BLISS

These are the few things I scooped up at the flea market today. I couldn't believe this sign! It's a perfectly fun little piece. I can't decide if I'll keep it or sell it. The other items can be found in my etsy shop.

4 months till Christmas!

I rounded up these happy guys at the fleamarket and couldn't wait to take their picture. Such a jolly group, they are here to remind you that Christmas is only 4 months away. I'm not sure why you need to be reminded of that on a beautiful august day, they just wanted me to tell you.

B & B with Louis XIV

We recently took a little 24 hr. vacation and stayed at the Hideaway Country Inn in Ohio. I chose the "Louis IVX " room. It was one of only two available for the date we had. I wanted to share some pictures of the decor. We had a great time and wonderful meals. I thought the 5 course breakfast was better than the dinner. I hope you have time for a getaway even if it is a short one like ours.

a can of paint, a few changes....

I am linking up with Cindy's Romantic Home Show and tell Friday . Now that I look at the pictures , it looks so plain. It seems like a bigger change in person. And, of course, I forgot to take "before" pictures. This is a bedroom belonging to one of my daughters away at college. It was deep turquoise and white . I researched and found that people were happy with the paint "Mindful Gray" by Sherwin Williams so that is what I used. She already had this pretty light fixture in there that she bought on ebay when she was about 13-yrs-old. We still love it and it's white!

I already had the white sheets, curtains, bedskirt and lamp. So I bought a new quilt at Homegoods and a few pillows and this is what I have now. Very plain I know, but I am still trying to think of an idea for a headboard.
She already had these white shelves and shells up too.

A pillow from Pier 1 and a few from etsy. And an ikea chair that I dragged in from another room.

This is the most precious item in the room to me. A huge map of New York City that my daughter made on the computer years before she ever got to move there. And yes, I did ask her before I made any changes and she said to "go for it"!

Playing with chocolate

Valentines' Day is only a week away so I thought I would try making chocolates with molds. It's an easy afternoon with almost instant gratification. My favorite kind of craft! I used Merckens chocolate discs. I bought them locally but I think Micheal's and JoAnn's carries them too.

I used a simple double boiler....a bowl over a pot of simmering water....to melt the chocolate.

I tinted 1/2 lb. of white chocolate with a drop of red food coloring to get the palest of pale pink. If I was doing it again, I think I'd add another drop or two.
I bought my cameo mold locally but you can order them online. Even Amazon has them for sale. The next part takes a little practice but if I can do it so can you. Drizzle a small amount of the white chocolate into the cameo recess and spread it around with a toothpick. Then set these aside to cool while you melt down the dark or milk chocolate.
After the white chocolate is hardened, fill the rest of the mold with milk or dark chocolate and tap lightly on the counter to release any air bubbles

Place the molds in the refrigerator till they harden (or the back porch will do if you live in the snow like me!) and then easily pop them out of the mold. It was so much fun I had to stop myself from making too many. What are you making for Valentine's Day?

Inspiration

I think it takes me longer to recover from the Christmas season than most people. I rather like that there are quiet , snowy  days in January to nest. I have several rooms in my house that I want to paint and spruce up. But I can't concentrate on one at a time. So many paint chips circling in my mind. So I have been picking up items for all the rooms as I see them and I love a sale. I hardly ever pay full price for anything. Even if I love it. It WILL go on sale sooner or later or it wasn't meant to be mine. 

I picked up an eggplant colored, satin, ruffled  pillow at Pier1. I am experimenting with this color. Not one I normally chose but I noticed it creeping into my wardrobe and I'm liking it. I think I'll pair it with gray and silver. That's where the silver cup comes in. I bought several. They are toothbrush holders from Bed Bath And Beyond but I think they look like mint julep cups. They may hold flowers or they may stand alone. I'm not sure. 

For my growing collection of apothocary jars, I bought white ceramic balls with the letters that correspond to the first letters of my family members names. That is for another room. The salewoman at Pier1 was very gracious and sat on the floor with me while I dug through the two large bowls of balls. I thought we were having fun but maybe, now that I think of it,  she was afraid I would slip a few into my pocket!

The last sale item I snatched was a linen shower curtain. It has kissing pleats with shell buttons at the top. Of course that is for another room , a bath , that I have been working on for two years now, gathering bargains as I see them. Well, I see alot of paint in my future ( I got that on sale too at a Sear's store that was going out of business). I hope for you a project, big or small, to keep you busy this winter too.