Bringing New Life to an Old Chair

 

 When I saw her at the church rummage sale last summer, I thought she held some potential.  She had good "bones", but the color wasn't quite right and ...

that seat was a sorry sight.

She sat in the garage for a few months until one day a large drapery panel was found at the thrift shop.  By some wonderful coincidence that panel was an exact match to the existing window treatment in the dining room.

 Hmmm . . .

are you thinking what I'm thinking?

~ After some fun with the staple gun and a little spray painting session~

 

 Ah, yes. . . much better.

 

I ♥ Spray Paint

When I saw this little set of shelves at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, I nearly passed it up because of the color.  That barn red just wasn't working for me.  But, the little scallops and "polka dots" were definitely calling my name.  Hmm... what to do, what to do??

Well, get out the spray paint, of course.

Aaahh . . .  the transformative power of spray paint. 

It's such a quick & easy way to make your thrift store finds work in your home.  Barn red probably looked great in someone else's house, but around here there's a lot of white & yellow & blue. 

So, if you're ever hesitating to pick up a thrift store treasure because the color isn't right, think again.  A little spray paint may be all that's needed to make it work for you.

~ The End ~



 

~ Preparing for Picnic Time ~

It won't be long now until Picnic Time will be in full swing.  That fun time when meals become a bit more casual and relaxed.  I think there's nothing like a cute picnic basket to set the tone for a tasty meal served picnic-style.  With that thought in mind I headed to the attic to take stock of my picnic basket situation.

Oh my, these old ratty things will never do.  Somehow I don't think they will set the tone I am after for a lovely picnic like this:

Hmmm ...  I guess I have no other choice.  As much as I really don't want to ...

Spray paint to the rescue :-).  I feel so much better now.  Let the picnics begin!!

While I'm waiting for that first picnic of the season, these blue and yellow whitewashed picnic baskets are the perfect place to display a vintage tea towel and . . .

 a couple of yellow tulips in a vintage little creamer.

Thank you for bearing with me as my fun with spray paint continues.  The novelty is bound to wear off soon, isn't it???

Thoughts From The Kitchen

Spending a few hours in the kitchen this morning gave me a lot of time to think.

The reason I was in the kitchen so long lies within this bag:

It is our Easter tradition to serve Honeybaked ham.  As much as I love the ham, I also love the ham bone.  In the past I have used it to make split pea soup, but this year I am trying White Bean and Ham Soup.

I've got all the ingredients in the pot and now it has to simmer for an hour.  These are some of the things I am thinking about as my soup simmers away.

I am thinking that sometimes the weather is so perfect you don't want the day to ever end.  Today is one of those days here.  After several days of above normal temperatures and a thick layer of yellow pollen covering every outdoor surface, we got a good cleansing rain last night.  Not only is the pollen gone, but the air is fresh, cooler and no humidity.  Glorious.

That I probably should put my Easter decorations away now that Easter is past.  But, I don't think I'm going to because I am still enjoying their Spring cheerfulness. 

That lawn mower lines  on the grass are just as delightful as vacuum lines on the carpet.

That it is a perfect day for eating lunch on the patio.  Wish you could join me.

That when the house is a bit too quiet because the kids have grown up and moved out, a little doggy truly can become your best friend.

That it's time to finish up what's left of the butter lamb.  It would probably be good on some nice crusty bread.  Better add bread to the grocery list as it would be nice to have with the soup tonight.  Once the soup is done I have a few errands to run and a stop at the grocery store is one of them.

That I really do love thrift shopping.  This bunny, egg cup and wooden tray were all from thrift shops.  The tray received a new look thanks to some yellow spray paint.  Which leads me to something else I've been thinking about.  That would be you, my dear blogging friends.  Prior to meeting all of you I don't think I'd ever used spray paint and now I am having so much fun pressing that button and changing the looks of things around my house.  The inspiration, creativity and kindness I receive from visiting you is such a wonderful gift.  In turn, your visits to my little blog home are something I will always treasure.

Time for me to take my thinking cap off and tend to the soup.  I wish each and every one of you a beautiful day.

I've had this little garden bench for a few years now.  It's been fun to plant different things in it.  One year I tossed in a packet of wildflower seeds, another time it was herbs.

As you can see, it is now in need of a paint job.  So, like any good blogger, I got out the spray paint and went to work.

I was getting tired of the boring beige color and decided to try green this time.  I filled it with some bright pink impatiens and think it will look nice when they fill in. 

A little reminder to keep them watered can't hurt.  Our temperatures have been in the upper 80s and it doesn't take long for them to dry out.

I thought it was nice of my Kwanzan Cherry tree to bloom now.  My backyard is looking very pink right now.

Spring and Spray Paint ~ a winning combination.