No Minimalist Here

Between Naps On The Porch

2805

Open House Party

2012-02-15T17:58:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the Open House Party.

I am so happy you are here and I look forward to seeing what you share this week.

You will find the link to join the party at the bottom of this post.

I have a real treat for you today!

We will be traveling to Australia to tour the home of one of the most creative

ladies in blogging. Kristine @ The Painted Hive admits to being an incurable

"Do It Yourselfer" and she blows me away with her talent and creativity.

I know you will agree when you see her beautiful home.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy the tour....

Library card cabinet turned into a side table...genius!

Even the dog color coordinates with the room. Isn't he adorable?

Love the framed map.

Below are just a few of Kristine's amazing projects.

Chalkboard doors in the nursery...soooo cute!

You will have to check out this post to see how this curb find was turned

into a beautiful cabinet.

A lamp made from a music stand...fabulous!

This is just the tip of the iceberg of the many fabulous projects by Kristine.

I hope you enjoyed the tour and will stop by The Painted Hive to see more.

Kristine, Thank you for participating in the Open House party and allowing me

to share your beautiful home.

On to the Linky party...

I want each of you to know how very much your friendship and support of my
blog means to me. Due to health issues I have had to cut back on the time I spend
blogging. Please forgive me if I am unable to respond to all comments or visit each
party link. I know you have many parties to choose from and I truly appreciate you
joining the Open House party.

20% off on entire Etsy shop through 2/18. Please use code NMH20 at

checkout for discount.

Thanks!

Sutton Place Designs

2012-02-14T18:55:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

I would like to introduce you to my newest sponsor.

Many of you already know, and love, Ann at On Sutton Place.

Ann has a beautiful blog and an equally lovely Etsy shop where she specializes

in pillow covers and runners made from vintage fabric. Her pillows are some

of the prettiest you will find on Etsy.

Her fabulous runners are made from vintage European grain sacks.

Aren't these the cutest embroidered tea towels?

I hope you will drop by Sutton Place Designs to see more of Ann's

beautiful creations.

Happy Valentines Day.

Hugs,

Sherry

A Somewhat Successful Project + Etsy Coupon Code

2012-02-12T16:21:00.000-05:00

I hope you are having a nice weekend.

Starting today I am offering 20% off everything in my Etsy shop.
Just click HERE to go to the shop and enter discount code NMH20 at
checkout. The sale goes through 2/18.

I have been working on several projects including the somewhat successful one I will show you today.

I saw on Pinterest where you could age metal by spritzing with a combination

of apple cider vinegar and sea salt. The pics showed a great green patina achieved with this

process over a two day period.

Do you remember the set of metal hearts I purchased from Wisteria?

I tried the vinegar and sea salt on the small one for two days, spritzing
up to ten times per day.

No Change Whatever!

One week later with continuous spritzing...NO Change.

At this point the smell of the vinegar had permeated the kitchen and was making
us sick. I am pretty stubborn and was not giving up on this project. I removed

any remaining lacquer and started the process again.

Three weeks and two days later this is what happened.
Looks promising huh?

This is what I got when the salt and vinegar was rinsed off.

I would have liked a little more patina but I am happy with the results.

I won't be aging the others until it warms up and I can do this in the garage.

Partying this week at:

xo, Sherry

20% Off with code NMH20

Antique Doll

2012-02-09T13:26:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone that visited or linked to this weeks Open

House party. The party is still going on and there is time to

join in.

While out antiquing yesterday I found this rather cute ~~creepy~~ antique doll. Even though

I have been an antique dealer for many years, I have never owned nor sold dolls. My

knowledge is rather limited, so this is why I need your help.

I have done some online research but didn't find much information other

than the head is tin and the body is straw filled. The doll's body

and clothing appear to be homemade with hand stitching. Look

at these funny looking hands?

Her clothing seems to be original. The chemise is very delicate and has some dry rot but the

cut work petticoat and bloomers are in good condition.

The picture below is distorted because of the angle, though the body, feet and hands

do appear too large for the body. In this picture she has on handsewn socks.

I like to think this doll was lovingly made by a mother for her daughter.

Can you imagine a child's joy at receiving this wonderful gift?

Any info you can share on the age, origin or value of the doll will

be greatly appreciated. After more research she will be for sale at

my Etsy Shop.

Hugs, Sherry

Partying at :

2805

Open House Party

2012-02-08T17:36:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Open House Party!

Jill @ Live Like You has the most amazing style and this gal loves color. Originally

from Sweden, Jill now lives in the United States and is the owner of a design firm and

a beautiful on-line shop.

Enjoy the tour of this lovely home.

Jill, thank you for sharing your gorgeous home at the Open House Party!

Please visit Live Like You to see more of this amazing home.

Now on to the Linky party....

Hugs, Sherry

Dress Form Party

2012-02-07T10:26:00.000-05:00

Carol at The Polka Dot Cottage is hosting a Dress Form Ball starting today.

Penelope Rose doesn't get out much but she is really excited about attending.

I had so much fun helping her get dressed for the party. Penelope Rose

won't be the fanciest gal at the ball but I bet she will be the

life of the party. I can't wait to see her dancing and twirling her

caged skirt to the music.

I had Penelope Rose pose in front of my favorite painting. Yes, she has been

playing in my jewelry box.

The corsage is made from vintage paper roses.

Thank you Carol for hosting this party! Please visit The Polka Dot Cottage to see all the

"ladies" dressed for the ball.

xo, Sherry

Partying at :

2805

Open House Party

2012-02-01T17:02:00.007-05:00

Welcome to the Open House party!

Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoy this weeks home tour.

Today we will be visiting the author of the wonderful design blog, Dixie Delights.

Amanda has created a beautiful home for herself and her family. Please check out her

blog to see some amazing before and afters.

Isn't this a gorgeous kitchen?

Guest room

Master bedroom

I am in love with the soft colors of Amanda's home. I hope you enjoyed the tour

and that you will visit Dixie Delights to see more.

Amanda, Thank you for sharing your beautiful home at the Open House party.

On to the linky party....

xo, Sherry

Gray Willow

2012-01-30T09:00:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone had a good weekend.

Hubby and I did a little antiquing and shopping on Saturday, then ended our

day out with a fabulous Italian dinner.

We bought this very large willow trunk at Hobby Lobby. Actually, this is the

third time we have bought this same basket.

We bought two of these baskets last year while vacationing in Florida and left them at

our son's house. Our plan was to use them as end tables when we moved to the area.

My son and DIL fell in love with these baskets and their local store no longer carries them.

I knew from our conversations it was going to be a battle to get them back.

Yesterday when I saw another of these trunks I grabbed it quickly. Now I just need

to find one more so they can keep the other two!

The trunk has found a temporary home under the table. Can you see how

large this thing is? Love it!

Did you notice the plaster capital in the center of the table? I had been looking

for a antique capital for quite a while with no luck. I think Steve got tired of

hearing about it and decided to buy this one from Ballards for me. I had no idea

he was looking at my catalogs, it was a total surprise that he would order this.

YEP, HE'S A KEEPER!

The armillary was a $5.00 garage sale find last summer and the $2.00 demi-john on

the right was one of my luckiest Goodwill finds.

Gotta run...on my way to another Hobby Lobby to look for another trunk.

Hugs,

Sherry

I am partying this week at:

A Stroll Thru Life

Coastal Charm

From My Front Porch To Yours

2805

At The Picket Fence

Open House Party

2012-01-25T17:20:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Open House Party.

I look forward to seeing what you have to share at this weeks party.
You will find the link at the bottom of this post.

I am thrilled this week to be featuring Pamela, the author of the popular

blog From My Front Porch To Yours . Pamela is also the weekly host of

Treasure Hunt Thursdays, a link party where you can share your finds for

that week.

Enjoy the tour of this beautiful home.

Aren't the curtain brackets pretty?

Love the vintage sofa.

Pamela, thank you for sharing your pretty home at the Open House Party

this week!

I hope you will visit From My Front Porch To Yours to see more of this

wonderful blog.

Even though there is not enough hours in my week to leave comments for

each of you, please know how very much I appreciate you joining the party.

xoxo,

Sherry

Swapping Furniture

2012-01-21T11:31:00.000-05:00

Because our home is for sale I haven't been able to make any major changes around here.

There is nothing like being in the middle of a big project and getting a call that you have

a showing in one hour.

In other words...I am bored!

To help with the boredom I have been moving furniture around and doing some small

projects.

The French style buffet in the dining room now resides in the living room.

The urn is filled with twenty marble eggs that were found at a thrift store along

with the alabaster grapes.

The paper whites were planted before Thanksgiving and they are just now starting to bloom!

Whats up with that?

View from dining room.

The clock was also moved to the living room....

Now the antique Normandy armoire has a new home in the dining room. My

plan is to add shelving inside the two large doors to display more transferware.

Hubby hates it when I get bored because he knows there will be work involved!

If you would like to see decorating plans for our next home visit my

recent guest post at The Enchanted Home .

Thanks for dropping by!

Hugs,

Sherry

I'll be partying at:

A Stroll Thru Life

A Delightsome Life

2805

At The Picket fence

Guest Post At The Enchanted Home

2012-01-20T08:00:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone.

Today I am guest posting at The Enchanted Home while Tina moves into her

beautiful new home. I hope you will visit me there as I show you my decorating

plans for our "someday" home.

See you there.

Hugs,

Sherry

Open House Party

2012-01-18T18:30:00.012-05:00

Open House Party

Welcome to another week of the Open House party!

Each week a different blogger's home is featured and you also have the opportunity

to share your home decor, projects, recipes ect. at the linky party. Thank you

for visiting and I hope you enjoy the party.

Today we are touring the beautiful home of Suzy at Worthing Court. Suzy owns a

custom drapery workroom and you will need to visit her blog to see the stunning

window treatments she has created.

Love the open floor plan and those high ceilings.

Take a look at Worthing Court for more on this beautiful bedroom makeover.

Suzy, thank you for sharing your pretty home at the Open House party this week.

If you are not familiar with Worthing Court please take a moment to visit this lovely blog.

On to the linky party....

Sorry the Linky was not working. Lets try again.

Thanks for visiting

xo,

Sherry

A Wonderful Surprise

2012-01-16T13:20:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!

I hope you are enjoying this long weekend.

We were in Florida the week before Christmas visiting family and while there

I played around with my daughter-in-law's new iPad. It was so easy to use

and I love the FaceTime feature. It knew it would be great to be able to see and talk

to my grand kids on it. The $500 price tag was just more than I was willing to pay.

The day we arrived home from our trip I received an email in my spam

folder saying I had won an iPad. It was deleted without opening. Several

days later another email arrived and again was deleted. A few days later

I received another email, this time from a real estate company.

This peaked my curiosity so I went to the real estate companies website

to look around. Sure enough, there was my name mentioned as the winner

of a new iPad.

WAHOO!!

I had completely forgotten about entering this sweepstakes months before.

The best part is now I can FaceTime with my grandchildren in Orlando.

I am having fun playing with this new toy.

xo,

Sherry

Open House Party

2012-01-11T17:35:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Open House Party.

Thank you for helping make this party a success. I am always in

awe of the creativity and talent shown by bloggers.

You guys never disappoint!

Today's featured home belongs to Kelly of The Essence of Home. Kelly and Kim at

Savvy Southern Style are sisters and both these ladies have such wonderful

style. I think they should join forces and begin a decorating business. I bet you

will agree when you see the tour of Kelly's beautiful home.

The Essence Of Home is a beautiful new blog. I hope you will

visit to see more of this gorgeous home.

Thank you Kelly for sharing your home at the Open House Party.

I look forward to seeing what you have to share at the party this week.

xo,

Sherry

$450 Sea Fan Project

2012-01-09T17:28:00.007-05:00

I want to thank everyone that left such kind notes on the post where I

mentioned my health issues. I have faith that 2012 will be a good year!

I have been trying to get a start on my long list of projects to complete in 2012. Today I wanted

to paint a small table and make a new chalkboard but the weather is not cooperating.

You may have seen the picture in my sidebar of the Dyed Sea Fans I have for sale on

Etsy. I have framed four of the blue sea fans in clear illusion frames and they now

hang in our family room. With the illusion frames the color of the wall becomes
the background.

Last year while visiting the beach I wandered into a very high end decor shop. This

was the kind of shop where I rarely buy anything but I do get some great ideas for projects.

The shop had a wall of blue framed sea fans that I fell in love with.

Are you sitting down? You had better be sitting when I tell you the price was $450 each!.

No, that is not a typo...$450 for ONE framed sea fan.

If you have been reading my blog for any time you know I love a challenge and this

project had my name all over it. As soon as I got home I ordered several sea fans

and bought Rit dye, thinking this would recreate the beauties I saw in the shop.

Strike one.

The Rit dye barely changed the color of the fans and left it really blotchy.

There was very little color change even after soaking overnight.

Strike two

Back to the craft store to buy two other brands of dye. No better results.

Strike three

The dye didn't work so lets try spray paint. Not good, the paint clumps

up in the holes and the fan gets stiff and brittle.

Not a person to give up, I tried many methods, finally making my own dye.

The fans you see below were dyed using a three step process I developed.

After much trial and error I am thrilled with the results you see below.

Etsy

Here are some other photos I found of dyed sea fans.

Karen Robertson

The fans look beautiful sitting in a vignette or displayed inside a clear glass lamp.

Houzz

Sally Lee By The Sea

Pinterest
Love the white fans on the blue bead board wall.

My fans sell unframed for $31.00 each on Etsy. The illusion frames are from Michaels and

using a 40% off coupon cost around $21.00. The total cost of this project is

$52.00...sure beats $450!

This is just one of the many projects I have planned for my Etsy shop in 2012. I am

now working on creating other colors for the fans

Any Suggestions?

Thanks for visiting and I would love to hear your feedback.

Hugs,
Sherry

Partying this week at;
Between Naps On The Porch
Thrifty decor Chick
Coastal Charm
Todays Creative Blog
My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia
Savvy Southern Style
The Shabby Chic Cottage
Home Is Where My Story Begins
Potpourri Friday @ 2805
French Country Cottage
At The Picket Fence

Open House Party

2012-01-04T17:55:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the first Open House Party.

I hope everyone had a wonderful NewYears and I can't wait to see

all your upcoming projects for 2012.

Thank you so much for visiting!

I am excited to be featuring the beautiful home of Rita at May Days as the first home tour for 2012. I was hooked on Rita's blog the moment I saw her header with a wall of amazing blue and white transferware.

Thank you Rita for sharing your lovely home with us.

Enjoy the tour.

I feel like we are kindred spirits.

See the creative way she used a chicken feeder to display plates?

Rita and her husband created all this wonderful storage using cabinets from her nieces kitchen remodel.

aahhh!

I hope you enjoyed the tour and please visit May Days to see more of this

pretty home and Rita's amazing collections.

On to the party...

Thanks for visiting!

Hugs,

Sherry

A Win & Apology

2012-01-04T15:39:00.000-05:00

I was recently the lucky winner of a $100 gift certificate to Gallery Direct sponsored by

Courtney at French Country Cottage. I knew right away I wanted an enlargement on canvas

of a photo taken by my husband on our recent trip to the Greek islands.

Steve and I are both thrilled with this piece and the colors are absolutely amazing!

This beautiful art will hang in our home for many years as a constant reminder of

a wonderful trip.

Thank you Courtney and Gallery Direct for this wonderful gift.

An apology...

I have received several emails from blogger friends asking why I haven't been around

as much. I want to apologize to those of you that haven't received a reply

to the comments you have left me and for not visiting your blogs as often as I would like.

I have been dealing with health issues the last few months that have left me very tired

and stressed. Five doctors, and numerous test, and they still don't know what is wrong

with me. I do have a long list of diseases that test have ruled out...that is a good thing!

I hope you will bear with me during this time and know that I read and TRULY appreciate

every single comment I receive and each time you link to my party.

I can not begin to tell you how much your support and friendship means to me.

xoxo,

Sherry

Partying this week at:

Ivy and Elephants

Potpourri Friday @ 2805

New Look For Cheap Trophies

2011 Top Projects

2011-12-29T20:30:00.000-05:00

Rhoda at Southern Hospitality is hosting a Top Projects of 2011 party and I

thought It would be fun to join in.

My most viewed project this year was Make Your own Chalk Paint

with 189 comments and over 60,000 visits.
I was blown away by the response!

This Pottery Barn Inspired Lazy Susan was the next most popular project.

A close second in views was the post New Shabby Look where I showed you

the transformation of my frenchy sideboard.

For a while there I was Spackling everything in sight! The Altar Candlestick project

was one of my favorites.

Here are some other projects I completed in 2011...

French Anduze Pot

Canvas Covered Demijohn

A Spring Cloche

Trying To Be Organized

New Sign For The Guest Room

Faux Grain Sack Table Runner

Summer Entertaining And DIY Lobster Napkins

Summer Transfer Pillows

Chalk Paint Project

Intaglios I Made For Sale On Etsy

Starfish Christmas Tree

Tissue Paper Transfer Candles

Limpet Shell Tree

The largest project I started this year was hosting the Open House Party each Thursday.

I thank each of you for visiting and for your kind comments.

May you have a wonderful 2012!

Hugs,

Sherry

I'll be partying at:

Southern Hospitality

At The Picket Fence

Between Naps On The Porch

My Romantic Home

Open House Party

2011-12-28T18:00:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the Open House Party.

I am looking forward to seeing what you have to share this week.

You will find the link to join the party at the bottom of this post.

First, we have the fabulous home of Sue @ Sullivan And Murphy to tour.

Sue has created a warm and beautiful home and it is my pleasure to

feature it at this weeks Open House Party.

This is so pretty that I had to throw in a Christmas picture.

What a warm and inviting kitchen!

Isn't this landscaping fabulous?

Sue, Thank you for sharing your beautiful home with us.

I hope you will visit Murphy And Sullivan to see more of this home as well

as the gorgeous vignettes Sue creates.

On to the party...

Hugs,
Sherry

After Christmas Sales

2011-12-27T16:00:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great holiday!

. I normally take the decorations down Christmas night or at the latest the next morning.

I know this is a little strange but once the celebration is over I am ready to have a

clean and organized house. Now that we have a smaller artificial tree I need to get

some of the ornaments sorted and donated. This is no easy job because we have hundreds

and hundreds of ornaments collected over the years. My daughter-in-law has requested

some of the Radko ornaments and I will be keeping a few of my favorites.

I did a little after Christmas shopping, though the store's selections seemed rather limited.

I purchased a couple of sweaters while out shopping Monday and also ordered two things

on-line from Wisteria . This cute tree skirt from Wisteria is perfect for my coastal design

Christmas and at 75% off it was quite a deal.

These little hearts remind me of French memorial markers.

I got away without too much damage to my pocketbook!

The Open House Party starts tomorrow evening. I hope to see you there.

Hugs,

Sherry

Early Christmas Gift & INTAGLIO WINNER

2011-12-22T15:08:00.000-05:00

My dad had a giant clam shell that has been sitting in his rock garden for 30+ years. I have asked him

numerous times if he would sell it to me, and the answer was always NO. He asked me

what I wanted this year for Christmas and I jokingly said the clam shell, but never really
expecting he would let go of it.

Dad could not understand why in the world I would even want the "old, dirty shell"

and he said all the times I asked to buy it he thought I was kidding. He even said he

would be so embarrassed if anyone knew he gave me an old shell for a Christmas gift.

Last week while visiting my family for an early Christmas, Dad gave me the giant clam shell as

well as the largest conch shell I have ever seen. He had cleaned and bleached both shells

and had them ready for me to take home.

The only problem was they weighed between 60-70 pounds and couldn't be checked as luggage.

Shipping them home would have been really expensive, so I had to leave my shells there

for now. Can you believe I forgot to even get a picture? I plan on getting them

next time we drive to Florida, or if we get moved there anytime soon.

Until I can get my Christmas gifts home here are some photos for inspiration.

A beautiful vignette created by Tot at Time Worn Interiors.

Decorno Blog

House Beautiful

Via Cote de Texas

Courtesy of Color Outside The Lines

photo via Knotting Hill

Photo courtesy of Centsational Girl

Do you like to decorate with shells? Any creative ideas appreciated.

GIVEAWAY WINNER....

Thank you to everyone that entered the giveaway for the framed intaglios.

Random.org selected #42 as the winner.

Congrats to Kim @ Savvy Southern Style

In honor of my new product I am offering a 10% discount on the custom intaglios

in my Etsy shop. Email me if interested.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Christmas hugs,

Sherry

Joining the parties this week at:

The Charm Of Home