Sunday, November 24, 2013

Thankfulness

I'm having a crowd for Thanksgiving.  Yea!!
I come from a huge family, so a crowd is pretty standard.  You could call us the large loud family.  At gatherings we all talk at once and over each other.   Surprisingly, we pretty much get our info across and get the gist of most of the multiple conversations.   I guess it's just years of exposure, but we hardly notice the noise level.  New guests are a little more sensitive though.  My three sisters and I all share the same story about when we brought our future husbands to their first family get together.  Each one of them had to leave the room and take an outside break from the noise and commotion.  My husband actually said that he wanted to go outdoors for a few moments.  This was in bitter cold Pennsylvania winter weather.  So funny now, but not then.

Well, this gathering will not be any different.  I have to say though that where there's a lotta talkin' goin' on there are also a lotta spills and stains.  I've given up using fancy table coverings that are hard to clean.  We also talk with our hands, and those gestures cause some major mishaps too.

Good old Pinterest has come through again for me for the tablecloth dilemma.

Each Thanksgiving we actually stop talking before we eat and we each share what we are thankful for.
 Yes, only one person talks and everyone listens.  


Well how perfect is this?????  I have a huge roll of brown painters' paper.
 I'm going to cut placemat-size squares from the paper and put one at each place setting to catch
 all the spills--and record the thankfulness.   


Via Pinterest

And, have you ever checked the bins at Michaels??  I always find treasures.  These pencils are one of my favorite finds .  They come in all patterns--snakeskin, houndstooth, leopard.   I have enough for each guest to compose his/her thoughts.  You can really go wild when things are 12/$1.50.


I think I have the beginnings of my centerpiece.



I hope my family members will be as excited as I am about writing down their thoughts and sharing.
(Hopefully, I won't have to use so much Shout after this holiday either.)  


May your Thanksgiving be filled with fun, family, and friends.


Kathy







Sunday, November 17, 2013

Upholstery Before and After

I'm always amazed at what a little bit of imagination + some great fabric + a great work room can do for dated vintage furniture.  Here are my latest before and after transformations.  They made their debut in
 my room at the Design House at the Old Lucketts Store and were very well received.



This vintage wing chair had great bones. It traveled from Colonial Willamsburg to Mod with some houndstooth fabric and paint.







This vintage x bench was faded and sagging.  I added some high gloss paint to the base and modern geometric fabric.   It was tricky saving the original gold on the medallions and trim, but I did it.







There were fabulous legs on this bench, but also a lot of crud. It took me a while to scrape and sand off all the debris. It was the first sale of the day.  I painted the base gloss white also.  The fabric is by Duralee in an Ikat pattern.






So what have you transformed with fabric, paint, and elbow grease?

Kathy












Thursday, November 14, 2013

Vintage Finds, Holiday and Home Decor

It's only been two weeks since our last sale, but we've restocked, refreshed, and are ready again
 for another weekend of shopping at


Click on this image and it will take you to their website which is filled with finds from all the talented vendors.


Here are some sneaky peeks at what I'll have for sale.












































We can't forget that we haven't had Thanksgiving yet.



Hope to see you there.

Kathy


















































Tuesday, November 5, 2013

The Blue Hearth

Yes, I am so lucky to have yet another friend who is also an owner of a fabulous vintage shop,
 The Blue Hearth, in historic Poolesville, MD.   Karen and her business partner, Sandra, recently purchased and totally renovated the historic Dr. Poole House.  It's 6000 square feet of upscale vintage fabulousness.

Karen, co-owner, The Blue Hearth


The back of the home is just as lovely with a beautiful patio and a stone spring house.


Enjoy the images of the fabulous finds in this talented multi-vendor shop.


































For upscale vintage, please visit

 The Blue Hearth

Their once-a-month sale is the first full weekend of the month.
Friday and Saturday 10-5
Sunday 12-5

19964 Fisher Avenue
Poolesville, MD 20837
240 393-2499

Please visit their Facebook Page for more info, sale dates, and photos:

https://www.facebook.com/TheBlueHearth



Kathy



I've written about my other friends/shop owners before.  Make sure you visit and follow them too.

Sweet Clover Barn:  https://www.facebook.com/SweetCloverBarn

Rust and Feathers: https://www.facebook.com/rustandfeathers

Diamond Antiques: https://www.facebook.com/DiamondAntiques

Le Petit Marche: http://allaboutvignettes.blogspot.com/2012/07/le-petit-marche.html

The Old Lucketts Store and The Design House:   https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Old-Lucketts-Store/236064556414995