A Place to Gather and the Giveaway Winner...

You might remember this vintage table I found for $30 at a garage sale recently!  I was very happy as I was looking for a table for our porch, to use as a family gathering place.  It had a lot of scratching and was distressed, but I liked the dark stain...

 So I used a finish restorer (I just happened to use this one...not an advertisement) that goes on over the old finish and covers scratches beautifully.  I used dark walnut, you just wipe it on with the grain and then remove the excess.  It dries in a half hour and then is topped with the Feed and Wax, that you let dry and polish.  I was happy with the look, a nice finish, but still having character!

I had 10 vintage chairs that I had collected for $3-$4 each...

some with seats to recover...

I am using dropcloth material to recover the seat and topping them with Ikea cushions in the same color for longer use...

A new light fixture gives the room a romantic glow in the evening!  The room is still a work in progress, with wall finishing in the next month, and floors after that, but we can use the room in the meantime!

I topped the table with a natural runner and my favorite basket filled with seaside goodies, aqua jars, old map pieces, and natural elements...

This will be a wonderful place to gather!

Isn't this a cute sign?  Found it at Cracker Barrel restaurant...

Also tonight I am announcing the winner of my 200th Post Giveaway!  Thank you so much for all your entries and good wishes...I wish I could give each of you the prize!  The winner is...

#51 Donna ~ My Shabby Chateau!

I am joining Savvy Southern Style's Wow Us Wednesday

Until next time...
Linda

Weekend Time...and Still Time to Enter The Giveaway!

Aren't these lovely?  They are the first of my lilies to bloom...I love the color!  I just wanted to stop by before the summer weekend fun to remind you there's still time to enter my 200 Posts Giveaway...a $50 gift certificate to one of my etsy shops!  You can visit my shops using the buttons at the top of my blog to see what's there!  The giveaway ends Monday June 27th at 10 PM CST.  Just stop by and leave a comment on the GIVEAWAY POST to enter!

Until next time...I'm off to enjoy the weekend!  Hope you are, too!

Linda

Garden Goodies and A Giveaway...

This giveaway is now closed
I've just returned from a wonderful relaxing vacation with my parents, brothers, sister, and their families in California!  We had such great visits and it was a refreshing and restful time for me...everyone should have a time like that once in awhile! Thank you SO much for all your sweet comments on my last post and best wishes for my trip!
It was fun to see how the gardens at home had grown during my absence...there was plenty of rain and it is looking lush!  The climbing roses have begun to bloom!  Thought I'd share a few photos of what's happening in the garden this week...

Isn't it fun to watch the changes in a garden?  The Asiatic and daylilies will be next!

This is my 200th post!  I have enjoyed blogging SO much and have decided to do a little GIVEAWAY!  Just leave a comment on this post and I'll enter you into a giveaway for a $50 gift certificate from one of my etsy shops!   If you put the giveaway on your blog, leave a second comment and I'll give you a second entry!  Please be sure to have your email enabled, so I am able to reach you!
I have three shops~ there are linked buttons at the top of my blog, so you can check them out and see the goodies there!  The giveaway will end at 10 PM CST on Monday June 27th.

Thank you for ALL your support and comments...it is REALLY appreciated!

I am joining Fishtail Cottage's Cottage Flora Thursday

Until next time...GOOD LUCK in the giveaway!
Linda

Some Pretties From the Lake...

Last weekend at the lake was spent putting in the dock and boat lift, doing yard and beach clean-up, and gardening!  There are still dock sections to go in, as well as the boat, but the beach is ready for summer play, and the firepit is ready to go for nighttime smores making!

We always have lots of visiting ducks...  

There are flowers blooming everywhere...geraniums...

peonies...

irises...

cranesbill geraniums...

 carpet petunias...

the flowerbox is filled with white this year...

chives make a showy display...

Look at this spiderweb...

The pugs enjoy the lake, too!

We have great family times here!  The rest of the family is holding down the fort and I am going to be visiting my parents and family in California for the next week!  I am looking forward to some special times and some relaxation!  So I'll be taking a blog and etsy break... I'll be back on the blogs in a week or so!

Until next time...hope you are enjoying the summer, too!
Linda

End of the Tour...Bachman's 2011 Summer Ideas House...

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  We spent a long weekend at our family lakehome, finally getting good enough weather to put in the dock and boat lift!  It was a great family fun and work time! Today I'll share the last post from the Bachman's 2011 Summer Ideas House~ the colorful exterior buildings and gardens!  The garage was set up for a birthday party!
 

Look at these cute candy trees...

All the great colors give a cheery ambience!

There are lovely flowers and plantings...

and a fun garden party set up in the yard...

Look at this cute gnome/fairy garden created in an old wheelbarrow!  I really would love to have one of these!

There is fun yard art for sale ...

My favorite part of the tour is a building called "The Nook"~ an outdoor writing and reading room!  In other Ideas Houses, it was used as a potting shed.

It is decorated with lots of flowers and plants~ I love the succulent wreaths...

Inside, this is my favorite idea~ vintage plates with words, done with stickers...but they could be painted, stenciled, or transferred, as well.  They say "Either write something worth reading, or do something worth writing".  The wall behind the plates was covered with old book pages...

Such a fun way to use vintage plates...now I need to think of a favorite saying...

How about this vintage stepladder hung horizontally on the wall and used as a bookcase?

Or this charming hat window treatment...

The desk is decorated with flowers,

a vintage typewriter,

and I love this vintage cage with candles...

There are lots of decorative storage containers, too...

Well, that's it~ another great Ideas House!  Hope you enjoyed the tour!  The Fall Ideas House is scheduled for September 15th-October 9th.  If you are coming into town for Junk Bonanza or the Creative Connection, the Ideas House would make a wonderful stop!  You can get tickets and details online!

Until next time...
Linda