March 6, 2023
Today’s post will be lighthearted and chatty instead of the philosophical ramblings of last week. For those of you who do not really care about decorating, I truly apologize but I am sharing some more decorating ideas.
You can probably tell by my slogan, “sharing my heart, music, and home”, that all things home are pretty important to me though my blog is not solely décor and house ideas. I love the freedom to write about whatever is on my plate to do or rattling around in my mind. I do try to fit all my blog posts into one of those categories (personal, music, or home).
I’m not one of these people who can instantly change over her house from one season to another in an hour and have every remnant of mess put away. Slow and ponderous describes me though I have learned to be more efficient with less time as a mother. So all this to say, I am taking several weeks to transition my home into a brighter, more spring-like look, and I am bringing you along on the journey.
Let’s start in my kitchen. Last year I found this little row of hooks from our local thrift store for about $1.50. It was the usual ‘80s orange stain. At first I tried sanding it to achieve the whitewashed look, but then I decided painting was more efficient for such a small piece (spending hours on a small piece like that didn’t appeal to me). The hooks fit perfectly between the doorframe and the cased opening, so it was meant to be!
I painted the hooks Valspar’s Sage green. Lisa from Farmhouse on Boone inspired me with her beautiful green pantry, so I was excited to bring in a pop of green in my kitchen. If I had to do it all over again, I’d love to get the paint lightened by 50% which is a trick I learned from Andrea at Pine and Prospect Home.
A friend gave me a basket of flowers last fall, and many of the flowers dried beautifully. The flowers hung across my kitchen sink during the winter, but I love their new home on this little row of hooks. The flowers add an element of timeless country charm to my kitchen, and it is amazing that such a simple touch can add a dramatic change.
Let’s talk about the blue willow plate above the row of hooks now. My kind neighbor brought a stack of blue willow plates to me a couple of weeks ago, and I am thrilled to have them in my home now! The plates belonged to my neighbor’s grandmother which I think is extra special.
The easiest way to display a plate on the wall is to buy the 3M command strips rated for 5 lbs (honestly, I just buy the Walmart knockoff version). I have never had a plate fall off the wall, and I love how easy it is to mount the plates. Simply stick one of the stickers on the wall and hold for about 30 seconds. Attach the opposite side of the adhesive strip on your plate and hold for 30 seconds and then mount on the wall! Or you can cheat like me and just put the other side of the sticker right on the wall and hold the plate to the sticker (this is what I did in the YouTube video). Another bonus with the adhesive strips is that you can then change out your décor! I changed out my pink plates for these blue ones.
Moving around my kitchen, let’s come over to another wall. The antique-inspired mailbox has called this wall home for many years now. I absolutely love the garden, white wrought-iron look of this piece, and stick around my blog long enough, and you will find many pieces throughout my home of this style. My mom bought this mailbox for me from T J Maxx when I was in college or high school. It still has the price sticker on the back…$7.99! Incredible. Nothing is that cheap anymore! Using command strips, I mounted another blue willow plate above the mailbox.
Coming through to the living room, I will now show you one of my favorite display pieces. I bought this piece from Kohls about 10 years ago. It was already on sale. When I got up to the counter, I asked the cashier if she could knock any more off of the price because it was chipped on the back. She lowered the price, and I walked out with it for $20. I know this piece may be too country for some, but I have hardly any display areas in my home, so this piece allows me to show off my favorite small treasures.
Speaking of little treasures, the mug in the top left compartment is hand-painted by a distant relative, Ada Osborne, painted in 1910. The flower pitcher was a wedding present to my maternal grandmother. The chippy white heart in the bottom left compartment was from a friend. The basket was a cheap thrift store find, and the apron was a $0.50 yard sale find.
I hope you are noticing a theme, and the theme is collecting special things over time. Some of my favorite items have been given to me, and some of my favorite items have come from thrift stores. For something to come home with me, it has to catch my eye and convince my heart that it will be beautiful in my home. I love using timeless pieces because they will never go out of style. This is why the country farmhouse style appeals to me!
Thanks for joining me, friend, for a bit of home chatter. I hope you have enjoyed!
-Ashley
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