To Clean . . . Or Not To Clean?

Well if we're talking about my HOUSE, I'd say NOT, especially if I have projects I'd rather work on.  But in this case, I'm talking about vintage silverplate like this beautiful server I bought at an estate sale this weekend.

 Just look at all of that pretty detail!  And it's quite a substantial piece measuring 12" long.

I suppose if you were going to actually use it for serving food, it would be a good idea to polish it . . . maybe?  I decided to part with this and it's in my Etsy shop so I'll leave it up the the buyer if they want it shiny or as is.

So what's your 'policy' about vintage silver and silverplate?

 

Outdoor Foot Wash

 

I saw this idea on Buzzfeed but the original source was Marthastewart.com and thought it was a perfect way to help keep my kitchen clean, especially after I've been working in the garden or walking through freshly mowed grass.  No "mudroom" means my kitchen ends up being the "mudroom".

I've never really MADE anything with wood and nails so while the information above may be 'old news' to some, it was 'new news' to me so I thought I'd include it.

The fence boards were free from my boss when he replaced his old fence.  I took one panel but wish I'd taken more!  One panel gave me about 8 of these great, weathered boards.

The shells just added a nice, summery touch.

If you're making one of your own and using untreated wood, you'll want to seal it with deck/fence sealer.  I didn't do anything with this wood since it was already treated.

I'm pretty pleased with my first "hammer, nail and sawing" project and I know it's going to save me a lot of cleanup on the INSIDE of the house this summer!

Decorating With Spring Flowers

  It may not FEEL like spring here in the Midwest but my Peonies are FINALLY starting to open.  I think they're rebelling against the cold and wet weather.  With a break in the rain, I decided to cut the first blooms and start bringing their delicious scent inside to enjoy.

 Once I brought them inside, I realized that my Heuchera blooms perfectly matched the beautiful pink centers of the Peonies!

After cutting some stems to add to this arrangement, I decided to add them to the bottles in my bay window (I had a single fern stem in them to begin with).

I've collected these vintage bottles over time and love putting just a single stem in each.

Heuchera is such a great perennial!  I only have this one variety but there are SO many different colors of leaves and blooms and they are very hardy, even with our harsh winters!

I know there is beauty in EVERY season but I couldn't help but be awed by the beauty and detail of the Peony.  What an amazing God we have!

I Won at Artsy VaVa!

I'm one of those people who feels like they never win anything.  But that changed since I won this Shabby Apple dress from a give away over at Artsy VaVa

If you have not checked out her blog, you really must -- she's quite a creative lady and you will love her ideas!  Check out this little vanity she just made over -- how cute is THAT??

Wine Cork Memo Board

 

An old flower box finally 'disintegrated' but the pieces are so wonderfully weathered and worn that there was no way they were going to waste.  One of them gained new life as this memo board.  Because the wood is so interesting, I decided to not completely cover it with the corks.

  The corks were attached with E6000 glue.  I didn't worry about making them fit perfectly (which would be almost impossible ANYWAY!).

 A champagne cork and a wine cork serve as hangers for keys, etc.  I simply inserted a screw from the back of the board, put a little E6000 on it and screwed the corks right on.

 Since the back of this wood was pretty rough, I traced it's shape onto a piece of fabric and using craft glue, attached the fabric to the back.  I wanted the push pins to be a bit more rustic so simply sprayed them with flat, black paint.

I still have several pieces of this wood from the planter so I'm planning a few more projects with them, including a few smaller versions of this board.  Guess I'll have to enjoy a bit more wine . . . for the corks, of course.