Hello, Color

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

--William Wordsworth

A few years ago, my thoughtful husband surprised me with a beautiful bulb garden to brighten a cold and colorless January. Now, the bulb garden has become a tradition, bringing a shot of warmth to the dreariness that is winter in the Midwest. 

When my husband brought this one home a couple of days ago, the daffodils had just popped their colorful heads out of the buds. The white hyacinth was just peeking through and the crocus was a mere green nub.

I hope you'll come back over the next couple of weeks and watch with me as the illusion of spring unfolds in my dining room.

Don't forget to enter my 100th-follower giveaway. There's still time:  enter by 11:59, January 27, HERE.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop at Homemaker on a Dime
Simply Klassic Sundays at Simply Klassic Home

An Eclectic Mix

You still have time to enter my 100-followers giveaway.

The winner will receive this one-of-a-kind ephemera-filled journal featuring vintage and found paper goods I've rescued from estate sales, garage sales, thrift stores and the trash bin. 

The cover of this pretty book is salvaged from a 1954 Reader's Digest condensed book and is embellished with a wonderful French soap graphic from The Graphics Fairy.

 The lucky winner will also find some fun surprises inside.

Enter to win here. 

Giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m., January 27.

In our humble abode, we recognize three home decor seasons: Fall/Halloween, Christmas and all other. When the Christmas decorations come down and return to their rightful places, I'm ready to move on. None of this winter glitter and snowman stuff. I did that for a few years when the kids were little, but no more!

This year, though, when the Christmas was packed away on New Year's weekend, I ran out of gas. Every surface in every room has looked as it did when the decorations disappeared. Naked and barren except for some remnants of glitter left behind. My mind was blank about what to do next.

Finally, I've made a little progress.

On the lighted mantel, I featured vintage books and flower frogs, along with a sweet little vintage pitcher I picked up for $1 at an estate sale.

I pulled out a few of my Abingdon Pottery star vases and incorporated them. I have several in pink, green, blue and white and haven't put them out for display in quite a while. Nice to have them back. Funny how fresh and different they look after they've been hidden away for a time.

The biscuit jar at the far end of the mantel is one of the most precious pieces of milk glass I own. Years ago, when my daughter was in middle school, she secretly walked to the end of our block to an estate sale (she'd been attending sales with me since she was a little girl), found the biscuit jar, bought it with her allowance and surprised me with it.

A grouping of moon and star pottery, flower frogs and my grandmother's doilies grace the open drawer of my little red cabinet on the hearth. 

I attached the gorgeous antique metal ornament to the thrift store basket to dress it up a bit. I found this metal piece, as well as the one in the red drawer at an estate sale. They're both versatile enough to use just about anywhere, any time.

The only remnant of winter here is the beautiful ice skating picture above the mantel, which has a special significance to our family. I'll share that story in a later post.

All in all, a nice, eclectic mix of things I love--the transition to the Spring delights ahead.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Sister Sunday at Sisters of the Wild West
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
A Little Birdie Told Me at Rook No. 17
Share the Love Wednesday at Very Merry Vintage Style

Double the Fun Footstool--A Quick Tutorial

Don't forget to enter the ephemera journal giveaway HERE 

before midnight, CST, Jan. 27.

This little footstool has been in our library for a couple of years now. It was an estate sale find I picked up on the half-price day for a couple of dollars.

It's not a total ugly duckling, but I've always intended to pretty it up a bit with a new cushion and maybe a new finish. I'm guessing this cushion was not the original. We have several travel-themed touches around our home, but this dark, postcard-y tapestry fabric is just so . . uh. . . '90s.

Recently, I've seen several blog posts about two techniques that totally intrigue me and realized I could try both out on this nice little footstool. How exciting--two major thrills in one project!

I've been dying to try liming wax on a wood piece.  This is a very simple technique using Briwax Liming Wax. I couldn't find this product in my location, so I ordered it, along with Briwax clear and dark waxes (for use on other projects), on Amazon.

The posts I'd read about liming wax all recommended using it on an open-grained wood, which this stool had. After starting the process, I could see why that was important. The wax, which leaves a white-ish residue, fills the open grain and creates the subtle aged look. If you're trying this on a more closed-grain wood, the Briwax website recommends creating an artificial open grain by running a wire brush over the wood.

The application is simple. Wearing rubber gloves in a well-ventilated area, just wipe it on with a soft cloth such as an old T-shirt. Let the wax dry a while and rub it off. You need to put some muscle behind your rubbing to ensure you remove all the wax residue from the surface.

If you want a very subtle effect, let the wax dry less time. For a more aged appearance, let the wax dry longer. I waited about 10 minutes before rubbing it off. I probably could have left it longer. I ended up with a subtle aged look--a very nice grayish white.

For the cushion of the stool, I chose a beautiful vintage image from The Graphics Fairy to transfer onto a remnant of muslin I already had.

Now for the second thrill--I chose to try the blender pen transfer method. There are several brands of blender pen available. I purchased mine from Blick's for $3.95.

You must make a laser print of your graphic. Inkjet prints will bleed. Remember to reverse your image if it has lettering on it.

I securely taped the image face down to the muslin to hold it in place while transferring. In very small segments, I rubbed over the image until the paper was saturated and the image showed clearly through. While the paper was still saturated, I burnished each segment with a folding bone (you could also use the bowl of a spoon). I had to burnish quickly, as the blender pen solution evaporates and dries quickly. And, wow, does it give off dizzying fumes! I worked with an outside door open to keep from getting light-headed.

This method is a snap. It would be a bit time-consuming on a very large piece, but it's so easy to do.

I gave the muslin a couple of light coats of stain- and waterproofing spray and covered the original cushion with it. A quick re-assembly with the stool frame and voila! A sweet little redo.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
Vintage Thingie Thursday at The Coloradolady
Time Travel Thursday at Brambleberry Cottage
Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours
Potpourri Party at 2805
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest
Sister Sunday at Sisters of the Wild West
Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy
A Little Birdie Told Me at Rook No. 17
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
White Wednesday at Faded Charm
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Trash 2 Treasure Tuesday at Kammy's Korner

A Shameless Plug and a GIVEAWAY . . .

The snowbirds are fleeing the cold-weather coop even though the weather in most of the country hasn't been too bad so far this winter.

Those who alight in Arizona, particularly the Scottsdale area, truly will miss out if they don't make a stop at my sister Nancy's unique boutique, The Embellished House--A Workshop Extraordinaire. A magical mix of whimsy and stately, shabby and elegant, many of her beautiful offerings are one-of-a-kind.

She finds, reclaims and--working with artisans in the Scottsdale area and around the country--revitalizes or repurposes antique and vintage furniture and lighting fixtures, industrial and architectural salvage, fabric, paper and miscellaneous bits and pieces. She also does custom projects.

Located on Scottsdale Road, The Embellished House is in a space with a history of its own. Nancy has beautifully renovated the former Drinkwater Liquor, preserving many of its original features and repurposing and reusing many of the original elements such as the cooler doors and the drive-thru space.

Here's a peek into the world of The Embellished House:

I'm partial to this beautiful black and white pillow with its gorgeous vintage brooch. (Smile.) It's one of my own creations that I make for The Embellished House.

The Embellished House doesn't sell on-line at this time. But, Nancy will do custom work. Feel free to contact her through her website. And, when you're in Scottsdale, stop in. But be prepared. It could take your  breath away.

Now for the GIVEAWAY I promised . . .

Back in December (coincidentally, it was the week of my birthday), I reached the exciting milestone of 100 followers--small potatoes for some of you, I know. But, when I started this blog last July, 100 followers wasn't even part of my consciousness. 

Now, about six months later, I have my followers and other readers to thank for keeping me motivated to continue this fun and rewarding journey. 

So, in appreciation of all of you faithful blog friends, I'm hosting a giveaway.

I'm so excited to offer one of my handmade For Giggles and Grins journals. Each journal is a unique compilation of vintage and found paper goods from sources such as estate sales, yard sales, thrift stores and my own lifelong collection. Most covers are salvaged from books that were destined for the landfill.

The winner will receive this French-themed journal. The cover is salvaged from a 1954 Reader's Digest--the Summer Selections edition. I embellished it with a vintage paper doily and a wonderful image from The Graphics Fairy. 

The book's personality is enhanced by the small flaws that one would expect to find in items that have experienced a previous life.

Each journal includes a few small surprises, including a handmade envelope. Be sure to look in all the envelopes. Doesn't everyone love a surprise?

Use your journal as a place to record your daily thoughts, observations of nature or to capture your poetry. It also makes a wonderful guest book in which your friends can pen a comment when they visit. I'm sure all you creative divas out there can think of many fun ways to use a journal like this.

At this point, most of the journals I make are by special request. They are available for direct purchase only at The Embellished House in Scottsdale.

I'm trying to get organized enough to open an Etsy store and offer the journals there, along with some of my other creations and vintage items. But, where does the time go? I've been saying that for months now.

HERE'S HOW TO ENTER:

For each step you complete, please leave a separate comment. Each comment will count as a separate entry. You have up to four chances to win.

1.  Follow Moonbeams & Fireflies, or if you already follow, leave a comment to let me know

2.  Take a stroll around The Embellished House, then come back here and tell me what your favorite item on Nancy's site is

3. Tweet about this giveaway

4. Blog about the giveaway or post the button on your side bar

Be sure I have access to your email address, so I can notify you if you win.

Register before midnight Central Time, Jan. 27. I will select the winner at random and notify by email no later than Jan. 29. 

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage
Market Your Biz & Giveaways at Homemaker on a Dime
Whatever You Want Wednesday at Free Pretty Things for You
Sugar and Spice at Seven Thirty Three
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

Benched for the New Year

As Christmas is packed away and I look around, the house looks naked. Pathetic. Void of personality or sparkle. Admittedly, I haven't struck on what I want to do in most rooms for the rest of winter. To quote Scarlet O'Hara, "I'll think about that tomorrow."

For now, I'm planning what to do with this cute little bench I picked up at the thrift store this weekend.

Structurally, it's in great shape. But the finish--oh, my! The top's a scratched, stained mess but shouldn't be too difficult to redo.

And, what is that on the end of the bench, you ask?

Well, besides the price tag, it's a couple of snowman stickers. How appropriate for a winter project.

Yes, I did pay only $4.98 for this nice piece, which is something called a Cohasset Colonial. The authentication is stamped on the underside.

I found some information about Cohasset Colonials here. Apparently, the company offers colonial reproductions that you can either assemble yourself or purchase finished. They don't have my bench offered on their website, so I assume it has long since been retired.

After I get the house put back together in the wake of the holidays and take a (brief) breather, I will definitely give this little guy a new look. Stay tuned . . . 

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop at Homemaker on a Dime
Share the Love Wednesday at Very Merry Vintage Style
Winter Blues Wednesday at DIY by Design
Vintage Thingie Thursday at The Coloradolady
Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures