I've Got the Blues

I have slowly been working on my 2018 goals

and although changing the color palette throughout the house wasn't one of my goals,

it seems to be the happening with each change.

Making a new cover for the window seat cushion was high on the list.

The dining room plate racks are filled with blue and white dishes

so I chose a blue and white plaid fabric.

A year ago my sister-in-law gave me the white fabric which was perfect because it has just a little bit of texture.

I struggled to find another fabric for 2 more pillows and then one day I walked into Marshalls to find the perfect pillows to finish off the bench.

The next change was difficult for me to make -

I loved the dining room chairs in red, but they clashed with many of Steve' paintings

and the blue chairs compliment his art.

The room looks "put together" now.

I've definitely got the blues -  blue and white dishes,

 blue and white pillows

 blue and white cushion ...

 and even a blue and white house.

Having the blues means being depressed, but I don't know how anyone could be sad around this happy combo.

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The Design Twins - Friday Friends Parade Linky Party

Panoply

Recently my friend Rita of the blog Panoply sent me a panoply of vintage goodies.

Rita could not have chosen better.

I absolutely love vintage linens and primary colors.

The time is coming for al fresco dining and I'll be using these beautiful tablecloths frequently.

I'm not one for putting things in the cupboard to save for a special day - every day is a special day.

The cute tea towels with the beach themed embroidery are perfect for our house.

I'm in love with this beautiful ironstone vase - all of the flowers were picked in my garden.

And then there were the faucet knobs - they are so cute and fun to tuck into vignettes.

The cute red/yellow and yellow/black flatware inspired a fun new display in the kitchen.

By far my favorite is this sweet little piece - the minute I saw just those few letters, I knew exactly what it was.

The blue matches perfectly with the new cabinet in our guest room so I'm going to sew the hankie onto a pillow.

I'm amazed at Rita's talent to have chosen items that fit right in at our house.

Thank you Rita.

Descanso Gardens

For more than 40 years I have talked about visiting Descanso Gardens and it finally happened.

The grounds were covered in thousands of tulips in varying stages of bloom.

Tucked throughout the tulip beds were a variety of flowers ready to take over when the tulips are finished for the season.

The tulips were the main attraction, but the diversity of flowers was wonderful.

In the southern California drought,

seeing so much color and greenery

 was wonderful.

The Japanese garden was spectacular

and the variety of trees

surprised me.

Little creatures seem to enjoy the gardens -

my friend captured squirrels and bunnies,

but I had to settle for ladybugs

and busy bees.

I've already talked to my sister about meeting me at the gardens next month

mainly because I missed out on riding the train.

Thanks for coming along on my visit to Descanso Gardens.

One Big Change ... and a whole lot of little ones

For several months I have been searching for a cabinet for our guest room and I finally found one.

Pinterest

This beauty was my inspiration - we've been working on scaling down the size of the furniture in each room to give the illusion of space.

I was really excited when I spotted this at The Great Junk Hunt at our local fairgrounds - the color isn't true due to the lighting in the building.

I love the cabinet in the room - the color is just what I had in mind.

I'm not sure exactly what I want to keep in the cupboard - books and a few craft items are perfect for now.

One item that will definitely stay in the cupboard is the box of 1946 crayons - a gift from my son and his wife found when we were in Kauai for Christmas.

Glass knobs replace the stark white knobs.

And then, after that one big change, a lot of little changes began.

Red and white pillows were replaced by pin tucked IKEA pillows and Mr. Goose came down from the attic.

I went with soft colors on the table and old door

and used dried roses to create a romantic look in the room.

The old ladder sitting in my garden house was brought in until I can find the perfect chair for this spot.

I love having favorite books on hand and the ladder gives me a place to set them out.

I ran out of roses so the dresser got chamomile or feverfew -

I can''t ever tell the difference.

 I resorted to faux tulips in the bedside cabinet because I never remember to change the flowers.

The guest room is fresh and awaiting any visitors

and Lulu has given her seal of approval.

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Hop on over with me to The Design Twins for Friday Friends Parade Linky Party