Happy Birthday To My “Baby”

THOUGH YOU ARE GROWN (by Cynthia A. Sieving)

 

I remember years ago,

you were so little then.

Sometimes, I can’t help but wish

that you were small again.

I’ve cried when you’ve faced heartaches,

and saw that as you grew,

nothing broke your Spirit,

instead it strengthened you. 

I’m filled with mixed emotions,

as I hold back all the tears,

and with much pride remember,

back so many years. 

When I first held you in my arms,

if only I’d have known,

the years would feel like moments,

after you had grown.

You aren’t a child,

though in my eyes,

 

I guess  you’ll always be,

that baby girl who changed my life,

and means the world to me.

  Photo credit: Luis Santana, Tampa Bay Times

 

 Happy 27th birthday to my “Baby Girl” !

I love you with all of my heart and soul.

xoxo

Mom

    

My Best Thrifting Find. EVER!

This week I’d like to join in the Thrifty Treasure’s party hosted by Rhoda at Southern Hospitality.  If you love  great bargain stories, you absolutely must go by and visit Rhoda and all the other bloggers who are showing off their wonderful thrifting finds.

Many of you very lucky ladies are experts at finding lots of fabulous treasures at the thrift stores, garage sales and flea markets on a regular basis. 

Me…not so much.

One day, however, while browsing in my local Goodwill store, I spotted a little vintage lamp high up on a shelf.  It was covered in many layers of dust,  dirt and grime, as if it had been stored in someone’s attic or garage  for a long time before being donated.  It didn’t have a shade and some of the pink ceramic roses on it were chipped,  or missing altogether. 

Price:  $4.00. 

I picked it up…and put it down…picked it up… and put it down.  I continued to walk around the store looking at other items but I kept coming back to look at this little lamp again and again. 

Ultimately, I left the store without buying it.

Why? Because I didn’t really know where I was going to put it.

All the way home, a little voice in my head kept saying, “Turn around and go back to get that lamp!” 

Did I listen?

No. 

Why?  Because I didn’t really know where I was going to put it!!!

Huh?  What the heck is wrong with me that I had to think twice about spending $4.00?!  Do you do that too?  Probably not.

For the rest of the day, I kept thinking about that little lamp.

The next morning I woke up with that lamp STILL on my mind so I jumped in the car and prayed all the way to Goodwill that somebody else hadn’t already snatched it up…somebody with a lot more sense than me!

For once, Lady Luck smiled down on me because the lamp was sitting right where I had left it.  But I guess waiting one more day paid off because I also spotted a brand new shade that I hadn’t seen the day before.  It not only  fit this lamp perfectly but someone had applied pink rose trim around the edge!

It was meant to be.

Lamp shade price:  $3.00.

So, for a whopping $7.00, I got a cute vintage lamp with a whole lot of personality. 

Oh, and all those pre-purchase worries about where I was going to put it…

I had absolutely NO PROBLEM finding a place for it in my cottage style living room.

Yep, my best thrifting find.  EVER!

Pretty Buttons

My mother was a beautiful seamstress.  She used to make a lot of my clothes when I was growing up.  When I was a baby and a toddler, she went to all the trouble to sew lace on my socks…way back before you could buy ready-made lacey socks.  When I was in the first grade, I was an angel in the school Christmas pageant.  She made my costume and then painstakingly hand-sewed hundreds and hundreds of individual sequins all over it so it would sparkle and shine under the lights on the stage.  She made clothes for my Barbie dolls and outfits with matching bonnets and shoes  for my daughter’s Cabbage Patch Kids.  My mom  even made baby blankets to coordinate with all my daughter’s newborn outfits.  The peach and white dotted Swiss sun suit my daughter wore on her first birthday was handmade by my mom to coordinate with the colors and design on the birthday cake.

When my mom passed away, I inherited the extensive collection of buttons she had accumulated during all the years she sewed.

I did not inherit my mom’s love for sewing but I do love buttons.

My favorites are the pinks and whites.

Are you drawn to buttons too?  What’s your favorite color?

***********************************

Posted for “Pink Saturday” which is hosted by Beverly @ How Sweet the Sound.  Go visit Beverly’s blog for a list of others who are into all things pink and pretty.

A New Blog: Cottage Sisters

A couple months ago, I met a woman named Jill in a local antique store when I was browsing with my friend, Debbie. Jill happened to overhear a conversation Debbie and I were having about some of our favorite blogs so Jill stopped us and introduced herself. She said she also read some of the blogs Debbie and I had been discussing!

The three of us stood and talked for the longest time about our love of all things cottage and before we parted ways, we exchanged email addresses.

Jill has thoroughly enjoyed reading blogs about cottage decor but I mentioned she should consider starting her own blog so she could share her cottage style decorated home with others.

Well, I’m very happy and excited to announce that Jill , who lives here in Florida, has teamed up with her sister-in-law, Denise, who lives in California, and together they will be co-authoring the blog, Cottage Sisters.

Please pop over and say a big friendly “HELLO” and welcome them to Blogland.

The Power of Paint……A Metamorphosis Monday Transformation

As I have previously mentioned, I have been painting furniture in my home, little by little, in an attempt to convert  to cottage style decor. 

Today, for Metamorphosis Monday, I would like to share a project that is probably one of the most dramatic “before” and “after” transformations that has taken place in my home.  I painted an old 3 piece wall unit that has been in my living room for eons.   

I have had a love/hate relationship with this wall unit. 

I have loved it because it nicely fills up  a long, awkward wall we have in our living room.  It has also given me lots of space to display many sentimental items that belonged to  my mother and grandmother, plus other things I have collected over the years.  Last, but certainly not least, it  has three very roomy storage areas concealed behind doors.  I need all the storage  space I can get!

But for at least the past decade, I have also hated it because it was so dark and out-dated looking.  It was definitely “stuck in the 70’s.”

After its  metamorphosis, it still is not my idea of  the  "perfect" cottage piece but it’s better.   It seems a little more current and feels "fresher” to me.

 

For more Metamorphosis Monday transformations, check out Susan's Between Naps on the Porch blog!

Blue Ribbon Cheesecake

Today, for “Foodie Friday,” I’m sharing my favorite cheesecake recipe with you.  It won me a first prize blue ribbon (and a $3.00 check…woo hoo!) at our local county fair in…are you ready for this… 1983! 

Twenty-six years later this cheesecake still remains a winner with  my family and friends.

            holding my BIG prize money check & blue ribbon in 1983

 

Unlike many cheesecake recipes that use a graham cracker crust, this one calls for Nabisco Social Tea Biscuits.  In my opinion, a graham cracker crust always seems to overpower the flavor of cheesecake but the Social Tea Biscuits have a nice subtle taste that allows the filling to take center stage.

You will find the complete recipe at the end of this post.  Try it.  I think you’ll like it.

 

The ingredients for the crust are Social Tea Biscuits and butter.

 

I use my food processor to crush the cookies.  Then I add the melted butter and pulse again  until the cookies and butter are thoroughly mixed.

 

Now it’s completely optional whether you use these, but did you know wrapping “even-bake strips” around the outside of your springform pan helps keep the outer parameter of the cheesecake from over-cooking and drying out?  The strips also help prevent the top of the cheesecake from cracking.  Caution:  You must thoroughly wet strips with water before placing them on the pan and putting them in your oven!    I bought mine at either Michael’s Crafts or Joann Fabrics & Crafts. 

Using a fork is a good way to press the crust half-way up the sides of the pan

 

The filling ingredients are cream cheese, eggs, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla.

Another little tip…I use my food processor not only for crushing the cookies, but also to mix the cream cheese filling ingredients.  It’s really quick and does a great job of blending the batter so you have a super-smooth and creamy cheesecake without any lumps.

 

Pour filling into crust. 

Evenly distribute the filling around in the crust and bake.

 

After baking, remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. 

While it is cooling, mix the topping ingredients…sour cream, sugar and vanilla.

Now just let me say, I picked up the Reduced Fat sour cream by mistake.  You can certainly use Reduced Fat, or even Fat Free, but my thinking is, if you are going to indulge in cheesecake, why worry about a few extra grams of fat?

Blend topping ingredients with a spoon.

 

Pour topping over baked cheesecake.

 

Smooth topping evenly over baked cheesecake and pop it back in the oven  for another 5 minutes.

Chill overnight.

 

Would you care to join  me for a slice of cheesecake and a cup of hot tea or coffee?

 

BLUE RIBBON CHEESECAKE

CRUST:

1 sleeve (or 1/2 box) Nabisco Social Tea Biscuits

1/2 stick of melted butter

Crush biscuits until fine.  Add melted butter and mix well.  Press into springform pan covering bottom and halfway up sides.

CHEESECAKE MIXTURE:

3  8 ounce packages of softened cream cheese

3  eggs

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Mix all ingredients until smooth.  Pour into pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes. 

While cooling, mix the following topping ingredients  with a spoon:

1  16 oz. container sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

After the 10 minute cooling time, pour sour cream mixture over cheesecake and bake 5 minutes more.  Refrigerate overnight before removing from springform pan.

The cheesecake purists will probably want to enjoy it plain but it can also be served with fresh or frozen berries, or any canned fruit filling (such as  Comstock pie filling).

 

Furniture Painting 101

A nice visitor to my blog, Sandra, told me via email  she and her husband just bought their first home and decided since it is in the country they would like to decorate it  in Cottage Style that is French inspired.  They want to paint and distress some furniture they already have, as well as second-hand pieces they might be able to pick up  in the future through their local Craigslist, so Sandra asked me  to explain the steps I used to paint and distress the chest and nightstand in my French country cottage guest bedroom/office. 

On the one hand, I am extremely flattered  but I am also somewhat apprehensive because I don't claim to be an expert at painting furniture.  I'm sure I don't do it the "right" way, and certainly not the way a professional would.  However, with that disclaimer out of the way, I will share with you and Sandra what has worked for me.

First, because I knew I was going to be doing A LOT of furniture painting during my conversion to cottage-style decor, I decided to invest in a basic airless sprayer.  I bought mine at Lowe's for about $100 but I believe there might be a cheaper model. 

Without a doubt, it was $100 well-spent.  I have painted more than 15  pieces of furniture…some of them quite large…and having the sprayer has made the painting process so much quicker and easier.  If you can buy, borrow or rent a sprayer, I highly recommend it.  You can thank me later.

**Edited to add:  When I originally wrote and posted this tutorial, I included a photo of a Wagner sprayer that appeared to be the newest model of my paint sprayer.  Upon further investigation, I found the photo I posted was not the current model of the sprayer I use.  I have removed that photo.  The one pictured here now is like the one  I use…the Wagner Control Spray Plus.  I am sorry if the incorrect photo has caused any confusion or problems for anyone reading this tutorial.

 

                                 Wagner Control Spray Plus

I found this sprayer to be very user friendly and there are only a few parts to disassemble for cleaning, which makes cleanup a breeze.

Certainly though, a paint sprayer is not mandatory to paint furniture.  Good results can also be achieved with a brush and roller.  It's just going to be more tedious and time consuming.

PREP WORK:  I am fairly very lazy when it comes to prep work.  (If there are any pros reading this, here’s where they are probably groaning and rolling their eyes.)  I don’t bother with stripping off the old finish and I hate to sand.  Hate it!  Out of 15+ pieces of furniture I have painted, I only stripped and sanded one thing...my little buffet table and that's because the finish on it was really in bad, bad shape. 

Before I painted my first piece of furniture I did do a lot of research on the internet trying to learn the dos and don'ts of furniture painting.  I found one website where  a professional furniture refinisher said he never sands. Don’t you know THAT was music to my ears!  He said he used a liquid sandpaper, specifically  Klean Strip Sander Deglosser.   I thought if it was good enough for a professional, it was certainly good enough for me.  

There are other brands of liquid sandpaper/deglosser too but Klean Strip is the only one I have personally tried.   I found it at Home Depot.  Let me tell you, I think this stuff is awesome!  What a time-saver!  You simply wipe it on the piece you are going to paint.  So easy!  It cleans off any dirt and grime that might be on the furniture and leaves a slight tackiness so your primer will adhere well to your furniture.  Then within an hour of using the liquid sandpaper, you apply your first coat of primer. 

If the finish you are painting over is in relatively good shape, I think the liquid sandpaper will work just fine, thus eliminating the step of pre-sanding.

PRIMING:  I always apply at least one coat of primer, but usually more.  When using  a sprayer, it's always better to spray several light coats rather than one heavy one.  Light coats dry faster and harder, and you have less chance of runs or drips. 

I have used both Kilz  primer and Zinsser Bulls Eye 1 2 3  primer.  Either will work fine.  I only use latex products.  I can’t be bothered with the messy cleanup required with oil based products.  I’m lazy, remember?

PAINTING:  I use interior latex paint but the  brand and sheen is strictly a matter of personal preference.  I like my furniture to have a satin finish...not too flat...not too shiny.  Interestingly though, I found that satin paint does not look like satin when it is applied with an airless sprayer.  It comes out looking more like flat  or  "eggshell", possibly because it is necessary  to dilute the latex paint with quite a bit of water to get it to run smoothly through the sprayer.  Therefore, if you are using an airless sprayer, I would recommend going one step up to the next higher sheen level than you actually want your finish to be.  I use semi-gloss  to achieve a satin finish.  If you are using a paint brush or roller, buy the sheen level you want your finished piece to be.

Also, if you are going to use an airless sprayer, the sprayer instructions tell you to dilute your (latex) paint (or primer) with water.   Therefore, one quart of paint (or primer) will go a long, long way.  If you only have a couple small things or one large piece to paint, there is no need to buy a whole gallon of paint (or primer).

Like the primer, the paint should be applied in several light coats if you are using an airless sprayer.  Actually, it is not uncommon for me to apply 4 or 5 light coats of paint to get the coverage I want.  But don't despair!  I know that sounds like a lot of work but using a sprayer, you can actually apply a light coat of paint to a large piece of furniture like a china cabinet in less than 10 minutes and it will be ready for another light coat in 20 or 30 minutes, maybe even sooner depending on the weather conditions you are working in!  With a paint sprayer, this goes really fast people!

WET SANDING:   The sprayer generally produces a nice smooth finish but sometimes, for whatever reason, your final finish might not be quite as smooth as you would like.  After your paint has thoroughly dried and cured, it can be “wet sanded” to achieve a super smooth finish.  If done with a very fine grit sandpaper and lots of water, it should not dull, mar or scar a glossy  finish. 

Wet sanding  is an optional step.  Some of my furniture pieces have been wet sanded.  Some have not.  Some have been wet sanded in certain areas but not all over.

For any sanding I have to do, I like to use the 3M Sanding Sponges because they are a comfortable size for my hand. 

I  dunk the sanding sponge in a bowl of water frequently to keep it very wet.  I will even sprinkle some water right on the area I am sanding.  Remember, your wood has been protected by several layers of primer and paint so the water will not hurt it.  I found that liberal use of water is the biggest key to preventing the sandpaper from dulling your satin or semi-gloss  finish.  Once you have finished wet sanding, use a clean wet cloth or sponge to thoroughly wipe off the residue .

DISRESSING:  The majority of the painted furniture in my house  is  NOT distressed.  However,  I did  distress the chest and nightstand in my French country cottage guest room because I felt like it added to the look I was trying to achieve.  To distress those pieces, all I did was use a 3M Sanding Sponge to sand off the paint down to the wood on  the "high spots," edges or any place where natural wear and tear would normally occur. 

In my opinion, there really is no “right” or “wrong” way to do this.  Personal preference dictates whether you distress a little or a lot.  If you’ve never done any distressing before, start out conservatively and just sand a few areas.  Then, if you think it needs more,  gradually increase the number of areas you sand until you are pleased with the way it looks.

CLEAR PROTECTIVE COAT:  You might be wondering about applying  a clear coat product like polyurethane over painted pieces.  Personally, I DO NOT use it on my furniture for a couple reasons.  First, I think even the "non-yellowing" products have a tendency to change the color of the paint, especially over time.  I don't want my white painted furniture to have a yellowish tint.  Second, I don't want most of my furniture pieces to have the  "chippy" or "distressed" look.  We aren’t hard on our furniture here in My Cottage of Bliss but if I don’t use a clear coat over the paint, I can easily come along with a little paint brush and touch up the paint if it does happen to get chipped or dinged from everyday use. 

If your furniture really takes a beating from kids and/or pets and you think you need the extra protection, and you don’t mind the slight discoloration of your paint color, then by all means, feel free to use a clear protective finish after your final coat of paint has dried thoroughly.  Ultimately, you should do what you think will work best for your particular situation.  There are no rules.

A fellow blogger, Cindy @ My Romantic Home has done a lot of furniture painting too.  She is very good at it and  I have always admired the results she gets.  She has put together a great tutorial here.  For anyone who is considering painting furniture to achieve the cottage look, I would recommend reading her step-by-step instructions too  because she does some things differently than I do.  She has also covered some steps that I have not, such as applying appliqués, using accent colors, and waxing.

Above all,  remember, the cottage look is all about casual,  “used” and “usable”, not perfection.  To quote The Nester … “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.”

So true.

 

**Please note:  I have no affiliation with any of the brands mentioned above, nor have I received any compensation from these companies to mention their products here.

Inspiration From Blogs…. (and Another Giveaway!)

One of my favorite things about blogs is the endless supply of creative talent in the blogging community.  Even more wonderful is the fact that all this inspiration is absolutely free. 

Think about how many times you  have read an idea or saw a photo of something on a blog that you incorporated into your own life or home.  In the past two years, so many of the decorating changes I have made in my home were inspired by things I saw on blogs.

A few months ago, I was visiting  Cynthia’s Cottage Design.  Cynthia had posted this photo below.  If my memory serves me correctly, she intended  for it to illustrate her post about the little table.  I thought the table was really cute but it was actually something on the table that I immediately focused on.  That  basket tied up with ribbon  and filled with hydrangeas and other flowers is what gave me my “light bulb moment” and sparked my creativity. 

photo source:  Cynthia’s Cottage Design

It just so happens that I have a similar demilune table that had been needing  a little “something” but until I saw Cynthia’s photo, I had not been able to come up with anything that made me happy.

Once I saw her basket, I almost couldn’t get to my local Michael’s craft store fast enough to buy the supplies to make a similar basket of my own. 

Here’s my version…

 

Thank you Cynthia!

If I had room for an island in my kitchen, I would also “steal” another one of her ideas. She converted her childhood desk into a charming kitchen workspace.  A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E.!

photo source:  Cynthia’s Cottage Design

Now it just so happens that Cynthia is having a giveaway to celebrate her 1 year anniversary of blogging and she is giving away quite a lovely assortment of things in her gift basket.

The giveaway consists of a beautiful basket with an image of art work by Diane Knotts. A pink toile china plate,  a Cynthia's Cottage handmade Country Living image sign, a blue and white plate with red gingham bow for hanging, a vintage apron from the 50's, and a handmade tablecloth made of linen ( or table scarf ) embroidered in  red. Size: 33" x 33”

Photo source:  Cynthia’s Cottage Design

I would suggest you hurry over to Cynthia’s to sign up for her giveaway because you only have until June 5th.

While you are at Cynthia’s, or visiting any of your other favorite bloggers, be sure to soak up all the wonderful, creative  (and FREE) ideas you can!