FINALLY, THE REVEAL...

Before I get started

 let me say thank you to all

 the men and women who join efforts

 to keep our country safe for all of us.  Thank you for your service.

I have been away for awhile

 and know that I have missed

 some treasured moments

 in your lives. 

 I have a lot of 

catching up to do 

and will be visiting you all soon.

When we last talked,

 I said I was a little bit country

 and a little bit 

rock and roll...

FYI:  The pieces of old glass, in the antique candy jar, were all found in the garden of the Cottage

...but I have since taken a test,

 and it turns out

 that I'm a little bit farmhouse bling

 and classic

 with a touch of boho!

If you are curious

 as to what

 your decorating style is

 go to:  www.homegoods.com

 and click on Stylescope Quiz.

  You will choose five pictures 

that appeal to you

 and from that 

your style is revealed.

  Is it accurate?

 Who knows,

 but it's a fun little process

 and I have to say...

...I had this project completed

 before I took the test

 and I think it is a

 pretty good definition 

of boho!

I shared this chest in its former glory 

when we first bought it.

 Even though it is a pleasing color scheme,

 it didn't work for me.

 I like the lines and style of it

 and it was perfect

 for the space where we wanted to put it

 and, besides, it had a fun secret...

...did you already guess

 that it is a cedar chest?

 I think it is probably from the 1940's.

 The top lifts up

 and the inside is fully lined

 with cedar.

  The only drawers that open

 are the very bottom two,

 which actually is just one big drawer,

 also fully cedar lined.

  The other drawers are all dummies.

  I thought it would be perfect

 for storing linens, placemats, quilts, etc.

Here is a close-up

 of the new carpeting 

that sparked the whole start of this project.

  We have no hall ways in this old Cottage

 and the main path

 from the front door 

to pretty much every other room

 in the house is through this space.

  In order for the carpeting to stand up to this task

 we decided on a commercial grade of flooring.

  This was the same procedure we followed 

with the old carpeting 

and it did hold up well 

over the twenty years or so. 

 Hope this one does the same.

I also am having to use the flash

 on the camera,

 which normally I don't like to do,

 but for some reason

 the colors that we have chosen

 do not show up

 as well as they do 

to the human eye

 when photographing.

To the left of the chest

 is the game table and four chairs

 that were originally in the kitchen. 

 Right now I am displaying a

 large wooden bowl, atop a small braided rug,

filled with old wooden croquet balls,

 and a country duck.

  The displays will change often

 and the setting will be perfect 

for tea or late supper before the fire,

 an occasional project

 or even playing games.

I found this metal sphere

 that hangs above the game table

 in a shop in Auburn

 called The Front Porch

 and it has been quickly added

to the list 

of my favorite places to shop.

We just picked up

 the tall, worn shutters

 at a street fair in Lodi 

and the stand was one we found 

at the side of the road.

  I painted it with Annie Sloan Old Ochre.

  The very tall angel candle holder 

was a sale item 

from Pier One.

You have seen this display

 on top of the cedar chest before. 

 I had the rabbit out for Easter 

and decided he needed to stay. 

 The basket of dried hydrangeas

 are from last summer's garden harvest

 and I embellished

 a K-Mart lamp shade

 with burlap ribbon and trim.

  The tall tin spire

 was picked up at HomeGoods awhile back.

  This display is my personal favorite

 in the room. 

 I love the "quietness" of it 

compared to the colors on the chest

 and the bright sunlight

 that comes through the window.

This is an old rocker

 we have had for a really long time. 

 It had been roughed around a bit 

over the years

 so I experimented

 with a few different colors of paint,

 which I showed in my last post,

 before settling on a final coat of black.

  Some of the red

 from the previous coat

 shows through

 and I added the black and tan

 checked chair pads for comfort. 

 We found the little side table

 at another street fair. 

 It was aqua 

and I repainted it

 with Old Ocher.

I bought new lace curtains 

in a heavier weight

 than the rest of the windows 

but wanted to keep the sight line

 from outside fairly consistent.

  We will be adding wooden roman shades

 at the top of the windows

 to cut down on sun 

and heat

 in the summer.

I added the wood alphabet strip

 above the window

 for some country whimsy. 

 It came from a classroom 

in the school where Tami works

 and she knew

 I would love it.

I brought much of my

 Wisconsin pottery collection 

 out of the kitchen

 and placed it around the room

 to bring a little more 

of the farmhouse-country look 

into the mix.

I borrowed this old picture

 from the Captain's library. 

 The coloring in the print 

and the matting 

is a good match

 for what is going on in the room. 

 We also borrowed the shelf 

out of the kitchen,

 painted it black, 

and now I can change the look

 much like I do on the mantles.

 I guess I will have to stop using

 the word 'borrow'

 and start calling it

 what it is,

 'stealing'!

I ordered a woven throw

 and made covers to go on the pillows

 that came with the sofa

 and added another pillow cover 

on which I stenciled

 the bird and branch.

You have already seen the update

 to the antique wagon

 and I have added an old wooden tote

 to hold a candle and a crock full 

of fresh cut ivy 

from the garden.

We have had this oak table

 with turned legs for many years. 

 The lamp was my Mother's Day gift 

from the Captain. 

 A few books,

 some small family pictures,

 and fresh flowers

 complete the vignette.

The corner apothecary cupboard

 has recently had a new make-over

 and holds a collection of small birds

 and a tribute to Ashley and Buddy,

 our two beloved

 golden retrievers.

We brought this small chair

 in from the kitchen for now,

 but a new one will take it's place 

before too long,

 I hope. 

Also shown is another fast steal

 from the Captain's library,

 this one painted 

before I knew 

I was boho!

This chimney cupboard 

was made for us by a friend

 a few years ago. 

 It is based on an antique

 and constructed with old wood.

  I have stored magazines in it

 in the past

 but have now added more pieces

 of the Wisconsin pottery.

 The child's rocker

 came out of an old house in San Francisco

 and has a seat fashioned 

of fabric from

 a carpetbag.

To break up the expanse of carpet,

 we added the area rug 

that was in the library. 

 It has some blue that ties

 into the parlor. 

 It's not exactly right but,

 if I've learned anything

 from this process,

 it is that everything

 will fall into place

 eventually!

Now,

 let's address the elephant in the room!

  I hate the look

 but wouldn't give it up

 for all the tea in China. 

 Someday we hope to replace

 the cabinet

 when we can find

 the right one.

Sorry for the overload on pictures.

  I thought about breaking it up

 into two parts,

 but decided enough is enough.

  Get it done!

As far as my decorating style goes,

 I don't know about the farmhouse bling,

 unless you count the sun

 shining through

 the windows.

"These gems have life in them: their colors speak,

 say what words fail of."

George Eliot

We have ended up 

with a warm and inviting room,

 which is all that I wanted

 from the beginning.

...Judy...

Sharing today at:

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