I'm recommitting myself to a few things in this New Year - one being this blog. 

The rest will reveal themselves.

Until then, Happy New Year from me to you!

A gift, service and a run in Philly

A year ago I was at my Uncle's funeral where my cousin Wendi and I were talking. Unfortunately over the years of living here ( I grew up on the West coast) the only time I tend to see some of my PA cousins are at funerals.

So as we were talking, Wendi asked if she could get Blair a birthday present and of course I said, "Sure!" so she asked Blair if she liked to read. Blair gave a resounding yes. Wendi said that her niece was editing a book which would soon be released and she could probably get her a signed copy. Blair was so excited about this. Wendi texted me a month later and said she hadn't forgotten about it but life came up and she would get on it. I told her not to worry. I had actually forgotten about it when Wendi messaged me again and said she had it and would mail it out.

It wasn't too long after that when I received word from my cousin, BethAnn, Wendi's sister, that Wendi had been diagnosed with a brain tumor during this time. I was shocked. I had just hammed it up with her in pictures a few months back. BethAnn said that Wendi kept telling her to get the book mailed for her. I responded by saying enough with the book, just get better. But there would be no getting better. The cancer took her quickly and mercilessly. Here she was, in the fight of her life, and she was trying to get Blair that book.

At her funeral, Blair received her gift from Wendi. It is now a prized possession. And it's a constant reminder that my worst of moments so far are not that tough and I can do a better job of making time for service.

So the least I could do was to join BethAnn's team in the Race for Hope in Philadelphia, through the National Brain Tumor society, to say thank you to Wendi and honor her memory.

Best seller

BethAnn and me

Me and my little cheering section. Love them.

A little thought

It seems like someone always cuts in front of me in line. Today it was at a craft store, the other day it was at a convenience store and last week it was at a grocery store. And I'm always behind someone going 10 miles under the speed limit. My first thought to myself is usually sarcastic but then I quickly stop and think. There is no place so important for me to be that I can't wait an extra few minutes to get there. I also think that being held up 5 to 10 minutes may be keeping me from something dangerous or putting me in a perfect position for something good. Do you think this way too?

A little side table rehab

I spotted this side table at a thrift shop in Arkansas and despite its flaws, I had to see what I could do with it. The details were just too good.

The top had a 3 sided rim but one side was gone. I knew that removing the other two would be easy and patching the divot it would leave with wood filler wouldn't be hard either. The top's veneer was bubbling and peeling so that had to come off. It's not an easy task to repair veneer so I didn't want to attempt that. I peeled off as much as I could and the rest got the orbital sander treatment, using 80 grit sand paper. Because of the vintage nature of the piece, I wasn't worried about scratches and dings on the rest of it. Paint would take care of that.

I made sure not to sand down too far by using 220 grit sandpaper on the 

mouse sander this time and filled in where the rim had been.

I used Americana Decor chalk paint in Primitive and Grunge it! aging dust by Vintage Market & Design to bring out the details. After waxing, I used fine grit sandpaper to lightly distress the high points. I always wax furniture at the shop just in case something is scratched in transit, which happens more times than not.

I am tempted to keep this for myself. It's so adorable.

That's always the struggle.

Have a great day!

Linking to 

                Ducks 'n a Row | The Happy Housie | Elizabeth & Co | Home Stories A to Z | Natasha in Oz

The Dedicated House | Posed Perfection | Simply Sweet Home

The beginning of the season

I love October. 

That's when the leaves really change around here. One year it was so warm they didn't change until November. That wasn't a great year for foliage. But this year should be brilliant. For me, October is like my Spring, a renewal, where I spruce up the house, go through the kids' closets and try to get organized, I said try. 

I think I've always looked at this month that way because my church's semi-annual world General Conference is held in October and listening to the talks tend to give me a push in a direction I need.

Another thing I love is that there are so many festivals! Over the weekend we went to our back to school festival at a ranch not far from my house. The kids and I enjoyed a s'mores fire pit, horseback riding and a hay ride. It was really simple, just the way I think kids' events should be. I realized I didn't take many photos until it was too late but you get the idea.

Perfect size horse

This horse was big. I didn't ask but I'm guessing 17 hands?

I love Longhorns! I always enjoyed seeing them when we lived in The Texas Hill country
 and now I can see them right here in PA. 

A little bouquet

My mind was filled with frustrations on Saturday and I knew I needed a good run to clear it. I'm not a fan of running. at all. But I push myself to do it anyway. If not for the obvious reasons of health and conditioning, I do it because of the effect the endorphins have on the brain, taking me out of my frustrated mental state. It's also a time where I usually have a good idea about work, which includes life at home.

I prefer the quiet country trail not far from my house where I can take in the beautiful scenery. In a few weeks the leaves, some that are as big as my face!, will turn color and put on a show that I look so forward to every year. I can't wait to hear the crunch under my feet as they carpet the trail. After my run, I circled back up a bit and picked wildflowers to make a little bouquet. They were just too good to pass up.

The best trail

Simple wildflowers in a blue vintage Ball jar

Hollywood regency inspiration

At the end of a long day, sitting down to read a good book or when chatting with friends, a comfortable chair beckons you. When looking over the choices from Chairish, an on-line shoppe dedicated to bringing you great designer pieces of pre-owned furniture and decor at reasonable prices, I chose the Hollywood Regency swivel chair as my favorite to create a style board around. Not only is the shape and style a classic but the color is also one of my favorites.

I didn't  have to look too far for color inspiration as some of the best color combinations are just right out our windows. Mother Nature makes this so easy on us. Even Vincent Van Gogh was inspired by her work.

image via

A simple breakdown:

While Hollywood Regency is associated with the glamorous era of the 1930s, I added a few pieces from other eras so the room wouldn't be so literal and I assumed that most of us aren't going to switch out a sofa very often so we have to work with what we have, which seems to be a sofa with clean, modern lines. 

The particular style of floor lamp tends to be seen often. I have a similar one as well! You could even spray paint the underside of the shade gold and the outside black to bring it in to the style era. And while many rooms of this type have white walls or saturated grays, moody black or wallpaper, I took a cue from Van Gogh and went with blue, Van Deusen blue to be exact. I think even a deeper shade would be just as spectacular.

The absence of artwork - Artwork is so personal. I range from displaying my kids' drawings, old photographs enlarged and vintage or thrift store finds. It's a mash up of just what I like with no real semblance of order or that fits into a specific genre so I left it out of this style board. I think whatever one has will work. Ultimately you have to enjoy looking at it everyday so it must be something that speaks to you. 

Some of these items are on the high end but can easily be duplicated to fit all budgets. I recently found a Hollywood Regency dresser at a thrift shop for mere dollars. But if you don't happen to find one from the era, painting an existing dresser black and switching out the hardware can give you what you may be looking for. 

Draperies can be expensive so I like to stick with something basic. I think it's great when curtains run in the same color as the wall so there's no stopping point for the eyes but again for me it's usually what is affordable. White curtains in black trim would be great here even though the walls are blue. This era was all about luxe, think velvet and silk. Accents in gold, black and white lacquer will finish off the room.

Hollywood regency was all about entertaining, so any space which is made to be inviting, while focusing on friends and family will give you great moments. Enjoy!

Go here to find Chairish's vintage accent chair collection!

Polyvore

Glass chandelier
kathykuohome.com

Orb lighting
kathykuohome.com

Floor lamp
overstock.com

Modern rug
allmodern.com

Diane James artificial flower
gracioushome.com

Blue accent pillow
macys.com

Beaded accent pillow
chairish.com

Striped throw pillow
chairish.com

Black buffet
onekingslane.com

Round table
kathykuohome.com

Octagon table
mackenzie-childs.com

White side table
kathykuohome.com




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