Farewell Summer

August is quickly coming to a close and even though the temperature outside still feels like Summer I am starting to feel Fall sneak up on me.  I am starting to crave those wonderful Fall recipes,  I am seeing Fall decor in the stores, and yesterday when I was at the grocery store, I saw Halloween candy. Yikes, that is jumping a little to far ahead for me.  I love Fall and am itching to get out my Fall decorations but before I do I wanted to give Summer one last farewell.  Below are some picture I took this month of some beautiful plants that just happen to be located at the back door of one of my favorite home decor stores.

Good-bye lazy days of Summer.  Hello warm colors of  Fall. 

I am linking this post to A Beach Cottage-Good Life Wednesday

Fireplace Re-do

I had been wanting to paint my fireplace for years but talking my husband into letting me paint the bricks was quite a feat. After getting what was close enough to an O.K. for me, I started painting.  Not only did I paint the fireplace but I painted the walls also.  Here is the before picture...

BEFORE

AFTER

Isn't is amazing what a difference paint makes!?!

I am linking this post to Between Naps On The Porch Metamorphosis Monday.

Decorating With Old Keys

It didn't take me long to get this collection built up.  It started out with a few keys I bought at an antique store.  I knew I had a few old keys of my own lying around so when I got home I went through all my junk drawers and hiding places (can't believe how many I have) and found almost a dozen more old keys.  Some of my friends went through their things also and brought me some of their old keys.  It is funny, when we don't need a key anymore instead of throwing it away we just stick it in a drawer or a jewelry box and forget about it.  You might want to go through some of your hiding places and see how many keys you have lying around.  You might be surprised.

You can display keys in so many different ways.  Here I have them spilling out onto a tray.

Here is a wall arrangement I have in the master bedroom ..... more keys.

The keys I have in this frame I ordered from Pottery Barn.  The frame surrounding them I got at a garage sale for 50 cents and spray painted white.

 I just loved the shape of this key and wanted to highlight in some way.

Keys look great just sitting in a bowl...

or sitting on a platter...

or as an embellishment.

Wouldn't an old canning jar look adorable filled with some old keys?  I think I am going to go try that.
Thanks for stopping by!

I am linking this post to The Brambleberry Cottage-Time Travel Thursday
Common Ground's Vintage Inspiration Friday
French Country Cottage-Feathered Nest Friday
At The Picket Fence-Inspiration Friday
Stuff-and-Nonsense - Fridays Unfolded
Romantic Home-Show and Tell Friday
Laurie Anna's Farmhouse Friday

I Just Love White Paint

White paint just seems to make every thing look new.  I love the clean fresh look of white painted furniture.  These are pictures of some things I painted before I had a blog.  Sadly I do not have before pictures but I wanted to share these pieces with you anyway.  The cabinet below sits in the corner of my living room and is one of my favorite re-dos.  I lightly sanded it, painted it white (2 coats to cover the flowers that were painted on it), then glazed it.  The glaze does not show up well in this picture but it is there.  I did this project 2 years ago and can not find the exact color of glaze I used but is was a dark brown.

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The bench below is also in my living room.  This I only put one coat of paint on, then sanded it after it dried to get that worn look.

Painting the kitchen table was the biggest surprise.  It really changed the look of it.  My friends thought I had bought a new set when they came over.  Is there anything harder to paint than chairs?  Drips, drips, drips!  Do you see that brown hutch in the background?  That is one of my many projects.  Of course the plan is to paint it white.

This is a picture of a trunk that sits at the end of my bed.  I usually keep  a folded coverlet over it so it is a bit softer to sit on.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look at some of my finished projects.  Hopefully I will have more projects to show you soon.

I am linking this post to Savvy Southern Style-Wow us Wednesdays
Faded Charm Cottage- White Wednesday 
Free Pretty Things For You Whatever-you-want-Wednesday

Thrifty Finds

 I found some great finds at garage sales this week.

This mirror is probably the greatest bargain, it is in perfect condition.  I have no idea were I am going to hang it but for $10.00 I could not pass it up.

 

This cute little pinafore was a steal at 75 cents. 

 

 You can never have to many silver trays, at least that is my motto.  I got this one for $3.00.  

The cute little white pitcher was only $1.00.

 This little trunk is very dirty but I think it has some potential.  For only $1.00 if it does not work out I am not out much.  Leave a comment if you have any fabulous ideas for what I can do with it.  I will have to do something to the outside of it because it is in such bad shape.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit and happy garage selling everyone.

I am linking this post to Southern Hospitality's More Thrifty Treasures
Coastal Charm nifty-thrifty-tuesday 
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Tuesdays Treasures 

Eye Candy

One of my favorite antique malls in town has a whole room dedicated to linens and lace.  I could just stand in that room for hours admiring all the beautiful things.  I just can't seem to get enough.  Here are a few pictures of that room for you to admire.

 

Thanks for stopping by my blog for a visit.  I hope you all have a nice, relaxing weekend.

White Cabinets At Last

I have always wanted white kitchen cabinets but I must say that with this project I almost bit off more than I could chew.  Even though I thought at times that I would never finish, I am very happy with the results.

This photo shows you how painting my cabinets white made my fridge look yellow.  What a bummer!  Since there is no budget for a new fridge right now I am thinking about looking into appliance paint. 

I don't have real good before pictures but here is a picture during the whole process.  You can see that not only did I paint the cabinets but we also put in a new microwave.

I first sanded the cabinets then put a coat of primer on then two to three coats of paint.  After the paint had dried for 48-72 hours I would lightly sand and then apply finishing wax.  This last step made all the difference.  The finishing wax made the paint job look so much better as well as add some protection to the cabinets since kitchen cabinets get so much abuse. 

Here is the paint and finishing wax I used.  The paint is from Lowe's and the color I used is called Dove White.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit.  I hope that if you have been thinking about painting your kitchen cabinets that this will inspire you to do so.  It is so worth it.  I feel like I have a brand new kitchen!

I am linking the post to Common Ground Vintage Inspiration Friday
Romantic Home Show-and-Tell-Friday
Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Feature Friday
  Laurie Annas Farmhouse Friday
Cottage and Vine Room-by-Room-Kitchens

Carnton Plantation

A few weeks ago my mom visited Carnton Plantation in Franklin, TN.  She visited there because we had both read the book Widow of the South by Robert Hicks.  The setting for the book is Carnton Plantation.  If you have not read the book it is a wonderful read.  My book club read it 5 years ago and it was voted the best book we read that year.  Here are a few of the pictures my mom took that I wanted to share with all of you.


This is a picture of the back of the house.  This house served as a field hospital following the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864.

The following pictures are of the Confederate Cemetery on the grounds.

Sadly they would not let pictures be taken inside the house at Carnton Plantation, but I am sure the inside of the house would make us all swoon.

If you are looking for a great read, look no more.  This is a fabulous book and the story will touch your heart.  Thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog today.  Hope all of you have a great weekend.