TREASURES IN THE GARDEN AND RE~VAMPING A VANITY BENCH

Happy Thursday!  I hope everyone has something to look forward to this weekend.  I thought I'd get a post in today because tomorrow will be busy.  This week has been a little crazy, too, but isn't it always around here?  I know that all of you furniture painters out there know of The Painting Everything Syndrome.  Yes, you paint one thing and then you just have to keep finding more inanimate (hopefully) objects to paint.  And there is something about going to Home Depot and gravitating right to the paint sample aisle, just knowing there is something at home you can transform.  So, the syndrome started with that mirror I painted and shared in my last post.  I think my non~painting syndrome actually goes on longer because that mirror had been sitting in my garage for at least 3 years, and worse, right next to the door where I couldn't miss it!

Okay, I had these three plate rack thingies that I ordered from One Kings Lane months ago.  My daughter asked me why on earth I would order something that went with nothing in my home.  I was asking that question myself when they arrived in brilliant yellow, red and blue.  That's the yellow one above.  Just about the only time I use primary colors in my home is at Christmas, those glorious reds and greens.  I know I simply fell in love with the design and shape and I never...NEVER thought to spray paint them, my mind just never went in that direction until recently.  And I know this is hard to believe, but I hadn't even taken them out of the box because I was so dejected that I had ordered them in the first place.  So, out to the patio we went yesterday. 

Gray, white and blue, the blue is the original color, it stays.  Can you see why I fell in love?

I tried out some plates...clearly I will have to use the salad/dessert plates as the dinner plate is way too large.  And where am I hanging them (cue Blondie laughing hysterically)?  Let sit on that for awhile!

I have another project in the works.  I have had this vanity seat sitting in my bedroom for about 19 years looking just like this.  Oh, I can just see the horror on your faces!  Abby was a toddler and wrote something undecipherable on it with lipstick, and then one, out of the menagerie of dogs we had, had a go at it.  Poor bench.  I never even sat at my vanity on it as I'm so near sighted I have to have my nose pressed up to a mirror to put my make up on.  I have kept various pieces of fabric neatly folded over it all these years and I finally sat down with it the other day.

It took me about 3 minutes to take apart what has sat in my room like this for 19 years!  It didn't take long to figure it out nor how to redo it.  I hope to get to Joann's for padding and fabric either tomorrow or early next week.  I really think she needs something classic and pretty.  I haven't mentioned it but we are having the master bedroom painted on Saturday.  This room has not been painted for a good 10-15 years, I'm guessing.  The last time we did, we broke part of the four poster bed trying to move it.  So it's not a room you want to fiddle with unless you have to.

I chose the middle color here, Silver Screen.  I'm a little nervous, I consider gray a "cool" color and the furniture is definitely warm.  The color we have now is like a beige/tan.  But I want to stop worrying about things like this, and other insane hang ups... like not wearing white after labor day, redheads not wearing red, and only blue eyed Swedish women being true blondes.  I am on the hunt for a new comforter or duvet cover and an area rug.  I found a duvet at Land Of Nod that I really like (did you know it's not just for kids anymore?).  I will post an image of it next week.  The hard part is the area rug...it stays forever, like carpeting, it has to coordinate with whatever kind of bedding I switch to over the years. A nice neutral sisal rug would make me more than satisfied, but The Husband likes to feel something soft under his feet.  I guess I can't fault him there.  

So, I spent Tuesday taking everything but the large pieces of furniture out of the room.  The biggest job was emptying the bookshelves.  I never thought I would or could eliminate a book shelf, in fact, I always looked for the right place to add one.  But I've reached that time in my life that once I read a book, I can pass it on.  As much as I love it, there will never be time to reread it when there are millions and billions of books out there that haven't even been written that I want to read!  So I've been passing them on to my family and I also drop them off at a used bookstore nearby.  We have several shelves in our den and that's where I keep all my garden and decorating books, as well as classics and limited edition books I've found over the years.  I think I'm good with this, and these in the bedroom were finished and I decided I didn't even want shelves anymore.  I'll find a pretty piece of artwork or something.

I was up bright and early with Emily this morning and off to one of the last few farmer's markets we'll have this year.  This is about 10 blocks from my house.  It was jammed packed.  I walked right by the mums, my summer flowers are still looking nice and I want my mums to make it into November.  I did get 3 really cute pumpkins (you might remember that last fall I went pumpkinless because the squirrels kept destroying them).  A few bloggers recommended wiping them down with Pledge furniture polish, so I thought I'd try that.  Maybe it's the smell, maybe it's the slickness from the wax, but if I see one little tooth mark, they are coming inside!!  I also found a beautiful 4 year old hydrangea plant for $18.00.  I was elated!  It's huge!  I have to get it into the ground fast before we get a frost.

Off to the lake tomorrow night.  I am definitely going to chill!  The Husband and I both need it.  Emily accused me of taking the last great white pumpkin so I have to scour Michigan to find one to give her and make her stop pouting!!  See Ya! :)

I am linking with Jody over at Rooted In Thyme for her Simple & Sweet Fridays party.  You have to check out the Woodland Garden birthday party her friends threw for her!  Rustic and so, so sweet! :)

XO,

Jane