Front Arbor and Pickets

Yes, I am one of those ladies who loves a picket fence. I planted a vining perennial last fall at both bases of this arbor and can hardly wait to see the result this summer, as the vine will creep over and around the arbor and pickets. Today is a mild and sunny winter day, so this is the perfect "before" pic. The bush in front of the left picket is a white Rose of Sharon.

Kitty and the medical cabinet

Little Miss Amy (aka "Thug Muffin") vogueing for the camera - as I'm trying to show you my new (to me) vintage medical cabinet I picked up today off Craigslist. Would ya look at that funny face!

Glove Mold for Jewelry

Found this porcelain glove mold for only $3 at an antique store today. Little Miss Amy checks out EVERY item that comes into her domain. Kitty approved, so it stays.

Another cabinet color, perhaps?

I saved this from an online mag and can't remember the source - but the reason it was saved was that the color of the wood was alluring to me. I am still contemplating colors in which to paint my kitchen cabinets. Just thought I'd share this wonderful pic with you. Click to enlarge to see the creative lighting for the bookcase. I adore built-ins, don't you?

I'm a "One World, One Heart" giveaway winner!

I won these lovely, handmade card sets from
Penny at Penny Duncan's Creations in the One World, One Heart giveaway blogging event.

She writes on her blog: "This is a 5 card set with matching envelopes I've created. My passion is by far with paper and card making!!! I so enjoy reaching different levels of card creations!!!"

Thank you, Penny! I will really enjoy using them and your blog is wonderful!

I am another "One World, One Heart" winner!!

Woohoo! Am I lucky or what?!

Anita, from Vie Chaotique had a giveaway for the One World, One Heart giveaway blogging event and I'm the very lucky winner of her handmade pendant.

On her blog she writes: "Let's talk about my winner. Using a very scientific method, which involved my yelling across the house to my darling hubby "pick a number between 1 and 273." To which he answered "What?" and "What For? After some further interrogation he chose a number.

"57". I am thrilled because after reading her blog I found her to be a Craigslist afficianado and a girl after my own heart. The lovely and talented Shirl of "Life on an Artistic Shoestring" will soon find herself the owner of an Eiffel Tower Pendant from little ole moi."

Thank you so much, Anita! If you haven't seen her wonderful jewelry pieces, you're missing out and I suggest you go visit her blog. Bonjour for now!

Craigslist Metal Medicine Cabinet

I had been admiring a metal medicine cabinet on another's blog and hoped to come across something like that, too. I guess some wishes do come true! I found this on - where else - Craigslist - for $22! This piece is so versatile. I do need a small cabinet to go near the dining table to hold accessories and it also can be a nightstand or it can go in the bathroom to hold extra towels. It can, and I'm sure it will, be used in every room of the house.

Craigslist writing table

There was something that kept me coming back to this writing desk on Craigslist. I absolutely adored it....but I really didn't need another desk......But how could I resist? The $40 was burning a hole in my wallet - so I did the only thing I could do, under the circumstances.

It will fit nicely behind the sofa and I have some small, vintage lamps to set on top. I will post a pic when I get this treasure home on Saturday! I can hardly wait to polish it up with some Murphy's Wood Soap!

Autumn Forest - artwork finished

The flash of the camera always washes out colors. The best light is outdoors, so I'll try to replace this pic with one taken in the sunshine tomorrow - if we get any.

Window Mistreatment

I used metal U-shaped tiebacks as brackets to hold the drapery rods. I then used simple brass rods so they wouldn't upstage the sparkle of the amber glass spheres. Above the drapes is a panel of upholstery fabric to enlarge the ensemble look.
This idea came from Nesting Place who calls her creations "window mistreatments". I think it brings a coziness to the window. Attached to the wall with brass upholstery tacks. The sheers look blue-ish in these pics, but in real life, they are a sage and coordinate well with the sage in the drapes and fabric panels.

Painted ceiling medallions

Finished painting my Craigslist ceiling mediallions (see them unpainted on a post below) and now hubby can install these with my other Craigslist's chandeliers.

I painted 4 of ones in the top pic.

And the larger one will go over the dining room table over the hunter's horn chandy. Click to see details.

Stay tuned for the reveal!

I NEED to live here, right on the pier, thankyouverymuch

A cozy vacation home on Martha's Vineyard. Yeah, it's mine.... NOT! But go ahead. Click on this to get a full picture of a wonderful vista! If you love this pic, Go over to Julia's
Hooked On Houses blog to see all the pics she's posted from the movie: "Sabrina" and to enter her giveaway. I'm certainly hooked on THIS house!

Diantha Console

Is this not lovely? This is called a Diantha Console and it is sold at SeventhAvenue. On the website, it says: One of the enduring concepts of art is negative space — how what's not there makes you see what is.

That's the secret behind the beauty of this carved console. A graceful inverted arch supports the tabletop, both pieces embellished with a hand-carved floral motif.

This is definitely going on my wishlist! Since it's a little pricey for my decorating budget (Ha! Like I have one) - I'm going to try to make one similar to this. I do have some spare table parts.....hmmmm. (stay tuned - this could be a disaster in the making.)

Another Craigslist bargain - ceiling medallions

You know me and bargains - with the help of Craigslist I found 5 ceiling medallions! New, in the box, just ready for my paint touches. The bargain? Just $30 for all (They usually go for about $35 for just one!)

And look at the nice detail on the big one, which is about 20" across.

I'll start painting them up right away and will show you the pic of them installed within the next few days.

Got new (to me) barstools

Changed out the modern barstools we've had for 6 years. They were ok, but not fitting in with the traditional atmosphere that I'm leaning toward.



















These are what I replaced them with - study wood ones with backs. I had to get them from 2 different sellers on Craigslist because I needed 5 and most sellers only had 2 or 3. I really love these and they're very comfortable and easy to slide in and out of because of the smooth wooden seat. I like that they are in 2 different designs - it's not so "matchy-matchy" that way. I love Craigslist!

Of interest - window cornices

I made a cornice for my breakfast room sliders and now I'm ready to add some trim to jazz it up somewhat. So, off to the net for inspiration.














I really like this room. The cornice coordinates with the fruit theme and I am always fond of checks and plaids. The subtle wall design (is that paint or wallpaper?) is soothing and just right.
What doesn't make sense is that red runner. And perhaps the fruit centerpiece is too much. I'd think the centerpiece needs more "weight", like some stone or iron work. But, that's just my opinion.















This cornice has a pretty, cottage feel and I like it alot, but I would like to see some drapes with it, as it feels a little bare as is.















Crazy about the pooch! This makes me smile. You like?


Photos from Flickr

My hunter's horn chandy from Craigslist

I've always admired the hunter's horn chandeliers. But the cost of the antique ones would never be in my humble budget. The first one goes for $2k and the other is $3k.

My heart jumped when I saw this on Craigslist tonight! For only $20, this brass chandy, with the unique trumpet candlestick lights, has my name written all over it and I will claim my treasure on Monday night - I can hardly wait to get it installed above my dining room table. The ugly ceiling fan is coming down! (Amidst my hubby's protests-why DO men have to have all that air blowing on them at the dinner table?) I will start the hunt for the "perfect" chandy shades for this beauty. Am I lucky, or what?!

These are my winnings

Thanks to Linda from Lime in the Coconut for the very nice gift of aromatheraputic cleaners! My kitchen is smelling all pepperminty!

Slay the Home Energy Vampires

Ok, so I needed a graphic for my title......this is the best dracula I could get on short notice. mmmmmmmm chocolaty vampiry marshmallow bits......

Ok, so back to the real topic at hand. Did you know that even though you have electronics turned off - they are still using up electricity? And you are PAYING for all this unused electricity? I went to our local Ameren UE site to find out what rate we're paying and came across this interesting video which shows you how to save $50-100 each year by unplugging your electronics when not in use. And we're all about saving moola!

Another cabinet that caught my interest

Now this is an interesting way to paint cabinets. I have white cabinets, and I really don't like them at all. Just cheapy builder's fare. I'm thinking of painting them green, like the color of these. Then put a glaze of chocolate brown into the creases, like these. I'll be starting soon and I'll post some pics for you. It's winter.....and I gotta PAINT something!!