Star Lamps

I'm so excited!

I went to the Kane County Flea Market this month 

with my brother and sister in law 

and found some real treasures. 

(You can also read about what I scored there when I went with Kim, 

from County Line Road blog, here.)

I think the December Flea Market is great 

because it's the last one they hold until March

 and the dealers are really dealing! 

My favorite find was a pair of metal star lamps, 

spotted by my sister in law, Joan.

(Someday maybe I'll get to show you their house... It's fabulous!)

They are brand new, in perfect condition, with great shades 

and a cool patina finish.

They were a steal and the colors work beautifully in my family room. 

I put this one in a boring dark corner and it fills the space up so well!

Possibly over accessorized... 

Must edit...

I do love the green hounds tooth fabric on the table, though! 

Hmmmm. Is this any better?  Not sure...  

Must continue to play with things instead of doing anything really important....

I love these lamps 

and when my new end table arrives, 

I think the lamp will look great on it.

The family room is still in progress, ever since our recent kitchen remodel, 

which you can read about here.

Can't wait to get it finished and show it to you!

I also spotted this little tea caddy at the Flea Market 

and couldn't resist.

And this shelf with a mirrored back and Chippendale/bamboo spindle trim.

It's either very grandma or very cool...

I can't decide, but it was a steal and so I couldn't resist.

But where to put it?

Should I paint it white? 

Fun dilemmas.

We'll see! 

Happy New Year!

Linking to:
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Great Big Balls of Christmas Fun

 Just had to share my latest Christmas Decoration Masterpiece....

I know you'll appreciate it. 

You'll probably want to run out 

and buy up all the giant Christmas ornaments you can find 

and put them in something...  or not.

Probably not.  

But maybe this will at least make you smile!

I was sitting in my comfy chair last week, 

thinking about decorating for Christmas and

bemoaning the loss of my beloved window boxes.

You can see them here.  

And decorated for Christmas here.

We decided to remove the window boxes this summer.  

They were rotting and falling apart 

and repairing them would have taken a major effort.

We are gone so much of the time in the summer 

that I couldn't keep them looking Grand.

So we made the decision to remove them.  For now, anyway.

So, I have all of these giant Christmas ornaments 

and I was wondering what I could possibly do with them this year. 

What to do, what to do???  Hmmm.

Sitting right in front of me, just staring right at me, was my coffee table.

Suddenly, Inspiration happened.

I slid the glass off the table and dumped the giant ornaments inside.

Instant whimsy.  

They made me smile.

My kids loved them at Thanksgiving, so I knew I wasn't crazy.

(Unless they are, too?)

Any way, I hope they make you smile too!

Burly likes them too!

Who doesn't like shiny things?

I'm working on my Christmas tree truck thing next.

Needs a wreath on the front 

and maybe some colored twine to tie it down?

Have fun decorating!

Linking to:
The Scoop at Stone Gable
Inspire Me Tuesdays at A Stroll Through Life

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

Jumping on the Bar Cart Bandwagon

I've done it!  

Because I can do it now.  

Because we are empty nesters with adult children!

(Trying to find the bright side of that...)

I have jumped on the Bar Cart Bandwagon.  

And it's kind of fun!

I have been collecting bar cart ideas on Pinterest. 

You can see them all here.

I like this one

And this one 

And I love this idea to re-use a wardrobe as a bar!

But, alas, I only have a small slip of a space for my bar cart

and a very small "cart"  

so this is where I put it.

It's opposite the island in my new kitchen 

(which you can see here)

I'm hoping the new layout will give us a better traffic pattern when we entertain.

I can set up drinks or a buffet on the island 

and keep the crowd out of the work space.

Well, I can hope...

I added the wreath for the Holidays, but I may keep one there year round.

Here it is before the wreath...

And after...

Mr. Grand likes a little whiskey 

and so I thought I'd make things easier for him.

Still need to add some wine bottles and wine some glasses below  

but I'm a little nervous about our crazy dog 

tearing around the corner to greet our guests 

and crashing into things.

We may be empty nesters, but we still have Burly to think about...

I added these sparkly lights to my Mom's opalescent pitcher, 

one of my favorite things.

And this ice bucket that I scored on ebay...

And these pretty starry glasses.

Everything is very handy now 

and ready for the Holidays!

Cheers!

Happy Thanksgiving!


Linking to:
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Roasted Rosemary Grapes

I just love Pinterest, don't you?

My poor lonely cookbooks.  

Recently, when we remodeled our kitchen, one thing I did not make room for 

was an open shelf for my cook book collection.  

It seems like I rarely even pull a cook book out anymore.

  

Pinterest has become my go to source 

for recipes and entertainment ideas.

While browsing appetizer recipes recently,
I found this one from A Quiet Life Blog 
that looked so intriguing...

Roasted Rosemary Grapes

Don't they look delicious?

I had to try my hand at this.
I made them for some friends last night and they were a hit,
so I wanted to share this with you.
They are very simple and easy to make.

And the taste is just amazing.
Try them, you'll like them!

I'm no food stylist, but here's my version.

And here's how I did it:

Start with regular table grapes. I used red grapes,
but I'm sure you could also use green grapes,
or mix them for more color.

Wash the grapes and pull them off the stems.
Put them in a bowl and toss them with some olive oil
and salt and pepper
and some fresh rosemary sprigs.

Roast them at 400* for 25 minutes until they look roasted and juicy.
I shook the pan once while they were cooking.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

To serve,
Spread some plain goat cheese on a slice of crusty french bread
and top with the roasted grapes.
Yum.

Oh, and a glass of wine goes nicely with this too...

Thanks to A Quiet Life Blog for the idea.

So easy and perfect for a Thanksgiving Appetizer!
Enjoy!

Come follow me on Pinterest.
There's always something fun going on!

Linking to:
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

A New Cottage Project!

Big Announcement!

I'm so excited!

You may remember this post about our cottage in Michigan...

Or this one...

or this one...

We have had a blast renovating this cottage over the last several years.  

We have made new friends in our new neighborhood 

and have fallen in love with the area.  

You can see why...

So you can imagine our excitement when

good friends of ours bought the cottage next door to us! 

And the renovations have begun!

Here's what the two cottages looked like about 7 years ago, 

when we first bought ours, and before any renovations.

Ours is the one on the right, and man was it ugly....

It makes the cottage our friends just bought (on the left below) look like a palace!

Fast forward to this fall.

Lots of exciting plans are in the works to make the best use of the space 

and to give it the TLC it deserves.

Unfortunately, it has to get even uglier before it gets better.

Here is the cottage as it looks this week!

Outside work is a priority now- lots to do before the weather gets too wintry.

Back view

Layers of old siding have been removed, making way for clean new siding, 

roofing repairs are being made, and doors and windows are being relocated.

A new deck will be added too- with an extra cute railing design.

Lots of nice trim being added and some old elements restored.

And that's just the beginning! 

I'll share more as things happen.  

It's going to be wonderful!

Stay tuned!

Linking to:
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

Sneak Peek - Another Bedroom Grows Up

We have been working on this bedroom project for a while.  

Our Darling Daughter has just a few more years under our roof, 

but while she is here, we want to make the most of it.

We have done a lot of designing via emails and photos 

since she is away at college more than she is here.

Some of the basics have been done- 

The pastel pink walls of her childhood
have been painted a more sophisticated SW Jersey Cream, 

a glamorous new bed with an upholstered headboard

 in a wheat colored linen has been installed 

and fresh linens from Pottery Barn have been added.
We were getting there...

And then I found the lamp....

I sent a photo of it, sans shade, to Darling Daughter (DD) 

and she loved it.  

I added the burlap shade from Pottery Barn 

and popped it on her nightstand.

Voila!  

Instant cool.

We are both crazy about these vintage looking spindle style chairs 

that are popping up everywhere,

like this one spotted on Pinterest.

Speaking of crazy, have you seen or read "Gone Girl"?

In the movie, I caught a glimpse of these chairs in the living room.

When I saw the lamp, I knew it would work. 

I found it at Walter Smythe Furniture, 

the same store where I found these twig mirrors last year.

(Hi, Barb K, my ever patient and helpful designer!)

You can read about how this bedroom grew up here.

Here's a peek at DD's new bed, that we also found at Walter Smythe
 (and that I kinda wish was mine)

(Here's what the whole headboard looks like from their website.)

and here are the new linens from Pottery Barn

The velvet damask  throw pillow is from Pier One

and so is this enchanting bird pillow 

and this silky teal throw

We are still searching for the right ceiling fixture and area rug.  

Something fun to do together at Thanksgiving!

I'm so glad DD loves color, too.  

A trendy gray room would never make her happy.

I just have to showoff  share this photo of her hard at work last spring, 

stitching up pillows for her Sorority House!

Here's what she came up with...

She picked the fabrics and mixed the patterns and colors herself

and I could not be more proud.....

Linking to :
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Musical Prints

Have you ever noticed 

how a decorating project can snowball into other rooms 

and turn your whole house upside down?

No?  Maybe it's just me...

Anyway, while out shopping for a new table and chairs for our recently remodeled kitchen, 

I came across this print and fell in love.  

It's from Ethan Allen.  Have you been there lately?

Lots of nice things that you will not see anywhere else.

I like the freshness of the colors and the brightness of the print.

And I love the BRASS frame.  

I told you last year that Brass is back in this blog post.

I think I was more hopeful than confident about it then, 

but it sure seems to be true this year!

Here are some close ups of the print.

Please excuse the reflections from the glass.

I think it's gorgeous!

I hung the new print in our dining room where it replaced a darker still life.

Here's what used to hang there.

And here's what it looks like with the new print.

I like how it picks up the red in my transfer ware.

I also took down the pair of vintage botanical prints 

that were hung on either side of the candle holders.

They are signed T.L. Prevost.

So pretty.

They found a new home in my kitchen!

  

I'm still playing with accessories and colors in the kitchen.  

For now, I have gone back to using a mix of pieces that I still love.  

And adding some color to the white palette.

One of the reasons I opted for the paneled back splash instead of tile

is because I like to hang artwork there 

to make it interesting and to cover the mandatory electrical outlets!

Here you can get a peek into the dining room 

and see the new print above the old pie safe.

It's just so much brighter 

and I love the way it looks when you walk in the front door. 

It's Just Grand!




Linking to:
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
The Inspiration Exchange at Town and Country Living