common ground

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Patriotic Sunporch and a little Serendipity...

Happy Weekend Everyone!

This was a big week for the little sunporch, as Kim from Savvy Southern Style asked me to share "My Favorite Room" with her readers. (Thankyou, each and every one of you who left such sweet comments, they made my week!) I've mentioned before, that I use this blog as a sort of "photo diary" of what I've been doing, and decor around the house. Since I didn't post the sunporch photos here on my own blog, that's what this post is about...and a couple of funny "serendipitous" findings.

You all know that I love to keep things changed up out here on the porch, and most of that change comes from trading out quilts and pillows for the base of my color scheme. I get excited for each new Holiday and Season and the sunporch reflects those seasonal changes.

For this July 4th Holiday and the Summer Season, I knew I wanted to use different pillows for the little white wicker settee. I had it in my head that they needed to be a red floral. (are you like me, and get a mental picture in your noggin about what it needs to be, and then it's hard to do anything else?)

So my hunt for red floral pillows began; I spent hours on Etsy looking for red. floral. pillows. I finally found two that were wonderful, pretty much what I had been looking for, but with shipping they were going to cost over $80. OK, it's worth it to get the ones that will be "just right". I was about to hit the purchase button when I realized...good grief...they were almost identical to the red fruit and floral pillows I have in storage from "Big Red", the sofa downstairs. duh...so I hunted down the extra set and saved myself some money. I love mixing patterns, and my black ticking pillows match almost everything that I pair them with. Love the red floral and fruit with the ticking stripe. OK...done.

Last week I put a few of my blue transferware cups and saucers out as a little grouping in one of my strawberry totes. I just grabbed anything with blue on it. Around here, blue is in short supply. The 4th of July is the only time I use blue, so I don't have a lot. Anyhoo, I have stacks of mismatched dishes and I just went through them to pull out the ones for a little patriotic display here on the porch.

This set is "Mason's Fruit Basket" from England.

But look what else I found...

a little set of dessert dishes that I've never used.

and of all things...

They are "Martha Washington" from E.C. Company.

I bought them for the little dove design.

Patriotic indeed!

I recently brought out the old hooked floral rug from my studio. It has seen many better days and has a permanent crease/wrinkle problem that I may or may not have tripped over numerous times...so now it's out here and not a health hazard to anyone that might be slightly accident prone...just sayin'.

An old linen lunch hamper filled with my little French Girl lamp,

an ivy, old gardening tools, a wire basket and a white tole tray.

...and the baker's rack with some summer goodies.

This Sunshine Biscuit Tin depicting "the first note of the Liberty Bell".

and this old blue lunch box with some red transferware on top.

and an old birdhouse...

and in the other corner...

an old wicker rocker with my conservatory on top of a dresser

that had been my Dad's as a little boy.

I've always loved this canvas piece. It's not old, and I think from Guild Masters about 13 years ago. It reminds me of toile and red transferware, and is entitled "The Aviary".