Treasures of Time

When I saw that Marie from Emma Calls Me Mama was hosting an Heirloom Party I was so excited. I have been given several pieces of furniture by my mother and mother-in-law. I love each and every piece. My mother-in-law has given me two pieces that were used in her home for many years: a coffee table that belonged to her mother, as well as a dining room set, that includes a gated table that I just adore, that belonged to my husband's paternal grandparents.

I have seen pictures of the dining table over flowing with family while it still sat in my husbands grandparent's home. If I had to guess I would say that at least a hundred people have sat around that table in its existence. Think of all of those family dinners, Bible studies, and all night Nerts tournaments that that table has seen. I love to think that one day each of these pieces will find a new home in one of my daughter's houses. I think I'll love sitting at that table then just for the fact that they will be serving me. (A thought I need to keep in mind while packing lunch boxes this school year.)

The pieces I really want to tell you about today are two cabinets that I have gotten from my parents. When I was a little girl I had a yellow wardrobe in my room that my parents called a shif-a-robe. It's not the highest quality piece of furniture, but for a child it serves it's purpose. And it's a sweet child size wardrobe. The yellow has survived since I was a child. When we resurrected it from my parents garage to use in the elder princesses room I decided that it needed a little updating and added the ball feet on the bottom. Just the idea that a piece of furniture that I used in my room as a child is now in my daughter's room makes me smile.

Sydney's yellow shif-a-robe

The other cabinet that my parents have given me is a pie safe that was used in my great-grandparents farm house in East Texas. My father tells me he remembers the pie safe from visits to his grandparents house; though, I have to admit I can't place where it stood in the house from my own memory. Well the house is falling down, but this little beauty still stands in stands in service of our family after a century of use.

The pie safe now stands in princess #2's bedroom.

While taking pictures of the green pie safe I was reminded of one more heirloom that love. The bassinet that sits on top of the green pie safe has held 3 generations of my families babies (my father, myself, and both of my children.)

I hope you have enjoyed the trip through my memories and my house. I'd love to here from you and to find out what you think.

Amanda

An Open and Shut Case

Cheesey title I know, but I couldn't help it. This post is inspired by Mellisa at the Inspired Room as part of her impromtu Linky party.

I love these shutters! I got them for $10 a piece at my favorite junking place in Houston, Double Decker Antiques, and I do mean junk. The term "Antiques" is used loosley (very loosely), but it's always a source of great materials for creating.

In our previous home I flanked the TV armoire with the pair of shutters to hide some monster speakers my husband had hooked up to the television in our living room. Luckily my husband decided to get rid of the speakers when me moved to our new home.

Where did the shutters end up after we moved? Well one is hiding an opening to DH's closet that needs to be re-framed. The other found it's way to the guest room.

I love it dressed up with the frames and the accessories on the little accent table. (Note to self: hang drapes in the guest room.)

....and what's hidden behind that shutter now?

Why the ironing board and the bamboo blinds that need to be hung in the guest room as well. Gotta love decor that conceals clutter.

An Inaugural Post

Hi everyone. I'm brand spankin' new to blogland. Until recently blogs have been a mystery to me. Why would the average person blog? What do they blog about? Where in blogland can you find a good cup of coffee? Or a great random object with beautiful patina for that matter?

I recently dicovered a blog on accident while looking for something to help me execute a window treatment. The blog I found didn't have what I needed, but it looked interesting so I filed it for later and moved on. When I went back and looked more closely at what I had found a whole new world opened to me. I followed that blog for a while then I realized it led me to another blog which led me to another and another and another. Holy hot tamales, I had hit the mother load. It was like a decorating magazine super charged. (I confess I love me some decorating magazines.) The blogs that I have reviewed so far have been an immense source of inspiration for me and a shot in the creative rear-end.

When I mentioned to my husband that I was thinking about starting a blog he looked at me with a puzzled expression and asked why on earth would I want to do that. I thought I had a brilliant idea that would motivate me to complete some of those unfinished projects...rooms... garden...house... If you get my meaning. Now the hubs is usually my biggest supporter in everything I do no matter how out there it is, but this time he thinks that a blog will just take time away from the things I think it will motivate me to finish. Well, we will see. I hope he's wrong, and if he is I think he'll happy about it.

We moved into our current home about a year ago, but this house is not new to me. We now live in the house I grew up in. My parents moved away, but didn't sell the house. When we reached the decision that we wanted to put our daughter in private school, but didn't see how we could afford to do it on 2 public servant salaries my parents graciously allowed us to move into the house I grew up in and make it our home.


That brings us to my goal of this blog. As I have already mentioned I'm hoping that I will be motivated to get the lead out and finish some of those creative ideas I have floating around in my head. (I seriously can see the whole house done in my head.) This blog will also document the journey of my family making this house that is oh so familiar and comfortable to me into our home, and of course there will probably be some random tangents of the adventures of our lives along the way.

So, I hope you'll join me on this journey, and bear with me as I learn the ins and outs of blogging and try to turn the creative into the tangible to make our home beautiful.

Are you wonder which blog it was that I first stumbled onto? It was livingwithlindsay.com. Still one of my favorites.