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Beachy Mason Jars

Hello everyone!

I’m in the midst of sprucing things up…again! lol.

I’m starting with the family room, adding some shells, changing up the cuhsion covers and adding some great beachy candlelight.

I’ve seen these lovely beachy mason jars filled with candleight everywhere. I seen them at PB last week and loved the way they have them displayed. They had them hanging from an old vintage ladder in an outdoor setting. Can’t wait to try that out on the deck soon but will probably hang them from my umbrella.

They look great with some glass candleholders.

I just twisted some wire around the rim of some old mason jars I had in the basement and added a little handle so that they can be hung. A little sand and a votive candle and you’ve got a pretty little candleholder, So simple to do!

This is how they look lit up at night.

Again during the day.

They look great hanging! Here I’ve just hung it from the light fixture by the handle, but you can use twine, jute, wire or fishing line to hang them.

Donna at Funky Junk Interiors just posted on Mason Jars with a linky party! you can link up here and look at all that great inspiration, you will be amazed at what can be done with a simple mason jar!

I’ll be posting again in the next couple of days to show the rest of the family room spruce up!

Thanks for stopping by and

Be Blessed!

Will be linking up with:

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm

Good Life Wednesdays @ Beach Cottage

Transformation Thursdays @ Shabby Chic cottage

White Wednesday @ Faded Charm

Open House Party Thursday @ No Minimalist Here

Family pics with the new lens…

3:46 am by kim 29 Comments

Hello everyone!

I hope you’re all enjoying the weekend!

Some of you have asked about my new camera lens, it’s a Nikkor 55-300mm DX VR11.

I started with the kit lens 18-55mm that came with my Nikon D90 and have been waiting for the day to add this new one.

One of the exciting things that have come along with blogging is a passion for photography and although

I am such a novice right now I look forward to growing in this new found love of mine.

I’ve taken a few pics of my daughters with this new lens and decided to share some of them with you.

These first few pics are of my middle daughter Faith. The fact that I was able to take any pics of them was a miracle as they don’t like to get their pics taken…especially by Mom for some reason! Lol.

By now she had had enough.

This is my youngest daughter Hope and she allowed me one pic and that was it. She then said her lips looked purple so I changed it to black and white…sigh

This is my eldest daughter Charity, (the back side of her anyway! Lol) with Butters trailing behind.

We decided to enjoy the day by taking a walk along the beach which is just down the road from us.

If you’re a dog walker, you don’t need to ask what’s in the bag!

There is nothing like the sound of waves slapping up onto the shore. Both hubby and I come from a long line of Islanders and we both find the sound healing in some way…we’re blessed to have it so close to home.

Butters loves it down by the beach, leash off, wind blowing through his fur and he is in his glory!

Love this pic of Charity and Butters walking side by side.

Since we’re here, I couldn ‘t help but show a pic of hubby, yes it is a little blurry but don’t blame the lens!

This is how you’ll find hubby a lot of the time. Listening to worship music and or a preaching message, yes he can do both…don’t know how but he calls it “multitasking”! Lol.

I thought if the girls could bare it so could I! Lol.

Looking forward to sharing more pics with you all.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tiptoe through the tulips…

8:00 am by kim 29 Comments

Hello everyone!

It is sooo nice to be back!

I didn’t want to say too much in my last post in fear that it wouldn’t post like my previous 5 attempts.

Thanks to so many of you that sent me some love and encouragement during my lonely week! Lol. It was well appreciated.

Despite my mishaps with blogger I was still able to enjoy the great spring weather! It’s still a little cool here but the sun is shining!

I thought I’d bring a little more spring inside and what says spring better than a couple of bunches of tulips?

What is it about flowers that breathes life into any room?

You can see where I finally hung my Farmer’s Market sign.

I’m also trying out a new lens. I’m loving the pics!

Thanks for stopping by.

Hoping you all get a chance to tiptoe through the tulips! They’re only 5.97 a bunch at walmart.

Linking up with these ladies:

Frugal Friday @ The shabby nest

Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Another sign…

6:47 pm by kim 35 Comments

Another sign…another attempt at posting it!

Hoping that this little fix finally allows me to post some pics!

I found this piece of wood already put together and painted at a thrift store last week for 4.99. I copied and painted some letters from my word program and then gave it a good sanding and voila!

It’s a nice size at 1×4 feet.

Still trying to figure out where to hang it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up with these ladies this week:

SNS @ Funky Junk Interiors

Metamorphosis Monday @ BNOTP

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal charm

DIY Showoff

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon slice of Suburbia

Good life Wednesdays @ Beach Cottage

White Wednesday @ Faded Charm

Transformation Thursdays @ The Shabby Chic Cottage

New Dropcloth slipcover

2:03 pm by kim 100 Comments

Hi everyone!
I’ve been missing in action this past week.
Just taking a little time off and working on a project.

I want to thank you all for the awesome lampshade advice!
So many of you were so sweet to help me with this lampshade dilemma.
The majority of you thought the new lampshade was a little too small for the base and I agree. I am going to return both of the burlap/linen shades.
Some of you suggested that I cover the white shade, which is something I thought of but a fabric on top of the shade would allow little light in through the shade and I use these lamps for reading.
I am going to do what some of you suggested and keep the white shades and hold out for something that fits.
Once again, so appreciative of all your help!

Now here is what I’ve been working on this week.
I bought a matching pair of these club chairs at GW a few months ago with the idea of slipcovering them.
They are a hideous lovely green velvet underneath. Lol.

It took me about a week to finish this one, with plenty of time off in between for my back to recuperate!
I used my favorite painter’s dropcloth to cover this. Love the look and it fit my budget.

Do you notice the seam in the middle of the seat panel? Didn’t even notice it until I had the seat cover on.
Argh! May do this seat cover over again.

Here it is again with a different throw pillow. I love them both!

You can see the ladder I got at the antique barn last weekend with hubby, behind the chair. It was 11 feet tall so hubby cut it down to fit my 8 foot ceilings. Really luv these old ladders.

I still have another chair to do! Ugghh.
I think I’ll take some time off before starting it though!

Thanks for stopping by and blessings to you all.

Will be linking up with these ladies:

Metamorphosis Monday @ BNOTP
Twice Owned Tuesdays @ House of Grace
DIY Showoff
Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
Wow us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style
Transformation Thursdays @ Shabby chic cottage
Show and Tell Friday@ My Romantic Home
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a shoestring decorating
Furniture Feature Friday@ MMS
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Lampshade advice needed…

2:57 pm by kim 57 Comments

Hi everyone, Hope you’ve all had a great weekend!
I managed to get hubby out to an anitque barn and then out for lunch. You have to understand that hubby’s idea of a good time is running, climbing or hiking and the whole thrifting/anitqueing on the weekend isn’t his kinda thing! Despite our differences, he has always been there to help load up a vehicle with my finds without batting an eye! Lol.
I managed to find a couple of things (well I found more than a couple, but a couple is what I came home with!) I’ll post those later on this week!

Right now I need some lampshade advice!
Back in December I posted about this PB mercury glass lamp with linen shade that I absolutely loved!
There was no love between the pricetag and I however.

Luv the size, style, mercury glass, just a great lamp.

That same week I stumbled across these lamps at a thrift store. They are somewhat similiar to what I had seen @ PB in terms of size and shape, but instead of mercury glass they are some sort of mirror glass.

So here’s where I need the advice. The lampshades I have on them now are from my old lamps. I’ve wanted to get some linen shades to match the PB ones.
It’s been really difficult finding shades as these lamps are really large! I also have a next to nothing budget to work with and the linen shades can be pricey.

I managed to find these shades at homesense for $16 each. They have a cross between linen and burlap look to them and the size seems appropriate to the base. (I’ve heard that the shade should be at least 2/3 the length of the base in which this shade is). I’ve left the plastic on in case I need to return them.

Here is another view with the lamp off.
What do you think?
Are you partial to the white shade or this linen look shade?
Should I just continue looking?
Should I get rid of the lamps all together because they are uber large? Lol.

Appreciate you all stopping by and giving your opinion!

Blessings to you!

Family Room Spring Refresher…

6:06 pm by kim 99 Comments

Hi everyone!
Happy Monday to you all!

Jennifer Rizzo is hosting a Refresh Your Room Party for spring!

I thought I would refresh my family room with a newly painted bench and try it out as a coffee table, along with a few greens to lighten and brighten things up. Hopefully this will help to hasten spring along .

I had this old bench that I bought at at the Aberfoyle Antique show a couple of summers ago.

This bench ususally sits by the front door and is supposed to be a place to sit and put your shoes on but everybody sits on the steps and the bench became a great place for putting junk bags on as you come in the door.

This is what the bench looked like before. I had just painted it black and had placed my driftwood keyholder above it since we really weren’t using the bench to sit on. I have since moved the driftwood as it wasn’t working for me there. You’ll see it in my walk-in closet in an upcoming post.
You can see my post on the driftwood keyholder here.

OK back to refreshing my family room! Lol

I’ve added some lovely hydrangeas in a little ironstone pitcher.

I’ve also added a few more greens in my bookcase.

Most of you have recently seen my spring mantel which is in my family room too.

I decided to place a couple of baskets under the bench. They make a great place to put Butter’s toys. I’m not sure how he feels about this but It’s better than having them all over the floor. Now if I can only train him to put them away!

I thought I would try placing one of my driftwood candleholders on the bench and love the look. I don’t think it’s practical for everyday, but it would be nice on special occassions.

With this candleholder I made the holes a little larger and put little votives in there, some nice plain ones would look great too. You can find the driftwood candleholder tutorial here.

I’m enjoying the lovely glass vases with candles, to me it’s simple, clean and fresh.
Not sure what the paint color is as I got it from the oops bin at HD but I love it!

I also freshened thing up by placing some of my favorite waverly linen fabric cushions. I love the blue/green color with the lovely floral pattern. Anyone who has been following my blog for a while knows that I change my cushions almost as often as my underwear! Lol.

I hope you all enjoyed my attempt at Refreshing my family room for spring. Maybe you’d like to take a look at some other spring room refreshing over at Jennifer’s.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

I’ll also be linking up with these ladies this week:

Metamorphosis Monday @ BNOTP
SNS @ Funky Junk Interiors
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Tuesday’s Treasures@ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Wow us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style
White Wednesdays @ Faded Charm
POPP @ Domestically Speaking
Good life Wednesdays @ Beach Cottage
Transformation Thursdays @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
Furniture Feature Friday @ MMS

A little green in the Kitchen and a couple of finds…

4:05 pm by kim 34 Comments

Happy Saturday everyone!
Hope you’re all enjoying your weekend. It’s raining cats and dogs here, but I’m not minding it as it’s melting whats left of the snow and reminding me that spring is on it’s way!

I decided to add a little bit of spring in the kitchen and breakfast nook and show you a couple of thrift finds.

Here is a lovely green wreath up on the shelf with my ironstone, it really pops against the white,

This is my first find. It’s perfect for my lemon and limes that I keep in abundance and use constantly!
This little wire basket cost me $3.03 at GW! Yes, they’ve started adding these funny little prices to things.

Along with being great for cooking, drinking and cleaning,
they also help to add a little brightness to the kitchen.

I like the look of this old wooden handle.

This is a little ironstone mortar and pestle I found at a thrift store for a couple of dollars.

Loving how the green really brightens up the space and makes it feel clean and fresh, just like spring!

Couldn’t help but share this candle I got from paddywax. It’s jasmine scented and so fragrant! It’s green too! Lol.

This is one of two topiaries I keep in the kitchen.

Loving all the freshness of it. See these cupboard doors? They will be painted once the weather gets a little warmer and I’m able to do the work in the garage. Can’t wait, I’ve been thinking about it for 5 years now! After seeing so many of your lovely painted cupboards I am going to take the plunge!

Thanks for stopping by!

Be blessed!

Spring Mantel…

3:08 pm by kim 72 Comments

Hi everyone!
I hope you’re all enjoying the middle to your week, It’s going by so quickly!
I’ve been busy working on my spring mantel today.

Because I have a corner fireplace, I have a larger mantel to decorate and have to make sure I don’t overdo it! All the elements I’ve used shout out spring to me. Hope you like it!

I wanted to add some freshness with (faux) greens, my white candles, clear glass and a bit of nature with my driftwood candle holder. You can find the driftwood candle holder tutorial here

Love the white green and nature together with some lovely candlelight.

I”ve also added some branches that I usually use in my outdoor urns. I liked the pop of green that they add and our outdoor branches haven’t begun to bud yet.
The vase that the branches are in is actually a candle holder turned upside down! Gotta love pottery barn. All these candle holders were 50 % off. Because they’re clear glass they fit in with any color and decor.

I love the simple natural beauty of this and will change it up with some starfish and or shells in a couple of months for a summer mantel.

I hope you’ve enjoyed a look at my Spring mantel.
Thanks for stopping by today!

I’ll be partying with these ladies:

Ugly frame, nice bones…

8:00 am by kim 45 Comments

Hi everyone!

Hope you’re all enjoying the weekend!

I wanted to show you a find I picked up @ the Salvation Army this week.

It’s a lovely shadow box that I painted, hot glued a little left over wallpaper on and then hot glued some shells to. (Please ignore the little hanging wire popping out! Lol)

What do you think?

This is what it looked like before!

I don’t know about you but I think it looked pretty hideous! I walked past this one and noticed it on my second go around. It was an ugly old wooden and gold frame that had the most ugly purple velvet backing with some 3D paper birds inside. I’ve been frame hunting so this caught my eye.