Hippity, Hoppity

It is a beautiful spring morning and I only have a few minutes but why don't we "hop" into the dining room while we can!

There are some changes in this room...mostly from the new faux flowers I got on that HUGE sale at Michaels last month. I'm so glad I was thinking ahead as there has not been another sale like that one since!

I actually changed up the niche as well. In past years I have had a lot of my vintage decor on those shelves and it just looked cluttered to me when I looked back over those pictures.

And, of course, the side board vignettes will continue to change now that the new lanterns are hanging. I always had an asymmetrical arrangement here with the left side being tall to balance the lamp that was on the right. With no lamp, that won't work any more so I am trying out new things.

I still love this bunny runner. I got it at Hobby Lobby last year (I think) and it reminds me so much of the much more expensive ones from PB...and, the linen on the runner is an almost exact match to the fabric on the new chair covers. If you look closely, you will see that I still haven't addressed the fit of the covers issue. I'll get there as soon as I run it by my sister-in-law. She is my "measure twice, cut one" conscience so I want to see what she thinks will work first before I just start cutting. Lol

Daughter #3 gave me the bunny hat a few years back. I have had the gentleman rabbit for a few years longer. I must admit that the hat was never a favorite-except for the fact that it was a gift-because the bow and dots were all in pink and blue and it always reminded me of a baby shower. Out of the blue it hit me that I could change those dots and bow-and so I did. And then when I saw how closely the hat resembled the bunny's hat, it was serendipity!

Now that I'm looking closely at that cute flower, I'm thinking I might just need to add one of those to the hat as well.

Just a few random shots around the sunroom. I kept it really simple out there.

This is just one of the three different lavender plants my brother and sister-in-law brought me for St. Patrick's Day. They are all really doing well in the sunroom and looking like they may be graduating to larger pots very soon. I have never done very well growing lavender outside-and I have tried-so I am keeping them in here as long as I can. They really are lucky to have any leaves left because every time I walk by, I pull off a few to rub between my fingers!

Off to get a few other things done but I will be back soon. Stay tuned.

Hopping Down the Bunny Trail

I am having a super busy yet super fun week. I thought while I had a few minutes, I would move our tour along to the kitchen.

I love how the top shelf of the baker's rack has all gifts to me. The bunny treat jar from daughter #3, the daffodil painting from a friend (who just happens to be a very gifted local artist) and the bunny from my cousin.  I'm sorry I couldn't get a better shot of the painting. No matter which way I turned it and which setting I used on my camera, I got the shine. She painted it for me last year because she knows how much I love daffodils but also because the daffodil is my birthday month flower!

That area to the left of this picture is the side of the pantry. I made and hung a large bulletin board on it many years ago after it was first built and installed. I use it to post announcements, invitations, special picture cards, pictures the kids have made for me, little notes and any seasonal extra pictures that I just can't live without. I look at this area often and I notice that my family and guests do as well. But, I'm just getting the "itch" to see what this area would look like without all of that. I honestly don't even remember how I hung it so there might be a big, ole screw sticking right out of the side. It's definitely something to think about. We shall see.

Wow! Not a whole lot to say on the kitchen. I guess spring, bunnies and flowers are pretty self explanatory. Also, I didn't shake things up too much in this area. As much as I really love "stuff", I am kind of enjoying the more sparsely and neutral colored spring decor. It reads as clean and fresh...and that's always a good thing for someone who can find a million other things to do before cleaning! Lol I have a few busy days ahead with friends and family but I will be back. Stay tuned.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Everything just feels right! Our weather is positively perfect, birds are everywhere, blooms abound and spring has definitely sprung! And so, I was anxious to get my Easter decor out...especially since it will have over a month to shine!

Welcome to Easter 2019. Except for the one little wood sign and the casual dinner ware that I have already shared with you, I don't think I have added anything else new this year but I have moved a few things around...and that always makes me feel like things are new.

As it turns out, it is a good thing I picked up this vintage wood sign. My intention was to use it in the guest bath but, after moving the "postcard" that usually resides here at Easter over to the new mail box, it seemed like the new sign might work here-and, I think it does. Of course now I still need something for the bathroom...but, I digress. Lol

I know sometimes you are wondering why in the world I continue to do this blog. There are actually many reasons but one is that it helps me see my house with "new eyes". Sometimes that is good but often it leads to "trouble". In this case, the trouble was minimal. That empty basket on the bunny's back just popped right out at me. I'll show you my "fix" at the end of this post.

I'm still loving my mailbox and still a lot of bang for my buck-just change the "mail" for the theme and I am good to go!

I adore this old balustrade that daughter #1 gifted me with years ago...does she know her mom or what? Old, chippy and green!!

This bunny used to sit on the coffee table but I had "pinned" a similar vignette and thought I could use both my bunny and my balustrade in a new way. The pinned picture had the bunny sitting in a bed of spring flowers. That had been my plan until I headed in to grab a piece of floral foam to start my nest and realized that I didn't have any left. I did have this string of boxwood that I had picked up in the Target $ section awhile back and thought that I could just stick the bunny in there until I had a chance to get to the store and buy more supplies. Turns out I like it just the way it is...in fact, more faux flowers at this end of the table might have just been too much. Win, win!

Normally, at this stage of the game, that green pot is empty and awaiting the arrival of the Easter lilies. Since Easter is so late this year, none are out just yet and I decided to put one of my peace lilies in there for the time being. The fact that it is ready to burst into bloom is all the better!!

This is another area where I have made a change. When I saw this picture I realized that I had some larger purple candles that I could use in these holders. Trust me, they look so much better.

I am totally smitten (does anybody use that word any more?) with this vignette. I love the clear glass and all of the shades of purple and green. If I could get away with it every bit of my Easter decor would be in purple and green. As you well know, I am not a lover of pastels. Unfortunately, they are used in most Easter decor so I have to concede. But, if I could...just sayin'!

O.K., so this is where I thought I would be ending this post but, as so often happens with me, I see one little thing and that leads to another and then another...and, before I know it I have accomplished a lot...just not anything that was initially on my to-do list for that day.

As I mentioned, that empty basket on the bunny was driving me nuts. I knew I had some large wood eggs that I didn't use this year because their colors were too dull. I grabbed the green one and thought I could live with it but, NO. And so, this is happening as we speak. We shall see if it is the answer.

And, of course, while I was rummaging around to find the egg I came across this bunny that I just don't love any more but grabbed him up because I had an idea. I have invited my friend and her grand daughter over for a day of crafting. I had some ideas floating around-one of which included a bunny silhouette on a canvas. I had planned to download the bunny silhouette but when I saw this guy I knew he would be perfect for some canvases I had left over.

But then, I looked more closely at the "chick" design and realized that it might be just perfect for the corner cabinet vignette in the family room. It seems as if I have got a vintage chick theme going in there-quite by accident - but still felt like it was missing something. I'm not crazy about just using the bunny but thinking I might be able to rig up something I like if I adhere the bunny to one of the canvases and embellish it a bit. We shall see.

So now that those two projects have moved to the top of my list, I had better get going. No telling how many more might just strike my fancy as the day progresses. But, before that happens, I am off to daughter #3's house to play with her dogs for a bit. She and her family are finishing up their spring break trips ( yes, trips. First to the mountains and now to the beach ) so I am dog sitting. So much more to come. Stay tuned.

All Sorts of Things I've Learned

I guess this post actually started many years ago when we wanted new chairs for our dining room table. Parsons chairs were all the rage and I had my heart set on finding just the right ones. We found some pretty cream colored chairs with a rolled back and they were just what I wanted. They were made out of a new "fabric" called bonded leather. I now know that I did not ask enough questions. I did ask what bonded leather meant and I was told that it was leather bonded on to a fabric backing. Apparently the leather could be more thinly sliced so, hence, the price wasn't as high as it could have been-although, I will say, these were not inexpensive chairs by any means. We also chose an additional charge for Scotch Guarding so stains wouldn't soak into the "leather".

Now, all of that could very well be true. There was no Google back then and I accepted the explanation. In fact, that may be totally true. What I didn't expect was that the leather would ever come "unbonded" just from normal wear...but it did. All of a sudden...on most of the chairs. It was like someone shouted "unbond now" and they all did! One day they were fine and the next day there were huge bubbles and peeling happening.

Now I am kind of a "I can find a way" kind of gal so I got out my fabric glue and was pretty sure I could re-bond these things...I was wrong. And, each time we sat on the chairs, they got worse and my eyes just kept going to the bubbles.

Back in the day, I would have (and actually have) made covers for the chairs. But, I was just beginning to think about maybe doing that when a Target ad came into my e-mail box. It was serendipity. There for the asking were SureFit linen look chair covers for Parson chairs. They had short skirts which were perfect and I couldn't hurry fast enough to get them ordered and get them here.

Now getting them here is a whole other story. I missed the order cut-off by 7 minutes so my order would be delayed until the next day...but that was fine. They were two day delivery so I would now get them on Friday. Wrong. The next thing I have come to learn is that 2 day delivery doesn't mean two day delivery. It might mean two days for UPS to make the label and begin shipment, then two days for it to travel to their next facility and then two days for it to literally sit here in Ocala until they delivered it to the post office for the post office to then get it to my house in two more days. Good thing they weren't a case of life or death. Lol

When the box finally arrived last night, it was a mess. Luckily, the covers are made out of fabric or the order would probably be going back. The box had obviously been broken open because most of the Target tape was ripped off and it was re-taped.

In any case, they were here and I couldn't wait to get them on the chairs. The description said they were relaxed fit and the picture (albeit small) seemed to verify that...but, they aren't as relaxed as I thought and the rolled top on my chairs are definitely pulling a bit. I have come up with two possible solutions but want to run them by my very sewing talented sister-in-law before I decide what to do. I'm also thinking that as we sit on them the fairly loosely woven linen might stretch a bit and all will be well.

In any case, my eyes are no longer going to the bubbles. I think we will be fine. Here's a bit of a sneak peak. They will eventually need to be ironed but I'm waiting to see what else will need to be done before I start that.

This is the problem area. If they don't stretch out a bit, I'm thinking I can either rip out the seam and re-stitch at a different angle or, possibly just whip stitch this part down so it isn't bulging as much.

I do love the fabric...and how perfectly it matches the linen bunny runner.

So this is how they will stay for now. Once I get the tops figured out, I might cut a bit off of those ties. I think I would rather have a nice square knot instead of the bows...we shall see. I am done putting Easter up...just a bit of St. Pat's to still put away and I should be ready to start some picture taking Stay tuned.