Show and Tell... Lanterns

After a follower left a comment asking about the light in our dining room, I thought I would tell you about the light and where I got it, along with the inspiration pictures that led me to it.

our cottage dining room

My inspiration:

These two were definite contenders...

...from Pottery Barn $299

... and from Ballard Designs $229




...but the one I decided on is from Overstock for $148.99 and it is wonderful.  It is heavy, with an antique copper finish that fits perfectly with our beachy, cottage style.  I am so happy with it!!

This light was also mentioned in an ideabook on Houzz by blogger Emily A. Clark.

I really just love it.  I had them hang it a little lower than the typical 36" clearance above a table.  Mine hangs 31 1/2" from our dining room table.  Just high enough that someone won't bang their head on it leaning over!

~  Kim :)

Digging in the dirt...

For the first time ever I bought annuals and planted them in the ground.  I have always appreciated the look and color that annuals add but I thought it would be way too much work to plant them into our flower bed in the front of our yard.  I am so glad that I bought a few and added them because it made such a difference!!!

This is the before and it has pretty much looked like this for the 2 years that we have lived here....

 And now....

 We also added this banana plant.

 Our Knockout Roses, the easiest, most low-maintenance plant EVER.

 This Clematis is growing up around the front door, I am hoping to drape it above the awning.

 This Clematis plant was here when we moved in, I think someone meant for it to grow up the water spout...(I instantly start singing the "Itsy Bitsy Spider").  It never would so I bought a trellis and hopefully it will do what it's suppose to do.

I now want a Clematis around our mailbox, love them!

...and another hydrangea has been planted in the front beds.  That brings the count to 10 plants. 

They are just sooo pretty! 

I don't think that I will ever be done, on my list right now is to add a Crepe Myrtle tree at the corner of our house along with a bench seat so that I'm not standing in full sun everyday when I get my daughter off the bus... and of course some more hydrangeas.  

I totally have a vision of having an entire garden full of those beautiful blooming plants.

~  Kim :)

Let there be... COLOR!!!

  There are two things that I have learned about myself.  One is that I do not like dark or busy area rugs... I would buy a rug and would get tired of it at the six month mark and be ready for something else.  But rugs aren't cheap and it seemed that I was spending a lot and not getting a lot of use out of it.

  Two is that although I LOVE LOVE LOVE a white room in a picture or in a magazine, in my own home I crave color.  Not red slipcover color like I had before but color that is fun and bright, especially this time of year.

 I bought some fabric for $35 and made 4 pillows.  I like how the pillows bring in other colors than the yellow but also brings it all together.  The pillows are fun and will be easy to change out when I feel like it... and the sisal area rug from Ikea that I purchased for $99 has been down for a year, and I still love it!!

... and I am still loving the yellow lamp!!!  It is such a fun and easy project that anyone can do in just a few hours!

So I am interested to know, is there anything that you have learned about yourself in regards to decorating?

Before:

After:

I'll never win Seamstress of the Year... my sewing skills are basic at best!

Fun, colorful, and easy to change out... yes please!!!

~ Kim :)

Hallway Board & Batten {Sneak Peak}

We hopped on the Board & Batten bandwagon!!

I've been holding out on showing you because still aren't done, but it might be awhile until we are totally finished, because we have a 4 year old birthday party to plan!  

The before started out really rough... our hallway looked like this for 2 years!  I couldn't decide on a paint color... I couldn't decide what to do but just painting it didn't seem right.   Boring, even.

I had seen board and batten done all over blogland but it wasn't until one day it hit me that it would look fantastic in the hallway.  I also wanted to create a sort of art gallery for all of the artwork my two children bring home.  I had frames from the thrift store that I spray painted and from Ikea to start with.

It took me awhile to figure out how I wanted to do it.  I could have gone a cheaper route and used lattice pieces, but it didn't seem right since we removed the baseboards and put in 1 x 6 inch boards to replace them.  I wanted something thicker and substantial.  We ended up using 1 x 4 inch boards for the top and vertical pieces.  We bought the already primed boards to make our life easier!

This picture (below) I got off Google helped put the pieces together.  We left out the back board because we have smooth walls, and we did not put the shelf part at the top because it was a hallway, and we were afraid we'd be bumping into it.

The remaining To Do List is to:  replace those awful lights, put down sisal runners until we refinish the hardwood floors, and to purchase more frames for the kid's artwork.

The view from our bedroom at the end of the hallway... see the Legos :) 

The Ikea frames. 

It's not done, but we're getting there!

~  Kim :)

** the paint color is Smoky Charcoal by Glidden if anyone is interested.