A Floor Lamp Before and After....

Before.....floral shade and cream colored base

I first cut off the floral material - leaving the white lining intact

Next I tore some white muslin material into approximately 1" x 6" strips and tied three each onto each spine

To the bottom edge I hot glued some vintage trim that I purchased a few months ago. I was short by about a 1/2" but with the shade adjusted just so....the "bald spot" is hidden in the back!

I stamped a strip of muslin with some French script and hot glued it to the top of the shade

Lastly....I sprayed the lamp base a flat white and "voila"! my floor lamp is back in my good graces! :)

Happy Father's Day to My Awesome Dad!

~ His name is George and he'll be 85 in September ~

~ Father of 5 daughters, 3 grand daughters and 1 great-grand daughter ~

~ Husband of Anna for 55 years ~

~ 20 year Navy Veteran: served in WWII, The Korean War and Vietnam ~

- Is proud to be an American

- Tony Bennett and Patsy Cline make him swoon

- Loves vacationing on Cape Cod

- Makes any dance partner look like Ginger Rodgers

- Has a soft spot for Boston Terriers

- Prefers his beer in a warm glass

- Tells a joke with perfect comedic timing

- Sings "God Bless America" louder than Kate Smith

- His fried smelts and homemade cocktail sauce are to-die-for

- Never missed a day of work in his life

- Has the proud distinction of having laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier

- When I show him this post he'll shed tears of pride and joy! :)

Thanks to My Dear Aunt Freida....

for sending me a box full of wonderful linens, lace, doilies, placemats and napkins. Because of her thoughtfulness and generosity, I was able to finally make some use of an old shabby tea kettle I had purchased some time ago.

Thanks also to Sandi at A Cottage Muse where I bought this oh so pretty Paris tag and old key

Such a sad little tea kettle before its makeover

and just look at all the beautiful materials I have left to work with.... my mind is spinning with ideas!

White Wednesday

Simply because it's too much fun to be left out......I snapped a picture of this dainty little hook and tea towel that I bought over the weekend just so I'd at least have something to share on White Wednesday !!!

There's plenty of life left in these...

I think the charm in these candlesticks is knowing that they were well used. When I picked them up at the Wrentham Country Store they were covered in green wax drippings and as you can tell by the charred tops, they saw a lot of burn time. To clean the drippings off, I put the candlesticks in the freezer for a half hour, took them out and with just my fingernail popped off all the hardened wax.

I shined up the mirrors, added fluted crystal bobeches with crystal prisms and a couple of white tapers.

I'd like to think that the hint of green you see in the picture above is patina but I'm more inclined to believe it's dye from the green candle wax. Pretty just the same...

White Wednesday

For my fourth joining of Kathleen's White Wednesday I thought I'd share a picture of my dream dining room. I love that this room is so big that it allows for not one but two chandeliers, huge mirrors and a table that comfortably seats eight!! The fact that it's white plays a small part as well.... :)

I wish I could remember where I got this image from because I'd certainly love to give credit where credit is due.

White Wednesday

I'm here for my 3rd joining of White Wednesday.... which pales in comparison to the 50th! for the creator (Kathleen of Faded Charm) of this fun post idea that's caught on like wild fire!!

I purchased this dresser mirror (the beveled glass sold me) in its original oak finish a number of years ago when I was "into" natural woods. For a long while it sat in my basement collecting dust. Then.....when the tides turned and white became my passion, it was promptly painted.....along with anything else I could get my hands on!

Hanging it right side up just didn't look right so as you can see....I hung it upside down. Because the room it's hanging in has an ocean-like theme...I added a ribbon strung with sand dollars and star fish to complete the look.

White Wednesday

My husband gifted me with this sweet Cherub
at Christmas last year.

It's made of cement and there's a hole in the bottom
as if it were designed to be used as a finial.

I thought it very fitting to "present" him to you on this
(my 2nd) White Wednesday!!

"Who Will Sit at The End of My Bed?"

Each time one of my parents gets admitted to the hospital (which thankfully isn't often) I take comfort in knowing that throughout their stay, there's always at least one daughter (there are five of us) sitting at the end of their bed offering comfort and support. As much as this means to me....knowing that they are never alone....it also brings me sadness. Because I don't have children of my own, I can't help but think to myself...when I'm old and ailing...who will sit at the end of my bed?

I recently shared these feelings with my dear friend Claire while we were in a deep conversation about coping with being a caretaker of an ailing spouse or parent. Claire later recalled what I had said and took the liberty of asking a poet friend of hers to write a poem for me based on that conversation.

L.M. "Dutch" Keen wrote the above poem which Claire then printed and framed for me. To say that the this gift touched me to the core would be an understatement.

(to read the poem, click on the image above to enlarge)

White Wednesday

I walked into Amy (aka Thistlebees) and Keri's (aka Antique Therapy) booth at the Brimfield Antique Show and I was immediately drawn to this dining room set (gee.... you think the fact that it was white had anything to do with it!). Large oval table with six cane-back chairs and burlap seats.....yeah baby! And if you could have seen how nicely it was showcased (sorry I only took one pic at the show), you would have been too!

All packed up and ready for its new home, and just in time before the showers came passing through. Did I mention my husband enjoys Brimfield as much as I do? How awesome is THAT!??

Got it home, put some felt pads on the bottoms of all the legs and slid it right into place.

I took this picture so you could see the double mirror I bought from Amy at her first Brimfield showing a couple of years back.

I've seen a few dining sets that are similar to this but it was the detail that sold me on this one in particular.

I added these French styled numbers (1-6) to the backs of the chairs. My original thought was to stencil them on but when my search for the perfect font failed....I settled (for now anyway) on these, which are rub-ons I bought at a craft store.

For more White Wednesday goodies, see the Queen at Faded Charm!!