I hope you’ll join me on my never-ending search for beautiful pieces, with history, for your home. Find my curated treasures, in Booth #154, at the Antique Trove, in Roseville, CA. ~ Barbara
Updating our upstairs We’re in the process of another remodeling project and are going to be replacing the blinds in my son’s room with plantation shutters. But there’s this cute little window above the window seat, that probably should have never been placed where it was. That’s because it’s directly facing the west and lets in all sorts of sunshine and heat during the summer months, especially in the late afternoon. We looked into having it professionally removed, replacing the window with wall, but that came with the pretty high price tag! So, Budget Barb has struck again! (when my…
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Hello sweet friends!, As I mentioned last week, I wanted to turn our old barn red picnic table into a color that resembled drift wood. At the Haven conference, I saw how they had used Annie Sloan Old White and Paris Gray, to create this look. Once we got it on the back patio, I knew there was an ingredient in the recipe, that they forgot to mention. Probably something like dark wax. But since it will spend time in the sun, I knew that wasn’t an option. As you can see here, I started adding a watered down Country…
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Hello again! If you’re a lover of all things French, we have a new beauty, staying with us! From the late 1800’s, this amazing 12-light crystal chandy has been well cared for and in near-perfect condition. There are still crystals to be hung, but trust me, when I say this piece is truly stunning! These Hitchcock chair are $195 for all four. Not quite as jaw dropping as the French chandelier, but nice, all the same! If you’re headed to a shower or wedding anytime soon, Veranda has all sorts of possibilities, for the gift giver. vintage, lace edged sheet…
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Hi there!, Have you ever tried to repair a piece of furniture, with a stripped out screw? Nope, neither have I. But Mr. Wonderful showed me how and you may want to know how to do this someday. Or, not. This fabulous tutorial, and I use that term loosely, was done on a 50 year old, redwood picnic table Bob made with his dad. A family heirloom! One leg was wobbly and needed to be fixed for our neighborhood 4th of July BBQ. 1. Bob drilled a hole to accommodate a piece of 1/4″ dowel snugly. 2. He then covered…
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Well, I may be a little behind schedule, but it’s never too late for a mantle update! It’s been looking like this for a while, and I thought it was looking a little dull, for the summer months. Everything’s looking kind of… brown! Can’t have that! Croquet balls should be kind of summery. But they are brown. So I stuck them on the coffee table. I brought in my three little thrift shop vases and of course added some fresh silk flowers. They go together with my faux baby’s breath, or whatever that stuff is, in the urn. Don’t tell…
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Not long ago, on a journey through Pinterest, I discovered a gold mine of craft ideas! Since I sometimes feel like I don’t have an original thought in my mind, I realized I can spend my life copying the creative forces running loose on Pinterest! The last time I had my hands on an embroidery hoop, I was probably stumbling through my home ec class, in high school! But, on Saturday night, after an early dinner and a long day on planes, Mr. Wonderful and I spent date night at Hobby Lobby! I was so jazzed and filled with ideas,…
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Hello y’all!, That’s how I talk, now that I’m back from Atlanta! I really wish I had a southern accent! I think they sound so soft and pretty. I think I’ll spend this week, telling you about some of the great product info I learned, at the Haven conference. Today, let’s talk about paint! Are you good with that? Hope so! This sweet little table has been painted in Annie Sloan’s newest chalk paint color, Florence. I also saw a couple of very cool techniques, using ASCP. I learned about a technique called wet distressing. Once the ASCP has dried,…
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Hello from Atlanta!, I’m back at the airport, after a mind boggling three days here! My brain is spilling new information. It’s coming out of my ears! Looks a little strange! One of the high points of the Haven conference, was meeting Rashon Caraway, better known as Mr. Goodwill Hunting. Charm spillith over! (“spillith”: new word) While I had visited his blog before, I’m now a convert! Not only is he a thrift shopping expert, his warmth, humor and authentic charm is infectious! He showed us some of his thrift shop design make-overs, and gave us lots of tips for…
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Bedrooms have come a long way, baby! There are so many more options, than the matchy-matchy 5-piece bedroom set and “bed-in-a-bag” bedding sets, of yester-year. Thank goodness for that! Bed frames have really made leaps and bounds, giving more options for creating your own unique version of paradise. I reeeaally love the upholstered headboards…you know, the ones that peak in the middle, in a gorgeous jewel tone velvet? Maybe some nail head trim? Being the dull ever practical person, I opt for neutral solids. A little boring, but much easier to decorate around, without a complete overhaul. We have two…
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Hello dear friend, Before you take another sip of coffee, I hope you’ll head right on over to Conspicuous Style, where Stacy has graciously allowed me to give her “the day off”! I’m talking about my plans for the upcoming 4th of July, when we’ll be hosting a neighborhood barbecue. Maybe I’ll inspire you to invite some friends over too! I’ll be flying across our beautiful country when you open this blog post, on my way to The Haven bloggers conference, in Atlanta Georgia. I’ll keep you posted on the happenings! Until next time, Best to you!
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