Recap of Guest Post at City Farmhouse

 Today I was at the Country Living Fair in Columbus (more on that when I get back!)  But I thought in case you missed it, I'd recap my feature by Jen at the wonderful City Farmhouse last week.  Here it is!
I'm so honored that Jen has asked me to guest post for her fantastic readers!   My name is Susan and I started my blog about 4 months ago.  It has been a thrilling ride!
A little about myself...I've been married to the funnest man ever (is that a word?) for 13 1/2 years, and we've lived in our 1929 Colonial home in Ohio for 7 years.  It's just us and our 2 fur babies (aka kitties.)  My mom and I own a little recycled home goods shop called 'Home Sweet Home'.

 I am a passionate collector of  'junk' (good junk, I call it) and I absolutely love decorating and changing my home around often.  I guess my style is a mix of vintage, rustic, farmhouse, and industrial, with a touch of whimsy thrown in!  Here are a few pictures of my home...this is a little vignette in our front hall/entryway.  As you can tell, I'm crazy about typography!  Anything with numbers and/or letters, has me hooked.

I've gone a little more industrial in our office space.  The bookshelves are such a great area to display my collections, and they're fun to change around!

I started collecting vintage suitcases a few years ago, and this stack in our front hallway seems to be a favorite with my readers!

Our dining room is a marriage of farmhouse and rustic styles.  It combines natural wood, my favorite color-green, and some black and white for drama.

I'm mostly drawn to a neutral palette, and sometimes I like to add a little green and/or red as an accent, as I've done in our living room.

 This is our tiny kitchen.  Although it's small, I've tried to give it a BIG personality !

 That's just a sampling of my style.  (There are many more pics on my older blog posts.) I'd love to hear from you!  Thanks for joining me, and many thanks to Jen for featuring me!

Spare Bedroom Sneak Peek

(Thank you to i should be mopping the floor for featuring this post! )
A couple of months ago my hubby and I went to the flea market, where I spotted this old rusty wagon/cart thing.  I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I thought it was very cool, so we bought it. (Along with these other fun things-typewriter, small bowling pins, wire basket, ammo box, and burlap coffee sacks.)

I've been working on our upstairs rooms, changing around furniture and creating new vignettes.  One of our spare bedrooms was just wasted space-no one ever used the bed in there, so we got rid of the bed, and turned the room into a 'dressing room' of sorts for me and my hubby.  (We still have a bed in another room, for guests.)  I thought the wagon would be fun to use in here.

I decided to stack 2 old wicker trunks that I had on it, and now we use them to store our out of season shoes.  I displayed vintage kids' roller skates from the flea, on top. (I always love to add whimsy!)  I love the unexpected, industrial edge that this wagon gives this room.

In the corner is an old armoire-the first piece that my hubby and I ever bought together.  We got it at an auction, 13 years ago, and it was funny because neither of us realized that we had 'won' it! (I still don't think we did-another guy was bidding against us, and we think he had the highest bid! But the auctioneer pointed to us, so we went with it!)

I topped this with a little collection of globes, added a tray for my hubby to throw his spare change and watches in, and placed an old suitcase underneath.

In between is an old dress form that comes in handy to hang some of my necklaces.  (My jewelry is an addiction for another post!)  I think I have about 6 full-size dress forms right now, but didn't think this one was too 'girly'.

When you walk into the room, here's a view of the back corner...

This room is a work-in-progress, so I'll show you more pics as I get more done!
Have a wonderful day!  I'm linking to these great parties:
                                         Twigg Studios
                                         The Tablescaper
                                         Sunny Simple Life
                                         i should be mopping the floor 
                                         Debbiedoos
                                         My 1929 Charmer
                                         Boogieboard Cottage
                                         Shabby Art Boutique
                                         Alderberry Hill 
                                         A Lived In Home 
                                         Common Ground 
                                         Knick of Time
                                         A Stroll Thru Life
                                         Coastal Charm
                                         The Ironstone Nest
                                         Crafty Texas Girls 
                                         Have a Daily Cup of Mrs.Olsen
                                         Primp 
                                         Lavender Garden Cottage
                                         Katherine's Corner
                                         Rooted in Thyme
                                         The Vintage Farmhouse
                                         The Brambleberry Cottage

Guest Post at City Farmhouse

Hi, everyone!  I'm so honored that Jen at City Farmhouse has chosen me as her September pick for her Style House series!  I'm thrilled that she is featuring my home and my blog today, and I'd love you to pop over and say hello.  I'm 'wowed' by her blog and her style, and I'm sure you will be, too!  Thanks and have a wonderful day!

A Small Gathering

Hi, everyone!  This is just a short post to show you a little get-together that I had last week.  I invited a group of girls over, (about 9 of us) and hosted a jewelry party.  I wanted to keep it VERY simple and casual. Here's the buffet in the dining room-it was turned into a snack and beverage station.

My mom was such a huge help!  She made up these delicious chicken salad croissant sandwiches.  We also had sweet potato chips, kettle chips, crackers, fruit and dips.

The pitcher of sangria that we whipped up was the hit of the night! (We had to make a second batch!) It was so yummy with fresh oranges and strawberries, and my mom had put a strawberry in every glass-so pretty! (You can see them in the first pic.)

The sweet treats were a variety of cookies and scones, and were very good, too!

Here I am-the "hostess with the mostess"-ha! :)

This is my amazing mom...she is not only the greatest mom, but also my BEST friend, as well as my business partner. (I always tell her that she's a hottie at 70! :) I know I am SO blessed to have her as my mom!

 I wish I could've gotten a good picture of my friends, but none of the ones I took turned out that great. (They'd kill me if I posted the ones I took!)  You'll just have to take my word for it- we had a really fun night!

Well, there's a little 'slice' of my life...have a wonderful day until next time!

A Little Tweaking

Hi, everyone!  (Thanks to Crafty Texas Girls (Cowgirl Up), Have a Daily Cup of Mrs.Olsen and Lavender Garden Cottage for featuring this post!)
I can't believe it's already the last day of August!!  I am in no way trying to rush fall here...I am definitely a warm weather, 'summer' type of girl, but when my friend Shelly offered me these little pumpkins from her backyard patch, I couldn't resist!  Aren't they adorable?  I displayed them on a little metal (maybe medical?) cart that I got at the flea market a few months ago.  It was only $10!  I just found this large galvanized bucket at the flea last week-I love it's wooden handle, and the numbers stamped on the front!

I decided to put this little baby in my dining room (for now :)  I'm sure I'll switch it out often.

I've been in the mood to 'tweak' some vignettes.  One area I changed is the top of my hallway coat rack, and another is the top of my stack of suitcases. 

This shelf used to just have the wire basket on it.  I added an old license plate to the basket to jazz it up a bit, then shopped the house for the other items.  My friend Carol made the 'No 3' bucket-my favorite number!  I need put a different 'plant' in the No. 98 vase, but that's all I had on hand right now. (It looks kinda sparse-ha!)

The old felt hat came from a garage sale.  My hubby and I thought it was cool, because it has tons of medals pinned to it. (Sorry, hard to see)

 I hung a vintage clipboard, then changed out the top of the suitcases to a few wicker bottles under a wire birdcage 'cloche' that I've had. 

I like the new look!  Kind of whimsical, which I dig :)   What do you think?

We are off to the county fair tonight-I love me some fair food, looking at all the farm animals, and best of all, some people watching! :) Have a great week!
I'm linking to these wonderful parties:
                                             Homespun Happenings
                                             Katherine's Corner
                                             Boogieboard Cottage
                                             Twigg Studios
                                             The Tablescaper 
                                             i should be mopping the floor 
                                             My 1929 Charmer
                                             Alderberry Hill
                                             Farmhouse Porch
                                             Knick of Time 
                                             A Stroll Thru Life 
                                             My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
                                             Coastal Charm
                                             Debbiedoos 
                                             The Ironstone Nest 
                                             Lavender Garden Cottage
                                             Primp
                                             The Brambleberry Cottage 
                                             The Vintage Farmhouse
                                             Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen
                                             DIY by Design

New Find And A Half Bath

Hi, everyone!  (Thank you to Lavender Garden Cottage and Boogieboard Cottage for featuring this post!)
I just realized that our half bath is the only room on the first floor that you haven't seen yet!  It's in the back of the house, off the kitchen and also the office.  I thought I'd show you my newest fun find, plus the little bathroom.  This weathered metal birdcage caught my eye at the flea market last week...it was sitting on the ground looking all lonely, and I could swear that I heard it whispering to me to give it a good home!  Has that ever happened to you?  It's super rusty and crusty, but I still fell in love, and indeed, brought it home.

I then introduced it to the top of a little shabby metal cart that is in our downstairs half bath. I got this cart years ago at a sale for a steal, and I love it!  It's been all over the house.

I filled the birdcage with a vintage scale (with another tiny birdcage on it,) a pot of dried lavender that says 'bloom' and a bird that my mom got me.  They all fit just perfectly!

On the middle shelf I stacked some of my decor books, and on the bottom shelf is a basket that I found new at a shop in Cleveland-I thought it was cool with the twine wrapped around the top.  It's holding a couple of grain sacks and a big piece of rope, just cause I thought it was fun, and would 'tie into' the twine on the basket...(hey, I just made a funny...lame, I know.)

 Here is a vintage mirror over the sink...I got it at an antique mall a while ago and love its' lines and etching.

I put this little 'sign' on the back of the toilet, because...well, what else are you gonna do in the loo? ;)

This metal basket in the corner came from my favorite 'new stuff' retail store-Homegoods-and holds extra t.p.

Just for kicks, this is what the cart looked like before the birdcage made its debut...

Just a few little tweaks-I wasn't even planning on changing this vignette, but you know how it is when you bring something new in...you gotta find a way to work it in!

 So, there you have it, our little half bath.  Have a wonderful day!
I'm linking to these great parties:
                                                Boogieboard Cottage
                                                Twigg Studios 
                                                Sunny Simple Life
                                                Debbiedoo's 
                                                The Tablescaper 
                                                i should be mopping the floor
                                                you are talking too much
                                                my 1929 charmer 
                                                Alderberry Hill 
                                                Lavender Garden Cottage
                                                A Stroll Thru Life
                                                Knick of Time 
                                                The Ivy Cottage Blog 
                                                My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
                                                Faded Charm
                                                Primp
                                                Southern Hospitality 
                                                Jennifer Rizzo

This Is Top Drawer

(Thank you to {Primp} and aka design for featuring this post!)
I've been working on all of our rooms upstairs, and it's been a major process...changing around furniture, adding new accessories, weeding out things I'm tired of, etc.  Since I'm not quite ready to show you any of those rooms, yet, I decided to show you something of a theme that I've noticed around my house...drawer units!  Lots and lots of drawers!  I guess I have a weakness for anything with drawers-no matter how rusty, crusty, or distressed!  Be forewarned, there are lots of drawer units, and lots of pictures!

This one is on a dresser beside the bed in the master bedroom, and it has a funny story...I found the heavy, wooden 'unit' at an antique store, and fell in love with its chippy paint.  It only had 2 drawers, but I didn't care, so I bought it.  Then I walked a couple doors down to another antique shop and they had 2 more matching drawers for sale!  "Hmmm, I think I recognize these drawers", I thought, and sure enough they were from the same unit!  Weird, huh?  So I bought them and now there are 4.  I only wish that I could've found the remaining 3, but I still love it in all its imperfect glory!

This is a new vignette that I just put together in the upstairs hallway.  Love the nails stapled on the front of each drawer!

This is my newest drawer acquisition!  I got this for a steal at a little flea market, and I'm going to use it for storing supplies (stamps, jewelry makings, etc.-I'll eventually make labels for it.)  It reminds me of a Pottery Barn type piece. I love it because it's about 4 feet tall but narrow, so it fits perfectly in a little 'nook' in my upstairs hall. Great storage and great style-gotta love it!

 This little baby had me at 'glass knobs'!  I also love the crudely handwritten numbers on each drawer!  It's in a little 'bedroom' upstairs that I use as my 'studio' (where I make jewelry, and try and be crafty :)

All the rest of these you've seen before in different photos, but thought I'd throw them in the mix, too!  These next 2 smaller ones are both metal and in our office.  I got them at 2 different antique malls.  To see more of my office pics go to this post.

This one is in our living room.  We actually use it to store random 'stuff' like sunglasses, notepads, etc...I stamped the numbers on pieces of ledger paper and added them to the label slots.  I thought they turned out pretty fun!  Here is more of my living room.

These next 2 are also in the living room.  The first one is between the couch and the loveseat, and is very handy to hide our remotes, coasters, etc.  The 2nd one is just purely decorative at this point.

And last, but not least, one of my favorite finds, which is in the sunroom!  (More pics here.) These came from an antique mall and I love their color, and the worn labels.  Notice something?  This is our cat Bobbi...and this is one of her favorite napping places! (She's got a hard life :)

Well, I told you there were lots to look at!!  And if you can believe it, I didn't even show you all of them!  Do any of you gravitate towards drawers like I do?  I'd love to hear which of mine is your favorite!  Have a wonderful day :)
I'm linking to these fun parties:
                                              i should be mopping the floor
                                              Twigg Studios
                                              The Tablescaper
                                              Joy 2 Journey
                                              Sunny Simple Life
                                              My 1929 Charmer
                                              Alderberry Hill 
                                              Debbiedoo's
                                              You Are Talking Too Much
                                              Boogieboard Cottage
                                              Southern Hospitality
                                              Farmhouse Porch
                                              Knick of Time 
                                              A Stroll Thru Life
                                              Coastal Charm
                                              The Ironstone Nest
                                              Cozy Little House
                                              Faded Charm 
                                              Primp
                                              From My Front Porch To Yours
                                              Restore Interiors 
                                              Ivy and Elephants 
                                              The Vintage Farmhouse 
                                              Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen 
                                              Live Laugh Rowe 
                                              Common Ground
                                              aka design
                                              Jennifer Rizzo
                                              The Charm of Home
                                              Rooted in Thyme