WHITE WEDNESDAY: WHITES ON DIAMOND LAKE

Today I am participating in White Wednesday, which is hosted by Kathleen at Faded Charm Cottage. I came upon her blog last week and really loved it. I highly recommend visiting her. I also visited some of the other participants in WW last week and they had some really unique things to show. A lot of decorating ideas here!! So after you leave a comment, visit Kathleen and all of the ladies joining in.

I took tons of pictures at the lake this weekend. It wasn't too hard to find white because I chose open shelving with all white dishes when we renovated the kitchen. I'm sorry to say it is still a work in progress and we are well past the completion date but I am trying really hard to be patient. I hope one day soon I can show you the kitchen and two baths totally finished.

This is a pretty general view of the shelves which are on both sides of the sink and just a bit more on the adjoining walls. I have been putting in a little treasures with color for some contrast such as this blue Cape Cod plate.

My everyday dishes are by Gibson and my china is Johann Haviland. I have mentioned this in a previous post, so I hope I am not boring anyone!! The coffee mugs on the bottom are from The Dollar Tree, believe it or not!! We really like them, they are nice and sturdy and I like the texture of the little bumps around the rim! I also collect little glass bottles and they are scattered all around. They make great bud vases. And finally, I broke down and bought the infamous Target Birds!! Of course, you can click to enlarge the pictures.

Next, I have a clock I bought from Lidy Baars at French Garden House. Please click on if you would like to visit her shop that carries all things beautiful and European. I have shopped her site many times and am always impressed by the quality of her items, and of course, Lidy herself is a very special lady. She may not know it, but she is the one who influenced me to start blogging. I was shopping French Garden House and happened to click on her blog. I thought, "Well, this sounds like a lot of fun, but will I have anything to say?" LOL!! The rest is history!! Thank you Lidy!!

Here are some antique glass dessert plates I found a few weeks ago. They came from a flower shop housed in a huge mansion in White Pigeon, Michigan. The flower shop was actually a very small part of the business. Every room held antique or second~hand items. I was like Alice in Wonderland!! I managed to buy only what I could carry in two trips, with the promise that there will be a huge yard sale on August 6th with over 15 dealers. There were a few thing there that I wanted so badly, but The Husband kept patting me on the shoulder, reassuring me that we would be back. I should have just thrown a tantrum!

A little shadow box with some beachy scenes and vintage silver salt & pepper shakers.

The matching shadow box. I found these in Saugatuck, Michigan, a resort town along the lake, many years ago. Saugatuck is still one of my favorite places to visit.

A vintagy sugar jar from Marshall's.

This canister is made out of iron and is super heavy. I found it at a second hand shop and knew it would make a great utensil holder.

I thought we would move outside. A few weeks ago I posted a picture of a mysterious flower bud and by unanimous decision, it was declared a hollyhock!! It sure is different! But very pretty, a very light blush color. Even though the plants are only about 2 or 3 feet high, I had to stake them. The leaves have a zillon little round holes in them like something has been nibbling. I am wondering if this is why the stems are falling over. I have never seen the blasted critters that are doing the damage so I am not sure what to do. The plants around the hollyhock are doing fab. So, once again, I am asking the Bloggerville Garden Advisory Board for help. :-)

I found this cute white chair with a rush seat also at a second hand store. It is sturdy and chippy and I didn't need to do a thing with it. I used a metal container from Michael's as a planter.

This is called an obedience plant and it came up for the first time this year. It is really pretty and I hope it gets bigger each year. It looks perfect in my English Garden.

And my last picture is of the white birch trees in our yard. They are beautiful. I'd love to have more but all of our trees have matured so much over the years that our house is really hard to even see from the lake!

I hope you have enjoyed my contribution to White Wednesday. I have not even come close to exhausting all of the white I have! LOL! So I will probably join again and of course, hope to make new friends.! Please visit Kathleen and see how pretty simple white can be!! Have a wonderful week! :-)

xoxo

Jane