A few weeks ago I shared my glass hurricanes that sit on my dresser.  They were filled with pinecones, for a lack of something better.  I really didn’t want to spend money or time on decorative spheres or things like that.  I purchased a box of eggs from TJ Maxx for $7.00 and they were the perfect color for my bedroom.  I already had some moss, so it made sense to use these together.  The eggs also tie into the antique bird print hanging above the arrangement. I balanced a starfish on the top of one of them…just because I like the pop of white.  I think I’m going to get some dried vine from my yard and nestle it in the bottom of the hurricanes as well.  It’s nothing incredibly creative or jaw-dropping, but it’s better than the pinecones, anyway.  …and I still have stacks of pictures and plates just waiting to

My latest project snowballed from something to enter in the SYTYCD competition to a whole room makeover to looking like it’s going to be my favorite room in the house.  It started out with some “Oops” paint and a long trip walking the aisles of a hardware store and turned into the hum of power tools, new curtains, and a refinished dresser.  I toyed around with using a piece of antique red work that I purchased years ago and turned into a pillow, but it’s not quite right.   I’ll have to find a different home for it, but this gives you a little sneak peak of the direction I’m heading. I also wanted to share the adorable purse I won for my “white” entry a couple of weeks ago. This is from Shmanessa8 Flowers Etsy shop, where you can buy all sorts of cute and affordable accessories. Make sure you come

I am about ready to push the fast forward button on my life for about six weeks as I get ready for the Lucketts Spring Antique Market.  It is May 22-23 and is in the small town of Lucketts, Virginia.  If you live in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, DC, or Pennsylvania, you should consider coming this year.  It is an awesome antique market and, as a bonus, you get to meet me!  I hope some of you can make it.  Second, some of you may have noticed that my posts have not been as frequent as they usually are.  The reason…I’m drowning.  I’ve said “yes” to too many things and I’ve pursued too many ideas all at one time and something has got to give.  Don’t worry, I’m not shuttering my blog doors, I’m just going to work smarter.  One immediate change will be to The Workshop Series.  I am still going to run it, but it will not be on

It’s time for another week of So You Think You Can Decorate!  Thanks again to all who have voted for my projects.  My French Toile Canopy came in second place last week!  This week the challenge was paint and as I write about in the entry below, it was a tough week for me to decide what to show.  I paint almost everything, so what do I want to submit?  Here’s what I decided to enter… “As a decorative artist, you’d think it would be easy for me to pick something to submit for “paint” week, but it was actually really hard.  I had so many things to choose from!  I decided to go with a piece that was a lot of fun for me to work on – my Queen Anne vanity turned chalkboard desk.   Here’s the before. I purchased this vanity (with a mirror attached) at an estate/yard

I wish I was. I see beautiful yards where people know which plants to put where and how to prune them, water them and care for them in a way that makes them thrive. I just don’t know that kind of stuff.  I have lots of books on gardening, but I just don’t get it. The best thing I can do with my yard is pull weeds and clean it up. So far, we’ve cut down two trees, pulled up about eight bushes and have burned and hauled loads of rubbish. I spent a couple of hours yesterday and the better part of today hacking away at this row of bushes and vines that hang over our neighbor’s fence. It actually doesn’t looks that bad in this picture, but it was way out of control and looked very messy.  The vines and weeds have grown over a French drain that separates

My friend Maria from Dreamy Whites is having an amazing giveaway over at her place.  I know people are always posting about great giveaways, but this one really is incredible.  One lucky blogger will win a queen sized duvet designed by Annette Tatum.  Check it out! I am so glad that the warmer weather is finally coming my way!  I am ready to hit some yard sales and paint some furniture.  I have a pile in my basement that’s been calling my name all winter.  I also have lots of pieces in my home that need a makeover.  When I was working on my sheet music dresser, I decided the treatment would also be perfect for a two tiered table I rescued from my grandparent’s attic.  It had some pretty significant water damage, so I needed something more than paint to make it look good. I didn’t take a full

I am sharing this at the CSI Project Fabric Week.  “I am a girl who loves fabric.  I get giddy at a good remnant bin.  Don’t buy me flowers, get me a gift card to a fabric store.  I’ve spent many days and nights hunched over my sewing machine making things for my home out of fabric, but my most dramatic project is the half canopy I recently made for our master bedroom. Here is a before picture and my inspiration picture from Country French magazine.  Our master bedroom has a terrible layout, so we decided to move our bed to a different wall and positioned the canopy to conceal an unused door.  I did all of the sewing and construction, but my dear husband installed it for me.  You can find a full tutorial here.  The fabric was purchased on sale at Hobby Lobby and I just love the serene aqua and French

I’ve received all kinds of great news over the last few days.  I’ve won two giveaways (I’ll blog about those later) and I just learned that I won last week’s So You Think You Can Decorate competition.  To see my “white” entry, click here.  The last couple of weeks, I’ve been 6th or 7th, so it was a nice boost to win.  I really loved my entry and I’m glad others loved it as well.  Thanks for all who voted. I hit some yard sales this morning with my mom, but didn’t find anything super exciting.  Mostly toys for my boys to keep at Oma and Opa’s house for when we visit.  I did not come home totally empty-handed, though.  Here’s what I found… a pair of white ceramic birds for $2.00 a pressed sap bucket for $.50 a blue and white transferware plate for $.50 a three tiered serving piece