Thursday, April 28, 2011

TGIF and Frugal Flower Arrangement

What a week it has been!
Thank you for all the kind words, thoughts and prayers this week.

Grandown went home to be with the Lord on Easter morning. His pain and suffering has ended.

My friend Kandi's mother in law has been found and is alive and well. Her home was one of only four in the entire neighborhood left standing after lastnight's tornado is Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Please continue to pray for those who have lost so much.


Even though we have begun packing for the big move, I've decided to keep my sunroom intact as long as possible. I need atleast one pretty room in the house to keep my sanity!! haha


Bringing a little nature inside always makes me smile and
I'm so loving this gorgeous arrangement!!

Just a cheapo little boquet from the grocery store. Brought it home and plopped it in my Grandmama's old enamel pitcher.

Was a little sparse looking though so I trimmed a few branches......some with a few flowers that have yet to open, some just leaves......from our beautiful hydrangea bush. I also snipped a stray ferns from the lawn. These little buggers are insistent and are always sprouting up where they're not supposed to be.




This simple addition gave it just enough "oomph"!

I'm linking up to these great parties

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Vintage Inspiration Friday @ French Country Cottage

Wishing yall a wonderful, beautiful weekend

xoxo
jenny


Monday, April 25, 2011

Our Easter Weekend

At the moment I am really tired and words to describe this Easter weekend are failing me. Holidays are usually a busy time for us......rushing from family to family......in laws, parents and step parents, grandparents...it can be a bit overwhelming at times. This time around things were a little slower, a little calmer (except for the kids entertaining us with their diving board tricks on Saturday....they were awesome)


Hubby had to work all weekend so the kiddos and I spent a Friday and Saturday hanging out at Mimi's pool. Temps are already in the low 90's here so it was a perfect way to relax.


I really should have done a little editing to this picture. You can barely see that sweet smile!


The boys even hunted their eggs from Mimi and Papa in their swim trunks!


Ok so Blake was too cool to hunt eggs this year...... :( growing up way too fast)


Brady found the prize egg!!

Me and my sweet Brady Boo....wow....should have done a little Photoshopping here too! Yikes!!


(FYI: I DO have another child but he is 16 and very camera shy!!)

Sunday morning I took the boys down to visit their dad's mother (dad was out of town and I know their Nana misses them. Even though their dad and I are no longer married, this lady helped me in more ways that I could ever begin to count over the past 17 years. Bringing the grandkids to see her for Easter was the least that I could do. She is a wonderful Nana to my babies.)


Here are a few pics from her beautiful country garden.


The jasmine was in full bloom and smelled absolutely heavenly. I love the way it completly covers this arbor. Next month the wildflower patch just beyond it will be full of Texas bluebonnets, daisies, Indian Paintbrush and many others.

Years ago a close friend got married in front of it and asked me to do the decorating. It's so pretty on it's own though so we simply draped a little white tulle and added candles.

I have always loved this old weathered birdhouse which sits atop another trellis in the yard.


It was a beautiful peaceful weekend.

 Even the passing of Grandown (my stepmother's dad) on Sunday was made better knowing that his suffering and pain were finally over. I have no doubt he was smiling from ear to ear as he met Jesus and his baby girl, Sue with open arms.

Wishing you all a beautiful week.

xoxo
jenny

Mama's Garden

Hoping you all had a wonderful Easter weekend

Today I'm sharing a few pics from my mother's beautiful garden.


You see, Mama's garden is in the most unlikely place.....in a once-empty field next to their manufactured stone business.....right next to Interstate 20. When my parents originally bought this property they planned to renovate the old house (which you will see in the background of some of the photos) and live there, next to the shop.

Well, that never happened and basically the house is a huge storage building but Mama had already started a garden here and figured since they spend so much time at work, this would be a great place to escape for lunch or a little quiet time, so it stayed.


Oh, I forgot to mention this. She said the only way I can post these pics is to explain that we have had two very dry years and that is why you will see some large empty patches such as the one above. And she hasn't replaced the pinestraw mulch yet that usually covers the black paths. :)

Love the deep burgundy and gold in this one!

I was a little late in getting pictures. They usually peak around Easter but I forgot Easter was a little later than usual this year. When the Iris are in full bloom it is absolutely breathtaking. You woudn't believe the customers and passersby that wander out there in amazement. It brings her such joy to share the garden with others. Most of them leave with a pot of plants for their own garden. You see, Iris must be divided every 3 years so in a garden this size, something has to be divided every year. The women in my family usually make a weekend of it. Everybody takes some home, gives them away to friends. Whatever is left, we plant in recycled nursery pots. These little guys eventually make their way to a new home throughout the year.


My sweet Mama





Don't think I was supposed to post this one. hehe. But it really shows the garden well



I know.....getting a little picture crazy

Last one I promise.....



All these pics and I didn't get a single pink one. Mama's not gonna be happy about that! Maybe there's still a few left and I can run over there and snap a few!!

It's warming up fast here in East Texas. Temperature was 92 Saturday!!
 So I'm trying to enjoy every last minute of spring  before summer hits us like a brick wall.

One last note, please keep my family in your prayers. My stepmother's dad passed away early yesterday  after a lengthy illness. He was 87 and lived a long happy life but as you can imagine he will be greatly missed. How beautiful though that the Lord chose to bring him home on Easter :)

May you each have a blessed day

xoxo
jenny


Tuesday, April 19, 2011

I'm So Honored

Just a quick little post to shout out a
Great Big
THANK YOU!!


Yall have been so generous with the sweetest comments on my sunroom redo and my little garden tote. I've also received the warmest good luck wishes on our search for the "perfect for us" house.


This morning I also found out that my garden tote project is being featured today on Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style!
How cool is that??!!

I'm truly honored and humbled at all the love :)

xoxo
jenny


Thursday, April 14, 2011

Sunroom Reveal

Just before I pack it all up to move......

Yall may remember my awesone find from a couple weeks ago. I lucked upon five of these big gorgeous red floral pillows at a thrift store for $2 a piece! And even though we are getting ready to move, I promised a reveal so here it is...or half of it anyway. The other side of the room is a mix of boxes, and a wall still waiting to be painted :)


This is my favorite room in the house now. I drink my coffee in here every morning. It's also a great spot to read and visit with friends away from the tv. It's a very comfy, cozy room and I will miss it alot.
Hopefully our next house will have a space that I can use in much the same way!


George and D love it as much as I do. D is usually the one camped out here lounging around in the sun but it's a quiet cloudy day so he's hibernating somewhere in the dark bedroom.

Don't judge my Barely Alive tulips! I haven't been back to the store to get more!! :)

The wicker set was in my mother's sewing room when we were kids. She has since replaced it and this one was in storage so I brought it home. Started painting it black and ran out of paint on the 2nd chair. Didn't want to wait to get the room put together though so I just cleaned up the setee and brought it in as is...chippy paint and all.

The setee's cushion was old and faded so I wrapped a vintage chenille bedspread around it and let the fringe hang off the front. I'm really liking this look rather than something new. Plus it was free!!


These sweet little nesting tables were also a great find but the best part is that they look wonderful with the green and gold round table that we found the same day and a black and gold table I have had for years!
The round one is doing duty as a coffee table in this room and the black and gold one is at the other end of the settee. Added a couple framed pics of the babies and a candle...just something simple since everything else is being haphazardly thrown in boxes!!
 (not really...i'm packing everything very cafefully.)


This of course is the top of the armoire. Things I've picked up here and there....antique hat box, red basket with faux flowers (sounds so much better than FAKE), a cute tin rooster pic and the sweetest little crown bottle. Not sure what it's original purpose was and I think somebody painted the red on after the fact but I found it at the Salvation Army thrift store for 50 cents so it had to come home with me. The black candle holder came from Walmart I think.

The armoire holds mostly crafting supplies and linens. It was given to me by a friend just before my youngest son was born. It's a cheapo piece from Kmart but I painted the beadboard inserts and put a little glaze and cute knobs on it and it looks much better. I need to change out the knobs though if it is to stay with this furniture....they don't really match in here now.


This handpainted antique saw is one of my fav pieces in the room. My husband's grandmother painted the scene depicting what our hometown looked like when she was a child. It is absolutely gorgeous. She was a very talented lady and didn't even begin to paint until she was in her late 60's. We have several of her pieces and we just love them. So very special :)

Here's a closer shot so you can see a little more of the detail she put into it. It's just beautiful to me.

Sorry this pic is so dark but I wanted to show yall a closeup of what's in the tray on the coffee table. The tray itself is an old Southern Living at Home piece. The little clock is from Germany and was found at the same time I got the little crown bottle above. Think it was $1. The books just came from my bookcase. The little nest with eggs is from a darling little store in Canton and the silver tea pot was also found at Canton. The lid is missing but I don't care. I only paid $2 for it and I knew it would be perfect for holding flowers.
The paint is my favorite shade of green and was left over from my kitchen. In case you're wondering, the color is Paladin from True Value Hardware stores. It's a beautiful neutral soothing color.

I believe the total spent on this side of the sunroom was under $100. And yes I realize everybody's mama doesn't have a complete wicker set hiding in storage but you can find them at garage sales all the time. I have seen TWO sets in the last week!! There are some crazy people out there throwing away their wicker....go get you some! hahaha



Here's one last shot. Oh yea! I forgot to point out the pretty stained glass window that I picked up at a garage sale 15 years ago. It has been in every house I've lived in since I was 20. I just love that little window!
And I did buy the leopard print rug at Hobby Lobby but it was half price so I only paid around $20. So I guess that makes my total redo $120. Still cheap!!

Well, I guess I'll drag a few boxes in here and start packing all this up now. Can't wait to put it all back together soon though!!!
Very Soon!

I'm linking up to these great parties!

Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Creative Bloggers Party & Hop @ Homemaker On A Dime
Have a blessed day
xoxo
jenny




Monday, April 11, 2011

A Little Spring Bling

It's a dark rainy Monday morning in my part of the world today, but that's ok because we NEED the rain! And April showers bring May flowers right?? Yaaaay!!

Just wanted to share a little of what's been going on in the studio lately. Here's a few quick pics of my Upcycled, Repurposed, Junqued Up little lovelies.


The shorter Necklace is made of yummy Chocolate Freshwater Pearls and a sweet little Vintage Shoe Clip. It found a new home at Downtown Market last friday. The longer necklace is one of my favorite natural stones, smooth Green Adventurine. I added a Vintage Filligree Brooch and Antique Locket. I do believe this is my new fav piece...it so wants to hang out around my neck!! :)



Chunky Lemon Jade and a To-Die-For Art Deco Rhinestone Brooch......it too went to a loving home during Downtown Market


Here's another shot with this cool old glove mold I found at Canton last weekend. Love it!! I have big plans for this hand....more on that later!



And last but not least, a sweet little pair of earrings made from Vintage Watch Faces that never made it to the watch. (I bought a group of items from a watch factory that closed long ago) Topped off with Vintage Rhinestones and a little filligree.

Well, time to get the kiddos up and off to school!!

Linking to

Hope you all have a blessed Monday. Much love!

xoxo
jenny





Saturday, April 9, 2011

A Midnight Project

Ever have one of those nights when you just can't sleep?

Too many ideas rolling around in your head.......Making mental lists.......etc, etc

Well that was me Thursday night......Ugh! And sometimes the only way to remedy that situation is to get up and do something. Sooooooo.......


I've been wanting to do something with this adorable little wood tote.
It was cute enough as is but the green was a little bright so...



I added a sloppy layer of yellow which was still super bright!
I also added a cute French hardware label from The Graphics Fairy with a little Decopauge.


After that I rubbed a little of my favorite Valspar Mocha Glaze but the color was still a bit shocking so I broke out the Ivory spray paint and gave it a very soft light coat. Let that dry and starting sanding. I even got a little crazy and sanded that gorgeous label! Then after a little more, or rather a lot more glaze........

VOILA!!!!


I am so loving the way this little tote turned out. Small painted pieces are one of my favorite projects and I'm seriously considering adding them to my booth at Canton and other shows where I sell my jewelry. What do yall think??




I'm linking my little project up to


Show Off Your Cottage Mondays at The House In The Roses


Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

(ok that's weird...don't know why Blogger is changing "SNS @ Funky Junk Interiors"  to the actual address like that.....oh well. It will get you there the same)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

xoxo
jenny