Decorating in the Dining Room...

I was so thrilled to find these herb boxes on etsy, because I had the perfect spot in mind for them in the dining room. I LOVE how they look! BUT...

I think my family is sick of hearing me sing "are you going to scarborough fair...parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme...." Ya know, that song can be incredibly annoying. Especially since I'm no Ed Ames.

One of my favorite places to go "junking" is our church basement :) I mean, how could I resist these adorable old Sunday School chairs?!

It makes a great "time-out" chair, and the pillow states just how I feel on most days...

Can I get an Amen?

I found these old shutters at the Thrift Store for 1.99, and I knew just where I wanted to put those, too. I never could get this wall to look right before, but I'm loving the shutters.

The hubs brought me this old sewing machine table (the neighbors were tossing it). I love it because it gives me some more buffet space. We do a good bit of entertaining, and I always run out of room for food on the buffet. This little table top folds out to make even more space - YAY! Now the question is, to paint, or not to paint. Hmmm.

I think the 4th herb box looks pretty sweet hanging on the shutters :) The big old wire basket also came from the Thrift store, it was less than a dollar, but I can't remember how much...maybe 59 cents? I'm not sure what it's original purpose was - it's pretty tall.

I guess that pretty much takes care of the Dining room redo...

except for refinishing the table, and finishing the chair covers.

Maybe I'll get started on that soon.

Maybe.

Finished Object Friday - It's in the Bag.

*Edited to add*....I now have several of these totes for sale in my etsy shop, The Parsonage Queen for those of you who may not like to sew ;) So click on over and browse, you're always welcome in my shop!

Ok, now back to the original post ;) 

I first saw this glorified tote bag idea on Susie Harris' blog, and it was one of those I've-got-to-make-these-TODAY things. So I made one for my Mother-in-law for Mother's Day...

and I was hooked.

I enlisted the help of my Mom, and we cranked out enough of them to give as Mother's Day gifts to our church ladies. Of course, I forgot to take any pictures before I gave them all away. But they looked similar to this one, with just one ruffle.

There are a zillion ways to make fabric rosettes, and we learned by trial and error what worked the best.

Then I made this one for myself, just because I had some extra bags left over. And I couldn't resist.

Well, and because I really wanted to try making some rosettes using the twist and glue method.

I liked it! At least I liked all but the hot glue burn on my finger...owie.

Since I used fabric scraps I had laying around already, the only expense was the totes themselves. You can get them at Wal-Mart for 2 bucks each. How awesome is that?! And the possibilities are endless! You can let your imagination run wild.

I'm linking up with Chari's Finished Object Friday.

Happy Weekend!!

Special Touches...

I have a major weakness for old stuff.

I guess you could call me a junk junkie.

I like to have things around me that could tell a story.

And this vintage train case and suitcase set was just too big a temptation.

It was love at first sight.

And the hydrangeas, well, they just make it that much sweeter. Besides, what a perfect way to fill that blank spot in the fireplace!

I've made a few other little changes in the bedroom...

We put away the down comforter and brought out the summer comforter. (After we near roasted to death with the warmer weather...) Not only is it cooler, but the ruffles are just too cute, and it is SO soft. Makes it really hard to get up in the morning.

And I just thought I'd throw in this shot of the sitting area. What is it about old wicker chairs? They get me every time!

Dining Room Goes Neutral - Phase 1

First of all, thanks to you all for sending in your votes!

It was a very close race between "A" and "B"...

so I chose...

"C".

Yep. After all that, I decided to just mix the two.

Several mentioned the flowers, and then others liked the chalkboard, so I used both of those and a little metal container I picked up at Hobby Lobby. And you know what? Y'all rock, because I like it this way better than both the others :) What would I do without you all to make up my mind for me?!

So now,

on to other parts of the dining room.

I'm getting really tired of the toile panels. I know, I know, I just put them up 6 months ago...

But I've used that fabric for the past 6 years. Really. I'm ready for a more neutral palette. (Don't I sound all fancy using words like palette?! Shoot...folks round here would be like "Say what?") Besides, I just realized that I have panels is every. room. of. my. house. barring the kitchen and bath. Can you say RUT? It's time to shake things up a bit, no?

So here's the dining room before...

And then here are a few inspiration photos I gathered off the internet.

LOVE this one...

(Yeah, I know it's not a dining room, but still I love the white)

Did you notice a trend? Check out the window treatments. They're perfect. And simple. That's what got me to thinkin'.

So, I pulled down the pink toile panels,

got back on the old beastly sewing machine,

and created some faux Roman shades of my own.

They could stand to be a touch wider, but I'm still pretty happy with them. It's a nice change. I also added some linen panels to the buffet in an effort to hide some clutter. It worked :)

Now, on to Phase 2...

It may take awhile. I need to refinish my table.

Anybody wanna help?