Memorial Day and the Start of BBQ's and Picnics

For me, Memorial Day weekend has always marked the beginning of the outdoor season and that includes a lot of BBQ's and picnics!  I am currently getting our patio ready for the good times to come and hoping for good weather and great company of family and friends.

Large Rustic American Flag

This is a collection of items for picnics and barbecues with an Americana flair.  You can find all of these (and more) on Etsy and if it's too late to get them for Memorial Day, you could have them for the 4th of July or your next get-together.

Decorations are a fun way to get a festive feel to your party.




Beautiful Bunting Handmade Red and White








The table is where I spend most of my effort.  Great items here that I would love to have on my patio table this summer!

Vintage Glass Pitcher with Matching Glasses

Darling Vintage Barrel Style Relish Dish Jar

Star Spangled Red, White and Blue Cloth Napkins

Vintage Red and White Check Metal Bowl






And you need a place for family and friends to sit back, relax, and share stories.  These vintage chairs are great for that!

I adore the vintage feel of this handmade apron - beautiful and fun details.  You have to keep your cute outfit clean!

The little ones need something cute to wear too and this pillowcase dress looks so comfortable as well.

And for the activities...croquet anyone?  I grew up playing croquet and my kids love it too.

Wishing All a fun summer with friends and family!

Before and After Projects

I enjoy seeing before and after pictures of projects and sharing my own.  I have posted quite a few on my blog and here are a few recent projects of mine. 

I recently received this well-loved and well-used, but very sturdy child's rocking chair from a family member.  The paint was worn and since white gets dirty easily (especially with kids), I thought I'd try something else.

I had just bought this pale chartreuse green color and wanted to try it on something.  A great, gender-neutral color for kids, I decided to use it on this chair.  I love how it turned out and decided to keep it for my daughter's room.  

Previously, she had this white wicker rocker which had seen better days.  I don't have a before shot of this one, but this is how it looks now, after a new coat of paint.  I am selling this one locally.

Another piece I am selling locally, but don't have a before shot of, is this vintage telephone gossip bench that I painted black.  It took a lot of sanding, but was well worth it in the end.  I wish I had a place for it because I would keep it!

The last one is a smaller piece which I am selling in my online shop. It started out as raw wood with a couple of spots on it.  

This shelf was screaming at me to be pink with that cute heart-shaped flower cut-out.  So pink it is!

I am constantly working on new projects, so keep checking back for more Before and After posts.

Time for that Summer Dress!

The weather is getting warmer and it's time to start looking for that summer dress to keep you cool in the heat.  Not only is this a collection of great summer dresses.  They are all under $30!

White is classic for summer - go for this flowy dress...

Or this long white dress...

Perhaps you want a little color...

Or a more colorful vintage dress...

I love this romantic, upcycled dress...

Here's one for special events...

And finally, a pretty strapless dress.

 So many to choose from - happy shopping!

Old Wood Framed Windows

Anyone else have a stack of old wood framed windows laying around?  If you're like me, you have a pile of good intentions, but maybe don't have the "Aha!" idea that gets you moving on a project.  Well do I have some ideas for you!  I love making something new out of something old - a new piece with history that is unique.
 

Some ideas are so simple.  I took one window and simply hung it on a wall in my daughter's room across from the one window in her room.  I am yet undecided about whether I will put pictures of flowers in the glass or floral stick-ons maybe.  (Her room has floral decor.)  By itself looks fine too, so there it is - as simple as just hanging it!

Here's a decorated window from growingpanesdecor on Etsy.  The extra touches add a lot! 

I am amazed at the talent of people like preciouspages on Etsy.  This window has been turned into a real work of art...and it's being sold for charity!


Another idea...
I found this window at my local Habitat for Humanity ReStore for $5.00 - that's right, $5.00!  I bought some decorative L-brackets ($20 for four) and painted them to give them an old, patina look, and then put them onto the window with some old salvaged wood I had sitting around. 

We hung this window shelf above the stove to serve as a spice rack, but it clearly holds much more!  *If you do this, be sure to secure it with screw into studs.  You don't want this to fall.

Another fun and creative idea is this Chalkboard Organizer from adropinthebucket on Etsy.  I don't think I ever would have thought of this - what a great idea!

A few more ideas for using old windows for which you can find how-to steps online:

• greenhouse
• mirror (replace broken panes with mirror)
• space divider
• table top (just add legs)
• pot rack
• hanging candle holder
• cupboard
• backdrop in the garden
• garden vine support (if glass is missing)
• tray (smaller windows)

There are so many ideas.  The hard part is choosing which one you want to do. 

A Fun Sale of Upcycled Treasures

This past weekend I joined several talented ladies from my town to hold a very fun sale.  We had upcycled treasures for the home: decor, furniture, functional art...  We also had upcycled bags and jewelry and a popular baker. 

As people perused the treasures, they enjoyed coffee and vintage records playing swing and jazz music.  It was a warm, sunny weekend, perfect for an afternoon shopping outdoors.  It was a fun time for all!

Everyone loved the feeding their "sweet tooth" with these beautiful and delicious cupcakes from Bittersweet Baking who also does cookies and cake.

Calusa Studio had her artisan jewelry which is simple, beautiful, and stylish with expert attention to detail and craftsmanship. She will soon be opening a shop on Etsy!

Charmed by Jessica, who hosted the sale, has fun designs and creative moveable jewelry.  She is very talented and also does this amazing art which was admired by all!
 

Vintage jewelry is always fun to look through and Northwest Nest provided some great treasures. 

A brand new Etsy shop to open within days is Potent Totables which will be full of upcycled bags - lined and unlined bags made from upcycled fabric, most of which is vintage.

And of course I was there with items from my shop ShabbyNChic - vintage, paper goods, and cottage style home decor.

A few of us also do large pieces, including Sarah of Honeybee Boutique, so we were able to have a wonderful variety of furniture at the sale - some of them were almost more art than furniture!

If you are in the area and you missed this one, I hope you can make it to the next sale.  If you are not in the area, I hope you enjoy the pictures and can at least imagine the fun!