Natural Elements

 

 

Hello, everyone!  Today’s table is a little elegance mixed in with some natural elements of the sea!

 

 

From seashells to driftwood….

 

 

Wicker chargers are top with Mikasa china.  The white china is embossed with seashells.  Each place setting is topped with a starfish.

 

 

The silver napkin rings are from Pottery Barn.

 

 

Gorham iced tea glasses and Waterford wine glasses add a touch of elegance to the table, along with the crystal candleholders.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Sharing with:

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Thrifty Things Friday @ The Thrifty Groove

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours

Let’s Dish @ Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Seasonal Sundays @ The Tablescaper

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Thrifty Chalkboard Frames

 

This past January, I purchased about 16 of these little frames from the Dollar General.

 

 

I think they were originally $1 a piece but, in January, they were marked down to 4 /$1!  They were the perfect size for little chalkboards and it was a perfect craft for my 10 year niece!  Savvy is babysitting her this summer and she gets bored quickly so I let her paint them!

 

 

I covered the countertop, gave her a sponge brush and let her at it!  It kept her occupied for awhile!

 

 

I used one here for the water dispenser at our 4th of July party!  Have you done anything with chalkboard paint lately?

 

Sharing with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

The Scoop Link Party @ The Farmhouse Porch
Tuesdays at Our Home @ Our Home Away From Home
Show Me What Ya Got @ Not JUST A Housewife

Project Inspired @ Artsy Chicks Rule

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Fabulously Creative Party @ Jennifer Rizzo

Tweak it Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Tips, Tutorials, & Tidbits @ StoneGable

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours
Share Your Creativity @ It's Overflowing

Seasonal Sunday @ The Tablescaper

The Sunday Showcase Party @ By Stephanie Lynn

Thrifty Art Finds

 

I love finding vintage art, especially at a good price!  There are a few of my recent finds.

 

 

Aren’t the colors pretty?  This is signed “Mary Elizabeth Lush 1937.”

 

 

I have a thing for Audubon prints and this one will be a perfect Fall accessory.

 

 

This really large duck painting was purchased from the auction a couple of weeks ago.  I love the blue colors but have not idea what I’m going to do with it.  There is a oily wet stain on the top of the mat that I don’t know what to do with.  It will probably end up in the booth.

 

 

This was just a small unframed painting from GW.  The bright colors caught my eye!

 

 

This country scene painted on a saw was another recent auction purchase.  It will be going to the booth this week.

 

Have you found any good art finds lately?

 

Sharing with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

The Scoop Link Party @ The Farmhouse Porch
Project Inspired @ Artsy Chicks Rule

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Fabulously Creative Party @ Jennifer Rizzo

Tweak it Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours
Share Your Creativity @ It's Overflowing

Seasonal Sunday @ The Tablescaper

The Sunday Showcase Party @ By Stephanie Lynn

   

Memories of Strawberry Girl

 

Livy, my summer helper, chose this tablecloth as the inspiration for this week’s tablescape.  It’s a beautiful green with a white bold print.  It was originally sold by Target but I purchased it at Dirt Cheap.  I then chose the strawberry bowls which started the entire theme! 

 

Source

 

They brought back memories of when I was a child and coloring in my mom’s copy of Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski.  Yes, I loved to color on things when I was little and all the black and white pictures were just calling out to me!  I can still remember laying on the the living room floor, under the coffee table, coloring underneath it…I actually colored the bottom of the actual table!  My mom still has her copy of this book, minus the paper cover, and I have asked her for it but keep forgetting to bring it home with me!

 

 

I was originally going to use black gingham napkins but I came across these vintage napkins with an embroidered strawberry on it.

 

 

The square red plates (JCP) were layered with green salad plates (JCP) and topped with the strawberry bowls which were a yard sale purchase.  The black handled flatware is from Amazon.

 

 

Candlewick tea glasses were paired with wine glasses from the Dollar Tree.

 

 

 

 

This pretty little tidbit server was a GW find, too!

 

 

How do you get inspiration for your tablescapes?

 

Sharing with:

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Thrifty Things Friday @ The Thrifty Groove

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours

Let’s Dish @ Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Seasonal Sundays @ The Tablescaper

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

 

Booth Display Ideas

 

As some of you may know, Hunter and I started our own little booth at the local antique mall.  4 Sisters & Etc. is a new antique store that is rapidly growing and we are so excited to be a part of it!  I am constantly on the look out for ideas on how to display our items and thought I would share some great ideas that our fellow dealers have. 

 

This fisherman’s theme is so creative!  Everything from the boat to the….

 

 

reed fencing on the partition!

 

 

This bathtub is amazing for selling soaps!

 

 

The bed frame hanging from the ceiling provides display options for light fixtures, cooking racks, etc.

 

 

Lattice has always been widely used in booths.  I like how this dealer used dyed cheesecloth to drape the top and sides to define her area.

 

 

Tree branches are used here to display bird cages and bird houses.  I purchased a painted metal parrot from this booth to go in the tiki hut!  There’s even some Spanish moss!

 

 

Do you have any good display idea?

 

Sharing with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

The Scoop Link Party @ The Farmhouse Porch
Tuesdays at Our Home @ Our Home Away From Home
Show Me What Ya Got @ Not JUST A Housewife

Project Inspired @ Artsy Chicks Rule

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Fabulously Creative Party @ Jennifer Rizzo

Tweak it Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Tips, Tutorials, & Tidbits @ StoneGable

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours
Share Your Creativity @ It's Overflowing

Seasonal Sunday @ The Tablescaper

 

Thrifty Christmas Finds in July

 

 

Here are some thrifty Christmas finds that I recently found!

 

 

A vintage Christmas hand towel without a stain or tear on it!  I gave it a good wash but it still needs ironing!

 

 

Another nice hand towel was found at Goodwill.  It’s not a vintage piece but looks new!

 

 

Look at the cute little Santa mugs!  They are made of plastic and are from the 70’s.  I have a matching cookie jar that I found several years ago at a yard sale!

 

 

This hand painted canvas is too cute!  I love going though the art at GW!  A lot of times it’s just ugly, outdated décor but sometimes you can find hand painted pieces by just regular everyday artist.  By the way, I don’t fall in that category!  I can’t hardly draw a straight line!

Sharing with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

The Scoop Link Party @ The Farmhouse Porch

Project Inspired @ Artsy Chicks Rule

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Fabulously Creative Party @ Jennifer Rizzo

Tweak it Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours
Share Your Creativity @ It's Overflowing

Seasonal Sunday @ The Tablescaper

Sea Shells & Homemade Ice Cream

 

 

I wish I was by the sea shore!  For now, I’ll have to be satisfied with our backyard paradise!  For the last two weeks, I’ve been fighting a UTI and started different antibiotics yesterday so I haven’t been feeling too great.  Thankfully, my 10 year old niece, Livy, is more than ready to help me!  I had started laying out this tablescape last week and she finished it up for me yesterday!  I figured this would also be a good time to teach her a little lesson on setting tables!

 

 

Last week, Livy helped me wrap the vase in some sea grass raffia type stuff.  It was originally a placemat, just like the one I used when I made the Ballard inspired sea grass lampshade.  We pulled in some DIY mercury glass votive cups and the big GW starfish from the Pelican vignette on the piano.

 

 

The napkins and tablecloth are thrifty finds from Dirt Cheap.  I love the color of the cloth with the images of shells!  I think the orange really pops on this table!

 

 

The wicker type chargers were a yard sale find and the orange dinner plates are from the Dollar Tree.

 

 

The sea shell napkins are from the Trash to Treasures.  Napkin rings are also very easy to make, you can see the sea shell and cowboy napkin rings that I had by clicking here and here.

 

 

The wine glass is made by Waterford and the water glass is Forsythia in the Moonbeam pattern

 

 

To get some relief from this hot weather, I wanted to share our family recipe for Banana Ice Cream!

 

 

It is so easy, but oh so good!  Here’s the recipe:

 

HOMEMADE BANANA ICE CREAM

 

6 bananas, mashed

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 cans evaporated milk

milk

 

Mix the first three ingredients and put in cylinder of the ice cream freezer.  Add milk to bring it up to the fill line.  Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.  See how easy that is!  You can adjust the recipe to suit your taste as well!  In the past I have used more evaporated milk but I have never used less than 4.

 

 

It is so good!  Do you make your own ice cream?  If not, you should give it a try!

Sharing with:

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Thrifty Things Friday @ The Thrifty Groove

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours

Let’s Dish @ Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Seasonal Sundays @ The Tablescaper

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Foody Friday @ Designs by Gollum
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

On the Menu Monday @ StoneGable  

See Ya in the Gumbo @ Ms. enPlace

Back for Seconds Social Part @ Back for Seconds

Summer Vignette

 

Every since I took out the copper boiling pot from over the television, I’ve struggled with what to put up there.  I think I’ve got it now…at least for the summer months!

 

 

I love baskets because of the texture that they bring to a room.  The tall one is a recent auction purchase for $5!  The larger basket is from Dirt Cheap.  I usually just buy linens there but at times I do find some other deals.  To read that post, click here.

 

 

 

The beautiful blue bottle came from there as well.  I think is was like $3.50. I did add a little jute string tied with a small piece of driftwood. 

 

 

I love the fleur de lis basket but it’s another hard item to find a home for!  I leaned it in the middle of the baskets and decided it needed a little something extra so I placed a large seashell in the middle.

 

So what do you think?  Too many baskets? Does the blue bottle keeping it from being too textured?  Does that make sense?  I’m confusing myself here!

 

Sharing with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

The Scoop Link Party @ The Farmhouse Porch
Tuesdays at Our Home @ Our Home Away From Home
Show Me What Ya Got @ Not JUST A Housewife

Project Inspired @ Artsy Chicks Rule

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Fabulously Creative Party @ Jennifer Rizzo

Tweak it Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Tips, Tutorials, & Tidbits @ StoneGable

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours
Share Your Creativity @ It's Overflowing

Seasonal Sunday @ The Tablescaper