Opportunity for Refinement

July 16, 2012 by 3 Comments

 

Vintage Eastlake Frame.

Alabaster.

 

White Field Flowers.

Gray Antique Wood.

Ironstone.

 

Vintage Eastlake Frame. Alabaster. White Field Flowers. Salvaged Wood. Ironstone. Similar in tone, but different in texture and all present an opportunity for refinement.

Lovingly, I say that my kitchen is not the most refined kitchen.  It doesn’t have high end finishes like carrera marble, a tiled back splash or a sparkly chandelier.  It is a simple straightforward space with plenty of opportunity for refinement.  I try to think of it in terms of being a room, not a kitchen.  This opens up my thinking when making these small, but impactful changes.

This particular vignette started out with decorative objects that were holdovers from the kitchen before I embarked on my budget friendly remodel.  My eye and taste have evolved and I am now setting about to fine tune the style of the kitchen to flow better with the rest of the house.

An antique jug lamp, vintage soda bottles, a bread board and a folk art painting have been replaced with an alabaster lamp, a beautiful ironstone pitcher, an eastlake frame with a 250 year old nautical print and a newish mercury glass hurricane globe paired with and perched on top of an architectural and antique baluster do the trick.  These small changes have added a great deal of style to the entire kitchen.  The are the first thing you see when you enter the house and the first thing you see when you enter the kitchen and they set the tone for the entire house.

Thanks to my good friend and great shop owner, Vince at Good Look, Inc located the lamp, Eastlake frame and ironstone and Nancy at Ella Elaine, here in DT McKinney was the source for the mercury hurricane.  They both have such wonderful taste and style that I have benefited from.  Thank you!

Take a look and see what you think.  I hope you walk away with some inspiration!

Always,

Cindy

Before.

After.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Antique Finds, Before 'n After, Favorite Shops 'n Blogs, My Home, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lavender: Two Ways

July 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

Dried Lavender.

 

I love lavender.  For me, it is such a relaxing and calming aromatic that I can’t get enough of it.  I keep dried lavender and  lavender oil around the house and try to use it in as many different ways as possible.

Making sachets with dried lavender is nothing new.  These particular sachets that I made are for a friend who will be giving them out at a family birthday party.  They are particularly sentimental because each one is made using her grandmother’s vintage linen napkins and handkerchiefs.

I made a point of hand sewing each one shut, once they were stuffed with the dried lavender. It would have been easier to use a sewing machine to finish up, but I really wanted them to have the handmade feel, so I finished each one up by hand.

Also, I use lavender oil and mix with water to make cold compresses for being outside on a hot summer day.  I used to attend bootcamp where our instructor would freeze cold compresses and bring them to us for summer work outs.  Even though it was 5:30 in the morning, here in Texas, it was still 85 degrees outside even before the sun came up.

Since our instructor worked so hard in creating the work outs, I offered to take on the cold compress duty.  However,  I put my spin on it by adding lavender oil to the water before I saturated the facecloths.  Jackpot.

It was such a pleasant way to cool off, I started making them and keeping them in the fridge to grab throughout the summer.  They are great for a day of flea marketing or antiquing, hiking, picnics, and outdoor summer celebrations.  When my mother comes to visit, she sits on the front porch alot and these little compresses do the trick in cooling her off and are very relaxing.  On occasion, I use them as a compress over my eyes to go to sleep.  The lavender smells so lovely and the coolness of the face cloth is very soothing.

The trick, I learned, is to wring out the wash cloth until it is just a smidge beyond damp.  Roll them up and put in zip lock bags and put in the fridge to grab for use.  If you are going out for a day long outing, put them in the freezer overnight, then put them in an insulated bag for use throughout the day.  Just a few drops of lavender oil to a bathroom sink full of water and you will yield about 12 or so cloths.  If you prefer a stronger scent of lavender, just add more drops of oil.

Try it…you will be glad you did!

xoxo,

Cindy

Post Publish Update:  I got an email this evening and according to LocalHarvest.org, it is lavender month this month.  Here is a recipe (from them) for Lavender Lemonade and some relevant links for lavender products:

Links:

Lavender Products

Lavender Lemonade:

Herbal Lemonade Boil 2 cups of water and pour over a 2″ sprig of rosemary OR 1 heaping tablespoon of lavender flowers. Steep for 5-8 minutes and then remove herbs. Add 1/3 c. sugar or honey and stir to dissolve. Pour into a 1 quart jar and add 1/4 c. lemon juice. Fill the rest of the way with cold water. Chill and taste, adjusting lemon and sweetness to taste. Serve over ice, with a small fresh sprig of rosemary or lavender if you like.

Vintage, hand made lavender sachets.

Packaged in a bundle. Easy to grab.

Lavender Cold Compress stored in the fridge.

Lavender Compress ready to grab at the next summer picnic.

 

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Antique Find: The Champagne Bucket

July 8, 2012 by 2 Comments

Prosecco in ice. How nice.

Country or cottage living is inherently romantic.  It isn’t just a design style, but for many of us it is a way of living.

I was visiting my friend, Judy Jonker, who was having a yard sale.  Now her yard sales aren’t like most yard sales.  She is a creative spirit who also loves all things old.  So she had some really special pieces.  When she isn’t having yard sales, she shows at Fringe, The Event, which is a monthly antique and vintage show here in McKinney.

I spied a vintage blue bowl on a table;  liked it, but moved on.  Then I turned around and about 20 feet away from me was an old, white, chippy plant stand.  The second I saw it, I had this instant thought that the enamel bowl I had just seen would fit perfectly in the plant stand, if I turned the plant stand upside down.

So I grabbed the bowl, turned the plant stand over and voila…it was a perfect fit.  I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it…but I knew I loved it.

I brought it home and decided on putting it in my newly re-designed dining room as a lovely little wine or champagne bucket.  (As a foot note, the dining room redesign reveal will be featured in this blog very soon)

And so it goes…a romantic touch for a romantic girl.

xoxo,

Cindy

Old plant stand, new life.

Time worn and lovely.

Vintage enamel bowl in an old plant stand.

 

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Formerly…a Bedroom.

July 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Den.

Old houses can often be quirky spaces.  My house is technically listed as a three bedroom however, it was a better fit for me to turn one bedroom into a den.

As a rule, I abhor recliners; but that became the starting point for the room in deference to my parents when they visit.  So I searched for one that looked the least like a recliner and had it custom upholstered.  It is the only new piece of furniture in the room.

When you look at the pictures (click below on the home tour link), you will see vintage French grain sack pillows, a found sofa with a newly made white denim slipcover, an antique farm table with the legs cut down to use as a coffee table, flea market ottomans updated with paint and french ticking fabric and 250 year old architectural and nautical prints in vintage Eastlake frames.

Please enjoy these additional pictures added to the home tour.

Always,

Cindy

 

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Anatomy of a Redesign – Part 1

June 25, 2012 by 2 Comments

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.

 

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Visits to Upstate New York and Spaghetti Sauce

June 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

Spending your vacation in the stockades.

 

I’m Italian and many summers were spent with my mother’s family in upstate New York.  Upon arrival every summer, one ritual was to pay a visit to each and every household of our relatives.  Every house was full of the sights (plastic slipcovers on all the furniture and butterscotch candies in a dish) and smells of a typical old world Italian family.  The pungent smell of real parmigiana cheese and homemade sauce on the stove permeated every home without exception.

This recipe is one of my own but let’s give credit where it is due…my sister suggested some of the spices that eventually became the recipe.  It isn’t a particularly difficult recipe and it gets better come serving time, if you make it in advance by a couple of days.  The flavors meld really well together as each batch sits in the fridge.

The secret to this recipe is that I add some sugar which plays great against the red pepper flakes.  That is why I think of it as the sweet and the heat spaghetti sauce recipe.

Simple Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

1  medium onion, chopped

4  cloves of garlic, minced

1  pound of any ground protein of your choice (sausage, pork, beef, chicken, etc)

2  (28) ounce cans of Petite Diced Tomatoes

1  t. Fennel Seed

1  t. Dried Basil

1  t. Crushed Red Pepper

1  t. Dried Oregano

1/4  c. of sugar

1  t. salt

1/2  t. pepper

Warm 1 – 2 t. of olive oil in a saute pan; add onions and cook until translucent.  Add minced garlic and cook for 1 – 2 minutes more.  Remove from pan, set aside in a bowl and add ground protein into the saute pan and cook through.

In a separate bowl, mix the diced tomatoes, fennel seed, basil, red pepper flakes, oregano and onion/garlic mixture.  Take the mixture and place it in a blender (you may have to do it in two batches, depending on the size of your blender or you can use and immersion blender) and puree the sauce just until the tomato chunks and onions are reduced in size.  This should only take about 2 – 4 pulses with your blender.

Transfer the pureed sauce into a stock pot and add the ground protein of choice.  Stir in the sugar, salt and pepper and cook over low heat, covered for about 30-40 minutes and it’s ready to serve!

Fresh from the garden parsley and REAL parmesan cheese.

Freshly cooked pasta in a vintage collander.

Old Fashioned Comfort Food.

 

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Antique and Vintage Glass

June 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

Etched Stoppers.

 

It is always nice when you find antique and vintage items that not only have charm and character, but are also completely functional.  Vintage and antique glass is just such an item that finds itself right at home for today’s living, even though many pieces are decades old and made for another time, another sensibility and another way of life.

Thank you to my good friend, Vince at Good Look, Inc..  He has been a great source for some my most recent vintage glass finds! Please stop by his store or visit him on facebook.  He has such great taste and style and finds so many interesting things!

Here are several pieces of my personal collection.  Enjoy!

Always,

Cindy

From my grandmother.  Makes me smile to think about her.

Beautiful Silhouettes.

 

Collection of Vintage Glass Apothecary Jars in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Beautiful etched pattern to hold bathroom items like make up remover, cotton balls and scented body powder.

 

Vintage Bail Wire bottles, mason jars and a vintage apothecary jar to hold lavender linen water.

I love the small scale of this vintage lab beaker; makes it fun to use.

Vintage Glass to hold all the cooking essentials: salt, pepper, vinegars and oils.

Vintage Compote.

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Antique Find: Belgian Soda Bottles Repurposed

May 28, 2012 by 4 Comments

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.

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The French Monogram

May 20, 2012 by 5 Comments

 

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.

 

Filed Under: Projects, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Lazy Sunday Afternoons

May 18, 2012 by 2 Comments

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.

 

 

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