Southern Whimsy

Sunny Yellow in A Girls Bath

2010-05-23T19:59:00.001-04:00

For this metamorphosis Monday I am happy to share a project done by a friend of mine. My friend is a talented Faux finisher in St. Petersberg Florida. She recently completed her daughters bathroom.

The bath before had great bones but needed some pizazz!

A sunny yellow was chosen for the walls. She also did a wonderful damask on the yellow in white. Black accents were added. Sometimes black and yellow can come across harsh but not this time. She kept the black light and fun by choosing elements like polka dot towels.

To dress up an otherwise bland shower stall she added a great Barley twist poll and fun curtain. Isn't this curtain great? It was purchased at Target then dressed up by sewing the yellow pom pom fringe on the lead side. I love it!

Carrying the damask pattern onto the ceiling creates even more interest.

As luck would have it she found the perfect bath mat at Target as well. It looks like it was made for the bath! Turquoise tiles along the perimeter of the bath add a third color of interest and she repeated this color in her art work.

I hope you enjoyed this project as much as I did. Thanks to my friend for her willingness to share! To find more wonderful transformations visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch

Have a Fabulous week!

"Won't You Join Me For Brunch Out On The Porch?"

2010-05-05T20:00:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone. Since I am still not up and about and my old self just yet.......I have plenty of time to dream about getting my porch and yard ready for Summer. With that in mind I thought I would bring back an old Tablescape Thursday to share. It is one of my personal favorites and it fits in with my yearning for time outdoors on my porch. Hope you enjoy it the second time around as much as you did the first. If this is your first time visiting this Tablescape....enjoy!

Welcome to another Tablescape Thursday. My second. Please join Susan at BetweenNapsonthePorch for more wonderful tables.

Come sit awhile. Would you like some tea?

Nothing evokes southern style more than spending time out on the porch in the spring. I have lived on my porch this week. Reading, lounging and dreaming about the improvements I want to make to it. I sit and admire my hydrangea bushes which are in full bloom. Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers, are they yours?

I mentioned before that tablescapes are not a regular thing for me. As it happens though, since I have been spending so much time on my porch I decided to invite a friend over for brunch. Where else but on the porch! I just had to clip some of those hydrangeas for my table. I placed them in a blue transferware pitcher and added a fun tassel. The little white birdie decided to fly off my shelf and join us too.

I love toile and I love transferware. I love how you can mix it up and it becomes even better than it was when all the pieces matched. That is just what I did for this table for two. I can't resist picking up a plate here and there. I never worry about finding what to do with it. I am a creature of color and pattern and I always seem to find a way to make things work together that I love. I placed a simple plain white table cloth on the table and then added a folded piece of blue toile across the top. I had this fabric left from a panel I had made for my last home. I knew I would use it again some day!

I have had these tea cups since we got married. Over the past 19 years some have gone the way of the trash after a drop or two. The same holds true for the saucers. That doesn't bother me though it just gives me the opportunity to mix in another saucer! This one if from the Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles collection.

I found this plate for $3 on the clearance aisle of HomeGoods awhile back. I love the pheasants. There was only one plate but I grabbed it!

These red Waverly plates were purchased years ago at Target. I originally bought them for the soffit area in the kitchen of my last home. They were displayed there for 3 years. Now I get to use them on my table. The pattern is Waverly Fruit Toile.

I mixed the pheasant salad plate with a Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles transferware plate in red. My daily Pottery Barn plates were just large enough to peak out beneath the Johnson Brothers plate.

The sun is just breaking through out back and bringing all the colors of the garden to life.

~Blue Hydrangea, my favorite!~

~Brunch for two~

I love pillows and the way they cozy up a seat. I pulled my red and blue toile ones out for this setting.

I used a combination of these transferware plates for my table today.

Don't be afraid to mix it up. It adds intimacy and history to your table.

~I had to share my lovely pink hydrangea too!~

Thanks for joining me for an intimate brunch out on the porch. make sure to stop by tomorrow for Froodie Friday so I can share what was on the menu for this brunch. To view more wonderful tablescapes join Susan over at Betweennapsontheporch for this weekly event. Have a blessed Thursday!

Spring, Surgery, Friends and a Place Called Charming Charlies

2010-04-29T19:27:00.001-04:00

It's been awhile. First let me say I have loved the messages of encouragement. The kind words. Just knowing I have not been forgotten! A lot has happend here in Whimsy Land since I last posted. As you may recall I was going to be on a bit of a break because I was having back surgery on March 9th. The break was longer than expected. When I went in for my pre-op testing the week before surgery I was having problems with my asthma because pollen season here in the south was rearing it's ugly head! What that meant was I FAILED my pre-op! Yep, can you believe it? UGH! Off to a pulmonologist they sent me to get a handle on my emerging allergy nightmare and asthma. New surgery date if all was in order April 20th. Seriously? Are you even kidding me? But my back! I am in pain! To which they replied "Mrs. Whimsy if we operate on you in this condition we may never get you off the respirator". You can bet that shut me up pretty quickly! I was thereafter a very dutiful patient. Lucky for me on April 20th I was clear and good to go and had my surgery. Now 9 days post op I am feeling pretty good. They have me wearing a corsitt for 6 weeks which greatly limits my ability to do things like lift, bend, sit AND DECORATE! Patience is a true gift for people who have had back surgery and sadly I am not the most patient person. But I am trying! I have missed my projects, missed my blogging and missed my friends! But this blog isn't all doom and gloom and WHINING. Oh no! Read on.........

Look at this fun handbag. Doesn't it just bring a smile to your face? It does mine and it really just screams Spring and Summer and Warm Sunshine. While little Miss Whimsy and I were at one of her cheer competitions we discovered a new store. New to us anyway and pretty new overall to the country. This chain is opening like gangbusters across the USA. I think they had something incredible like 23 openings in various states this month alone. Let me introduce you to Charming Charlie if you have not already met. What is it you say? It is first of all a girls dream no matter what age. An accessorie store full of color coordinated sections of costume jewelry, shoes, handbags, scarves and so much more. When you walk into the store your pulse quickens. You are overwhelmed and slightly dizzy. Sadly when we discovered Charming Charlies in D.C. we had no time to shop because we were on Cheer time. A couple week back Little Miss had her final competition of the season and it was in Atlanta. We opted to take the charter bus down because my back had not been operated on yet and sitting and driving long distances was not my friend. Another mom drove and when she showed up to the venue for competition she was carrying this adorable handbag. I commented profusely on it and she then informed me that a Charming Charlies was opening up in Greensboro (which is an hour and a half from us) on April 27th. "Ahhhhh", I said "I will forever be deprived of Charming Charlies because my surgery is the 20th and I can't drive afterwards for some time!" On the 27th I came home from my doctors office to find this handbag on my front porch. This lovely friend drove to Greensboro to get this bag for me because she knew I had admired it so much and wanted to brighten my day with a GET WELL gift. I am greatly touched. If ever you question the people around you or feel like you are not thought about wait until something happens. I have been surrounded by love. Blessed with meals from neighbors. Calls from friends. Lovely flowers and so much more. I can only be humbled. Please know I appreciate every email and every post. I hope to be able to post more regularly here on my blog now. So stop in and see me every once and awhile and know that a smile is on my face when I am reading your kind words. Blessings and have a terrific week!

P.S. I was told by a reader of my blog that she had tried to comment and had received a message telling her that I was not receiving comments at this time. I have no idea why that happend. Please know if ever you can't leave a message on this blog, you can reach me by email at southernwhimsy@yahoo.com

Lilac Fur-A-Licious!

2010-03-14T19:58:00.001-04:00

Continuing my daughter's bedroom makeover, it was time to hunt down a desk chair. We had already found a vanity/desk with great lines and we wanted something equally as wonderful for a desk chair.

Our hunt ended at the flea market where we picked up this chair for a song. It was in need of some TLC.

After some sanding I primed the chair to get it ready for the High Gloss Lilac paint.

The unexpected would make this chair fantastic. Glossy Lilac, who would have thought?

On went the layers of paint. One coat after another..........

Once I finished painting the chair I turned to re-upholstering the seat. It was an old chair and the foam inside the cushion proved that. I replaced the foam and covered it with new batting.

As if the bold lilac color wasn't enough of a surprise .....I decided to cover it in white fur.

A fun and funky twist sure to make this traditional Chippendale style chair perfect for a tween room!

TA-DA here it is complete and sitting at her new desk!

Fur-A-Licious Baby!

Do you think this will make her want to do her homework?

Hope you enjoyed this fun metamorphosis! Please join Susan at Between Naps on the Porch by clicking HERE for more wonderful eye candy.

I am also linking up to Make it Monday at Cottage Instincts. You an visit there by clicking Here

Enjoy your week!

Flea Market Fun

2010-03-02T09:34:00.001-05:00

Every weekend at the Raleigh Fair grounds they have a flea market. This past weekend Little Miss Whimsy and I decided to go there to hunt for a chair for her desk. We had something very specific in mind!

Flea markets are always an adventure! Look at these wonderful frames. Oh let the imagination fly! I am already working on a project involving a large ornate frame. Even so I was tempted by these!

This flea is inside and outside. There is so much to explore!

This is just a glimpse of some of the silver pieces and sets we saw. Those are always hard to walk away from!

Here it is my favorite find of the day. There were two matching ones both painted gray. Oh man I wanted these.......badly. I could imagine them on either side of my four poster bed as an unexpexted twist. I even wondered if I should sell my existing side board in my formal dining room and place these in there! I could strip them and refinish them or paint them a color that would compliment the room. I must admit I love the gray but it would not work in my home!

A common feature in pieces like this the top "drawer" actually pulls out as a serving tray. These were usually found in pieces from the 1940's.

The manufacturer was Morganton. In the end I had to leave these for the next buyer as I simply had no place to put them......much to my dismay. I am still dreaming of them two days later!

Those weren't the only great furniture pieces to be found............

Need Oars? These would be fantastic in a beach home or nautical themed boys room!

More drool ......

This vendor has the most beautiful beads and gems.

Our purchase of the day. It was in pretty bad shape which is just what we wanted. Lower price and ready to be made over! I will be featuring this on an upcoming Monday.

The Raleigh Flea Market ....an entertaining way to spend a morning or afternoon!

Life & Blogging

2010-02-19T08:17:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have noticed that my posts have been sparse and few. I wanted to take this opportunity to share a glimpse at my life right now so that y'all know why I have not been around as much as I would like.

There are a few contributing factors.

Factor 1: As many of you know I have three wonderful kiddos and a hubby that travels. Mr. Whimsy's travels come in spurts. Well let me just say that it has been like a whale coming to the surface over here these past couple of months. Spurting in full! He has been from one coast to the other and then some. Keeping life running with three kids when he isn't around is a full time and a HALF job which leaves me little opportunity to spend time on my computer.

Factor 2: Little Miss Whimsy, all 70 lbs of her 11 year old mighty self is very involved in competitive cheerleading. For anyone who doesn't know anything about this sport, well let me be the first to tell you it is a time and a HALF job in itself. Especially when you are crazy like me and volunteer to be a team mom. The season is in full swing. What this means is we are traveling A LOT. Usually two compeitions per month. These are not around the corner. We are off to D.C., Atlanta, VA and the list goes on. Mr. Whimsy comes home from business travels and Little Miss Whimsy and I leave for a cheer competition. Whew! Throw in 3 hour practices 3 times a week for her as well as me running around making things happen and meeting dead lines for her team as any good team mommy should and well I'm sure you are getting the idea here.

Factor 3: My health. Specifically my back health. I have been suffering through some back issues the past year and half. The back has been getting worse and worse. I will be having surgery on my back March 9th. What this means is........I am a mad woman. I am determined to finish all the projects I have underway before I go into surgery. Little Miss Whimsy's room. Eldest Master Whimsy's room is another project I am currently working on as well. I just don't know how or what I will be able to get done once the surgery happens. I know that I will be taking it extremely easy for 3 months after the surgery. I doubt I will be getting too many projects done after March 9th! So I am in panic mode to make eveything that needs (translated as I want) to happen, happen before March 9th!

What this all means for my wonderful blogging family is you have not been seeing much of me and most likely will being seeing even less of me over the next couple months. I will be trying my hardest to share what I have going on and hopefully after my surgery will be up and about enough to do some small projects. Who knows maybe I will be on the computer more once I have this surgery. Maybe it will force me to slow down a bit! At any rate I want y'all to know I appreciate you. I love reading your comments. I love visiting your blogs and sharing with you.

Know that I will be on here every minute I possibly can over the next couple months. Have a blessed weekend my friends.

Tween Project #5

2010-02-14T22:38:00.003-05:00

This weeks project is really the result of being someplace and having a specific thought in your mind at the right time. Sometimes plans change and it is a good thing! I had planned on buying some bedding out of the PB Teen catolog that Little Miss Whimsy had chosen. When she chose it I did cringe slightly knowng that she suffers from nose bleeds and she picked out a bedding that had a lot of white. With all this on my mind I took a stroll through HomeGoods. I had not planned on buying bedding there but rather I was looking for a lamp for her room. The funny thing about places like HomeGoods is this, you never really go there and get what you went in hoping to find. This day was no different. I walked in looking for a lamp and walked out with a duvet set for Miss Whimsy and an idea that I thought might just work and save me about $150.00 and a few tears on my part after the first trajic nose bleed occured with the the PB Teen Bedding.

I found this duvet set for $39.99!!! What a steal! It had the black and white elements of the set she had chosen and with some fabric paint........well I thought I could make it happen.

Here is the set Miss Whimsy chose from PB Teen. Now being referred to as the inspiration bedding.

Here is the sham from the set I bought at HomeGoods.

Let the painting begin! The shams were fun and easy. I will admit the full sized duvet took some time and patience. It was a lot of surface to cover.

Some purple here and there and we ended up with a one of a kind custom painted duvet set. Total cost with tax about $45.00. What that equals is a mom who doesn't panic if her daughter ruins it with nose bleeds!

I am linking up to the following blogs.

You can find this metamorphosis at Between naps on the porch as well as many others.

Make it Monday at cottage instincts

twice remembered

Tabletop Tuesday

2010-02-08T19:41:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the 5th Tabletop Tuesday. Today I am hosting for Barb over at Grits & Glamour. Sometimes life just gets in the way of blogging......gasp!

After I agreed to do this I realized I needed to snap some photos of vignettes for todays post. Have I ever mentioned I no longer have a working camera? Nope I don't. I use my eleven year olds camera! Today when I decided to take some shots I realized the battery on her camera was dead. The problem was I did not know where she kept the charger. That was a real problem!

I needed a plan and needed it fast so I borrowed some beautiful photos from Martha Stewart. Good ol Martha. I even chose some in pink and red especially for the impending Valentines Day arrival.

As Barb was kind enough to mention I am new to the linky thingy so I pray this works for y'all! I can't wait to see what everyone is ready to share. Please share you link below and link back to me in your post. Or link back to Barb whose post will link back to me????? Yes the look you see on my face is pure confusion! How about you just do your thing and I will visit and drool! Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Tween Room Project 3 & 4

2010-02-07T20:37:00.001-05:00

The tween room makeover continues. This week I decided to take on some window treatments and some art work.

I found an incredible deal at Ikea on a pair of white on white panels for $30. I know is your jaw dropping? Mine was but not before I snatched them up and got them in my cart. The fabric is pretty and they were 54" wide by 98" long and yes the price was unbelievable. I figured I could make something out of them! So this past week my sewing machine and I got personal with each other after a very long sebatical! I decided since 54" finished width was much more than I needed and I did not want to really have to do an entire new seem down the side to remove some width that I would ad goblet pleats. The most difficult part of a goblet pleat is making sure they are evenly spaced. Above I have pinned out where mine are going to be sewn.

My machine was very kind to me this project and I am happy to report we ummmm did not share one cross word with each other! Once I had my goblet pleats sewn in place I decided to add some black pom pom fringe to bring some fun and contrast to the windows.

Pinned and ready to be sewn!

Usually when you do a goblet pleat you will use a nice crinoline in the header of the panels to make sure they keep their shape. Since I was dealing with a pre-made pair of panels I used an old trick. I stuffed the goblets with batting!!! After installing my drapery hooks on the back side of each pleat the panels went up. Below is a shot of panels all packaged as I purchased them from IKEA.

Here they are complete and up at the window! Fun and fun and perfect for the room. Although I am noticing a bit wrinkled! I may just have to break down and pull the iron out if they don't relax on their own!Here is a close up of the pretty white on white printed fabric.For my next project I did some puppy art work!Little Miss Whimsy has been asking for this puppy poster for some time. I am not a huge fan of posters plus her room doesn't have a whole lot of wall space for them either.When I was in IKEA I found these black frames for only $2.99 each. I grabbed 8.

Taking the poster she wanted I simply picked out 8 of these puppies in Converse shoes and cut them to size to fit in each frame.

On one I added the word "Woof" for some whimsy.

Eight framed puppies. The black frames pull black over to this side of the room. Just what it needed!

I hope you enjoyed my projects for this week. I am linking to the following blogs this week.

Susan at between naps on the porch.

Make it Monday at cottage instincts

Tween Project #2

2010-01-31T21:07:00.003-05:00

Little Miss Whimsy's bedroom re-do is in full swing. This weeks project is about taking what you have and spiffing it up a bit to create a big change. Working with budget in mind once more I debated just painting the back of two exhisting bookcases she has to bring more interest to them. But even that seemed a bit boring for my 11 year old with stars in her eyes. Although I love wallpaper and I mean love it I was not interested in buying it for this project. The reason being I wanted to do each section of this bookcase in a different pattern and while most wall paper ranges in price from $15 to $50 per single roll (you buy minimum two single rolls when buying paper) that was really not an option budget wise. I had Mod Podge on hand as well as Elmers white glue. It was time to take a trip to Michael's to see what

I could dig up.

It did not take long to discover all the lovely patterns the scrapbooking section had in their scrapbooking paper. Just the right colors too! The best part is it was on sale. Not that it was out of budget to begin with but it is always nice when a project only cost you $8.00!

So with glues on hand I went to work. I spread a thin coat of the watered down Mod Podge on the shelving unit itself and one on the back side of the paper. Then once the paper was down to give it an even look I did one final even layer of the glue on the finished side of the paper.

Although you can't see it in this photo this paper was fantastic and was a shiny silver! I did not worry about matching up patterns exactly.

Fun Tiffany blue stripes!

The glue drying so it looks a bit uneven here.

Some black Damask pattern to livin it up!

She hsa two identical book shelves but I did each section on each one a different paper just

in the same color way. I did repeat the black Damask and the silver on each side though.

Shelves side by side in contrastin papers.

Here is one unit done.

Little Miss Whimsy was in charge of the photography for this job and I just realized she did not get a good shot of the shelves done side by side. Below is the best that we have. I will make sure when I feature the completed room I take a better picture!

I hope you gathered some inspiration for a project using scrapbooking paper! I am linking up with the following bloggers this week: A Big Thank You to them all for hosting!

Susan's Metamorphosis Monday

Between Naps on the Porch

Make it for Monday at

Cottage Instincts

Twice Remembered

Peeking Into The Study

2010-01-25T20:30:00.001-05:00

Welcome to my study. I like to spend mornings here. This room faces the sunrise so it provides bright mornings of solitude.

I I have a large cabinet against the back wall of this room. It is a piece I love. It holds a lot of stuff too, which is always a plus. For this Tabletop Tuesday I thought we could take a peek at a few vignettes from the shelves of this cabinet. The brass piece is an antique thing a majigger of Mr. Whimsy's. He is a Geologist and this is something they use out in the field. As you can tell I have no idea what it is, but it looks very nice up on my shelves accompanied by some greenery and an interesting clock.

Books of course are a given. I found this lovely porcelain piece some years back and it found a perfect home front and center on my shelves.

There is just always something wonderful about hard back books. I have a thing for them. Placing a simple distressed wood piece next to them adds interest.

A brass Golden Retriever piece sits watch. I find it commical that the book he sits on is entitled "The Face of Assassin" when the Golden Retriever is such a wonderful and mild breed of dog.

Just look at all those goodies dressing up my shelves!

Hope you enjoyed taking a peek at some of my study shelve vignettes. Please join Barb over at Grits & Glamour by clicking here for more wonderul Tabletop ay Vignettes.

Project by Project Tween Room

2010-01-24T20:14:00.012-05:00

We want it all but on a budget. So begins the story of my daughters room. She has a gorgeous room now. Wow did it cost me a pretty penny too. But now that she has hit middle school classic sophistication in toiles is not her dream. WHAT? I have slowly had to let go of my vision and move past MY dream room for her. I am a visualizer which comes in quite handy in my field of expertise ~Interior Design. As I lie on my daughters bedroom floor I visualize what it would be like to be 11. This time around however I plan on doing it on the cheap. After all Little Miss Whimsy has two counterparts Master Whimsy 1 and Master Whimsy 2 both who have big plans for a new space for themselves as well. Looks like this mama is going to be busy in projects for awhile.

So begin the projects leading up to this dream room. Here is the first one I tackled. She had picked out some storage boxes from PB Teen. $59. for a cardboard storage box.......really? When I spotted these storage photo boxes at Michaels 3 for $5 I decided maybe we could do something fun with them. Something that did not cost $59.00!

So I bought some fun stamps to use and pulled out the craft paint and sticker letters and Little Miss Whimsy and I had some mother daughter time making some fun storage boxes. Total cost was under $10. I am a perfectionist who knows when to let perfectionism go. This was the case when it came to this project. After that first stamp I quickly decided that precision along with perfectionism would not play a part in this project!

A quick and easy project to accomplish. This room is going to be one big transformation and this is only the tip of the iceberg. I will be featuring all my fun, easy and money saving projects for this room each week. I hope you visit and get some ideas along the way as we go from Classic girl room to Hip and Funky Tween room. I am linking up to:

Between Naps On The Porch Met Monday

Cottage Instincts

Twice Remembered

It's So Very Cheri

Making The World Cuter

Tales From Bloggeritaville Thrift Thursday

Cabinet Top Vignettes

2010-01-18T19:42:00.000-05:00

For this weeks Tabletop Tuesday hosted by Barb over at Grits & Glamour I decided to share some cabinet top vignettes. These photos were taken quite a time ago before I became the professional photo taker that I am now (wink wink) so they are not the best or the clearest but I figure they are fair enough to share.When we first bought our home one of the things that was never a favorite of mine was the fact that the cabinets in the kitchen did not go straight up to the ceiling. I am not a huge fan of space above cabinets. I could appreciate the custom cabinetry as well as the varying heights to create interest but blah, didn't want open cabinet tops. Mr. Whimsy assured me that this was no reason not to buy a home. Ha ha! Silly man. I have made sure since buying this home to let him know weekly how much I dislike my cabinets. I will save that story for a rainy day though!

Of course one always makes the best of every situation or at least trys to and in this case so did I. There are only two cabinets wide enough and low enough to really display anything on top of in my kitchen to begin with so I figured they were a good spot to place two of my loves. Pewter and transferware. I did need to add a couple more goodies to balance it all out. One of my favorite pieces of all times is my transferware rooster. I have had this fella for years. He used to sit on my island in our old home but he was quite happy to hop up on top of that cabinet and take watch. He is joined by a pewter tea kettle a topiary and a platter my sister in law gave me from Southern Living at Home.Across the kitchen from that vignette sits another. Here I have a pottery finial a topairy, one of my Spode Blue Room transferware plates and a pewter bunny. We all know how I love those bunnies!

Please join Barb over at Grits & Glamour as she hosts her second Tabletop Tuesday. You can find more wonderful vignettes by visiting Grits & Glamour by clicking here. Make your week a great one!

I Love Sharing With You, The Metamorphosis of a Blog

2010-01-17T23:30:00.000-05:00

It came to my realization the other day that I have officially been blogging for a little over a year. I am the first to admit that there have been some big gaps here and there with my ability to get on here and post as much as I would love to. Another is my trepedation with computer experience and just the lack of know how as to how everything works or can work if you know what you are doing :-) But I do love doing so and even more than me sharing is me hearing from you all. My followers and those who don't yet follow but are leaving me such kind praises.

I have been really thinking about all of you a lot lately. I have been asking myself what is it that my followers and those not following want to see when they log on here? What can I do for my blog that would make it better for all of you. The amount of things going on out there in blog land from blog to blog are really incredible. There are weekly events. There are giveaways. There are estsy stores. Sales. Tear jerking reads. I mean blog land really offers it all doesn't it?

So what would you like to See? Hear? Know? About me or decor or anything I can offer? What would be some elements that would help this blog along? Do you love the weekly events? Are you a fan of the give-away? Do you like taking weekly shopping outings virtually? Do you like being able to contact your blog owner by email to ask questions?

My metamorphosis for this weeks post will be the updating of my blog over the coming weeks. You all are my compass. So I encourage you to suggest and ask away. Anything you want to know leave me a message. Any suggestions you have, leave me a message. Lets do some suggest and tell here this Monday on Southern Whimsy.

In the mean time let me leave you with a very small metamorphosis I did for a client back when I owned my Interior business. This just shows how adding something can completely transform a look. Working with that was there and making it all that better with little effort. The client had installed the drapery panels and then had no idea what to do with windows in the doors. Simple Roman shades with beaded fringe was an easy and quick fix. Choosing the striped fabric added interest and a wee bit of drama. Please visit Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch by clicking here for more transformations. Please remember to leave me a message about everything and anything I forgot that I mentioned above. Have a blesses week!

Welcome Tabletop Tuesdays at Grits & Glamour!

2010-01-11T21:05:00.000-05:00

I am excited about this new event. I love that you can do vingette in no time and a vingette can be just about anything and anywhere. With that in mind I just took some quick shots of areas around my home. Above just a part of my mantle.

Here a simple bird and plant on a tray.A shot of an area of my built in bookcases.I love salt and pepper shakers. Here is a quick shot of my green cabbage ones as they sit on my kitchen counter!Another shot of part of my bookcase. See what I mean anything is a vingnette!

I can't wait to see what everyone else has taken pictures of. I am sure most will be a lot more intricate than mine! Please be sure to join Barb at Grits and Glamour by clicking here and linking up for her first Tabletop Tuesday!

The Princess Suite

2010-01-10T22:12:00.001-05:00

For this weeks metamorphosis Monday I thought I would dig back into my portfolio to a project I had a lot of fun working on. I was called to the home of a couple who had sadly hired an interior designer that was making a big mess of things. At the end of this post I will share three before pictures that will demonstrate what a big mess they had on their hands. For now I will just share what I did to fix it! The sign on the nursery door below fit so well by the time the project was done the sign had the perfect home as entrance to a room truly fit for a princess.

One requirement the client had was to keep the double sized bed they had already purchased for the room. This did present a challenge since the room itself was not overly large. But I had some ideas. Here is the bed dressed in all the fabrics we chose for the room. Pink toile, a lovely green rose print, pink gignham and the gorgeous embroidered silk....oops did I say silk? No only faux silk here as 100% silk would not have been very practical in a nursery! I loaded the bed with pillows one even monogrammed of course on top of a white matelasse coverlet.

Here is a larger view. Luckily the client had already chosen the babies name so we had fun finding the letters to hang by ribbons on the wall.

We found a beautiful crib that was just perfect for this room. Although you can't see it in the picture each end of the crib has beautiful caning and a raised carved roses. The bedding is a mix of all the fabrics. To cover the expanse of wall I had a coronet or "princess canopy" placed there.

Here is where the creative thinking had to come into play. To make the room for the double bed to stay and still have all the needed elements in a nursery I had to figure out a way to incorporate a changing table, dresser storage as well as shelving so that the client could display her bear collection that she had been storing for the day she had a "baby girl". I love design have I ever mentioned that? In fact sometimes instead of Interior design I wish I had taken the leap and done architectural home design. That said the wheels were spinning and I designed a built in wall of drawers, shelves and a changing table. In order for this to work there were a few things that client had to agree to for safety reasons. Since the changing table would be going up against a window I needed to have plantation shutters installed in the room with a split rail (the top shutters slats could open independently from the bottom) so that the bottom half could remain shut at all times making a barrier from the window. She loved the idea and we moved forward. The changing table part can later be removed and by doing that will create a window seat. For safety reasons I designed drawers under this part instead of a lift up toy chest. I also left the client with the lovely window seat pad ready to use with bolster pillows when they are ready to remove the changing table. Under the changing table we placed baskets to keep diapers, and all the other goodies one needs handy when changing and dressing a baby.

Here is another view. Some other things that I did was have bead board put around the room and we also added pink glass knobs to the drawers in the built ins. In this picture you can see the lovely ends on the crib.

I had a rocker and ottomon custom made in the toile and green rose fabrics. Every mother needs a comfy place to rock her baby!

Some close-ups of the crib bedding.

Custom changing pad in the changing built in.

I decided on balloon shades and incorporated the main two fabrics in them.

We added crown molding around the room as well.

A better look at the pink glass knobs and handles we added to the built ins.

As promised here are a couple of the before pictures I snapped before starting the project. As you can see the former designer had started painting the room. One wall was a vibrant hot pink and the other was a lavendar. Woo was it bright!

They had taken this paint around the room in a four square. One wall lavendar the other hot pink and so on and so forth. Here is the wall before I started and before I designed and had the built ins installed on it. The fabric laying at the foot of the bed was the fabric the other designer had chosen for the nursery that never came to be. The pink I chose for the walls was actually a blush of a pink color. In my pictures the color looks bright but it isn't. I admit these pictures are not the best. This was one of the last projects I worked on before moving across the country. Sadly I did not get to come in and stage the room and take completed pictures but thought I would share what I did have of this transformation.

I hope you enjoyed this little nursery journey! Please visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch by clicking here to see more fabulous Metamorphosis journeys!

Where It's All Stored~The Blessing of a Butlers Pantry

2010-01-06T20:28:00.000-05:00

One question that seems to keep repeating itself is, "where do you store all that china?" This makes me grin a bit because I know very well that compared to many, my china collection is small indeed. Not small enough however to not be thankful for my butlers pantry. My butlers pantry is a row of cabinetry that connects my kitchen to my formal dining room. With upper and lower cabinets I am always surprised by how much I can truly fit in there. What is even better is the great amount of extra counter space it has plus an additional sink! When we first looked at this home I remember distinctly blabbing out to our realtor "that sink is a waste it will never be used" haha boy was I wrong. Every party we have ever hosted incorporates that area being used as a bar and yep you guessed it that sink gets plenty of usage at those times. What else do I use this area for? Well it houses some appliances that would otherwise take up ample counter space in my kitchen. My KitchenAid mixer for one. The blender and coffee maker are two more. But before I give you a tour of my Butlers pantry let me show you where I keep my formal goods......they are kept in a buffet/sideboard in my dining room.

All my formal china is kept in there plus a few other things that I don't use every day like gravy boats, cake platters, plates that correspond to certain holidays like thanksgiving for example.

My Thanksgiving turkey transferware plates are stacked with a gravy boat on top, every inch counts!

My grandmothers punch bowl, large crystal bowls and cake platters are also stored in the sideboard.

All my formal silverware. flatware and serving pieces are stores in the drawers of this piece.

Not too neatly I might add!

Here is an overall peek at the butlers pantry. This was taken the day after Christmas so there are still some crystal pieces drying after being washed in that sink I swore I would never use!

The upper cabinets hold my glassware. My formal crystal goblets and wine glasses are placed up high on the top shelves.

With the more casual bar ware down lower and easily accessed. I always keep my every day wine glasses where they can be grabbed at a moments notice!

Here is the view looking towards the dining room. You can catch a glimpse of the infamous sink!

There is a center cabinet with glass front doors. I keep cookbooks, glassware and stone ware pieces that are moved in and out easily as the decor around my home gets moved.

Here is the other side. More formal glasses on the top shelf then margarita and martini glasses are housed here plus some water goblets.

The butlers pantry also has some nice large drawers. In the center one I keep all my candles and votives.

The other drawer is my wine station drawer. All my wine openers, wine stoppers, wine charms and drink napkins are kept in that drawer. I failed to get a picture of it though.

The lower cabinets of the butlers pantry house just about everything! Serving Trays, dinner plates from various sets, salad plates which I love to collect because they are an easy way to get a totally different and new look from your staple dishes.

I stack all my plates by size. You might find four different sets in one stack!

Here are some large pieces that needed a home. My large drink holder, some cake stands, a wine bucket, silver dish and bread basket to name a few.

The cabinet under the sink holds all my vases and hurricanes.

What I don't have room for in my butlers pantry or sideboard I store in my kitchen. I have very tall upper cabinets. Even I can't reach the top shelf and I am 6 feet tall! Here I have some more glassware stored.

Place mats piled with some platters.

All my glassware is stored in this corner cabinet which is very deep because it goes back in a pie shape.

My every day dishes which get used all the time for both special occasions and every day. A salad plate on my plain white french plates can make a whole new look come to life! Bowls and more salad plates are stored here as well.

Aren't you sorry you asked? I have had the plans drawn out for my dream home since I was about 12. I guess the design gene had taken hold even then. In these plans I have the ultimate pantry and china pantry. Some day............
Please join Susan at Between Naps on the Porch by clicking here as she hosts Tablescape Thursday. Although this was not a tablescape today it did show y'all where I keep all that tablescape stuff!

The Last Table of 2009

2009-12-30T22:07:00.015-05:00

This being the last Tabelscape Thursday for the year 2009 I thought I would share some quick shots I took shortly before our guests arrived for Christmas Eve. The table of course was set and waiting. The house smelled of wonderful things to eat. The house was warm and aglow.

Gold, green and silver with frosted fruits was the theme in the dining room. I kept it simple.

Many of you have read the story of these lovely monogrammed napkins. My dear friend Barb from Grits and Glamour sent them to me for Christmas. I love the cut work in them and the gold thread used for the monogram!

The serving dishes were set in place and ready to be filled!

May all of you have a wonderful 2010! Please visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch by clicking here as she hosts Tablescape Thursday.

Count Down to New Years

2009-12-27T23:19:00.008-05:00

Christmas is here and gone so quickly I am pretty sure there was some head spinning involved! Now we are looking towards a new year which is even more mind boggling. The Whimsy home is having a small get together this year. Usually we go to neighbors for their annual New Years eve party. This year they are out of town and we decided to have a few families over for some fun. This meant I was stuck with a decision to make. Usually we take down out Christmas decor, which we have a plethora of, on New Years day or shortly after. This year, however; with a house full of guests about to arrive on our door step I am contemplating taking down the decor a couple days early to make the home more spacious. Now with that in mind I did a quick search for New Years eve decorating ideas. Let me tell you there is not a lot out there. So much so that I am now thinking of leaving the Christmas delights up! I did find a couple things that tickled my fancy and decided to give you a peek too. Many of these came from Martha Stewart. I love the champagne flutes with the count down numbers on them above don't you?

Love these fun center pieces !

Father time at work in a collection of clocks. I don't have this many clocks, do you? If you do I think it is rather a fun idea! What are you doing this New Years eve? Maybe you picked up on an idea or two to get your home ready for guests. I hope you have a safe and wonderful New Years!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T11:41:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas to all my dear friends near and far. As we gathered round our Christmas table, as we do every year, I was truly grateful. I gazed upon the expectant faces of my children. Bright were their eyes in anticipation of the coming evening and Christmas celebrations. I was thankful to have them and I was thankful that their hearts are pure and that seemingly small things can excite them. I felt blessed to have my husband sitting at my side as he has done for the past 22 years. Ready to take each journey with me through this crazy thing we share and call life. I was thankful for the friends that had joined us and made what could have felt like a lonely table because of our family living so far away, one filled with warmth and joy.

I am thankful that sometimes love, grace and friendships are found in the funniest of places. Do you see the lovely monogrammed napkin pictured here. My dear friend Barb from Grits & Glamour sent these to me for Christmas. She sent some other goodies too and I will share those in the near future. I am thankful that the Lord whom we celebrate today knows me better than I know myself. In doing so he sends me friends that call me at just the right times and who send me lovely gifts completely unexpected!

As you gather round your Christmas table this day, whether that be a sofa with plates in your lap or a grand dining room set with the finest china, my Christmas wish for you is to find the things that you are thankful for. To cherish the seats that are filled at your table and the ones that are not. To create memories that time cannot erase. May your hearts be filled with all the joy and love of the season. Merry Christmas!

Last Minute Christmas Wrapping

2009-12-23T20:01:00.021-05:00

If y'all are like me you are just beginning a lot of your Christmas wrapping. Because I was tired of the same ol ho hum wrapping I do year after year I decided to turn to Martha Stewart for some gift wrapping inspiration. I found a ton and am sharing some of my favorites here with you. So browse and enjoy the beautiful and fun wrapping ideas in these photos from Martha Stewart. Although they look wonderful if you look closely they are oh so easy to achieve. Put on some Christmas music, grab your glass of wine (or egg nog) and start wrapping......fa...la....la....la...la...la...la, la, la!!!

Christmas Breakfast Table & Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

2009-12-16T20:30:00.001-05:00

Welcome to our Christmas breakfast table.......

We worked up an appetite after opening all of Santa's presents.........

Luckily our fun Scottie dog "Dougal" was waiting for us to join him...........

Isn't he handsome?

We can't wait to sit down and join him........

Everything is ready..............

Some green stemware for our juice.............

Some monogrammed napkins.....each one has a separate initial of someone in the family...........So we aren't rushed we make our cinnamon rolls the night before so all we have to do is put them in the oven Christmas morning. Here is the fabulous recipe......

Over Night Cinnamon Rolls

1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/2 cup white sugar
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs

FILLING:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins

GLAZE:
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons half-and-half cream

Directions
Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Add the butter and stir until melted; let cool until lukewarm.
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk mixture. Add the sugar, 3 cups of flour, salt and eggs; stir well to combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.
Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10x 14 inch rectangle. Lightly brush the far edge with water. In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and 3/4 cup brown sugar and sprinkle over the rectangles. Then sprinkle the raisins and chopped nuts over the dough. Roll up the dough into a log and seal the seam.
Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces; place the pieces in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan, or 12 inch deep dish pizza pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight.
The next morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Take the rolls out of the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, combine the corn syrup with the vanilla in a small bowl. Whisk in the powdered sugar and enough cream to make a thick glaze; set aside. Drizzle the glaze over the rolls and serve warm.

Can't you just smell them baking in the oven?

Some plaid Scottie dishes to go with our center piece Dougal. I just love the plaid on the outside of the bowls.......

Each plate has a festive Scottie all decked out in finery for the holidays.......

and just look what was waiting at the bottom of the bowl...........

We'll have some tart green apples with our Cinnamon rolls this morning......Maybe for a special treat we will even dip them in warm caramel!

The table is all aglow just waiting for us..................

I am glad Dougal is so patient................

Cinnamon candles too..............

What a fantastic treat! There is Dougal's tail waving goodbye! To see more tablescapes visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch by clicking here. To find some delicious recipes and foods visit Michael at Designs by Gollum as she hosts Foodie Friday by clicking here . Christmas is only one week away! Are you ready? I hope so. I hope yours is a Merry one!

Christmas Deer Centerpiece

2009-12-13T20:51:00.000-05:00

Today I am going to show you what I did with an extra container I had up in the attic. An extra $4 papier mache deer I had and some various floral picks , ribbon and greenery.

This is the finished product. I needed a center piece for my dining room. What to do ? What to do?

Some frosted fruit...............

A metal container with embossed fruit hhhhmmmmm can you see the light bulbs going off?

I gathered my supplies.............the deer, gold spray paint, floral supplies and of course that container!

A quick spray over with some satin gold spray paint.........it had been a kind of tan color before the paint went on..........

I was low on foam but cut what I had up to make it work.............

Some floral moss................

I placed the deer in the center and started loading in my greenery then my frosted fruits and some gold glittered instruments and finally I decided it needed some ribbon.......

Here is an old trick I picked up years ago. If you have some short ribbon pieces you don't know what to do with .....or even if you are not a "bow maker" you can make bows easily with some ribbon loops and some wooden floral picks. Or if you don't have any floral picks on hand, I didn't as I made this, use some wired stems that you have cut off from your floral supplies. Okay now make a loop.......

Take the wired ribbon loop and twist it on the extra piece of floral stem......or if you do have wired floral picks then take the wire on the pick and wrap it around the bottom of the ribbon loop. Wired ribbon works best for this. If you want an actual bow you can place several of the loops together to get the look of a bow. For the tails of the bow just twist one end of a long piece of ribbon to a pick and place in amongst the ribbons. This is a great way to make you ribbon go a long way. It takes very little ribbon to get this look and it can't be much easier can it?

Here you can see I added the ribbon loops among the greenery and frosted fruits to give it some layering. I love these gold glittered instruments and was happy to find a home for them in the arrangement.

There you have it a quick and easy arrangement on a whim. Hope you enjoyed this transformation. Visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch by clicking here to find more wonderful Metamorphosis creations. Have a wonderful week!

Whimsy Christmas

2009-12-10T15:26:00.003-05:00

I heard about the party happening at the three blogs listed here and decided I am always one for a party! Hope you enjoy my tour of what has been happening in the Whimsy home this season. Keep checking back in with me as I will be adding to this as projects are completed.

Some outside berries to welcome our guests. a red cardinal bird all tucked in and waiting...........

For you to enter ............tons of Christmas decorating

A sneak peak at this cute Scotty you see, he's part of a table, a breakfast party!

Of course a monogram or two where ever we can sneak those in too!

off to the family room a mantel awaits some trees, some reindeer how much will it take?.......

Some polka dot ribbon should do just the trick, to make the mantel Whimsical and quick........

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care.......except they kept twisting and turning while they were up there...............

All around the house not a surface was safe not even a frame.....like a cat through the night with her ribbon she came............

A candle was lit a box was wrapped this gal was getting tired she needed a nap!............

But round the corner to the kitchen she came, what apothecary jars to fill? You heard her exclaim!...........

The snowman kept quiet, he knew from past years, don't stop her now unless you want screaming and tears............

The bird listened quietly as he donned his red bow...........

Then off to the entry, how far will she go?..........

off to the family room a mantel awaits some trees, some reindeer how much will it take?.......

Some frosted fruit and gold reindeer, THAT is what I am doing in here..........

And as she was working in her mind she did see, a plan that was forming for the family room tree..........

She spotted her bunny he was looking quite lonely he needed a purpose, she thought, if only........

Well what do you know Thursday was approaching, a tablescape would work, I have just the thing a bunny some bows, what about plaid, that certainly goes..........

I'll use my new plates, I have been wanting a reason , to pull them out for this holdiday season.........

and while at the table, She couldn't stop there, she had all this silver, now what could we do? Well why don't we just throw in some blue!............

Oh back to the kitchen, I think I forgot a place for the holly, it won't take a lot........

If you didn't see enough or want more detail click on these links for some more show and tell!

I'll Have a Blue Christmas

Woodland Delight & Scottie Dogs

Reindeer & Frosted Fruit

Holiday Chandelier

Making a Deer Center Piece

Bling Tree

Christmas at The Kiddie Table

Now go on your way and check out more goodies, some talented bloggers will share what they've done , be sprite be quick your in for more fun! If you click one of the links, a party you will find ,full of holiday lovelies all one of a kind!

Julia at Hooked on Houses December 14th

Thrifty Decor Chick December 14th

Rhoda at Southern Hospitallity December 11th

The Nesting Place December 14th

May your season be filled with the spirit of giving the warmth of love and the grace of who we celebrate!

I'll Have A Blue Christmas......

2009-12-09T20:46:00.001-05:00

For today's Tablescape Thursday I decided to go blue. That really isn't too difficult for me since blue is indeed my favorite color. For this table I did mostly white accented with silvers and then threw in some blues and aqua blues. Today you are going to get two different looks. How so? I am going to show you, how, by changing just two elements on a table you can get a completely different look and feel.......

I started with a white table cloth and then layered some silver ribbon across the table connecting each place setting. On top of that I placed a silver charger. Out came my formal china for this event. White bone china with a lovely platinum band. Simple elegance that I never tire of. For a bit of fun and color I placed a bit of bling, in the form of ornaments, that are beaded and sequined in aquas and blues on each plate. I used a bright blue napkin at each setting as well.

I scattered ornaments here and there in silvers and whites for texture and interest and more sparkle.

Once the candles were lit the table just took on a glow all its own!

The ornaments caught the light and just shined.

My formal crystal glasses were the perfect choice with their platinum bands.

Shine and sparkle and just enough color!

I have had this terrarium for what seems forever but there is always something wonderful that can be done with it. Here I filled it with ornaments and some decorative picks and a candle. I loved the way it glowed.

The cut out scroll work on the lid is my favorite part of this piece!

Even my silver sugar basket got into the spirit with some ornaments and greenery. My knife rest and cake knife seemed to want in on the party as well.

Some silver iced topiary Christmas trees were the perfect choice to accompany the centerpiece.

A winter wonderland!

Remember how I said by just changing one or two elements on a table you can give it an entirely different look. That is just what I did here. By replacing the center piece with a silver bowl laden with blue and white transferware balls and silver and white ornaments as well as some decorative blue ornament picks I have started a whole new look!

It completely changes the presence of this setting.

But I didn't stop there I replaced the dinner plates with my Spode blue and white transferware plates and placed blue bulbs and greenery on the salad plates as a topper.

All the other elements remained the same........

Oh, except I couldn't stop myself from placing blue bunny out on adventure to keep that blue and white transferware theme going!

One of my favorite things about my Spode blue room is every plate has a different scene or pattern.

As you can see by the plate borders they are all different.

I hope my blue Christmas brought you inspiration! Please join Susan as she hosts Tablescape Thursdays at Between Naps on the Porch by clicking here. Have a blessed week and I hope if you are feeling blue it is only in color!

Continuing In The Dining Room

2009-12-06T19:44:00.007-05:00

I added some frosted fruit and gold reindeer to my sideboard. A quick change for Christmas.

Some sheer gold ribbon loops around the vingette as well.

I added a frosted fruit wreath to my mirror. It was easy to make by just using an inexpensive garland wreath and gluing the frosted fruit and ribbon to it.

Please join Susan At Between Naps on the Porch by clicking here to visit more wonderful creations and transformations.

Woodland Plaids, Bunnies and Scottie Dogs

2009-12-02T20:11:00.019-05:00

My first Christmas or Winter table scape of the season. Remember my love affair with plaids? Do you hear the bag pipes? I guess I could call this a Highland Christmas!

I stared off my table with one of my other favorite things. My white stoneware bunny rabbit. I filled his basket with greenery and berries. He is displaying it proudly. I placed some more pine and berries on either side of him to warm up the empty space on the table. How easy is that?

I double layered a black watch plaid with a black ticking stripe.

More plaid? You betcha. I found these adorable plates at home goods and it was love at first site. That plaid border! Who could resist? I decided to add my black and white Royal Stafford transferware salad plates to the mix.

Each salad plate has a different scene which I love! You know how I adore mixing it up!

Just look what is waiting under those salad plates this adorable Scottie Dog all decked out in plaid. I told you I should call this a Highland Christmas!

Remember the other day when I told y'all that I love to keep some small boxes on hand to place in my Christmas decor. Some on the trees and some ......here. All gussied up in a Tartan bow.

Tea lights at glow at each place setting and surrounding the centerpiece. A sprig of berries adds some fun to each glass.

Hope you enjoyed my table this week. For more wonderful creations visit Between Naps on the Porch by clicking here where Susan hosts Tablescape Thursday Each week. Stay warm and rejoice in the season!

Bling, Bling, Bling, Bling

2009-12-01T07:07:00.012-05:00

Apple green, red and gold and a lot of beads and sequins give the tree in my entry some bling.
I added some ribbon to the chandelier with a few gold ornaments to dress it up.

I used the same ribbon around my tree.

A great and inexpensive way to fill space on a tree is to place wrapped boxes on the tree. At $.79 a box a little goes a long way. I like to use them all over my house in my Christmas decor.

Those red cardinals you see peeking out of the tree even got the bling treatments. A few red sequins and a glue gun had them just a little more glitzy and contributed to the feel of the tree.

I found this beaded and sequined fruit at Michael's and loved it. It was really the inspiration for this tree. Add some bling to your holidays this year!

Holiday Chandelier

2009-11-29T19:15:00.000-05:00

The holidays are certainly upon us. In fact I think they are rather like a locomotive plowing full steam ahead! I can't believe that Thanksgiving has already exited and we are ushering in Christmas. With no time to spare I got to work on my Christmas decor. I started with my dining room chandelier. The picture above is actually taken as a reflection in the dining room mirror. I love how the light just radiates warmth.

I decided upon a gold and frosted fruit theme for my dining room this year. I felt that the gold silk on the inside of the chandelier shades was screaming for something subtle. The shades are a black silk but in these pictures the light seems to be making them come across navy.

Here is a shot during the day with the lights off. As you can see I took the greenery, ribbon and frosted fruit down from the ceiling.

This picture was taken right after my wallpaper was put up. No drapery panels or anything yet. I wanted to give you a peak at the chandelier without anything on it and this was the only picture I could find!

I really piled on the ribbon and greenery to make it lush and full.

I love this fruit frosted with gold. I used gold dusted faux magnolia garland.

The colors in the fruit look beautiful at night with the light hitting them and they compliment my plaid silk panels.

A lot of layering went on to make this one happen!

I picked up two rolls of this pretty scrolled gold ribbon on sale at Michael's. I love how the light plays off of the glitter in the ribbon.

I twisted the ribbon down from the ceiling as well and left loops at the top to cascade down.

What are you doing to your chandeliers this season? Don't forget to check out more creations and inspiration at Susan's Metamorphosis Mondays at Between Naps on the Porch by clicking here. Have a terrific week!

Revisit The Kiddie Table

2009-11-26T12:20:00.010-05:00

Today I thought I would share our "kiddy" table from last year to get the Christmas season rolling. Chocolate Santa's stand at attention near each child's place.
Matellasse place mats in green serve as bases for some whimsical place settings. A terrarium filled with glass ornaments is an easy centerpiece and keeps breakables behind glass so little hands can't reach them. A snowman hands candy filled with salt and pepper.

I found some great gingerbread cookie ornaments shaped in frosted letters. Since I knew the names of the kids who would be in attendance I picked up one for each child with their initial and they got to take them home at the end of the night.

The polka dot salad plates made for a fun whimsical addition. I picked them up a few years back at Pottery Barn.

An easy table for five fun kids.

The variety of initials all with different "frosting" kept each place setting a bit different and fun.

I love to decorate chandeliers and my kitchen one is no exception. This one was done in green ribbons and red berries.

I wish all of you a very happy Thanksgiving. I pray your home is warm and full of love and laughter. Please visit Susan for more wonderful tables.

Tree Tops

2009-11-17T14:40:00.026-05:00

I spent the past weekend in Asheville where I toured once again the stunning Biltmore Estate. We did a bit of shopping too, of course! I was very taken with the lovely Christmas trees in all of the stores. Especially the way they had decorated the tops of the trees. Luckily I had my camera handy and took a few shots.

This tree was done in all gold and green. Very pretty and soothing.

An abundance of greenery was used around the top of the tree.

This whimsical delight was a fun sight indeed! Look at the Santa belt around the middle of it. Everything was over sized and fun. I loved the over sized Christmas lights stuffed into the top of this tree. Fun!

This one was all golds and reds and very elegant. The top almost looked like a show girls head dress! Isn't it stunning though?

All of the trees had some of the most beautiful ornaments on them.

Frosted glass in lovely colors.

I loved these tall deer. These were in gold but they had them in red, green and silver as well.

Red crystal drops.

A candy cane tree.

Wrapped with a Christmas ribbon.

This tree top held a wooden toy soldier. In fact the tree held many toy soldiers.

Golds and whites. So pretty!

White feathers and reds.

Some more of the pretty ornaments.

A more rustic tree with berries.

Berries and ribbons fill the top of this tree.

When will you put up your tree this season? If you are like me I try to get it done the weekend after Thanksgiving. I am happy to have viewed all these trees. I always struggle with my tree top. This has given me some great ideas! I hope it has given you some ideas as well!

ThanksGiving Table 2008

2009-11-11T20:30:00.000-05:00

For this Tablescape Thursday I am re-visiting my Thanksgiving table from last year. As I was organizing some photos today I came across my Thanksgiving table from last year. All set and awaiting its guests. Since I was not blogging at this time last year these pictures were never shared so I decided I would share them now.

Coming from a large family I always tend to use a more casual dish for gatherings. The main reason for this is I simply don't want to hand wash my formal china!

I made a quick arrangement using white spider mums apples and some greenery.

I found these blue and white transferware turkey plates some years ago at a HomeGoods. I am pretty sure they carry the same ones every year. I ended up making the napkin rings out of some tassels and trim I picked up at the fabric store. I just could not find any I wanted at the time and so resorted to creating my own.

It is funny to look at all the changes I have completed in my dining room since last year. In these photos I notice the room has no window treatments........ WOW did it look plain!

I had thrown this center mat together out of a scrap of Waverly fabric I found at the fabric store for $5. I liked the colors in it and the way the blue roosters picked up on the blue turkey plates. I trimmed it out in red brush fringe I got on sale. I think the entire project cost me around $15.

Oh look my lamp shades had not even been monogrammed yet!!! So many of you have had your shades monogrammed since I posted that project. Now you can see what mine looked like before they were done! They look so plain don't they? Hope you had fun re-visiting my table from last year with me. You can find more inspirational tables by visiting Susan at Between Naps On The Porch

Tween Bedroom Makeover ~In A Weekend

2009-11-01T19:53:00.017-05:00

A few years ago when we were still in California and I had my Decorating business, I was contacted by a client who wanted to do a weekend makeover for her daughters twelfth birthday. This type of re-do is made to look quite easy on the shows on HGTV, but trust me it is not! I felt I was up for the challenge though and took a drive out to her home to see what I was "up against". She had almost all the furniture relatively new. That was staying.

She expressed some definite storage issues around the desk area that needed to be addressed.

The room also had its own bath that she wanted done.

The french doors and window treatments were a definite must do.

The biggest challenge was that she wanted to keep the existing bedding. One less thing to do yes, but very hard to match other fabrics "off the shelf" to an existing set.

After seeing if all my seamstresses. painters and carpenters were on board and able to do a 48 hour turn around I agreed to take on the project. After all how excited would you have been at the age of 12 to go away for a weekend and then come home to this big surprise! So I was off and running (literally) to come up with a plan. I found a great plaid fabric that worked with the existing bedding. There was just enough to make some panels and a bed skirt as well as a bolster pillow for the bed top. That left the existing bed skirt up for grabs and just what I needed to use for fabric to incorporate the pattern into the window treatment. I designed a valance lined in sage green and cream check.

Here is an after shot. I chose a soft blush pink paint for the walls. My work room made soft pink organza sheers to attach to the canopy bed at the corners. I found a great pink on pink patterned fabric to make some roman shades with beaded fringe on the edge.

Here is a look at the finished window treatments. They really made the room.

Some rearranging of the furniture was necessary for a better layout and function in the space. Some new lamps and art work and a lot of accessories helped to pull the space together.

I had my carpenter build in some open shelving above the desk to store all that tween stuff.

I brought in a cream Napoleon chair and added a lovely pink taffeta cushion with sage green and cream tufted buttons on it. Sadly I did not get detailed shots of the room. Mainly because we literally finished 20 minutes before the tween arrived home. Talk about reality makeover!

A restful tailored space was the end result.

The end result was one happy twelve year old! Visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for more wonderful transformations.

Stanley Showroom High Point Market

2009-10-24T07:26:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite tours at the market this year was at Stanley. They have put a lot of effort into one of their newer , Coastal Living. I love the bright colors and distressed finishes you find on very traditionally styled pieces. These pieces could be used anywhere and add a lot of interest to a room. They would be a dream in a beach home. I couldn't help but get a bit camera happy on our tour! Enjoy! Just look at all the wonderfully worn colors they offer on every piece. Yummy!

Sea glass table. These colors made me want to change my entire home!

A shaker style side board comes to life in a wash of sea foam green.

This chair is actually a turquoise gingham check.

I love the slip covered chairs. Can't you just envision yourself having lobster at the beach at this table?

Apple green is so fresh!

The inside of their secretary had an outlet for computer mounted right on the front of the inside organizer. How clever!

I love how you can mix every color of case goods in this line and they flow seamlessly with each other.

Blues in the mix!

Pinks and sea foams.

Look at the butter yellow chair near the pink. Completely unexpected but works wonderfully.

A perfect example of multiple colors used. Apple green, sea glass, periwinkle and cream and wood.

The blacks and blues and reds work just as well!

Aren't these stools fun?

This chair is so versatile and so comfortable too (of course I had to try a few pieces out?) and we saw it used in many different settings with many different fabrics. One of my favorite pieces from the collection. Hope you enjoyed your tour!

Market At High Point

2009-10-22T08:19:00.034-04:00

This week was the design market in High Point. I was lucky enough to be able to spend a long day there. I took so many pictures but only about 1/4 of them showed up on my camera. I don't know why? I am going to start out by sharing one of my very favorite new finds/ This company is called Forever Green Art. click this link to learn more .forevergreenart . They do the most incredible arrangements out of dried and preserved product. I was drooling. Can you even handle this rooster arrangement? I was practically screaming on the floor but wanted to keep my cool.......
Look at this hydrangea and white rose arrangement. Drooling some more.......

I loved them all.......

Don't you just want this one for your fall centerpiece.......

Fruit was in almost every arrangement even if discreet.........

There were so many different varieties.......

Pheasant feathers...........oh I love it! They will custom make any arrangement. You can send them fabric etc and they will come up with their brilliance based on pictures, fabric etc. They had some fabulous Christmas arrangements but I am saving those pictures for some future holiday posts.

Barclay Buttera need I say more. Everything on his floor was fabulous. I think this was one of the most crowded areas. I did take more pictures of his things but those were among the missing shots.

There were a lot of hammered metals. Among them these stunning barrel shade beauties from Barbara Cosgrove.

How about this turquoise chandelier. Made out of all natural turquoise this beauty wholesaled for around seven thousand.

I loved this whimsical bunny lamp. Again from Barbara Cosgrove. Did you know they will custom match your shade to any Benjamin Moore color for a $40 fee?

Who would have known. Walt Disney has a line of lighting. Whom ever is designing for this is a talented team. Look at this chandelier!

This was one of the best crystal lamps I saw the whole show. Stunning.

There was a lot of furniture with fun finishes. One was this black chest with crystal knobs.

Look closer and you see this black on black finish.

Animal prints were still everywhere. Even on furniture!

Accessories. Always my weakness!

These were all at the Imax showroom.

I was able to take a tour of the Stanley showroom. Some of my favorites were definitely based on some Ralph Lauren designs.

Stunning side board.

A fun vignette.

This family room/den setting from Stanley was one of my favorite from the show. I have always been a fan of this look.

This sofa was incredible and I want it very badly LOL! I can just picture it in my study! I love the navy velvet tufted ottoman as well.

Mohair cushions with velvet mens suiting pillows, Scottish plaids and paisleys. Doesn't get much better than this.....

Oh wait it does! Leather sides yes I am still drooling!

These white lacquered cabinets were stunning!

This table had a wonderful detail in the bottom and legs.

I am eyeing this bench as well.

This wall unit had such a stunning curve to it. Look that ottoman was shown again in leather. Nice!

Come back tomorrow. I am going to take you on a tour of Stanley's new showroom for their Coastal living line. Hope enjoyed browsing High Point with me!

Fall Mantel

2009-10-19T07:08:00.010-04:00

For this weeks Met Monday I decided to share a closer look at my fall mantel. Above is my every day mantel. Just by pulling some of my regular items down and adding some fall fare in the form of pilgrims, pumpkins and fall foliage I instantly changed the feel of the mantel.

Tying some fall ribbon around the candle sticks was an easy way to dress them up for fall.

I think this tole tray evokes fall with its warm colors. A friend from the HGTV message boards sent this lovely tray to me. She is a talented lady, this was hand painted by her.

I have had these pilgrims for 19 years. My mother in law brought them from New Hampshire for me on a trip she took there.

Hope you have enjoyed my mantel makeover. For more wonderful transformations visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch I hope everyone has a blessed and warm week!

A Cold Day, A Warm Hearth, Party For One.......

2009-10-14T14:42:00.018-04:00

There is nothing like a cold rainy day to elicit staying inside. I did just that today. I put on my fleece, warm sox, grabbed my current novel, made myself some tea and sat in my favorite chair in front of the fire. Ahhhhh bliss! I love large mugs. I also love hot tea with honey. I treated myself to a tray using some of my favorite golds, greens and russets what evokes fall better?

Sadly my butter cookies didn't make it into the picture......lounging all day makes one rather hungry so by the time I decided to pull the camera out for a few shots.....well the cookies were just gone. I decided to use one of my favorite green plates as a saucer instead, I am sure you don't mind!

A little candle light makes it even more cozy.

The love the raised detail on the rim of these plates and they really are the perfect green! Aren't they fun on my autumn leaved napkin?

There is another seat by the fire, are you sure you don't want to join me and sit a spell? I will warn you , I do tend to get rather caught up in my reading once started.

Maybe you would like to pick a book or two out to enjoy yourself?

This wormed and antique tray is one of my favorites and I use it on my ottomans in place of a coffee table. It is perfect for serving up a place setting for one.

Hope you enjoyed spending a cozy moment with me by the fire. Now head on over to Susan's at Between Naps On The Porch to view more wonderfully inspiring tables (or trays) whichever the case may be.

Farmers Market Iron & Antiques

2009-10-13T20:36:00.000-04:00

At our Farmers market, or at least right next door there is a great place that carries Iron works and antiques. Here are some of the great things I spied there on my visit...............

Fall At The Farmers Market

2009-10-12T19:56:00.026-04:00

Fall is by far my favorite time of year at the farmers market. All the different colors and textures just abound. I really need not say any more. Enjoy the tour ........

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2009-10-04T13:51:00.022-04:00

As a person who has seen the devastation of breast cancer in loved ones first hand losing my mother and my sister to this ugly disease, I felt compelled to dedicate today's post to products supporting breast cancer research. Breast cancer will touch all our lives personally in some way in our lifetime. A mother, a sister, an aunt, a grandmother a friend and yes even a father, son, uncle and grandfather or ourselves. No one is untouched by its ugly purpose. However; we can help in small ways by contributing to the research of not only breast cancer but all cancers. The following are products that will donate a portion of their proceeds to breast cancer research in the month of October. Teleflora Pink Blush Bouquet

www.teleflora.com.

In the "pink of things" these two lacoste items are a great match www.lacoste.com

Feminista Rain Boots

www.dllrainwear.com

Coach Lexington Breast Cancer Awareness watch. Available at Coach and Macy's stores

Clinique Butter Shine Lip Gloss in "Ribbon Pink" and Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion available at www.sephora.com

Something easy to pick up at any drug store Chapstick in Pink

Belkin Sport band Available at belkin.com.

New Balance Lace Up for The Cure Sneaker Available at newbalance.com.

Nashelle Hope Necklace www.nashelle.com.

Love these Pink P.J.'s www.needhamlane.com.

This candle is an easy one to pick up for a gift. Available at any Pier 1 store.

Red Flower Japanese Candle Available at www.redflower.com.

Vera Bradley Hipster www.verabradley.com

Next time you in you big box store pick up the pink dusters!

Love this double duty bag. Not only are you being environmentally proactive but you are donating to breast cancer research at the same time Available at www.earthtotes.org.

Another easy one to pick up. Be inspired by these Dove Chocolates. Each wrapper comes with some wisdom inside.

CANON CAMERA PACK, $279.99. Say cheese! Canon is fighting breast cancer through the sale of their special edition bundle kits. Each kit includes a pink PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital ELP camera, a pink SELPHY CP760 compact photo printer, a pink ribbon charm, and a Mammography Reminder Magnet. In the month of October, Canon will donate $150,000 to American Cancer Society. Available in retail stores nationwide

Aveda Hand Relief . Available at www.aveda.com

Privo by Clarks Puffer Flats. If you've never worn a Privo show you are missing out on comfort! Available at privosusa.com.

Introducing.......

2009-09-30T13:24:00.009-04:00

I would like to introduce y'all to a new blog......... MAKE MINE BEAUTIFUL

My friend Polly has now extended her many talents into the world of blogging. Polly is a very talented designer. Many of you might even recognize her once you visit her site.

Her talents soar when it comes to combining fabrics and sewing. She makes the most incredible items and will be selling them in her Etsy store.

In addition to her sewing talents she is full of fun ideas, tutorials and lovely photography.

All the items you see in these pictures will give you a glimpse of her incredible creations. She is in the process of building her Etsy store and her blog. The "sneak peak" shows that she is off and running and will extend her talents into a place we will all want to visit frequently.

I urge you to make taking a visit to her blog Make Mine Beautiful a high priority. For anyone who loves decorating ideas, fabric and crafts it is a must see. Watch for a fun giveaway at Southern Whimsy in the future featuring some of Make Mine Beautifuls lovely goods. Welcome Polly!

If You Give A Girl A Pumpkin......

2009-09-28T19:56:00.024-04:00

She will decide she needs to make a topiary out of it with a monogram.......

Which will prompt her to pull out some baskets she has had in the closet since spring.......

She will need to Paint them so they match!

Which involves picking up a can of Colonial Red spray paint.

On her way to get the paint she decides she needs to stop at Michael's for some fall foliage for the baskets.......

She finds what she needs to fill said french basket which is now painted colonial red!

Then the weather is so gorgeous in North Carolina today she decided she needs to stay outside as long as possible. After she hangs her french baskets full of fall foliage on the door she.....

Places her fall wreath up as well......

Black eyed Susan's, green hydrangea, fall leaves .......

She decided to dress her rockers for fall as well......

Just one more peak at the baskets.........

She adds some pillows to her rockers........

She places her pumpkin topiaries in urns on the porch...........

She decided to put up some Halloween fun......

and lines her walk way with iron luminaries.........

she adds some signs to her shutters........

and because she wants to stay outside as long as possible she plants her fall mums..........

If you give a girl a pumpkin you never know what the day will bring. Join Susan for more Met Monday action over at Between Naps On The Porch.