It's your Kitchen! Decorate it with things you love!

Kitchen decor to love

 I love Mercury Glass! This one I found at a Thrift Shop! Ikea has these cute little pots of greenery, I love moving them around to different places, and inside the white ceramic pots they sell there. You'll see more of them later. My mom's little white canisters flank the lovely vase. A friend thought the platters were antiques, they are not, just pretty platters that add color to my space.

What a joy to cook here, although I love those three little words..."let's eat out". sigh..

This table screams come over here and eat. It's casual and inviting, I think things need to feel comfortable. Not fussy...

Sometimes a windowsill is the perfect spot for a vignette!

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A kitchen I've dreamed of...

Dream Kitchen of mine

When I walked into this kitchen, I saw family and friends gathered around the island!

 I think things inside a home should tell a story, just sit there and look lovely or have a purpose, or ALL of those. :) You probably already know that if you've ever explored my blog. See that cute aqua tool box over there? I fell in love with it when I fell in love with aqua. Want to know what it is used for?

Take a peek inside my tool box!

That's right kitchen tools! Hee hee!

New Home Tour

We've talked of it for years and we finally made the big plunge. When things are supposed to happen, they happen! We wanted a single story and a little land and now we are here. It's been a year now and my blogging has been sporadic with all the challenges of a move and big projects of building a workshop and a pool, and then there is life.... : )
Pinterest has brought many visitors to my blog, I am flattered and I wanted to get back to blogging because I love writing and sharing. I especially love to hear what others think of my style.
So today.... welcome to my new home. As I gathered photos, I realized the transformation that has taken place.

I love all the features of my home, but I had been transforming my other home to "somewhat shabby chic", and then with my Mediterranean new home came challenges to incorporate some things I really couldn't part with, along with family pieces into my new space. I would love to hear what you think? I had to approach this as adding a little "Italian Farmhouse" decor to include things I love. So come in and come back to see the transformation. 

This was the view shortly after we moved in. Not a lot has changed in the courtyard, just changing out plants after winter and things that survived getting bigger! The gardner in me loves this space, It is so fun to make it more beautiful.

When I moved in this was the beautiful morning view I had from our bedroom window. You can see all the plants out to the left brought from our other home, waiting patiently for their new place. They didn't know it at the time but it would be through a long harsh winter before they'd find their proper place.

This was taken from the bedroom window shortly after the sod and beds were placed. The plants are even larger now. :)

Here was the patio going into fall of last year. The sectional made a great place to cozy up by the fire all winter.

The sectional was moved to view the pool for summer. You can see our vintage steam table there in the distance. See what I mean about shabby coming over?

Looking back toward the house as tree removal began. 

After pool, flower beds and sod, it is becoming our new oasis.

I have lots more to share, I hope you come back, thank you for visiting!

Scrapbook Craft Room Reveal

Scrapbook Room Reveal

Admitting how bad it was after the move...

It was a dumping ground for all things waiting for a new home after the move. 

When my daughter Briana came in town for a visit we went on an organizing stampede to get me back to ORG-BLISS! :)

We made up the bed, hauled everything out that didn't belong and some that did and began the task. You can see from photos of my old room that the desk was sold because it would not fit in the new room. So I took part of the game room media center, (two black towers) and incorporated them into storage for this space. We no longer have a media room, so the console went to the master bedroom and these two pieces work with my black Expedit from Ikea. I had this console table I am using as a desk for now. So here is the space after organizing.

I didn't really plan for using the pink and green accents any longer but realized I had some special pieces that my kids gave me that I wanted to keep so they stayed in the scheme. It was nice since items were already stored in these pieces. No need looking for new storage options. This wall is left as you come into the room.

A portion of this wall falls behind the door when it is open. The two pink squares are metal tiles that are great for hanging notes of photos with magnets. My grandkids are always leaving me little artsy things to display and they love seeing them up when they visit. This room doubles as a second guest room with a Murphy Bed my husband and I made together. It's a great way to share a craft space and have guest space when needed, but tucked away when it create time....

This is one of the Ikea Expedit shelves I own. The bins hold Tim Holtz items and tools. I purchased additional drawers that Ikea sells. They have changed their design since I purchased my first ones but they work the same. My daughter and I went to Hobby Lobby and found these adorable knobs with bling that compliment the room.

I adore the lit cabinets. As always I love having things in view, it inspires my creativity! I plan to hang my black framed photos soon.

Moving clockwise around the room, we come to the desk. As you see, I have found a place for my Ikea mini drawer storage boxes. I wish these were still available. I store so many things in them. For that you need to visit previous posts of my organization of these drawers. Even if you cannot get these there are still useable storage ideas there. My biggest complaint about this room is LIGHT! I plan to take the blind out and replace it with a roman shade. I'm not sure about the lamps? Opinions? Also, would love your ideas about how to light a dim space. Track? Can lights? What do y'all think?

This is the other storage tower. 

This is a favorite nook for me. Just a corner that makes me smile. Plus it's a great space for guests to have as a nightstand, tucked right beside the murphy bed. :)

For a photo of the bed down, take a look at my old space, it's just so nice to tuck it into the wall when not in use.

If you look closely, you can see the plastic storage bins I have my paper in. I used to store my 81/2 x 11 papers in a drawer in my craft desk. That no longer mine, I had to figure out where my paper would stay. Fortunately The Container Store still sells these great bins that fit perfectly on my shelves inside the closet. Yep, once again I'm blessed with a great closet to store all my craft goodies.

This is the back wall of the closet. There is an Expedit beneath this display where I have photos organized and grandkids scrapbook bins and albums.

Ikea still sells these bins, I just put a piece of black and cream scrapbook paper inside the front to give them a uniform look. Otherwise they look like the one on the bottom center where you can see the purple folders stored inside. I have three Expedits in this closet. Two upright and this one laying down. They are great for craft storage with all the bins and baskets that fit inside of them. Give you lots of storage options.

Doing this room was a breeze since all of my supplies were already containerized and just needed to be placed.

I will place updates when I get the lighting done and show the room with the bed down soon.

Comments?

Tips for decorating your home for Spring

As the seasons change it's always refreshing to bring in the new and store up the old. Enjoyment comes from decorating for the holidays but the beginning of new seasons is a reason to renew your decor. I love to have a variety of things I can change out to keep things interesting and fresh. Spring is one of my favorite times of the year when the earth comes alive after a winters sleep. Our new home gives me a lot to post about as I go about decorating, landscaping and organizing everything.

 To create a lovely vignette for your table, scoop up your favorite table runner, grab a stack of colorful plates, take a pitcher or vase, even a mason jar and add either some fresh flowers or a gathering of spring blooms from the hobby store, add a basket or bowl of fruit and voila, in a matter of minutes you've set the stage for spring.

 One of my favorite places to decorate for the changing seasons is my entry table. It is ever changing with each holiday and season. I find this is a perfect place to display a few "dear to your heart" pieces, if you have a sentimental side like me.

 This little mug belongs to my 91 year old mother, she always promised me someday it would be mine. I love having it out at Easter time with its cute bunnies.

 This meek little lamb was a gift my husband gave to his grandmother when he was a boy. She saved it in spite of its broken ears and legs. It's well rubbed finish gives it character and means a lot to us. Surround yourself with things that tug at your heart and love. If you don't love something or it doesn't get used then pass it on to someone who will.

 Spring door decor is something I love. I wanted something different this year instead of the standard wreath. These wooden cones came from Hobby Lobby, they will be very useful for changing out the look this year. These fragile blooms screamed Spring to me. I love how delicate they are.

 My little rabbit made it out on the mantle for a touch of Easter.

 I felt gipped since our TV hogs my mantle space in our new place, so I searched for shorter things to decorate the mantle with.

 My Christmas cactus is on its second round. It loves the light near this window. when creating a vignette another thought is to vary the height, even if you have to prop up an item on books or a pedestal like this. You can put like things together in a collection of sorts.

 This is my lazy bunny. I've had her for years.

 Simple wreaths beckon visitors to the garden or a cozy place near the fire if winter is still lurking.

Above all, remember to simplify! Enjoy your surroundings by placing things in view that make you smile.

First Box unloaded at the new house last August!

We've moved!

After many years of dreaming about being on a little plot of land and settled in a one story we have arrived! So if you've wondered why I have been MIA, now you know. I have been busy with big projects at the new place and getting organized, decorating and arranging, so stay tuned for all the new organized spaces of our new place. (note the floor, isn't it fabulous?) :) 

Painting Clay Pots with Chalk Paint

These little pots were born in my mind the day my husband bought me the little dish garden with all the various plants in there. All dish gardens grow up and demand their own space eventually! These are just plain old clay pots with rub-ons I purchased from the craft store. Such fun and not a lot of money.

Decorative additions to the kitchen makeover

The overall new touches in the kitchen

I had been searching for the perfect chalkboard for this space. I found this wall hanging shelf at a local shop. It was perfect by dimension and has a little box at the bottom where I can store chalk and eraser. It had a clip attached and I found a small chalkboard at JoAnn's that clips on perfectly. I probably need to rub a little stain on the wood frame but this is exactly what I was looking for. I bet this would be simple to make.

The Chalkboard

The old train schedule is from 1968, when I traveled by train to see my boyfriend (now hubby) who was away at college. My girlfriend and I went down for homecomng.

This little drawer matched it and it houses the remote, pens and other useful items.

 I love this little chippy white chair I bought for the desk. I thought about a cushion for it, but for now, it just has a little burlap tie and a small pillow my sister gave me that says "dream" on it.

"simple touches that make me smile"

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