Deal on dishes

I found this set of dishes at a local estate store. I'm not sure if I really got a good deal, but I sure do feel like I did!

They are Currier and Ives and I ended up paying $50 for approximately 16 place settings. I fell in love with the "Old Farm Gate" scene on the little fruit bowl. The children look so precious, not to mention my dream house in the background.

Ten cups and saucers, but unfortunately my small cabinet can only hold nine. I'll use the lonely tenth for my morning coffee and the other nine can just sit and look pretty.

Now, when we have company for dinner I actually have enough place settings. Yippee!

Bye Bye Chinette!! Hello pretty blue dishes!!

Rooster Love

Here he is. My all time favorite!! He's wearing a tassel around his neck and I adore the apple green bow on his behind!

He's flying into town to the Cottage Porch where he will be for sale. Wait.... do roosters fly??

He does have a twin over at my etsy shop if anyone else is feelin the Rooster Love.

Kitchen before/after

Before.....

We have lived in this house for about seven years now. I feel like it's come a long way, but there are still so many things that I would love to do. Unfortunately, I need to abide by our budget and make do with what we have for the time being. It always amazes me what a can of paint can do. Throw in a bit o repurposed junk and some character begins to shine through.

The paint color on the walls is Garden shed green. We chose that seven years ago when we moved in. It's ready for an update and I am in the process of deciding what the new color will be. Any advice would be welcomed!! I painted all the cabinets white. We added glass to the doors of the cabinets above. I also added a set of cheap brackets to add a bit more character.

We attached bead board to the peninsula as well as the lower cabinet doors. New laminate wood flooring is easier on the eyes than that old linoleum. There is an outlet at the end of the peninsula that always irritated me!! I slapped a set of hooks right over it to keep towels handy. I mentioned in a previous post that hot glue is my best friend, well yep, those hooks are hot glued right on!!

These are the original counter tops. I would love concrete, or butcher block, but these will do just fine. They are gray, so I pretend that they are concrete. I ordered all of the glass knobs and pulls from Target a few years ago, and I still love them to this day!

Does this light fixture look familiar?? It happens to be the one I posted about a few days ago. Yep, we still have it. I gave her a makeover and I think she's here to stay awhile.

The goose neck faucet was given to me by a friend. Free is my favorite four letter word!!

We splurged on the Bosch dishwasher when the old one tanked on us. I'm fine with keeping the white stove and microwave, but I do plan to splurge on a stainless refrigerator in the hopefully near future. With a family of five our little white one is overflowing!!

At the top of my list of honey-do's is crown moulding for the cabinets and moulding around the windows. Can you believe that all of the windows in our house are naked! They have no moulding at all, so I hope to accomplish that soon as well.

Well, It's certainly not perfect and it's not the kitchen of my dreams, but it does finally feel like home. I'm learning to be content and bloom right where I'm planted.

Good night.

Jen

Todays junk

One dollor bought me this pretty piece of junk. Before the white paint job it was hideously oak. I added the ribbon, the little crystal and the candle. What a cheap way to spruce up our small foyer area. Smile.

undecking the halls

Grandmothers nativity is packed away. The trees are undressed and looking bare. Everything is boxed up until next year. Normally I wait until after the New Year, but I had a burst of energy today and thought I might as well get it over with. Tomorrow will be cleaning day, as everything seems so dusty when all of the celebrations are through.

Sweet silouette

I bought myself a Christmas gift this year. How self centered of me to be out shopping for loved ones and by a gift for me myself and I, but just look at her!! And at only $8 I think she was totally worth it. She hangs in my kitchen for now, until I decide exactly where she belongs.

Hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas. We are relaxing at home today after all the Christmas festivities yesterday. We bought the youngest Little House On The Prarie Season four, so we have been watching that all day today. It feels good to be lazy after the Christmas rush.

Have a great night!

Jen

Winter window box and Merry Christmas to all!!

Chandelier redo

This chandelier was in the house when we bought it. Sure I would love a new one, but until then a can of spray paint did the trick. Sprayed it, roughed it up a bit and recovered some old shades I had laying around. I tell ya, this fixture would have won the ugliest fixture of the year award. It was a shiny black and brass combination before the spray paint worked it's magic. Spray paint is right up there on the list of my favorite things...besides hot glue. Hot glue is my best friend!

Until next time,

Jen

Hibernating

Ho Ho Ho!!!

This is my favorite Santa Tassel and featured in my shop this week is this cute little Teddy Bear! Head on over to Totesntassels (my etsy shop) and check out my new listings!! Purchase a Snowman or Santa and shipping is free.

Still digging!

Christmas for the birds

There is a big snowstorm headed my way. We could get up to 16 inches of snow. This most likely means another snow day for the kids and they are already making plans. I'm planning on shoveling us out, as we do not have a snow blower, nor do we hire a plow service. I figure it's good to get the extra exercise in the winter and it saves us $$$. If I don't post tomorrow, you might as well figure I had a heart attack in the driveway. Hee Hee.

Anyway, thought I'd post a photo of one of my bird cages. They looked a little bare, so I decked this one out with more greens from the yard. Looks kind a cute!!

Good night!

Repurposed junk

I thought I'd share a few photos of my favorite pieces of "junk". I wouldn't call them shabby chic, but they are definitely shabby something. My Hubby likes to call them shabby shit! Hee Hee!

The old chippy shelf I picked up at a barn sale for next to nothing. I added scrap book paper to the back to spruce it up a bit. The tack board hangs in our kitchen. Just a little fabric wrapped around cork board and Wa-la!! It's a great place to tack the grocery list, reminder notes and photos. Now if only I could do something about all those unsightly outlets!! Ick!! The hall tree thingy hangs in our back entry/mudroom. It's a very small space, so this has worked out well for hanging coats and backpacks. In the winter I hang a basket at the top to store hats and mittens. You can't tell from the picture, but the length of it spans all the way to the floor. I'm a horrible photographer!!

So, there you have it. A few of my favorite pieces of junk!!

Good night!

The little girls tree

Teacups on the tree

I got this idea from Mary over at Dear little red house. My tree certainly does not compare to hers, but hangin these little cups on the tree sure made me smile.

Baby it's cold outside!!

Below zero windchills in our neck of the woods today!! The kids had a two hour delay from school. We cozied up inside by the fire and I finished up my gift wrapping. I even took out my red Johnson Brothers dishes. They look so pretty at Christmas time. I have SLOWLY been adding to my collection, as I will NEVER pay full price for a piece. Most of them I have found at T.J. Max. and Marshalls.

Hope your all staying warm!! I enjoy this winter weather, but only up unitl Christmas is over. Then, I'm ready to head south!!

Bucket o fresh greens!

Chopped fresh from my boxwoods and pines. This sits atop my breakfast table. Didn't cost me penny and smells sooooo good!

Good night.

Jen

Red and Gold

The tree in our living room is just plain red and gold. Simple, but still beautiful. This is our first year with an artificial tree. We were tired of paying almost 40 dollars each year. I sure do miss that wonderful smell of pine!! I found pine scented candles, so I can pretend.

The kitchen tree

I love the after Christmas sales. I found these ornaments last year for only fifty cents a piece. They adorn the tree in our kitchen.

Happy Holidays from our porch to yours!!