Finishing the Basement-Part 2, Fun Finds & a Question!

After 32 years, we're finishing the basement!

This is part 2 in our saga.

I also want to share some fun finds and I have a

questions for you - help!

First, if you just do one thing for your basement,

let there be light - lots of light!


Then install closet doors...

Add some walls....



and a door.....

We've added flooring.....a vinyl wood look-alike
for its durability and ease of cleaning.
There's always a possibility of sawdust from hubby's shop
and we don't want to hyperventilate over wood floors getting damaged.

This is the main room - office/playroom for the grandies.
It's not decorated or arranged yet.....nothing on the walls, etc. However,
what in the world should I do with the windows?
I like the bamboo roman shades, but I need to soften the look in this area?
Long window treatments are fine and can be casual, but
what do you do with the area under the windows?
A valance?  maybe? Don't want any fussiness.
I don't want to cover the windows....just give them a finished look....
even make them look bigger!
Any ideas out there????  Please!!

I got a couple of GW gems recently.....
these 2 old books and a $2 white ironstone gravy boat
made in Spain that, interestingly enough, matches my
white ironstone Johnson Brothers plates!
The book on top (dating 1883) is a Danish to French dictionary!
I don't read Danish, but I do read French - how fun!
But, regardless, it is a lovely old leather book!

I'm thinking of framing some old maps for the basement office area,
along with some memorabilia of my FIL's time
during WWII in the Pacific.
Would love any thoughts or suggestions on the windows,
considering there probably won't be a sofa down there -
at least while the grandies are so young.
I know there are a lot of very creative people out there!
Blessings to you,
Linda

Joining:
Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday

A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

No Minimalist Here for Open House Party

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday

Hydrangeas & Antique Box

I can't believe I have the nerve to do yet another post on the

antique box centerpiece,

but, well, I do!

Both my Daughter and my Daugher-I-L

wanted one,

so Mr. Nest went to work to make 2 more boxes.

Daughter was sweet to re-dress mine.
I must admit, she cleaned it up a bit and I like it better.

I like the way she used the

little zinc numbered pots with just

two hydrangea blossoms

that I already had.

The she took advantage of Michael's
1/2 off sale of flowers
and used creamy white hydrangeas as a base for her box
in her blue & white kitchen.

I like the way she worked in her iron
votive holder and added green berries.

I think the touch of burlap ribbon
filled in the gaps nicely and added another texture.
I decided that I liked hers better than mine!

Next, she went to work on my D-in-L's  box,
using 2 different muted shades of green hydrangeas,
creamy white ones,
green berries and burlap ribbon.
I added the votives with
battery operated candles for safety with the kids!

This pic is in my kitchen just before delivery.

D & I  decided we like D-in-L's box best!

Well, there you have it....
3 different looks for the same old box.
We decided you could keep the neutral hydrangeas year round
and just add red berries for Christmas,
and other touches for spring and fall.
Blessings to you,
Linda
(p.s. My next post will NOT be about the box : )

Joining:

Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday
A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

No Minimalist Here for Open House Party

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday

Porch, Patriotism, Plans

Happy Fourth of July! What a privilege to celebrate the freedom of our country, when courageous men declared their independence from England and then put their lives on the line. We are very blessed people to live in a land with such an amazing heritage. I pray we don't ever forget it. God has certainly blessed our country.

We began flying our flag daily, beginning the day after 9/11, and our porch seems "naked" without it!

And now for some random, thrifty redos.....first, this little dated $3 green box with compartments and a fruity painting.

I thought this would be fun for the grandies. I painted it white, tied some jute around it, and filled it with Scrabble tiles, dominoes, sea shells, golf balls, corks, cards, and Scrabble trays. I am looking for marbles, and some other interesting stuff for them to dig out and play with.

Daughter gave me this adorable little footstool - a thrifty GW find, and it didn't need paint or anything...good to go! I love the iron legs and the straw covering tied on with jute.

I found this tall $2 tin pitcher looking like this...OK, I know it's patriotic, but it's just too busy for me.

So I painted it apple green with left over paint from my green porch chair and it fits right in on the porch.

I have a GREAT project to show you that Daughter did, but am having trouble with the pics sent from her camera. I'll take some pics with my camera and show you next time. You won't believe it!!!

Also, this is a project waiting in the wings to be completed by Daughter-in-law and me. I can't wait to see this makeover.

I'm joining these parties....oh, and thanks, ladies, for your weekly hostessing!

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday

Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for Today's Thrifty Treasures

Marty at A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesdays

Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

May you have a safe and Happy 4th of July! And May God bless our country, guide our leaders, protect our servicemen and women, and allow us to be a beacon of freedom to the world....one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Blessings to you. Linda

Too many Topiaries? Never!

Do you like topiaries? I love using them around the house. Debbie (at Confessions of a Plate Addict) and I have found so many at GW and thrifting. I can't understand why people get rid of them.....they are classic and versatile. What do you think?

I have a pair of most of the following topiaries:
(GW find)






(GW find)

(only one of this tall GW triple moss ball)

(Only one of this church rummage sale topiary)

My daughter stripped one of her topiaries bare and tied a ribbon on it. I have stripped this one, but haven't added the ribbon yet. (GW find)

But this little gem is a REAL topiary......isn't it a beauty?!

This was given to me by my friend Debbie at the recent passing of my MIL (see previous post). Since Debbie (Plate Addict) and I have hunted down and bought so many thrifty artificial topiaries, she thought it would be nice to have a REAL one. I think it is just gorgeous!

Check out the pretty pot the topiary is in....à la Debbie. Yep, she attached burlap and toile. Don't ask me how, just go visit her blog. Maybe she'll do a tutorial! It really is lovely!

Thank you Debbie. I love it! Blessings. Linda

A French Book Cover, etc.

I have a French Book Cover to show you, along with some thrifty finds, but first let me tell you about this telephone table from my previous post. Someone had seen this and wondered if it was a child's desk. No, indeed it is a telephone table from the early 1900's. This belonged to my grandmother, who used it in the center hall of her house with her black telephone with a straight cord. (This was even before the time of curly cords!)
We painted it last week, and I keep the stool turned backwards and tucked under the table part...sort of like a library table....because it works better for us and doesn't stick out.

Everything in this cupboard (except the rooster pitcher and the sound system - argh!) is a thrifty find. The Red Cliff casserole on the top left, the large tureen on the top right(just got it), and the pitcher on the left were all GW finds. The pitcher on the second shelf on the right was free with Green Stamps MANY years ago!

Instead of tabletops, I'm showing a couple of furniture tops.....the top of the cupboard has a large lantern and 2 VERY large - though they don't look it - Bibles from the 1800's that my husband found for free over 50 years ago.

On top of the fridge is a thrifty find bird cage and a humongous rooster that my daughter "made" me buy many years ago, and I'm glad I did!

These queen sheets with beautiful black embroidery were a recent garage sale purchase for $5.

The lady said she used them once and didn't like the fact that they needed to be touched up with an iron. Doesn't bother me a bit!

And now for my French book cover.....I saw the most fascinating book at GW - $2.00 - "The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes" - so interesting! Anecdotes by many people through the years. But first, the binding on the top had a dog-eared looking place. So I covered the book with some brown paper that I already had, stamped it with my French writing Stamp and then the fleur-de-lis stamp and voilà!
Here's an anecdote from the book that you music lovers might like: "At the age of two Mozart was taken to visit a farm, where he heard a pig squeal. "G-sharp!" he exclaimed. Someone ran to the piano. G-sharp was right."

Underneath the "French" anecdote book is a copy of "Les Misérables" that I also got at GW. It's one of my all-time favorite books! Anyway, an anecdote about it: "When Victor Hugo wanted to know what his publishers thought of the manuscript of "Les Misérables", he sent them a note reading simply: "?" They replied "!"

I'm working on my covered porch and have gotten this much accomplished.......

and this...........................to be continued.......

I'm joining the following parties:

Met Monday, hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch

Today's Thrifty Treasures, hosted by Rhoda at Southern Hospitality

Tabletop Tuesday, hosted by Marty at A Stroll Thru Life

Nifty thrifty Tuesday, hosted by Linda at Coastal Charm

Have a wonderful weekend and upcoming week. Blessings to you. Linda

A Little Silver Somethings or Did she polish them?

I have a few little silver somethings to share for Silver Sunday and you should have seen how they metamorphed from before to after polishing! A big "thank" you to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for her long-time hosting of Met Monday, as well at Beth at The Gypsy Fish for her Silver Sunday party. Thank, girls!

I have a collection of silver baby forks....first, mine, then my MIL's, then my son's, and last, my hubby's with the last name monogram. Guess which one went through the disposal! Mine....I didn't know they had disposals then! Can you see the damage on the fork tines?

Oops, looks like the base of my fork had a spin in the disposal, too.

This is my silver porringer (sp?). Believe it or not, this is AFTER polishing. I should have taken a "before" picture and then it would be obvious. I considered spray painting it and thought the handle would be very pretty, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that. Anyway, now that tarnished silver is "in" (can you believe it?!) I am glad I restrained myself!

When in the world did people use salt cellars? These are very old, not sure how old, but somehow I ended up with 3 cellars and 7 spoons.

It's hard to keep silver protected from salt. I just polished these little spoons, and with the help of a magnifying glass, I noted that they are sterling. That was a surprise!

I'm glad to see that silver is getting its respect back. It seems that stainless, pewter, and armatele came in and took over. Don't you just think there is something elegant and timeless about silver? I think it mixes well with casual, too. Thanks Susan and Beth. Be sure and check out their sites for some great pics and info. Happy Sunday and Monday! Linda