Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye...
some yummy tangerine.

Clockwis, starting top left:

Plant Cube

Coral Enamel Earrings

Chevron iPhone Case

Ikat Pillows

Shabby Chic Sconce

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Bloomin' Tuesday...

I'm back home once again. This time I was in northern California helping settle my mother in her new home. I don't have anymore scheduled trips, so things should get back to "normal" around here now. I plan on making some new patterns in the next few months to put in my Etsy store and finish all the painting and decorating I've put off the last few months. I'm looking forward to completing some projects!

I came home to a garden that had exploded with flowers. Usually my peonies bloom in May, but this year they waited till I came home to strut their stuff. I'm grateful. Their blossoms are the masterpiece of any garden -- certainly mine. I wanted to see them often, so I cut some and placed them in my nook. Here they are in all their glory...

 

My perennial garden went nuts while I was gone. I've come to the conclusion that these plants do best when ignored...

The impatiens I planted a few weeks ago are beginning to spread...

Poppies are one of my favorite flowers. They remind me of California -- my home state...

My clematis started to bloom this last week also. I've planted three more of these plants with a lighter purple flower in another spot in my yard. I'm hoping they do well, as I love this climbing plant with their big beautiful flowers that bloom throughout the summer...

It's supposed to be a hot day here in Colorado -- 95 degrees, but with virtually no humidity it should feel good! I hope you have a wonderful day wherever you are!

Linked to:
Bloomin' Tuesday @ Ms. Green Thumb Jean's

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye... 

a lime.

Clockwise, starting top left:
Lampwork Necklace
Natural Linen Yarn
Lime Green Newsboy Cap
Wooden Desk Lamp
Fine Art Print

Hoping you'll have time to kick back with a pitcher of limeade this weekend!

Bathroom Redo Reveal...

We flew back from an eleven day vacation in Virginia and North Carolina on Sunday. For most of that time we stayed in the Outer Banks in Corolla. My daughter took the picture below. It was easy to relax when you had a view like this every day...

 

All 26 members of our immediate family were there {heaven}, but that's not really what this post is going to be about. During our vacation our handyman was hard at work. He started our basement bathroom redo before we left, but while we were basking on the beach he refurbished our entire bathroom. I'm so grateful. I seriously think a good handyman is worth his weight in gold! Ours is anyway. He took the bathroom down to the studs and started from scratch. Here are some photos to give you an idea of what he was up to...

Before: 

{Don't judge -- I know this redo was about 15 years too late!}

During:

After:

I'm a horrible indoor photographer. Someday I'll read up on how to take a good photo indoors, but suffice it to say it is a huge improvement. I know the rage right now is painted cabinets -- white/black/gray -- but I love these maple cabinets and you should always get what you love. They are a beautiful, rich dark chocolate brown -- they show lighter in the photo than they really are. Fads change yearly, so it's always a safe bet to buy what you love -- not necessarily what's popular that year.

Here's a photo of the solid surface of the countertop we choose...

More photos...

Before:

After:

Now comes the fun part -- decorating with accessories. I prefer a minimalistic approach to decorating in a bathroom. I don't like clutter, but I do love to add color and character to these rooms. Because this room was finished while we vacationed at a beach house, I'm going to add the cool, calm colors of the pool and the ocean to the room. Here are a few photos from our trip that will serve as my inspiration...

The bathroom already has a backdrop of sandy colors, but I'm looking forward to adding the shades of blue and green that are found at a pool and on the beach!

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye... 

a week at the beach!

Clockwise, starting top left:

Paper Collage Art

Beach Umbrella Photograph

Crab Watercolor

Beach Towel

Accent Pillow Cover

We're going to enjoy a week at the Outer Banks
with all 26 members of our immediate family!
Wishing you and yours a beautiful Memorial Day weekend.

Bloomin' Tuesday

We have had a crazy spring this year. We were still getting snow a couple of weeks ago, but I believe spring has finally sprung in Colorado and last week I bought hundreds of flowers and planted away! I planted our tiered garden with impatiens like I do every year. There are a bagillion little impatiens buds in the first tier. They will fill in the area surrounding my birdie fountain in no time...

Have you ever seen a Dappled Willow bush? I hadn't seen any in our stores till this year, so I bought a couple to put in containers. I know they are usually planted in the ground, but I thought it would make a beautiful addition to a pot. It'll only last a season, but at $15 a bush (Home Depot) it made for an inexpensive container plant. It's so pretty and unusual with its mottled leaves and patches of pale pink.

Here's another planting that is new to our garden this year. I took a chance and decided to plant some ornamental grasses in a few of our containers, and I'm so glad I did. Planting in pots is a great way to feature grasses without the worry of them spreading or taking over a garden. I love the height they add to a grouping of containers. I added some impatiens and lobelias at the base of the grasses. This will definitely be something I repeat in years to come...

I bought some gorgeous already-potted geraniums this year. The blossoms on these plants are as big as a salad plate and the bright colors are stunning...

And finally, we got one of our square foot gardens planted. Four tomato plants, one banana pepper, one yellow squash, one zucchini and one eggplant (see flower below) fill the 4'x8' space on one side of our yard. We'll have to plant the veggie garden on the other side of the yard when we get back from our vacation.

Linked to:
Bloomin' Tuesday @ Ms. Green Thumb Jean

On another much more important level, my heart goes out to those in Oklahoma today. 

Prayers are being sent your way.

Basement Bathroom Redo...

Long ago I remember saying to my husband as we were having our new home built, "Let's just have some less-expensive cabinets and fixtures installed in the basement bathroom, and in a few years when we can afford better we can update." That was 21 years ago. It's amazing how 21 years can slip through your fingers. When it came right down to it there were many more things we chose to spend our money on -- like shoes, tacos, piano lessons and shin guards for our seven growing children. Truth be told there was plenty of moolaa spent on crafts during that time as well! Twenty-one years later we're finally updating that bathroom, and hot-diggity it's about time! We had this renovation set to begin in January, but "life happened" and our contractor was laid up for awhile. Then we had to delay it on our end because our daughter and her family moved in for a couple of months while their new home was being built. Today the demolition began. Here are a couple of "before" pictures taken in January. I love how I capture myself in the mirror of the first photo...

I didn't enlarging the "before" photos like I usually do for blog posts -- too embarrassing. This bathroom was begging for an update.

This is what the bathroom looks like today -- after a day of demolition...

I'll go ahead and enlarge those photos. It's sad when you'd rather enlarge photos from a bathroom demolition than the "before" pictures. It speaks volumes. ;o}

Over the course of the next two weeks there will be a lot of changes made. As you can see the bathroom has been brought down to the studs in some areas. I can't wait to finally see all the improvements. This week we leave for a family reunion in the Outer Banks, so much of the progress in the bathroom will be completed without our seeing each step. Fortunately, we have a very trustworthy handyman doing the work!  I'm so excited!

In the meantime, we'll be enjoying this view of the Outer Banks with all our kids and grandkids...

Can't wait!

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye some...

spring green.

Clockwise, starting top left:

Knitted Mug Cozy

Vintage Tea Cups

Sugar & Creamer Set

Avocado Tea Towel 

Crocheted Chameleon 

Wishing you a beautiful spring weekend!

"Vintage" Pouch

I've mentioned before that my mother is going through the "downsizing" process. As a result the last few months she's been whittling down her belongings to accommodate a smaller space. A while ago I became the recipient of some cute little vintage fabric embroidered napkins...

There were only three, so I wasn't sure what I'd do with them, but I knew I wanted to repurpose them in some way. Last time I was at my mother's, she gave one of the granddaughters her sewing machine. Before it was taken away, mom went through her sewing supplies and kept a few things that might come in handy in the future. We put those in a little baggie and tucked them away.

The napkins came to mind when I decided I'd make my mother a little sewing kit -- a bag for her thread, needles, pins, and scissors. I thought one of these little pouches would be better storage for her sewing supplies than a baggie!

I cut the embroidered corner off the napkins and situated it on the front piece of the pouch and made three different versions with three different fabrics...

I haven't decided which one I'll give my mom, but I'm leaning toward the orange leafed one.

I just thought I'd throw this idea out there.
I'm may not be the only one wondering what to do with three vintage napkins.
;o)

Fabulous Friday Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye... 

berries.

Clockwise, starting top left:

Hand Painted Earrings

Strawberry Fabric

Pincushion

Cup Cozy

Berry Colander

Wishing you a lovely spring weekend.

Vintage Dresses...

A few weeks ago my husband and I flew to California for a special event. My mother was celebrating her 90th birthday, so we spent the weekend with her. As a surprise for my mom our children also came from all over the U.S. to be in on the festivities. It was an amazing weekend. Here's a four generation photo of my granddaughter, my daughter, my mother and me. My mother is so beautiful, isn't she?

While there my mother gave my daughters two dresses that she had kept safe for years. They were her mother's (my grandmother's) dresses. We asked the girls to try them on to see if they fit. We were amazed that they seemed to be made just for them...

My daughter Jillian was given a gorgeous black velvet three piece dress. The sleeves were made of beautiful lace and the pocket (you can't really see it in the photo) has beautiful beading...

My daughter Shannon had visited my mother in December. While there Shannon found this beautiful beaded dress and instantly fell in love. The dress was my grandmother Lillie's wedding dress. Lillie was married in 1922 -- so the dress is 91 years old and in perfect condition. The beading and ribbon work on this dress is so amazing...

Shannon is also modeling a {real} 90 year old fox stole.
Don't judge -- they did things differently back then.
;o)

Since many of those who read my blog are sewers, I thought you might like to see these vintage dresses. I know that my daughters consider their great-grandmother's dresses beautiful treasures, and they were so grateful to be gifted them.