Happy Holidays everyone! It's such a busy time of year and my plate is spilling over with projects, shopping, decorating and all that goes with the holidays. But I've squeezed in a little cottage make-over time too :) I've made this post mostly pictures today as I'm heading out in a bit to watch my daughter sing at Barnes and Noble today. So I'll try not to talk too much and let the pictures do the talking. Kinda hard for me, lol, but a Moms gotta do what a Moms gotta do :) And I'm a proud Momma today ;)
The week was spent re-doing the living room after my new sofa finally arrived. The sofa is much deeper and higher than my other one and the old coffee table became dwarfed. So I searched for a new one and couldn't find the perfect one, so I decided to "add on" to my old one. It was a family antique, so I didn't want to see it go anyway. :)
Here's the before....
I took off the glass and the top frame, and then added planking of clear pine. I wanted soft wood so I could easily distress it myself. "Measure twice, cut once" is the golden rule here and it worked perfectly :)
Then we nailed it into the base of the old coffee table...
And added some rope trim to the sides with wood glue and a few finishing nails...followed by my hammer hitting it in few places, making tiny little marks and scratches to give it a nice distressed look....( if you click on the picture and make it bigger you can see them )
Then a few coats of creamy sugar cookie white and some antiquing stain, and it was done.
Here's the After pic....
( Oh wait, lol, and before I stained it, I sanded off some paint in various places too )
Now it's the perfect size, shape and height I needed ....
I had seen a coffee table with planking and knew that I had to have one, but I didn't want to pay $699 and up. So I did it all for $40.00. Now that's my kinda solid wood forever table! :)
I took some photos of my new sofa and I have to say, I've never loved a sofa more! I waited 2 years for a new one, and now I'm glad I held out! The name of the fabric is "Burlap Chenille", how perfect is that :)? But don't worry, lol, it isn't burlap in feel, it's a super soft Chenille that is velvet to the touch. It's "deep as pudding" as I said to Melanie and I just love it. I wish I had time this week to sit on it longer than a few minutes though :) Maybe next year lol....
I am waiting for some of the pillows to be delivered so I used my Design program to add them to the photo :)
Which one do you like best? With the french blue pillows OR without?? I saw them on a website but they were sold out, so I'm having my seamstress make them for me. If they are too much, they could end up in another room. I really adore mixing florals with the burlap , and as most of you know I have to have lots of color in my rooms, but I'm still deciding on the blue or not :)
sooo , here's a pic "with" the french blue pillows....
and here's one without...
I think I went pillow crazy because the sofa is light , so I picked these up below also. I can always put them on another chair or something, but the one with the watering can just spoke to me... I've had the other one for awhile now and just adore it, now it has a few sisters to hang with ;)
Thanks girls, your opinions will be so appreciated!
On to a few more things before I have to run.....In my travels as I was shopping for Christmas gifts, I ran into the "Dollar store" near my house for some ribbon and I saw this cake plate ( below ) on the shelf and had that *GASP* gotta have it moment. But there's a "lesson" in what happened next..... It's not a "deep" one, lol, just a simple " I will remember that next time" kinda thing. Anyway, to keep it short, I paid $14.99 for it and thought that was a steal! It's made of glass and the light makes it look like crystal , so I really loved it. I bought it assuming I would never find it again anywhere cheaper. Well, off to Bed Bath and Beyond I went for some other holiday shopping and you know what? It was there too, and not only that, but it was the exact same one and it was $9.99.!! argh... Little lesson: Next time , look around , never assume anything ;)
And of course I spent some time this week making my Miniatures... So often when I'm making things I say to myself: I want this is big girl form :)...... and If I do that with everything I make, I will be a very happy person. That means that I love what I do , and for that, I am so grateful ....and for all of you who have purchased from my Etsy store, I am so thankful to you! You've allowed me to do what I love and turn a hobby into a true passion of mine.
Thank you for loving them as much as I do making them!
Ok, on to Christmas decor.... My Mom gave me these beautiful Crystal icicles this year and she and I and Melanie decorated the tree together, 3 generations of women spending the day, what a wonderful way to spend the holidays!
And my little collection of Santa's are on the mantel , waiting for the real Santa to come :)
A few Christmas ornaments on a plate and I was done..
And one final little touch... A quilted glass candle...
Whew! I made it, I am off and running, but I cannot go without telling you all how much you mean to me and how much I wish you blessings beyond belief during this Christmas and Holiday season!
Oh my, I am totally serious, just as I am typing this, we are getting our first flurries! How beautiful!
I have to say, I think of my Father every day and miss him so much, this will be my first Christmas with out him. But each time I see a blessing, he is the first one I think of. Thank you for the snow Daddy, I love you!Happy Holidays every one!!
Love,
Cynthia xo
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and Holiday! We are knee deep ( opps + a few ) in snow! So what does one do when you're snowed in? Well, for me, it's mini making :) I cleaned up the house, put away the decorations ( yes, a bit early, but they were up the day after Thanksgiving lol ) and set myself down for a few days of creating....
Each shelf was pure bliss...
I create and then think to myself, can I have a room in my house that instead of being called a Pantry, was instead called: The hutch room?
