A beautiful home tour

Today I want to share a beautiful home with you. It is the home of Maria at http://vintagesimplehome.blogspot.com/

You may have seen her home showcased if you have visited

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/02/sneak-peek-maria-garuti-of-vintage-simple.html

Or maybe you stop by her blog daily. In any case, she has wonderful style and uses white and wood tones wonderfully. The color, textures and her attention to detail make each room a serene and inviting place to be.

Here is a pic of her living room which is at the front of the home.

photo by Maria of Vintage Simple

I love the warm color she has on the walls and the beadboard at the entrace is just beautiful. Here is another photo of the living room from a different angle. Don't you just love the character of this house? Look at that lovely arch.

photo by Maria of Vintage Simple

Look a the wide moldings at the bottom and the beautiful wood floors. See that coffee table there? That was a curbside side find that she gave a little love to. I think it looks lovely. Love the white with the stained top.

Take at look at this bathroom remodel she and her hubby did. They gutted this bathroom so that they could update it. Previously it was pink and very dated.

photo by Maria of Vintage Simple

We see more beadboard again. Love it and look at that ceiling! The tin is so unexpected but looks right at home in this room. I have always been a fan of subway tile and tub area as well as the flooring look beautiful.

I will leave you with a pic of one of the most ingenious ideas for rehabbing their house below. Raise your hand if you can't stand those ugly builder grade bifold doors on closets.... Um , yeah, that would be me. Take a look at what they did with theirs so that they would be in keeping with the style they were going for in their home.

photo by Maria of Vintage Simple

I absolutely love it! She actually shares how they achieved this look on her blog.



I encourage you to stop by and say "hello" to Maria and read about the story of her home on her sidebar . Not many of us know the history of our homes, but she does.

Maria, you are a decorating inspiration for me. I will be moving this summer and this look you have in your home is something that I am going for. It says, "Come on in and stay a while." As I get older I am finding it's all about the "casual ease" of decorating and living. Simple, yet elegant.


A big thank you to Maria for letting me take you on a tour of her lovely home.Pin It Now!

MOVING....

We are moving and it's been a little crazy here.

Spent the whole weekend cleaning out, moving and throwing out stuff in our basement. It became our storage unit the past 4 years we lived here ,so needless to say it was looking a mess. LOL, that's an understatment. No need for a pic for that.

I have lots of projects I have talked about doing here that I seriously have to get on the stick and get them done. We really want to put the house on the market within the next two weeks. So, if I you don't see me posting this is why.

Immediate projects on the to do list are:

Drop cloth curtains for dining room and family room

roman shades for master bedroom and bath.

paint laundry room

paint wood foyer piece

staging the bedrooms and the rest of the house.

Keep us in prayer we will be able to sell. The housing market is still not doing well in our area.Pin It Now!

Some Linky Love for you today

Hi there!
It's snowing here. Yay! It's so beautiful.

I have some projects in the works, but in the meantime I have some linky love for you.

Go checkout

http://thediyshowoff.blogspot.com/2010/02/diy-beadboard-frames.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FpuSM+%28The+DIY+Show+Off%29

Ronda from

http://lesrondabatchelor.blogspot.com/

has a great tutorial that they are featuring.

You will also want to check out the fabulous DIY banquette over at

http://www.inmyownstyle.com/inmyownstyle/2010/02/howto-make-a-kitchen-banquette.html


and then head on over to

http://poshpieces.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-nest-pillow-pottery-barn-look-alike.html


for a PB pillow knockoff.

Have a great day!Pin It Now!

It's National Pie Month....

No, wait, it's National Soup month.....LOL, who thinks all of this stuff up???

In the spirit of both, I have a link for you to whet your appetite .

First up is a recipe for Chocolate Pie. I know, aren't you just salivating at reading that??? I love Chocolate Pie. When we lived in NC we ate Chocolate Pie at a local place in town and when we moved away I was never able to duplicate or find it anywhere. Until now! Y'all, have to check out Tina over at
http://www.mommyskitchen.net/2009/11/old-fashioned-chocolate-pie-for.html


She not only has this wonderful chocolate pie recipe, but many others.


Next up is Serena. You might of seen this book. I had the pleasure of reading through this book recently. Lots of great recipes and wonderful eye candy. She and Teri share their stories of growing up. There are a few ideas and directions for projects as well. My fave recipe in the whole book is the Turkey and Wild Rice soup recipe that Serena shared. You have to try it. It's a keeper. You will also have to to either check this book out at the library or purchase it to get the recipe. Sorry for the tease. I don't want to overstep any copyrights here. It truly is a delicious soup and it's a tried and true recipe. These kind of recipes happen to be my favorite because I know when I follow the recipe it will taste delicious.
So, there you have it! Now go make some soup and pie!Pin It Now!

Home Decor Inspiration from blogland..

When last years Pottery Barn catalog came out I fell in love with those subway wall art signs. They had different kinds with different names of streets of a certain town. There was another one that had a hand pointing on it with verbage. They were very cool. Here is one similiar from art style.I tried to think of a way I could make them myself cause there was no way the hubs was letting me spend that kind of money on something decorative...and rightfully so. Well, I ran ways to make it in my head, but they weren't efficient or even do able. I have since been surfing in the wonderful world of blogland and I am hear to tell you that two wonderfully creative ladies have been gracious enough to share how they did it. Each one gives step-by-step directions with great pics to go along with it. So, if you are wanting some DIY art to display in your home give their links a read.

Check out Ashley's version over at http://lilblueboo.blogspot.com/2010/01/resolutions-subway-art-tutorial.html

Here is Susie's version from http://susieharrisblog.com/2010/01/i-amdiy.html


Happy Decorating!Pin It Now!

Inspiration for home decor

I was taking a stroll through at Homegoods today to get "inspired." I came across some things that I liked, but couldn't buy. You know, just window shopping and getting inspired. I did see a very cool fabric basket that I would like to make and so hopefully I can share that with you next week.

One other thing I saw were these. I thought, "How cool!" Forget painting your own chalkboard. Look at this. It's peel and stick. You can't get anymore instantly gratified than that.

photos: Wallies

Right next to it was this.

I am all about instant gratification with a project. I might use these in the future.

Loving this light fixture from http://www.sturbridgeyankee.com/fort-hill-pendant/p/41968/ I would love to hang it over my sink in my kitchen.

They have some great linens too. I love the the simpleness of this star quilt with the pop of red on the white.

I have always liked white enamelware with the black on the rims as an accent. Loving this tissue, tp holder.

I finally acquired all the materials necessary to make the roman blinds in our master bath. Hopefully I can get to that in the next week or so. Once I do, I will post pics to share with you all.

Have a great weekend.

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It's GIVEAWAT time again....

Hop on over to Traci's blog





She is having a wonderful giveaway sponsored by Dee from





If you haven't seen any of her work, you must click on her link and check it out. It is beautiful !

The giveaway ends at midnight (EST) on Thursday, Jan. 21st.
The winner will announced on Friday, Jan. 22nd.

Good luck everyone!Pin It Now!

Give HOPE to the HAITIANS

Hi there!

Hope you are having a wonderful day so far.

I don't have much to post today because I have company coming in town this weekend. So, have to get groceries, clean, etc. Not much time for playing on the computer.

First off, I just wanted to touch on what has happened in Haiti this week with the earthquake. Such devastation. So many people without shelter, food, etc. We need to pray for these people and give them HOPE. I have been reading articles all over the web and listenening to the radio and it seems right now, the best way to help is by sending in donations to well known agencies that can provide for these folks in a quick manor. If you feel so led to donate monetarily to this cause, here is a link for you:

http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/helpicrc

Also, check with your local church. Our international mission board is collecting donations from Chicagoland area churches to help .

Keep the Haitian people in your prayers.

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Traveling and photogrpaphy..

Back in November we headed back east to attend a family wedding and visit with family. We drove through a lot of states and logged many miles. I have some photos to share with you and maybe a story or two.

We headed to Florida for the wedding where we enjoyed sunny, beautiful warm weather and got totally spoiled. You see after we attended the wedding We drove to the Eastern Shore of Maryland where it was quite chilly and then from there we headed to Baltimore where it was equally as chilly.

As we drove through North Carolina we were enjoying the tunes from our CD and the good driving weather when we saw this from the highway.


Now, just seeing this might not mean a thing to you. I should of taken a pic of the building to the right of this shot. There was a banner across the building reading "FREE FABRIC" and underneath that said "FABRIC OUTLET." Well, I jokingly said to the hubs, "We have to stop and check it out." To which my fellow partner in crime..(my daughter) said, "Yeah Dad, we have to stop." Mind you I was just kidding around because I knew he wasn't interested in stopping. Daughter on the other hand was serious. Well, imagine my surprise when he took the exit and we went in and scoped out the fabric. The hubs even came in and rummaged through the free fabric bin with the daughter and me too. I couldn't believe it. He was a total sweetheart for stopping and rummaging. Gott love it when they indulge us ladies. Unfortunately the free fabric bin was all dark upholstery weight fabrics. Nothing i was interested in. I did however find some gorgeous fabric to make the roman blinds for our master bath. So stay tuned for that. By the way, this store is in Burlington, NC. If anyone wants the address or phone number or website, drop me an email and I will be happy to share.

One of our other stops was the Billy Graham Museum and Library. Wow, is all I can say. If you live in driving distance of this or will be driving through Charlotte, NC this is a great place to stop. Growing up I knew Billy Graham's name, but never knew the impact he had on so many people or what a powerful speaker he was. It was an absolute privilege to tour the grounds and library to learn more about him and how he brought hope to so many people.

Their home resides here on this property. It wasn't originally built here. It actually was built a couple of miles away from this site. The docent shared with us that it also resided in another spot as well and that the house had been moved twice before it resided at this property.
I love old homes. They have so much character. The hardware , the moldings and you gotta love old kitchens. So simple. No frills. All functionality. I have to admit though, Ruth Graham's kitchen all the functional looks quite charming. Here is a pic of the hardware on the kitchen door. I love old glass door knobs as well as old porcelain ones.


Below you will see a rocker in one of the rooms. I also have a love for anything homemade. I love crocheted blankets and this pattern especially is one of my faves. I think it is called the ripple. It's one pattern I haven't been able to learn. It's on my list though. I hope to make one this winter.




Here is a pic of Ruth's charming kitchen.



and on the other side more cabinetry and the ice box.



Look at these. I love this staircase. I hope to live in an old home someday that has beautiful character and attention to detail in the moldings and hardware.

To the right of this was a barn, and it wasn't just any barn. Take a look. I thought this was so cool. Inside here is a walking tour and a gift shop. It was beautifully dressed for their upcoming Christmas tour with lights and tall Christmas trees. I couldn't get a good pic on the inside. The photos kept coming out dark.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit here. Walking through the museum and looking at the different exhibits and reading about Billy's life led me to reflect on my own. In 2010, I hope to be a better disciple and better witness for the Lord.

I will leave you with one last photo.

Later in the week I will share with you another stop we made while in Maryland. Its' the B & O railroad museum in Ellicott City, Maryland.

Have a blessed day.

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Good things come in small packages

I had to show you this beautifully wrapped box I received for Christmas. Actually, there were lots of them wrapped just like this one wrapped in a big box wrapped just like this one. I love pineapples; so this little added touch made me squeal.

And here is the lovely pineapple that was added on.

Inside of all these boxes was this! Williams-Sonoma everyday dinnerware. They were having a sale and I have been wanting some white dishes that can go in the dishwasher, micro and oven for a while now. I hinted to the hubs and surprised me with them on Christmas.

Our meals look so much more appetizing on the white plates. We use them everday and I have washed them in the dishwasher and by hand and they are holding up great.

On a side note, I went thrifting today. Well, actually I had a trunk and backseat load of stuff to take to Goodwill. I thought while I was there I would look around and see if I could find a dress for an upcoming evening event we wil be going to. But, I didn't have any luck there.

I did however find a cream cardigan with Mother of Pearl buttons on it. Love that little detail. I also saw this handpump for lotion or soap and I thought to myself as I looked at it that it looked like a Longaberger piece. Sure enough, it was! I got the Longaberger lotion/soap pump for 99 cents! Can you believe that??? I had to casually scoop it up and walk quickly to the register. For $8.00 I was a happy camper.

We have a bigger Goodwill about 25 minutes north of us. I am hoping to go there later this week and see what goodies I can find there.

I will share more later in the week.
Have a blessed day!

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