Magazine Inspiration

Due to the lack of space in our little cottage and the availability of decorating ideas on Pinterest, I have pretty much stopped buying magazines - I mostly read magazines on my iPad.

But, I did not want to get sand in my iPad or Nook at the beach on vacation so I picked up a few books and magazines.

I only briefly read both Living The Creative Life  and How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci, but I devoured all the magazines.

I came across so many great ideas and tore pages out of the magazines so I could follow through with the ideas once I was home.

Yesterday I looked at the pages full of ideas and started with the enamel pitcher.

It doesn't look like that much of a project, but first I wanted to paint the pitcher blue and then I tried it out in various locations until it found a home.

The pitcher ended up on the metal stand next to the sofa and I am loving the color of the flowers - does anyone know the name of the plant?

When I was at the produce stand buying strawberries yesterday, I picked up flowers so I was able to copy another idea from The Cottage Journal.

A Moda dishtowel, a milk crate and flowers made for a quick and easy centerpiece.

Before our walk this morning I changed my entry way cabinet display to bottles.

I embellished old wine and lemonade bottles from Trader Joe's.

My last project of the day is my favorite.

I loved the cabinet stuffed full of quilts in The Cottage Journal, but when I saw this cabinet full of quilts on Ranger 911, I knew I wanted to make a change in my tall, skinny living room cabinet.

First, I removed the glass and gathered quilts from the attic.

At 4:00 p.m. , I headed to the local hardware store where a kind gentleman cut my chicken wire to size and showed me the best way to attach it.

Steve was out running when I got home from the hardware store and was surprised that I attached the wire by myself and already had my photographs taken by 5:00 p.m.

I can't believe how much different the cabinet looks with the chicken wire instead of glass - thanks Vickie for the idea.

My only problem now is that I feel like a mechanic who fixed the car, but has extra parts left over - where am I going to put all these bits and pieces left over after my changes?

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I am joining these fun parties

French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday

Rooted in Thyme - Simple & Sweet Fridays

My Romantic Home  - Show and Tell Friday 

Little Changes . . . Everywhere

My goal for today was to work in the garden all day long.

Well, Mother Nature put the kabosh on that - cold wind throughout the day and into the night - so instead of weeding and planting in the garden, I rearranged nearly every flat surface in the house.

Changes began in the entryway with pitchers replacing glass bottles on the cupboard.

An old stool, a biscuit tin and an April Cornell enamel bowl in a corner of the kitchen sport some of my favorite things - numbers, polka dots and checks.

Wire baskets replaced pitchers and bowls on the dining room shelf

while another shelf in the dining room got a simple update to blue and white.

The glass jars that were removed from the entryway found a new home on the mantel.

The fireplace screen was removed until fall and a basket of flowers fills in the hole.

My C collection was moved from the dining room to a side table in the living room.

The vignette on the cabinet in the hall has not changed for months so a new display was definitely in order.

I like the white objects in the foreground allowing Steve's painting of a Bleeker Street door to be the focal point.

I braved the wind (which is still howling at midnight) long enough to cut some roses from the garden.

To the casual observer, my house probably looks the same because the furniture rarely moves, but today, there were little changes . . . everywhere.

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I am joining these fine ladies at

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays

Ivy and Elephants - What's It Wednesday

Lavender Garden Cottage - Cottage Style Party

Green Willow Pond - What We Accomplished Wednesday

Finding Time To Create

We have never had a puppy so the learning curve is huge and the time commitment is even bigger.

I had time to look at blogs, but I have had little creative time since Friday.

Yesterday I found a few great ideas on some of my favorite blogs.

Today, in between walking Little Lulu, playing with Little Lulu and having her follow my every step, I fit in a few little projects.

Inspired by the bottles in a birdcage at Chateau Chic, I looked for bottles in cupboards around the house to put in my one little birdcage.

I have more bottles sitting on a shelf in the garage and I see a project in my future with those bottles, wire, metal shapes and jute.

Steve and I find perfect sand dollars on nearly every beach walk.

We have taken to picking up the sand dollars, but passing them on to strangers who are searching without luck.

It is fun to see the reaction of shell seekers when we offer a perfect sand dollar.

If we don't find anyone on the beach, we set them on the wooden bench at the end of our lane for others to enjoy.

I still have plenty of sand dollars for decorating and  I like how Beachcomber put shells into mason jars tied with simple rope.

Mason jars, shells and sand dollars, jute - I have it all on hand so it was a quick and easy change to our summer mantel.

Steve swapped the beach painting I loved for our little red wagon (rusted beyond salvation) because the beautiful beach scene went to a show this morning.

Yesterday I saw a beautiful potting bench on Stone Gable and it made me think about the weathered little cart I had seen earlier in the day at our neighbor's yard sale.

When Lulu was sleeping, I rushed over and the cart was still there - for $3.00.

My idea for the cart also involved the weathered wood I saw on Knick of Time.

This morning, Lulu sat at my feet while I painted an old wooden door with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Emperor's Silk.

The door is one of a set that Steve accidentally knocked off its hinges when he was putting away his car.

I saved the doors knowing one day I would have the perfect project for them.

I replaced a white knob with a yellow polka dot knob, added a canvas banner I made several months ago and filled up the shelf with essentials for my gardening.

The little cart and red door are on the side of our house that is rarely seen -  the spot where we store our kayaks, kayaking supplies, extra patio chairs . . .

Installing the little bench has me in the mood for fixing up this side of the yard.

If Lulu cooperates, it just might be tomorrow's project.

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I will be at these fun parties

Cedar Hill Ranch - The Scoop

Elizabeth & Co. - Be Inspired

Between Naps on the Porch - Metamorphosis Monday

Boogieboard Cottage - Masterpiece Monday

The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday

Cozy Little House - Tweak It Tuesday