An "Almost Spring" Bouquet

So that I can enjoy them 24X7.....I made a small bouquet for home from a larger arrangement my husband sent to my office for Valentine's Day :)

Garden Bench Makeover

It took me a while (see my January post here) but I finally got around to it!

The bench as you see it below sat outside for many seasons and each year when I brought it in for the winter I would tell myself that before I brought it back out in the spring I was going to refinish it to protect it from the elements.

So I gave it two coats of Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint in Pure White...

I then spot distressed it and gave it a coat of Annie Sloan's Clear Soft Wax

It came out so pretty that I decided to dress it up a bit with some cushions and throw pillows.

I doubt she'll ever see the light of day again :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

A Shabby Clipboard and a Winner of the Dish Towels

My good friend Cheryl (who I affectionately call Coop) gave me this clipboard because she said it had "me" written all over it. Don't you just love when someone you love thinks of you like that?!

And the thing of it is....this is so far away from her decorating taste and yet she sees the beauty in it that I see.

Although Coop doesn't have a blog....she does have space at Bernat Mill Antiques (spaces #62 & 63) in Uxbridge, Mass. If you live in the area you SO need to check it out.

And now the lucky winner of the grain sack dish towels is..... Tracie from Fishtail Cottage. Congrats Tracie!!
~~please contact me with your mailing address~~

All Dressed up and Somewhere to Go!

And I'm sure she'll be in good company at the Dress Form Ball over at Carol's Polka Dot Closet

This scarf, given to me by my Goddaughter at Christmas, is one of my favorite accessories.

If you haven't already....join The Ball.....it's in full swing!!

A Peek into the Corner of our Bedroom

I was making the bed this morning and thought to myself that I've never posted pictures of our bedroom. Because this little corner looked "camera ready" I decided to start here. The rest of the room will take some serious staging before it's post ready :)

This seating area is in a little alcove where across from the chair sits an armoire that houses the television. I know that for some of you, a t.v. in the bedroom is a no-no but we couldn't do without!

The walls in the alcove are painted Pink Shine by ??? while the rest of walls in the bedroom are White Dove by Benjamin Moore

I have an issue.....which gives you a chance at my first giveaway...

I think many of you have seen these grain sack dish towels featured on more than one blog over the past year.....I know I have.

And therein lies my "issue". These dish towels do NOT go with my home decor - they've been in the Target bag since the day I bought them. But because my fellow bloggers were scooping them up and loving them I just "had to have" them.

I bought two - although admittedly I scoured every Target in a 30 mile radius for more :)

Yes, I had some fun staging the pics to show you but alas they must go to a good home.

If you'd like to win this cute pair please be or become a follower and leave me a comment that you are. If for some reason (blogger issues....ugh) you can't comment, please send me an email to enter: dianesouza211@verizon.net

~ Giveaway winner will be announced on February 11th ~

Remember this lamp stand....

I bought it at the Wrentham Country Store's At Home with White Event and showed it to you in this post almost a year ago. I said that although I just had to have it...I had no idea what to do with it.

Well that was until this weekend when I visited House at 755 and found this...

I know...I should have put a candle in the votive cup to show how pretty it looks lit - you'll have to trust me - it's looks purr-tee!

My Dear Mother passed away on the 13th of January...

And so although my heartache is too raw to compose a new post... I'd be honored if you'd once again read this post I did for her on Mother's Day 2010.

~Her name is Anna and she'll be 79 years young in August~
~Middle child of 11 born to Italian immigrant parents~
~Mother of 5 daughters, 3 grand daughters and 1 great-grand daughter~
~Wife of George (he'll be 85 in September) for 55 years~
~SURVIOR of cancer!!~

- Knits and crochets with a passion
- Never one to pass up a sci-fi flick
- Pork cutlets are her signature dish
- Has a mad crush on Johnny Depp
- Owns an admirable collection of American Girl dolls
- Has a penchant for pocketbooks
- Only reads books in hardcover, John Grisham is her fav
- A whiz at crossword puzzles
- Giver of charities for underprivileged children
- Fiddler on the Roof is her favorite musical
- Prefers a nice card over an expensive gift
- Has a laptop and email address and yet won't be able to access this post until I visit with her later today! :)

First project of the New Year

Will be to give my garden bench a makeover with Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint in Pure White.

I'm new at this.... should I apply the wax before or after I spot distress?