Vintage Sassy

There is only one word....

2012-01-22T16:54:00.000-08:00

And that would be "magical".......

The newlyweds in the limo after the ceremony......

It was the most beautiful day filled with sunshine, tears, laughter and lots and lots of love.

These are just a few pics that a friend took at the reception.....

Me and the Mr.

Me and my wonderful amazing children....and yes I am beaming because I am so proud of them.....

Me and the Mr. hittin the dance floor.....

Mother son dance....tall like his dad........

Andrew requested only one thing at the reception. He wanted an ice sculpture of the Magic Kingdom and it was spectacular.

That's all I have for now.

We had such an amazing amazing day!

LeAnn

TODAY IS THE DAY!

2012-01-21T05:43:00.000-08:00

Today is finally here.....

the day we have been waiting for....

our son shall marry the love of his life......

and we will joyfully gain a daughter-in-law......

The snow outside is beautiful......

Our son is excited, he is beginning a new chapter in his life.....

I couldn't sleep last night, got up early, took time to just have my coffee and chill a bit

before the hustle bustle of the day starts.

I will be back next week with lots of pictures.

Thanks to everyone who has given us their best wishes and for just being awesome friends.

And YES there is beautiful, beautiful snow and lots of it:)

Have a blessed day.

LeAnn

A day in the life...

2012-01-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

I'm just sharing random life things with you all today......

First off and most important.....these are the wedding favors we made yesterday for the THE BIG DAY this weekend, I think they really turned out cute......thank you Pinterest!

In the evening while we hang out in our family room, I love to knit and I am knitting this curly scarf......I like to knit while we are watching TV.....or while the hubby is watching something I am not particularly interested in like "Chop, Cut, Rebuild"......lol....sorry babe!

Jackson rocking the "cone of shame" so he would stop licking a certain area........

My new pillow from etsy arrived this morning and as I suspected, I quite like it.......

My daughter's living room we painted last week. Her walls were previously green. We painted the room white and then did an accent wall in this color from Benjamin Moore. She also got a new charcoal sofa. She is soooo good at decorating. She does not need mama's help at all but it's fun to go shopping together!

A chair I picked up for a client who decided she didn't like it so guess who kept it???? Well for $99.00, I couldn't take it back:)

It's Thursday, the festivities start tomorrow night.....SIL and neice are on their way today from Tennessee, the rest of out of town friends and family arrive tomorrow. Tomorrow night we are hosting the rehearsal dinner and the wedding is at 2:00 on Saturday and guess what??????

It's snowing!!

Have a great day.

LeAnn

P.S. And my music is back on, it's just who I am!!

grateful

2012-01-18T06:30:00.000-08:00

I am reading a book by Sheila Walsh.

Do you remember her?

She used to host The 700 Club years ago.

She now travels with the Women of Faith conference.

It is called "let go"!

It is amazing, it has spoken to my in ways that I have never heard, or if I have, she just says it in a way I completely grasp it.

When I first became an empty nester...I was sad....really sad....can't pick my bootstraps up sad...

It was an adjustment for sure. Being a mother felt like that was my purpose in life...now what?

It sounds so shallow, I mean, big deal, get over it, your kids are grown, move to the next phase of life........

Right????

Anyway, I say all of this because the other night when I was reading, this hit me right between the eyes and I would like to share this excerpt from her book with you:

"If Mary was 14 or 15 when Jesus was born, and he was now 33 years old, at the crucifixion, Mary would have been almost 50 --my age. I can't imagine what she went through in those moments. She watched each blow as the nails went through his wrists. She listened as his executors tormented him. As the blood ran down Jesus' forehead, she must have longed to reach out to her boy and wipe it all away. Did she ask, "God where are you?" Did fear overwhelm Mary's faith? She stood beside John, who had to literally hold her up.

And so Mary watched her son die."

After I finished reading that, I pictured myself in her shoes with my son up there on the cross and "BAM"!

Empty nest is a part of life...it is the next phase, it really isn't a big deal after all.

I have a beautiful blog friend, Becky, who lost her son to a tragedy and oh how she loved her son.

Ya....I'm getting over the empty nest thing

and

feeling grateful and beyond blessed!

LeAnn

Please don't hate me because I want snow.....

2012-01-17T07:28:00.000-08:00

We have had the craziest weather here in northwest Ohio.

Last week it got really cold, well it was in the 20s and today it is 51 and raining!!

I love snow and when I tell people that I get dirty looks:(

It's just that we do live in the midwest, we do have winter, so why not have some snow??

The forecast Friday is calling for a snow shower

and

then 31 degrees and partly sunny for Saturday (the wedding day)!

I think a little snow would be so pretty for some wedding pictures.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not all about having snow in March, April and May. By March 1st, I am ready for sunshine, leaves on the trees and green grass but for December, January and February, I shall take some snow please.

I do love my four seasons but lately it seems like we only have two....must be that global warming.....lol!!

Have a great day.

xo

LeAnn

Navy Blue

2012-01-13T06:58:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Lovelies:

I cannot believe it is Friday already and the wedding is one week away!

As I previously stated, I am always late to the party, I just started a facebook a few weeks ago and I only joined Pinterest a few weeks ago but I have to tell you, I am having thee MOST fun on Pinterest.

You know I love ORANGE and I have always loved BLUE but lately, I am really drawn to navy blue. Navy blue has long been a classic, it was THE black when I was growing up. My mother and aunt always wore navy. Ralph Lauren uses a lot of navy in his line.........but I got away from it quite awhile ago and have always used black in my wardrobe and my home decor but NAVY is the newest color to make its way into my decor.

I think for the longest time I just couldn't love navy and orange because I'm from Illinois and those are the fighting Illini colors, I didn't want to decorate or dress like a college football team but I think I've put my big girl pants on and moved passed that and I'm really diggin navy, especially with apple green and orange.

Here are some of my inspiration photos that I have pinned:

Navy blue bridesmaid dresses with orange flowers, it just look so classy.

Is this not the cutest nursery???

I'm thinking maybe someday maybe I'll paint my cabinets navy blue and do a white marble countertop.....SOMEDAY!

Adorable!

What a cute idea for a wedding, so Nantucket with the striped ribbon.

I thought this dining room was exquisite with the fresh pops of white.

Love these West Elm sheets......

I just ordered this from Etsy...can't wait to get it.

Who knew navy blue had even made its way to M&M's??

So I am incorporating some snippets of navy blue in my decor of which I shall show you very soon.

Have a blessed day! It is snowing here....FINALLY!!

LeAnn

URGENT!

2012-01-08T14:39:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody, if you follow my blog, please make sure if it is on your sidebar that you have the right blog address:

It is http://www.fortheloveofcottage.blogspot.com/.

Apparently, someone has taken my old blog address and it hooks up to a porn site....lovely!!

I saw that and I started panic mode!! Please, please help me get the word out what my proper blog address is.

Thanks,

LeAnn

P.S. Leave it to me to get hooked up with something like this!\

LIFE

2012-01-06T08:07:00.000-08:00

Do you remember peer pressure as a child? I sure do. In fact, I still struggle with it in some ways. I realize that I started blogging for several reasons, the main one is that I love the world of decorating and my magazines just weren't giving me everything I needed but then I discovered blogs and after lurking for a few months decided to dive in the water head first.

I am not a writer.....although I did love creative writing class in high school. So I started blogging and then I stopped, and then I started up again and then I changed my blog's name to the point where I couldn't remember if I was blogging and if I was... under what name....lol!!

I realized that because of my very insecure personality, I was in essence looking for approval...something I had done my whole life.....I was also comparing myself to other bloggers...I began to think my house was and never would be good enough...hence the constant changing.....that if they were dieting I should be dieting.....well if they were making crafts, I was not up to par because I wasn't making crafts every week, that their life seemed so happy and rosy....,they had a huge following and 102 comments.....what was wrong with me???? Oh and the biggest one they always had their pictures on their blogs and they were soooo pretty.

So are you starting to get the picture???

So here it is.... I am overweight, I am not beautiful, I struggle with staying on daily tasks, I miss having my kids at home like crazy, I am an experienced member of Weight Watchers, I would rather watch an episode of Dick Van Dyke than run my vacuum, I have bouts of depression, my mother and I no longer communicate and I constantly wish I was someone else.

Sound familiar??

I am working on my self esteem. I started counseling last April. Do you know what I am learning?

That I am "me" for a reason. God made "me" for His purposes, not mine. That you don't have to be 5'9 and 120 pounds to be beautiful and that struggles and trials are a part of everyday life......... and that doesn't mean my life isn't good AND I am the only one who can change how I feel about myself.

It's January and January and February are very hard months for me as they are for a lot of people. It's such a letdown after all the anticipation of waiting for Christmas.

So I am reading Christian books, striving to read my Bible daily, I am knitting, I am watching less TV, I am trying to eat healthier, I am trying to use the internet less and I am trying to learn to love the "me" that God created.

And people say I am funny! I love to make people laugh................................................

I also am trying to give my time more to volunteering and I one day hope to help other women who have/had toxic relationships with their mother. When I started my therapy with a Christian counselor, the first thing I remember saying to him was "If you aren't good enough for your own mother, who are you good enough for?"

I am learning to be grateful for what I do have, not sorrowful for what I don't. I am in a loving marriage, we have two children who have turned out pretty amazing and I have friends whom I can call when I need a shoulder. Also, I have met some pretty amazing bloggers, whom I consider my friends....you know who you are:)

I am learning to "let go" of what will never be and embrace today and just be thankful and grateful for my many blessings.

So far 2012 has brought its challenges....but I shall perservere. You know the great thing?

God's mercies are New every morning!

Oh and one more thing....I am becoming a list maker...having my new iPhone makes that pretty darn easy....who woulda thought....me a list maker.

Have a blessed day my friends!

xo

Jan 3rd, 2012...spruce up mode

2012-01-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

We are in wedding countdown mode.......

bride and groom are just ready (wink wink) to tie the knot......

I'm in my after Christmas "spruce it up" mood.....SHOCKER!!

I just decided the guestroom needed some tweaking, so what am I to do but get in "tweak mode"

No painting involved here girls....sticking with the color. Do you know I've kept my living room and kitchen the same color for a year!!!! Hallelujah...the angels are singing!!

As is my husband............

I picked up a quilt on clearance at TJ for 20 bucks.....

The sequin pillow is missing sequins....hence the clearance bin...but I love it anyway. It's imperfect!

You knew an owl would have to find its way to this room:)

This IKEA dresser has nice deep drawers but when I find it, I am going to replace it with a danish modern chest of drawers....want to bring some dark wood into the room.

My $6 dollar orthopedic chair!!

This coffee table was a steal for $8 at Savers.....haven't even gotten the sticker off yet.

Sorry about the dark picture...no sun here today. I decorated the window seat with cute stuff!!

The only thing I want to do yet is get a big shag area rug to warm the space up, especially for winter.

On a side note, there are so many bloggers who are just SO GOOD at writing their posts. I have realized that I....excuse me...for lack of better wording...."suck" at writing. I am so much better in person, in other words, I can't write like I talk.....does anybody else have that problem?

Oh well, just a thought for the day!

What are you doing?

2011-12-30T18:13:00.000-08:00

My husband and I are usually low key on New Year's Eve, either go to a friend's house, have a few couples over or sometimes just stay home and chill

but this year.....

we are going to rock and roll.....

Because these guys are giving a concert at our church....

and we graciously volunteered to work it....

love these guys and it's been a long time since we've been to one of their concerts and believe me...

when they play in their hometown....its CRAZY!!

We are looking forward to seeing the boys!

How about you?

What are you doing?

LeAnn

2011-12-25T08:36:00.000-08:00

I am like anyone else when it comes to Christmas...

I love the lights....I love giving gifts....I love the magic you feel in the air...

I love to look at beautiful Christmas decor...

I especially remember the anticipation when our children were small and the excitement...especially at bedtime....morning would take sooo long to get here.....

As beautiful as all the decorations are (I mean I'm the first one to admit how much I love seeing everyone's decor in blogland).......

Its all well and good but nothing compares to the best gift we will ever get

AND

today is THEE day we shall celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ....oh man.....there is more beauty in that then the human eye can behold!

Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Merry Christmas!

LeAnn

Our Christmas Blessing!

2011-12-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

Twenty-eight years ago today we were blessed with our daughter, Noelle. She was due December 22nd but she couldn't wait so she popped in (or out) on the 20th.

Happy Birthday Noey!

You are beautiful, you are talented, you are smart, you are loving, you are the most amazing daughter parents could ask for.

But most of all, you love Jesus:)

XO

LeAnn

Reflections

2011-12-18T19:40:00.000-08:00

Sunday night.....ahhhhh......I just love looking at the lights and having some quiet time.

Hope your Sunday evening was a restful one.

LeAnn

Dear God

2011-12-14T22:03:00.000-08:00

Dear God:

I don't understand...she was only 26, she had only been married for a little over 2 years, her daughter who she adored is only 7 months old.....why God why?

I don't understand....no matter how hard I try.....I just can't make sense of it.....why did she die in her sleep Sunday night?

She was young, she was beautiful, she was vibrant, she was loved by all, she had the biggest heart.....

And oh how she loved you while she was here on this earth......

Is it because you needed her in Heaven more than her family and friends needed her here on earth??

Will we ever stop feeling numb?

Will we ever stop wondering why.....

I just don't understand......... I don't know a lot....but I know you love us and you will always be there for us and I know I have to trust you no matter what......

And I know that heaven has a new angel.

We will see you again sweet Erica.

Erica was a friend of our son.

Life is short, we never know.....don't wait until it's too late to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.

My prayer is that many lives will be saved through Erica's death.

Please pray for her husband, Mark and their beautiful daughter Peyton.

LeAnn

Christmas Decor 2011

2011-12-09T07:19:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our home...thanks for stopping by our Christmas 2011 blog open house.....

The wreath is full of lots of colorful lights that comes on at 6:00....(love those light timers)

I remember my grandmother having these guys.

Old vintage lights in the original box...pure awesomeness!!

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm hooking up with the linky party at Hooked on Houses.www.hookedonhouses.net. Thanks Julia for having me:)

Have a great weekend.

LeAnn

Owl tell you somethin....

2011-12-08T09:02:00.000-08:00

Owls have always kinda creeped me out...I mean some of them are scary to look at, don't you think??

So why in the world would I have owls in my house??

Well for one.....

these guys are FUN....not creepy....

and two.....they were so collectible in the 60s and 70s which is the era I really dig.....

and three.....because this guy was only a few dollars at a garage sale....

four.....they add so much color....

and five......well I'm out of reasons....JUST BECAUSE!!

Have a great Thursday....

let it snow PAALEEEEZZZEEE!

Late to the party AGAIN!!

2011-12-07T11:10:00.000-08:00

I told you, I am always late to the party.....I am never on the cutting edge

but it has happened....

I am addicted to Pinterest...thanks to my daughter....LOL!

She gave me the ins and outs and a quick tutorial.....yes I had heard about it, but I figured it was just one more thing......

IT IS soooo much fun...but it is a time stealer FOR SURE!!

You can follow my boards here if you like:)

Gotta go....got more pinning to do.

LeAnn

P.S. Who needs magazines!!!!

Let's wrap this up!

2011-12-03T09:16:00.000-08:00

Yes it is Christmas time and the hustle and bustle has definitely started but we also are getting ready for a wedding around here.....

As some of you know, our son is getting married in January...

The night he proposed to her at Cinderella's castle (she had no idea)

snow please....but not a blizzard!

Courtney (our future DIL) invited my daughter and I to go shopping with her months ago when she picked out her dress and I must say it is spectacular. I can't say too much yet but I will tell you it is ivory and and it is strapless.

She wants some pictures taken outdoors and so I thought a really great Christmas present would be a fur wrap for her.

I found one at a bridal store up in Michigan and they have ordered it for me...

This is what it looks like:

I think this little capelet with her gorgeous dress and a little snow on the ground with twinkling lights sounds magical don't you??

Don't worry she doesn't read my blog:)

Oh to be young again....................sigh.....................

Have a great weekend.

LeAnn

Gratitude

2011-12-01T07:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday!

This week our weekly bible study is on "Gratitude". I am grateful for so many blessings in my life. I am grateful for all the brokenness and pain too because through all of that He is making me stronger.

I'm grateful that I have a kitchen to cook in. Our church takes many mission trips to Honduras (someday I hopefully will get to go) and so many of them live in shacks with dirt floors and no running water. By those standards I am so wealthy to have a kitchen with major appliances and a beautiful floor and dishes and pots and pans. Do you ever stop and think about it?

It really does blow your mind when you stop and realize what a blessed nation we are.

So today, I am showing you bits of my kitchen in which I have been adding touches of red. It's funny because I used to love red in my decorating but I got away from it for several years and it is starting to make it's way back in, especially in my kitchen which I am so grateful for. It's a small kitchen but it's fun and happy and it doesn't have a dirt floor, it has running water and it has working appliances.

I found this red Fiesta pitcher yesterday for $2.50 and knew it would make a wonderful red addition to the kitch.

I have red in my roman shades so why the heck not add it to my already colorful kitchen. I also think red looks awesome with orange and with my turquoise painted cabinets.

The red utility cart I showed you earlier in the week.....

I am grateful and thankful for so much, that I have a God who loves me unconditionally and who I am getting closer to every day, for a husband who is my soul mate, for our two children who make us so proud, for a roof over my head so my kitchen pales in comparison to all of these blessings but it would be

awfully hard to cook without one.

I am learning to be truly grateful for the everyday occurrences in life.

Have a blessed day.

LeAnn

On the upside....

2011-11-30T07:41:00.000-08:00

I posted a picture of one of these last year and I have to tell you.....still not gettin it....

do you understand??

how or why????

Sorry just can't make sense of it.....

and now I find this.....

A wreath on the ceiling!!!

Wish I could explain it...but I'm just perplexed by the whole upside down thing. Genevieve Gorder hangs hers upside down too..I couldn't find a picture of it though.

Oh and I don't know if it's proper blog protocol but I usually don't put where I find my photos cuz I just do a google search so if I offend anyone....so sorry! Are you always supposed to put where you find them????

I only blog for fun not for profit:)

LeAnn

Emily Henderson's Christmas Special

2011-11-29T08:28:00.000-08:00

Did you see Emily Henderson's Christmas special Saturday afternoon?? It was on at 4:00 in the afternoon which I thought was kinda odd.

She made these snowmen out of globes and I thought it was a very crafty idea, especially if you find the globes at the thrift stores so that you don't pay much for them, otherwise this would be a costly project.

Pretty cute huh!!

She also stenciled this on a map....

She did the whole room in blues and greens. Go here if you didn't see the show to see more photos.

She has some great ideas for sure. I couldn't tell though if the homeowners were really diggin it.

If you saw it, what did you think?

LeAnn

A thrifty Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T14:42:00.000-08:00

Well here it is Sunday night already...Thanksgiving has come and gone and it's back to the real world and looking ahead to Christmas...my most favorite time of the year.

Before we get to Christmas though, I wanted to share my Thanksgiving table with you. We had 13 people which is more than we have ever had and dishes were a problem as in I didn't have enough so off to Savers to mix and match my Thanksgiving table.

I spent a total of $12.75 at Savers to complete my table...I think it turned out pretty cool!

Our new mid century modern dining room table wasn't big enough so the hubby, brilliant man that he is made a leaf for it and it worked out splendidly.

The kids had their own table....

which they thought was pretty awesome:)

My dinner turned out perfect and we had a wonderful day!!

Speaking of thrifting.......... the hubby and I took off yesterday for a few hours and went to Blissfield, Michigan just a short distance from us and did some MAJOR shopping. My in-laws gave us Christmas money and I wanted to stretch it as far as I could and just have fun with it...

Here are a few of my favorite things I got....I sound like the song don't I??

An awesome glassware set in the metal holder and the blue square plates are secondhand finds too (Crate and Barrel)....

The Mr. found this.....I didn't even see it was piled high with stuff....I'm tellin you he's good...he's got the eye:)

The shop owner wasn't sure at first if she wanted to part with it but then she said she'd take $25.00 for it......SOLD!!

I apologize for the blurriness...I am using my old camera as the connector cord to my new camera broke and I have to get a new one...

This ottoman was definitely a find as there are so many places it can go but for right now, it's looking pretty darn good at the bottom of my stairway.

Again, so sorry for the blurry..picked up this orange child's chair at Savers for $1.99 (one of these days, I'm gonna have a grandbaby)

I have been wanting a vintage nativity scene and for $14.00, this one is beautiful.

The Mr. really wanted this one....it looks great in my kitchen!

I think this might be my favorite find of the day, this adorable red utility cart for my tiny kitchen. It's my coffee bar.....LOL!!

A vintage bottle brush wreath for my kitchen.

Okay...calling all knowledgeable art lovers...these are signed watercolors by J.M. Gallais, the one on the right is "Skating in Central Park" and the one on the left is "The Public Library on Fifth Avenue".

They are signed and dated 1964. We know nothing about art but just really liked them. The ice skating on is listed on eBay right now (unframed and kinda ratty) for $1200!!!!

WHAT!!!!! Did we stumble onto something?

Who knows....we just bought them cause we liked them.

I think I am going to hang them closer together and a little higher...but I wanted to show them to you. We paid $80.00 for the pair...did we get a steal??? Anybody know??? I am hoping Mr. Modtomic knows something about them or Mid2Mod as these two people are unbelievable when it comes to MCM...they have so much knowledge.

So that about covers my thrifty finds....it had been a long time since we had a great haul like this one.

If anybody knows about these watercolors, please leave me a comment.

Until next time,

LeAnn

One more thing checked off my list

2011-11-22T07:03:00.000-08:00

I bought this chair at Savers a few weeks back for $6.00. I looked on the bottom and it was made by an orthopedic company. Leave it to me to buy something really funky for my guestroom but the color was just too great to pass up. My beautiful afghan was a gift from my friend, Janie.

As it turns out, it will be a perfect chair for my MIL as they are coming for a few days for Thanksgiving and she has trouble getting in and out of chairs so it will work out great.

Most people are busy preparing for all the cooking which they are going to do which I am, but the decorating had to come first. I wanted the guestroom to be cozy for my in-laws.

The quilt was an estate sale find for $20.00. It is actually more vibrant in person.

I put a little tree in the room for them to enjoy.

Nothing says cozy quite like a fur pillow:)

So guestroom done......check!

Now on to the menu.....

LeAnn

Kitschy Christmas

2011-11-18T08:54:00.000-08:00

This year I've decided to have some fun with my Christmas decorating instead of being so "seriously pretty" if that makes any sense.

We found him sitting at the antique mall and though he is meant for outside, he's gonna stay inside...

Santa and his sleigh have found their way into my kitchen....I know what you are thinking Santa...this is where the baking of the Christmas cookies happens....I'm on to you Santa....

Frosty was standing side by side with Santa.....hubby trying to be on the frugal side picked up Santa and just left Frosty there all alone.....we walked several booths up and I looked at him and said "Are you really going to leave Frosty there all alone"? Now add the sad face in with that question.......)

How about you? Are you doing anything different this year?

Have a great weekend.

LeAnn

Brokenness + Forgiveness = Freedom

2011-11-17T08:15:00.000-08:00

Getting off of the decorating path today to talk about being broken. I have been broken many times in my life as we all have and I am in the thrust of it again.

But this time, I'm using different tools....I am forgiving because if I do not forgive, I will never be free to enjoy this life that God has blessed me with.

Having unforgiveness in my heart causes me to be bitter, sad, angry, depressed.....completely broken.

I can get up in the morning and wallow in my own misery or I can get up, get cleaned up, fix my hair, do my make-up, put on a cute outfit and take on the day.

It's not an easy road but sometimes it's harder to harbor resentment and want retaliation than it is to simply let it go.

This is a new path I am on, because you see we are comfortable in our old familiar ways....being sad, angry, hurt, depressed after someone has hurt you so deeply is like being in a cocoon. It feels safe there, we can curl up and no one again will ever ever hurt us...but I am learning that is not how God wants us to be. We have to let go and trust that this new way of life of living bitter free and full of forgiveness is like no other way of living.

You see, I have been a born again spirit filled Christian for a very long time and at 54 years of age, I am finally figuring it out. I have a long way to go but that's okay because I don't ever want to be complacent again. I want to know my God intimately.

Bad situations can make you bitter or you can choose to let it make you better.

If you are broken, there is a Savior who loves you more than you could possibly ever imagine. You know how much you love your spouse or your child?? He loves you a zillion times more than that. How can we grasp that?

Read his word, it really is the best love story we will ever hear.

Brokenness+Forgiveness=Freedom

LeAnn

The living room/dining room Part 3

2011-11-16T08:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday my friends....

Today it's reveal time for the last part of the living room/dining room combination.

This part of the room used to have the black buffet but as I said yesterday, I sold that to a friend as it just wasn't working in the room.

So hubby and I put our heads together and thought about it for awhile. I had purchased a round tulip table from Ikea that I loved and four retro chairs on Craigslist but when we bought the new dining room set, it was like..."oops, now what"....so this is what we decided on. We had sold our big pieces, i.e. the mid century modern desk, the fireplace, the buffet....how do we want to actually use this space??

Ready????

This is our new breakfast/coffee/game area!! The table like I said is Ikea...got it in the AS IS section for $90. I actually found the chairs first on CL for $100.00 for the set. They had recently been recovered for a third time and I knew immediately this is what I wanted for my new kitschy retro look...the table came next.

I really love it!

Since we are empty nesters, it's a great place for the hubby and I to have dinner and then when the whole fam is here, we have the ~~formal~~ dining area!!

I did it....I finally made this whole room functional!!

For you houndstooth lovers, this ottoman was found at Meijer....you heard me...Meijer, the grocery store, I love houndstooth...it is just a happy little fabric.

I have a confession to make to all you MCM enthusiasts, I will buy the remake of something if it is fabulous enough and this clock certainly is....a find from Homegoods for only $16.99! The colors are so right for this room.

I still dearly love my deer heads:)

Sorry you have to see the non finished patch job on the ceiling...oops...some things just take time around here!

I didn't paint the wall until after I entered the Apartment Therapy Room for Color contest. When I looked at the pics, I realized that wall needed a punch so after perusing the paint stores, the selection was "Roasted Squash" by Valspar.

Now Lori, I know you are not an orange fan but I still love ya!

One of the first comments I got on Apartment Therapy was people didn't understand the two dining areas and I can see where they would say that, but when you don't really have an eat in kitchen or a big island, this is a great way to extend our kitchen.

So there it is...our completely reworkable space that we really are enjoying. It's colorful, it's vintage with some modern and it is DONE!!

Amen and Amen!

LeAnn

Moving to the center of the room....

2011-11-15T06:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I showed you how we have styled our new formal dining room. Thanks for the great comments. So would you like to see the middle of the room???

It has been many different ways and had lots of different furniture. We used to have a faux fireplace which I sold and the cream leather sofa that was in the living room is now in the family room and I have scoured Craigslist, estate sales, vintage shops and garage sales looking for just the right pieces to put together a mid century modern vintage kitschy room. Is that a style? I don't know but that's what I'm claiming.

The center of the room was difficult because there was a light fixture but it wasn't centered and it made it really hard to utilize the WHOLE room....I had a beautiful chandelier but....yep you guessed it, I sold it on Craigslist..

She is definitely a thing of beauty but I felt too fancy for the look I was going for but what I didn't realize was how it would totally change the dynamics of the room, I could now use the middle of the room and the back of the room whereas before the dining table had to be right under the misplaced light fixture. Now I know some of you are saying, "How in the world could she get rid of that light"? Well.....how do you think I pay for the new/used stuff....LOL!!

So now the middle of the room looks like this.....

The wall with the zebra wallpaper is where the massive built-in used to be so between the built-in and the awkward placement of the ceiling fixture, it made the space very hard to actually use.

The sofa and chair are Craigslist finds, the vintage tables found at antique malls and the 1965 saucer chair was found at a shop that does reupholstery and a little bit of consignment.

Thought you might appreciate me cropping Jackson's butte out of the photo:)

Here is a more up close view. The fabric is that delicious nubby fabric that was very popular in the 1950's and 60's. If you look closely, it has specks of silver in it. We bought this from a young couple in Cleveland. They purchased a house and the couch came with it. It belonged to the original owners and they kept plastic on it their entire lives, hence the pristine condition. The only thing we had to do is have new upholstery foam put in the cushions because when we were loading it into our vehicle, the old foam had disintegrated so bad that it was literally coming out like little yellow snowflakes. We got the sofa for $200 and only had to spend another $120 to have the cushions redone.

I love the curved lines on the back of it. My kids hate the couch, said it's the most uncomfortable thing they've ever sat on....apparently they have never sat on a stack of bricks. Actually, we love the sit of it, it's a nice firm sit and it always looks nice, never slouchy. Anybody who has read my blog for awhile knows I don't do slouchy!!

A few weeks later I was perusing Craigslist and up came this mid century modern orange chair....it was like it was meant to be....so off to Michigan I went. I bought this from a designer who bought it at a thrift store because it had good bones. She spent $$$$ having the whole chair redone and then decided she wanted something different, so it came home with me. Can I tell you I llllooooovvveee this chair!!

The saucer chair was a random find. I bought it at the little upholstery store where I had my sofa cushions done. It is stamped "Zori" and is from the mid 60's. You don't usually find this kind of chair in such mint condition but she said when she bought it, it was recovered in something funky and she was very surprised when she took the upholstery off and found this mint chair. She had a hard time parting with it but I guess she finally decided that $100 would do it!

The coffee table has been redone by a gentleman who redoes furniture in the Maumee Antique Mall and the side magazine table was another antique booth find. The lamp was a great score for $12.00 at an estate sale.

The white tulip side table was something I purchased at Target several years ago for $19.99 which shows I had a love of MCM furniture back then, I just didn't really know much about it.

Oh...and the rug....is IKEA. I wanted something soft but yet funky so went with the blue, it has green flecks in it the same color as the curtains.

Sorry, I know I have rambled but sometimes people want to know details and some people just want pics, so if you just want the pics, bypass my rambling.

Has my room changed or WHAT?? It's fun, it's funky, it's ME! And the best part, the hubby loves it too!

Tomorrow, I shall show you the other end of the room. I sold the black buffet to a friend so that's not there anymore. I can't show you everything at once, then I won't have anything to blog about....LOL!

Have a wonderfully blessed day.

LeAnn

The dining room.....

2011-11-14T07:48:00.000-08:00

One of the things that has always been a challenge in our house is that the living room and dining room is one long room and I have had it every way possible. However, after living here 8 years, we think we finally figured it out. Hey some things just take time!

The front of the room has become our formal dining area. Let me show you what we've done.

I got this fantastic mid century modern piece at Savers (my favorite thrift store)?? It's the perfect credenza for my dining room and it was only $25.00!! Ok, I know it's really a dresser but I am calling it my credenza/buffet.

It fits in perfect with our mid century modern vintage style.

We searched high and low for the perfect dining room. We knew what we wanted and found it several times on eBay but I didn't want to sell a kidney to purchase it so we waited and then one Saturday a few weeks ago, we were in the warehouse of an antique dealer and OMG.....there she was....

My hubby saw her first and he was SMITTEN....and he called me over immediately. It was definitely love at first sight for both of us. The cream naugahyde was original. It is even stamped on the bottom "Drexel" with the date being "1961"...we asked him to shoot us a price and he did and while it was a fair price, it was not something to decide on right then and there....

BUT, who am I kidding, neither one of us could get it out of our heads so we went back that afternoon and purchased it! Oh and did I tell you....it comes with six chairs. Unfortunately, it did have a leaf at one time but they didn't have it.

The hutch which goes with it beautifully we actually purchased several months ago on Craigslist in a small town nearby.

There is not a ceiling fixture in that area so we purchased the IKEA light and I absolutely love how it looks over the table.

The gravel art above the hutch I found at a consignment store. Do you remember gravel art? I'm not sure if it is 60s or 70s but the colors are perfect for the room.

So there you have my danish modern/mid century modern/vintage dining room all secondhand...woohoo...who said I wasn't green??

So that's one end of the room....we shall work our way down this week:)

Have a super Monday, be blessed!

LeAnn

It's good to be back....

2011-11-12T15:22:00.000-08:00

Wow....it's been two months since I have blogged. So much has happened and I will share some of it in the coming blog posts. My father passed away on October 27th. I am so grateful he is with Jesus and suffering no more on this earth. He is whole and happy once again but this time it's FOREVER!

I'm back to share my love of vintage with all of you. I've missed you. Have you missed me at least a little bit???

I have soooo much to tell all of you. My sweet hubby and I have truly discovered our style and we have had sooo much enjoyment collecting things for our now empty nest!

Our son's wedding is a little over two months away and we are all getting so excited...especially the bride and groom:) We had their shower last weekend.

My two best guys in the whole world......

Our family minus Josh (SIL)...he was camping!!

Since they got engaged at Cinderella's castle, this cake was most fitting for the occasion.

Me, Courtney and her mom, Linda. I'm the tallest one and I'm only 5' 4.5"...LOL!!

My adorable son taking it all in....

They are sooo excited and sooo happy!!

I have been reading blogs once in awhile to try and keep up but I've got a long way to go. I can't wait to see everybody's Christmas decor. Would you believe I am already almost decorated?? Yessirree....this is the earliest I have ever done it!!

I also thought I would tell you that I have entered Apartment Therapy's Room for Color contest again this year. Last year I entered my kitchen. I am in the North Division and it's titled "LeAnn's Mid Mod Kitschy". I would love for you to go on over and give me your vote. I know I won't win but it's still fun to enter. There are so many awesome rooms this year. If nothing else, just go over and visit all the different styles of rooms.

I truly have missed blogging and I now realize that it's therapeutic for me to write and so many have encouraged me to get back on the horse...so here I am:)

I would love to hear from you!

Hugs,

LeAnn

What color do you love?

2011-09-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

Good Morning:

Today I just wanted to show you some rooms that are just pretty to look at?

Do you have a favorite color you are leaning to right now?

I still love aquas and oranges...SHOCKER!!

I also am loving apple green right now!

I would love to hear from you. What color is really inspiring you right now?

LeAnn

P.S. Thank you to everyone for your prayers and concerns about my father. He is still here, has a very strong will but he is peaceful because he knows he is on his way to Heaven. Thank you so very much for your prayers.

Have you seen it yet?

2011-09-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

Hello All:

I am not a movie goer, in fact, I probably go to the theatre once a year....not joking. We usually wait until it comes out in DVD but last week after a trying few days, I decided to go to the movies by myself!!

I have never done that before but it was a hot afternoon, hubby was working so I decided to hit the movie theatre.

I adored this movie, so much so that I want to take the Mr. to see it maybe tomorrow.

Can you believe how much a bag of popcorn and a diet coke is!!!!!

RIDICULOUS!

Anyway, back to the movie, the cast is wonderful and I really hope this movie wins an award....

Who doesn't love Sissy Spacek??

And these two women....don't get me started....precious!!!

You will definitely love Skeeter played by Emma Stone and you will probably want to smack Hilly played by Bryce Dallas Howard (in the pink floral dress)!!

Yes it is probably a chick flick but I'm taking hubby anyway...

It was so fun to see the 60's style in clothing and home decor...oh and let's not forget automobiles...the thing that will get my husband there.

Go see it, you won't regret it....but take tissues!!

Until next time,

LeAnn

Remembering Newman

2011-08-29T06:16:00.000-07:00

Hello bloggy friends:

Last night I read a post that just broke my heart.....

If you haven't already, please go over and send Nita your sympathies. One of her beloved dachsunds, Newman has passed away. For those of us who are doggie lovers, it is devastating when a dog passes away. When I read her post last night, my heart just ached for her. Newman was more than just a dog, he was her "real live boy".

We thought we were going to lose our precious Lucy Lu a couple of weeks ago when she got really sick and spent two days at the Vet Emergency Hospital. Turns out she had pancreatitis. I remember thinking for those two days how am I going to live without her. She captured my heart in a very short amount of time. She was so so sick but thankfully she is so much better, actually more bouncier than ever.

Dogs are truly a man/woman's best friend. I have always said ....Of course dogs are wonderful...."dog" is "God" backwards. I know in my heart he created dogs to bring us unconditional love. No matter what kind of day you've had when you get home, they always make you smile.

I know there are a lot of you out there who love your pooches so I just wanted to dedicate this post to Nita's Newman.

Run free Newman....you are in doggie heaven!

Until next time,

LeAnn

P.S. I posted this 2 hours ago and it still isn't showing up. Has this happened to any of you? HELP!

Has blogging seen its day?

2011-08-26T06:45:00.000-07:00

Are people getting burned out on blogs??

Is there something new and better on the horizon?

I have just noticed that blogland isn't what it used to be back when I started

a few years ago.

Any thoughts?

LeAnn

When life gets you down

2011-08-17T06:59:00.000-07:00

HE creates every sunrise!

Life just gets overwhelming at times.....most recently, one of our pups got very ill and had to be hospitalized

(she's home now)....employment issues, sometimes this

empty

nest thing is not all it is cracked up to be, parents are ill, money is tight.....does this all sound a little bit too

familiar?

This is not a complaining post. This is a post of where to go when life gets overwhelming.....

I go to the Cross....Jesus is the only answer.

He knows our problems before we even tell Him, He knows the outcome before we do.

In my past ways, I would worry, fret and try to fix things myself but I am learning

to go to the Cross. Some things are just out of my control.

I am impatient, I want it all fixed now!

Life just doesn't work that way.

So today I think I need to take time to just pray and reflect on all that is good!

So many people are hurting, every day you hear a new story....

I need to learn that just because I pray something doesn't mean I will get the outcome I desire.

I'm still learning.........

There is still so much good in the world, it just seems to hide behind all the bad sometimes.

So don't give up, if you are hurting...go to the Cross, give Him your burdens....

no one loves you like Jesus....no one!

HE creates every sunset!

LeAnn

I just wanted to give up....

2011-08-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

Please excuse my absence these last few days....

I was ready to throw in the towel on blogging

for several reasons (not blog related) but after a phone call

from this sweet lady, she convinced me

to keep going,

Thank you my friend. I shall.

If you go down you will see my new guestroom!

LeAnn

Guest Bedroom is ready for guests:)

2011-08-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

I showed the guest room a few weeks ago that I painted white...

I'm not a white wall kinda gal so I went to work and fixed it up "LeAnn Style"...

The color is called "Balmy Seas" by Behr. It is so tranquil and then I decided to add pops of bright yellow so I painted my drum table and on the wall is a bit of nostalgia. It's the a Corvette steering wheel that my husband has had for over 35 years and I decided it would be a fun element on the wall!!

This is what the window used to look like...

Hubby cut and painted the window trim and then we hung plantation blinds.

No curtains in here...just the blinds.

Oh and I did buy a chair at Goodwill that was in here.....

but today I tried it in our room and it's a staying in our room...heck with the guests....LOL!

I can't believe how it matches my quilt...there's my Lucy Lu....she's been sick and so I've haven't ventured too far the past few days so that she wouldn't be alone.

I promised you I would show you the guestroom so hope you like it.

I think it is ready for guests!

Until next time,

LeAnn

Back and forth.....and a project!

2011-08-09T09:03:00.000-07:00

This post is kinda funny because it follows my post about living in a teeny tiny house.....

I'm not sure I could do it, it looks intriguing but I do like my space guys....

maybe I just need a bunkie like Sarah Richardson or the adorable one that

Karen Sealy just did for her parents on HGTV's show Summer Home. Have you watched

that show yet? I am lovin it.

Anyway, to the point of my post today.....my kitchen....

It's a small kitchen and the area where I have always gone back and forth on is the eating area.

This is what it looked like yesterday:

I really like this table and chairs I picked up at IKEA....but now that we are empty

nesters, it opens up a whole new world for homeowners, reusing spaces in different ways. It's

kinda fun. OMG.....I am starting to find something positive about being an empty nester,

do you think I'm okay??

So here's what I'm trying out......

My SIL gave me this island years ago and it has been in many rooms, most recently in our ~~son's room~~ guestroom. I love

that it gives me more storage. Sorry Lori the turquoise island has gone on to live with another family who fell

in love with it so what can I say???? I'm a sucker for pouty faces! Just kiddin, I lovingly gave it to them.

While the table and chairs was cute, we just really didn't use it that much. We tend to eat in the dining room

so until I win a Better Homes & Gardens Make My Kitchen Over makeover, we shall have to improvise:)

I still haven't made up my mind yet as to what I want to do behind the cabinets where the old wallpaper

is.....one of these days it shall hit me like a lightning bolt and I'll be on it!!

Also.....I've recently almost completed another project....

remember my ~~son's room~~, er I mean guestroom, I painted it white.......

Ya well.....I figured out I am definitely not a white wall kinda gal...so it has been painted and finishing touches are about done but I will give you a sneak peek.......

an old Corvette steering wheel my hubby had......AND.....

a can of bright yellow spray paint.....

and my latest Goodwill find...

I took a quick break from painting on Saturday and did a thrift store run....first Savers.....no luck....then onto Goodwill and there tucked between two big monster chairs was this little beauty....I'm like, OMG, there must be something wrong with it, like it smells or it's filthy.....

NOPE....

It's perfect and it's a rocker for my future grandbabies and it's the perfect color and I'm in love with it for only $15.00 and it's the perfect addition to my newly painted styled guestroom...

so if you can wait just a couple more days, I'll show you what the corvette steering wheel + yellow spray paint + the aqua rocker =.

Until next time,

LeAnn

How small could you go?

2011-08-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make......

lately I have been dreaming about living in a very tiny home....mortgage free, quick to clean, lower taxes...yep I'm dreaming....

Don't throw tomatoes at me but right now in this humidity we are having, that snow looks pretty good to me.....c'mon I said, don't throw tomatoes at me:)

This one is a little bigger....

Ooooo...key lime....my favorite....

very farmhousey don't ya think?

maybe the inside would look like this....

It's pretty tight....not sure where we would have Thanksgiving dinner....well guess we would have to go somewhere else and I wouldn't cook.....darn it!!

This is supa cute!!

This would work too.....

I have been looking for a filing cabinet lately to paint a bright glossy color, love how this one looks.

and I haven't forgotten you shabby romantics:)

So who knows, maybe someday this might be an option for us.

My question for you all is how small could you go?

Until next time,

LeAnn

Oh yes I did:)

2011-08-05T15:04:00.000-07:00

How often do you look at a room in your house and something just isn't right??

I've had way too much time alone this week because the creative juices are flowin!!

I had cream linen curtains in the living room/dining room and they just felt too blah....so those are now in the family room.

Then I talked myself into some blue silky satin ones from JC Penney but I felt like I was looking at Granny's satin nightgowns hanging up....seriously...just not me...

I wanted something with orange and I looked high and low. I found some I loved on etsy but not in my budget because I am cheap! I'm not saying the curtains on etsy aren't worth it, I'm just saying that I change things up too much to justify spending $150 a window!!

Have you ever heard of Moshell.com? I sure never had but when I was doing a search for orange curtains, I found some and I went ahead and ordered them, hoping they weren't going to be rust instead of orange.

Here they are....

They are very thin which I like since I have the roman shades to pull at night. They are 54 x 84 and they were way too short....so I ripped the hem out but then I realized I wanted to put them on rings so off to Tuesday Morning I go...I found two packs of brushed gold rings and I bought two packs of black ones the same style and I spray painted them. You really can't tell the difference as to which ones I painted.

Well then they were too long, I didn't want them to puddle so I folded the top part and then clipped them and walaaa...they are the perfect length.

And yes I did rearrange AGAIN! Creative juices in overload this week.....told ya!

I flipped my rooms....dining room is now what was the living room and the living room is now where the dining room was....I call it Freaky Friday:)

This is where I had my vintage desk, now it is a little sitting area..

I added this rug from TJ...

I feel like I'm in someone else's house

Oh so back to the orange curtains......they were $5.99 a panel so when it was all said and done by the time I bought the clips and two panels a window....$26.00 a window. I couldn't find fabric that cheap.

So what do you think?

Until next time,

LeAnn

Addendum added Sunday 8/6/11: Daughter just came over from vacation and said "oh my" when she saw my orange curtains. Well I like them. She's more of a gray girl!

Room Crushing

2011-08-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile I find a room that stops me in my tracks.......

I love this room from the turquoise chair to the orange patterned window treatments.

I even have that same lamp.

I like that it is colorful, yet not overdone. This room makes me drool!

Unfortunately, this is the only shot of the room I found, wish there would have been more.

To me, it is perfection!

Until next time,

LeAnn

Picky about my pillows...

2011-07-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

Mary Ann from Classic Casual Home did a post on being a pillow addict. For those of you

who have followed me for awhile, you know I have a weakness for pillows and I am picky about my pillows,

I don't like them flimsy and I prefer them to be down filled...ruh roh.....does that make me a pillow snob??

I was really craving some orange pillows for our living room sofa and everywhere I looked, I couldn't find what I wanted.

I did find a few on etsy that I liked but not in the sizes I wanted so today I went to Joann Fabrics and

picked out fabric that I knew would make glorious pillows.....there was just one problem.....

I don't sew.....shhhhh.....don't tell anybody....... but I am pretty good at picking out fabric:)

However, my BFF, Claudia does and she whipped these babies up in no time tonight...

Wanna see?

What I love about this fabric is it is cream and orange, not white and orange. I'm really lovin on these right now....

and for the middle of the sofa I wanted a lumbar pillow and picked this ikat fabric....

I am so happy...I think they look great!!! I know I should have waited until daylight to take the photos, but I

was too excited to wait. I just had to show them to you tonight.

So of course I started playing, I tried my Target yellow rosette pillows on the flip side...

and then on the rosette side....and yes Lori, I still have my brown houndstooth and they might make the cut

too, if not, they are going upstairs in our bedroom.

Pillows can be sooo expensive. This is actually indoor/outdoor fabric and it was 40% off, so three pillows for under $30.00...

I think they are a lot of bang for the buck.

Also today when the hubby and I were running a few errands, we went to Savers (thrift store). He waited in

the car and I knew he was shaking his head when I walked out 10 minutes later with this.....

Okay, let me tell you, this chair is unbelievably clean, did not smell and the fabric is heavy, like a burlap...

Look how cute with this pillow....this is going in the guestroom. I don't know if you can tell but the colors are bright yellow, apple green and orange! I'm not kidding you, it's like brand new...

Oh and I almost forgot....the best part.....$7.99!!!

What????

Yes ladies, $7.99 for a very clean, like new vintage chair perfect for my little guestroom.

The hubby even gave a thumbs up, especially after he smelled it and I told him the price.....lol!!

So that was my day, new fabulous pillows and a new bargain chair.

How was your day?

Until next time,

LeAnn

Martini anyone?

2011-07-26T15:53:00.000-07:00

I bet that title got your attention didn't it??

I've never had a martini in my LIFE but when I saw these on clearance at Pier 1, I just loved that they were like pieces of art and knew they would look great in our house....

Have you ever seen tortoise shell martini glasses? Well I sure haven't, of course I have never looked...but I just love them:)

Hey, it's art right??

So sometimes that's all it takes is one little purchase to cause my bored self to want to rearrange the whole room.....so that's what I did!

I decided to try my buffet on the wall where I usually have the fireplace and it's a nice change....

I put the fireplace where the buffet was and then I angled the dining room table? Have you ever tried angling your table? It's a fun fresh look.

I put the sofa on the side wall...

I love the buttons on the back of my Craigslist chair (Ethan Allen)...gotta love Craigslist. I am definitely obsessed with buttons!!!

I put my jute chair back in the living room and also a couple of weeks ago I changed out the curtains to blue silk curtains with grommets. I love how neatly curtains with grommets hang. The cream linen ones that were hanging in here are now in our newly decorated almost done family room.

Now you can see why we love having the built-in gone...the room was just too small for such a massive built-in.

See what buying new martini glasses did?

Hopefully, soon I can show you our family room...the western is gone...woohoo!!

Until next time,

LeAnn

Another style to love...

2011-07-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

It's been coming on for awhile now...it has been tempting me....I wasn't sure....but now it's definite......

I love mid century modern style.

I have always liked so many styles that sometimes I confuse myself and even though I still like many

different styles....I am absolutely crazy about mid century modern....

It's clean straight lines really speak to my new unfussy look. To think a few years ago I

adored ruffles and everything pink....

now it's funky, clean lines and accessories in orange and aqua.

Is it just me or is this dining room to die for???

Who doesn't need a little funk here and there?

It is a style definitely all its own.....

Hey...I have aqua cabinets!!

Oh how I would love to find something like this....

Have you watched Summer House on HGTV, it's on Saturday afternoons. It is hosted by Karen Sealy.

In last week's episode Karen redesigned a

lake home in Canada and she found this awesome retro sofa that she had reupholstered

and it turned out like this.......

Ya gotta love the back of it:)

Now that's fun!

Are you a fan of mid century?

Happy Weekend,

LeAnn

I still thrift....

2011-07-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted any thrift finds. While I still thrift, I have cut way back, because last year I got kind of carried away so I am being more careful this year.

But seriously, is there anything like a good yard sale or thrift store???

Here are my recent finds.....

This lazy susan was only $2.00!! I have always wanted one of these, but never found one that wasn't pretty pricey or a good color so when I found this one for $2.00 and the fact that it was aqua...SOLD!

A couple of years ago I purchased a set of glasses like these only they are taller and skinnier, I found these today for $2.00 for a set of 7.

This is one of my favorite recent finds. I stopped at a sale down the street from my house last week and saw these and knew I had to have them. They also came with two candleholders....$10.00 for all three! Did your grandmother have these glass grapes??? I sure remember them.

I can't pass up a good vintage suitcase.....$12.00...

Another find for the guestroom, this pillow...$7.00.....

I almost passed up this table last week but I am so glad I didn't, it is perfect for our family room that is going through a major change....$10.00!!

How about you? Any good finds lately?

LeAnn

Matt & Megan's wedding day

2011-07-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

Claudia and I have been friends for close to 25 years and it gives me great pleasure to share her youngest daughter's wedding with you today......

The groom waits with anticipation.......

Here comes the bride........and a very tearful daddy.

The newly married Mr. and Mrs.......

Time to party.....

Little bags for the candy bar......

The bride's grandparents (they have 8 children, 17 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren)...aren't they adorable!!

The bride's parents and our dear friends Joe and Claudia.....(sorry for the blur)

Claudia and oldest daughter and maid of honor, Natalie (Megan's big sister)

Megan's Cinderella dress:)

The fam:)

The VERY HAPPY couple:)

So there you have Matt & Megan's wedding day. It was a lot of fun and now they are in Jamaica enjoying their honeymoon.

I think the parents deserve a trip too after all their hard work!

Until next time,

LeAnn

Doors are off!!

2011-07-14T19:50:00.000-07:00

So yesterday, I asked you should I keep my doors on or take them off (which has kind of been a signature look for me for several years) and a few of you were so kind to give me your opinion....

I'd forgotten until I looked up a picture from last year how much I love my cabinet doors off...still loving my Fiesta cups and saucers that I picked up last year at a garage sale for $2.00 a set.....

The general concensus was to remove the doors and I have to agree with you:)

Thanks for your input. I really appreciate it when people take time out of their busy day to stop and leave me a comment.

Reorganized this area...I know, my CD/radio player is so ugly but will have to do for now cuz I love to listen to music when I am cooking and cleaning and until the spirit moves me....the wallpaper is staying:)

So there you have it my friends......doors are officially OFF!

I will be back in a couple days to share wedding photos. My dear friend's daughter is getting married tomorrow evening and we spent the day decorating for the reception.....I'll give you a hint.....purple, hot pink and ORANGE!!

Until next time,

LeAnn

Forks go on the left.....

2011-07-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

So.......

Remember how I said I just liked my frame...just plain...ya well........

Like I said....forks go on the left and knives go on the right:)

It's imperfect....just like me and that's ok:)

Until next time,

LeAnn

Be careful what you ask for

2011-07-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

This is my little ole kitchen which I love, it is not a chef's kitchen that's for sure but it works for me.

This is my kitchen with the cabinet doors on.......

and this is how it looked when Julia posted it on Hooked on Houses..........

The walls were painted a creamy white then and now they are icy blue which I really like with the cabinets. I still love my cabinet color....I have no regrets painting them this color. The color is "Woodlawn Charm" by Valspar. I also added some new floral roman shades from World Market.

The reason I put the doors back on is because I did this.....

Oh please excuse my microwave cord:) I wanted to create a place for the microwave and this works great....but my question is....

If I take off my other cabinet doors like it used to be...is that too much ....or should I leave them on?

Also....would you paint the back of the cabinets a color (this wallpaper is from the 70's)?

So.....what's your opinions my friends?

Until next time,

LeAnn

Well it ain't a camper.....but.....

2011-07-09T07:26:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have followed my blogging escapades(oh and there have been many)....this was a year ago when the hubbs and I attended a car show in Bowling Green, this was my favvvvvvoooorriiiite truck EVAH! She's a beauty huh! The truck, not me silly!

all the while I'm thinking.....SOMEDAY......I'm going to have my camper and I'm gonna pull it with one of these babies....

Well, now there's an idea.....

Okay back to what I was saying...

I have always wanted one of these....

and then I go and visit my friend, Janie and what does she post on her blog....but this.....

Oh Janie....it's the bomb...it's so perfect and yes I am jealous....Now jealousy is a sin so I am going to have to repent on this BIG TIME!!!

And to top it off....$150!! That is the find of the century girl!!!

It is my dream to have one parked on my driveway and have it be our little guesthouse...

Well, a funny thing happened this past winter.....

hubby purchased this........

Yep...here she is in all her glory....and can you believe it's one of my favorite colors....ORANGE!!

He got this little beauty on eBay (he had been looking 4EVAH....in fact I was so excited when he got it because it was located in this great state...

and my blog buddy, Lori lives there and if you can even believe it, in the same town where the truck was and I thought "WOOHOO" I'm gonna finally get to meet my good buddy but we ended up having it put on a transporter and delivered here to Ohio...I was bummed:(

However, when we finally did get it, hubby was elated...I was so happy for him, we had gotten 1/2 of the equation:)

She's a little rough....he actually removed the orange bench seats and is having them reupholstered...

Night before last he removed the engine....yes it has an engine silly girls!!

I don't think I've ever shared that my hubby is the "DOCTOR" of Motors...seriously....he's unbelievable....

The beautiful hood....ahhhh.....love the orange:)

The horns are a nice touch don't ya think??

So Janie, it ain't no camper but it's a start:)

Maybe one day, I'll drive our orange truck and visit you in your camper:)

Anybody got a camper for $150????

Until next time,

LeAnn

Decorating with texture....

2011-07-07T17:41:00.000-07:00

I think something that I always take away from listening to professional decorators is texture, texture, texture. It truly does make all the difference in a room..

For instance, for the first time evah, I love my coffee table the way it is decorated. I paid only $15 for this coffee table and knew it would be a great table to decorate.

I found this aqua corbel at a secondhand store, I love the roughness of it...

Don't tell my husband, but I actually paid money for the branch (at TJ Maxx).....I knew it would be perfect for my new (new to me) long coffee table.

and then to finish it off, silver candlesticks, I think the three all compliment each other nicely.

After trying a lot of different things, I am very happy with this look for summer.

Until next time,

LeAnn

the story of a bookcase....

2011-07-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

When we moved into our house there was a very very large built-in bookcase...it was not original to our 1911 house, it was an add-on and I had a love/hate relationship with it....

It was originally oak and lots of it (of which I don't have a pic) and then I decided to paint it white and paint the back of it (which I then changed to wallpaper) and it looked like this....

It always presented a decorating challenge for me so over a year ago I had this bright idea to paint it turquoise and then my hubby added trim and some cool knobs and it was transformed into this....

It looked "great" but as time went on, the love/hate relationship returned and one day this past winter, we decided to take it out, not knowing what we would find behind it.....oh boy....

Because you see my newfound love in decorating is a very clean, airy look and this really really closed our room in....so we removed it...darn, wish I had a pic of the hub and I taking it out....it was priceless!!

Lots of lathe and plaster was found and so hubby started the drywall process....

After waiting a few months....ahem....hubby isn't always in a rush to get things done....the patching, drywalling and sanding was completed for me to paint.....

Are ya ready????

Oh ya baby....its aqua and brown zebra....I'm crazy about it, it was a wild and fun choice, even got the Mr's. seal of approval...

It's like a big piece of art....speaks for itself...and loudly I might add....

Makes my $3.00 garage sale frame look perty fancy:)

Looking for just the right piece of furniture...i.e. a really cool bench maybe or I might just leave it like this...who knows with me.

And would you believe I found these chairs after I bought the wallpaper?

So I bought two of them for extra dining chairs.....

Oops....

It only took one double roll of wallpaper at $25.00 a roll...not a very costly transformation. Lucy Lu really likes it...Jackson's not sure yet...lol..

Life is short, have fun, do something unexpected!!

On to the next project.

Until next time,

LeAnn

My little guestroom....

2011-07-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since we've had a guest room but with our son moving out, buying a house of his own (we are so proud of him), that left us with a room to fix up for guests.

I was on a very tight budget for this room, some things I had and some I purchased.....

without further adieu...

The walls have been painted "Gallery White" by Behr...can you believe I painted a room white.....lol???

The tennis racket on the wall is mine from when I took tennis lessons in 5th grade.....it's definitely an antique....lol....

I am still waiting for my guy to put the trim around the windows and then I will add some window treatments...probably bamboo shades or roman shades...nothing fancy...

The teddy bear was a gift from my husband over 20 years ago, he only has one eye:(

Love my zebra lamp, I got it at TJ Maxx.....

Do you have a Meijers where you live??? Well I discovered their Katie Brown line and a lot of it is on clearance right now....the white quilt and shams was 1/2 price for $45.00 and the adorable pom pom throw was also 1/2 price for $12.50!

The orange and white stripe bolster pillow is from Target.

I found this bucket with the gold seashell handles at the second hand store....

I had to buy this for $7.95 once I realized the handles were shells.....

Thought it would be fun to spray my deer head a metallic gold for a touch of whimsy..

the little bench at the foot of the bed I found a couple of weeks ago at a garage sale for $8.00!

The floor is painted a light gray.

It's small but has that beachy vibe I wanted.

Until next time,

LeAnn

Happy Dance

2011-06-29T07:26:00.000-07:00

I FOUND IT.....I FOUND IT!!!!!!

I remembered the color...woohoo...it's "Offshore Mist" by Behr and I got the wall painted already!!

BUT.....you didn't think I was going to stop there did you????

The walls in the living room/dining room are textured so instead of having someone come in and texture the wall to match the rest of the house, I thought I would make a little accent wall....with wallpaper because we've decided to put the fireplace on this wall.

Now I was going to show you the paper but I think I'll let that be a surprise.

So many projects going on here, haven't even decorated my porch yet for the 4th.....turning our son's empty room into a fabulous guest room and still working on the family room....I'll give you a little hint on the family room....
LEOPARD PRINT!

I know, I know, I'm such a tease but I will have so much revealing over the next few weeks it's not even funny.

Until next time,

LeAnn

I'm in a pickle...

2011-06-28T06:21:00.000-07:00

SO......I have my kitchen and my living room and dining room painted the same color, I know...weird for me huh?

Well you know how we tore out the built-in?

The wall is now dry-walled, primed and waiting for paint......um...here comes the pickle part......

I swear I bought it at Home Depot, that it was the paint and primer in one and that it was called Early Morning Fog.......(insert buzzer right here)......

I can't find it......this color doesn't exist. I don't have the paint can anymore....how can that be, I have so many paint cans, but not that one......

I need to find out what color it is...oh yah I'm in a pickle.....

How is your day so far?

Until next time,

LeAnn

I'm helping the environment...

2011-06-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

So today one of my best pals and I went out together and spent the day only looking at resale shops, we discovered two adorable ones side by side in our town that we didn't even know existed.

She found a beautiful fireplace that I think she is going to go back and get and I got this....

You know me and my chair fetish....it's very clean and comfy and it was only $39.00!!

The color goes great in the room!

And then I picked this up.....

This is going to get spray painted and then I'm going to either put it in our new guest room I'm creating or our bedroom, not sure yet. It was only $15.00.

We have decided not to do the kitchen floor yet because I'm just not sure about it...so I've learned if you are not sure, then to wait.

I'm working on our family room right now. It used to be vintage western style but the western is gone. The dark blue walls are gone and I am still looking for a few things for the room and then I can show it to you.

Happy Weekend,

LeAnn

Bringing some pizzazz to the kitchen....

2011-06-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

This is something that I have been wanting to do for awhile now and hopefully, it is going to happen very soon, maybe even this weekend??? Honey, are you reading my blog???

I'm so excited.......

I think I've got a great kitchen for this floor....

Wish me luck!!

LeAnn

Total transformation....

2011-06-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

Well our living room has been through quite a gamut of styles.....last year I went crazy with garage sales and bought stuff that I didn't need, but it's an addiction and you just keep doing it cuz it's fun and it's cheap.

I felt overwhelmed so much to the point that I did a MAJOR decluttering, sold or donated what I didn't want and now our room looks like this:

My new look is SIMPLE

We kept the icy blue color on the walls as we both love this color!

Still have my buffet but bought this new ocean mosaic mirror as it has all the colors of the ocean in it and it makes me happy every time I look at it. The lamps on the buffet I spray painted a metallic gold to go with the mirror and also the gold in my chandelier. This past winter I purchased the fake tree at Pier 1 as I was craving green.

Top it off with a few colored glass bottles and it's complete.

The two gray loveseats have been replaced with a cream leather sofa (remember one of those loveseats belonged to my daughter and she took ownership of it and put it in her office and it looks adorable). The other one I sold for $25.00 less than I paid for it. I have missed having a cream sofa ever since I sold my slipcovered one but the leather one is much more conducive to our lifestyle with dogs and I love how it never looks slouchy. I do not like slouchy!!

The sofa was a great deal at $599.00!! It had a couple of "oops" marks on it but not noticeable to anyone but us.

I then added this chair...

I purchased this through Craigslist for $200. It's from Ethan Allen and in like perfect condition, I added the zebra cube for a touch of whimsy and pattern. Do you like the orange lampshade? It's a Pottery Barn shade but I found it at TJ Maxx for $7.00...SCORE!!

We added a cream textured rug that we purchased at Lowes for only $88.00 and I love the lightness it added to the space.

Our newest find is from this past weekend at an estate sale, the danish modern coffee table from the 1960s, it's nice and long which this sofa needed....price you ask??? $15.00!!! It hails from Los Angeles, I love the clean simple lines of it.

Then to finish off the seating arrangement, I purchased this armless chair from Pier 1....

The oval cream table is a secondhand find for $28.00.

I kept my cream linen curtains as I just like the simplicity of them.

I added two cream leather chairs to our vintage dining table.

Spray painted the desk lamp metallic gold and added a slipcovered Ikea chair to complete the desk area.

I always have had a piece of furniture in this corner but again, love the simplicity of a simple glass vase.

The new empty wall....it will be done soon, we need to finish mudding it and then put the texture on it. I just want something very simple...possibly this $3.00 garage sale frame with a chalkboard or just empty, not sure yet. I do not miss the built in whatsoever. The room is so much more open now.

So that my friends is our newly pared down clean living and dining room....and that's my precious Lucy Lu!!

I love my room, it's fresh, it's clean, it's simple but yet cozy.

Have a blessed day!

LeAnn

Remember this?

2011-06-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

Do you all remember this?

The famous turquoise built-in.....it's gone and this room looks so different now.

We decided to take it out, it made our room feel cluttered. We don't miss it one bit!!

It's not done yet but it's getting close?

I can't wait to show you what the living room looks like now.

Stay tuned.

LeAnn

I'm hooked.....

2011-06-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

Hi there.....
It's been several months since I've blogged. I was Vintage Sassy previously but have decided to go back to my previous blog name as that pretty much says it all.

I've been on quite the journey these past several months, it's been difficult but God has shown me just how good He is and that he is sovereign.
My husband and I have just returned from the Outer Banks in North Carolina where we stayed with friends at a beach house they rented. Can I just say, I am in love with the Outer Banks and that is my new dream, to live there someday. A girl has got to have her dreams.

Here are a few pics.....

That's me taking pictures from the back of our motorcycle

My dream cottage....ahhhhhhhhh

Did you see "Nights in Rodanthe"? We rode our motorcycle about 45 miles from where we were staying just so I could see the actual inn where it was filmed.

It's actually been moved about 1/3 mile from it's previous location and been remodeled. Maybe next year we will stay there.

This is the house we stayed in for a week, with the ocean at our back door..

This was my first experience staying at the ocean and I'm hooked. We slept every night with our window open just listening to the sound of the waves. So now I've made it my goal, to someday live on the water. I've never been that kind of person but it was so relaxing, so intriguing that I can't wait to go back.

I'll show you more tomorrow.

LeAnn