Fun Friday Vintage Decorating

Hello and happy Friday!

Here's a few fun ideas for decorating with vintage items in your master, or shall we call it "princess" suite.
Red and black is a classic color combination. The red walls match perfectly with a vintage black blanket chest and shabby window painted black with white flower stencils.

Be aware, when painting a wall red, it takes many coats to get it looking good. Don't panic like I did after the first coat and wonder how will I ever explain, fix this with the hubby!

An old black and white porthole mirror looks stately over a towel rack flanked by iron candlestick holders.


Pretty old iron cornices look smashing in the entrance of the bathroom complimented by some ivy from above.

Finish the princess suite off with a glamorous chandelier! You can find one that looks "old" at home improvement stores like Lowes or Home Depot. They're easy to replace your existing and usually boring light with.

I don't even mind cleaning this room!

Have a great weekend!

Di

Celebrating a Successful Rejection with Cupcakes!

What do you consider a failure?

I have high standards for myself, and more than just a little bit of perfectionism going on. I'm usually the last person to compliment myself and the first one to beat myself up when something goes wrong.

I love to write and have recently finished a children's picture book manuscript, MORTIMER'S MIDNIGHT MISHAP (see April 16th post). I submitted my manuscript to several children's book publishers back in April. The competition is tough, and publishers receive over 20,000 unsolicited manuscripts every year. You have to have thick skin to go through this process (tough for us perfectionists).

To date, I've received several form rejection letters back in the mail. These usually start with, "Dear Author." Every time I open the mailbox and see a self-addressed stamped envelope sitting on top of the pile of bills or coupons, my heart sinks.

On my birthday, last Friday the 13th, I opened the mailbox to see another one looming on top of the power bill. I thought to myself, please don't let me get a rejection on my birthday. I almost threw it away without opening. When I did, I found it was a person letter from the Executive Editor of Candlewick Press. Candlewick is a huge children's book publisher. It was addressed to me, Diane Grabow, not "Dear Author." The Editor (Mary Lee Donovan) said the story was good, Mortimer was a sweet character, and the sibling rivalry was believable. Unfortunately, she wasn't sure it would stand out in the crowded children's picture book market. My heart soared. Even though it was a rejection, it was a good rejection! The fact that a busy editor had taken the time to write to me (out of 20,000 submissions), validates my writing skills and encourages me to continue.

So today, I'm celebrating a "successful rejection" with some adorable cupcakes I bought from some equally adorable gals selling them in front of Albertsons. As I bite into the gooey chocolate one, I'm going to feel like a smashing success, realizing the real failure would be in not trying at all.

Happy dreams!

Di

Vintage Garden Decor

Summer is finally here! The temperature in Boise is in the mid-eighties, the fountain is bubbling, and it's time to move outside. Here's a few fun pics of my vintage garden decor.

My prince has finally come! An old silver watering can sits next to pretty pink petunias.

A silver globe reflects the beauty of the garden surrounded by river rocks dug from the soil while planting.
Two white weathered benches sit beneath chippy old windows. Pretty lanterns hang from the old hardware waiting to twinkle at twilight.

A black iron plant stand holds pots of pink begonias and blue lobelia.

Bring your vintage pots outside. Here a green McCoy planter looks charming next to a black tea light with dangling crystals.

Have a sunny day!

Di

Show & Tell Sunday-Our Favorite Flea Treasures!

Hello! It's time for Show and Tell Sunday. Our topic this week is our fav flea market find. What made your heart skip a beat when you glanced it in the distance? Did you casually run over to grab it before someone else snatched it up?

Today's host is Heidi at Birds of a Feather. Pop over to her blog at http://hkwdesign.blogspot.com/ to see all the other fav flea market finds.

My number one flea market find is a vintage Cafeteria sign I spied at my fav shop in Boise, the Shabby House, during their "Sprintime in Paris" sale. It's the perfect color and style to complete my funky vintage kitchen (good thing my husband had several glasses of champagne before I looked at the price tag). I love it! Here's some pics of my kitchen with some other fav flea market finds:

A train whisks around the top of the kitchen to exotic locations.

I found this pair of black lamps with feathery fringe and vintage black iron plaques at a yard sale.

A 50s plastic lady is headed in for some won ton soup.

A pretty vintage lighted church sits on a stack of weathered books next to a large school clock.

A black iron Eiffel Tower mirrors a black and white print acquired recently at a yard sale for $5.

The Golden Gate bridge reminds me of our treasured time living in S.F. That's me in the background on the beach in Santa Cruz.

My cabinets are filled with modern black and white flower dishes that go great with my aluminum and black handled mixer collection.

Thanks for stopping by!

Di

Dreaming of Feeling Good and Yard Sale Treasures!

Hello. I'm finally feeling better tonight after laying around for 4 days with the crud doing absolutely nothing! I've caught up on every HGTV and Food Network show I might have missed over the last 5 years. To make things worse, the weather in Boise has turned dismal again with wind, rain, and cold weather! Will summer ever come?

To cheer myself, I thought I'd share with you some recent yard sale treasures. I acquired these a few weekends ago when the weather was beautiful, and I was standing upright. How I long for those days.

Here's a few fun items:

A cool black and white Eiffel Tower pic for $5. I love to collect Eiffel Towers and dream of someday having enough in my mad money account to treasure hunt in the flea markets along the Seine River while sipping strong coffee and enjoying a chocolate croissant. It sits high above my kitchen by a black iron Eiffel Tower where the plastic people go about their business. A train whisks by occasionally on the way to romantic destinations.

Another cute shabby Eiffel Tower knick-knack holder for .25.

A shabby white birdhouse on a pole for $3.A pretty iron flower scroll plaque and rusted garden can. All for about $7. The super cute weathered birdhouse that looks like an old church for $5.

A trio of tin herb planters for $1 and a turquoise

pitcher with rattan handle for .25.

A huge box of vintage party treasures including pink and white wedding bells, rolls of crepe paper, plates and napkins. Here's a look:

Stork Bingo-so adorable!

Super cute pink bridal shower nut cups.

Garden "Blossom Time" nut cups with matching shower invitations.

And last, but not least, a tiny white wicker garden bench set.

I feel better already! Take care.

Di

Show and Tell Sunday-Trash to Treasure

Hello! It's time for Show and Tell Sunday. This Sunday, we're showing our "trash to treasure" projects. What have you hauled home that was certainly destined for the dumpster and transformed into a priceless treasure (at least to you)?

I've hauled my share of "junk" home. I'd like to think these aren't junk, but items that haven't reached their full potential yet. They just need a little TLC and mentoring (like we all do sometimes).

Here's a few of my "trash to treasure" projects:

I bought this hutch for $5 at a recent yard sale. It had been used in a child's room and was covered in painted handprints and autographs. I decided the brown and cream colored paint matched the trim on my house, so all I really needed to repaint was the front panels. I chose black to complement the black iron trellis on the patio. A little sanding and two coats of paint later, I had an adorable garden hutch to hold my pink clogs, pink gloves, and garden hat.

BEFORE:

AFTER:I primed, painted, and stenciled two old beat-up suitcases to carry all of my supplies for flea markets or craft shows. They're so cute and ultra girly!

I found this old table during the Fourth of July antique sale in Sun Valley. I painted the legs black with yellow stripes and decoupaged cute red ladybugs my mother painted on the corners. A friend remodeled his older home and gave me a few of the windows to sell. I really liked this tri-paneled one and decided to give it a modern twist. I painted black over the white paint and distressed the edges. I stenciled very lightly swirls and flowers in the middle and corners in white over black paint. To finish it off, I stole a black iron chain (from my husband's section of the garage) to hang it with.
I used another old french door (bought at an old farmhouse that was being demolished) to accent the corner of a boring garden bed. A purple clematis is being trained to climb through the broken window at the top. A black iron lantern provides twinkling candlelight. I found the black sun dial at the Idaho Youth Ranch for $10.00.
Good luck with all your "trash to treasure" projects! Thanks to Analise at Sugar Sugar for hosting this week. Check-out her link @ http://leesiebella.typepad.com/ to see all the fun and fabulous "trash to treasure" projects.

I'm getting a horrible head cold and am off to bed with NyQuil to keep me company. Take care!

Di