I'm speechless!!

A Cottage Muse

Dreaming in Vintage Whites

Sandi

I recently joined Sandi's give away that she hosted on her blog.

NEVER did I expect to receive such an extravagant package!

The box was Full of beautiful gifts.

After opening the box, I started unpacking, and unpacking, and unpacking!

What I Did expect was the Flea Market magazine, and items that Sandi had listed in her post.

What a SURPRISE to see All of the wonderful things that  Sandi  packed inside the mailing box. 

 Every item that I unwrapped I had to catch my breath!!!
EVERYTHING matches my decor here at the lakehouse!! Everything!!!

 You may think of me as a little over-sentimental, but I actually had tears in my eyes looking at all the pretty things that I received.

 I am tickled pink to have been chosen for this give away.
Diana hit the nail on the head when she said I would be "over the moon"!

I LOVE everything!

The pillow is so appropriate!

After my illness last winter, this pillow makes a real statement about how I see life now.

I thank you Sandi, from the bottom of my heart, for this gracious collection of beautiful treasures that will be cherished by me.
I was stunned, to say the least!
And, thank you to the gals that contributed to this truly appreciated package of "pretties".
God Bless!!!

Decor, or memories?

Brrrrr. It's one of those rainy, windy, damp, and dreary days here at the Lakehouse.

One of those days that is good for curling up in your favorite chair, covering up with an old, worn quilt, and watching a favorite movie....like "Lonesome Dove", or "Sarah Plain and Tall".

I think that's what I'll do.

Before that...I walked through the kitchen and dining room this morning...taking random shots of things here and there.

Remember the plate stand my daughter gave me? It was gold. Some of you suggested painting it white, or grey.  So.....I sprayed on a coat of aqua first, then two coats of white. While the white paint was still wet, I pulled my finger over it in a few places.

The white gave way to the aqua and gold.....giving the effect of aged copper, with a beautiful patina.

 Having the rack on the butcher block, full of white dishes not only is convenient, but gives me the memory of my daughter, Erin, and her thoughtfulness. It warmed my heart to think that she was looking for something special...just for me.
The next picture made me remember my grandpa. The little wooden box in the background was his. He kept old coins in it.  The striped towel is from my sweet sis, Laurie...just because.

This vintage pie safe was snagged at the antique market with Laurie.

I realized that the French tag hanging on the handle was made by Donna at My Shabby Chateau...another "just because" gift.

 Pieces of ironstone collected over the years. Reminding me of our 1848 farmhouse we lived in when the girls were little.

The dried roses our oldest son and his family sent to me during my recovery last winter.(they were fresh when I got them..LOL)

I realized that the bowls on the farmhouse cupboard belonged to my dear friend Debbie. She and Joe recently moved to Florida.

Lace and linen draped over the mantel I bought from Debbie before her move to Florida.

Seashells found everywhere in the Lakehouse. Reminders of the wonderful vacation spent on Sanibel Island with Laurie and Rog.

This cute little basin I received from Laurie the last time we visited Heaven's Walk. I realized the French tag hanging on the ball jar lamp filled with white buttons(from Debbie) is from Tracey from My Petite Maison.
I noticed Kayla(granddaughter) in the family portrait can be seen in the background.

Linens, grain sacks, seed bags, lampshade bones, locker basket...all treasures picked up at the market with Laurie, and also Michelle from Emerald Cove.  Reminding me of eating fried pickles, and drinking diet Pepsi.

A much sought after crown, found while shopping with Debbie from Green Willow Pond just last week!

I wasn't thinking of anything in particular while snapping random shots this morning. Only after going through the pictures did I realize each one had a memory in it.

Maybe I'm not just a collector of "junque" after all.

Maybe I'm a collector of memories.

What I thought were pieces collected for home decor...turned out to be pieces that hold special memories of special people.

How about you?

Look around you today.

Are the pieces you decorate with just decorations? Or do they remind you of someone that has a special place in your heart? 

I'm linking this post with Faded Charm for White Wednesday.

We have a winner!!!!

Good Saturday to everyone!

I don't know if you've heard, but I WON TWO GIVE AWAYS!!!!!!

I just got a confirmation email for delivery this morning from Ramsin about the house sign I won from Rondell at Something Nice and Pretty.  I was going to wait and blog about it when the sign got here, but that won't be for a few weeks yet.  I was so excited about winning, it took a couple of days to settle down. If you've never visited with Rondell, go over and check out her sweet blog. She's been changing her house over to "white", and it's been an amazing transformation.

Then....I just found out last night that my blog was chosen in Sandi's give away at A Cottage Muse! Another totally unexpected blessing! I've been a follower of A Cottage Muse for quite some time, and Sandi has been an encouragement to me ever since I started reading her blog.

As Diana said, "I'm over the moon"!

Since I've been busy with a new member of our household, I didn't get to read any blog posts from yesterday.....Good thing Laurie emailed me about A Cottage Muse last night!

Now for the reason I've been busy.....

 We haven't decided on a name as of yet...but this is our new family member. He's a chocolate toy Poodle.
He's been a little maniac today! Running, barking, and playing all morning.
He did very well last night(his first night home). He got up at 4:30 a.m. to go outside, then up at 7:30 this morning to eat. He's been all over the place since then!!
Our Yorkie, Maggie, was killed two summers ago. She was 15 years old, and her health was not good. Unfortunately, my daughter Kelly backed over Maggie in the driveway....it was traumatic for all of us.
Mr. Lakehouse still has a hard time with the loss.

He seems to be doing okay today, however. Last night was quite sad...lots of memories.
The new baby and Mr. Lakehouse are pretty fond of each other already, though..so I think things will work out just fine. HOWEVER, the name Orville will not be considered....ugh.
So......I would like to thank Rondell, and Sandi for the wonderful give aways. I will be posting about all of the gifts as soon as they arrive!
Enjoy your weekend.
Smooches to all.

Blogger shopping

Actually the heading should read, "Bloggers shopping".

I headed north to Gaylord this morning, to meet Debbie from Green Willow Pond.

It was the first time I met Debbie...yet I felt like I'd known her for a long time.

She's a real beautiful gal...inside and out.

Debbie presented me with gifts that she had made herself.

 Maybe I should have taken the picture before I ate a brownie***actually, it's a good thing I took the picture when I did, or you wouldn't have even seen the brownies.

How do you like this birdcage?  It was one of the first things I spied when we walked in the door at Hobby Lobby.

 Debbie and I really liked these urns. They are so pretty and chippy. We both got a couple. Seems like we both liked a lot of the same things while shopping.
Like mercury glass pieces.....

 I bought two more silver orbs, and just plopped them in urns when I got home.
I've been looking for a nice crown, but could not find any...until today. This bottle topper is really cute!!

I also picked up three more aqua mercury balls to put in my basket.

 We visited the Old Spud Warehouse...a place filled with unique furniture, clothing, rugs, lamps, jewelry, and just about anything "different" you would ever see.
This votive cup caught my eye because of the detail on it.

 Oh yes, another silver ball.

These are the coasters that Debbie made for me. They fit right in with my decor...don't you think?

 This flower frog was sitting by the entry to the Spud Warehouse. It matches the frame on my glass top end table perfectly.

This next piece was an awesome surprise!!!! Not only is it a crown, it's a mercury glass crown!!!!

Wooohoooo!

Cool, huh?!
After some shopping, Debbie and I took a lunch break. We sat and talked for the longest time. I felt so comfortable with her, I shared things that I don't readily share with others.
She's amazing! I love the fact that she looks in your eyes when she talks to you. Almost like she sees the soul...you know?
I feel that God orchestrated our meeting. I don't believe in coincidence. Blessings like today don't "just happen".
I came away with a feeling of renewal in my spirit.
Thank you Debbie for such a wonderful time today...and thank you God for such a wonderful sister in Christ.

Watching the game, while floofing.

It's getting late, but we are waiting to see how the Tigers do in the play-offs.

The game has been exciting tonight, and we are hopeful that Detroit will walk away with a win.

I am still working on trying to camouflage the ugly "pretend" fireplace that was here when we moved in.

 Until Mr. Lakehouse tears off the gross front, and replaces it with wood planks that will be painted white, I will have to make do.

I recently found a beautiful architectural piece of pressed tin at the market while shopping with Laurie.

It was in it's raw state, with a beautiful patina.

Originally I wasn't going to paint the piece, but the more I looked at it, I realized the design didn't show.

So, this afternoon I painted the piece white. Then rubbed it for a worn look, and waxed it.

I attached the piece to the existing shelf above the cute little mantel I also found at the market.

 It looks okay...but I would really like to have the whole fireplace redone.....soon!

 I changed the placement of the domes, cages, lamp, and other things that were on the shelf, and little mantel.
I also draped more linen runners over the shelf.

The galvanized pieces from the table are now on the little mantel.

Seed lights are inside the hearth, giving off a warm glow.

The other shelf is also sporting a new look.

I seriously don't understand why the previous owners thought this arrangement looked good???????

Oh well, you work with what you have, and hope for the best.

Oh yay! the Tigers just won the ball game!!

Now we can go to bed.

Good night*

Mercury glass love

It's Friday, and I have the day off!!! Woohoo!!!

The sun is shining, and it's almost 80 degrees outside!

Before I head out the door, I wanted to show you the new pieces of mercury glass that I ordered for my booth.

Sad thing is....I want to keep them!

Aren't they beeeeautiful!

They are actually tea lights.

After unpacking them, I put them on the coffee table, and liked how they look with the rest of my pieces.

You've seen these candle sticks before. They were my first find...at Target!

The votive holders were from Hobby Lobby.

The aqua balls were also from Hobby Lobby a couple of years ago.

I also ordered three pink pieces for the booth.

I didn't think I'd like the pink, but it's sooo pretty!

 These next two pieces I've had for a while.
I used to think mercury glass was more for the holidays...and maybe it is.
I guess I don't care, because I leave it out all year.

Anyway....time to get outside and soak up some sunshine.
I hope you have a chance to get out there and enjoy this wonderful Indian Summer!

Old slate...continued.

Here we have the large piece of slate that was saved from the junk pile.

Like the others, I used chalk instead of paint. That way I'll be able to change the text whenever I want.

 Mr. Lakehouse thought I was crazy to hang this old piece of slate behind the new stove...but the patina is just so beautiful!  Can you imagine using this for siding or roofing?  It's soooo heavy!!! and it chips and cracks easily.

 Wouldn't it be fun to have a menu written out for company? or even the potage de le jour.

Oh yes...I saw dishes stacked on a dessert stand at another blog a couple of weeks ago. I love the idea of having the dishes right on the butcher block...close to the stove, AND the dishwasher. I think the stand would look better painted white, or even grey....what do you think?
That's it for using old slate in this here lakehouse....
until next time.....................
Bonne nuit.

Pieces of slate...nope, not pieces of eight.

Do you have any idea how difficult it is to write on slate from an old barn roof?!

It's bumpy, and peels.

I suppose I could have used paint instead of chalk, but I thought chalk was a good choice in case I decide to change the wording.

 The patina on these pieces is amazing!
I've had them stored in the shed for about a zillion years. While cleaning that same shed, Mr. L found the slate and asked if I wanted him to dump them......WHAT?????? okay....I held my breath for a minute, then said in a calm, relaxed voice....."ARE YOU CRAZY??!!!" 
I brought the slate inside and washed it off. Then I sat and stared at it for a day, or maybe two.
Hmmmmmmm. I said to myself.

Then I got out a piece of chalk, and started writing.

It was a daunting task.

I tried to keep the letters from getting all blotchy, and blumpy....

I don't claim to have the best hand writing......as you can see for yourself to be true.

I also don't keep things from going downhill very well going freehand.....next time I'll use a ruler.
Anyway...I just couldn't let these beautiful patin....nud pieces sit any longer.
So I'm using them in the kitchen for now. There is a huge piece that will go over the stove.....after Mr. L. drills another hole in the top for hanging.
Hopefully, by then, I will learn a few more French words. I only know things like "wine and beer", and "bread and eggs"....and, oh yeah....bon appetit...is that how you spell it????