Valentine's Day

I'm not a huge fan of decorating for all the holidays. First, I can't seem to keep my house clean. It seems pointless when you can't see the decorations for all the stuff! LOL I can't seem to put things away like I'm supposed to either (like the Christmas lights). I do keep things that I like out all year round.
My grandmother had these Valentine boxes hanging on her wall and I liked them too. I have a little touch of Valentine's Day all year long. My favorite is the floral one in the center. It has a matching ribbon to match the floral design. I'm not a huge fan of chocolate so the box is a better gift than the treats inside.

Black & White Photos

I was having some decor issues one day. I couldn't find artwork that I really wanted (or could afford). After a lot of thinking, I decided on photos. I love black and white photos. The old ones especially, have a dreamy quality to them. They look glamorous in their own way. Each one seems to tell a story.

All of them have been gifts. My mother copied pictures of her parents, aunts, and uncles for me.

For Christmas one year I asked my dad to copy a stack of photos belonging to my grandmother. I'm really glad I did. Not only do I have all the photos I wanted but, now that my grandmother's gone I have a lovely memory to hold on to. We sat looking through boxes and boxes she telling me stories and explaining who people were and how they were related.

I just don't think there's anything more romantic than black and white photos weddings, army, childhood, and babies I love them all!

Watch It Snow

It was pouring the snow yesterday. It was pretty to look at but, would have been much more appropriate around ........ let's say December 25! It's also been blistery cold! Too cold to do much of anything.
Yes, I know the Christmas lights should have came down long ago, but it's really, really cold! LOL

White or Cream???

These are pics of my nightstands in my bedroom. I found them at a flea market. She was asking $20 each and came down to $30 for the pair. I need to paint them but can't decide on white or cream. They both look a little worn on the top but other than that they're in great shape! This one is a little worse than the other. It has several rust rings on it....I don't know?

Staying In Bed

With the freezing cold temperatures the only thing I could think was Stay In Bed! School was called off before the children even left school today. I decided all day tomorrow I would stay warm and read all my favorite books and magazines.

At least I can do something productive and maybe gain a few ideas for a warmer day. Keeping all those old magazines and books hopefully will give me a fresh approach to some trouble spots I'm having. Try to stay warm everyone!

It Pays To Know People

This is my table and lamp beside my front door.I love this lamp it was $15.00 at a consignment shop. It even works, I had them check it before I bought it.
This is my great table. My friend Susan said she had a table in her basement she was going to throw away. She asked if I may want it. Of course I said YES! She brought me this great table with a matching mirror. I've used the mirror elsewhere. But the table and mirror are great. I love them, and better yet they were free!

Instant Architecture

My living room had no architecture at all! I usually don't need help with projects but had to enlist my Dad. I was a bit overwhelmed. First I went to the lumberyard and picked up a 1 x 8 board. Then I picked up this little piece of trim. My Dad helped me cut angles and nail and glue the background piece.I brought the unfinished piece home and placed the small trim around the top and bottom of the entire piece. I had a wallpaper border with a relief on it and placed it in between the 2 pieces of trim. Then, I bought these little appliques. They were 2 in a pack. I wanted to highlight these so, boxed the corners with the small trim.
I painted the entire thing out white and here it is instant architecture! It fits across the entire length of my picture window. Not to mention, if I ever move I can take it down and bring it with me.

Mercury Glass

I love the look of Mercury glass! I picked this reproduction piece up at Goodwill for .99. It's my first piece. I love the collections I see in all the magazines. They're so pretty. I have my eye on a couple of candle sticks. I've been waiting for them to go on clearance, well more clearance than what the are now anyway!

The Bath

The bath. As in yes, the only one for four people! I decided to go bold and paint the top half of the bathroom dark. It took a while to get the color mixed right. The first time I rolled it on the wall it was blood red! Yuk! I took it back to the store and asked if they would add more brown. They did a little at a time until I knew it was perfect. I love it now. On the other hand I hate those shower doors. They are ugly and I'm in a rental and can't take them down. Here is one of my all time favorite candle holders, I forgot to change the candle....oops!

This is my headboard turned shelf. When I found this headboard it was brown. Really ugly. I brought it home painted it white then turned it upside down. Who would ever guess?

I still need to add bead board on the lower half of the wall and trim to cap it off. But with all my yard sale extras, and the lace curtain on the cabinet it can wait.

I am obsessed with shower curtains. This is one of my all time favorites. I used a tension bar to hang it over the ugly doors. No one will know unless they snoop.

More Before & After

These are my curtains in my living room. I wanted a stark white so I purchased two full flat sheets and and two twin flat sheets. These came from Wal-Mart cheap! I thought it would brighten things up for summer and leave the tree as a focal point for Christmas.These are my curtains I just put up. I bought the fabric for $1 a yard and lined them with $5 sheets from Wal-Mart. Then I bought trim. I really spent on the trim but I love it! It really adds color for this cold,rainy, snowy season.
I'm in the process of spreading this color throughout the rest of the room!

Before & After

This is my wall behind my sofa. I bought the mirror at a garage sale for $5.00. I love the mirror but needed a change.I decided to bring this picture out. It's been behind the sofa for quite a while now. It was free, it came from my grandmothers house. It's really old and worn but seems to fit in well.

Putting Things Away

I always hate putting everything away after Christmas, but something new here and there seems to lighten my spirits. Here is my little lamp in place. It makes a great nightlight. I also love collecting pitchers. I find them at yard sales and thrift stores, and never pay much. This is my Dollar Tree find of the season. They had these out for Christmas but, they were so pretty I decided to keep them out all year around. I like finding seasonal items on clearance and be able to use them all year. I bought a ton of these. They were .50 each so every time I saw a couple I would buy them. I hope I have enough!

Here's my table again. I slid it over in front of my picture window. The window is large and so is my table so it looks great there (the plants needing sun doesn't hurt either).

I Love My Lamps

My dad and step mom gave me money for Christmas. I was thrilled! I felt it gave me an excuse to splurge on myself. I found this set of buffet lamps at Roses. They were $15 each. I really don't think that was bad. Here they are on my table in my hallway. I love everything from the piece at the top of the wall to my table at the bottom. My cherubs are curtain rod holders but I think they look much better holding my delicate bed cover!