Pocketful of Blue

I have always loved the look of projects done with pages from old books so I put together one for myself. As you can see, it's simply an old frame, a page from a book and a small bouquet of dried flowers. I placed it on my bedside table and I'm liking the look. Now I may have to do some more projects with book pages. In other news this week (ha ha) I was surprised with some roses. You see, a few weeks ago, I purchased three little pathetic knock out roses that were on clearance for $3.50 each. I was just hoping they would survive the winter and bloom in the spring. So a couple days ago I was very surprised to see that all three of them had some blooms and buds on them.  It was going to get much colder this week so I cut them and brought them in to enjoy. Aren't they a pretty color? Have you had any unexpected surprises this week? - joining - IMPARTING GRACE ~ GRACE AT HOME MY ROMANTIC HOME ~ SH

Today is a beautiful, sunny fall day  so I felt inspired to take some pictures. Nothing special. Just ordinary things around the house. Things that I like. Things that have meaning to me. Reminders of the season. Little groupings that I have put together. Even things that are imperfect. These are the things that say "home" to me. I hope you're enjoying some sunshine today. Have a Beautiful Weekend! - joining - MY ROMANTIC HOME ~ SHOW AND TELL FRIDAY

Today I thought I would show you this bed and breakfast sign that I made. The frame belonged to an old picture that didn't fit my style anymore. I still liked the frame and it's a nice size. When I saw craft board at Joann Fabrics that was the same size  as the frame, I decided to make my own sign. First, I painted the board in ASCP Old White.  Then I just came up with the wording, found a font that I liked, determined the size and spacing of the words, and then printed it out. I positioned the pages on the board and secured with masking tape. I used a pen to trace over each letter leaving a small indent in the board. My daughter has a really nice set of markers so I just used one of those to fill in the letters. That was all there was to it ~ pretty easy! It fits just right on this wall near our computer desk. It's not perfect, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Now I just know you're wondering w

Isn't this a sweet kitchen? I love the soft colors and how light and airy it is. But more than that, they have used some great  salvaged finds which add loads of character to this kitchen. I found this kitchen at This Old House . The insets in the following pictures were to show similar items that could be used in place of the salvaged treasures. Gorgeous, gorgeous chandelier! The old brackets used for the shelf are amazing! These stools are a similar style to the one I just ordered for my kitchen. Of course, the chippy goodness isn't so easily replicated. See how the two stools in the picture aren't even exactly alike - they don't even have to match! I think most of us would adore this sink. I really like the idea of using free standing furniture for some of the storage  in the kitchen. Especially if it looks as great as either one of these in the picture. Do you like this kitchen? What do you like or dis

I really want to thank everyone who commented on my post about which counter stools I should buy. see this post It was so fun to hear all of your thoughts and ideas. Here are the unofficial results . . . Stool No. 1 received the most favorable responses. Stool No. 3 received the second most favorable responses. I really love both of these. No. 1 would fit perfectly with my cottage style. No. 2 would look great too and bring in a little industrial style which is so popular right now. Our kitchen tends to be cold in the winter so I'm a little concerned that the metal would be a bit chilly.  So guess which one I chose? Actually, neither one of these, not yet anyway. You see, right now, I'm really loving farmhouse style and I would like to try to bring a little more of that into our kitchen. I think No. 4 might do that the best.    It is unfinished so I would probably just give it a light stain and try to achieve the look of old,

I don't think I have ever shown our patio to you. Well, I have a good reason. It was made with old concrete blocks and it always  looked dirty and just really yucky as you can see in this picture. And I have always hated how the concrete goes right up to the foundation of the house so we couldn't plant anything around it. I am so happy to say that it is going bye, bye and being replaced with some new pavers. Hubby enlisted the help of our son. Believe me, he wasn't smiling for long. It's very hard work. They are using flagstone that was already on our property when we moved here along the edge of the patio. This is how it looks so far. A little ways to go yet. The leaves are falling faster than hubby can get the pavers laid. It will be so fun next spring to have a pretty patio ~ can't wait! Thank you so much for stopping by ~ I truly appreciate all of your visits! I hope you have a great weekend! •

I have been looking at counter stools for a while now. You can see a picture of the stools we currently have below. They were fine for a few years but they were inexpensive and  are starting to fall apart. We use them constantly everyday so I'm looking for better quality. I'm really tired of the black too. I think I want something backless that doesn't compete  with the style of our table as you can see here. I found 5 styles that might work but I'm having a really hard time making a decision. N o. 1 N o.  2 N o. 3 N o. 4 This one is unfinished so I would probably paint it with chalk paint but I'm not sure of the color. N o. 5 I would love to know which ones you would choose. If you don't like any of them, that's okay.   I really want your honest opinion. If you have seen any that you think would look good,  I would love to hear about that too. I can't wait to hear wh

Over the past couple of months, I have picked up a few little things for the house. I'm really trying to be more careful about what I buy so I'm not wasting money on things I'm tired of in a short time. These small things passed the test! All under $10 too! ~ found this lovely old bowl at a local antique mall ~ • • ~ sweet little picture, only about 4x6, from a garden center ~ • • ~ light blue mini mixing bowls from Crate and Barrel ~   •  • ~ small cutting board from Homegoods, I especially like the knot in the wood ~   •  • ~ candle from Target, fresh pineapple scent ~ I love lighting this candle on a gloomy day. Have you made any little purchases lately? joining BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH ~ MET MONDAY DWELLINGS-THE HEART OF YOUR HOME ~ AMAZE ME MONDAY