Maybe it's Spring. Or maybe I'm getting tired of neutrals. I don't know... but I have been pulling out fabric that I've had stashed away for a while and some of my old treasures that I just couldn't stand to get rid of when I redecorated and adding them back into our decor.

My lattice fabric that I recently added to the living room goes beautifully with florals and I've added it and a mix of floral fabrics into our family room.

I  loved seeing everyone's beautiful gardens and even though I knew it was early to purchase flowers for the garden here in Michigan, I couldn't stand it and I did. And then we had frost again. So I've been enjoying my flowers here in the house.

I bought this blue and white planter at HomeGoods. I just put these hyacinths into the pot and covered the plastic pots with spanish moss. They're starting to turn a little yellow and may not even be blooming anymore by the time we get past the danger of frost. Oh well! They've been a treat in here.

 The trees are in bloom here now. I've added some branches and a bird cage to the table behind the couch.
My gate got another coat of paint. I didn't like how blue it was and toned it down by dry-brushing it with SW Deer Valley.

I've also been pulling out all my bird cages and topiaries. Looks like a little bit of English Country has invaded the French Country. ;)



I've had this bird cage for a couple of years. I got it at HomeGoods. I also bought several of these beautiful rose bushes and am afraid to plant them yet. I'm planning on putting them in pots on the deck. In the mean time, we're also enjoying them here in the house.
My giant blue and white tea cup is holding a mix of herbs. My previous herb garden wasn't doing well and I'm convinced it was the terra cotta pots. I stuck these new plants in this ceramic pot and they're growing like weeds.

I don't know if I've ever shown you the back of this chair. It's really fun. I should probably put it somewhere it's more noticeable. 
I'm hoping to add some of the rustic wood in here like we did in the living room. That's now been added to my husband's honey-do list. :)
Hope you're having a wonderful week and getting lots of nice weather.

I've been trying to give our deck furniture a fresh coat of paint but we've been having lots of rain. So, I guess I've got plenty of time because we're not going to eat on the deck in the rain anyway!

Be back soon with more projects!

love and blessings~
"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."
Isaiah 54:11,12

Standard
Home & Garden, Tips & How To

Our Cabana and Some Inspiration Pics

We haven't opened up our cabana for a few years. You can see it in this picture from last summer with the boards still attached to the walls ~ closed for winter. We store all our patio furniture in it during the snowy months.

Inside, on the left, is a kitchenette with a sink, cabinets and a refrigerator and an open, high ceilinged room. On the right side, where you see the second door, is a bathroom and the pool equipment.

But the weather guys are predicting a hot summer this year, so we're thinking it's time to open it and give it a good sprucing up for the grandbabies. Our sweet little granddaughter will be four in June. I think she would love a space like this!

When we remove the plywood, the side closest to the pool has screen all the way to the floor, so you can sit in the shade and watch the kiddos swimming. The other side has a 1/3 lower wall. I'm planning on putting some lattice on that side, to give us privacy from our neighbors.

I've been saving pictures on Pinterest for a couple of years now.
With the plywood removed, our room looks a lot like this. It's a great place to get out of the sun, rest and have lunch.  My daughter and I are planning on stocking the fridge with popsicles, ice cream and sandwich supplies.
I'm on the hunt for a daybed and have found several on Craig's List. I'm hoping to get one this week.

I have a perfect little table and chairs for eating lunch on and we have electricity, so wouldn't a blingy chandelier be wonderful?!

Or something like this?
This just satisfies the girly-girl in me! And I have a lot of bird cages.
We even have the high ceilings and maybe enough room to do this!
I have a hutch I'm not using that looks a lot like this ~ perfect to fill with plants and bird cages.

Right now, the cabana is filled with lots of pots and some of the furniture pieces I want to use.
But I'm gathering my favorite pictures and all my stuff and getting ready.
It will be a week or so before we can start. We're still not having consistently warm weather here. But a quick coat of paint and some rearranging and we should be ready!
The good news is 'The Boss' is on board - ha! literally - and said he's willing to open it up this year. (that means removing the boards, which I can't do on my own!)

Our youngest grandbaby will be a year old this summer so everyone is old enough to enjoy the pool. It looks like it's going to be a great summer!

love and blessings~
"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."
Isaiah 54:11,12



Standard
Home & Garden, Tips & How To

Our Cabana and Some Inspiration Pics

We haven't opened up our cabana for a few years. You can see it in this picture from last summer with the boards still attached to the walls ~ closed for winter. We store all our patio furniture in it during the snowy months.

Inside, on the left, is a kitchenette with a sink, cabinets and a refrigerator and an open, high ceilinged room. On the right side, where you see the second door, is a bathroom and the pool equipment.

But the weather guys are predicting a hot summer this year, so we're thinking it's time to open it and give it a good sprucing up for the grandbabies. Our sweet little granddaughter will be four in June. I think she would love a space like this!

When we remove the plywood, the side closest to the pool has screen all the way to the floor, so you can sit in the shade and watch the kiddos swimming. The other side has a 1/3 lower wall. I'm planning on putting some lattice on that side, to give us privacy from our neighbors.

I've been saving pictures on Pinterest for a couple of years now.
With the plywood removed, our room looks a lot like this. It's a great place to get out of the sun, rest and have lunch.  My daughter and I are planning on stocking the fridge with popsicles, ice cream and sandwich supplies.
I'm on the hunt for a daybed and have found several on Craig's List. I'm hoping to get one this week.

I have a perfect little table and chairs for eating lunch on and we have electricity, so wouldn't a blingy chandelier be wonderful?!

Or something like this?
This just satisfies the girly-girl in me! And I have a lot of bird cages.
We even have the high ceilings and maybe enough room to do this!
I have a hutch I'm not using that looks a lot like this ~ perfect to fill with plants and bird cages.

Right now, the cabana is filled with lots of pots and some of the furniture pieces I want to use.
But I'm gathering my favorite pictures and all my stuff and getting ready.
It will be a week or so before we can start. We're still not having consistently warm weather here. But a quick coat of paint and some rearranging and we should be ready!
The good news is 'The Boss' is on board - ha! literally - and said he's willing to open it up this year. (that means removing the boards, which I can't do on my own!)

Our youngest grandbaby will be a year old this summer so everyone is old enough to enjoy the pool. It looks like it's going to be a great summer!

love and blessings~
"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."
Isaiah 54:11,12



Standard
Home & Garden, Tips & How To

How To Make Faux Beams

I love rustic beams. I have been bugging suggesting to my husband that we put beams in our living room and family room for years. When I finally painted the existing beam in our living room, that was covered in drywall, to look like wood, he agreed that we could add some more details.

I wanted our beams to do this...

I didn't know what to call it so I showed a picture to my husband.

He never said a word. He just disappeared into the garage and I thought he was cleaning up from what we had just finished. When I went out to check on him, I found him making these!


He mitered the sides so that they fit together perfectly and so that they looked like solid beams.
He reinforced them.
And put the lid on them!
He then delivered them to me to be painted. I wanted to paint them so that they would match the faux wood treatment I'd already done in here.


We had already gotten boards that matched the width of the beam on the ceiling. He attached them to the wall...
using big bolts that we pre-painted black.
We did the same thing on the opposite wall - added a board down the wall and attached our faux beam. The black bolts tie in with the black gate hinges on the shutters.
Now I'm bugging  suggesting to him that we need another one on the other side of the room!
We've also recently added some wood trim to hallways and I hope to add some to the wall with the mirror. And I've almost gotten all of our doors painted and will show them to you soon!

You can see more pictures of this room on yesterday's post.

love and blessings~
"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."
Isaiah 54:11,12


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Home & Garden, Tips & How To

How To Make Faux Beams

I love rustic beams. I have been bugging suggesting to my husband that we put beams in our living room and family room for years. When I finally painted the existing beam in our living room, that was covered in drywall, to look like wood, he agreed that we could add some more details.

I wanted our beams to do this...

I didn't know what to call it so I showed a picture to my husband.

He never said a word. He just disappeared into the garage and I thought he was cleaning up from what we had just finished. When I went out to check on him, I found him making these!


He mitered the sides so that they fit together perfectly and so that they looked like solid beams.
He reinforced them.
And put the lid on them!
He then delivered them to me to be painted. I wanted to paint them so that they would match the faux wood treatment I'd already done in here.


We had already gotten boards that matched the width of the beam on the ceiling. He attached them to the wall...
using big bolts that we pre-painted black.
We did the same thing on the opposite wall - added a board down the wall and attached our faux beam. The black bolts tie in with the black gate hinges on the shutters.
Now I'm bugging  suggesting to him that we need another one on the other side of the room!
We've also recently added some wood trim to hallways and I hope to add some to the wall with the mirror. And I've almost gotten all of our doors painted and will show them to you soon!

You can see more pictures of this room on yesterday's post.

love and blessings~
"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."
Isaiah 54:11,12


I''m joining these linky parties:
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Home & Garden, Tips & How To

Florals, Beams and a New Coffee Table in the Living Room

Happy Monday!

I like Mondays! Everyone else in my family leaves for school and work and I like to help our house recover from the weekend. It always feels good to me to get things back in order.

We had a nice weekend and got to get out in our yard and get some projects started, even though we had some rain.

And there's nothing like warm weather to make you want to lighten things up inside! Our living room has gone through several changes over the last couple of years and with Spring making a slow arrival here in Michigan, I thought it was the perfect time to add some florals and color to this room.

Some other things have changed in this room, as well. I found this coffee table on Craig's List. I haven't painted it yet, and probably will soon, but I love that it has the cane lower shelf which matches our new dining room chairs.

We finally moved our piano out of this room enabling me to put our Bergere chairs up against the wall, which really opened up this space.
I took the toile off the back of this chair (see how I did it here) and replaced it with some embroidered lattice fabric that I bought last year. I made a matching pillow for the love seat and added a small floral pillow.

But my favorite change is our new beams! I will show you how my husband made these in a later post.
They add the rustic feel that I love and balance out all the feminine florals I've put in here.
This is the view as you walk in from our entry way.
The wall you see to your left is our stairway to the upstairs.

My little azalea topiary needs a good shaping but everywhere I started to trim had a new bud ready to bloom, so I'll wait until it's done.
I put two of my favorite framed canvases over the fireplace. You may remember I had the smaller one over the stove and someone kindly warned me that cooking would damage it. I've replaced it with a large floral plate.

Some beautiful pink roses I picked up at the grocery story echo the paintings. I found the antique wooden 'shovel' at a nearby antique shop. It used to hang on the family room wall but I've replaced it for Spring. I found the French candle stick at Tuesday Morning in Grand Rapids. The mirror to the right used to hang in our entry.
I love the new beams and I'm already suggesting to my husband that we need one on the other side of the room. (He doesn't think so.) :)


I'll be back soon to show you how my amazing husband created these beams and to show you some Spring changes in the family room.

Have a wonderful day!

love and blessings~
"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."
Standard
Home & Garden, Tips & How To

Florals, Beams and a New Coffee Table in the Living Room

Happy Monday!

I like Mondays! Everyone else in my family leaves for school and work and I like to help our house recover from the weekend. It always feels good to me to get things back in order.

We had a nice weekend and got to get out in our yard and get some projects started, even though we had some rain.

And there's nothing like warm weather to make you want to lighten things up inside! Our living room has gone through several changes over the last couple of years and with Spring making a slow arrival here in Michigan, I thought it was the perfect time to add some florals and color to this room.

Some other things have changed in this room, as well. I found this coffee table on Craig's List. I haven't painted it yet, and probably will soon, but I love that it has the cane lower shelf which matches our new dining room chairs.

We finally moved our piano out of this room enabling me to put our Bergere chairs up against the wall, which really opened up this space.
I took the toile off the back of this chair (see how I did it here) and replaced it with some embroidered lattice fabric that I bought last year. I made a matching pillow for the love seat and added a small floral pillow.

But my favorite change is our new beams! I will show you how my husband made these in a later post.
They add the rustic feel that I love and balance out all the feminine florals I've put in here.
This is the view as you walk in from our entry way.
The wall you see to your left is our stairway to the upstairs.

My little azalea topiary needs a good shaping but everywhere I started to trim had a new bud ready to bloom, so I'll wait until it's done.
I put two of my favorite framed canvases over the fireplace. You may remember I had the smaller one over the stove and someone kindly warned me that cooking would damage it. I've replaced it with a large floral plate.

Some beautiful pink roses I picked up at the grocery story echo the paintings. I found the antique wooden 'shovel' at a nearby antique shop. It used to hang on the family room wall but I've replaced it for Spring. I found the French candle stick at Tuesday Morning in Grand Rapids. The mirror to the right used to hang in our entry.
I love the new beams and I'm already suggesting to my husband that we need one on the other side of the room. (He doesn't think so.) :)


I'll be back soon to show you how my amazing husband created these beams and to show you some Spring changes in the family room.

Have a wonderful day!

love and blessings~
"Behold, I will set your stones in turquoise, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. I will make your summits of rubies and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones."
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