Chalkboard Makeover

I have been stalking Pinterest lately. It is a networking site for recipes, decorating ideas, fashion and much more. It's tons of fun. I kept seeing these cute chalkboards for the dining room or kitchen. They were not your average schoolhouse chalkboard. These had more ornate frames. I have seen them in magazines for a while, so I decided I would make one.
I figured I would make ours with chalkboard paint and plywood. Instead I spotted an old chalkboard at one of my favorite thrift stores. It was marked $6.50 but everything in the store was marked down an additional 25%. I love that it has some marks on it from some children. I guess the teacher in me likes preserving something kids played with.  It adds to the charm. A gallon of chalkboard paint can be about $40.00.

 

I have a thing for vintage frames. I pick them up when I see them at garage sales and thrift shops. I very rarely pay more that $10 dollars per frame and I have gotten some good ones for a dollar. I even snatched one out of someone's trash on my way to work. Sometimes the old ones have chipped plaster on the corners, but I'm okay with that. I love things that are imperfect.

The frames above were my choices for the frame. I was pulling for the black one, because it has hung around the house the longest, but it was too big. My second choice was the black and gold one but it didn't  look as good as the gold one.

I cut a little slit in the old frame so I could get the chalkboard out. 

I borrowed the ruler and square from Mr. Bill. I measured the frame and marked the chalkboard. I cut it on the table saw. Make sure you wear goggles or glasses. You really don't want to have to take a trip to the emergency room with a chalkboard sliver in your eye. 

If you have not used a saw before, have someone show you how. It really is not hard and is no more intimidating than using a mixer. 

Tack the board into the frame and you are good to go. 

Just make sure you have chalk in the house. 

I have more of the board left. I'll use the rest in another frame for my little office or classroom. 

I feel like I'm dining in a French bistro. Too much? 

Happy New Year!

Sprinkled with chalk dust and saw dust,

Katie 

Winter White

I am taking Christmas down this week. I don't know about you but I get a little depressed when Christmas is over. The house looks so empty when all the decorations are put away. I started decorating for fall in early October so the house has looked festive for a few months. If it would snow in Texas we might have something beautiful to look at outside. Let It Snow!
I only got one new decor item for Christmas, so I need a little inspiration. I love a winter white look at Christmas and have done that a few times. The last few years I have gone with a warmer pallet, so my white Christmas decorations haven't been used in a few years. I have some snowmen, white cottages, snowflakes, and of course pine cones. I pulled these out and spread them around the house to add a little interest.
Winter white is perfect for getting through the winter doldrums until spring gets here. The retailers would have us decorating for Valentine's day but I really don't want Valentine's decorations around for six weeks if at all.

Here are a few things I do to bring a little cheer to my winter woes.

• White throws of differing textures tossed over the sofa or the end of the bed will add warmth and comfort. I love different shades from off white to a rich cream. Brown and white is a nice combination as well. Pottery Barn has some beautiful throws and they are 30% off right now.

• I am not opposed to artificial flowers. My favorite are velvet. I have picked up different ones over the years in different colors. Pottery Barn usually has some cute faux potted plants each season. They look pretty real. If you can't go faux, add a little life with white flowers from the grocery store. I always intend to buy flowers  for Christmas, but I get too caught up in the holiday festivities to remember to pick them up. Add some sprigs of ivy or other greenery from your winter garden for a just picked look. My amaryllis refused to cooperate and bloom for Christmas so I have that to look forward to in a day or so. I bought pink and white or white just in case. (I can't remember. It was quite a few weeks ago, so it will be a surprise!) You may find something similar at the nursery or grocery right now. 

I love vintage post cards. I picked these up last summer while antiquing in East Texas. 

Look at the message on the one below. A Happy New Year! I forgot that I found this until I pulled these out yesterday. I love that they are in my color pallet. 

I love little white tealight cottages. Mine has a snowman on the side. It was a thrifty find for about a dollar. 

• I will keep my Snowbaby collection on display for a few weeks. I also have two little antique German cake toppers that take center stage as soon as all the other decor is put away.

   

• Finally I like to keep a few of my snowmen out. I chose a few that don't have too much red decoration so they don't feel overly Christmasy. 

I pulled out my brown transfer ware again. It was on hiatus after I repainted my kitchen last summer. It has a hot chocolate and marshmallow feel.

If you are like me and are in decorating withdrawal, repurpose some of your Christmas decor to take you into January.

Sprinkled with snowy white,
Katie

Dressing Room

As of last week my husband and I have an empty nest.

Apparently I only take pictures of my house in the snow. (White Christmas 2009)

 I am so happy for my kids. This economy has made it tough on young adults and they have persevered to get out on their own. I am not really one of those weepy moms. I enjoyed my years raising my children and have very fond memories of the different life stages they went through, even the teenage stages. I miss those stages sometimes, but I am not really one to get all emotional about them moving on. I do miss them, but I know that they will always stop by. They are welcome to my washer anytime. ;)

I don't know why, but I just cannot have company in the house if  I have a room in transition.
Since this last one was fairly sudden, I didn't have time to make a plan for the makeover.  Usually I have a fair amount of warning, so I can decide what the decor will be and what the room will be used for.  I have company coming on Saturday for Christmas Eve. I used it to wrap gifts earlier this week, but I couldn't just shut the door and leave it for another day.
This is what it looked like on Saturday.

Part of me was so tempted to go out and buy a bed for this room. But, I could not spend $500 or so on a new mattress during the holidays. Eventually it will have a full bed, but I have yet to see the bed of my dreams at a price I want to pay. I went thrifting to see if I could find a headboard but no such luck. I found some very scary mattresses, but I just really don't think I want to bring bed bugs into the house at this point! This is the first time we haven't had a headboard in the attic waiting for a room. I have a crib for grandchildren but no bed.

The kids thought I should turn it into an craft room.

But, I really don't need another craft room. I have a little cubicle desk in one of the closets downstairs. (That will have to be another post.) I usually set up my sewing machine in there or in the creepy doll room.

I thought about it and decided I would turn it into a makeshift craft room until we find a bed. The folding table could stay for Saturday. I added some chairs. (I have a chair problem. I like to rescue old chairs.
Maybe I am worried the zombies won't have enough seating during the Zombie Apocalypse.)
I created a little seating group with my daughter's pink vintage chair and one from my Nana.

• The tea table is from my Grandmother.
• The ottoman is a garage sale find. 
• The needlepoint pillow was made by one of my husband little aunties.
• The crochet throw was made by grandmother-in-law. It probably won't always stay out, but since I was going dusty pink I pulled it out.  

This secretary is "Gene". What? You don't name your furniture? We inherited it from my mother-in-law. It belonged to a cousin or uncle that was a Texas state representative. In the years preceding my house it had been a gun cabinet. I stripped Gene back to the original finish because it had been antiqued a red color in the 70's. Rebekah named the secretary "Gene" when she was about 12. Gene is a she. Rebekah didn't know Jean is the way to spell the female version of the name. 

She would have liked to take it to her apartment,  but it is very hard to move. 

I love my little New Home Sewing Machine. I almost got rid of it this past summer, because I had no place to put it in the house. My husband talked me into keeping it and I am so happy that I listened to him.  

It belonged to my great grandmother. I bet she was so proud of that thing. 

Finally, I staged the folding table to look like a dressing table instead of a craft table. Crafting supplies are a little messy. Besides, I have always wanted a dressing table.  

• The antique curling iron came from my Granny.
• The mock dress form was birthday gift a few years ago.
• The jewel box was an ugly thrifted thing I painted black and edged in gold.
• The mirror and clock were from garage sales.
• The dresser set came from another one of the aunties. 

There you go. Now I can have my company and not be in a tizzy about having an empty room. 

This really should be called the little aunt and granny room. It has so many of their accoutrements.

Here is a sneak peak at one of the other projects I have in the works for next week. 

I can't wait to show you what I am doing with one of those. 

Sprinkled with stuff from little old ladies,

Katie 

Christmas Decor 2011

Happy Monday. I hope you had a great weekend.
I love Christmas!
I have very fond memories of Christmas growing up. As a young girl I remember listening to Mitch Miller and just staring at the Christmas tree. We had those wonderful old German glass ornaments, tinsel and those fun colored light bulbs. Creating a vintage feel to our Christmas decor has been a bit of a pursuit of mine over the years.
I'd love to share some of my displays with you.

The Holy Family is vintage Goebel. 

It is a replacement for the one my parents had. I searched and searched e-bay for it. 

I went with a very muted pallet of brown and lilac. I have a very non-traditional color pallet at Christmas.

I love, love things under glass. The sheep and Jesus are from vintage nativities. 

The big dome was an old 80's clock that I pulled the guts out of. 

I have had the angels for years. The brownish one was a thrift. The pink one was from Walmart! 

x

When I was newly married I inherited a box of antique blown glass ornaments. There have been some casualties over the years and I have added to the collection. These are the smaller ones on a tree that is supposed to look like a German feather tree. 

Now for the kitchen.

      

 

My brother and his wife got me the old tin sifters and spoon for my birthday. I was inspired to make candle holders out of them. I love pip berries this year in my kitchen and the gingerbread man is always a favorite. The one pictured was like .90 cents ages ago.  I have been in love ever since. 

It really is one of the few Christmas motifs I haven't tired of. 

The super cute candy jar came out of my Grandmother in law's pantry. It's filled with faux candy.

The candy came off picks that I bought at Hobby Lobby.  

The little stove was my moms when she was little. It was actually electrified. I took the cord off recently,  but did play with this as a child. It's a good thing it didn't burn the house down. 

Fitz and Floyd tumbling gingerbread men. The apple sifter came from Grandmother in law.

Here is the main tree in the living room. It has the rest of our German ornaments. 

I hope that you all have a blessed week. Try to savor the joy and tradition of the season! 

Sprinkled with vintage,

Katie 

Borrowing From The Boyfriend

I hope that you are having a fashionable Friday. I usually plan my outfits for the next week on Saturday. I'd love to take pictures and do a "what I wore" kind of thing, but I need a better mirror. Below you will see one of my attempts. The only full mirror I have is on my antique armoire. I think the glass is too wavy or something. The glass isn't dirty, it's wavy because it's so old. I do love that mirror though because I think it makes me look skinnier.
As you think about your weekend, let's borrow from the boyfriend for some hot trends right now.

I love the boyfriend watch! Now most of the ones I have seen around town at Nordstrom Rack and T.J. Maxx are not actually made for a guy, but they are oversized for a woman. I think that is what happens with a trend. The first ones to sport this were actually wearing their boyfriend's, brother's or husband's watch. Soon it takes over and then they are manufactured for women. I love the bling and structure of this cute watch from Fossil. 

I put my dainty little bracelet watch on a few weeks ago and it seems too small. I won't get rid of it, because I am sure the small watch will come back in style eventually. I will keep the good watches and the junk ones will go to make room in my jewelry box.

My oversized watch is actually a man's watch I got at the thrift store. You can also see it in the photo below. I love it. I will do a watch tutorial on how to change the band and the battery for you soon. 

Next up...

The Boyfriend Jean. This one is a little more difficult for those of us on the pleasantly plump side. I love the look of the rolled cuff, but I really don't need anymore bulk around the middle. Notice they are mid-rise. Yeah! I hope this means that the low rise jean is finally going by the wayside. 

There are so many fashion bloggers in their twenties. But what about us older women? We need to know how to take the trends and apply them for our age group. I took my mid-rise boot cut jeans and rolled up the cuff. I have the look of the boyfriend jean but not the bulk. 

Please promise me that you will look for a good jean. This really is a place to spend a little money. No more mom jeans. If they are up at your waist, it is time to purge. I remember feeling frugal and bought jeans from the men's department in Walmart once. Really! They had to look horrible. 

Another trend borrowed from the boyfriend or the grandpa is the Cardigan.

I love cardigans. I have a whole row in my closet just for my sweaters. They are a really good alternative in the Southern states. It really is not cold enough for bulky sweaters. The cardigan is usually a perfect weight.

As with anything else, you really should not wear a man's cardigan or jean. Go find a similar look in the women's department. 

Maybe it is not too late to put these on your Christmas wish list.   

Here is my feeble attempt at a what I wore. See what I mean about the mirror? 

• Cardigan and Tee-Nordstrom Rack
• Shoes-Thrifted
• Calvin Klein Watch-Thrifted
• Bangles-Thrifted
• Bag-Louis Vuitton (Gifted by Husband) 
• Ann Taylor Jeans-Thrifted  

The bangles were a really hot trend this past spring and summer. Now it is stacked bracelets with mixed metals. How do you keep up with the trends?

Soon I will have a Thrifty Thursday with info about my favorite thrift stores.

Have a great weekend!

Sprinkled with stuff from the boys,

Katie  

Photos: Fossil, Polyvore and me. 

For As Long As I Can Remember.

Baking sugar cookies has been a part of my Christmas celebration for as long as I can remember. My five brothers and I did it with our Mom when we were little and I have carried on the tradition with my three children, now 27, 24 and 21.  I don't know that the kids loved doing it as much as I did, but carrying on the tradition was important to me. I wanted to bring something of my mom to my children since they never knew her.
My collection of cookie cutters began with those I inherited from Mom. Over the years the collection has grown. I have the classic holiday shapes, but I have also collected those that mean something significant to our family. We have a guitar and a music note for my sons, one that looks like my beloved dog and a Texas shape for my family of Texans. It seems that we all have our favorites. We gravitate toward those every year. The cutter that looks like my vintage Volkswagen  makes a perfect size cookie. It's also a fun one to decorate.

Santa gets sugar cookies on Christmas Eve. It is usually up to me to take the one bite out of the cookie. I'm lactose intolerant so I refuse to drink the milk.
The cookies in the picture above are from two years ago. As I was baking it began to snow. Something not seen in Arlington,Texas in many years. I grew up in New York and have missed having a white Christmas.

The cookies were baking, the Christmas music was playing and it was snowing!! A dream come true.

Sugar Cookie Recipe

1 cup sugar

1cup salted sweet cream butter

 1 tsp. vanilla

2 large eggs

3 cups flour

1tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Gradually add the dry ingredients. Divide dough into two ball and wrap in waxed paper. Chill for a few hours. Roll out on a floured dish towel and cut with your favorite cookie cutters. Bake at 350 degrees  for about 11minutes or until lightly brown. Use your favorite butter cream or other frosting and sprinkles to decorate. This recipe is from my ancient Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I only use butter and I bake at a lower heat than they suggest. 

Katie