~Project Break~

Inspiration

 

The inspiration photo that started it all.

We are loading the truck and driving to the lake, to complete the condo master bedroom makeover, begun a couple of months ago.

The furniture, we ordered, is in.  The room is painted.

The bits and pieces, picked up here and there, have been painted and packed.

Accessories are collected.

It’s time for putting it all together.

I’m taking a short blog break, during this week, so I can concentrate my energies on “The Project”.

Elements of Change

 

I’ll be back soon with the “reveal” of the condo master bedroom redo.

Until then, a Rooster Party post will be published, Thursday.

Have a wonderful week!

~The Rest of the Story~

We commissioned Jake to make a cabinet for the breakfast room at home, when he made the table for the condo, seen HERE.

 

 

 

As with the farmhouse table, Jake used boards from the 100 year old Missouri barn. He also used antique beadboard.

We arrived back home, Saturday afternoon.  I filled the cabinet with the Mikasa French Countryside and other white dishes, I’ve collected since 1983.

I’ll change the arrangement on the base top, from time to time. The white dishes will remain on the shelves with a bit of a change, now and then.

~Something to Talk About~

…on the back porch

In this case,  something to talk about at The Front Porch. 

After we did the shutter/window wall, at the condo, I thought a harvest table would look wonderful, in place of the round table and four chairs.  I’ve looked for a table of about 6 feet, with benches.  The plan is to put one end of the table against the “window wall”, with benches on either side.

Youngest daughter has first dibs on the round table and chairs.

 

I looked at vintage and new tables, never finding just the right one…until Tuesday morning, on our way home from the lake.

We stopped at The Front Porch Antiques, along Hwy 54, on Penny Hollow Lane.  Don’t you love the name of the road!

J and I spent some time wandering around, like we usually do in antiques shops.  Then we happened upon the table, in the photo above.  It was just what I had in mind, but at 4 feet, it was about 2 feet smaller than we need.  We were talking about how we wished it was just a tad bit larger.  That’s when the shop owner’s daughter told us the table was handmade, from reclaimed wood, by an Ozark craftsman, who does custom orders. That’s when we decided to have a table and benches made for the condo.  Ours will be 6 feet by about 3 feet.  The top has three 12 inch boards.  We ordered a blue and cream finish.  We should be able to pick it up in a couple of weeks.

As long as we were shopping, we ordered one other piece.  It’s in one of these photos and is for the breakfast room/hearth room, here at home. 

Can you guess which piece and the colors we ordered?

The new piece will replace this cabinet.

As pretty as the cabinet is, the top shelves are not sturdy.  I kept expecting to hear a loud crash and broken crockery.  Just such a catastrophe happened in our neighbor’s dining room, a few years ago. 

As fragile as the top section is, the base is pretty good.  This cabinet has been in the breakfast room for a few months.  The double bonnet secretary sits, in the hearth room, where the cabinet was, last Christmas, when the photo was taken.

We were set to donate the cabinet, when I had one of those lightbulb moments.  Why not use the base in the living room, behind the sofa.

Furniture moving commenced bright and early this morning.

I put a few things together, for a vignette, before taking photos.  If you are a regular reader, you know the arrangements, on this piece of furniture, will be changed often.

There you have it…..something to talk about, at The Front Porch.

~A Black and White Table~

Tablescape Thursday is hosted by Susan of Between Naps on the Porch.

Before setting the dining room table for Tablescape Thursday, this week, we replaced the leaves, which had been stored away, since Christmas 2008.

I’ve put together a few photos to illustrate how the table (Long Cove Collection Lexington) remains round, when the leaves are in.

There is a series of supports that slide out. The leaves are placed onto the supports and locked into place. The table extends to about 6 feet and will seat eight, easily. I use the 4 slip covered chairs most of the time. A bench and Queen Anne style chairs, can be used for extra seating, if needed.

The dishes, used in this tablescape ,are a mix of white serving pieces, salad plates and chargers, I’ve purchased, here and there, over the years. The black and white dishes are new. I found them at Marshall’s, Osage Beach Missouri, last week.

The seal on the back of the plate & bowl reads Royal Staffordshire, Fine Earthenware, Made in England. I love the rural scene, as shown in the small sauce bowl, in the above photo.  I wish I had picked up six bowls and plates, rather than four.

The seal on the oval platter reads, Hotel Murat #33.  The platter is marked, Made in Portugal. I found the platter in a home furnishings store in northern Minnesota, several years ago. 

Do you know where I might be able to find more of these pieces?

Tuesday, August 25th, Kathleen, of Cuisine Kathleen, is hosting Let There Be White Part II. You will find white table settings with, perhaps, a touch of color.

This black and white table setting is my contribution to the party.

~Dishes & Dressers~

Stop by Rhoda’s Southern Hospitality, each Monday, for Thrifty Treasures all around the land of blog.

We shopped a couple of country yard sales, recently.

The first one was set up in a huge front yard, with lots of shade trees; beautiful place. This sale is where I found the set of eight rooster plates, for $3. There is a tiny chip, in one of the plates, but that won’t stop me from using them in colorful tablescapes, on the farmhouse table, in our breakfast room.

The tiny 70 year old books, at 10 cents each, were found at the same sale, as well as the basket, with double hinged lid, for $1.

The breakfast room table set, using the “new” rooster plates.

 

Just a little indulgence; I was at Marshall’s, Osage Beach, last week and found these Lilly Pulitzer McKim sandals at around 65% off retail. Other than dishes, I have this little shoe addiction.  I’m calling my new sandals a definite thrifty treasure!!

The nail polish is OPI Cajun Shrimp.  I like my OPI, too!

The second sale was down another country road. As we drove by, looking for a place to park, I spotted the dresser and chest of drawers. We turned around and I hopped out, while J continued his search for a place to park, which he finally did, near the garden of the person selling this furniture.

By the time J arrived, I had purchased the two pieces. The dresser will be a bit of a project. The furniture was used in a child’s room. My plan is to paint the dresser and use it as a bedside chest, in the master bedroom. The chest of drawers will be used, as is, for extra drawer space in our walk in closet. The cost of these pieces was $25, each.

A Fourth of July Preview

Hint of 4th of July table, for later this week.

J's Lodge and a Tag

The painting is one of mine. The scene is the lane, that led to our home in the back pasture of the farm. The brightly colored tree was the first to turn, each autumn. The farm was sold, four years ago. A subdivision is being developed. We watch each fall to see if the "red" tree is still there, along the creek. It has survived, so far. The binoculars and case, sitting on the cabinet, belonged to J's great aunt.
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The grid shows different areas of J's lodge, in the lower level of our home. Many of the furnishings were collected over a lifetime. They were stored in the attic and garage of our farm home, for several years. The table, we use for games and meals, is decorated with postcards, under glass. The cards are from family and friends and a few from our travels. The "log cabin" sits in a window, beside the fireplace. It is made from salvaged wood from the restoration of a building in old St Charles, MO. The small black milk stool, that sits beside the armoire, in the lower right photo, was used by J, when he was a child. A hickory limb table and two small foot stools were made by a friend, who lives in the Ozarks. There are two Mission style rocking chairs, near the fireplace, that belonged to J's grandparents. The coffee table has a "carved" Trout stream under glass. There are several Moose images around the room. J's nickname is Moose.
There is a bar in one corner of the room, with several old neon lights. A cabinet holds J's collection of steins, that number over 100. Another cabinet holds memorabilia from J's 40 year career as a Lineman.

When our home was presented on the Garden Club Christmas Tour, 2006. The most popular room was J's lodge. That was not a surprise, since we know it's a favorite of family and friends.

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The fern stand in this photo, was made by Granddad almost 50 years ago. The creel is new. The pack basket belonged to a friend, who actually used it for it's intended purpose, over 60 years ago. There are two prints, of watercolors, above. These depict scenes from beautiful Bennett Spring State Park (MO).

The "lodge" is filled with memories and well loved keepsakes. It's warm, comfortable and a favorite place to relax.

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I was tagged by willzmom, to pick up the book nearest me and turn to page 28. I am to write here, about paragraph 3. I decided to pick up the book on my nightstand. It's an old favorite. I've written here, about this book, before. The Foxfire Book, originally published in 1968. My decision to write about J's lodge today, is linked to my tag book choice.

The paragraph reads:

An' picked blackberries'n'strawberries. Always had somethin' t'eat. Pickeled beans'n' everthin'. Why, we've pickled beans in a twenty gallon barrel; but I ain't got any this year. Groundhogs eat m'beans up an' I never had nary one t'pick. I had two bushel baskets full'a cans, an' I took 'em out there an' poured 'em in th' groundhog's hole an' took a stick an' beat'em in. An' you know, that groundhog left an' never did come back. Couldn't bear them rattlin' things. Just couldn't stand 'em (laughing). This paragraph is from the chapter about a mountain woman called Aunt Arie, written in her words.

The book is dedicated to the people of Appalachia.

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If you would like to write about paragraph 3 of page 28, in a book nearby, please do. I'd love to read what you write!