Monday 17 December 2012

Vacation time.

I want to take some time this Christmas season to thank YOU. The people that follow my blog, like me on Facebook and follow me on pinterest. 
I love the emails I get, the comments the repins. But mostly I love the support and the friendships I've developed over the past year. 

This is my last post of the year. 

On Wed we head out on vacation. This is a big deal for us since we really don't do a lot of traveling. 
We are off to see this...................

Some of you know just by this picture where we are going. :) 

In case you don't. 

We hope to see this as well. It's very high on our list :) 

Need another hint? 
 We are a bit crazy..history nuts, so exploring these places is heaven to us.

Of course along with all of that I hope to spend at least a few days doing nothing right here....

 I've gathered a couple of books I've been wanting to read..and going to pick up a couple more tomorrow. 

If you haven't guessed by now, we are heading here...... 


I want to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and an amazing New Year. 

I will be back the first week in January..with a lot of new projects and some goals. 
I've learned a lot this past year, mostly about who I am, where I'm going in this wonderful thing we call life..and how to follow my heart. (not easy for a pleaser like me) 

So spend time with family, love each moment and enjoy this Christmas season..or Hanuka :) 

Love you all

Till next year :) 

Titia 


Linking:
Coastal Charm
  

Friday 14 December 2012

It all started with a table top

We've had a square kitchen table for years now. I loved it. I really did. I've always wanted one. I like square things. They are easy to work with, I think I may be a bit OCD. Four even sides. How much simpler could it be than that. 
Not fancy..but it served our needs. It was pub height, something I've always liked. 
But every few months my husband would sigh and say he's always wanted a round table. So after living with this for 5.5 years he's gotten his wish. 

It wasn't intentional at all. I was walking in a re store when I saw this table top. No base, no chairs nothing...just the top. 

It's round!
I didn't get a before of the details on the side...which is what really sold me on this. And for $20..I couldn't pass it up. We weren't in a hurry...so I thought I had plenty of time to find the rest. I was prepared to wait. 
Then I walked into another restore (I frequently travel to several) And I found the perfect matching chairs. Sadly I don't have befores of those either. 
And then at my junk store I found a pedestal base. All of this within 2 weeks...it was a sign :) 
My husband was thrilled...kind of. 
See we would be going from a tall table to a normal height table and neither of us was sure about it...but we were willing to give it a go. 
He wanted it painted...so I set to work. he picked the fabric and I did the work. 
 The top was in EXCELLENT shape, so I didn't refinish it at all :)
 The base isn't a perfect match...but it holds up the table till I come across one I like better.
 What really sold me on this top was that wonderful detail...isn't it sweet?
 The chairs are perfect as well. And I just love the fabric hubby chose.

See the gorgeous detail to match the table? Ok..not a perfect match, but really...it's pretty darn close and I'm thrilled with it. 

The old table and chairs were sold in 2 days so I was able to bring this up and we all sighed and wondered if we would ever get used to seeing and sitting at such a "kiddie" table ever again. 

We are still working on that. But hubby has his round table and as long as he is happy...I'm happy. 

Now I want to take a moment to remember the families involved in that horrendous shooting today in CT. 
As a man I greatly admire said today. If you are a praying person, please pray hard. If you aren't a praying person, now might be a good time to start. 
I'm praying for these families. All of them. The ones who lost their children, parents, co workers, siblings. The ones who saw or heard what was happening. The people of that small town. And lastly for the family and friends of the shooter. They too need to heal. 
And I pray for my own family. 
It is at times such as this I reflect and remember all the nights I nursed sick children, I kissed boo boo's. I rushed children to the hospital for broken bones and diabetes diagnosis. I remember the nights I laid awake waiting for my teens to come home from work or an evening out with friends or sports. 
I remember the long hours sitting with my children as they struggles over homework. How I pushed them to do their chores, how I fought with them over things that seemed important at the time but which I can't seem to recall now. 
And I feel blessed. Very blessed to still have them with me now. 
So tonight, hold your family just a bit closer and let them know you are blessed for having them in your life. You just never know what the morning will bring. 


Linking:
Brassy Apple
Coastal Charm 
The Dedicated House
Knick of time  
  
 

Sunday 9 December 2012

Cute green desk

Fast and slow...or hurry up and wait seems to be the name of the game for me this last two weeks. 
A lot going on but in bits and pieces. Some wonderful things happening, and some not so wonderful things happened. 
I haven't been posting a lot simply because my mood hasn't been there. We had a loss in our family which is always hard to deal with, but especially at this time of year when we are supposed to be celebrating. 
As much as we like to think we come together to celebrate a life lived...and a wonderful life at that...it's never easy to say goodbye. 
To all of you reading my blog who is dealing with this too I only have one thing to say...
HUGS! 

Now on to share a desk project that I did that I really do love. 

This desk came to me a little beat up or as I like to say...well loved. 

 Cute little desk. I thought it was the perfect size for an apartment or a front hall or just a place to sit your laptop on. After all, the bigger the space the more room you have to store junk right? 

 A full drawer with a lock, how cute is that...and check out those front legs below.

However this does have some damage that someone covered up with tape. Who does that? Tape...really? 
Oh well. 
After a bit of work I came away with this. 
 Isn't she cute?
 I fixed the damage, then used my home made chalk paint because I didn't want to sand it down. I wanted to distress it and let the wood colour shine through.



Sometimes I do sand it all down before painting then distress...but normally if I do that I will stain it before painting it. I love a dark wood shining through, not an almost white. 
So what do you think? I think it's perfect :) 
Course I am a bit biased...lol 

And just to pick up the mood here a bit, I want to share a few Christmas'y things with you. Parts of my decorating scheme. 
 I have a huge santa collection. My kids and husband think I'm nuts. I think I have slightly over 30 now. But really....who's counting ;)
 I've also been trying to build a bit of a village. They are a mismash of different styles and as you can see the carolers are way to big. But I don't care. I pick things I like :)
Aren't they cute? 

Hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas season, and you get to spend some time with those you love. :) 


Thursday 29 November 2012

Vintage Music

I love music. 
I love this time of year for all the wonderful Christmas music. 
And I LOVE old Christmas music, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and the likes. For those of you who have Sirus have a look at channel 4. It's a 40's station that has some wonderful Christmas music on it right now. 
A while back...ok a long while back I picked up this amazing phonograph. 
I know what you are thinking. It's not all that wonderful. I mean look at that veneer. It's ruined right? 
 And the doors. Veneer pulling away.and see the inside? That material is EWWWW!!

 But it's a Victrola!
 Everything was/is there. :) Well just about. It's missing needles and the spring is broken. But I don't care. To me it's a thing of beauty! 
Can't you picture a party happening in a home with tons of music being played on this while everyone is dancing or talking. To me it conjures up thoughts of simpler times. 

So anyway. I let it sit and sit and sit. Then finally pulled it out and started work on it. I ripped off the Veneer from the top and it was soooooooo dry all I had to do is pull a bit and it came off in one piece. I found some wonderful wood under it and sanded it smooth along with the edges, then stained and sealed it. 
I sanded down every inch of this baby..painted it, glazed it and sealed it. 
And this is what I came up with. 

 I re glued the veneer to the doors, switched out the knobs to something I consider period appropriate.

 Isn't that top wonderful? I do believe it's solid Mahogany. :)
 Behind that ewwwy material was this amazing speaker box. I really didn't want to hide it, so I simply painted and sealed it. Then replaced the wood screen.
 The details get me each and every time.


Now to find this the right home. Someone willing to continue loving it as it should be loved. It will come with all the old 78's that I have. 

Off to decorate the house now...ahhhh Christmas. Going to be listening to channel 4 on Sirus to keep me in the mood :) 

Sharing here:

At the Picket Fence
Miss Mustard Seed 
The Shabby Creek Cottage 
The Vintage Farmhouse 
Stuff and Nonsense 
  

Sunday 18 November 2012

Harlequin love

My daughter and I are both avid readers. Unfortunately I no longer have a lot of time to stick my nose in a book and often I really miss it. 
I always loved to read. When I was really little there were several books sitting on a shelf at home that I was not allowed to touch. They were my mothers special books. I knew one day I was going to read them. It became a goal of mine. 
Sadly when the day came that I could read them, I found I wasn't all that interested in them. 
But by that time, I was a teen and had found Harlequin books. Easy reading and it combined my dreams of romance with my love of history. 
I quickly outgrew the love of Harlequin..but kept my love of history. 

Why am I telling you this? 
Well when I discovered the Harlequin design on some pieces of furniture, it brought back some wonderful memories for me. So I set off to find the perfect piece in order to hopefully bring both good memories and a good design together. 

Now you know I suck at before pictures. I totally forgot this time as well, so please bare with me as I simply show you the final product. 

 I picked a soft and bold colour. This dresser came to me already painted white and I kept it as a base for this.
 I think you can see the white showing through the soft grey. Giving it a really worn out look.
 I loved these handles, but they weren't working for me in brass and white..so what is a painter to do but paint them :)
 Cute legs eh? Adding just a bit of light to heaviness of the design.

Ohhhh my other love...cars. I love the bug for the old fun factor, and the Benz for a new fun factor.
My husband and I have quite the collection of model cars, and every time we replace one of our real cars...we have to also go out and get a model. 
I'm still hoping one day to own a Karmen Ghia. Think if I sell enough furniture, I can get one?
Wait...that would mean I would have to stop buying more furniture. oyyy what a dilemma.

ahhhh dreams are good too right? 
Hope you had a wonderful weekend. We will be off later this week to do some Black Friday shopping. Anyone know of some good second hand stores in Saginaw? ;) 

Sharing here:
Homemaker on a Dime
Debbie Doo's 
Nifty Thrifty Things
Coastal Charm 
Salt Tree 
Savvy Southern Style 
Domestically Speaking 
  


Friday 16 November 2012

All about Chalk boards

For a while now I've been collecting (without thinking) some frames. They are fairly easy to sell and so I never really thought about it.
Then while walking through the paint section of a local hardware store I noticed a can of "chalkboard" paint. I thought, gee I should try that. 
Then I noticed the price and walked away. 
But like so many times...a seed was planted. 
And I became obsessed with the idea. 

So I started planning..and getting the "stuff" together that I would need to finish all the little projects I needed...and to get the nerve up to spend that $20 bucks on something new (the can of chalkboard paint) 
Not sure about you, but I hate to spend money on stuff I am not sure about. 

So I finally did it, and I love the results. 

Check out my chalk boards. 
I'm going to be doing a lot more of them. I really enjoy it. :) 

 This one was a mirror..obviously. It's already sold and will be going home this weekend. :)
 This one was made by using an old barn window frame.


 And again...an old mirror converted to a chalk board.


Now to try the whole magnetic chalk board thing. 

What were you afraid to try then after doing it, wondered why you waited so long? 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Sharing here:
At the Picket Fence
Miss Mustard Seed