Little Black Bowl

I've been wanting to copy an idea I've seen out in blogland at least a dozen times - the repurposing/marriage of a wooden fruit bowl and a wooden candlestick to 

create a pedestal bowl.  My need to have one of these little beauties 

led me to snap up several possible choices at thrift stores and 

yard sales over the summer.  Then I had to decide which 

pieces would look best together...

and what color to paint it.  

I'm loving the black I chose!  For that matter I love the whole combination,
especially since it cost me less than $2.  The white berry wreath and blue
Ball jar just happened to be handy so I set them in the bowl.  Perfect!
I think I need something "fallish" in the jar...maybe some mini-mini
pumpkins?  Or maybe some acorns? Ideas anyone?

Pretty sure I need to put a little more autumn into the overall decor of my 

antique buffet.  Maybe the blue and white need to go away, but I'd rather 

come up with a combination that incorporates all the colors here. OK, 

maybe not rust-red candles, but I still want 

some autumn-y touches included.

The best thing about the decor here is everything is 'old' or handmade.  The

buffet came to me by way of a trade for a furniture piece I wanted to get 

rid of.  I created the wreath, the twiggy bouquet and of course, the 

pedestal bowl.  Everything else was purchased 2nd-hand at 

either a flea market, yard sale,or thrift store. 

Even the candles!

So, I'm ready for your ideas on spiffing this little corner up for 

fall...please share!

Linking to...

 

Bedroom Progress

My daughter and I started working on her bedroom in the spring, but with one thing and another, it's taken until now to bring it all together.  Well, truthfully, there is still much on the to-do list, but it's time to share what has been accomplished so far....

Inspiration for the room's accent colors came from the painting - a gift from one of my daughter's art professors. The mirror was a $5 thrift store find.  One piece of trim had broken off, so we broke off that piece on the other side too, sanded and painted white - looks great!  Those bottles and vintage plaster cat pick up the primary colors from the artwork beautifully.  The updated dresser they sit on was the focus of an earlier post.

This sweet little side table was dull, dry, unpainted wood with framed glass doors and brass knobs.  It was a great buy at $5 from a yard sale.  Now it is fresh and gorgeous with its new white paint, silver knobs (silver metallic spray paint) and "frosted" glass doors.  A little thinned white glass paint worked the magic to give the glass a frosted look.

My daughter chose fabrics a couple days ago, then I got busy this weekend and whipped up some pillows.  The yellow, red and gray really pop on her white coverlet!  I vote for more pillows, but waiting on the daughter to decide if she wants any more.

I did the applique on the front pillow by hand.  It took me three times as long to do the one pillow as it did the other two combined!  But so worth it to tie all the fabrics together in one.

Yes, it is a trash can, but isn't it pretty in it's silver coat?!  It was a vintage piece my daughter picked up at a yard sale.  But it was gold and showing its age.  Metallic silver spray paint to the rescue!

 Last, but by far my favorite of all, is this old armoire.  It was a major project thanks to several coats of paint that had to be sanded.  But it is glorious in fresh white, with new knobs in silver.  We even removed all the old paint from the hinges and spray painted them silver too.  Gorgeous and holds a ton of stuff!

Happy Summer Chaos

Funny how I always think I can keep up with everything, but time after time I am reminded that my time and energy are not limitless.  Things have been hopping at my house, which results in my blog being ignored. Birthdays and other family gatherings have been fun and abundant, and will continue to be for the next month. The garden and flower beds are growing and gorgeous and need lots of attention. Of course that 40-hour job that pays the bills around here gets in the way of all the other things I think I need on my list.  Plus a number of projects are underway in the daughter's room that I hope can be finished in the next few weeks so I can share.  Oh, and those puppies - TEN puppies!

 

 

 

  

  

  

Meet the Terrific Ten:  5 girls: Stella, Sophia, Mercy, Duffy & Carrie Valentine.  5 boys: Shiloh, Shepley, Huey, Dewey & Louie. 4 are Poma-poos and 6 are toy Poodles.

It's impossible to get a lot done around here when 10 little fur-babies are begging for love - they just suck me in with their uber-cuteness!  Just a couple more weeks until they'll be heading for their forever homes, so I may as well enjoy them while I can. Some things can wait - puppy kisses aren't on that list!

Garden check-in

The green beans I sowed last weekend are up...

 and the crookneck squash are too...

 Pansies in their pots help fill in a flower bed before the perennials start blooming...

And my tiny "wild" strawberries produce the most delectable morsels!  I started these from seed about 4 years ago.  To my happy surprise they have survived!

Puppy Pandemonium!

 

 We've had a week filled with PUPPIES!  No, didn't mean to have puppies.

Yes, we should have had our girls fixed.  But an unexpected, 3 month stay

by my mother's male toy poodle, Lucky (isn't that a fitting name?!) brought 

one last round of puppies to our household.  And BOY, do we have puppies!  

Roxie, our Pomapoo has 4 little Poma-Poo-Poos - 1/4 Pom, 3/4 Poo :)  

And Lizzie has 6...yes that's right, SIX purebred Toy Poodles.  Oh.  My. 

So, by now you've guessed what's happened to my projects and the posts that

were supposed to happen.  They have taken a big ol' back seat to puppies 

and everything else going on around here - like wonderful Mother's 

Day festivities, and a whole lot more.

More projects will be posted soon, but for now, enjoy these sweet little faces.  

That's what I'm doing :)

Dresser Facelift - Under $25

My daughter and I found this great little Thomasville dresser on Craigslist.  

Good quality, good bones, but abused...a serious dog chew on the base
trim, lots of scratches and scrapes, a missing drawer handle, etc.
At $15 it was still a bargain, plus we had spent weeks looking
for one just the right size for her room, and finally, this was it!

My husband did his part by using an air grinder to smooth down the dog chewed
area and then ground down the opposite end to match.  Well, "match" might
not be exactly right, but it was close enough!  After removing the
handles, some sanding, some primer, a bit of wood filler and
more sanding, it was ready for paint.  

Pure white was my daughter's choice, so I bought a good quality white paint and
gave it a couple of coats with a foam roller and foam brush.  She wanted a
clean, modern look, so I located the drawer pulls I had removed from my
kitchen renovation a few years ago (see, there's a reason I hoard :)
and scrubbed them up. They look like brand new - which really
speaks to the quality of things made 40 or more years ago.

Try to ignore the clutter on the floor and next to the dresser - that's another new
storage project for this room - to be unveiled soon!  I really like how the fresh
snow white of the dresser complements the cool gray shades of the
 floor (painted concrete) and walls.

This room has gone from peachy-country-romantic-girly to calm-modern-mature.

Perfect for my daughter's last year at home before graduating college and
riding off into the sunset with her prince. And still perfect for when that
room becomes our guest bedroom/my crafting space.

Morels the Ozarks Way

Morel mushroom hunting has been a spring ritual here in the Ozarks for as long as I can remember, and certainly well before that.   As a kid I remember my grandpa taking me along with other relatives to wander the woods in search of them.  Mom would fry up a mess or two each spring, then that was it until the next year.  As an adult it has become an annual tradition for my family as well.  We wander the woods near the wet-weather creek on the back of our farm each year hoping to spy morels peeking out from under dead leaves littering the forest floor.  I always have to re-train my eyes to discern them from their surroundings - they are masters of camouflage!

Fortunately, most years we are able to enjoy a meal or two of these wonderful morsels.  This year is no exception!

They look like cone-shaped sponges don't they?  Not very appetizing from that point of view I suppose, unless of course you've grown up like me and think of them as a once-or-twice a year delicacy.

Our tradtional Morel Supper isn't healthy, so if you have an aversion to lots of carbs and fats - look away! This isn't the way we eat most of the time, but for this special treat, we make exceptions!

First thing I do when we return home with a 'mess' of freshly picked morels is rinse them thoroughly, then soak them overnight in salted water in the fridge.  They won't last long so I always cook them the following evening.  First, I rinse them again, pat them to absorb some of the water, and slice them into halves or thirds.

 

Next I coat the morels with flour and a bit of salt.  I let this sit while I cook all the other dishes for the meal - we want those morels freshly fried and hot!  Biscuits are first on the list - we like them drop style...

Next I fry up either bacon or sausage (tonight was bacon) and then use the drippings to make a pan of white gravy - heavy on the salt and pepper of course.

Time to fry the morels!  I heat a frying pan with small amount of oil on high and throw in the morels.  Best to cook 'em fast so they don't turn to mush...a little crisp is best.

Supper's ready!  Not heart-healthy at all - but oh, how happy are our taste buds and tummies :)

 

Green and Growing

The last several days have been full to say the least...no new projects to unveil yet,
but lots going on around here.  Namely a bedroom re-do for my daughter, 

homecoming for my mother who is recovering from a broken ankle, and
a birthday party for the 1-year-old granddaughter.  Never a dull
moment for sure! And while all these goings-on have been taking
place, there's been a whole lot of growing going on too....

I'm starting only four varieties of tomatoes this year.  Thought I'd stick with my
favorites, because I just can't get enough of those Green Zebras!

 

Yes - that IS grass....Ponytail Grass actually.  It is a beautiful ornamental that bobs

and sways gracefully in the lightest breeze. These will be the centerpieces 

of some of my porch planters this summer.

 

The cherry tomatoes are the fastest growers - though they were sown the same time 

as the other varieties they are nearly twice bigger already!

 

Looking forward to planting these beauties outdoors in a few weeks....

come on spring!