My Dining Room ~

Today, I am taking you inside my dining room for closer look at some of my collected treasures. {You can click on any photo to enlarge the picture.} All my white dishes were purchased at Salvation Army, Flea Markets or Garage Sales.  

My brown transferware is on display year round 

but is especially perfect for Fall decorating!

I have a soup tureen addiction...

Lucky for me...

I have found each one 

at a flea market or garage sale

A pair of old tole lamps grace each side of my hutch. I have very low watt bulbs in them. I turn them on in the evening as night lights. They are brass and have porcelain flowers. Many of the flowers are chipped and glued. I had them rewired at a lamp store. I always have them use silk cord. 

The shades came with the lamps. It looks like silk cording is wrapped around them. When I purchased them the inside silk liner was all ripped and tattered, so I removed it from the shades. I like some wear on my items, but I really dislike tattered shades.

This tureen was purchased over the summer at my favorite flea market. I debated buying it. The lid handle has a repair. The repair was done well and I went for it. I'm so happy with my decision.

A pair of alabaster pedestals are stacked. 

They hold delicate paper napkin rings which are shaped like roses.

A little creamer all stained from age...

it holds some porcelain and brass antique utensils

A chunky old pair of salt and pepper shakers

picked up at a Thrift Store...

I have two of these old chairs in the dining room...

I honestly know nothing about them....

other than I LOVE THEM!

A vintage tole chandelier of hydrangeas... 

with great patina..

not too rusty

I purchased this from my good friend Liesl

I added the antique bulb covers which my mother gave me...

Here is another view of the dining room....

If you peek closer, you can see my laundry room and wet clothes hanging....

simply lovely! ugh....

A gold gesso mirror picked up at a garage sale...

This was another item I really debated... I was at a garage sale with my husband and we apparently didn't want to spend the money on it. When I got home, I thought about the mirror some more and decided it would look really good in the dining room. I got back in the car (alone) and hoped it was still there.... when I pulled up, my heart was racing.. it was still there...whew...disaster adverted! {Edited to add: My husband loves the mirror.}

Antique cobbler's shoe cart

 turned tea cart...

 you can read about that by clicking here

Two antique bird botanicals purchased from a friend's garage

A peacock and a turkey (I think...)

I have a pair of vintage ivy tole sconces... 

they grace each side of an arch

My farmhouse table...

View looking thru the dining room and into the kitchen...

My centerpiece changes all the time...

Today, 

I have an old wood crate

filled with drift wood

some antique bottles

and an ivy thrown in for good measure....

I also have this...

I have been breaking so many things lately!!  

I guess that's what happens when you move stuff all the time!

Do you think I can glue it??

I hope you will consider following my blog. 

(At the top of the page, click on the right sidebar

where it says Followers...) THANKS!

Linking to:

Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for Thrifty-Treasures

 Jennifer Rizzo's  Hook Up Your Hutch Party.  

Artie at Niagaranovice Vignette-Fridays

Cindy at Romantic Home Show-and-tell-Friday

Decormamma Frugalicious Friday

Fingerprintsonthefridge Feature Yourself Friday

Shabbynest Frugal Friday

Debra at Commonground - Vintage Inspiration Friday

Funkyjunkinteriors - Farmhouse Tables

My Friend Craig ~

I have this good friend Craig.... and oh.... how I love him!!! 

You may know him too...

I'm referring to Craigslist... of course!!  

I discovered Craig about 2 years ago and we became fast friends!!  Upon snapping up some great treasures,  I quickly proclaimed "I may never buy anything new again." 

Through the years, my husband and I were always interested in purchasing a Grandfather's clock...we just never wanted to spend the money.

I started searching Craig's List to see what I could find. I was struggling to find a clock that would match my interior. Many of the clocks I was seeing looked pretty dated or just weren't my style. 

Most clocks on Craig's List seemed to be a dark walnut color.  I was hoping to find something that would compliment my existing furniture which was a warm honey shade of pine... 

It also needed to have a pleasant chime and keep the correct time... Important features for a clock! 

Just before Christmas, I found a listing for a Grandfather's Clock, with a great price and it was within 3 miles of our home! This was perfect timing as I could probably convince my husband that we needed to go to a strangers house to see a clock... 

Possible Christmas present...right?

Well, we went to see the clock 

and bought it on the spot...

We immediately called a friend to help us move it down a flight of stairs and lift it into the truck.  We threw a black tarp over it and strapped it in the pickup truck... standing up!  It looked hilarious, like we were driving a casket down the street!

Here it is in my entry way...

It stands about 7 feet tall...

I love the burl wood at the top...

I loved the face of the clock 

it had some smudges 

that added to it's charm...

I love the two little cottages at the top...

and the large pendulum 

makes a tick tock I adore...

This clock has 9 brass tubes

which give it's chime

a delightful sound...

Love the tassel 

and skeleton key

What I loved the most about this particular clock

was the open glass sides...

It keeps the room airy and light...

Here's how the Grandfather clocks looks in the entry...

So, tell me

what have you found 

on Craigslist??

Also linking to:

Linda-Coastalcharm Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Flower Power & Mr. AntiqueChase ~

Our living room is filled with flowers....year round

no matter the weather... no matter the season.....

Our living room is the first room you see when you enter our house.  When I have visitors, I usually get the same comments... "Wow, this room is so feminine, doesn't your husband mind?"

I always think it's so funny... why would he mind??

Mr. AntiqueChase is a masculine guy... 

he loves sports, tools, electronics and gadgets... 

he is also a Triathlete 

and he is currently on the 'Cave-Man' diet... :) 

However...

he has zero interest in decorating

 ZERO.  

I am always a little envious of the ladies whose husbands will help decorate or give opinions..."Honey, which one do you like better.. this one, or this one?" You lucky girls!!

Even though Mr. AntiqueChase doesn't help decorate, he's always willing to pull out the big ladder {again} or hang something really heavy. Using the "stud finder" always sets off his best jokes.....

He is constantly subjected to moving heavy furniture all over the house only to move it back again to it's original location... 

a mere 10 minutes later.. 

I will often joke that I could change the couch out and he wouldn't notice even if he was sitting on it.... okay, maybe that's an overstatement but you get where I'm going with this??

Mr. AntiqueChase has never complained about all the flowers.... 

and until he complains 

we will have flowers...

lots of them!

{can I get an Amen...}

I thought I would take you on a close up tour of the living room 

to look at some of my favorite floral elements... 

This is a photograph taken by Jennifer, at The Old Painted Cottage, when our home was featured as Cottage of the Month, August 2010.  Jennifer was at our house for 2 full days and of all the beautiful photos she took, I think this one is my very favorite. It captures the exact feeling of the room, which I hope is warm and inviting...

Let's take a closer look at some of the flower elements repeated in the room... 

WARNING...

picture heavy post...

This is an antique oil painting of roses.. pink..my favorite!

Tattered and missing paint..only adds to the charm!

Here, I paired it with a vintage chamber pot.  

This chamber pot has pink roses which repeat my theme nicely.

Chamber pots make great plant holders, especially for ivy. 

You can find them at flea markets and antique shops. 

My favorite chair with a soft floral print. This one has roses and daisies. I purchased this from Ethan Allen about 15 years ago... I remember when I first got it I was so excited. A friend, with very modern taste, came over and asked if I inherited it from my grandma.. I guess she thought it looked outdated, lol!

I gotta tell you

there is something really sexy 

about a man who can sit in a floral chair!

I have a pair of these vintage tole lamps.. 

I originally purchased them for my bedroom 

but they worked so nicely in the living room, I just kept them here.

This is a tiny tole lamp that I have next to my floral chair.

It sits at the perfect height when I am reading a book...

This little antique table is part of a nesting set of three. 

It has charming hand painted flowers... 

most of which are worn off from age.

This antique oil was purchased on Ebay years ago. 

It's done on canvas. 

A few years later, 

I found this old frame at a barn sale. 

I took them to a framer and had them married.

I love the signature and date on this...

Here is a corner of the living room with more flowers...

This painting had a gold frame. Sometimes I like gold.. 

This one was too gaudy so I brushed it out with some white paint. 

I then took some sandpaper and roughed it up a bit..

Another signature and date on this canvas...

I love this needlepoint ottoman but it's for decoration only. 

It has the loudest springs inside which my kids think is hilarious... 

me, not so much!

I love the way the colors pop off the chocolate background.

This is the floral basket on top of my fireplace mirror...

A sweet dish that belonged to my Nanny...

A bench with delicate floral carving... 

Love the patina...

Purchased at the garage sale across the street for $5.00

I changed out the seat with a yard of Shabby Chic fabric.

With a staple gun, it took 5 minutes!

I have a pair of these tole sconces flanking the fireplace... 

They have porcelain flowers on them.

{I haven't shown you the fireplace because I don't have my mantel yet.}

Antique Paul de Longpre prints scored at the flea market... 

I have two on each side of the living room windows. 

Love the chippy green frames!

This urn holds a fern...

I have a lot of trouble with plants in this Northern facing room! 

Hope you enjoyed a closer look at my "girlie" space...

I want to give a **special thank you** to

Kristin at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

for featuring my home!!  

If you haven't been to Kristin's blog,

you must head over... 

It's one of my favorites!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hope you will follow my blog!

Linking to the following parties:

Linda Coastal Charm Nifty-Thrifty-Tuesdays

and

Houseof Grace - Twice Owned

and

House in Roses - Show off your Cottage Monday

and

Faded Charm Cottage White-Wednesday

and

My Romantic Home Show and Tell Friday