Changes and Balance

What has been going on in your life?
My Life in the Fall:  harvest time, dinner and supper in the field (LOVE), hauling cows and hay home, moving vehicles, giving rides, Mr. Pink Heaven's political trips- which means movie nights with my Pink Girl, trips to town, (which includes waiting, but I always have my craft supply bag with me), spending time with my mother, trying to avoid the horrid flu, but my household did not escape it. Thankfully, everyone is well right now.  
Like all of you trying to maintain the balanCe when life gets busy. 
Just remember to stop and look for God's blessings along the way. 

Oddly enough to help me "feel" balanced, I like to move furniture, take away decor,  and add decor. The changes don't have to be huge or costly, just change.
Changes= (satifying attention defeceit) Balance

I have shown you bits and pieces of the changes in my main floor family room, but had not shown you proper before and afters.
BEFORE:

Objective #1
Eliminate Smaller Items (so the eye is not traveling all over the place)
This was achieved by taking away the antique buffet and adding a higher black curio so the eye has a place to rest. Do-dads, plates, and some pictures removed. The picture of my three kids on the wall stays. They are the heart of my home. I also moved the Kennedy rocker and added the black and white chair. A coffee table was added . You know I'm not matchy matchy, so I added a coffee table that is different then the curio. It works because the wood grain top coordinates with the floor and the black legs coordinate with the curio. The antique Chinese buffet was moved to the opposite wall. The area rug with the   hideous country nice blue border  was removed, and has new life in my son's basement. 

Objective #2

Update Lighting (HELLO, Can you hear me? It's not the 1980's)

Mr. Pink Heaven and son changed out the SOLID GOLD (pun intended)  light fixture with this chandelier.

Objective #3

Warm up the floor

I LOVE the original hardwood floors in this house. They are a beautiful golden color, but with cold weather on it's way, I wanted to warm things up. Winter time is a time for layers, even when it comes to floors! When it came to the bottom layer, the large area rugs I looked at where not the size or color I wanted.  A visit to the carpet store took place, and I chose to have a solid taupe carpet cut and bound to exact size of my choice.  The multicolored top rug, which adds a pop, was purchased at a discount store. It is placed directly on top of the taupe carpet, and under the coffee table. I was thrilled to find this rug as it matches the chair in the last post. Would you believe I trimmed the chair BEFORE I bought the rug. Sometimes things just work.

Objective #4

Fall it Up

Adding touches of Fall completes this room. I left the perimeter of the hardwood exposed, and added a few accessories. The gold pillow was replaced with a black and white chandelier pillow. A white pumpkin, Autumn  bouquet, and black crow candle were added to the coffee table. All give a sense of Fall and harvest, and life on a farm.

AFTER:

I like the changes. I feel balanced. For now.

Fall blessings to you,

Ele

Pillow Talk

   

The perfect shade of blue made this pillow a hit with me. I was beyond thrilled to have received this from Sa-Sea Boutique. How did she know?

These pillows are also from Sa-Sea. They give my kitchen- family room a hint of cream and a breath of freshness. The pillows are perfectly sewn, (straight neat seams), the crown and chandelier prints are high quality, AND the pillows are very economical. 

You provide the pillow form, hint: use that 40% off coupon. You know the one you always forget at home........

The black chandy pillow adds a little Fall elegance. Yes, Halloween decor can be elegant. 

Back to the pillow in the first picture. I put it on a chair in the sunroom. See it peeking out at you?  It worked great with the other colors in this room, and the crisp white background is refreshing. 

Product Webstore Review:   Sa-Sea Boutique has my personal stamp of approval.  

She has added some Halloween designs! Simply cover a pillow you are already using. Save $ and storage space!

Blessings,

Ele

Holstein Chair

HE called MY chair redo a Holstein. Are you serious? Darling, have you been farming/ranching a little too much?

The joy of recovering furniture is that you can plan EXACTLY how you want it to look. Yes Dear, I planned the chair to look this way. The cushion can be either white or black, or shall we say Jersey or Angus! Which do you prefer?

This is how the arm chair looked before it was reupholstered. It was covered in golf fabric and resided in a bedroom. This chair has big sturdy arms, yards of upholstery tack, and is comfortable. The logical choice was to reupholster and reuse. Plus, reupholstering cost less then buying new AND I was able to choose the design. The side chair was moved to the main floor family room.

Remember the new chandelier. It has been hung.

Holstein? It just had to be a compliment.

Blessings, Ele

Hey Chandy, Welcome to the 21st Century

This chandelier I like.

The one below...not so much.
The chandelier with it's shiny brass finish and clear ribbed glass globes was purchased by me, (while wearing stretchy turquoise stirrup pants, and a glittery gold, turquoise, and orange flowered over- sized T-shirt). The little somethin' somethin' that put the spring in my step and gave me confidence to buy this piece of reflective goodness? Matching turquoise flat shoes. Can we say 1980's? Ouch.

Would you believe this is the same chandelier? The transformation started with a can of Rustoleum black hammered spray paint. The Rustoleum people should be sending checks my way, but they are not. This spray paint says it does not need primer, but I noticed that due to the slick brass finish it is not scratch free. Not a lot of wear after it's hung on the ceiling, so no worries. I replaced the ribbed glass with frosted very inexpensive glass globes. Sometimes, I'm just cheap like that and not paying a lot, works for me. Hey chandy, welcome to the 21st Century.

I have the perfect spot for this updated beauty. Stay tuned!

Blessings, Ele

PS: Thanks to all my followers and those of you who are sweet enough to leave me comments.

Chandelier Crystals

It's my mother's fault, really. There are genes in my family for crystal, and chocolate.
The following experiments show scientific proof:

• Place two food items in front of said mother, (make sure one is chocolate). Chocolate will be immediately picked up and transferred from hand to mouth. This experiment has been conducted thousands of times with many variables. Different food items, and even change of environment does not yield different results. Chocolate is always the food of choice.


• Take said mother to a store that is new to her, and she will head right to the crystal department. The woman can "smell" her way straight to the Waterford. Again, this experiment has been conducted over and over....same results.


• Gifts of chocolate or crystal given to my mother produce squeals of delight, (if you want proof I'm sure there's a video recording somewhere!).

So, it's really not my fault that the new chandelier I picked out for my family room looks like this:

Crystal prisms are usually associated with white chandeliers in the shabby chic style. Traditional gold chandeliers look gorgeous draped in crystal prisms. I chose a black rod iron chandelier because my Asian cabinet is black. Even though the chandelier and cabinet are not the same style, the black ties them together. Remember when mixing styles, make sure the pieces have at least one thing in common. In this case, the color black.

The crystal drops satisfy "the gene". Thanks mom! Decorating with crystal prisms doesn't have to be expensive. Prisms hung from a simple candle holder look great. This chandelier isn't actually up yet, as Mr. Pink Heaven will have to hard wire it for me. I can't wait to see what it looks like when it actually lights up!

For now, I'll just stare at the prism bling while I eat my chocolate.
Blessings, Ele

Dining Room Update

Dining room makeover (almost) complete.

If you want to see what the formal dining room looked like before go here. I really did like the room before. I just felt a change was needed, and wanted it to coordinate with my sitting room here, (scroll down).

The items in my home are my treasures. My treasures are vintage, antique, almost new, and may only be beautiful to me, but they each have their own story.

When I redecorate, I incorporate my "treasures" into the design. Do you do this? Do you have things you LOVE and just have to make them part of the design, or do you start totally new? I can't start new. It's not me. Read on, and I'll share.

My seashells...

...fill the base of a very large glass vase. A reminder of wonderful vacations with Mr. Pink Heaven, and my children. Laughter, relaxation, love, and warmth are inside this vase.

The walls have been painted a soothing pale shade of blue and new white flowers top off the seashells. I reupholstered the chair backs in the same fabric as the sitting room couch. I actually haven't recovered the seat cushions yet. Because I like to mix and match, I am looking for a darker blue in the same hue as the walls. What to you think?

The antique chandelier (70 years old) from my husband's grandmother's living room. The stories of his childhood, hang from our dining room's ceiling.

A new mirrored dresser graces the corner, (yes, I said new), and a vintage picture gets a new coat of white paint.

On top of the dresser, I have displayed a Swedish Art Glass heart vase from someone I "heart", my favorite teapot, (picked out by my pink girl), and faux cuppies made by Shannon of Paint Mine Pink. Don't you love the reflection? Isn't the mirror with silver trim a great look against the blue?

More of my treasures include...

...vintage china plates from three grandmothers, a plate from the church where Mr. Pink Heaven and I were married (27 years ago), a few plates from friends, and a plate from the church I attended as a child, with my grandmother.

Remember the inspiration picture?

It received a fresh coat of white paint, (the original pic I took is a little washed out....geez!).

A new table runner with white embroidery brings in a little texture.

Vintage teacups.....

...that once belonged to two of my great aunts. They were Norwegian immigrants who homesteaded on the Midwestern prairie. I'm sure the teacups can tell many stories. Another treasure, a coffee pot painted by my husband's great aunt.

Three generations of vintage plates on my wall. A plate from my mother's first set of plates, a plate from my grandmother's dishes, and another from my great grandmother. Can you hear the families gathering around the table? Children laughing? Families praying? My great grandmother had 13 children. It's a miracle the bottom plate, which is hers, survived.

Now, I said my formal dining room was almost done. Besides the bottom chair cushions, I also need to sew drapes, curtains, and/or valances. I'm not sure what I want. Any suggestions? Take a look at the windows.

I really don't need to cover the windows, as I live out in the country. It doesn't matter to me if the cows look in, ha! The window on the left side of the room looks into the sun room. I'm sure there are many great ideas out there. Help me out!

Happy Mothers Day!

Blessings to all of you,

Ele

Oh Baby, Don't You Just Love Vintage Decor?

It's a lucky little sweetheart that will get to call this nursery theirs! Don't you love the sweet colors? Gaze at the faux window on the wall, complete with flowing curtains. Love this room! It's from http://www.static.howstuffworks.com


Some of you KNOW me by now and that I love to mix and match dark and light colors and different textures. This black iron chandelier adds a dramatic focal point to this room. Did you know that you can put a chandelier in ANY room of the house? This means bathrooms and kitchens, people, and don't forget the baby's room! Picture from www.thatsmyroom.com


A little punch of black added to this room from www.courant.com gives it a well tailored look. Check out the monogram pillow on the bed!


The great thing about vintage is that any color works; pastels or brights. Notice the green shelf on the wall in this red room is the same color as the table and chairs in the first pastel room! Raggedy Ann.....such a great classic. The above room is from www.baby-nursery-decorating-ideas-29 My friend Michelle at Hippie Dog Primitives makes fabulous Annie Dolls with a fun twist. You must visit her website!


This sweet room from www.cicicrib.com just makes you want to say, "aaaahhhhh".

I offer monogrammed dresses at Hannah Banana Baby with a vintage feel. My personal favorite is this sweet cupcake dress.


The birthday collection can be monogrammed with the child's name or initials. I also offer cupcakes with the number embroidered or a single candle for a first birthday! You can also select the thread color



Sweet little smocked bear booties are from A Bit of Heaven Creations by Eleanor Erickson. Perfect for the vintage look!
Have a great day~!