New Christmas Wreath

I started with an old picture frame. I spray painted it silver with paint I already had. I had some sparkly ribbon which I purchased a couple of years ago.

I chose some ornaments that I like from my decorations. I had to purchase some ribbon that was small enough to fit through the holes on the ornaments. It cost me $1:00 at Walmart. Wow a new wreath for $1:00 because I had everything else already.

I grabbed the tools that I needed from the toolbox. I strung the ornaments with the small ribbon and spaced them across the top of the frame and fastened them. I made a bow with the sparkly ribbon and attached it as well. I found the command hook I bought and put it on the back of the door. Instructions said to wait an hour before hanging anything on the hook. So a pot of tea and some washed dishes later I hung it on the door.

I am very happy with the way it turned out. There is a glass screen door over this door so my wreath is protected from the weather and the wind.

Have a Wonderful Day

Love Always,

Kim

Before and After

Well here are my before pictures for the kitchen. These are not pretty pictures in my opinion but that is what the kitchen looked like. I knew I could not live with these colours.

In this picture you can just see the white drop leaf table that I use as my kitchen island. The table has been in the family for two generations. It will have to wait for next spring to be re-painted. The kitchen cabinets, the window trim and the baseboards were all painted in BM Cloud White. My walls are painted in BM ( Benjamin Moore ) Gray Cashmere which is a soft green with grey in it. I love the colour. I love pastels. There is a new countertop and a double stainless sink.

Now the table and chairs are painted and I had this material in my stash so the other day I re-did one seat cover to see if I liked it. I have not made my final decision as yet. I think I would like some material with some pink in  it. I am planning on painting my china cabinet a very soft pink colour. I am really very pleased with the table and chairs being white.

I guess I will have to do something about that sad looking ceiling fan. I do not really want to take it down as it has three light bulbs in it and gives me lots of light in the kitchen. Perhaps painting the blades and the hardware with white or silver would make it look better. For now it will stay like it is as painting season is over for another year.

Sorry if this picture is not clear but my hands were a little shaky when I took the picture.

Love Always,

Kim

Cute Cottage

I came across the cutest little cottage on Houzz yesterday; I had to share some of the pictures with you. If you love blue like I do you will love the decor of this little jem.

You can see more pictures here. 

Our summer seems very short this year. I am still working on my painting projects. I recently moved our table and chairs from the kitchen to the porch to fully enjoy the nice weather. We have eaten outside as much as possible and we are loving the abundance of fresh produce from our local farm market. We particularly love the corn which is in all the local stores as well.

I am looking forward to the melons and the fresh garlic. I always make our salad dressing from scratch and the lettuce is so fresh as well.

I have not done anymore sewing lately as it is just too nice to be inside on most days. I will reserve that for some cooler days. I finished my chandelier for the porch. I managed to get all of the wires out and I have it hanging above the table on the porch. My cousin came by with 5 glass votive candles holders and they fit perfectly. I also spray painted our coasters so they all match. Sometimes little things make such a difference.

I got the hostas planted at the side of the cottage.  I am pleased to have something planted where the grass did not grow and I know they will all look better next year when they have had a chance to grow. 

I hope you enjoy your day.

Love Always,

Kim

Finally the mirror is in the frame

I picked up my mirror on Saturday morning. I hung it up and took this picture this morning. I am so pleased with how it looks.

Here is the close-up. I love what a bit of paint can do. We have had a wonderful weekend for weather. It has been warm and sunny on the weekend for a change. Tomorrow's forecast is calling for hot and sunny. I think we will take advantage and stroll down to the beach and dip our toes in the water.

Love Always,

Kim

Progress in the Kitchen

I have hung my shelf and mirror frame on the wall in the kitchen. A few weeks ago I picked up a mirror for FREE at the end of somebody's driveway. What a score! It is a fairly large mirror and I could probably fit three frames with a piece of mirror.

My mother gave me the frame but I wasn't sure where it would look best. So I took up to the attic at the house and there it sat until we moved into the cottage. It did not take me long before I found the perfect place to hang it. I have finally found a place that cuts glass and mirror professionally so I will be off to see them at the beginning of the week. Here is the before.

Here is the after picture. I just took this a few moments ago. I am so pleased with how it looks. I can hardly wait for Monday morning to come. I feel like a kid at Christmas.

You can see the carved pieces of the frame now. Before the colour of the frame was so dark it was hard to see. I think I will take the cover of the thermostat off the wall and paint it white as well. It seems to stick out like a sore thumb. I will also have to dob a little paint on the screw heads so they will disappear. 

Hope you are enjoying your weekend. It is overcast and cool again so I am taking advantage of this weather to get some jobs done around the house.

Love Always,

Kim

June, how did that happen?

These are the lilacs that I just brought in from the front yard this morning. They are such a gorgeous colour. My lilacs in the past have been white or lilac colour. These look stunning in the yard. I took the picture just as the sun was shining through the living room window. As I sit on the front porch I can look right at the lilac bush. It has been well maintained. I have one tree in the front yard and one in the backyard beside the garden shed.

Last week I found some Lily-of-the-valley beside the garden shed and picked 3 stems to put beside my bed. Just 3 little stems and the whole room smells amazing for days. Lily-of-the-valley loves the soil under the pine trees.

I finally got the numbers up on the house post that we installed. We live in a remote area and do a lot of online shopping so we really want UPS, Purolator and everyone else to be able to find us. While is was working on painting the post I painted the numbers on the porch railing. They look like new but nobody will see them. Nobody looks for numbers to be on the cottages around here because most of the properties have the cottages set back from the road.

These are the little painting jobs that I have been working on. I have a pretty ornate mirror frame that my mother gave to me. A couple of weeks ago I picked up a free piece of mirror that someone left at the bottom of their driveway. It is a very large piece of mirror.  I can take to the hardware and have them cut it the right size for my frame and have mirror left over. The shelf with the brackets attached is going on the kitchen wall along with my mirror. The other smaller shelf is going above the stove to hold my olive oil, salt and things like that.

This past weekend was cold and rainy. It is such a nice day and this week promises sunshine and warmer temperatures. I hope you are enjoying your day.

Love Always,

Kim

Coffee on the porch and My New Apron

It was 16 degrees outside this morning when I got up. I sat on the porch for the first time to have my morning coffee. All of the cats were sitting out with me. I opened up the windows and let the warm breeze in. It seems like a dream the last time I opened up the windows to let in the fresh air. By noon the temperature was up to 20.7 degrees.

Here is a project that I worked on recently. This is my material. I love the colours in this fabric.

Here is what I made with it.

I have a lovely new apron to wear. It is a fairly simple pattern and I really like the ruffles on the bottom. When I read the instructions and started to put it together I knew that it was not going to be exactly what I wanted. I decided to line it. That meant I had to go to the quilting store to purchase a small piece of white cotton. I did not have a piece in my stash of material that I could use. I am happy with how it turned out. It was a new pattern for me and in hindsight I could have made it a smaller size but with a couple of adjustments is is just fine.

I promised myself that after we got settled into the cottage that I would sew again. It has been many years since I sewed anything; just a few minor repairs here and there and some hems on jeans. I have another beautiful piece of cotton waiting. I am going to make another apron. The material  is washed and pressed and ready to go.

I am going to make some comfy pants and a new housecoat for the summer. After that I plan to make some summer clothes. When I get the projects finished I will share all of them with you.

Love Always,

Kim

Spring?

Officially spring is here. Today the sky is overcast and there is rain off and on. These last few weeks we have had lots of sunshine and mild temperatures and the snow is beginning to disappear. The cats are asking to go outside but they have not left the confines of our yard.

I have been busy with little sewing projects lately. I purchased the prettiest pale pink tablecloth quite some time ago. I did not look at it very carefully and when I got it home and took a good look I found that the middle of the cloth was very worn and there were a number of big holes. I decided to cut the middle of the cloth out. I saved the little pieces and put them aside. I carefully matched the two pieces and sewed them back together.

I will try and find some pink lace to sew around the edge to really make it pretty. I put it on the kitchen table. I am very pleased with the results. I love pink and a pink tablecloth is one of my favourite things.

I am doing some little things for me and the cottage. I have started making an apron. I got it all cut out and started sewing when I realized it was not going to be to my liking when it is finished. So I am going to have to go and purchase a piece of solid fabric as a lining. There are no fabric stores close to us. I am going to try a quilting store that opened not to long ago. Perhaps they will have what I need. 

I hope you are enjoying your weekend.

Love Always,

Kim

Something Lovely for Valentine's Day

Here is a beautiful little tidbit that I would like to share with you. This is from the Graphics Fairy. If you like this little Angel and her message just click on the link and it will take you to the proper page. You can have your very own copy. Hope you enjoy this image. Valentines day is not far away. I am going to use this to make a card for my hubby.

Love Always

Kim

How I love pink

I put a little collage together of some pink things that I saved in my files. I am trying to make birthday party plans. Hubby says he will make it happen if I can tell and show him what I want. He knows what I like but he wants to make sure that everything is perfect.

Usually I make the plans and then I execute the plans. This year I told him that I do not want to do any of the cooking or preparation. I want my birthday lunch outside on our porch. I love a tea party. I came across the picture of the cake with these lovely pink roses on top and knew I would love something like this. I have things similar to the pictures so there is no need to purchase these. Somebody will have to make the food, set the table and purchase the flowers.

My birthday is not until the summer so there is plenty of time to plan everything.

Our weather is mild and rainy today. Such a change! The other day it was minus 23 Celsius. It is nice to have some pretty things to look at on a grey day. I think that later tea and scones will be in order. Have a wonderdul day.

Love Always,

Kim

A Cup of Tea to Warm You

It is a cold, grey day today and it has been snowing since 10:30 a.m. this morning. The winds have died down. That is a good thing. I have been making plans in my head for painting and refinishing my furniture. I almost have things were I want them. There isn't much left at the old house. Most of it can be donated. I have to sell my dining room furniture. I no longer have a dining room where is could rest.

My small table and chairs and the china cabinet fits in the kitchen. I purchase some lovely pink tulips for the kitchen and I set the table for tea. I made some brownies so won't you come and join me. We can have our tea and a chat.

Love Always,

Kim