Wear Repair

I always like to show the "good" before I show the "bad" and the "ugly".

So if you have an aversion to rotten wood and peeling paint

well, then you better not continue...

I have a great space off of our lower level family room;

a large concrete patio of sorts.

The problem is that there are some shady spots that never see the sun...

a drainage problem that invites mosquitoes to eat you for lunch...

(which hopefully is now fixed)

and an issue with dirt runoff from our shake roof that causes

 the concrete to be stained.

Oh, and did I mention squirrels with giant gnawing teeth?

When my inlaws moved out of their house a few years ago,

we brought home this park bench which we had given them.

Layers of paint that weren't pretty.

It was screaming for help.

(help meeeeeeeeee....)

And then there is a great bench that my daddy made about 25 years ago,

but was slowly rotting due to the elements...

and said giant gnawing squirrel teeth.

I'd finally had enough of this unsightly stuff,

and decided I needed to actually DO something about it,

instead of just ignoring it.

So I bought an industrial size tub of spackling

and went to work.

Not perfect, but at least I think I bought it a couple more years,

before it would have to go to the woodpile.

Bench looking better.

Sorry, no distressing here.

In a few months it will be plenty "distressed".

A can of white Rustoleum and this little set was looking better, too.

Even the planters got a little Behr Ultra Exterior on them.

So here's the space.

I'm not sure what I want to do with it.

But at least it's not so scary, now.

I'm going to be using this area for some al fresco dining

during the Summer Blog Party.

Hope you're planning on joining in!

I'm joining in on these great parties,

find the links on my sidebar.

Hope to see you Thursday afternoon with some

 Vintage Inspiration

Staying busy,

hope you're having a great week!

love,

Come join the Summer Block...er... Blog Party!!

Anyone out there ready for a good old fashioned block party?

Well, we're having one!

Our girlfriends, sisters Vanessa and Heather

over At The Picket Fence are our hostesses.

They're cookin' up all the fun,

and have asked us to come join in.

12, yea, count 'em, 12 of us crazy party gals

will each be having our regular parties

 the week of June 20-25.

But the twist is that we'll be celebrating

the first week of Summer,

with some great Summer themes.

So check out all the other blogs that are participating

and plan to join in on the Summer fun.

Vintage Inspiration Friday

will be celebrating ways to enjoy your summer,

with a vintage twist.

So grab all your summery vintage "stuff",

and let's kick off the start of summer

with a great big vintage bang!!

Picnics, garage sales, outdoor dining, porch and deck decor,

fun summer fashion, DIY projects,

 relaxing by the pool or at the beach, ...

whatever floats your boat will be featured.

So plan on joining in all week...

I'm hearing some great Summer Give Aways will be in the works.

So grab the button from

 At the Picket Fence

or here on my sidebar,

and mark your calendars.

See ya there!!

Vintage Inspiration Friday #40: Indigo Ticking

Blue ticking is a staple for me.

I've always loved it.

Simple, homespun, timeless.

But, I'm not really a "blue" person.

I don't use a lot of it.

but I do love mixing and matching indigo ticking

with all kinds of prints and colors.

I borrowed a stack of vintage Victoria Magazines from my mom,

and fell hard for these images.

(Sorry for the image quality. I scanned, then cropped.)

It even lends itself to the elegance of French furniture,

when paired with a romantic large floral toile.

Ticking was produced as a mattress and pillow covering fabric

as in early years most mattresses were made from straw or feathers.

A tight woven, durable fabric was needed

to keep the feather shaft from coming through.

I'm fortunate to have two sets of vintage ticking feather pillows

that were made by my husband's grandmother;

still in pristine condition.

Most of the vintage tickings have a feel almost like denim.

(All of above Victoria Magazine, June 1997)

(Country Living site)

(Pierre deux)

(Country Living's "Celebrating Home")

Whether you're working with primitives...

shabby...

American Country...

English Country...

or Country French...

ticking can be used to mix and match.

It will compliment an old quilt or coverlet,

(Country Living site)

or linen and lace.

(me)

(Ralph Lauren Home Collection)

Soon I'll be changing the sunroom out for a patriotic theme.

and my Indigo ticking will be right at home.

What's been inspiring you this week?

Hope you'll join in for Vintage Inspiration Friday!

"anything vintage or vintage inspired"

 

And here's some cool stuff from last week's party:

Deborah from

Upcycling my very ordinary life

"reflects" on her fabulous mirror makeover

                                                                   

Vivienne, from the V-Spot

helps those of us who are clueless

dry hydrangeas

Liz, from the Brambleberry Cottage

shows us how to play with our food!

And Lanell, from Hoot-n-Nanny,

shares her "subway" graphic clock

that she grabbed from the dumpster,

(don't tell anyone!)

I'll be linking up with these parties for some weekend fun.

(Find the links on the sidebar.)

Hope you're having a great week,

love you all,

Cottage Charm Give Away Winner!

Thanks so much to all of you who came by and entered the Cottage Charm Give Away, during the month of May. This was my first time to participate, and I so appreciate all of you, who not only entered, but also posted the button and blogged about it. And Hello to all of you new followers. Hope you'll enjoy coming by to visit.

The winner, chosen by Random.org. is Patsy from

Heartworks, a talented artist from the Philippines.

I promise not to be so long in between Give Backs from now on!!

lots of love,