Thrift Shop Thursday

Look what I found at Goodwill the other day.

I know you are questioning my judgement at this point, and to be honest I thought it was a little ugly too, but it was the right size and I thought it might work. You have to have an open mind if you venture into thrifting.

Doesn't everyone want a "vintage" burlap shade? 
Guess not.

For $3.99, it was worth a try, really it's not that bad.

Yep, I knew it, a perfect fit, but something is missing.

A little bit of grosgrain ribbon makes all the difference, suddenly it doesn't look like it belongs in the trash. 

TA-DA!!!

She's looking good, but has to get out of that Monroe Bisque room, it does nothing for her. 

                          HAPPY THRIFTING!

What Color Is The Wallpaper?

In the midst of redoing a master bath I decided wallpaper might be nice.  It had to be geometric, probably a trellis, and most of the ones I liked I couldn't afford, so it was off to discount land on the internet.

Since I have not decided what color the bedroom will be, I was pretty open as to the wallpaper color, as long as it was light and airy and of course my tried and true trellis.

I found one I liked, it sort of looked like one of the very expensive ones I had seen, and would work just fine for the bath. Here is the photo on the discount website I chose. 

Yellow, Right?  That is what it looked like and that is what the sales lady said it was.  Not my favorite, but I can live with yellow and I love the bamboo trellis.

Of course I did some investigating and found this paper was from York, and originally cost $47.00 a single roll, much less than the good stuff, but still more than I wanted to pay.

I was thrilled, to say the least, to find that my discount website had it for $5.67 a single roll, now that I can handle.

I ordered seven double rolls immediately and couldn't wait for it to arrive.

UH OH!!!!!

This is what I received.

That's not yellow it's green.  But let me tell you it is a really nice green, sophisticated and sharp, sort of like me, hahaha.

Of course I kept my ridiculously inexpensive wallpaper and am now playing with colors for the adjacent bedroom. First thing that came to my mind, coral.

I thinks it is great with the green, perhaps with white window treatments and duvet.  Something to think about. 

Stay tuned, someday that bedroom will get it's fresh coat of Coral, or maybe Blue, or Whatever, and you will be the first to know!

                         

Thrift Shop Thursday

Oh how I love a thrift shop.  You just never know what treasure you might find.  I have been thrifting for years, in fact, my mother used to find my Christmas church outfit while volunteering at the Darien Thrift Shop.  I can vividly remember a pair of red MaryJanes and a dark green plaid coat with a velvet collar and a matching hat, sort of like you made out of newspaper when you were a kid, with a grosgrain ribbon trailing from it's back. Yep, I was a fashion icon at five!

Back to the present.  Here in central Maine I do not have a whole lot to pick from, Goodwill is really it.  But that's okay, if you pop in often enough you are bound to spot something.

One of my latest  (and I think greatest) finds is a rather tall, rather wonderful lamp.

I am doing over a master bedroom and this is just perfect.  I love WHITE, as many of you already know.

So I just had to know what kind of a bargain I had found.  Well, well, well, the same exact lamp was on One Kings Lane from a shop called Behind The Orange Door, the sale had ended so there was no price.

Thankfully, the nice ladies at Behind The Orange Door  were more than happy to tell me what a wonderful piece it was and that they would be delighted to sell one to me for $249.00.  I politely refused their kind offer.

Here they are, I get such a kick out of this.

It is the same lamp, from top to bottom.  The only difference is that the one on the top was $7.99 and the one on the bottom $249.00.  I am not a math whiz, but even I know, mine was a steal!

                          HAPPY THRIFTING!





                             

A Cabin in the Woods

I wrote this four years ago, not much as changed 'cept we're all much cuter now.😀


We met in 1968, yep 1968. It was a tea in Greenwich, Ct., how lovely. A tea for incoming freshman on their way to Centenary College for Women (since then they've dropped the women part).

Now in 2012, we meet once again for our annual stay at a cabin in the woods.

Wine, Vodka, Lemons, Limes, Ice, Chocolate Cake, Pasta Salad, Scrabble? Check, check, check, check, check, check, check, check...we're ready to go!




Park the car, down a hill, through the woods,

on to the dock, our chariot awaits!

Across the lake,

to another dock,

up a hill, and we've made it!

Away from it all. We talk and eat and talk and drink and talk and talk and talk. We're young again. Forget the parade of pills and vitamins lined up along the kitchen counter, the sleeveless tops that grew three quarter length sleeves and the readers that play hide and seek with us. We're a lively trio.

We solve the problems of the world. Boat, V, or round? Necklines, of course. Short, chin or shoulder? That would be hair. And, boot, straight, or skinny? You guessed it, jeans!




The time together has gone too fast, just as the years have.

Back to our lives in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, knowing next year we will meet once again at the cabin in the woods!

 

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I Like Peonies

Peonies are one of my favorite flowers.  I wait all spring for them to bloom. 

Once they open, amazing.

I mean, is there anything prettier?  Never mind the aroma.  

And then it POURS.  I know you can stake them, but I don't, and never will, so it's a mad dash to save what I can.

In they come,  on the dining room table . . .

and in the front hall at the bottom of the stairs . . .

There is not a candle, spray, or anything else that  can compete with the natural scent of a peony!  The house 
smells delightful!

Happy gardening!

It's Porch Season in Hallowell, Maine

Living in Maine, summer cannot come too soon, and for me, summer is porch season!  Our house is in the center of town so rarely do we sit on our porch without a greeting from a passerby or a visit from a neighborly friend.

That's last year's photo. the pink petunias did not fare well so this year it's Boston ferns all the way.

The porch is very similar to last year, the Target table cloth (although a bit faded) and matching piece on the love seat.  Changed the pillows, pink last year because of the petunias, and added a few new additions from Goodwill and Christmas Tree.

The little bentwoodish chairs were $1.99 at Goodwill.  They must have come from a restaurant because they are very sturdy!  I found an outdoor window panel at Christmas Tree Shop $9.99 and the stripes bring in a little blue which is good, (you'll see why later), and they won't fade!

I always paint everything on the porch one color, wicker, wood, metal, anything, ties it all together, been high gloss black for a few years.  I do spray paint almost anything that is not moving.  Hobie, our yellow lab, knows only too well not to come behind the barn when he smells spray paint!  Amy, our daughter, found me the little yellow dish while we were at a flea market in Brussels, a euro or two, but priceless to me!

The red lacquer tray is also from Goodwill, don't remember how much, but you know me, it couldn't have been more than a couple of dollars.  The footstool was $5.00 at a yard sale .  This year red seemed to be my color so I just ran around the house collecting pillows and accessories in red and then added some yellow!

The addition of some really fake "oriental" pottery, again from Goodwill years ago adds some new depth the my very old wicker love seat!

The far end of the porch is pretty much clear since it is a major thoroughfare to the back door which is in constant use.  The chaise gets the last ounce of sun at the end of the day and is usually reserved for me!

And this is why I was so glad to see the blue stripe in the panel I cut up to cover pieces on the front porch. Guess you'd call it my transition color. This little enclosed porch has a door to the front porch, a door to our mini pocket garden and also leads to our back door so it cannot be filled with much.  Basically, it is a place to sit and change into my walking/running shoes and sometimes set up a small table with drinks and appetizers, but it has to look nice cuz I am in and out a hundred times a day!

Lastly, I leave you with a bit of advice from where else but Goodwill.

It sits on the little blue table...am I getting just a wee bit tacky in my old age?