This post is a year past due, but here we go! When we moved into our ranch home last summer, I ditched the second living room and turned it into a dining room. I’ve never seen the point in having … Continue reading
And another great idea shared by my friend Jess Powell of Pink House Marketing! She converted two matching antique doors into a headboard and footboard. After a fresh coat of paint, the doors were halved and received hinges that allow folding for easy transport. The headboard received a trim treatment across the top for a clean cut look, followed by sconces. Although they’re normal sconces from the local Lowe’s, these particular ones are far from normal–the antique doorknobs below control the lights! They push for on/off function, and twist to dim the sconces!!! It does NOT get any cooler than that–this is officially my most favorite use of antique doors!!! Thanks, Jess for sharing!
I hit jackpot today. That is, if you like junk! My favorite is the “Super Market” antique sign. Just $15! Score! Hubby’s already worried about how and where to put it. Most obvious is the kitchen, maybe above the hearth? … Continue reading
So maybe I’ve been watching too much of American Pickers, but I love junk. Junk is my style–it makes me happy, mainly because it’s most often free (or almost free). But also because it gives a nod to the past and often adds texture to today’s shiny, polished trends. But junk isn’t the prettiest term for this style of decorating, and after standing at the store’s magazine rack for an hour tonight I found the perfect term for my style of decorating–salvage finds. Not too much more glamorous, but a little bit better than junk, a little less formal than shabby chic, and a little less confining than country. So salvage style works for me.
The magazine that inspired me most was Flea Market Style. It had a feature about popular blogs that feature decorating with salvaged goods. Most of the blogs I frequent already but it gave me the idea to share them with you too. So here’s some top picks for those into the salvage style:
• Heather Bullard – Home and Lifestyle
Sometimes you need a deadline to get things done. Since we were hosting our first family gathering in our new home, that gave us incentive to get some serious projects done! Here’s some of the things we did:
We BUILT a dining table. Yes, we built it from scratch, by hand! We have been eyeballing the farmhouse table from Knock-off Wood for months. Love this site–we actually combined two of her plans to get the exact look we wanted. For around $100 in supplies and 15-20 hours of work this week, we have a table that seats 12. I plan on collecting mismatched old chairs and staining the table a dark shade.
We hung an antique old window . See it hanging on the wall above my dad? I found it in my grandpa’s old barn. I love it! For now, I just added multi-color scrapbook paper but I have so many more plans for it. I might cut out some letters and spell something, add photos, change the paper with the holidays, hang a wreath on top of it, hang a shelf below it to display decor, or add hooks on the front to display some things. We hung it using a hook and eye system, but we used anchors in studs because it weighs about 30 lbs. So far, so good.
We displayed an old door. I found this in the barn too (I have about 20 more doors and windows in our shed, just waiting to displayed!!) I just propped this door in the corner–I love how our interior brick compliments it and vice versa! I had a sage wreath that I received live last Christmas and dried. Then I found this antique luggage wrack while antiquing in Nashville for $12! Planned on painting it but like the bright green for now. It holds a basket of our blankets.
My hubby built a new kitchen island. We installed a dishwasher in the island, requiring a new one. My hubby built-in a bookshelf that you see when you walk in our front door. We added beadboard and painted it black! We’re still arguing on weather to add wood brackets underneath the countertop. I also distressed it then added stain to give it an aged look.
We created a wall of mirrors.I had a lot of mirrors and no great spot to put them so I painted them all white and put them at our entrance with a few “E”s. We’re building a console table to put here as well in the front hallway, using more plans from Knock-off Wood but using an old barn door as the tabletop.
I hung photo frames from an old ladder. I found the matching photo frames at a garage sale and I bought the ladder from an antique store. I have to admit that this project did not come out as I planned, but it isn’t bad! I meant to order smaller photos and have a colored scrapbook paper background to give it color. And I meant to center it from each rung. But I was over it–it is what it is! It features photos I’ve taken of my nieces and nephews in black and white prints.
Most importantly, we fit all of our family into one room! Our new home has been a blessing–God gave us every little factor we asked for, like large rooms that fit groups of people.
Did I mentioned that besides cleaning and cooking, that we all finished decorating our whole house, had our carpets cleaned, re-arranged the furniture, and landscaped?!?
Next on our list: stain the dining table, build console tables, make curtains for the living room, make outdoor pillows, and winterize our landscaping. But after a week off!
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Yeaaah! I think this is my first official original recipe. Inspired by local roadside produce stands and Chef Daniel Orr who emphasizes Indiana produce, I present to you Indiana Yellow Summer Salad. All the produce came from roadside stands and grown in Indiana. I noticed the produce included colors other than the norm, mainly yellow. I’ve never had the yellow version of these veggies, so I bought them all and created this dish. The “green” beans tasted the same, but the yellow tomatoes were the best ones I’ve ever had in my whole life. The herbs came from my (and my mother’s) backyard. We shared the dish at a lake party on Saturday. Yummo!
Recipe for Indiana Yellow Summer Salad
– 4 ears fresh sweet corn
– 1 quart yellow wax beans, ends snapped
– 1 quart yellow tomatoes (use slightly less than whole quart), halved
– 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
– 1/2 yellow-green chile pepper, thinly sliced
– 1/3C fresh basil, chopped
– 1/4C fresh oregano, chopped
– 1/2 TBS fresh dill, chopped
– 2 TBS red wine vinegar
– 2 TBS white balsamic vinegar
– 1 TSP agave nectar
– 2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
– Pinch of sea salt & fresh-cracked pepper
There it is, an original by Jenny Erb–Backyard Chef.
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One of my most favorite parts of home-owning is going into the backyard and handpicking flowers. A past owner of our home poured a lot of time and sweat in packing our yard full with lilies, bee balm, phlox, roses, and more. Each week has been a delight to see what surprises were left behind by past owners for our enjoyment. I gathered this bouquet today, inspired by the first blooms of phlox. I have a patch of unruly sage growing and often throw it into my arrangements. I also clipped some evergreen from our cypress bushes. My grandmother has always put together the most beautiful flower arrangements from the multitude of plants she tends. I can only hope this one makes her proud.
There’s nothing more beautiful than when it snows here at the lake. The birds love it, the lake freezes over, and the kids get to sled on the dam. Needless to say, I’ll be drinking a lot of cocoa!
