Downsizing the Wardrobe and Gross, Just Gross!

This weekend I went through all my clothes and shoes and decided to give away anything that had not been worn in a year or any shoes with dust on them. Man I have a lot of clothes that I have not worn in a year and I am so ashamed of this!

All dusty!!
I put the clothes down in the laundry room of my building

When I returned an hour later half the clothes were gone

I am pretty proud of myself, it was a hard thing to do but I did it.

I Think I'll Miss You Most of All

Dear small dining room,

I will miss you. You have been my favorite room the entire time I have lived in this place. You have hosted a few parties, watched the family play games and talk over dinner. You have put up with so many changes over the years and not once complained.

Notice the lack of window treatments. For the first two years, I did not even put up curtains. Poor thing. And the the suitcases on the floor? I am not sure why I even took this picture, but now I am glad I did.


Yes, they are licking their plates. No, I did not mind it was my sister's birthday and we had such a fun silly time that night. I am glad I snapped a few shots.

Thanks so much for all the fun,

Ali

My Aunt Debbie and Tiffany Blue Paint

Our family has had quite a blow this weekend. We lost my dear Aunt Debby. She was only 55 and it was a totally shock. She had a few health issues but had been taking care of herself and had even recently gone to the doctor and they said she was fine. I am done talking about her death I want to talk about her life.

As far as I can remember she has been there for me. When we were little my sister and I were her girls. When my cousin Keith came along that never changed, we were still her girls. She treated us like her own children and loved us without missing a beat. I want to talk about her more, there are so many great stories to tell, but right now it is too painful.

I know she would not want me to be so sad, she would want me to do things to occupy my time and clear my head. She always encouraged us to invent, create, redo, reuse and basically keep on keeping on. In fact, I am certain she would get on my case for the amount of tears I have shed, she was just like that. So I have still been doing things, mostly half hearted but I have been busy.

I love the magazine "House Beautiful" in the March 2008 issue they talked about color matching and they specifically mentioned matching a Tiffany box. I decided it would be a fun thing to do and try it out myself. What a perfect match! Behr is by far my favorite paint.

I think Tiffany blue will be a great accent color in the wedding section at the store and I did get the cardboard trays the other day at the thrift store. They are sturdy and were only .29 each, how can you pass up a bargain like that?

Sorry that the picture is so blurry, I took it in a rush this morning as I was running out the door. I plan on painting some pretty white scrolls onto the trays to tone them down a bit. See how well the paint matches the Tiffany box.



So... if you want this color here is the recipe. Remember accent color is the word with this one.

I Have Dishes

When I married in 1992 my mother gave me wonderful and practical gifts to start my new home.

A sturdy used sewing machine

Well loved cast iron skillets

12 place settings of white dishes with embossed fruit that she bought at the local Brookshires grocery store.

I could sew, cook and entertain, what else does a girl need?

Well, time went by and the marriage did not last. The husband took the skillets and sewing machine. I guess he really wanted them. No matter what, they have been replaced and all is well. Thankfully, he had no interest in the dishes. I was at a Goodwill in 2000 and found a set of dishes almost exactly like my first set so I bought them for ten bucks. The new set was made by Gibson and sold at Target in the late 90's. So I had a 20 piece set give or take since a few dishes had been broke throughout the years. I was happy happy happy with the them.Then in 2003 I got an insane cat that loved to jump on the counter or table and knock down dishes. All of a sudden my set started to dwindle. I had a quest to scour the world to obtain as much white embossed dishes made by Citation or Gibson.I have done it. I have really done it. I have 30 place settings, a turkey shaped soup tureen, 4 serving dishes, four platters, salt and pepper shakers, a teapot, sugar bowl, creamer and the butter dish (not pictured). In short, I have plenty of dishes. I will now stop looking for them at thrift shops.

Maybe...

A Few Pictures From The Weekend

I had a pretty low key weekend. I bought a new camera, the verdict is still out on if I will keep it. It is just not my camera. I am sure I would get used to it in time but I am not impressed so far.

This is the view from my bathroom window, It is a nice view while brushing my teeth.

One thing that I did do was decorate the door. I know I will just have to take it down in a couple weeks but coming home to a pretty door makes me happy. I bought the wreath the week I moved into this place and I have had it on the door every spring since. You can tell too, it is getting a little worn. I am so excited that I will have the freedom to paint the door at my new home, so so excited.

The rest of the weekend was spent packing slowly, I cannot get super motivated. I still have a month and a half to go but I want it done now. I want to spend my last month spending time with friends and cleaning.

Fashion and Function

I have a tiny kitchen with only two drawers, and they are small. One for the silverware and the other for measuring cups and bulky utensils. Something had to go on the wall and this seemed to be a good solution. I use all these items often and now they are right at hand. I did replace anything that was not silver or black, otherwise it would have bugged me all the time. I actually use the hand beater. Really, get one, you will use it.So you are now saying, what is the point of this post? Well the point is... think about the things you choose to have in your home. Before I leave the store, flea market or yard sale I ask myself, "Will I use it or will it sit and collect dust?". Also use your everyday things as art. I generally do not buy expensive items because I realize that in my house it is going to get used, abused, painted or slip covered if it sits around long enough. I am not the type to save things for special occasions. Use the good towels and the fancy soaps while you can because the soap will go bad and the towels will soon be out of style. If you have pretty china, use it at least once a week, even it is to have soup when the kids are down for a nap. Wear your grandma's aprons and use her hand beater.It is the not only the memories you remember but it is also the memories you make that count. Oh and make it pretty.

New Entryway

I finally got the iron hands up. And knowing me I had to change everything. I had the paint and the pictures so it turned out to be a cheap project. I love it.

BeforeAfter

Handy Key Holder

I lose my keys ALL the time and it drives me crazy. I have been looking for something to hang right inside the front door to provide key retention services....

I found this cast iron wall hook over at Le Village Marche one of my neighborhood shops. I really love it and cannot wait to get it into place.

The New Old Dresser

A few months ago I got this dresser for a song. It had been in a shed of a local lady for what I can guess by the insect traces was a very long time. The backing was coming off due to the extreme temperature changes and one handle was broken. Since there were no permanent insect guests and the bones were great, I decided to take it.

This is not the original finish. The owner had used a faux finish to make it look like stained oak, it was done with a lot of care, I was fooled at first. I am saving the drawer pulls for another project, they are fantastic.

I am a small town girl and love Shabby Chic since it reminds me of home. However, I am not fond of busy patterns and I do not trust myself around the light colors. I am a fan of clean lines and the simplicity of the city apartment look. Instead of sticking to a particular style I decided to just go my own way. I like to call my style "Urban Shabby Chic".
The tiny tiny dresser on the left was the original dresser for my room. You can see how much larger the new dresser is, I love it!