Homefront: Reviving a Framed Painting with.... Paint

I got this large, Barbara Hails 1990's print in a semi-lovely fame at a garage sale for $7 a few months ago. It's been sitting here, looking all park bench floraly and very dull, sucking the energy out of the room. I only wanted it to bring some color to this massive brick wall, but the frame drabbed out any colors in the otherwise pretty painting. Obviously, the only clear solution is to paint it, white.

I'm lazy and don't sand, not even when I did my headboard or my mirror. But if you did prime and sand, you will have more longevity on the paint job and it will look better. I really don't mind if I have to touch up a nick, or I may even add intentional nicks to balance out accidental nicks.

 You can dry brush for a naturally shabby chic look and call it fin.

But I liked to pile on the paint, too thick layers, before allowing the first to dry. I'm impatient. I used plain old acrylic craft paint in ultra white. This painting doesn't come out of the frame. But if it did, then a can of spray paint would have been easy.

The print is a textured vinyl, so any paint I got on it, easily wiped off with a lightly dampened paper towel. I even think it would be fun to stencil or free paint some crazy design on here. If your picture surface is also not removable or vinyl, then be sure to cover it, so paint doesn't ruin your picture. I went around right under the frame edge with a piece of paper as I painted and it worked fine.

 It really does seem to brighten up the whole fireplace and give the colors some subtle intensity.

Our inheritance from my husband's grandmother's passing. His parents got this in Germany when he was  born and gifted it to his grandmother. A lovely, huge, vintage scenic candle, handcarved by Johann Gunter.  There are a few broken parts, but it's been moved around 20 times, though it is still very charming.

 I got his lovely bust and The Dicken's Bedside anthology book a few months ago at some antique shops.

 

Love my little bottle collections. This one is from my favorite antique mall a few years back and I glued a vintage brooch on with E6000. The flowers came from the mister. You know how a dying bouquet usually has a few good flowers left? I usually remove those when throwing the bouquet out and add them to small bottles.

Sweet Treats: A Mad Tea Party, 2011

 Welcome to my Mad Tea Party! My party last year was so much fun, I had to host another. 

So, thank you Vanessa of A Fanciful Twist for the wonderful inspiration and tea party hopping.

 My Valentines paper heart garland came out to visit. Along with a few old frames and shutters.

 Little lemon muffins topped with chocolate frosting, polka dot sprinkles and maraschino cherries...

my 3 year old pilfered all but two of them.

 

  Fancy that, a colorful bag of marshmallow stars, and a few clock gears

would serve as the cake's decoration.  

 Mr. Rabbit, who made his debut this year on the Easter mantel, is mighty jaunty in his WWII medal.

 

 These roses were the perfect pinky shade of coral, with such large, open blooms.

I simply couldn't resist. If no one else will buy you flowers, I dare say, buy your own.

I hope your blog visit was sweet and that you stay a while and visit often. 

If you held a tea party, please link your party in the comments. Let next year's preparations begin!

Homefront: Sweet n Spicy

Cilantro, from our garden. I have gotten tired of pruning that crazy fast growing herb, and am letting it flower into a huge, lovely smelling bush. It will then reseed itself and I'll have more crazy bushes one day. My boys love bringing me freshly picked flowers (here and here), and handfuls of thyme pulled by eager little hands aren't going to hurt anything. The cilantro flowers keep the boys away form my snapdragons, so it's a win-win. Especially when being their sweet n spicy smelling blooms are placed into some of my coveted little old glass bottles. What simple thing have you cherished lately?

 

 

Inspired Wedding: Colorful Glass Vase and Flower Outdoor Wedding

I All Things Thrifty's cousin's wedding and had to share because it is so beautiful. They collected colorful glass jars and vases for months for the tables and filled them with fresh local flowers and ribbons of moss down the centers of the tables. The touch of the colorful craft butterflies were a sweet and whimsical touch.

The beautiful fabric garland used in the center of the canopy was handmade using embroidery hoops and torn fabric shreds. Directions to make your own included at the bottom of post.

(photos by Tanis Mosher)

Homefront: Sparkly Sprinkles

 

This display started with my husband. When we packed up Christmas, he saved this mirrored disco ball type ornament because it cast prisms in the light. It hung around our mantle for a while, until it somehow ended up hanging from the blinds in our little kitchen window.

I loved the movie Pollyanna when I was a girl. I was always astounded by the prism wall of the crotchety old man, and how Pollyanna used those magnificent little crystals to bring warmth to that bitter old soul.

Well, I'm not particularly bitter, or crotchety or a man... but I do feel like I am an old soul at times.

Collecting antique glass apothecary bottles, bejeweling them with vintage rhinestones and adding vintage chandelier crystals to this window has brought a spark of joy to our day.

When the sun is at it's peak, we see thousands of little silver lights, and rainbow prisms dancing across the ceiling, floor and walls.

 

My son asks me to make the sparkles dance, so I lightly tap the blinds and off they go! One day, our whole window will be full of prisms, and the whole wall full of sparkly sprinkles.

Glass. Flowers. Doilies. Jazz Hands

so cal farm wedding photo by max wanger (more gorgeous images in the link)

With a little bit of glass, a little bit of light, a little bit of ingenuity, a little bit of floral influence~ you can turn a small space into a magical realm of whimsy and escape. Truly, I use spaghetti jars, old teriyaki bottles... I keep all of that stuff and reuse them as vases, and even drinking glasses. Isn't is amazing to see what can be done with old doilies, lace, bottle caps  and an end table?

lisa congdon's show display via feepeople

  country living lace garland window treatment 

Take just a little bit of time and redefine a small space today with something you already own in your home or office~ a shelf, corner, night stand, windowsill, you will be glad you did. It's relaxing to sometimes set a stressful thing aside for 20 minutes to spend on beautifying something small and serene, without having to leave the house and go shopping. You can do it for free in your jammies. Sounds nice to me!

justinejustine's gorgeous bottle cap earrings (ps i love these and christmas is around the corner)