Mantel Madness

Decorating for Christmas!  So much fun.

Holiday Boutique is Next Week!

I'm getting ready for our annual Holiday Boutique hosted by my dear friend, Diane.   This is truly the "design" element of my blog, as it features my studio jewelry collection.  Here's the invitation:

Fall is Here!

A carpet of beautiful leaves around my yard!

MIA because I've been painting!

For six months I've been tossing around the idea of painting our sunroom.   We live in this room, and I've grown tired of the butterscotch walls (since 1998!) so I've spent the last week painting.  The room has 14 windows...lots of trim.

The trim and ceiling will remain white, but the wall color is a blend that I created with two colors I had on hand.   It turned out to be a soft taupe, a big change from the gold.  I painted one wall and lived with it for a day. In the morning light it looked more grey, and in the evening it was a warm taupe.  The calmness of it grew on me, so over the next three days I painted the whole room.

There will also be a furniture update.  We're getting rid of a queen size sleeper sofa and a recliner, and replacing them with two new chairs. I'm bringing in a black leather chair from the living room. Our TV is coming off the 26 yr old black TV cabinet and will sit on the coffee table already in the room.  The TV will be on a riser so the cable box can fit underneath it.

Autumnal Equinox

Days will shorten, and nights will lengthen.  Nothing like sitting down to a festive table with friends and family.

Tea Caddy

More Chalk Paint!

A tea caddy from one of Vinnie's cigar boxes will even hold K-cups because sometimes my guests want coffee!  The Bee stencil is from Amazon and can be reused. Inside the lid is a simple decoupage. 

Finally, a Chalk Paint Project

My first chalk paint project is complete!  

Anna's Foot Stool.  

I used a recipe from TheNavagePatch (Blog) for the chalk paint which saved me $17.00 a quart. A can of the high end well known chalk paint is $38 with tax, and my concoction is $21.  Here are the before and after pictures:

Before

After

Below is a refurbished Chinese fish bowl stand.  It was wobbly because it sat outside for a few years, so I re-glued it.  It took on a beautiful weathered patina which I preserved.  Normally these stands are very dark and highly lacquered.

Chinese fish bowl stand

This and That

Have you ever used chalk paint?

There's an old oak media cabinet in my garage that needs updating, and maybe chalk paint is the answer.   Take a look at this cabinet (Pinterest).  I want a quieter palette, but I love this piece:

https://www.theturquoiseiris.com/blog/

DIY Fun

In her blog, StoneGable, Yvonne shared a DIY project for a wood bead garland to add to your vignettes .  I happened to have a stash of wood beads (being the jewelry maker that I am!), so I  made the garland.   It is 36" long, and can be worn as a necklace too!

This is my garland.  Learn how at:

https://www.stonegableblog.com/wood-bead-garland-diy/

Labor Day Finale

Here's hoping you had a fun weekend.  We had friends over for a barbecue to celebrate.   Everything was done prior to the party, so other than the actual grilling, I was able to enjoy my guests and our meal.  I have learned over the years to keep it simple.  It's very easy to overdo the food, a common mistake.
The Menu:    Mini Pasta Pies, Relish Dish, Veggie Kabobs, Pork Loin Sweet and Sour Kabobs, Steak Kabobs and Roasted Potatoes. Desert: Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake & Cookies.
The mini pasta pies are a take on Vinnie's mom's recipe for spaghetti pie. I baked them in a muffin tin in the morning, and popped them back in a low oven for 10 minutes after our guests arrived.  One mini is 3 or 4 bites. You can serve them with marinara sauce on the side if you wish.   Perfect for a starter.
Vinnie put together a relish dish consisting of olives and pickles, another classic and one that we always include on our table when we entertain.
The skewers were assembled ahead, and took about 20 minutes on the grill, while the potatoes roasted in the oven.  It was so simple, and there was plenty of food for everyone.

Mini Pasta Pies

(L) Pork Loin & Pineapple Kabobs with Sweet and Sour Sauce,           (R) Veggie Kabobs

Comment below if you would like any of the recipes.
The pork kabobs were simple, pork and fresh pineapple basted with a sweet and sour sauce.
The veggie kabobs were an idea I got off Pinterest from A Spicy Perspective.  I grilled them with a simple spritz of olive oil and  pinch of salt.

Grilled Veggie Kabobs:   https://www.aspicyperspective.com/grilled-fajita-vegetable-skewers/

Vinnie's mom used to say: "....and the summer is over."  She was so much fun.  I miss her❤

In the Midst!

It's Labor Day weekend and time to celebrate with friends and family or take that summer's end
va-cay.  The delicious aroma of barbecue is wafting through the neighborhood, and there is a buzz of activity everywhere.  We spent the day at the home our friends, John and Rosemary, and celebrated their niece's birthday.  Thank you, Rosemary, for organizing a lovely gathering and happy birthday Christina!  Christina's cake was amazing!  A chocolate cake piled high with chocolate mousse icing and a layer of cream puffs hidden inside.  Possibly the best cake ever!  Christina's one-year old white Shepard, Layla, joined the festivities.

Layla

Meanwhile, my little Sadie waited patiently at home for our return.   Can you tell I'm a dog lover?  Well, animals in general.

Sadie

On the home and gardening front, I harvested three hydrangeas and will attempt to dry them out and use them in various fall and winter arrangements.   Go to:  https://www.stonegableblog.com/drying-hydrangeas/ for instructions.  Thank you, Yvonne!   I'll pair them with apples for a fall vignette, as she suggests.

The arrangement currently residing on my dining room table is the result of foraging through my garage storage and putting something bold and interesting together.

Njoy your weekend!

Vinnie's SUNFLOWERS...again!

"They are such a happy flower” my friend, Diane, said.

I did a search on why they're called sunflowers.  They are a heliotrope (Helios is the Greek sun god) simply meaning that they track the sun.
Once the bud matures to a flower, it becomes fixed and faces east toward the sunrise.   Isn’t that amazing?!

Here is a link to an interesting video about the sunflower:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfBsWFfWkGE

Credit:  Yu Cheng Hong's Helios @ DeviantArt

Vincent van Gogh's

(the other Vinnie) Sunflowers

                                                                                     Happy Friday!

Helloooo!

Hope everyone has plans with family and friends for the upcoming Labor Day weekend, which officially starts now! (What official?)  A quick post to share my Labor Day table scape.  Lots going on:  books, flowers, loads of dishes and glasses.  Njoy!

Autumnal Equinox

What a wonderful summer.   With Labor Day weekend upon us, and the start of a new school year, everyone seems to be soaking up the last of our long days and preparing for autumn.  The autumnal equinox is September 23rd this year when sunrise to sunset will equal sunset to sunrise (does that make sense?)  The days will slowly draw shorter, and the gift of Indian Summer will remind us that it'll be months before the sun once again warms our skin.  On the bright side, we'll be celebrating the beauty that the changing season brings, and soon, we will be planning for the holidays.

The garden was joyful this year.  There are several areas around my home for plantings of basil, sage, lavender, sunflowers, geraniums and various other flowering plants. My husband, Vinnie, had a rogue cherry tomato emerge in the late spring that just keeps giving.  Vinnie is also responsible for the sunflowers.  He ordered a variety packet of sunflower seeds on Amazon for about $10, and we started them in little plastic containers. When they were 2-3 feet tall, we planted them.  Wow!  Over a dozen sunflower plants are giant and full of flowers.  So much fun

Taking a summer break from jewelry design, but I did make these earrings:

And my new found passion of table scaping needs to be mentioned.   Hours and hours were spent on eBay and Etsy looking for glass and porcelain beauties to adorn the table.   Recently unearthed boxes from the garage hid an amazing collection of Rosenthal which belonged to my Great Aunt.  You could hear a gasp as I unwrapped the first piece. I love looking at it and imagine my grandmother and her sister having tea with their friends.

I have enjoyed sharing with you and will post again soon❤