Anatomy of a Redesign – Part 1

I would describe myself as a nester.  I would also tell you that like alot of people, change is challenging.  However, you would never know these things about me by looking at my house and the evolution of my style over time.  I am constantly changing things around.

I never know when or why the inspiration to change something will hit me.  I had just such a moment in my dining room when I realized one small change would change the entire dynamic of my dining-living room space.

Once I have the idea of what I want to do, the next step is the floor plan.  Here is the current floor plan, to scale:

Dining Room Current Floor Plan

You can see from this lay out, the space is very small (narrow) so the options are limited.  The new floor plan will open up the space visually as well as practically, by improving traffic flow and allowing more space for the living room furniture by kicking it (slightly) into the plane of the dining room.  Here is the proposed new floor plan:

Dining Room Proposed Floor Plan

Here is the “to do” list:

  1. Build window seat
  2. Swag lamp over to new dining area
  3. Move antique cabinet to where the bench is
  4. Find a new home for the bench
  5. Make window seat cushions
  6. Remove leaf from dining table
  7. Store two of the four dining room chairs

Cost wise, this is a very economical re do that will have major impact.  The materials for the window seat should be $200, give or take.  Beyond that, since I already have the fabric, I only need some foam for the bench cushions which I would estimate to be appr. $50.

The result will be featured in next week’s blog article.

As always, thank you for stopping by!

xoxo,

Cindy

This will be removed and the bench (not pictured) will be removed and replaced with the antique cabinet shown in the picture below.

This area will be the new window seat/dining area and this cabinet will remain in the dining room, but moved to another place.

This won’t change, but will now become part of the window seat area for the dining table.

 

Antique Find: Belgian Soda Bottles Repurposed

Blandin Vintage Bottles.

A three day weekend just isn’t a three day weekend if I don’t go antiquing.  A great find this weekend would have to be these vintage Belgian Soda Bottles found at a wonderful shop in downtown McKinney, Patina Green Home & Market.  A little Internet mining shows these Blandin Brand bottles are about 50 years old.  They just have a great look and feel to them and the minute I saw them, I knew that I was going to add bottle top dispensers and use them for holding olive and other oils that I grab for cooking.  Within the hour I had them washed and ready to go and really, I couldn’t be happier.

The picture above, is actually a grab from Napa Style.  They sold them at one point, although they are no longer available from that site…it is nice to see great style fits in anywhere.  Vintage soda bottles of all shapes, sizes and designs can be found readily on the Internet and the stopper/dispenser can also be found using the search term “bottle stopper dispenser.”

As a foot note to this article, I now want to change over other items, such as vinegars into these vintage bottles.  Doing a search for “vintage mineral water bottles” or “vintage spring water bottles” also yields an interesting selection of bottles.  Good luck!

Until next time,

Cindy

Antique Belgian Soda Bottles Repurposed.

Embossed "Blandin" Brand.

We Remember.

Flags 'n Flowers.

Lunch Sack Luminaries

I think that old houses are meant to be decorated for the holidays.  These luminaries are a project that can change with the seasons.

Lunch Sack Vintage Patriotic Luminaries, with a little patience, are easier than you would think.  I created these in MS Power Point.  The key is to create a custom page size ( to mirror the size of a lunch sack) in the advance options button in the printing box.  You will also want to adjust the type of paper setting (set it for thicker paper) and probably, depending on your printer, use the manual feed tray.  The patience part comes from figuring out which way to load the lunch sack…each printer loads differently so experiment until you get it right.

A little trial and error for image placement and some vintage Victorian clip art and it is a great way to pay homage to the men and women who have fallen.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend.

Always,

Cindy

We Remember.

Beautiful Vintage Victorian Images.

For the Fallen.

Patriotic Finials.

 

The French Monogram

 

DIY Upholstered Headboard

 

I love french monogrammed sheets.   I generally find them when I go to the Round Top Antique Show.  There is a particular dealer, Touch of Europe, who always has quality, vintage linens and I always make it a point to stop by and pick up something.  The question, for me, is always “what do I do with it?”  They are so lovely, but they mostly sit on a shelf which isn’t a great showcase for the beautiful monograms.

One day, I got brave and decided that I was going to use one of my antique sheets to sew a slip cover for a homemade upholstered head board in my guest room.  I have to admit, I was a bit nervous cutting into that sheet.  But I finally just bit the bullet and did it and fashioned a slipcover for the headboard. I used inexpensive white denim for the back and the piping, and the monogram sheet for the front.  If I ever want a slightly different look, I can just turn the headboard around and showcase the plain, white denim side.

The headboard itself was fairly elementary to make.  I just used a piece of plywood, a 2 x 6 and some metal “L” brackets to hold it together.  The foam I purchased online.  I was able to get it custom cut, in one sheet wrapped in Dacron.  The company I used vacuum packs it so shipping is very reasonable.  I found it is much cheaper and produces a better product than trying to buy the foam at the hobby store which is expensive and has to be pieced together.  Click here to go directly to the foam website.

Touch of Europe and Foam For You can also be found on my Resources and Buying Guide page.

Here is a quick tutorial in the DIY headboard and the result.  More pictures of my guest room can be found on the My Home Tour page.

Thanks for stopping by!

Always,

Cindy

It is a freestanding headboard.

The foam, custom wrapped in Dacron attached to the plywood backing with spray adhesive.

Simple "L" brackets attach the plywood back to the 2x6 base.

A slipcover made from painters drop cloth used to help hold the foam against the plywood back.

The trick is to make the painters’ drop cloth slipcover slighty smaller than the finished measurement.  It is a bit of a tug getting it over the headboard, but doable.  This helps the headboard always maintain a full, stuffed look.  Another tip: wash both the painters drop cloth and the denim BEFORE you sew.  This also helps keep that fuller look.

The regular slipcover pulled on.

DIY Upholstered Headboard.

Delicate work makes this headboard special and a great showcase for The French Monogram.

 

Lazy Sunday Afternoons

Lazy Sunday Treat.

If I am lucky and can manage to have a productive week, by the time Sunday gets here, I can choose to be a little lazy if I want.  The truth is that there is always something to do around the house, particularly my house.  So some porch time with some homemade Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade is just the ticket.  Recipe to follow.  Enjoy!

Mercury Glass votive holder used as a vase.

Vintage hankerchief with satin ribbon and a barrel clip to keep the flying critters away from the lemonade pitcher.

Very refreshing.

Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade

Ingredients:

  • 1 (12 ounce) package frozen unsweetened raspberries (about 3 cups)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 (1 liter) bottle chilled sparkling water or 1 (1 liter) bottle club soda
  • ice cubes
  • fresh raspberry (optional)
  • lemon slice

Directions:

Combine frozen raspberries, sugar and 1/2 cup water in medium saucepan.

Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and berries thaw.

Increase heat and boil 3 minutes.

Strain raspberry mixture into bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids in stainer.

Mix lemon peel into raspberry syrup in bowl.

Chill until cold.

Stir raspberry syrup, lemon juice, and sparkling water in large pitcher to blend.

Fill 6 glasses with ice cubes.

Pour raspberry lemonade into glasses.

Add fresh raspberries to each glass, if desired.

Garnish with lemon slices and serve.

 

 

Pretty Porches

 

Sit a spell, if you please.

I feel really lucky to live in such a great neighborhood. You sit on your front porch and people walk about and say hello, offer a compliment for your yard work or stop to pet your dog.  Two years ago, after Christmas,  one of my neighbors (whom I have never met) placed a photograph of my house taken during the holidays in my mailbox.  We had a White Christmas that year and she thought that my house looked so lovely with the snow and holiday decorations that she took a picture and left it for me, in the event I was out of town that day and missed it.  Now THAT’S what I am talking about.  As I said, I feel really lucky to live in this lovely little Anytown, USA.

Old Houses and Picket Fences.

Patriotic Colors of Summer.

Old Quilts for Cushion Covers and French Ticking Pillows.

Mason Jar is painted with Mercury Glass Spray Paint for a warm summer glow.

Screening is added to the top to keep the bugs out.

Pottery Barn clearance item for night time congregating.

Samantha Girl who is always ready to play ball.

 

Architectural Elements

 

Lovely details.

Lamps. Lamps. Lamps.  I have always been challenged to find mass produced lamps that satisfy my cottage sensibilities.  So I am always on the hunt at flea markets, antique stores and antique shows for architectural elements that I can turn into lamps.  .

Here are two that I have found, both for under $20 each.  Some inexpensive hardware and two Pottery Barn lamp shades and the net result are some wonderful pieces that have loads of character and charm.

I hope you like them.

Love Always,

Cindy

Lovely architectural element painted in crisp white.

Everything looks so much crisper against a white backdrop.

Vintage glass knobs for lamp feet.

Lamp made from re-claimed baluster section

 

Loads of character and cottage charm.

 

Lovely first hydrangea blooms of the year.

Some of the Best Solutions are Very Simple.

My inspiration from Swedish Interiors.

 

I fell in love with this book.

 

Same house from the kitchen photo above.

 

Some of the best solutions are very simple.  Part of the mandate of my kitchen remodel was to keep the existing lower cabinets.  However, they were construction grade, big box, off the floor cabinets that possessed neither quality or style…but I had to make them work on a budget.  One idea that crossed my mind was to mine the Internet looking for door and drawer fronts and while there were some at reasonable prices, there wasn’t anything that would fit my very modest budget.

The solution was to clad the existing door and drawer fronts with a simple bead board fascia and paint the cabinets.  A leak under the sink had bowed out the two lower cabinet doors so the budget conscious solution was to use a fabric curtain.  For continuity, the same fabric that was used for the roman blinds was also used for the sink curtains.  It took very little time and helped salvage drab cabinets and give them some character.  The cherry on the sundae were the over-sized, vintage, reproduction glass knobs.  Total cost for bead board and new knobs/pulls: $43. I couldn’t be happier with the results.

Love Always,

Cindy

Before.

After.

Result.

 

 

Antique Find: The Delicate Workhorse

 

I found this lovely gem several weeks ago in Downtown McKinney and it has quickly become treasured and useful.  Engenius in its’ own way with telescoping supports that allow you to straddle it over a sink so it can do the work it was intended for, yet it stays out of the way when you want to use the sink otherwise.  My new found favorite.

The Vintage Food Strainer.

Delicious Loveliness.

The Almost Delicate Work Horse.

Let me know what you think!

Love Always,

Cindy

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Great Cottage Style: Gooseneck Bucket Light

 

I am absolutely mad for this:

From Napa Style.

Click here to get to Napa Style.

Click here to get to this lamp.

Love Always,

Cindy

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