No Way to Pretty this Up!

 100 year old wallpaper....enough said. It is paper thin, applied to plaster walls that is like scraping it off chalk. It took about 8-10 hours to peel it all, I lost count. There are a few cracks in the wall, but overall, it is in pretty good shape. I used warm water and a little Dawn in my spray bottle. I heavily sprayed the walls down and then used a scraper to scrape it off.

My arms, shoulders and back are going to be looking 'Smokin Hot' muscular! If you want to get into shape, try this at home!

 I tried to make the pictures prettier with roses!

 I filled up 2 tall kitchen trash bags with paper.

 Starting to make progress, here.

 Exposing the Cracks

This area will be covered in drywall because of the old fireplace. I removed the door facing so the drywall will be behind the trim work. We have to run electric into this room as there are NO outlets AT ALL!

Summerwheat was with me the whole time, offering up her supervisory skills and dog knowledge.

 It was her idea to add the roses into the pictures.

Beauty among the ruins.....

I admit it, I am crazy for Kris Kringle and Christmas decorating. My only goal is to be unique and different from the "norm." I guess it is the artist in me. Yes, that is why........

 A vintage Creamy Dreamy Pink Icing Candle!!!!

 Here is my fix for the broken spoon & fork...hoping to add to my spoon & fork tree!!

 Got an early Christmas gift from my friend Carlotta, a polka dot green oven mitt!

 My pink flowers are STILL blooming,,,,love them!

 Who's tree looks like this???? I am loving my pink bubble gum lights from my FAB sis in law NATALIE!!!

 

Vintage Mother Marys

 Looking a bit lived in??? It is hard to take a picture of my window during the daylight because the window is so bright, but I love my window treatment! Vibrant Fabric & flashy green fringe!

 Here are festive goodies, vintage elephant, Holy Robin cup!

 Some of my favorite people from Christmas cards! Wink wink!

 OMG, I have spices in the cabinet, I think i have MOVED in!!!!!

 Are those utensils? Oh Joy to the World!

Love the angel & vintage grape salt & pepper shakers!

Merry Fishmas Santa Baby!

Well, I gave into peer pressure to do a little decorating in the midst of home improvement. (this little town means business when it comes to Christmas decorations!) I don't have all my Christmas stuff with me, as they are in storage, but I had a few things and I made the rest! I admit I have gently shopped the local thrift stores, not really trying to buy anything, just to enjoy the hunt. I found this vintage Santa, and all though I do not do traditional Christmas, I couldn't resist his Rosy cheeks!!
He looks so good against my green wall!

 I love Vintage Christmas, so here is my take on it.

This little tree is loaded down with vintage mix matched ornaments and Hudson couldn't be more thrilled!

Here is the Fishmas Porch! I want to do more, but have to use what I have on hand, fish, a mermaid and whatever else I could find laying around!

 This is my Lady of the Lake mermaid, made out of plywood, painted & glittered.

 Fishy in Blue, made of plywood, painted & glittered.

 The other fish were cast offs that I repainted and added some glitter & garland from the dollar store!

 Front porch view, hard with sea grass displays and plastic bubbles covering the lights to make it look like water! I cut up an old shower curtain that had a bubble pattern and placed it over the lights. Thinking outside of the fish tank?

Hanging ornaments and glowing blue lights add to the theme!

 This is a netted wire ribbon, it is so easy to use in decorating and it made a nice sea 'net' look. (yes, this bird was a thrift store find too, color enhanced by moi!)

 Here is another thrift store find, he just needed a little aqua paint and some GLITTER!!

Back Porch Floor & Ghosts Detecting!

I just finished up my black and white checkered floor on the back porch, using duck tape to mask out my squares, when I got a call from an old friend who wanted to come and visit and see the house.

The visitor brought along a neat little app for the Droid called an EMF detector (Electromagnetic Field) or Ghost Finder. Since the house is so old, it must have some ghost activity???

After the back porch was all decked out in new curtains, a few decorations and a fabulous new floor it was time to unwind and detect ghosts. The meter was lit up all evening, shouting out random words that summed up our conversations and revealing one word thoughts we weren't saying out loud. It was very fun!

 Here is the finished floor and the gorgeous curtains. Notice any interesting shadows? The hanging Teapot chime is EXTRA large.

 I used a letter block to hold up my spring rods. I wanted curtains that could be easily removed in summer.

I made these sweet letter blocks in black and white polka dots. T for Traci and J for my daughter Jordan.
The evening was perfect for reminiscing and ghost listening.

 I scored this vintage Star at the thrift store for FREE, they were throwing it out and I think it works great for a soft glow. I set it in a netted food basket.

 The entrance into the kitchen from the new floor needed a little something....Cottage felt right.

Was the visitor real or a ghost, who knows, but I have a fond memory of a finished room!

Transform & Renew

 

It is so wonderful to see a room that has been transformed. I didn't take many pictures of the dining room in it's BEFORE state, but this one below.

   

Not sure if you can see the cork floor in the above picture, but it was cork and we pulled that up and about 1000 nails with it and exposed the pine floor underneath that had been preserved and ready for a renewal. 

 All that it needed was a little cleaning, a light coat of poly and a few nail holes plugged and it is absolutely AFTER! The room is long it measures 8X15, just big enough for the dining table and chairs and maybe a buffet.

 I can't wait to decorate this room, I am planning on Pink & Green.

 I love the feeling of old hard wood floors under my feet as I twirl around the room and daydream.

There is a natural beauty in wood floors that can't be replaced by any other surface. They look warm and inviting and I am always ready to lift the initial surface in an old house to see if a treasure lies beneath.