IRENE in the East Coast

Hello friends:


Irene was here and we just got power, all day without power, watching the rain and the wind destroy trees for eigth hours. My first experience with this type of storm oh oh oh!!! Here are some pictures, lots of wind, and big big waves.  I hope everyone in blog land is okay.  We are just waiting until the high tide, and hopefully the end of the storm.
Pictures from  our town photographers. 


My family in Ct didn't have power all day, and it is now 8:30 PM. and they don't have their power back. They have a lot of can goods, water, and batteries, but I feel awful for them, they are 79 years old.


I pray for all of you who faced Irene today, a horrible storm.


I promise a fun post tomorrow, we need to eat and go to bed.


blessings


martha  

Wedding Bells

Hello friends:


My first wedding!!! I'm so excited, a customer wants my wreaths for her wedding, I'm very happy she liked them so much.  I'm busy making them, here is the picture.

I love this wreath, its delicate but I love it, I have two in my home. Very impressive!!! and for a wedding I'm making them out on an old Shakespeare book, trust me the book is very fragile and shabby, but the love script is so romantic.



Blessings,

martha

MY Chalkpaint projects and " the earthquake" in the East Coast

I replanted a few of my favorite plants into old silver plate containers.

I potted a few into my blue Atlas jars.

An old pitcher, and a sugar bowl from the "Good Will" store

It looks pretty inside the silver plate tray

I didn't get to complete the antique door due to the "earthquake"
in the East Coast.  Everyone was afraid in Boston, everyone is fine, just a bit afraid due to the fact that they are rare around here.
I was near the ocean, but the cell phones didn't work for a while, but we didn't feel anything. I hope that all my readers and followers from Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, and Canada are fine. We just never know when something like this is coming, this one was a real surprise around the entire East Coast.I pray that you are all okay. 


Back to the "magic paint"

I found this on an Architectural Digest magazine, the blue is very similar to my door. I thought it is very nice against the black and white .


After the "earthquake" news, we all stocked up with water and supplies in case things happened again.  I did a little decorating, just to re-group, I call it "decor therapy" , I got this idea a while back, I can't remember if it was a magazine or a blog or somewhere, here is my version.

Sorry about the upside down post, blame it on the horrible "earthquake" affecting our area.  It did make us a bit nervous, a lot of people didn't think it was an earthquake, if you are on the 15th. floor or on a train getting home, you don't know what is going on, unfortunately in this time we all think its the worst. My family is okay, but I hope we have a little warning next time. I heard about it from someone who was standing next to me in line, they were on their iphone. We all headed home and fast.

Blessings to all of you,

martha

LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES....

Mom always said "learn from your mistakes..."
she was right.  I painted an old old door today with a new color (for Me)  Ambussen Blue, from
Annie Sloan chalkpaint.  This paint is magical.
I opened the can and I stirred it a lot, then I tried a little bit on the door, just to see the color, a bit darker than I thought, but I'm sure I can fix that, I don't know??

the deep blue

testing the color on my door.

painting...

painting with a little roller, I love it fast and easy, the paint covers immediately, love that!!!!!

The pictures at the beginning of the post are the hardware, all rustic and I cann't even open it, but I like the old rusty look, 

WELL IT TOOK ME A HALF HOUR, and its now all dry, ready for a second coat, waxing, distressing etc.

Since this is for my house, I'm going to distress A LOT I think.

The title of this post is "learn from my mistakes"  Since you know I'm learning to paint from watching and reading the PAINT GURUS in blogland, I thought you could all learn from the mistakes I'm making.

I didn't wear the gloves because I wanted to take the pictures and then I didn't want my hands dirty.

BACK TO PAINTING, I'm doing a little bench, and a chair in another color.

Today is a beautiful almost autumn like weather, so I got so inspired  to DYI paint, outside and in my enclosed porch.  Finally a good painting day.  

I would like to ask about the hardware in my door:  SHOULD I PAINT IT?  OR LEAVE IT AS IT IS????

TELL ME WHAT DO YOU THINK, THE KNOB IS AN OLD PORCELAIN KNOB, THE HINGES ARE THE ORIGINALS??? PAINT   YES?    NO??

Enjoy Monday,

martha

Decorating with old crates

THE NEWEST TREND !!!! is decorating with old vintage crates, graphics, and advertisement, shabby, just about anything, pricey?  yes, in antique shops, they are getting $45.00 to $50.00 per crate, in flea markets, antique malls, and shops with a few vendors, cheaper, about $25.00  I visited a shop who houses about 15 vendors all  shabby chic painted furniture and all, their crates were $22.00  a big difference.  Personally I love them and use them, the minute  I get one it sells on Etsy.  The last one I sold was a cranberry crate from Cape Cod, it sold in five minutes, I haven't seen one like it again.

What DYI and decorators do with the crates:

 

Use them to hold items in the kitchen counter, courtesy of

These adorable crates are handmade by the crafty Ana White

Three potatoes four shop An idea to use small and big ones together!!!!!or even drawers, I have a lot of drawers.

Vintage stylist, New Zealand,  awesome crates.

courtesy of Pottery Barn

etsy shop



courtesy of Ebay  $50.00  Great colors!

Hope you enjoyed the different uses of crates, and I will take pictures of mine on our next post,

blessings

martha



A GREAT MINI TUTORIAL

Hello friends:  Here is a mini tutorial from BHG, easy and fast.

 

Better Homes and Gardens has provided us with a great tutorial on how to easily put together a framed living vertical wall. It can be hung indoors or out, be small or large and is extremely hearty so even black thumbs like me can have a go at it.

This project allows you to be as hands on as you want. You can make or buy your frame or even purchase an entire kit which will provide you with the frame, cactus mix and succulents ready to go.

So if you're wanting to squeeze in one or two more summer projects before the season starts fading on us, then this could be one that isn't too daunting and will assure a nice display of greenery to cheer you up as the fall and winter months start creeping in on us.

Images: Better Homes and Gardens

• San Francisco
• Alysha Findley
• August 19, 2011 03:45PM

TAGS

gardening

Just love easy tutorials, these plants are on sale at Kmart, I used chickenwire instead.

happy Friday

martha

TREASURES

Hello friends:

Today, I wanted to share some of my Etsy items that made it to Treasuries.  Different curators choose items by color, photos, or other categories and its a boost when someone chooses your items.  In my case, I love this particular mirror, its so shabby and painted so well, I love the shape and all.  The other item this week  is an antiquetag I made out of clay, and I tried to crackle it.  Take a look and let me know what you think, I love your comments and you know I answer everyone, they make me very happy.

Vintage ornate shabby chic mirror featured in a Treasury

From katecreativesalvage

.
www.etsy.com/treasury/NzY2Mjk1M3w1OTMyMDUxMzI/autumn-feeling?ref=pr_trea...
www.etsy.com/treasury/MTAwNjE4MDh8NTgwMjQ1OTI1/fun-to-touch?index=0

 

 

Remember the special sale until the 31st. 40% off.


Martha

 

BOOKCASES, how to decorate

Hello friends:


Thanks for all the comments on the "weekend party" idea. Today, I want to talk to you about my nightmare, "bookcases".  I have a beautiful oak and brass antique bookcase. I cannot paint it, because is in the "family" so, the problem is the "mess", I can't keep it straight.
I need to take a picture, not today, but I promise to take a picture of the before and after.

Take out all the drawers, paint and wallpaper, and voila, you have a bookcase ,my  problem, I already have one.

to this BHG

Now, this is the way I would like my "bookcase" to look, ah you too?

Country Living, different??

Add caption

from this to this, BHG

New York apartment Love the books, mix with collectibles, pictures, art,
this I found on Bing.com

one way to solve the problem if you have a lot of books (courtesy of HGTV)

A girl can dream,  courtesy of the Queen of decorating Martha Stewart.

moving on




Well, enough inspiration, I know a lot of people organize by size, color, height their books.  I didn't, I organized them by topics, then I added some "collectibles" my favorite things, some more books going the other way.
I thought about covering some books with white paper, have you seen that??  give me some ideas PLEASE.
I promise I will show you the mess, I'm so ashamed, but I use my books too much, so everything gets out of order.

Oh well, good friends, talk to you tomorrow,

love and blessings,

martha

LET's HAVE A SUMMER WEEKEND PARTY,

Sunday afternoon tea, notice the paper tablecloth, don't know where to get it, nice??
Courtesy of Country Living

sweet table  courtesy of Country Living

A drink station, an old table , an urn with persaco and ginger ale, some coffee and you are done, courtesy of Country Living magazine

country setting, love the banner, courtesy of Country Living magazine


With the help of my favorite magazine, we have a lot of ideas, PLEASE COMMENT ON YOUR FAVORITE!!!


Happy Saturday,

martha