My Office And A Happy Accident

Hi, everyone!  Last time I showed you my new little blue bench, here...

...and how I placed it in front of the wicker settee in the office.

I showed you a 'sneak peek' of some more changes, so now I'll share what happened.

Ever have a 'happy accident'?

I got this drawer unit a couple of years ago in Amish country.  It's been in the sun room but I started to change some things around in there, so Keith helped me move it into the office as a temporary holding area until I decided what to do with it.  I was even thinking of taking it to the shop to sell.

We just so happened to put it next to the wicker loveseat, and it ended up backwards, by accident.

Hmmm....this got my wheels spinning!

As you can see, the front of the drawers are more of a solid dark green; the back side has these great variations of blues and greens and the patina on the drawers is amazing! (For those of you that love shabby and chippy like me :)

Even though the backs of the drawers don't have pulls or labels, the blues and greens coordinated so nicely with my little pale blue bench that I decided to leave the unit there and keep it backwards!  I won't tell if you won't. ;)

Then I remembered an old door that I had bought a few weeks ago.  I had stashed it in my basement until I figured out what to do with it.

(This door had me at 'patina'!!)

I hung a little twig wreath on it, propped it on the drawer unit, and found that the colors echo each other perfectly-a match made in heaven!

(The huge no. 3 was purchased from a friend's shop awhile ago...I always love a touch of whimsy! :)

To the top of the drawers I added a wire basket filled with vintage linens...

I just found this one the other day and thought it was fun because of the green color, and also because I live near Akron!

Then I added a pitcher filled with flowers on a pedestal to round out the vignette.

 I think the lighter tones of the linens and the pitcher contrast nicely against the painted wood.

Now our office has many touches and shades of blue...

...all thanks to a happy accident!

I appreciate you stopping by!

Have a fantastic week :)

Saturday Spotlight: Cindy from Cloches and Lavender

Hi, everyone!   Kris from Junk Chic Cottage and I wanted to do a regular feature on our blogs, something unique that hasn't been done before.   So we came up with an idea to 'spotlight the real life behind the blogger' in a more personal way.

There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland, and we thought it would be fun to bring you a closer look at the person behind the blog.

Every week on Saturday we will spotlight a blogger and have them tell us a little bit about themselves and their blogs.  You will be able to see and read about each of the bloggers on both Kris's and my blog. 

      

Today please help me welcome Cindy from Cloches and Lavender.  I love her positive, upbeat attitude in spite of her daily struggles.  On her blog she is currently taking us along on the journey of watching her new home being built-how exciting!  Please sit back, relax, and enjoy getting to know Cynthia better.

When Susan approached me about being In the Spotlight I was absolutely speechless.  That is very funny because people that really know me know I am rarely speechless.  I thought me, my little tiny blog??  I love everyone in the blog world they have been so kind to me.

I decided to do a blog when one day a friend suggested the idea to me.  I love decorating, painting furniture, putting transfers on flower pots, and speaking about what I have done and what I have envisioned for our home.  If it was in the plan I would have gone and taken some decorating classes.  I love French Country, Old World style and our home has to have color.  I also have a passion for lavender and cloches, so, what a better name than Cloches and Lavender for my blog.

Home, well we sold our home of 20 years a year ago.  We have chosen to build a new home on one level.  This decision was really a no brainer.  I don’t want to speak too much about this but I have Multiple Sclerosis and it was time to downsize and put everything on one level.  I walk with a cane and have a brace for my right leg which is relatively new.  I suffer from drop foot which is not uncommon with MS.  I tend not to speak too much about this because for me personally, it is actually not a good thing for my mental health.  I need to focus on other things that are positive in my life and believe me some days it is hard but blogging helps me put that issue aside.

I have lived in Northern NJ all my life and would never leave because I’m a Jersey Girl through and through.  I met my husband 28 years ago and we have been married for 26 years.  It is like every marriage, you have to work at 100% on each end.  I love my husband, John with all my heart and soul.  When I have difficult days and I do, he is my strength.  He rarely lets me feel sorry for myself and pushes me to do what is best for my health.  I may not listen all the time right away but it usually sinks in, LOL.

Four years ago we went 3 hours away to get our two treasures in life, Peanut and Reeses.  Our miniature dachshunds, they are brother and sister and we picked them up at 8 weeks old.  I trained them myself and was very diligent with them.  Every two hours they went out and I never missed a moment.  They are very well trained and I think they would explode before doing anything inside the house.  They surely love their momma, they are by my side in my office every day when blogging, crafting or just snuggling.  Believe me they are so cute they get tons of snuggle time, LOL!!!

Some of the things that bring me joy and I love besides blogging and taking care of our small family is cooking, baking, feeding people makes me very happy.  I love, love music and have to listen to it every day.  I listen to a very wide range of music from Bruce Springsteen, which, what Jersey Girl wouldn’t listen too, to Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts, Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, to name a few. Then there is also Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin and Maroon5.  I told you the range is huge, but I have to have music in my life.  The worst part is for John, I know every word to all the songs I listen to and I can’t sing a lick.  I am tone deaf just like my dad, LOL.

My dad, I love him to death.  He makes me so happy and I am without a doubt daddy’s little girl and always will be, even at age 49.  The song that Martina McBride sings, In My Daughter’s Eyes is a song about us for sure.  I lost my mom when I was 26; she was the best mom on the planet.  She made me feel safe and very much loved and was my best friend.  Now I have a wonderful stepmom Gail who is also so very special to me and to John.  How lucky am I to have had two women in my life that are treasures?  I think I am blessed.

I hope everyone will checkout Cloches and Lavender and give it a chance.  Stop and check past projects and our new home build, there are many snippets and peeks.  

The decorating and projects will be starting very soon.  The house is almost finished and we can’t wait to begin our memories and journey in the new place we will call “HOME”. 
 Susan, thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity.  I so enjoy these spotlights that you and Kris feature every week.
(By the way, I am not photogenic at all. That is why there are no pictures of me. I keep trying to get a good photo. Hopefully one day soon, LOL!!!)

Cindy, thank you for sharing with us! (Your 'babies' are adorable!) We look forward to seeing the progress on your new home!

Please visit her at Cloches and Lavender, then hop over to Kris's blog to read about Melanie from Sweet Melanie.

Have a great day! :)

My New Blue Bench

Hi, everyone!  Hope you're having a great holiday weekend!

As I mentioned before, I've really been loving soft greens and blues lately, and find myself adding small touches of the soothing colors here and there.

This past week I found this sweet low bench in the palest shade of robin's egg blue/green.

It's shabby and somewhat stained, but of course that didn't deter me a bit from bringing it home!
It's got the chippy patina that I adore.

I wasn't sure where it was going to go, but I found a spot for it in our office.

I have a brown wicker settee that I got for a steal awhile ago...it used to be upstairs but I had brought it down to fill in a space in the office.

I piled it high it with pretty pillows, most of them made by my friend Carol.  (She has included one of her creations in my 2 Year Blogiversary giveaway, here. It's not too late to enter!)

Since this piece is more for looks than actual use for seating, all these pillows aren't a problem...although the cats enjoy snuggling in them!

I placed the bench in front of it, as a 'coffee table'...

...then used a vintage napkin as a 'runner'...

...then stacked a couple of blue-covered decor books, and used an ironstone platter as a tray...

...then added a faux topiary and a concrete bird.

Voila!  Seating area complete!

I think the 'love seat' and the bench make a nice pairing don't you?

Here's a view toward the front hallway...that's just a portion of my decorating books. (Anyone else addicted?)

If you look closely, you can see a sneak peek of some other changes that I made in here next to the settee, but I'll save that for next time!

Thanks for stopping by...and Happy Memorial Day! :)

Saturday Spotlight: Jen from City Farmhouse

Hi, everyone!   Kris from Junk Chic Cottage and I wanted to do a regular feature on our blogs, something unique that hasn't been done before.   So we came up with an idea to 'spotlight the real life behind the blogger' in a more personal way.

There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland, and we thought it would be fun to bring you a closer look at the person behind the blog.

Every week on Saturday we will spotlight a blogger and have them tell us a little bit about themselves and their blogs.  You will be able to see and read about each of the bloggers on both Kris's and my blog. 

      

Today I am truly honored to have Jen from City Farmhouse as my guest!  Jen featured my home and promoted my blog when I was just starting out-she's supported and encouraged me from the beginning, and I'm eternally grateful to her for that!  She is a 'rock star' blogger, amazingly successful, and I admire her fabulous style and creativity!

Please sit back, relax, and enjoy getting to know Jen better!

Hi friends of the sweet & talented Susan!

I am so thrilled to be here!

My name is Jen

&

I write a DIY & decorating blog called,

City Farmhouse.

My blog is about the journey to decorate my home with meaning & love,

on a VERY small budget.

I make, I sew, I paint & find bargains,

you name it, I do it, or at least I try:).

When we found our DREAM home 3 years ago,

my husband & I were in awe.

We had been looking for 4 + years and it was so worth the wait!

It was nestled down a long tree lined street, just steps from the bay.

We had saved for years for this home & knew it was right from the moment we stepped in.

I have taken my time decorating this home

& I am still working on projects, but that is half the fun, isn't it?

I am amazed & inspired everyday by the friends I have met through this blogging journey

{Susan being one of them!} & what I have learned.

Welcome to our Family Room...

This console was $10 at a local thrift store,

what a steal, right?!

This coffee table was an IKEA hack & so much fun to make,

you can find it HERE.

This is my nook, dining room & kitchen

Here are a few pictures from my Holiday Tour....

I finished this project recently & love how the cream and beige stripes turned out.

It amazing how a little paint can transform a space!

We have this little nook under our stairs & while I would love a built in,

this work well for now.

I love being able to change it easily with the seasons.

And this is where we spend a lot of time as a family, our playroom.

The color palate is cheerful & you can see lots handmade touches around the room.

I love this space!

I fell head over heals for this front porch & we have enjoyed lots of time out here as a family.

Speaking of still having many projects, this is one of them,

my master bathroom.

And my master bedroom, which is underway, yay!

This is our view.

I feel so blessed to wake up to this every day.

I also share recipes, you can find them HERE....

and lots of DIY projects & tutorials HERE.

Thank you for letting me share my story & home:).

Have a beautiful day,

Thanks so much, Jen, for joining us today and sharing your breathtaking home (and views!)

Please visit Jen at City Farmhouse, then hop over to Kris's blog to read more about Janae from Not So Shabby-Shabby Chic.

Have a wonderful day! :)