Purple spring table

LWell I am finally back and trying to get a post written after a long winter with some bumps in the road of life!

This spring I was longing for the spring purple of lilacs and hydrangea!

So here is my Tablescape done in purple hues with green and cream accents.

I default to this cream tablecloth whenever I don't have one that suits the tablescape colour I am trying to put together. I will then often add a napkin in the Center to draw some of the colour into the middle of the tablecloth.....it seems to help ground the look of the whole thing as well as adding another layer.

These plates I found at an antique store and fell in love with them at first sight. The purple-ish/pinky colour won me over. I also love the way they tinted the China with the green on the edges to give it a hand painted look even though the flowers are not hand painted.

My girlfriend gave me he lacy Pier 1 plates for my birthday this year......sooooo in love with those!

The square plates were from Home Goods.

The stack of plates looked cute with a small pedestal dish on top waiting for some fresh fruit.....maybe blueberries to go with the colour scheme!

The little birdcages I found at Michael's for $1.50 each.....who could resist them? Not me!

I grounded them visually by putting a round circle of brown paper in the bottom of the birdcage and then put a little piece of purple hydrangea inside.

The plates also looked cute with the little birdcage on top......I also had it that way for a while.

The purple goblets were from Home Sense a couple of years ago.

Salt and pepper birds are Pier 1.

I was so excited when I found this little vase at a local thrift store. I recognized the style of painting immediately. 

It was hand painted by my girlfriends aunt who passed away only a couple of years ago at the age of 94..... And she was still travelling and painting! 

I want to be just like Aunt Dorothy when I grow up!

A little glass cup used as a spooner.....thrifted!

Beautiful linen napkins were from Chapters last year at the end of the summer when they were on clearance.

Love that I found this sage green jug just a few weeks ago at Value Village.....I knew it was the perfect colour for this tablescape.

Glass,cream and sugar were from an antique store for $6.

Thanks for stopping by to see the purple lovliness!

Karen

Oak Leaves and Acorns

For October I wanted a table that was mostly oak tree inspired. 

I already had several "acorn" things.....but on a trip over to Buffalo in September I found an oak leaf table runner .......I was thrilled.

This runner was from Marshalls.

Tablecloth, goblets and mugs were all Thrift store finds.

The napkins were Home Sense and the napkin rings were from Kohl's.

The name card holders were from Home Sense a couple of years ago. Then I printed off the names on the computer, punched the top two corners with a corner punch, added some stamping in red (Adirondack Cranberry) and tan (Adirondack Latte) and then scuffed the edges of it with a darker brown. (Adirondack Mushroom)

On the two ends I let the runner be the place mat....but on the sides I used a round gold/yellow placemat.

The small plates and bowls were from Home Sense.

The orange round plates were a thrift store find but originally Pier 1. (Sorry about the glare.)

The Square green ones were Pier 1.

I do have a set of white salt and pepper acorns that I got from Target this year but thought they looked a little too stark with the fall colours. So I used a pumpkin set that I got a few years back at 

Home Sense.

The centerpiece was a simple Asperagus fern that I used in my last Tablescape but I added a small brown pedestal dish with some faux acorns and three brown apothecary jars. Sometimes I like very simple.

I love the way the oak leaves trail their way down the table peaking out from underneath of the the centerpiece objects. You can almost feel the cool October breeze blowing them across the table.

My menu for this lunch was inspired by pumpkin! 

The starter soup was cauliflower Cheddar....the only non pumpkin addition! But I served it out of my Peir 1 pumpkin soup tureen. (Which I found a few years ago at a Thrift Store for $6.99!)

Then we had a Fall Roasted Vegetable salad with a Pumpkin Vinaigrette

Pumpkin Lasagne (Food Network...Robert Irvine)

Pumpkin Roll Cake with cream cheese filling

Thanks for stopping by to see the Acorns and Oak leaves!

:-)

Karen

The coffee bar dream

"While looking around the Internet one day I found a beautiful coffee bar at Junk Chic Cottage.

Kris did an awesome job making her coffee bar complete with chalk board.

I was so inspired I just knew I had to make a coffee bar some where in my house! I had wanted to do one for a while....two of my daughters have had one for a few years.....but I just didn't know where to do it.

After seeing Kris's there had to be a way. So I cleaned out a spot in the tiny room off of my kitchen in preparation. My husband came home that night and asked if we were expecting a new piece of furniture. I replied that I was going to do a coffee bar there but needed to find just the right size dresser to do it.

A couple of days later I was explaining to my neighbour what I wanted to do and that I was looking for a small dresser That had some really cute detail including some pretty legs....I had visions of Kris's jcc coffee bar dancing in my head! Next thing I knew she was offering me a dresser out of her attic that she would be glad to be rid of....she wouldn't even take any money for it!

Now it did not have the pretty legs I was looking for but for the spot I needed it; it was the perfect size.

And i loved the shape of the top and the skirt.

This was a Thursday and by the end of the weekend it was chalk painted, distressed and waxed and ready to be put in place.

Here are before and after pictures.....

The top of it was in pretty bad shape so I did not feel bad that I was painting it. I love the all white that Kris has but most of the stuff in my place is the shabby cream look so in keeping with that trend....

I really wanted glass knobs for the top drawers but the place I went to did not have any that were big enough so I just got something that matched the cup pulls I bought. If I find the glass knobs later I will just switch them out.

The next purchase I had to make was to buy a new tea kettle...the kind with a detachable base and a coffee maker. In the 18 years we have been at this house we've not had a coffee maker....our house is old and the kitchen is very small....no counter space for it. 

So now with a spot designated specifically for it I can have one. :-)

I bought a chicken wire basket for underneath of the cupboard and dragged up an old crock from the basement that was my grandmothers. 

The empty space under the cabinet is for my two large mixing bowls. They are pottery and kind of heavy so it is awesome to just be able to grab them from under there when I need them. The photo below shows the bowls under it.

Next the plan was to have some lovely shelves above the dresser but this tiny room also has two cupboards with shelves in them so I wasn't sure the shelf thing was going to work. 

I got my husband to cut them but when I tried holding them up over it I knew I was right.....confirmed by my friend Cathy!

That same day when I was out I found a small cupboard at a thrift store....I picked it up thinking my daughter would like it ........but when I dragged it home and tried it over the dresser I knew it was just the right scale and look for over the coffee bar.

I removed the mirror that was in the little door and got my husband to put in chicken wire after I was done giving it the same treatment as the dresser.

We hung the cupboard off Center over the dresser so that It did not interfere with the coffee maker.

Then I hung two salad plates beside it to balance it out. My plan is to change the plates seasonally. I love that I can do all plain white or add colour to the little cupboard. 

The small apothecary jars are from the dollar store and I have different tea in them. I made the labels on the computer...stamped the little flowers in the Center and used some scrapbooking paper to make a belly band.

I will probably try to do some labels that match the plates a little better. I made these ones several years ago.

A closer view of the things I put on top of the coffee bar. I had the straws....bought at Target....out for Thanksgiving with individual milk bottles for beverages. 

I made these little tags by printing them off on the computer.....die cutting them & stamping them with chicken wire and paint splotches. Then I added a metal eyelet to the top and tied them on to the bottles with thin hemp string.

Thanks so much Kris for the inspiration....although my coffee bar looks nothing like yours....I am so happy with it and I smile every morning when I get up and make myself a coffee at it! 

It will also reduce traffic in the kitchen at holiday times and special occasions when people want a coffee or tea. 

We have four grown children two are married and the other two have significant others. We have two little granddaughters with another little one on the way so with an ever expanding family this coffee bar will be awesome.

Hope you enjoyed a peek at my coffee bar,

Karen

Dutch Apple Tea

Dutch Apple Tea

4 cups boiling water

4 cups apple cider

1 regular tea bag

1 Vanilla Cinnamon Stash tea bag

1 small cinnamon stick

5 whole cloves

5 whole allspice buds

1/3-1/2 cup brown sugar 

Put everything into a small crock pot and stir to dissolve the sugar. 

You can adjust the amount of sugar depending on how sweet you like it.

Put crock pot on high. When it is hot it is ready to drink. 

If you want to speed up the process just do it in a pot on the stove. 

If you can't find the Vanilla Cinnamon Stash tea do it with just the regular tea bag and it is still good.

Enjoy!

The Best Oatmeal Ever

I got this recipe from a friend who had gotten it from a Bed and Breakfast she stayed at. I changed some things and totally love the results.

It is a baked oatmeal and the left overs are just as good warmed in the microwave. It has the toasty good flavour of granola....the chewy consistency of an oatmeal cookie. Mmmm bring on Fall!

Apple Pie Oatmeal

1/4 cup of butter, melted

1 cup of brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/4 cup milk

3 cups quick cooking oatmeal or large flake oatmeal

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 apples, peeled and cut into small pieces

Mix the wet ingredients together in a bowl and add the apple pieces. Dump the oatmeal on top of the wet ingredients but before you stir it in add the rest of the dry ingredients on top of the oatmeal. Stir the whole works together. Put into a 9".x 13" pan that has been sprayed with a non stick cooking spray.

Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Cut into 12 servings. 

Serve with milk.

I usually cut the recipe in half and bake it in a small pie plate. 

Pictured below is the pumpkin pie version ......which follows.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

2 tablespoons of butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/2 c pumpkin

1 1/2 cups oatmeal

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking powder

Combine the wet ingredients with the sugar and stir. Add the oatmeal and then the rest of the dry ingredients on top before stirring in the oatmeal. Spray a small pie plate with cooking spray and put the oatmeal in the dish.

Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

This is the smaller version......just double everything for a 9" x 13" pan.

 

Spare Bedroom

I took some photos a while back of the new Spare Bedroom and I am finally getting around to share them. I am so thrilled with how the bedroom turned out! I told my husband when we finished it that it was the most beautiful room I had ever decorated.......but I quickly changed it to "we" because I could never have done it with out all his hard work and expertise. Thanks Honey.....you're the best!

We started off with having to paint the walls a cream colour to get rid of the brown that was there originally. 

As I was trying to get the bedroom vacuumed and ready I was having to shove the bed around by myself to try and get it off of the area rug. What a chore that was!

A happy accident had me shoving the bed over on an angle in the corner so I could get part of the room vacuumed. I was instantly mesmerized by what it did for the look of the bed and I knew I just had to leave it like that and decorate the room around it!

You probably can't tell very well from the pictures but we brought the cream colour down the wall about 16" and added a piece of trim. 

The wallpaper starts from under the molding. A lovely pale green ticking stripe.

I found this shelf at a thrift store. It had shaker pegs on it and was stained. I got my husband to cut off the pegs and I chalk painted it, distressed and waxed it. Then bought new metal knobs for it and painted them to match the shelf.

I love the way the side brackets create a sweet little niche for the picture hung under the shelf.

The China on the shelf is very old....thrifted of course.

I found this frame at an antique store for $10.....it had a terrible picture in it that I removed and yes you guessed it, it got the same treatment as the shelf.

The smaller platter that hangs above it matches the dishes on the shelf.

This little table I had painted last fall. I always use the same cream coloured paint so no matter where I put something in the house it always matches.

These little China ballet shoes I also found at a thrift store. They mean a lot to me because I knew the lady who painted them. Pauline Johnson who has now passed away was a very talented China painter....I knew her from my old China painting days 20 years ago.

Pink and purple hued hydrangea in a lovely white pitcher.

This picture had a shiny gold frame and I was not liking it so I chalk painted that too.

My friend Liz says one day I will be shabby chic-ing the outside of my house! :-)

The wardrobe and bedside table were pieces that my husband made for me 25 years ago. They were pine and I painted them last fall. I love the look of the natural top.

Once again my Hubby comes to the rescue. I had these rustic cream coloured hooks that needed a shelf to be attached to. So I told him what I wanted and he obliged......with only a wee bit of grumbling!

:-)

Then I stained it first and did the chalk painting. I wanted to have the dark stain show through when I sanded the edges.

Puppy waits in a chalk painted basket for some cuddles!

The balloon curtain I made and the sheers were purchased at the thrift store!

Eyelet neck roll pillow......thrift store.

There are two things I need to complete my room. A cream coloured area rug and I want to replace the wooden chair in the corner with a small upholstered antique bedroom chair. I need to find one first!

:-)

Thanks for checking out my shabby chic room that now happily goes with my rag quilt!

Karen