Bedroom Makeover

 This summer is going great so far! The kids are out of school for the year, and we are having a blast doing all sorts of fun things. Actually this bedroom got painted before school was out. But Jessica is still moving in. 

The bedroom idea started with this old bedstead that was recently given to us by some friends who knew I had my eye on it since I had always wanted an antique frame like it. That's what friends do... I had fun sanding and cleaning it  but painting was the best part of all. I decided gold was a fit color for a princess.

 

 Green and pink are the colors we chose. The gold frame goes well with the green and hot pink curtains.

 She has a nice view out the window.

We think the new flooring is a nice improvement over the old.

Decorating with Jars

Jars. I like jars. In all shapes and sizes. I find using jars a very economic yet perfect way to decorate a house. Lately I have been looking for different ways to display jars, and today I want to share them with you. 

 Tea light candles in baby food jars! Last saturday my daughter and I went yard saling again, and as I have said before, I always peer into those boxes marked 'free' cause I just never know what I will find. This time it was a bunch of baby food jars. O yes!

 We also tried this one: flowers in a baby food jar. I painted the lid gold, stuck some flowers into a small piece of sponge foam that I painted green and glued to the inside of lid, and voila. A very pretty little gift for any pretty little lady, and so inexpensive. And, your flowers are going to stay pretty and clean, protected inside the jar from dust and humidity, which can be a problem here in Belize.

 When I saw a similar soap dispenser, I got busy with my own, as I had a few of those empty blue jars on hand. I have been on the lookout for ways to use them, and this fit perfectly in my bathroom, where I already have a blue quart jar with shells. It is a much better dispenser than the cheap plastic ones you buy with soap. I did use the cheap plastic bottle to fashion this one though. I melted a hole in the center of the white lid that goes on the jar, and used the top of the plastic bottle to insert into the hole from the inside, and then screwed the dispenser on. Easy enough! I am thinking this would also make a great gift. One could just use a clear jar, and use colored soap.

 Here are two jars I was very excited to find during last yard sale hunt...they turned out pretty neat after a good washing and painting the two lids a lovely golden color.

 Perhaps having Dilmah tea in them makes them appear even more attractive?...

 Jars for photo frames. That is a new one for me, but I LOVE the idea! I had to try that one instantly, and it was a hit I thought.

 How about a bunch of buttons in a vintage jar? I have it sitting on my vintage (and only) sewing machine; it looks right at home there. I like this jar because it has my year number on it: 1976. If I was American I would like it because it has the liberty bell on it. It actually says 1776 on top and 1976 on bottom. 

 Assorted marbles in an emptied candle jar.

I am sure there are many more ways to decorate in jars. I will keep my eyes open and add them as I keep prettying up my house!

Linked to:

Funky Junk Interiors
The Shabby Nest

Teacups and Roses

I have a teacup collection. It's not very big, but every cup is precious and behind almost every one I could post a story of how I came across it. I also can't resist buying decorations or fabric with teacups or teapots when I see something I 'need'. 

 The cup with the pink wild rose is perhaps my most special one. We lived in Iowa at the time I bought it, but I bought it in Winnipeg while visiting my family there. Wild roses grow in Iowa in the ditches in summertime, and how we enjoyed them.

So naturally, when I saw this beautiful cup and saucer, I had to buy them!

 I once told my mom, who likes to visit thrift stores, to keep her eyes open for teacups. She did, and brought us two lovely ones on her last visit here. Then my sister found out I like teacups, so she gave me these two cute lil cups she had picked up in Tawain, where her husband went to school. Aren't they just adorable? (Hi Susie, come on over sometime and we'll have some chinese tea.)

 This little night light was just not going to remain hanging in our store for someone else to grab. I had to snatch it while it was available. It adorns my kitchen at night.

My bare windows above my kitchen sink were needing something to dress them up real bad, and I found this at the store. It fits the window real well, and adds the perfect touch to my country kitchen.

When the weather is rainy as it often is lately, and it gets stormy and overcast, there is nothing better than turning on some lovely music, and brewing a cup of coffee or tea, and sipping it from one of my special cups. My daughter loves to join me when I do.


 I took the above photo at the end of the dry season. The below photo looks amazingly different after some rain. The rain cleared away a lot of smoke; the smoke was worse than it has ever been in the history of this country. Fires are usually made by people clearing land.

I love the rainy season. Sure it means I have to hang my laundry in the basement to dry, but that is ok. If I hang it out in the rainy season I risk being attacked by fire ants, as they are worse during the wet season, so the basement is not a bad place to hang laundry. There are many other reasons to like it; clear air, thunderstorms at night, green grass and trees, and an excuse to drink hot tea and coffee...I am sure there are more.

I think I need a cup now!

What do you think?

The other day I was at a thrift store, and saw this most beautiful ornament in the antique section. A lovely wash basin with matching pitcher, with forget-me-not flowers on it. I had always wanted one, but never come across a good one that I could afford. This one was priced for $38.00. Whew! A lot of money, and I wasn't going to pay that much! But, they had this sale several days later, and I made it happen that I went into the city for some business that day, so I dropped by the store and went right for it; sure enough, there it was. I didn't hesitate. I picked it up and carefully carried it like a real treasure.

So, what do you think? Would you pay $19 for something like this, or would only I do such a thing?

Bathroom decor

For a while I have wondered how best to display my blue canning jars. I have a bunch of them, and today I finally had a great idea. Put some sand in bottom of one, and shells on top, and there you go! Very easy yet very lovely. It reminds me of the ocean...

If you have more great ideas for how to utilize these jars, pass them on! I would like to put my others to good use as well.