Friday, August 31, 2012

FAVORITE ROOM

Alison at The Polohouse is hosting her monthly get-together, and this month's theme is 'Favorite Room'.  Please be sure to go by her wonderful blog to check out every one's favorite room.

My favorite room in our house is actually not a room, but a glorified hallway that just happens to hold our dining room table.  We live in a small rambling ranch-style house; and to get to the bedroom and bathroom wing from the kitchen, garage, and mudroom it is necessary to walk through the 'dining room'.  It gets lots of traffic!!!
For the first 12 years that we lived in this house, it was actually a closed-off room with a doorway from the entry way.  It really did not function well.  So, in 2009 we did a small remodeling job.  Where you see this entry table and mirror, there formally was a coat closet and the wall/door to the dining room.  Out it came to open up the entryway to the dining room/kitchen.  What an improvement - you can see my blog post here to view that dirt and demolition.
It still is a narrow area with lots of traffic, so there is minimum furniture.  To compensate, Bob made this hanging dish rack to accommodate some of the dish addiction.  Next to the plate rack is the door to the mudroom and garage.
As you move around the area past the opening to the kitchen, we have the necessary ugly corner.  We do have cell phones and a portable phone with an answering machine base; but there is something comforting about always knowing where at least one telephone is at all times -- hard wired into the wall with a ridiculously long, ugly cord!  This little table was my grandmother's and always set by her chair holding her bible, poetry books, diaries, and her current crocheting project.  The doorway to the left leads to the living room and the screened in-porch.
On around to the gallery wall that holds various yard sale pictures, plates and a shelf with small family bibles.  One of the bibles belonged to my great-great grandmother and is dated 1846.  It came to Colorado with my first ancestor to come west in 1876.
When we remodeled, I measured to the inch leaving enough wall to house this old wardrobe.
And, what does it hold? -- scads of dishes, of course.
The table and chairs sit right in the middle of the room/hallway.  Previously, when this was a closed-in room; we used a couple of different tables from previous houses.  We tried a round table with leaves; then a square table with leaves.  Nothing ever functioned right -- we were always moving the table, adding the leaves, and back again, etc. etc.  I knew I wanted a stationary table that would seat at least 8, but it would have to be narrow to accommodate that walkway traffic.  The solution was for Bob to make a table that is only 30 inches wide and 7 feet long.  He used the five legs from the previous square table and made the top from old floor hardwoods.  
Our chairs are family pieces purchased when my grandparents married in 1904.  They have been used daily for 108 years and are as sturdy as the day they were purchased.
We are now back to the entry which has doors to the living room and the guest bedroom plus the hall to the other 3 bedrooms and the bathrooms.  Thanks for stopping by to view this long post about my favorite room, the true hub of our home.
I often think of this room as a round-about with our table as the Arc de Triomphe in the middle!
THE DETAILS:

I'm also joining the following parties -- please check them out, too!
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday Treasures
Northern Cottage for Partytime Tuesday
Jann Olson for Share Your Cup Thursday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

WORKSHOP UPDATE

Just a short post about what has been going on in Bob's workshop this past week.  He has the patience of a saint at auctions on a hot August Saturday.  He stuck it out all afternoon to get this old cupboard cheap.  I, on the other hand, retreated to my air-conditioned house!  In my absence, he did bid on and win an ironstone tureen for me -- I will show it to you on some future post.

 The cupboard needed some structural work and the original door was a mess, but he had something in mind for that poor door.
 He loves working with twigs, so he refashioned this beat-up cupboard into a cupboard with a rustic/cabin vibe!
 He fixed the crooked shelves and painted them a barn red.
It's off to the consignment shop for resale.

I'm joining the following parties this week.  Please check them out for a plethora of inspiration.
Restore Interiors for Restored It Wednesday
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursday
From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday
Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Miss Mustard Seed for Furniture Feature Friday
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Southern Hospitality for Thrifty Treasures Monday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Northern Cottage for Partytime Tuesday

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

MORE DRAWERS

Continuing on with my collection of drawers---everyone collects drawers, don't they?  You can see my original drawer post here.

I don't know where this drawer came from originally -- probably a hardware store.  It has tin sides with great graphics on the front.  It is currently home to another collection of mine -- hand towels with 'huck weaving'.
This metal two-drawer unit is from my childhood.  My grandparents owned a sewing machine sales and repair shop in Kansas.  Originally, there was a stack of about five of these units that housed sewing machine parts.  I don't have a clue what happened to the rest of the stack.
Or, why I ended up with one of the units.  I just know I was always fascinated with them, so I probably whined enough that they gave me one unit to shut me up.
This is a tiny chest of drawers also from my childhood.  The woman that cut my hair as a child was Japanese and displaced to Colorado during World War II.  She knew I loved little things, so she gave this to me one Christmas.
 I've always kept tiny treasures in it.
 It is currently displaying thimbles from my grandmothers and great-grandmothers.
More drawers to come in a future post.

For now, I'm sharing these at the following blog parties:
From my Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
2805 for Potpourri Friday
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

A DRAWER AND FALL FLOWERS

Now that Fall is in the air and the nights here in Colorado are cool, our flower gardens are flourishing.  The geraniums and the Profusion Zinnias are blooming like crazy!  Even the grass seed pods are turning brown -- can Fall be far behind?
In reading a recent post by Susan of Must Love Junk, I was reminded how much I love all of the vintage drawers I've accumulated over the years.  You must go by her blog (here) to check out her collection of drawer units.  They are fabulous.

As I picked a small bouquet from the yard, I decided that a vintage drawer was in order for the table arrangement.
 As Fall nears, the plaid table runner and the blue canning jars seemed appropriate.
I love using drawers instead of a tray -- they just seem to have more character. 
I plan to do another post or two in the future showing more of my collection of drawers.  Stay tuned!

This week I'm joining the following parties.  Please stop by these great blogs for a plethora of inspiration.
A Southern Day Dreamer for Outdoor Wednesday
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Jann Olson for Share Your Cup Thursday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
Little Red House for Mosaic Monday
A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday

Sunday, August 12, 2012

LOVE AND MARRIAGE, NO MATTER THE AGE!

Yesterday, my sister-in-law got married! She is 79 and the groom is 81. They met at church after both their spouses from long-term marriages had passed away.
The ceremony was held in the groom's beautiful backyard. Both families furnished the food -- all simple from family favorite recipes. No caterers--no special themes or decorations--and we certainly didn't dance into the night!
There was a traditional wedding cake made by the bride's sister to be cut and shared.
It was a special celebration joining two extended families. PLUS, the groom got a new 98-year-old mother-in-law in the deal!!!