Spring Hill Green and Picked Flowers

I hope everyone had an excellent weekend! I haven’t had much to blog about lately since we’ve had company the last few weekends. It’s easy to forget about projects and blogging when you’re having fun with family and friends.

A few weeks ago, Pattie Anne’s Vintage Land (one of my very favorite new shops in town!) got their first shipment of CeCe Caldwell’s chalk paint. I’ve gotten to know the girls there, and Pattie Mae was sweet enough to let me have a sample of the next paint and wax to try.

I’ve been playing it safe a lot lately with whites and grays – and don’t mistake me, these are lovely colors, but I really felt like I needed to do something bright and bold with a punch of color. Spring Hill Green sure fits the bill!





I started having second thoughts once I started brushing the paint on! I’m glad I kept going though, because I actually do like the way it turned out. I’m still not sure if it really “fits” in our house though…I don’t normally choose bright colors and while I do like them they’re also not me. I like a much softer, subdued neutral look.



I think I’ll live with it for a little while before I decide…

 

The flowers were picked on a morning walk with my son a few months ago. I arranged them into a rough bouquet shape and let them dry naturally before I pressed them for framing.

 

I gave it a light distressing and a coat of clear wax.





I love how the details of the frame are highlighted by the distressing.









All of our company is gone now, so it’s back to the regular grind :)

Also, if you have a chance, stop by Our Prairie Home and tell Laura I sent you. Her hubby is transforming their barn into a studio for her and it’s already amazing – you have to see for yourself!

I have a few other things in the works to show y’all later this week – I hope your Monday is going great!

Linking up with...

Metamorphosis Monday
Mod Mix Monday

Whitney Farms Organic Plant Food

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Whitney Farms for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
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It's been a long time since I had my own vegetable garden, but now that my son is getting older I want to start one that our whole family can tend to. I want him to know the simple pleasure of digging in the dirt, the feeling of good hard work, and the reward of your hard work as you watch your plants grow. Plus, I'm more aware than ever about what our family purchases, consumes, and brings into our home. I would much prefer to serve my son a dinner with fresh, organicly grown vegetables than one with unknown chemicals and pesticides.
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I shared with you recently how our yard looks now that it's partially fenced in.

I've seen some great garden images lately that have given me so much inspiration for my own future yard.

Whitney Farms® is now offering a coupon for $3.00 off their plant food and soil. If you want your garden to be 100% organic and chemial-free, then you should try out Whitney Farms®
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Thrifting and Inspiration

I don’t have anything finished to show you today, but I wanted to share some pictures of a recent thrifting adventure. There are so many reasons why I love shopping thrift stores, but I think a lot of them will speak through these photos :)

I don't know what's going on with the formatting today, but I can't seem to get it right...please bear with me!

Thrifting is a great way to find cool old items, like this vintage Paymaster check writer. You don't see these around much anymore, and I'd be willing to bet that my kids won't have any idea what these guys were used for. How scary is that?!

 



























Things that tell a story. This instrument panel looks like it could have been right off an old Navy ship…wouldn’t it be cool if it was from a battleship or something? Unfortunately this one was just a plastic replica, but think of the stories it could tell if it had been the real deal!

























Collections…I was so tempted to pick up some of this milk glass! I don’t want my husband to put me on Hoarders though, so my personal rule is that I don’t bring something home with me unless I have a specific plan or place for it.

























Things that can be refinished – even though the finish on this coat rack is a little…bright….the shape of it is beautiful. With a little work, this could be beautiful again after being redone with an oil-rubbed bronze finish.

 

























Things you don’t see anywhere else…I wasn’t even sure what this was until I looked at the picture on my computer, but it was interesting enough to snap a photo!

























And now I'm glad I did. I just flipped the picture upside down…now it looks like a chandelier! (If I'm wrong, please tell me! Don't let me go on being wrong...) It’s definitely a unique piece.

I have seen so many bread boxes like this lately. I’m kind of tempted to grab one and give it a chippy white makeover – maybe I’ll bring the next one home if the price is right!

For inspiration on future projects. This gorgeous quilt…she was only $20, y’all. Tell me she's not beautiful. I put it in my cart, but sadly she didn’t come home with me. I just don’t have the cash to spend on “just because” purchases…fortunately, I have an amazing seamstress (my mom!) that could duplicate this for me!

How adorable is this little dog? At first glance he looked like a little weiner dog, but I guess it could be a basset hound. Either way, he’s definitely a cutie!

This one is so not my style, but it would be right up my uncle's alley. He's an avid deer hunter and this would be  perfect on the wall at his hunting camp!

What about you? What are some of your favorite thrifting finds and strategies?

A Trip to the Nursery

A few weekends ago, the hubs and I packed the kiddo into the car and headed out to a local nursery to check out some options for our new springtime landscaping project.

If you’ve been a reader for a while, you might remember what we did with our flower beds last year.

I’m not a real big fan of impatiens, so I wanted to go with a little more variety this time. These are a few of the things we looked at:

 



 







 

Aren’t those pretty? I couldn’t even tell you what some of them are named, but I do have a soft spot for pinks and purples! Those magnolias were to die for too…picture a hugely gorgeous magnolia tree with blossoms the size of your head. Sigh.

And here’s what we ended up with:

Double Knock-Out Roses (my awesome husband picked these out for me as a surprise! I’ve been eying our neighbors roses for a while so I’m really happy to have some of my own!)



Hibiscus (the color of these in real life is peachy-orange like the photo on the right)



The purple bougainvilleas from last year are still alive too…hurray for a (kind of) green thumb!

Edit - OK, they're not bougainvilleas. I don't know what these are, but my husband pointed out this error oh-so-sweetly.

 

Also, my sweet friend that I made the garden sign for sent me a picture of it "in action"...

I’m linking up today with The Nester!

A Step Forward

Today I want to share with you my very first finished piece.



Here’s how it looked before I started:



Not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, but definitely dated.

I used a sample pot of Olympic’s Gray Goose and unsanded grout to make my own chalk paint for this project.



There are all kind of variations of this recipe, and it seems to boil down to trial and error and personal preference. If I were going to do this again, I would probably add another 1/2 Tbsp (or more). If you try this, just play with it until you get a feel for what works. I’ve only used ASCP chalk paint a few times so I’m not sure how this compares (my guess is that it really doesn’t since ASCP has years and years of research, product development, and experience behind it). But for this project I went the DIY route since my poor wallet just can’t accommodate the good stuff for now.

The end result is a pretty, shabby chic look. I really love how some of the original gold finish shows through where I did the distressing. It’s definitely toned down a lot, but the little bit that peeks through adds so much character and dimension.

I am so super excited to be taking the step of listing this for sale. I’ve hemmed and hawed over this piece for a few months, working on it on and off…but I realized over the last few days that I’ve actually been stalling. I guess part of me thought if I don’t try to sell it, I don’t have to face the possibility that I’m the only one that thinks it’s worth something…

But. I’m pretty sure this is something I love. I can see myself starting and growing a furniture restoration business. I’ve seen my creativity awaken and my love for the creative process grow. I’m developing a passion here, and I have found so much peace and joy from it already.

You might remember a few weeks ago that I blogged about winning a spot in Jeanne Oliver’s Creative Business e-Course. The course started this week and already it is amazing. The biggest thing I’ve learned (personally) in just the first few video sessions is don’t let yourself be paralyzed into inaction by fear.




By nature, I am a planner. It’s very hard for me to move forward without a plan and without knowing exactly what the possible scenarios. I’ve been trying to plan for all the different possibilities, but sometimes? Life just doesn’t work that way. As Jeanne says…

START WHERE YOU’RE AT.

So I am.

Tell me what you think, and please be honest. I know it’s not perfect…but it’s a start!

Please excuse any miscellaneous toys, children, or dogs you might see in these pictures…apparently this was very fascinating to them.

 





 









 

 

   







linking up with...

The Shabby Creek Cottage
Redoux Interiors
My Repurposed Life
504 Main
Miss Mustard Seed
The Rooster and The Hen

And for the "Best DIY Projects of April" party at Beneath My Heart