My Daughter's Apartment

This past week, I visited with my daughter and my niece who are sharing an apartment.  They have it decorated so nice so I just had to take pictures.

The sofa, TV cabinet, coffee tables, dining table and chairs and pink bookcase are all from Ikea.

Didn't they do a great job?

Cindy

I'm linking to the following:

A Diamond in the Stuff's Time to Shine link party

Kitchen Pot Racks

My husband and I plan to install a pot rack over the island in our kitchen.  I've been keeping a picture file of some nice examples.

 

It's a Wannabe Decorator's Life

Another use for a pot rack.  This kitchen and rest of Erin's beautiful house can be seen at It's a Wannabe Decorator's Life.

I loooove the following kitchen:

Here is another view:

And another:

Beautiful!

This is my favorite pot rack and one that we can make ourselves:

Gingham ceiling and copper pots!  Beautiful!

This isn't a pot rack but is similar to the one above:

Great look and can be done relatively inexpensively.

Do you have a pot rack?  If so, please add a comment with a link to your pictures.

I'll be off-line for the next few days as I'll be visiting with my daughter and neice in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. 

Thanks for visiting!

Cindy

Dining Room

I want to show you what my dining room looks like for now.  I've unpacked it all but still have some projects I want to do in here.

The table and chairs were purchased second hand about 20 years ago.  I think they're from the 1920s and they're still in great shape.  The three-tier pie crust table in the corner was made by my Dad when he was in high school as a wedding gift for his sister.  It holds many of my favorite knick knacks.

The china cabinet is a recent purchase that I need to hold my five sets of china and various other plates and china and crystal pieces.

I recently added the items to the top of the china cabinet to give it more presence in the room.  The cabinet is a short one because our last house had a drop ceiling in the dining room.  This house has nine foot ceilings.

The rug is one my step-son got for us in Afghanistan when he was stationed there a few years ago.

The runner on the table is a piece of silk fabric left over from curtain panels I made for our living and dining rooms in our last house.  They will soon be hanging in our music room.

Living room in my last house.



Dining room in my last house.  See the low ceiling over the china cabinet. 

That house was much bigger than the one we're in now; also more expensive to heat and cool, harder to clean, more expensive to insure, more maintenance, etc.

I'd like to paint the walls something other than white.  We used Sherwin Williams Jersey Cream in our last house and might use the same again.

Now for the side of the room that I didn't show previously.

That dresser on the left is one of my next projects. 

My daughter gave it to me.  I plan to paint it with Sherwin Williams Upward - a grey blue.

I'll post more on this room as I make more changes but for now, I like it.
Thanks for visiting.

Cindy

I'm linking to the following:

The Tattered Tag's Keep It Simple Sunday

Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday

A Diamond in the Stuff's Time to Shine link party

My Uncommon Slice of Surburbia's Tuesday's Treasures

Bookpage Wreath

I joined the band wagon and made a bookpage wreath. 

I used two Reader's Digest Condensed books with pages that had turned brown over time.  The two rows of pages in the back are from a book with pages that are a little darker than the row of pages in the front.  I curled the pages two different ways.

Then I used the Ex Libris from the first page and cut it into a circle.  I used extra pages folded in a fan and glued together behind the Ex Libris with another circle cut from a book page.

We have this hanging in the Music Room of our house for my husband.  It's called the music room because it houses a piano that no one plays, four violins and a cello.  My husband is the string player. 

I really like this wreath. 

Please visit some of my other posts such as my Breakfast Room, Laundry Room and some of the more presentable parts of my new home since we moved in just two months ago.

Hope you're having a nice weekend.

Cindy

Linking to:

The Shabby Nest's Frugal Friday

A Little Knick Knack's Everything But the Kitchen Sink

The Tattered Tag's Keep It Simple Sunday



Between Naps on the Porch's Metamorphosis Monday

The Lettered Cottage's How To's Day Linky Party

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia's Tuesday's Treasures

Bedroom Inspiration

Some time ago, when I was looking for a way to bring more femininity into our master bedroom, I decided to look through all my electronic images of bedrooms. 

My goal was to decide whether the room felt feminine to me. 

If so, then I studied the room for what in the room said 'feminine' to me.

These images are of rooms that I really like and that feel feminine to me, but not too much . . . because I share the room with my husband.

The interesting thing with all of these rooms is that there aren't a lot of floral prints or ruffles.

But they all have one thing in common.

Can you tell what it is?

If you guessed a white quilt/comforter/coverlet, you're right.

I prefer a white, cotton quilt.  That's what we have on our bed now and it makes me happy.

What says 'feminine' to you in your room?

Cindy

A Special Delivery

I just found this on my porch:

And inside I found these:

With this card:

My boys sent me Valentine flowers! 

I have to admit that I shed a few happy tears.

Hope you're having a wonderful day and spending it with the ones you love.

Cindy

Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Birthday!

Today is my middle son's 21st birthday.  Happy Birthday Jimmy!  I wish I could be with you today but since I can't, I'll be thinking of you all day.  I'm proud of you!

Love ya, Ma





Kitchen and Laundry Room

I have a new convenience in my kitchen that my husband just finished for me.  He wired three undercounter lights to an outlet we had our builder install over the microwave.  This outlet is on a switch on the backsplash, next to the range.  All I have to do is flip one switch to get light on all the counters!  My husband is my hero!

This is my kitchen with the three undercounter lights turned on.

Do you see the switch just to the right of the range?  No?  I don't either.  It blends into the subway tile in this picture.  Here, I'll point it out . . .

There it is.  Oh, this is so wonderful for a woman who likes lots of light in her kitchen.  One flip of the switch and I have it!

On another note, I did a quick project in my laundry room that really added a fun pop of color.  I hung some 70s framed tiles that my parents used to have hanging in their vacation home.  My Dad just recently sent them to me.

The laundry room is just off the kitchen and doesn't look very pretty but I keep the door open during the day because I like the light from the window.  With these framed tiles I can keep the colorful theme from my breakfast room on the other side of the kitchen.  I blogged about my breakfast room here.

Now the laundry room looks pretty and adds to the colorful theme in the kitchen.

So what do you think about my 70s, framed tiles?

Cindy

I'm linking to:

The Shabby Nest's Frugal Friday

Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday

The Tattered Tag's Keep it Simple Sunday

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia's Tuesday's Treasures

A Beach Cottage's Good Life Wednesdays

A Little Knick Knack's Everything But the Kitchen Sink