Easter!
Hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend! We sure did here. We had a small family dinner at our house and then did some yard work. Very festive, I know. I thought I would share with you our Easter table!
Notice anything different? How about that table? Yes, I finally tried the Restore on it! It worked so well, I think I’m in love! It did not removed the weird patterned spot, so the table is still not perfect, and probably never will be. But, it is so much better! The Restore really does a great job on scratches and scuffs. Anyways, how about the Easter setting? Jeremy even helped to decorate some eggs! I blew out real eggs so that we can save them for next year!
Here is one of Jeremy and I:
Here are the three generations of women in our family who came:
What did you all do for the holiday? 🙂
DIY Serving Tray
This has been on my to-do list since we moved it. Or maybe even before. But it became even more urgent when we bought the new couch with an ottoman. Now I have no room for a coffee table, but that means nowhere safe to put drinks and essentials. However, the previous owners left us lots of junk in the barns, so this one was a snap.
Gross old window uncovered in a heap in the barn:
Add some barn door hardware as handles:
The window was in surprisingly great shape once it was cleaned up, so I added a little paint and distressed the edges, added the hardware, and then used an Uppercase Living decal I had packed away on the glass. (I had minor trouble with the decal, so it may get a new one in the future. Talk about frustration!) And here you have our new serving tray:
Just finished this little guy and we already love it. We think it looks cute in that rustic way, but is also super handy!
Well, what do you think? We are happy with the way this quick and easy project came out! Have you ever tried anything like this?
Small Dining Room Changes
I have been waiting months to bring home my grandma and grandpa’s antique ice chest. Its finally here! We planned to move the “buffet” I painted for a while in the dining room and next it will serve as a changing table/dresser in a nursery (someday). The ice chest is in gorgeous condition and I think it goes very well in the room (also to be painted someday!).
Also, notice Jeremy’s newest addition to the room? 🙂
I thought the “L” paperweight was super cute!
I love it! Also, a tid bit about this room. The walls are wall papered, but with small, randomly torn bits of this cream marbled wall paper. It really was a neat technique. Now, if we ever need to patch a spot, all we need is a small chunk to cover it. The previous owners left us plenty. But, this isn’t my first color choice. Yes, neutral, but to me its a bit blah. I was thinking about testing a spot to see if I could paint right over these wall paper chunks. I think in a navy or gray the chunks could still give a layered texture, but be more my color. Anyone ever try this? Suggestions?
Also, I finally found a table runner I love. Now I can show off my pretty table a bit more. Well, as soon as its pretty, that is. Here is a shot of the runner:
The table is a gorgeous antique table that has leaves for expanding for company. We bought it from the previous owners as well. But, the top has seen better days. There are scratches and white marks where something sat. I am hoping to use Restor-A-Finish on it and be done. Soon! Here is a shot of the ick:
Very soon I hope to be back with an update on that table! Maybe a nice Easter table setting to incorporate my new runner! 😉
Chair Love
This week’s chair love is so fun! Enjoy!
I’d love to add some fun chairs to the new looking living room! 🙂
Our Christmas Style
Yes, it’s a little late, but I thought that I would share our Christmas decor with you. Inspiration is good anytime, right?Â
So, here are a few of our first tree together! (we did eventually find the perfect green skirt! ) We went with a bit of a “camo” theme with colors this year. That was my nod to Jeremy. We used golds and greens and bronzes on the tree. My photos don’t seem to do it justice, but it was really pretty.Â
See the antler ornaments? Shimmery pinecones helped add sparkle too!
Our rustic bronze star was really pretty too.Â
Camo snowmen…
My “dance in the snow” pillow…
In the dining room we displayed my grandparents’ jewelry tree. Grandpa made this out of Grandma’s old jewelry.Â
Here is a close up of the sparkle, as this may be the last year for this tree. I might be using the jewelry for another very special project. Might, as in I have not made up my mind to tear down this beauty. Hmmm…
The two of us spent our night alone together quietly, so here’s a peak of our simple blue table.
It was basic but cute, and also easy.
And, although there was no snow on Christmas in Iowa, I took these a bit before hand of the first snow at our new house. Come to think of it, I don’t think I have shared a view of the outside of our home, so here is the front…
The side…
And a view towards our barns…
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!
Dining Chair Love
Browsing some gorgeous photos today I came across two dining room photos that I just loved. The first is so bright and fun with its mismatched chairs. I wish I was bold enough to pull this off!
The next is something I’d absolutely love to try someday, with a bench being used on one side of the dining table. This bench is no regular bench, rather, a gorgeous antique bench!
I absolutely adore that bench! Enjoy!
Oh, and I want to share a peak at my Christmas holiday decor with you, but I’m running a bit behind. Still to come! Hope you all had a great holiday!
Thanksgiving 2011
What a wonderful thanksgiving (and birthday!) I had! This was the first year I hosted the festivities at our home, thanks to a lot of help from my mom! It was a great break from work to be home on the long holiday weekend with my family. I wanted to share a few quick photos, especially my quick and fun table settings! …
Jeremy and I…
The family…
I also got to do a lot of hunting and trapping and some playing with cows. Yes, thats right. So, here’s one of me petting the giant bull…
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving holiday!
Dining Chair Love
I love the rings on the backs of these chairs! I love the leather! I love the studs! I love the chandelier and the wall color and…
Beautiful, no? 🙂
Sheet Music Table
I have had this little vintage fold-up table sitting in the closet for a while now. My grandma had given it to me, cracked green paint and all. I would stare at it now and then, uninspired, but I knew an idea would eventually come to me.
Finally one day last week the idea did come to me! Sheet music! I happened to have some old sheet music, some Mod Podge, and even some ribbon and scrap book supplies. I, of course, forgot the before picture. And this was one of those that would have been good to have! But, after working on this project all weekend, I am finally finished and I really like the results.
I later read somewhere that in order to keep the ripples and bubbles from occurring you can dampen your paper before adding Mod Podge. I will definitely try that next! But for a first try, I think it turned out super cute! What do you all think?
Our New Buffet
Our new buffet is actually what was once a very old and icky buffet. I saw it at a garage sale for a few dollars and couldn’t resist. I thought it would be fun to see if I could bring life back to this old gem. It was a lot of hard work getting the old veneer top all off and fixing some chunks that were missing from the detailing on the front. Then I sanded, filled, sanded some more and painted with a glossy black paint. It still has some areas that have small flaws, but I am probably the only one who notices now. But, it is sturdy and I have plans for this to one day become a baby changing table once I inherit a piece for the dining room from my grandmother. Here it was before:
And after:
No too bad, eh?
Make Mine Eclectic 