Winter China Cabinet - Peacock Style

Happy New Year Everyone!

Although the past year had some celebrations, a wedding and a new grandson, it did have it's heartache and challenges too. I am looking forward to, hopefully, good things to come in 2013.

As I had stated previously, all of the Christmas decorations have been packed away.  
That doesn't mean that, as much as I'd like Spring to be here, it's still not Winter.  
And you know it is just by stepping outside!
It's only 11 degrees here now and the high will only climb to 31 degrees.

With that in mind I decided to decorate the kitchen china cabinet for Winter.

I started by taping some scrapbook paper to the back. 

When I saw the peacock themed paper (bought on sale, 4 for $1.00, with a gift card from my youngest son and his girlfriend) I knew the direction I was going to go. 
I've been wanting to display my Candlewick somehow but, 
it is all clear and, I needed it to stand out.

I was already at the cash register at Pier 1 when I spied these Christmas ornaments.

Again, bought on clearance and with a gift card from my oldest son and my 
daughter-in-law. I love the color, kind of a chilling blue and oh the sparkles!  

All that was left was picking out what of my Candlewick I wanted to spotlight.

I already had the perfect teal chargers from World Market so I used them to make the dishes stand out even more.

Some of the Candlewick I inherited from my Grandmother and the rest was purchased at thrift stores, estate sales and Ebay.

I love how it invokes the chill of winter without being cold. 
It is just the right feel to carry me through the next 2+ months until Spring!

I always share my tables with 

Kathleen at Let's Dish at Cuisine Kathleen 

Susan at Between Naps On The Porch Tablescape Thursday

and 

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life Table Top Tuesday

Click here to see where else I may be partying this week.
 

AND
Don't forget to come by on Tuesday's

for my link party.

New Years Eve Table

Well here we are, another year come and gone. For me 2012 has been one of sorrow and celebration. I have to say it, I'm really happy to moving on to a new year. I am not one to make resolutions.  I usually try to set a goal or two for myself.  My goal this past year was to be kinder to others.  I think, for the most part, I was able to achieve that goal but, sometimes, those darn others made it hard LOL.  

I'm not certain what my main goal for 2013 is yet.  I do know what some of my goals are. Number one, I have is to get a job.  I'd like it to be something I love doing but, I know too well, you can't have everything you want in life. I want to be more consistent with my posting here on my blog.  I've kinda taken some time off for the holidays but I'd like to have a new post up at least twice a week, not including my favorite post of the week, the You're Gonna Love It link party every Tuesday. The powder room, kitchen and laundry room are all screaming to get a new coat of paint so I plan to tackle those rooms.  I really need to get my stash of dishes in some sort of real order, which, could mean getting rid of some of them {gasp}.  So, maybe my goal for 2013 is, finish what I start!  Yes, I think that is a good goal to have. There it is!  It's out there into the world and you all are my witnesses and motivation.  I can't and won't let you down. Pinky swear!

Now that that is all settle it's time for a party! A New Year's Eve party!

I wanted the table to be full of glitz and sparkle. I started with a black striped tablecloth from Goodwill. The silver sparkly square chargers are actually scrapbook papers from Michael's that I bought with a gift card from my youngest son and his girlfriend.

I then added Candlewick dinner plates, topped with clock faced salad plates I bought on clearance last year from Burlington Coat Factory.  I paid $3.50 for the set of four.

The napkins, done in a bow fold, are from Home Goods and the napkin rings were a recent Pier 1 purchase using a gift card from my son and daughter-in-law.

And my favorite vintage Rogers silverplate flatware added the perfect elegance to the setting.

For the centerpiece I used a few more sheets of the glittered paper and placed 3 of my Godinger goblets upside down for candle holders.

I found the lighted silver and pearl garland at Big Lots. It's on a timer so it turns itself off after 6 hours. LOVE it!

I added a couple of mirrored ornaments too.

Some clear and pearl gems are scattered around the table to mimic confetti.

Noisemakers to bring in the new year are set in champagne flutes.  

There are tiaras for the women and hats for the men, or, vice versa LOL.

A chilled bottle of champagne to toast the new year anchors one end of the table.

 While an hourglass sits at the other end of the table.  A reminder of time passing.

Whatever the new year brings, I want to wish you much happiness, love and peace!
You have made 2012 so much fun and I so appreciate you taking
the time to visit with me here and on my Facebook page!

Cheers friends!

I always share my tables with 

Kathleen at Let's Dish at Cuisine Kathleen

Susan at Between Naps On The Porch Tablescape Thursday

and
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life Table Top Tuesday
 

Click here to see where else I may be partying this week.

 
AND
 
Don't forget to come by on Tuesdays

for my link party. 

{The party will resume on

January 7th at 6 PM Mountain}

Linen Closet Organization

I am one of the best

procrastinators!

Seriously, six months ago, after I clean out

my bedroom closet,  

I told myself I needed to tackle 

the hall linen closet next.

SIX MONTHS ago!

You know how it goes,

you wake up in the morning 

planning to do something,

and shiney things happen.

Linen closet?

Nay, I need to sift my compost first.

Or, I really should check to see if there any cucumbers 

needing to be picked from the garden.

If I have enough cucumbers,

then we need to can them up while they are fresh...

and so on.

Well, this weekend arrived and

beyond get my hair done,

I had nothing to do.

No more excuses.

Time to hit that linen closet!

I can't even begin to tell you

how I hated opening that door

to get clean towels or a pain reliever.

Tramatic at best!

Just like when I cleaned my bedroom closet

I went after it with a vengence!

Please tell me you have prescriptions from 

1997 too? Or that your 

lovely bath bubbles from

Bath & Body Works that you bought several years ago,

but never opened, has changed colors and is

um...filmy?

I filled a large kitchen trash bag 

with linens and towels that were pilly and 

even had bleach stains on them.

I don't know why I felt the need to keep them all this time.

They weren't even good rags anymore!

Lotions and potions and pills and ointments

that had reach their expiration date YEARS ago

into the trash they went!

I then separated everything that was left

and placed in the cute baskets 

that, were previously, overflowing.

I refolded the sheets and pillow cases

and rolled the towels.

 I organized everything in an order that made better since for me.

Things I didn't need to get to often

went up high.

Things such as towels and sheets are now

at eye level for me, and my short stature,

to get to easily.

And the bonus?

This only took me less than an hour!

Then, I had another idea!

 Sticky tiles!!

The shelves looked kind of dingy to me.

I am sure they haven't been painted since the house was built

in the early 80's.

I wasn't mentally prepared to paint but I wanted to clean them up somehow.

I was all set to go to Big Lots to get some sticky tiles

when, Mr. B reminded me we had a full box leftover

from when we did the laundry room floor.

Awesome.

 

I didn't want to actually stick them to the shelves

on the off chance I decided someday to paint

so, I taped them together and cut them to the size I needed.

They didn't have to be pretty since they were going to me mostly covered.

I then just placed them on each shelf.

 Then I was ready to put everything back, again!
The tiles actually make it easier
to slide the baskets out when I need to.

Still not good enough though.

A run to Michaels provided the finishing touches.

I bought some kicky pink zebra ribbon

(buy one get one free thankyouverymuch)

and attached it to the edges with

double sided tape.

The photos make it look like red but,

believe me, it's hot pink baby!

Mr. B thinks I am certifiably insane but,

I flipping love it!!

Now when I open the door I am greeted with kapow wow fun!

Plus, if I do ever (never) get tired of it,

I can just pull it off and put up something different.

While at Michaels I also picked up a large hinged basket

(40% off!)

that sits perfectly on the floor.

I plan to store either cleaning supplies

or rolls of toilet paper in it.

What initially took me less than an hour to clean up,

wound up taking a couple of hours

but, I think I really upped the cute factor!

It no longer pains me to open that door.

In fact, I now smile when I grab clean sheets 

or a pain reliever!

So, what's next you ask?

I really need to clean out under my sink in our bathroom.

But first, I really need to check that

light bulb in the basement...


 Click here to see where I may be partying this week.
AND
Don't forget to come by on Tuesday's

for my link party.

A Day at the Beach

This is a repost from last August.

It seems as fitting this August as it did last August.

I'll be sharing this 

at Cuisine Kathleen's

Summer Fun Table Challenge 
And at
Between Naps on the Porch
Tablescape Thursday 

I'll admit it’s not been as hot as Texas and, thankfully, it’s not been as humid as Oklahoma but, for the record, it.has.been.hot in the Denver area this year. Period.  Over the past few weeks we have not only broken records, we have smashed a few too.  By the time September 1 rolls around, 2011 will go on the books as the hottest August since they began keeping records.  Oy!  We, meaning me, are just not used to this kind of heat here on the high plains of the Rocky Mountains.  We are used to, oh, maybe one, eh, possibly two, weeks of temperatures in the 90’s. 

(Image Source)

A/C only goes so far in helping me to keep my cool.  If I was to “beat the heat”, as they say, I was going to have to create my own sense of cool. I had gone down to the basement where it is cool-isher to get something out of the freezer.  The freezer is located near where I store my tablescape stuff. I spent longer than I probably should have with my head in there but man-o-man, it felt sooo good! Out of the corner of my eye I spied something white.  A cool cool white.  Hmmm…it must be the heat.  My imagination must be playing tricks on me.  I started back up the stairs, almost in a dream state.  Ahhh…what if I could take a trip?  Someplace tropical.  White sandy beaches.  Aqua blue cool water.  Reality hit and I had to remind myself that this is the busiest time of the year at work.  I couldn’t just call in “sick” and hop a plane to head someplace magical on a whim.  Mr. B would think I was downright crazy for even suggesting something so spontaneous. So insane really.  

And yet, I couldn’t get the fantasy out of my head.  I decided to go back downstairs and see what it was that I saw that and put these kooky thoughts to rest.  As I rounded the corner I see just what it was that had started this daydream.  It was a pair of candlesticks I had recently purchased on clearance from Pier 1.  They resemble a shell.  A lovely, pure white shell.  That is when it hit me!  I may not be able to go to the beach (Denver is, after all, pretty land-locked) but, I could bring the beach to me!! 

From that moment forward I kinda blacked out.  I started grabbing plates, napkins, oooo those other candlesticks I got at Goodwill a few weeks ago, on 50% day ($1.00 each, SCORE), that started out pretty danged fugly but were made perfect with a can of glossy white spray paint.

I grabbed at anything I thought of as beachy.  I blindly ironed a white table cloth.  I frantically drove to Gordman’s looking for the perfect candles.  Instead I found the perfect glittery starfish! Again, $1.00 each.  On to Michael’s, I drove wildly, where I was able to find the candles I needed.

Once home, I regained my senses and checked out the items I had stacked up.  Slowly and methodically I assembled the placesetting.  Turquoise chargers, purchased at Cost Plus on sale after Christmas, were my starting point.  Next came a large white plate from the “as is” department at Ikea.  On top of the plate I placed a robin egg blue salad plate from Home Goods.  I added the starfish from Gordman’s on each plate, alternating the white and the teal blue around the table. The napkins were a stocking stuffer from Mr. B.  The sandy runner also came from the Ikea “as is” shelf.  For the centerpiece I used the candlesticks that started it all.  I added a jar of shells along with a couple of extra starfish. I placed some turquoise votives from Cost Plus near each setting. The wine goblets were another Goodwill find and their stems reminded me of bubbles, like cool, clear water bubbles. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I closed my eyes and took a step back.  When I opened them I inhaled a deep breath and was transformed. I suddenly felt cool.  I swear I felt a breeze blow softly through my hair.  No, maybe I can’t just take off on a tropical escape but, for now, I can enjoy a day at the beach.

Click here to see where I may be partying this week.

And don't forget to come by on Tuesday's
for the link party.