Thursday, March 14, 2013

Easter Decor Au Naturale


Although I still love most of my sweet little ceramic bunnies and chicks, I found myself putting out fewer of them for Easter this year.  I have been drawn to a more natural look for Easter and Spring decor.

 
This old tiered server is tarnished and rusted...beyond being suitable for holding food.  So, I had fun transforming it into a mossy spring display.  The eggs could be swapped out for air ferns, succulents, mini pumpkins, pine cones, etc. as the seasons change.

 
I took apart a few store bought nests, replaced the brightly colored plastic eggs for real ones (insides removed of course) and swapped the raffia stuff for soft green moss.  I added a few dried hydrangea flowers to this one, but most I kept very simple.
 
 
 I had a couple of these pedestal dishes tucked away and I think I found their final purpose.  I am loving the combination of the rustic nest with the fancy vintage gold metal base.
 
 
I think this tiny basket once held salt and pepper shakers. 
 
 
 I went looking for some fun vintage images to make tags for my Easter crafts and of course found exactly what I was looking for and more from the Graphics Fairy!
 
 
And I thought you might like to see where I've been getting all of my pretty eggs...  This is my mom's charming little chicken house!  I have been collecting the eggs from her brood of pampered hens this week while my parents have been away.  It has been fun but I am so looking forward to mom and dad's homecoming today!
 
Thank you so much for your sweet visit!
 
Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda
 
 
Sharing this post with these fun link parties:

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Petite Makeovers...Sweet, Springy and Pink!


Spring is definitely in the air!  I just love this time of year!  We have sunshine today after several dark, rainy days, my lilacs are budding and one beautiful bloom has opened on my pink Camellia bush!  Time to start decorating for Easter!

 
This vintage telephone table and chair set ended up being much more petite in person than it looked in the Craigslist ad when I first spotted it.  Pictures can be deceiving!  I should know that by now!  Still, it was old and fairly sturdy and had such a sweet look to it that I decided to take it home with me, in spite of it being much smaller than I had imagined.
 
 
A little glue here and a few nails there and this sweet set was ready for paint
 
 
At first I tried to talk myself out of pink and started with a coat of Old White, but it just didn't cut it.  This little darling was just begging for pink! 


I went with a mix of Old White and Antoinette for a soft, subtle shade of pink and distressed it with a sanding sponge on the edges to show a bit of the first coat of Old White and the wood grain as well.

 
  The size of this table and chair seems just right for an 8 or 9 year old girl and I pictured it beside her bed, with an arrangement  of favorite books and pretty things.
 
 
I like to display some of my own favorite books during this time of year, alongside my Easter decor.
 
 
 These very old, well-loved Beatrix Potter books are such little treasures to me.
 
 
I love that the bindings are worn and frayed and the covers are a bit tattered.  I have a newer set that the kiddos and I enjoy reading, but sometimes we very carefully look through the old ones as well.
 
 I look forward to taking my sweet little pink table and chair to the shop this week along with some other pretty pastel things, a couple of baskets and even a few bunnies! 
 
 
This rather simple vintage stool needed a little something extra to make it special.  Since I've been in the mood for bunnies this week, I decided that a primitive looking rabbit silhouette in Duck Egg blue was just the ticket!  Before I painted it in Antoinette, I brushed on a bit of Duck Egg here and there that now shows through where it was distressed.  Waxed with both clear and dark wax, this piece has a new "old" look and will be a fun accessory for spring decor or a super sweet seat for a little girl's room.
 
 
Thank you for your kind visit today!  I hope that wherever you are today, you are enjoying some cheerful spring sunshine!
 
Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda 
 
 
 
Sharing this post with these fun link parties:

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed
Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound