Dancing with Autumn

Sweet Autumn is knocking on the door of this old farmhouse ~
announcing her gentle presence with bronzing oaks and golden maples.

Whispering of the gown of  rich colors she'll be dancing in.

Singing of cool, crisp days with deep turquoise skies,

and even cooler nights with glimmering stars close enough to touch with your fingertips.

I welcome her.

The change of seasons can bring a change of heart, too.

A need to change up the rooms in our home.
A need to tuck away airy lightness for a while and embrace comforting warmth.
A need to layer colors like we layer our cool weather clothes.

We put away the pastels and replace them with deeper, richer colors

that warm our souls on cold, dark evenings.

Heaven's Walk is dancing with Sweet Autumn and singing her song.

A beautiful Florentine tray,

a gift from a beloved friend,

now sits on the old green board on the bathtub.

The rich gilding brings even more depth to the room

and is the perfect place for a bar of rose scented soap in a vintage gilt-edged dish.

A favorite RASCC patterned chair slip, 'Somerset',

was tied on to the French dining chair at the desk in my sun-filled studio.

I love its purple tinted denim color.

A lavender scarf with tatting and tassels is draped across the back and falls onto the seat...

and dusky lavender roses grace an elegant shabby chic vase nearby.

A turquoise blue needlepoint piece is tossed on to a wooden serving tray next to soft pink roses and mini carnations, adding another level of rich boho color. 

I've been physically dabbling in color, too.

A RH linen pillow slip purchased on eBay a while ago for a great price
(because the initial on it was a little wonky and a bit off center)
was originally a drab shade of dark oatmeal.

I wasn't currently using it because,
although it was once perfect for my French-Nordic decor a couple years ago,
it's neutral color didn't jibe with my shabby prairie bohemian style now.

 I dyed it with a touch of purple and a bit of denim blue.

Due to it's original color, I didn't add in any tan or taupe to the dye recipe like I usually do when wanting a dusky shade.
It turned a beautiful faded smokey shade of what I call "Prairie Plum".

It picks up the plum shades in the roses in my overdyed 'Somerset' pillow slips.

A Florentine tissue box was added to my planked side table to create a vignette of lavender, mauve, and turquoise.

The lavender prayer candles were a thoughtful gift from sweet Rachel.

And yes....I'm still working on reworking that tri-fold door....  :)

Fresh cut roses, carnations, delphiniums,

and a charming little purple flower plunked into a rustic, galvanized pail

bring deeper shabby chic autumn colors to my chippy pink planked table in the corner.

And all the while autumnal colors are blooming inside this old farmhouse,
my little girl waits patiently for her papa to come home in the fading light
on an early autumn day.

~  Blessings ~

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Coffee Table Make-Over

Remember this beautiful coffee table in my living room?

The Husband made it for me.
He crafted it from an vintage nine-paned door.

I fell in love with it when he first unveiled it to me on that beautiful Christmas morning

hmmmmm....

about 15 years ago.

With my recent obsession

(one of many)

with farmhouse planked top tables,

I wanted to transform this one a bit to satisfy that recent new obsession.

I scrounged around in the barn for some old wood planks...

and came up empty handed.

None of them were the right type
or
didn't have bat poop all over them.

Drat!

So, the next time I took a trip to the big city, 

I made a stop at Home Depot,

chose the cheapest piece of pine board they had,

fluttered my mascaraed eyelashes at a young man with an orange apron on ~

(Gee...I hope he worked there...

I only flutter my eyelashes at people I want something from, you know)

and asked if he would cut the board down for me.

He was utterly besotted with my fluttering politely said he would,

and off I scampered with my piney scented planks.

Wanting them to look a little old and worn,

I laid them out in the basement and sanded the edges until they were uneven and rounded.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to stain or paint them.

I ended up deciding to stain them knowing that I could always paint over it.
The next question was with what color?

I had Minwax Golden Oak, Special Walnut, and Pecan on hand.

 I tried each of them on some scrap pieces of pine first
and laid them on the coffee table.

 

 The walnut was too dark and the golden oak too yellowy.

Decision was  ~~ Minwax Express Color in Pecan.

It was the perfect warm, light brown with a gray undertone.

I used a foam brush, kind of like a sponge, to spread this thick liquid on,

rubbing and scrubbing it into the grain.

After letting it dry overnight, I hauled a couple pieces upstairs, laid them on the table,

turned and walked out of the room, 

and then turned back around to look at the table.

[Yes, I do this quite often when rearranging furniture, working on projects, and painting furniture.  I want the "first impressions" feeling.]

I didn't like it.

It looked like a hole in the middle of the living room.
The pretty pecan color just wasn't going to work all by itself.

I wanted it touched with white.

Back downstairs they went,

out came out the Benjamin Moore "Ivory Tusk"

(which is the color on the rest of furniture in the house)

and I spread the creamy whiteness on.

Now, I love my BM paint.  Always have. Always will. It goes on like pudding.

It's thick and rich and almost looks edible because of it's similarity in consistency to yogurt.

But distressing this latex paint is nothing like distressing chalk paint or milk paint.

I had forgotten that after working with chalk paint for so long.

Duh.

After the planks had dried over night, I got out my handy dandy little palm sander

and started sanding.

I happily sanded

and sanded

and sanded

and sanded.

I switched hands and began to mutter things under my breath as I sanded

and sanded

and sanded

and sanded.

AGH!

But slowwwwwwly the planks began to look old and loved.

I hauled them back upstairs and laid them out side by side.

I had to put the glass back on because the boards aren't screwed to the table yet
which will be done from beneath with The Husband's help.

Then, I walked out of the room,

 turned around,
looked at the table

and...

fell in love all over again.


I loved that the boards gave the table substance and uniformity.
Not being able to see through the glass panes, gave the room a calmer,
less busy look.

So, of course,
I spent the better part of an hour creating vignettes on this planked loveliness.
:)

 

Yeah...
I'm loving it.


~ Blessings ~

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A Little Florentine

Last Sunday was a successful day at the market.

No, I didn't bring home any fruits or vegetables.

It wasn't that type of market.

I was up at 6am to be in line at 8am for the Allegan Antique Market

which is held every last Sunday of the summer months.

It's located at the fairgrounds and has over 400 vendors.

Lots and lots of treasures.

Lots and lots of buyers.

Lots and lots of fun.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this little gem as I sauntered my way down the second aisle.

It was the first time I've ever seen a piece of Florentine furniture here.

I'm hoping that becomes a trend.  :)

I couldn't grab this little gem fast enough,

and danced happily away with it 

after paying $15.

I just love it!

I also found a few Florentine trays that I couldn't pass by.

The colors were beautifully aged and faded ~

and looked so pretty stacked

on top of the Florentine table.

Another little treasure I brought home was this blingy little candle holder.

I walked by it.

Looked at it.

Picked it up.

Put it back down.

Walked 10 feet.

Turned around and looked back at it.
Ignored the strange stares from nearby vendors.

Walked back to it.

Pulled out $10

and

paid for it.

I'm so glad I did.

Though I'm not quite sure where it will end up hanging...

I'm enjoying adding a little more bohemian feel to the tousled elegance 

here at Heaven's Walk.

(I never really lost my hippy-chic soul, I guess.
Still love my worn, flared jeans,
big, dangle earrings paired with an armful of bracelets,
maxi skirts,
and flip flops.)

My splurge for the day was this beautiful chandelier.

My eyes glazed over when I walked by it.

I think I ran into someone,

tripped over a shopping basket,

knocked over a display,

stepped in someone's lunch,
and ignored more stares from nearby vendors,

(yeah...shopping with me is an experience)

but never missed a step

as my hands reached hungrily for this beauty. 

The wiring on it needs a little TLC,

so I'll be bugging The Husband once again for his expertise ~
or ask him to teach me how to rewire it.  :)

It may end up with a few more crystals that I have stashed away in my basement abyss,

before the big decision is made on where to hang it.

I would love to hang it in the living room above the coffee table.

I don't even care if it's a working light or not.

I just love the look of a chandy in a living room.

But I'm worried that with the room being so small,

it may eat up visual "space".

Do you know what I mean?

This photo was taken earlier this spring.

 

On the other hand,
I'm not sure it's big enough for the space.
There's nothing worse than a too small chandy hanging in the middle of a room.  :)


Or should I hang it over the round wicker table in the corner

and move the candelabra....?

Or in the hallway on the second floor landing to replace the ugly boob light...?

Or.......someplace else....?

Suggestions??

~ Blessings ~

PS ~ My friend, Georgina (remember her from Doster Emporium where I have my booth?) and I will be vendors at the Gilmore Car Museum/Swap Meet & Flea Market this week Saturday!  

 There will be thousands of cars, vintage boats & campers from all eras, cars for sale,

swap vendors, flea market vendors, door prizes, and museum exhibits. It is a judged show and a People's Choice Show.  www.GilmoreCarMuseum.org

Stop by and do some shopping! 

I promise you'll love the treasures I'll be selling!  :)

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