Around the house...

Hey you all...

hope you're having a good weekend!

I thought I'd just share some of the sunporch tweaking that's been going on this week. There's been a hint of Fall around here, as the weather has cooled off a little this week, and the "light" is changing. You know what I mean...the angle of the sun shifts just slightly and the light starts to change. Shadows and colors and even the blue in the sky takes on a subtle difference from Summer. 

This week has been a little slower and I've had time to think about a few things out here. One in particular is this basket hanging on an old screen door that I've had probably for about 10 years. It was a dark sage green and it really needed to be freshened up, so I gave it a coat of some taupe/gray "test" paint that I'd bought last year when painting the master bedroom.

then I did a wash in a darker gray craft paint mixture...

then highlighted it again in the taupe.

...an easy fix for something that was dusty and a little blah looking.

Some faux sunflowers brought it up to season.

I don't show this corner of the sunporch often 

as this little wicker tea cart has a habit of getting too cluttered.

hmmm... that might be why you're only seeing the top part...

(you might laugh at a funny story from my first few months of blogging.

and you'll also laugh at the photos.

 I think that was 3 cameras ago.Just click here)

But I have a cute little vintage metal shelf

 that holds a few of my English Cottages...

that I haven't shared for awhile.

sugar and creamer and salt and pepper.

a candle and another salt and pepper.

Here's an old celluloid thermometer and butterfly print

 that was a salesman sample for advertising...

is tucked into my wicker floral basket along with an ivy.

...and here are the last of the hydrangeas that

had already started to wilt on the shrub.

these purples are so pretty.

That bush started out white, 

then the tips started to change to pink

and now this deep magenta.

The blooms haven't been big this year,

 but the color has been spectacular.

You might have noticed that I've already changed out the quilts and pillows to more of an Autumn palette. I'll share more of the "Early Fall" sunporch changes this next week.

so tell me...what are you doing this weekend...?


Joining in on these great parties:

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House
A Stroll Thru Life
The Scoop at Cedarhill Ranch

xoxo,

Late Summer Sideboard...

Now that it's the middle of August it was time to change up my Hallway Sideboard. I'm bringing in the colors of Nature's late Summer palette, in exchange for my little wheelbarrow full of garden produce. Golds and muted colors of late Summer are evident in the dried hydrangeas, breadboards, basket, and the little English Cottage tray. 

I've been collecting these rattan lunch hampers for the last several years. I've stacked them on an old white bench to add some height and balance to this long stretch of wall.

We hung this old window a couple of years ago, and I've enjoyed having it as a backdrop for my other wall decor. I love the look of layering vintage pieces, especially mirrors and prints. I found this great Sunflower botanical print last year at Robin's Vintage Suitcase.

My white antique French Ironstone tureen has been pretty much a staple here, finding it's way into whatever season it might be.

The little paper mache tray fit right in to the back of the hamper filled with old china.

Some dried hydrangeas with just a hint of lavender and green are sitting inside this old pottery canister. Anyone know what language this is and what it says?

This pedestal is Staffordshire, entitled "The Meet".

This other little pedestal plate is Johnson Brothers.

The big breadboard is from Antique Farmhouse

 and the smaller ones are vintage.

I think this ought to hold me until September. 

That's when the pumpkins come out...

...and for those of you that think I put things together like a breeze...

this little display took me three days and several renditions before

I finally settled on this one.

what can I say, the pumpkins were wanting to come out.

Everything's coming up...Sunflowers!

Now that August is upon us, I can safely call it "Late Summer", and late Summer always means Sunflowers to me. So here in the Dining Room I changed out the white Geraniums and the lighter tablerunner for my Frenchy Stripe tablerunner and the windowbox centerpiece full of happy little Sunflowers.

(does that sound too much like Bob Ross the 1970's painter with the big hair 
from PBS, and his "happy little clouds...trees...mountains"?)

I found this wonderful Sunflower Botanical pillow and I fell in love. My other Sunflower pillow in needlepoint was lonely so this one works great to balance out the church pew.

It needed a darker pillow behind it to set it off, so the black and white teensy check came in from the Sunporch.

Even though I hate the heat of late Summer, I'm always excited when we get to August because that means Fall will be here soon. Yep, watch out Fall here I come!

I have this wonderful old metal flower stand in the Dining Room that I don't show often, but today it has a reproduction seed box on it with a Sunflower wreath ready to be hung up somewhere.

Love my giclee print in muted tones on canvas of the sheep.

See what I was doing last year with Sunflowers, Here and Here. 

The Marketplace is going strong this week.

  Click Here to see what new items have been listed.

I'm joining in on these great parties this week:

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House

The Scoop at Cedarhill Ranch

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Inspiration Gallery at Yellow Bliss Road

DIY by Design

Blissful Whites at Timewashed

Stone Gable

From My Front Porch to Yours

The Charm of Home

French Country Cottage

Shabby Art Boutique

Jennifer Rizzo

xoxo,

Mid Summer Mantel

I know you all have been waiting for the next installment of 

"The Summer Mantel". 

Sort of like how we're waiting for the next season of Downton Abbey...right? (I hope you all know that I'm a "kidder" from waaaay back) I guess that it's safe to say that it's "mid" summer, now that we're into the middle of July. 

And once it's past the July 4th holiday, and those wonderful little Black-Eyed-Susans start blooming, then I have to hold myself back from going Sunflower crazy.

A few weeks ago, on the way back from St. Louis we stopped at one of our favorite Antique Malls, Artichoke Annie's in Columbia, Missouri. It's a real quality mall; big, and full of great antiques. No "garage sale" items here. I saw tons of things I loved but I'm really watching what I buy, so my only purchase was a piece of Majolica; a small dessert plate that would match the other few pieces that I have.

Once I had that new plate,

I had enough to put together a little grouping on the mantel.

I love the wonderful colors of Majolica, 

mine all have the gold and green in common.

Even with chips, it's still collectible and doesn't break the bank.

The colors of the pottery play off the silk Sunflower and Rudbeckia

(part of the Daisy family) that are now in the Wolff  Pottery vases.

A little English Cottage metal doorstop sits in the middle.

These sunny warm colors are my go-to colors of late Summer.

I'm lovin' this Summery display, so it just might stick around 

for the next episode; the "Late Summer" mantel...

And here are a few pics of what's happening in the rest of the Living Room.

And here's my little Italian desk in the corner.

It doesn't make an appearance very often.

Sunflowers have popped up in other places too,

so stay tuned for some changes in the Dining Room.

I'll be joining in for these parties this week:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Tips and Tutorials at Stone Gable

Inspiration Gallery at Ella Claire

DIY by Design

The Shabby Creek Cottage

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

From My Front Porch to Yours

The Charm of Home

French Country Cottage

Shabby Art Boutique

Jennifer Rizzo

Craftberry Bush

xoxo,