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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Super Sideboards


One of the most versatile pieces of furniture you can invest in is a sideboard. Sideboards come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and finishes from contemporary to country to formal. They lend style and substance to a room. The original purpose was for use in the dining room for serving
 (think Downton Abby),
 but I find you can use them in several different ways. 
A sideboard is not to be confused with a hutch, which has a top piece usually for displaying dishes. 


 This piece is mahogany and leans toward  the Hepplewhite style. I keep it in my front entry where I store
 linens and candles and a few platters.

These two charming pieces are made of quarter sawn oak, are Tudor in style and are referred to as dessert servers.





The wood grain on this Queen Anne style sideboard is exquisite! It is made of burled walnut.

 I recently bought this Sheraton sideboard back from a client. They are moving and don't have room for it in their new house. 
It looks perfect in my living room (at least for now!).

This is a very old English server. I love the barley twist detailing on the sides. The keyhole is made of ivory.

My daughter and I found this handsome sideboard in a local consignment store. It has a granite top which makes it perfect for putting hot dishes or beverages on.

Here is another English piece with some 
Art Nouveau details.

I suppose my favorite sideboard is this lovely antique French piece with a  parquet top. I store my pewter serving pieces in here plus most of my cookbooks. 
It lives in my family room.
Sideboards are a great anchor to a room especially if there is no fireplace, and they do make wonderful storage units. It's even become popular to repurpose them into T.V. stands or bathroom vanities.

What is your favorite piece of furniture?

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Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Snow Globes

Does it seem too early for a Christmas post? Well, I can assure you, the ladies of my service club are in the thick of Christmas crafts in preparation of our annual Christmas Idea House. I am chairing the Living Room committee this year and I want to share my new favorite craft- 
Winter snow globes.


 Aren't these fun? And so simple to make.

 You can make large scenes from glass canisters,

or tiny scenes from mason jars.

 We've used vintage looking ornaments and embellished with ribbon and a chalkboard tag. 



 Make sure your jars have a wide opening. You can use the jar right side up if it has a cute lid or 
upside down if it has  a flat lid. 
 Glue your ornament to the base with a dab of hot glue.

 Then sprinkle in either faux snow flakes, 

 or rock salt. I add a bit of glitter to the rock salt 
to make it sparkle!

All of these darling snow scenes will be for sale at our big event which supports local charities here in Arizona.
For  more information go to Christmas Idea House.

Have you been working on Christmas crafts yet?

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Thursday, September 17, 2015

Pumpkin Collection

I look forward every September to getting out my collection of pumpkins. It's a random assortment of all shapes and sizes, and I also try to find new ways to display them.

I've put pumpkins in crates, 

 pumpkins scattered across the table,

 pumpkins in tureens, 

pumpkins in ironstone pots, 


 pumpkins on candlesticks, 

and pumpkins on pedestals.

 This summer while thrift shopping I found several glass hurricanes. I though they would be perfect filled with my odd collection! 


 How do you like to display pumpkins?

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