Happy Thanksgiving!!

I've had such a full morning already! 

Sausage balls and coffee to start the day; the bird is in the oven (fingers crossed! kinda nervous!). 

Kevin is on the roof putting up Christmas lights - it's cool and foggy outside and the cats are watching us from the window. 

When I go out to hand him a tool and come back in the house it smells WONDERFUL!! I've missed that turkey smell on Thanksgiving.

Have a great Thanksgiving day everyone!

One of the place setting with Fiestaweare and vintage linen napkins.

Centerpiece with some of the gorgeous roses from our backyard.

Sausage balls to fuel the morning

The glorious bird! Pictured after one hour of roasting.

The cats watching us from the window ...

Thrifting, antiquing, garage saling, oh my!

Weekends are made for a good deal. Saturday is just the perfect day for early breakfast, a few errands and a dose of thrift or antique shopping for that perfect piece you didn't know you couldn't live with out. 

A couple weekends ago, Kevin and I went to a new antique mall we had never visited before and spent a few hours just browsing the aisles - aisles upon aisles of antiques and not-so-antiques. Here is what we came away with:

Fiestaware Serving Platter in Rose - yes, a retired color but this one is from the second of 2 manufacturing periods, not the original 'vintage' one. Still, just $12.

See? The Fiesta stamp on the bottom indicates that it's newer - apparently if the type is all caps, it's older.

Kevin had to get this old Dick Tracy coffee mug. ;) $3

Some of the vintage comic books Kevin picked up ...

And this weekend, we cruised around for a good garage sale. All we saw were heaps of clothes and kitchen items for the most part. Then we stopped at a garage sale just a few blocks away from our house and I found 2 great things that I wanted (I didn't want then until I saw them, actually). I asked how much they wanted for the pieces and was told they were being sold as a 'lot' with a bunch of other items that I didn't particularly want. We kept browsing and then the seller said, well just take that - I'll be putting it on the curb tomorrow anyway. ... OK! ... before we left I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask just one more time about the other item I had my eye on - I was emboldened by the unexpected freebie. Yup, free again! No lie. I am pretty pleased with my new acquisitions; and most especially with the price. Here's what I found:

Vintage letter opener ... it's missing one of the stones but I think it can easily be replaced (or just left as-is).

Vintage yarn-embroidered cat - the frame needs a coat or 2 of paint to freshen it up ... I actually like how some of the stitches are showing their age ... 

Part I: Design Inspiration in the Kitchen

I'm thinking about my kitchen today. I'm not really sure what I want to do with it, but my sweet little kitchen needs a makeover.

I have been browsing Google Images this afternoon scoping out some truly great kitchens (and getting distracted with dining rooms and living rooms, too. However, since all 3 of those spaces are connected in my house, I feel like they sort of 'go together'). Here is a list of some of the primary ideas I have for MY kitchen (think of it as my design journal) along with some of my current favorite photo inspirations.


Kitchen/Living/Dining: My Design Top-10


#1 Green/turquoise cabinets; my current cabinets are sound, but need to be refinished. I would like to do a green-ish stain or a paint/rub off look (I think this is called 'antiquing'?) with some fresh pulls to complete the look.


I like the shade in this first photo especially - subtle and minty (but maybe a bit to 'dusty'? hmmm).

#2 Concrete floors. I currently have a very sad, dated linoleum in the kitchen that was partially ripped up by the previous owner due to a repair so it's missing a large patch which is covered by an even sadder, more dated blue rug. I want all of that gone and to sand and finish the existing concrete floors.

I love the look of this 'natural' gray floor.

#3 Add a cabinet 'end' shelf to the large section of cabinet/countertop that divides the living room from the kitchen. There is a rounded end to the counter that cantilevers over the end of the cabinets and I think a few open shelves there would be nice - I like the idea of showcasing a colorful collection of glasses or plates, or simply shelving a collection of cookbooks (and opening up some pantry space at the same time).

This type of kitchen feels really 'cookie cutter' and cold to me, but the open shelving element is nice.

I really like how the shelving contrasts against the fun, pale-turquoise cabinets. This color is not too far off from what I have in mind for my cabinets (see #1).

#4 Add 2 or 3 short wood or aluminum shelves to replace to some very rickety, last-minute little shelves at the end of the wall cabinets by the fridge. Maybe a few baskets here for storing boxes of tea and cocoa.

These simple, white-painted wood shelves would be perfect - they could be very simply constructed with some pre-made brackets and a 1x8 or 1x10 board cut down to size.

I love this example because of the juxtaposition (!) of the closed cabinets and the open shelves. This proves that you can have a mix of storage 'types' and it looks great - it doesn't all have to be the same.

#5 Get a stainless steel trashcan with pedal - the kind that has the little 'doors' that open so your trash isn't just sitting there in an ugly plastic container for everyone to see (and potentially smell! hah)

Love this cool 'butterfly' version by Simple Human.

#6 Install open wall shelves on the far wall by the dining room, perhaps with an open space below for large, categorized recycle bins. The open shelving above would be great for storing small kitchen appliances, serveware (like clear glass cake pedestals and trifle bowls), or surplus dishes that deserve to be shown off (like some of my vintage pieces or some colorful Fiestaware). Along this wall, I would want to keep some space (below the little arched 'window' that opens into the living room) for a countertop which would be great for a prep 'station' or for setting out food for company.


Colorful pieces like this deserve to be on display! I love the adorable frog reamer on the top shelf. How great is that?

Love the great detailing on the brackets and the tiniest hint of green on the shelves.

Love these 2 simple shelves - what a great, light and bright space. (Also, LOVING the cabinet colors! A marriage of mint green and turquoise blue.)

I love the idea of this sort of 'enclosed' shelving tableau.

A really cool 3-compartment recycler in stainless:

#7 Replace the countertops. I have NO idea what kind of countertops I really want. I am torn between granite and Corian (after a visit with some friends in their new place, Corian is definitely on my short list now - very sleek clean and classy) - something on the darker side like an ashy gray which I think would compliment the cabinet color I want (see item #1). My first priority is price/durability - I don't want to go crazy for something just because it's pretty, but I'm willing to pay for something that will be sturdy and sound for a long time.

A very pretty gray granite:

One of my favorite Corian's called 'Mardi Gras' ... how fun!

#8 In my dining room, I would LOVE to install floor to ceiling open shelving. I think this would be awesome for some of the insane amount of books Kevin and I have accumulated over the years. I think the mix of colors and sizes, old books and new books, make a great (sort of eclectic) design element. Plus, I think it's a cool idea to mix room 'purposes'. I don't just dine in my dining room so why not put books in there to make it something of a library, too? Not only do I eat at my dining table, I read, I make jewelry, I play games ... it's a multi-purpose gathering space so why not embrace that?

I love the idea of using the wall surrounding the walkway from dining room to kitchen as a storage space - really opens up the rooms!

How cool is this? Who said a window couldn't be used as a storage space? ;) What a great way to show off beautiful colored glass pieces, as pictured.

Another sample of the wallshelves that surround a door or walkway. I really like this example because I think this idea would suit our little dining room. What a great way to bring in more storage without adding a bulky credenza or buffet.

LOVE this! Love all the Jadeite against white wall and shelves.

So open and bright! I really like the idea of the dark wood shelving against a light wall. The sort of long brackets extending from the bottom of each shelf adds something a tiny bit industrial to the look. A very warm and modern and academic looking room.

#9 Paint my dining chairs a contrasting color. I think leaving the table as-is is OK for now, though that table is not my favorite. I need to find a nice simple tablecloth for it, too.

The contrasting wall behind the build-ins coordinates with the blue chairs - love this look. It's a little too traditional and 'matchy' for my taste. Love it, but not for my house, ya know? But I like the idea it gives me to paint the wall behind shelves a different color. What a great way for dishes or collectibles to 'pop'.

These warm yellow cane seats are adorable in this country kitchen! Just a nice warm infusion of color, especially married with the great bursts of red all over the space. (And there are those darker-wood shelves again.)

#10 Paint my living room. I want something really vibrant but I have to admit, however much I love color (I truly do! See? Here and here, too!) I am also scared of it. I am scared to paint my living room (or at least an accent wall) a bright grellow or almost-neon/pastel blue (yes, that combination IS possible, if only in my head!). Yes, it can always be covered up or changed in 6 months if I hate it. But I guess I have commitment-phobia when it comes to painting. Which is probably why I have yet to paint a single room in my house after living there for nearly a year. I am currently working on tearing down those pesky mental barriers to progress!


Amazing, focal-point, grellow/chartreause walls. I love how colorful furniture stands out against the bold walls. I have a warm orange club chair in our living room and pale blue velvet grommet-top curtains (both pictured here) that would really contrast well with such a confident wall color.

Also loving this at once subdued and bold blue. It doesn't quite take over the room like grellow, but it gives the room a very open and energetic feeling while being a great 'background' for the rest of the furnishings. I'm not so sure this would work with my curtains, but ... maybe for another room - the piano room!

I really love this blue in particular - verging on a Tiffany's blue and so great for this small space and the saturated light from the window.

So ... that's it for now - my current Top-10 for my living/dining/kitchen space: the heart of the home, right? Now to just slowly and surely chisel away at the to-do list. Honestly, a maority of them are not especially pricy or time-consuming (as they say, painting is the cheapest way to make over a room!) it's just a matter of gathering up the will-power to 'Just Do It'.


If only home decorating was as easy as a quick 'Copy' and 'Paste', my house would be right out of a magazine. ;)

Dishes!

Lately I have been discovering some great vintage dishes (as in, kitchenware, plates, coffee pots) that I absolutely love. Some of them I collect, some of them I simply admire, some take me back to my grandma's dining room table in Arkansas eating THE best enchiladas. Ever.

Here is my current (and working) list of favorite kitchenware patterns and makers and a few insights about where I have discovered mine for reasonable prices ... and a few pieces of nostalgia to mix things up a bit.

1. Homer Laughlin China: Fiestaware - I collect this as my 'every day' dishes. Honestly I don't have any 'special occasions' dishes so my Fiesta is quite literally every day. I like the eclectic idea of having multiple colors 'going on' at once in my kitchen - I guess partly because I have never had a 'favorite' color and partly because I just like the fun of picking an orange dish and green mug together or a purple bowl with a blue dish. I have never been one for matching things really - even less so as the days pass. I collect my Fiesta 4-piece sets at Macy's when they are on sale.

2. Anchor Hocking Milano in Honey Gold - I love this glassware! My cousin Mike helped me figure out what they are called - I never knew who made them until he told me. He was an avid collector and expert on vintage glassware - my 3 vintage Jadite cups and saucers are a gift from him. My grandma had these and I remember when I was little drinking sweet peach tea out of them. I found a few at a yard sale a couple Summers ago - a few tall glasses and one short glass. I love the warm gold color of the glass and the lumpy texture in my hand.

I discovered this great set of glasses and 96oz pitcher at an antique shop in Denison last Spring and wish I had gotten it - I love the cheerful ball pitcher!

3. Metlox Wild Poppy - Thanks to Kevin, I found several pieces at an estate sale recently and discovered after a little web browsing that they are worth quite a lot more than I paid for them. The coffee pot alone sells for about $50 online. Such a fun, colorful pattern. I have 4 dishes now and I use them intermixed with my Fiesta plates.

4. Hull Drip Glaze Pottery - I adore this pottery. I grew up with the French Onion Soup Bowls (with handles) and a few serving pieces. I am not sure how much I liked them when I was young, but now I love the old-fashioned look and color. I found one lone bowl for myself at a garage sale for a few dollars - a small price to pay for nostalgia. It is now my designated tabbouleh bowl. ;)

5. Mikasa, I'll call it 'Yellow F9300' since it is IMPOSSIBLE to find any actual name for this particular design on the internet - My mom had the whole set of Mikasa French Countryside (white) when I was growing up. I found this great creamer and sugar set online but I am not so sure it's actually French Countryside. I have found this design and color online listed as 'French Countryside Yellow', 'Italian Countryside' (which it most definitely is NOT), and several other random names; when I look up those names in Google to find other pieces in the collection I have no luck - apparently none of those are the actual name so I am still in the dark as to what I should call it. All that to say, I love it and think it's darling and vintage, whatever its name really is.

Late breaking news: Omg! I figured it out! It's called Mikasa 'Countryside Yellow'! Thank you, Replacements.com ... not sure how I missed that before. *at last*