Gimme the keys please

Ok, so I had this HUMONGOLOUS frame my sister gave me…..big, clunky, dirty, free, and fabulous. I took it outside and sanded off the dirt and grime and also distressed it a bit.

I also had these keys from Pottery Barn. I thought they were a great deal at $19.99 with free shipping. I’ve had them for a while but just couldn’t figure out WHAT I wanted to do with them.

I took this piece of foam board from an old picture and covered it with burlap…..just wrapped it up like a present and hot glued it on.

Then I started playing with my keys….laying them out until I got them just like I wanted them.

I hot glued them to the burlap and also used upholstery tacks to secure them to the foam.

The keys have little holes to hang them on the walls. This is where I stuck my upholstery tacks….

Then I just popped that baby in the frame….. I actually had to hot glue the burlap to the frame to hold it in there….This frame is MASSIVE. I know you can’t tell how big it is, but trust me. It’s HUGE. I have to wait on Sweet Andrew to hang this up for me when he gets home. It’s WAY too heavy for me to hang by myself.

Close up of the keys and tacks

Isn’t this baby fabulous?? I think she looks like she could’ve come from Ballard Designs or another upscaley kinda place…. My total cost was $19.99 for a SIGNIFICANT piece of wall art. Not bad huh?

I’m sharing this over at Miss Jane’s:

and Marian’s…..

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas cloches

Marty over at A Stroll Thru Life is hosting a holiday cloche party. I know mine aren’t original and groundbreaking, but I love the way they just say, “Christmas”. I bought 2 packs of completely unbreakable by toddlers shatterproof balls…..one lime green and one red, and I used them all over the place. I love the way they have different textures and just look so pretty together while being simple and traditional.  I also bought a pack of lime green glitter snowflakes at Walmart for $3.50. I used ribbon to attach them to my apothecary jars, and the extra glittery touch was the icing on the cake.

This is my windowsill over my sink. This display makes me smile every time I walk to my sink ;)

I love the way the balls and ornament glitter and shine….. I LOVE lime green.

 

We don’t really have an entry way in our home, but this is my attempt at creating one….This space is to the right of the kitchen door and to the left of the opening of our living room. This is my “vintagey” Christmas spot…..The cloche has Victorian shoppers, Christmas trees, and snow.

It’s always SO difficult to get a shot inside this cloche that doesn’t look distorted…. Anne Pearce and Essie LOVE this display, but AP always wants to, “Let dat man out, Mommy.”

  Here are another pair of apothecary jars on my library table that features my Santa explosion collection. Again you see the lime green and red balls with the snowflake ornament.

Here’s the other one ;)

These last 3 have nothing whatsoever to do with a cloche party, but they tell the story of my life. I tried VERY hard to get a decent picture of my girls in downtown Fairhope today, and this is all I got:

Yep, crazy

Don’t cha love the way they follow instructions to sit and smile for the camera? (insert sarcasm here)

Sometimes I wish they made a cloche big enough to hold these two! :) Merry Christmas!

Look what I won

A while back I won this gorgeous tray from Miss Mustard Seed…. She redid it for me, and I am IN LOVE…. Go check her out for the whole story….

Thanks, Marian! I can’t wait to use it!

blooming camellias and Christmas ruffles

 

Ok, peeps. It’s November the 29th, and wouldya look at my camellia bushes??? They are CONFUSED… They think it’s SPRING! Where else in the world do you have flowering bushes while you’re hanging your outside wreaths???  Paradise, people. Paradise.

I’ve been cutting these babies for the last week and sticking them in vases all over the place. They’re always gone WAY too quickly!

Here’s a confused azalea too…..

How about a bush tall enough to be a tree full of confusion?? Welcome to winter in the DEEP south!

Where have I been you ask? I’ve been working on these:

See this adorable tree?? Looks simple enough huh?? WRONG. There are 8 steps to this baby, 2 fabrics, and 3 thread changes….

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this vintage ornament with single initial….

I also love me some ruffles…

All packed up and ready to go….Don’t they look precious all sitting on my Christmas tablecloth with those balls in the background??? Does this qualify as a tablescape?? :)

My girls’ casual Christmas outfits…. I LOVE the way these turned out. Those jeans are to.die.for in person. I am going to offer a set like this for Valentine’s day with a reversible top and versatile bottom….

Essie told me she needed to “cheese” with Rosie (our model).

Andrew took this Thursday. This is so THEM. sigh

Lastly, I can’t help myself. I have to show off my great nephew, John Thomas….We all eat him up every chance we get….

I can’t stand it….LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this baby boy!

I also love the fact that I’m 39 and have small kids with my nieces! THAT is fun!

Love and hugs from this old lady GREAT AUNT!

from 70’s nightmare to French country dream…..my journey to my hutch ;)

I just linked up to the Hutch Party at Sanctuary Arts from Home.

Edited to add: My mama informed me this piece is from the 50's.....not the 70's.

One day a while back my mom and I were strolling through downtown Fairhope looking in our antique and thrift stores. We had been through several, and nothing had caught my eye until I saw this baby: Now to most people it would look dated and…..well…..kinda ugly, but I knew better. What really sold me on this piece was the fact that my mama has this exact piece in a larger size. I grew up with this piece, and I’ve seen it in many different paint colors and finishes. I KNEW what it could be…..At $300 this piece was more costly than my normal thrift finds, but it is a great piece of furniture….solid wood construction….velvet lined drawers….well worth the price (Which was 40% off by the way). It was on layaway for a couple of months (yes layaway), and then Andrew brought her home……

Believe it or not, this $2.99 plate from TJMaxx was the inspiration for my piece….I KNEW I wanted that blue with brown detailing on my piece, and I went from there…..

We sanded and sanded and sanded and sanded and sanded and then rolled on 2 coats of antique white. It covered very well.

After the paint was dry I rubbed some Smoke glaze on to antique it.

And here she is today! I love it and what it does for our dining area. It’s now the focal point, and I look at it constantly! I am in furniture love……..

The back panel and recessed doors are painted Halycon Green and glazed. I love the original hardware, and I think it looks amazing on the piece now it’s redone.

Right now it’s covered with my thrifty finds, but my Santa dishes and Santa Clauses are on their way!

another view:

Before and after

This piece was so much fun, and I can’t wait to find my next piece that needs a little lovin’!

I’m linking this to:

Metamorphosis Monday

and Miss Mustard Seed on Friday.

And the winner is:

#16
~ RM said...
I'd love a chance to win

CONGRATS , RM!!!! Email me at lou0728@yahoo.com, and I'll put you in touch with Leslee to redeem your gift certificate! This was so much fun.....Check back for more giveaways soon!

Please accept my apology Pottery barn

Dear Pottery Barn,

Let me just tell you that I fell in love with these beauties on your website:

The lines…..the bases….the simplicity. Do you want to know what I didn’t love Oh Great Pottery Barn?? The price. Now, I love you Dear Sweet PB, but $39-$59 EACH? Don’t you know I have 4 children to take care of?? This is where the apology comes in. Yesterday I went to my favorite store Hobby Lobby, and I bought the pieces to knock off your fabulous Avery Hurricanes.

This week HL has all their glassware at 50% off…..and see those candlesticks? I got them for 66% off, because they have a few little chips around the edge… Let me break that down for you….2 Hurricanes at $3.49 and 2 banged up candlesticks for $1.97 each for a total of $10.98 to make TWO of your hurricanes….Are you feeling a bit blue right now? I’m REALLY sorry if I hurt your feelings….

 

So, Dear Pottery Barn, I put a ring of hot glue around the rim of my candlesticks and popped my babies right on. For a little over $5 each and in less than 5 minutes I had successfully knocked off your $59 hurricanes.

.

These babies will be stylin’ and profilin’ front and center on my Thanksgiving table…..Here they are practicing their debut:

Theirs: $39-59 each.                        Mine: Around $10 for TWO!

 

So, thanks for the idea Pottery Barn. I do LOVE your store and drool over all your products… I just LIKE my price better.

Keep up the good work, Pottery Barn!

love and kisses,

I’m linking up with:

ALSO, DON’T FORGET TO SCROLL DOWN AND ENTER THE FANTASTIC VINYL GIVEAWAY. CONTEST ENDS TONIGHT AT 9:00!