Every kitchen island needs a couple stools where friends can sit and hang out while you finish preparing morsels of tasty goodness. My kitchen island had no stools and I didn’t want to buy anything new. As luck would have it, I found two matching stools on two separate occasions at the local flea market….
Last week’s junket to the Kane County Flea Market resulted in a few treasured finds, but the least of my purchases resulted in a wonderful surprise. I was looking for something to go with this rusted, spiral piece that hubby found in the same dump as the bottles we’ve collected. It looks like a bed…
I don’t know why, but I think one of the best arrangements of art on a wall is a medley of mirrors. In my humble opinion, they don’t have to match. Pair a contemporary mirror with an antique mirror. Tuck a rustic mirror next to a gilded mirror. Color doesn’t matter either … white, blue,…
My oldest daughter Stephanie gets married next June. As we plan for her formal wedding at Hotel Baker in St. Charles, I find myself looking back to my youngest daughter Bridget’s wedding this past October. While Stephanie’s wedding is all glitz and glam, Bridget’s wedding was a DIY rustic wedding held on a farm. We…
Recently while shopping at two of my favorite boutiques, I discovered the most adorable flowers created with beautiful script tissue paper. One store priced them at $4.95 each while the other store was selling them for $6.50. I figured I could make something similar for far cheaper. This is my version. The ones in the…
About 3 months ago I started a bottle collection. Some of the bottles I’ve left in their original state, and some I’ve been prettying up with paint and embellishments. This past Saturday I visited Cracker Jax in Dekalb and scored two finds. One was a creamy matelasse coverlet and another was this adorable little perfume…
When hubby inherited a blanket chest from his Aunt Marion, he put his foot down and told me I couldn’t touch it with a paint brush. Well, after several pieces of furniture got a makeover in our home, he relented to my constant begging to re-do the vintage chest. Here she is wearing her new colors … Aunt…
I love clocks. The bigger, the better. About a year ago I found a large wall clock on sale (half price) at The Little Traveler. The finish was a little too dark for my taste so I lightened it up with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. This is what the clock looks like today. This is…
If you can’t tell by now, I love old homes! I grew up in a typical, suburban 1950’s quad level (a twist on the tri-level) and when I grew up, I knew I wanted something different. My first house as an adult was a bungalow-type Sears catalog home built in the early 1900s. As soon as…
After a long winter’s nap, I find myself craving fresh flowers and lots of natural light. Whatever I can clip from the garden makes its way into the house. Shades aren’t drawn until absolutely necessary. And this year, I’m collecting mirrors in order to bounce light around the room. But first, the flowers … Lilacs…
Lately I’ve been lovin’ bottles. I’m going to blame it on Rosemary over at Villabarnes. Ever since I bought 2 of Rosemary’s bottles (one from her Etsy Shop and one from her booth at the flea market), I just can’t get enough of bottles. I’ve actually been playing with her Old World finish a bit on…
About a year ago I scored an old skinny armoire for $40. It’s a great piece of furniture because it doesn’t take up much space. Although I loved the dark wood, it felt a little ho-hum to me. After all the fun I had painting and decoupaging my desk (check it out here), I decided to…
Sometimes you get lucky and things just come together. But first, the bad news. A Geneva, Illinois store icon recently closed its doors after 82 years of business. The Merra-Lee shops were a series of 7 women’s specialty clothing stores (all owned by the same family) that occupied a prime piece of real estate in town. Before closing, they…
About 15 years ago I bought a little black desk for $35. Since that time, it’s been painted a couple different colors … mainly because I was never satisfied with it. But now, I think that’s all changed. I think my little desk has finally discovered who it was meant to be. This is the after…
Do you have a flirtatious front door? Does it entice passers-by to “come hither” for a visit? Or, is it more like mine and gives a cold shoulder? This will be changing soon when we paint our home’s exterior this summer, but for now, have a look at some flirtatious front doors in the ‘hood. Love the…
A few months ago I made some dropcloth curtains for the family room. While I thought myself quite clever for using dropcloth for the panels and twine for the tabs … the truth of the matter is … I don’t like them. I kept looking at them and thinking something was missing. Then it hit…
