Flowers From Hubby and a New Find

Hi, everyone!

My sweet hubby came in the other day with a small bouquet for me. He had been tending our gorgeous Rose of Sharon bush (he's the 'gardener' in the family) and thought that I would enjoy a little bunch inside!

A friend of mine recently had a couple of girlfriends over for an outdoor lunch.  She had these cute little green bottles at each place setting filled with ginger iced tea and a name tag hung around each one, and told us to take them home as a gift.  Adorable!  I wish I had some photos, but we were having so much fun eating and gabbing that I didn't think to stop and take pictures!

Anyway, I remembered the bottle and thought that it would make a sweet vase for the flowers.  I placed the arrangement on my whisky barrel lid that's on my dining room buffet, alongside some other favorite items.

Keith and I took a little weekend trip to a nearby town about a month ago, and one of my favorite shops was having a huge sale.  I scored this cool German crate at half price!

I've seen these before online and always loved them.

My collection of green seltzer bottles fits inside quite nicely!

I think the bottles and crate make a nice pairing with the wooden lid.

I'm loving my new dining room vignette...I'll enjoy my fresh flowers while they last!  :)

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fantastic holiday weekend!

(And don't forget you still have a few days to get in on my giveaway for the digital Inspiration Vintage Magazine! Go here to enter :)

Saturday Spotlight: Ann from Tarnished Royalty

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 it's my pleasure to introduce you to Ann from Tarnished Royalty.  Ann is not only gorgeous, but she's sweet as can be!  Her passion for creating, for her family, and her faith really shine through on her blog!  Please sit back, relax, and enjoy getting to know Ann better. Hello! I'm Ann from Tarnished Royalty. I want to say a great big thank you to Susan, darling Susan, for inviting me to share on Saturday Spotlight. She and Kris are beautiful souls. Their blogs are inspiration and eye candy galore!

Ever since I can remember I have had a need to create. I remember making intricate things from paper as a child, drawing detailed sketches as a teen and crafting everything from painted wood carousels to paper ribbon dolls as a young mother. Other than love of God and family, nothing rivals my love for design. Fashion and decor are equal passions for me. Give me a vintage handbag and I am a happy girl. Ask me to create a vignette from old and new and I am giddy.



I am a blue jeans kind of girl. I love to dress up too, but I am a home body at heart and work from home so I can usually be found in very casual attire. I am blessed to explore my passions while my husband supports us as a respiratory therapist. We have been married for 33 years and have 2 children and 3 grandchildren.



Here we are on a trip to Hermann, Missouri over the 4th of July. Hermann is a quaint little town known for its rolling hills and wineries. We enjoyed several wine tastings and got in a 16 mile bike ride on the Katy Trail.



See how red-faced I am?

On a more personal note, I grew up the youngest of five children.
(I'm the serious one at the bottom)


My father died when my mother was 6 months pregnant with me and she never remarried. She was a strong woman who raised us by herself. She wasn't perfect, and my childhood was quite rocky but she did the best she could. I couldn't love her more. She passed away in 2007 and I miss her like it was yesterday.

Before I show you some of my home and jewelry, I would like to introduce you to my other passions.

My daughter, son-in-law and 3 light-up-my-life grandchildren.



And my son and daughter-in-law. God answered our prayers that we prayed for our children, from the time they were babies, to meet and marry the ones He knew were right for them. We love them so much!

I don't want to give you the impression that we have the perfect life. On the contrary, we have been through lots of hard times, ups and downs, and woes galore. Our marriage has hit highs and lows, but through it all we have leaned on and trusted God. If not for Him, we would be total disasters.

So now I'd love to show you the main challenge that has caused us to grow, stretch and bend throughout our marriage.



In December of 1993 we purchased this 1856 home, with 3,900 square feet and a wine cellar that was built in 1853, for $59,000. We had previously bought and remodeled 2 other homes while living in them. But this was the grand daddy of projects. I think we were naively optimistic about how long it would take us to restore it. 20 years later there are still areas we haven't gotten to. But we have managed to make most of it a place we love. We have done all the work ourselves except for the exterior stucco.

This chandelier was in the attic when we bought the house.


It was black wrought iron with no shades. I gave it a pewter treatment and added the shades and husband hung it above the dining room table.



The master bedroom had no wall between the bedroom and bathroom area. We lived with it that way for many years. I didn't want to put up a wall so I looked for a long time for the perfect screen. I couldn't find one I loved, on a budget, so when I came across some bamboo bath mats at TJ Maxx I had a brainstorm. I envisioned them hooked together and hung from the ceiling to create my screen.



I love how it turned out. Can you guess what's behind the screen? I picked up the table at Round Top, Texas a couple of years ago, along with the purple bottles.



Then just 2 weeks ago I saw this lavender wreath at Target, and, inspired by Susan's lavender touches I knew it would be perfect on the screen.



I can't even remember where I got this chair, I think someone gave it to us many years ago. I used to hate it. I needed a chair for the bedroom so I recovered the seat with a vintage flour sack, added a couple of pillows and now I love it.

Here is a picture I recently made from barnwood, twigs and a thrifted frame.

Two girlfriends and I get together a few times a year to do a craft project and this is what we came up with. They were all three so different, wish I'd have gotten a picture of theirs.

I have an old church bench in the hall at the bottom of the staircase. The hall is one of the areas in our old house that has not been remodeled yet.



The plaster walls and ceiling are in disrepair, with a few chunks missing and the floors and banister have been partially stripped and then put on hold, due to so many other projects going on.



For many years I didn't even attempt to decorate the area, I preferred to ignore it and focus my energy elsewhere. But lateley I have been working with what I have and trying to beautify it as is. I really rather like the end result.



I would love to tell you about what I've currently been putting a lot of energy into. 3 other bloggers and I co-host a brand new link up for shop owners trading products and posting reviews.

It's called Swap & Tell, and it's a new twist on helping each other get exposure for our products and services. See the burlap rooster pillow above? That's what I received after our first link up, from Suzan at Hazelnut Deux. If you sell stuff, I would love to invite you to come and link up! You can read more about Swap & Tell here.

And if you do link up, here's a sampling of some of the jewelry I design that you might like to swap for.



I love to create original designs, combining antique and vintage parts and pieces with new jewelry findings. Some of my favorite materials that I incorporate are old lace, drawer hardware, buckles, buttons and bling. You can check out more of my designs at my shop. I will also be selling at Junk Jubilee Jingles in Des Moines, Iowa this November. You can read more and follow along on my blog.

Thanks again, Susan, for inviting me over. I was tickled pink that you asked! Ann, thank you for sharing-I really enjoyed learning more of your 'story'!  Please visit Tarnished Royalty then head to Kris's blog to learn about Celestina from Southern Day Dreams. Have a wonderful day! :)

I'm in Inspiration Vintage Magazine (and a Giveaway!)

Hi, everyone!

I'm extremely honored to have my photos and article featured in the beautiful magazine called Inspiration Vintage Lifestyle!

If you haven't checked out this mag yet, you're in for a real treat!

I've been a huge fan of Melinda Reyes and her blog M. Reyes Lifestyle for a long time (many of you probably followed her previous blog 'Alabaster Rose Designs.')
Her style is French-influenced and just dreamy, and she's put together an incredible magazine that's just dreamy, too!

Here's just a 'taste' of the goodness that's inside this issue:

Melinda is graciously allowing me to give away 3 digital versions!

To enter just leave a comment telling me that you'd like to win! :)
I'll have my hubby draw 3 names next Wednesday night, September 3rd.

Good luck!

You can also buy a print or digital version here:
Inspiration Vintage Lifestyle-Summer 2014

Have a wonderful day!

The Sunroom Finale

Hi, everyone!

I've been showing you bits and pieces of the sunroom changes, and now we're at the final part of the tour.

I hope you're up for seeing tons of pictures!  Fair warning :)

I kept this wood table in here in the same spot, just changed the vignette on top.

These candlesticks were collected over time from different places, at bargain prices!  I found the cute wrapped 'thread' at the flea market all blinged up...love them!  Since this room gets a lot of sun and candles would just melt, I thought these would look great on the candleholders instead.

I placed my iron birdcage/terrarium next to the candles...

...and placed a little floral and 2 white Madonnas inside.

On the bottom shelf of the table I have a large basket filled with mags.  I covered the mags with a ticking-striped pillow to tie in some soft blue.

I hung a small wreath on the window behind the table, sent to me by my dear friend Kris (Junk Chic Cottage) as part of my birthday gift back in June. Isn't it adorable?

This is all beside my newly slipcovered chair...

...which is next to the bookcase...

I've added a couple of recent fun finds to the book shelves. 

This vintage metal drawer that's had a burlap patch added, and a small vintage car...both in my new favorite soft green color!

Here's a better perspective of the whole room...

I recently got this fun ice cream bucket, and placed the tall topiary in it. Again, I love the color!

I also just found this chippy mint-green bench, and placed it in front of one of the chairs.

Well, I hope that you enjoyed seeing the sunroom in its entirety!

We love spending time out here, so I wanted to create a space that is fresh and happy and inviting.  I've diverted away from my mostly neutral palette with the soft blues and greens, but I'm really pleased with how it looks and feels.

Thanks so much for stopping by and for your continued prayers for my mom!  You are all such a blessing!

Have a wonderful day :)