SWEET FINDS

Like many of you I love to hunt for vintage finds and charming bargains.  After Territory Days last weekend we closed our shop on Tuesday and headed out for the day.  We needed a break!

On my journey,  found this chocolate pot with a missing lid.  I have ordered a lid that I am pretty sure will work, but until then, some lilacs worked fine to use it as a vase.  It is hand painted with roses and violets and is from Germany and was just $6.00.

This sweet basket is one you see often in antique malls, etc.  I gave it a new coat of spray paint.  The runner fits perfect on my pink buffet with a soft pink rose on each end.   Another "smaller" sized  cake platter is perfect for displaying a teapot or cream and sugar.

The English Royal Stafford Cup and Saucer is the pattern Lyringa and I also found a darling 36" square topper of linen with roses printed on it.  All were very good prices.  This is my idea of a fun day!  Hope you have a great weekend.

MAKING CHAIR CUSHIONS FROM PLACEMATS

Now here's an easy project for you.  You will need to buy a placemat for each kitchen chair to make a chair pad. I used square placemats - not rectangles.  These are the same ones I am using for placemats on the table.

I have 4 vintage white kitchen chairs so I got four 15" square placemats and cut out 4  15" square pieces of fabric for the backings and a little more to make four tying strips for each to hold the finished cushion to the chair. I recommend a bodkin for turning the fabric strips - if you don't have one a large safety pin will work.   I had a roll of batting already on hand so I cut from a  four layer thickness four 12" square pieces.

LET'S SLOW DOWN FOR "Tea In The Garden"

Welcome to "Tea In The Garden" and what  a lovely morning for a cup of tea.  

Things in the garden are slow going 

since we just had snow days ago so

this bouquet should brighten up

the table.

My husband and I plan to take the day off today after surviving Territory Days all weekend in Old Colorado City.  I am so glad the event is over - masses of humanity packing the streets.  Time to relax today!

I hope our weather is finally going to stay warm as we had cold weather last week and we are tired of it.  You know what I mean.  This weekend was beautiful so hopefully that is the new trend.

My poor tulips don't exist this year as they came up 6 weeks ago and then froze and the leaves turned brown. They never bloomed and a lady told me they get the strength to bloom from the leaves. It is safe to say that we

have no real spring in Colorado, we

have snow in spring.

I'm not trying to fool you as I wouldn't have too much in the garden yet accept for sticking new plants in here and there.  My lilac bushes are also short on blooms this year.   

FINDING COMFORT IN GOULASH

Last night I was driving home from work - hungry.  The traffic was crazy and I began to crave GOULASH.  Yes, goulash is a good thing and it is an American institution.  So, a quick stop at the market for ground beef and I was home in the kitchen in no time.

  But the goulash is basically: 8 oz of prepared boiled macaroni, 1 1/4 lbs  ground beef which is fried with 1 chopped onion and 1/2 chopped large green pepper and 1 Tb butter, salt and pepper to taste, 1 can chopped tomatoes and 1 can condensed tomato soup and shredded cheese for the top.  Bake at 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

We love a healthy salad too.

See my pretty pink plates:  I recently found 6 of these for $3.00 each.  They may not really be old as there is a lot of reproduction

depression glass out there and frankly I can't tell the difference.

FINDING TREASURES AGAIN

Some of my favorite moments are those spent scouting out yard sales, flea markets or some previously unvisited antique mall.  I am always fascinated by all the different things people are searching for. 

Recently I noticed someone who delights in primitive items. Another man was buying old oil cans (like Frankie on The Pickers) and hardware from  another century and there I was scouring for vintage linens and teacups and saucers and the like. 

 As I was waiting to pay, a man wheeled by his purchase of a unique potting bench that someone made from  pieces of repurposed wood.  It was really cool!  I am on the hunt for an old door - one with a curved round top which is harder to find.  I would love it even more with a little curved window you could open out in it.

I am sharing some of my weekend treasures today including another Tuscan cup and saucer which has more silver on it and slightly different than the first two I found.  Also:  a pretty pink embroidered runner, a Swan vase, another straw hat to wear in the garden and another white milk glass vase.

What have you been looking for?

ARRANGING AND REARRANGING

I love to change things - you know - change the location of a teapot or cup and saucer.  I have been playing with my new Shabby Armoire and can't resist sticking more in here or there.  These best part is that I finally have room for my cake platters!

My husband has done a great job

painting a lot of our furniture

pieces which are mostly vintage and

some antique.

This week we have been getting a new furnace and air conditioning at our home and I am so happy that the wall thermostat was moved out of the kitchen where it was in a terrible location.  Of course, now the wall has to be patched and painted.

SHABBY CLOCK AND FLORAL

Our Victorian Wall Clock just 

went Shabby Chic:

As many of you know, beginning a number of weeks ago, we decided to change things at our house where dark Victorian prevailed.  I am loving the transformation to lighter colors that seem more "cottage".  

The clock was completely taken apart which was a little scary but it is working great!

I am also sharing this silk floral I did this week with stuff I had on hand.  I love these vintage flower baskets. I want to tell you

 to be sure and pick up a copy of the June 

issue of Romantic Homes - a special tea is included with the theme: Downton Abbey.

And lastly a little Victorian Marble Table my husband painted:

OUR KITCHEN TABLE HAS A NEW LOOK

I am so excited that May is finally here even though it snowed all day on Tuesday May 1st and our temps are still only in the 50's now! 

We had a little painting slowdown while I was gone to Virginia for a week but we are now done with our antique oak kitchen table and four chairs.

 I knew I would like seeing this piece white because I have always loved this 45" square table. We bought it many years ago at an antique mall in Conroe, Texas.  This table offered no problems painting with it's center leg and 4 large curved legs.   Again, we used the Vintage White Cece Caldwell chalk paint.   I am glad to get this done because we have been eating on a card table in the den for weeks.  Even the basket in the center of the table was painted with chalk paint!

PAINTING PHOTO FRAMES WITH CHALK PAINT

Several weeks ago I spread the kitchen table with newspapers and began gathering up the picture frames around the house. I took the photo and glass/backing out.   Some were metal and others plastic.  Some were that old out of style 1970-1980's resin look.  I had decided to paint them with chalk paint and I found that 1 coat was basically all it took, a little distressing with sandpaper (or just wiping some of the wet paint off with a rag) and a quick wax job and buff.

You can totally change the look of your frames easily!