Easter garland....

I have mentioned many times my obsession with decorating for EVERY holiday.

Christmas was a given for years….

And of course fall….

Up until a few years ago, that was pretty much the extent of it…maybe a few knick knacks here and there for a few holidays like Valentine’s Day or Easter, but nothing major.

Then I “retired”…and decorating EVERYTHING for EVERY holiday has become my thing. A wreath on the porch, entry and kitchen, a tablescape, special candles, special dishes…every event. I even bought “Easter” champagne glasses this year and we don’t even drink! But they matched the Easter dinnerware so ……!

Anywho…I think the little holiday banners and garland I see on Pinterest are just too stinking cute. This year I decided I wanted an Easter garland…you know, with carrots and eggs….for the fireplace.

So I went searching.

First I ordered THIS carrot garland from Amazon.

Cute but it wasn’t really tripping my trigger.

So I went on Pinterest and started looking for a little inspiration.

All said and done, this was the final look I came up with.

I had a little extra of every thing so I even made one for the dining room hutch.

This was super simple to make…the little carrots slid right off the jute they were on. I threaded the jute on a big upholstery needle I had on hand, then strung the beads, carrots and foam eggs onto the jute.

Garland…too cute!

As you can see, i have a thing for bunnies…just scattered around the house. Lots of pink, blue and green candles…spring wreaths…Easter pillows. Foam eggs here and there!

It may not be “the most wonderful time of the year” but fun none the less!

The Olive Tree....

I recently decided to jump on a “decor bandwagon.”

Seems olive trees are all the rage right now. As I have mentioned before I have a few issues keeping indoor plants healthy so I have zero issues with breaking the “no fake plants” rule. If you are like me and have a black thumb for indoor plants, it is the only way to bring “life” into your home. (I kick butt when it comes to outdoor flower beds but this is where indoor plants come to die!)

Anywho, I have an olive wreath…but I was hesitant to spend a big chunk of money on a tree that 1) will go out of style in short order (think ficas, fiddle, etc) and 2) may or may not actually look decent.

So I did a little research and read reviews and landed on THIS tree on Etsy. I went with the 6’ tree. Pretty tree and very affordable but still seemed a tad short. I knew I was going to have to put it in a basket or pot so I decided to give it a little lift in the process.

I found a large pot at Lowe’s I like. To “pot” the tree I needed another smaller pot, some scrap cardboard, spray foam and decorative rocks….

I placed the small (and very inexpensive) pot upside down into the larger decorative pot…I secured it with a bit of hot glue just to keep it from moving around.

I hot glued the potted tree on top of the small pot. I used cut up card board around the small pot just to “fill in” the space and give a cardboard collar something to set on.

After all that I used spray foam to fill in and secure it all….

I use this spray foam for several reasons. First it puffs up pretty solid and kind of acts like a “glue” to hold everything super secure. Second, while it dries pretty hard on the top, it still is a foam and is easy to stick stuff in it if you want to…like for floral arrangements and such (I used it HERE for fall urns!) It is also relatively light weight so it fills these pots without adding a lot of weight like rocks would! It is also lightweight so it makes it easier to move the pot around!

Lastly…it is much cheaper than floral foam!

A few hints for using this stuff…it is super sticky…let it dry before you mess with it! If you get it somewhere you don’t want it, just let it dry well then scrape it off! (If you fail to take my advice and mess with it while it is wet, use mineral spirits to clean it up.)

It expands quite a bit so work in “layers”…let it cure well before you add more if needed. On this project I did two “layers” before I got it to the right height.

If you find that it is “too high” in spots, you can cut it with a serrated knife to trim it down after it has dried.

Since I was using black decorative rock, I sprayed the foam with black paint so it would blend in….

Then I just placed the rocks on top of the painted foam….

I like the overall height and look now. You have to “pot” these anyway, might as well add a little height to them.

I decided to put it in the corner of my breakfast room. If I want to move it to another spot, it is relatively light weight…not so much that it is a tipping hazard but not so heavy that it would be a pain to move.

You may notice I am already decked out for Easter…this little tree gave me the perfect spot for one of my newest Easter additions….

Next week I will share a bit more.

Until then….

"Mud room" bench....

This is a project you see a lot on Pinterest and it is a super simple and functional use of normally wasted space.

Case in point…my daughter-in-law’s sister’s (Laura) house….

This room is next to her kitchen…designed to be the “breakfast room” space but is really used as a thoroughfare from the garage into the house and has become a general “drop zone catch all. “ With two small kiddos, it could be the perfect “craft room” and drop zone but as you can see there was no form or functionality to the space.

So she sent me this “inspiration” photo.

A functional and organized space for shoes, backpacks, coats, etc.

Heck, I can build that!

She likes the board and batten look of my entry more than the “panelling” look in her inspiration photo. No biggy. Remember what I have said before…the key to any project is first, your inspiration…..second, your plan and third, the execution.

So we had the inspiration…just a few tweeks and we had a plan…

Now it was time to execute!

I have said before I am not a “how to” kinda person…I am a “YOU CAN DO IT” kinda person. So find a tutorial for installing board and batten and building a bench that makes sense to you and works for your space.

First up…the bench. I had to off center the middle support because of an outlet but it was pretty basic stuff…2x4s, construction mastic and wood screws. Again, find a tutorial that makes sense to you! (Even I look at tutorials sometimes and say WTH!)

I build the legs of the bench out of 2x4s then clad them with plywood. Simple.

I used 1x6 pre-primed pine to trim out the front of the bench. MDF will “swell” if it gets wet so you can use it on wall treatments but I highly recommend using a solid wood product on anything adjacent to the floor.

I always use pre-primed or prime and sand before I install to avoid having to prime and sand inside the house!

I used 3 1x6 lengths of oak for the bench top. You can also use pine…MUCH cheaper but Laura liked the look of the oak. I used a rooter on the edges, just a hair, so when I joined them together they look more “plankish” than solid.

I built the bench top, using a biscuit joiner, in the garage… no stain just 3 coats of polycrylic, and then installed it before I moved on to the wall treatment.

For the board and batten wall treatment I used preprimed MDF.

I usually install the horizontal pieces first…making sure they are perfectly level. Then I go back and add the vertical boards. Putty all the nail holes and seams and make sure you caulk EVERY joint and crack…sand it all super smooth.

REMEMBER if you can feel it you are going to see it after paint…so sand and feel with your hands! Sometimes it can take 2-3 coats of joint filler to get good coverage.

We covered the wood bench top and painted with a brush and roller…three coats!

GORG!!!!

We added cute little hooks Laura picked out!

I was still loading tools and the littlest (3 y.o.) was already claiming all the hooks for his back pack and Hulk costume and mask! Probably should have added more hooks…lol!

Props to Laura…I really believe the vision and inspiration are the most important keys to any successful DIY project.

She did good and I have no doubt this little area will now serve her family well!

Where have I been?

I know…I have been MIA for over a month.

When I first started this blog, I posted every day. That was just too difficult so I started posting twice a week. That was even taxing so I started posting once a week.

And now here we are…over a month later.

Truth be told, the holidays are a super busy time for me.

All the decorating, baking, entertaining.

And of course the sitting and staring at the Christmas tree. I do that A LOT. The season is just so short since I have a hard fast rule to NOT decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving…I want to soak it all in.

I get up every morning and turn on all the Christmas lights and they stay on until I go to bed. I don’t even want to tell you what my electric bill is that month…wowza!

This year I added ANOTHER decorated tree in my bedroom…I’ll have to share that next year. I featured my new black and white tree in my office HERE . Now I am one step closer to having my dream of having a decorated Christmas tree in every room. Upside…it is AMAZING…down side….what a chore to take it all down!

The MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR is in the books and time to move into the new year.

First up…a baby shower for my daughter in law.

Everything was beautiful and of course hosting this special event gave me a reason to do a super deep clean on my house.

Breath….

Now on to something that has been bugging me for several months.

The living room rug.

I bought a new rug before Christmas. I loved the old rug….

But after a few years and a puppy, it was ready to go. Rolled it up and hauled it to the trash can.

I tried a holiday Ruggable rug in my entry this year….

…I loved this rug…very durable and at the end of the season I picked it up and threw it in the washing machine! Sweet!

So I decided to try a washable rug in my living room. I couldn’t find one I liked on Ruggable so I checked out Tumble, another washable rug.

I found one I thought I liked, ordered it and put it down.

I didn’t even take pictures of it because I knew the minute I rolled it out it was all wrong!

Do you ever have one of those “design choices” that you get all done, stand back and go ICK!?

Yeah…that was my reaction to this rug!

It is a beautiful rug. And with 3 cats and 2 dogs, and a slew of granddoggies, I love the fact that I can pick it up and throw it in the washing machine.

But it just didn’t work.

The problem was the color…the rug is what I call a “cool” color and everything in my living room is “warm.”

I don’t have a problem mixing “cool” and “warm” decor….if it is done right.

But this just wasn’t right. All this rug did was make my couch look dingy and dirty…and it is not either.

Sooooooo…..what to do, what to do?

First, I do what I always do…I let it be for awhile. I live with it.

A few weeks later…I still dislike it immensely.

I couldn’t send it back because I had “let it be” for a few months and by then…well, life. Rolled it up, tore the bed apart and put it down in my bedroom.

I’m not swooning over it but I’m not growling at it every time I walk through the room… (yes, it looks lavender…but it is actually kind of a taupy/grey/blue kinda color…which makes it appear lavender)

So now I had to find a new living room rug…OH MY GOSH!!!! I can do a lot of things but choose a rug is not something I do well.

I went to 6 different stores…found a few I loved but not enough to justify the price. I know me…in a year I will tire of it and I will want something different. Rugs and pillows are something that is easy to change so I try to keep the cost on those in the reasonable range.

A $3000 rug in a house full of critters and traffic is probably not reasonable.

Finally settled on a new rug…

Meh…again, not swooning but …. (again, it APPEARS browninsh but it is more of a warm grey/copper/blueish color)

So, on to the new year.

So far I only have a few projects online.

A “mudroom” bench and storage for my daughter-in-law’s sister.

She found her inspiration…..

I took measurements, I drew up a plan, and made a material list.

We were going to start that project this week but we got 5” of snow Tuesday so that got pushed to next week.

Definite share when I get it done!

My neighbor wants to redo her pantry like I did mine (shared HERE). She has some family obligations for the next few weeks, so that is on hold.

We are only a few months away from potting, mulching and planting! But as I said, snow…and cold…sooooo….

So I am doing what I always do in January and February….I am hibernating.

I need these few weeks to decompress…and breath!

Christmas! It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

I almost didn’t do a Christmas post this year because I thought not much has changed.

But every year I add more and more to this house.

A few weeks ago I shared the new “black and white” tree in my office (I shared the accent wall and office makeover HERE)….

I love this tree and this year I wrapped all our Christmas eve gifts (shhhh…it’s pajamas) with white paper and black and gold ribbons to match the tree….LOVE!

Next year this tree will play an important role because we added a VERY special element to our Christmas decor.

In the 40s, Brian’s grandad (his Papa) gave his dad a used cast iron train set for Christmas. Brian remembers it going around his Papa and Grammy’s Christmas tree every year.

This year Brian got it from his dad. It is magnificent!

This year we are displaying it above the dining room with some miniature Christmas knick knacks and little fairy lights.

We can’t put it around the main tree in our living room because of all the gifts but next year we will put it around the tree in the office.

Why….because next year we will have a 10 month old grandson who will absolutely love it…it goes around the tracks and even blows steam!

When I began to look around I realized how much has indeed changed because of all the little projects I have completed this past year.

The dining room…I added wainscoting and the china display cabinet and that changed everything up a tad!

No major projects in the entry this year but I added a tartan holiday rug from Ruggable!

So far I really love this rug and am considering getting one for the living room!

The breakfast room…this year I added the board and batten and a new china hutch….

It didn’t change up things too terribly much…just added a few touches to the hutch, moved the tree that use to be in the corner onto the screened porch and replaced it with the tree that was in the office last year!

My master bedroom….

I’ve never decorated the master bedroom for the holidays but this year was kind of a fluke. I ordered a ton of stuff for the guest room earlier this year. My oldest son is currently staying with us while he gets his pilot license so there is really no reason to deck it for the holiday. So I decided to use all the holiday froo-froo for my bedroom.

I LOVE IT!!!

The green pillow with the Christmas trees is one I made with the scraps from THIS never ending quilt project. (To date I have made 8 quilts, two pillow covers and one throw pillow)

My friend brought me this amazing star from Germany…I can’t wait to add a light to it!

The little tree is the one I had in the guest room last year. Next year when the big dog kennel is finally gone I am going to put up a bigger tree. Similar to the one in the office…only red and white! (I am slowly working my way to my dream of having a Christmas tree in every room!!!)

Decorating this room was a no brainer since, like the guest bath and office, you see it from the entry….

Not sure why it took me three years to do it!

The living room…earlier this year I changed out the fireplace surround. It didn’t make a huge difference, but this year I decided to add garland to the fireplace mantels. I desperately wanted the soft touch Norfolk pine that is all the rage but by the time I knew I wanted it, it was all sold out.

I have to be careful about the height and placement of any mantel decor because of the televisions (one of the few “design concessions” I gave Brian) .So I settled for some pretty frosted berry picks…four laid out in a row. I added them to the living room and den fireplace mantels.

I left the mirror in the living room and I love how it reflects the tree!

Truthfully, I think I like the color and texture of the picks on the mantels better than I would plain green garland.

Great example of doing what you love rather than what Pinterest tells you to do!

So simple and so pretty.

Last year I shared how to make these little door signs…still think they are cute as a bugs ear! (the one on the left really is my wrapping room)

I did change all the other door wreaths. It really isn’t hard. Candle wreaths with a little ribbon…simple and inexpensive but very pretty throughout the house!

The kitchen…the only change in there this year was the pantry. Humungus difference for me for holiday baking but didn’t change the holiday decor!

I didn’t change much in the “Stewart plaid” all season room. I found this darling Stewart plaid top hat topper in a Christmas shop in Breckenridge and had to have it!

Little has changed outside…I did finish a TON of projects this year but nothing that really affects decorating for the holidays! (Check out the outdoor swing pergola I featured HERE)

I scattered a few things in my laundry room…nothing earth shattering.

So, while there doesn’t seem to be a lot of changes, additions and tweeks, there are.

I hope you and your family have a WONDERFUL holiday!!!!

A new black and white Christmas tree...

This is our third Christmas in this house and every year I add something new.

Last year it was the “Stewart decor”….love and can’t wait to deck this room this year!

Year before was my “funky bow” obsession…still love those as well.

In both these links you can see a lot of my Christmas decor. Over the past few years I have added simple pre-lit trees to several rooms…guest room. office, all season room, dining room…most already had some “froo-froo” (flocking, berries, pinecones) so I didn’t really decorate any other than the main tree in the living room.

But while cruising Instagram I saw something that stopped me in my tracks.

This tree….

LOVE! I just think it is soooo pretty!

When I added the accent wall in my office earlier this year, a credenza is one element I wanted for this room. A few months ago I found the perfect credenza….a Heywood Wakefield Cliff House credenza in super awesome condition. Just happen to see it on an Instagram posting from one of my favorite vintage stores and was able to snatch it up over the phone. I can not tell you how much I love this piece….

So….when I saw the black and white Christmas tree I knew exactly where I could put it. In the corner next to the new credenza in my office where it can be seem from the living room and entry!

Last year I bought a little flocked tree for this room and set it on the side table in the front window. Pretty but just okay.

So I set out to recreate the black and white tree!

First thing I did was order a simple pre-lit flocked tree…bought THIS one and I really like it.

Then I took a picture of the inspiration tree to Hobby Lobby to find each little element.

One problem I ran into was finding the different ornaments…black and white polka dot and striped ornaments are not really the “in” thing.

What to do, what to do?

Time to break out the ole’ glue gun and get creative.

I bought some plain black and white ornaments and glued black glass beads and ribbon to the white ones and gold ribbon to the black ones.

I added pretty little bows to a few ornaments..

I was able to find a few “glitzy” ornaments that I dressed up with bows, a few velvet picks and even some simple white pinecone ornaments.

I made big bows out of gold and black holiday ribbon and glued inexpensive small black ornaments together to create little clusters.

Filled in here and there with inexpensive poinsettias.

The ornaments are certainly not “keepsake” ornaments like the main tree but simple and inexpensive and will be super easy to change if I decide to go with a different color scheme later down the road.

I wanted a tree that was simple but elegant.

I think I pulled it off!

I wish I had a link to the inspiration tree but it was on instagram and now I can’t find it. But there is tons of inspiration on Pinterest so look until something takes your breath away….then go out and create it!

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Another check mark on the "Honey-do" list...

We returned from our annual Colorado trip last Thursday. We rode trains, zipped across the Royal Gorge, rode bikes from Vail Pass, did our guided fishing trip, shopped, gambled a wee bit and drove the mountains looking at Aspens! Glorious!

Before we left I completed a few “honey-dos.” I got my fall decor up, we got our back yard sodded, I got the yard over-seeded, I painted some of the trim (repainting it with my new favorite white but still have more to go!)…just a few things on my “Honey-do” list I keep on the refrigerator.

Back home and back to work!

One of my spring projects this year was another swing pergola. I love these little projects and we sit in this swing all the time. (HERE you can find a pretty decent tutorial!)

One thing I knew I wanted to do from day one was to stain it black. I like the natural look of treated wood but it does grey over time.

I used Cabot Semi-sold stain mixed in black. I wanted black, but I also wanted to see the grain through the stain.

Almost all tutorials I have read on sealing or staining treated wood suggest you wait 3-6 months to treat it. Treated wood tends to be “wet” and it is important to give the wood time to dry out and “cure” a bit. In my case I waited around 5+ months…I would liked to have waited a tad longer but we had a super dry summer and I wanted to get it done before it gets too cold.

So this little chore has been on my fridge for 5+ months…I finally tackled it this week and was able to check off that “honey do!”

One down…so many more to go!

Fall tablescape...

I have some hard fast rules for decorating for the holidays. Fall decor goes up the week before we leave for vacation…usually the last week in September. Christmas goes up the weekend after Thanksgiving.

It’s the rules.

This past week I broke the rules.

It wasn’t really my fault. I got an At Home magazine in the mail. It had a really pretty picture of a fall tablescape and I was compelled to immediately go buy MORE fall stuff for my formal dining room. I blame it all on their devious advertising.

I went upstairs and dug around in my stash of heirloom china. I also pulled out the fall box marked “formal dining” …then I decorated my dining room.

I used my china and added little glass pumpkins, some amber stemless wine glasses and green place mats from At Home and straw placemats from Amazon…

I picked up a few fall table runners but they didn’t make the cut.

i stuck a few little fall doo-dads in the china cabinet…

I made the center piece last year…fall candles, pumpkins, fall picks and some cotton stems in a round tray.

LOVE!

(You can check our the china cabinet makeover HERE!)

My son insists we use this room during our Sunday dinners. Since this china has to be hand washed, I have no doubt it won’t actually get used…we will just have to sit in the other dining room or move this fancy stuff out of the way…but it sure looks pretty.

For those who advocate using the fine china for every day use and not just for “formal”….you obviously have never had to hand wash dishes after feeding your entire family.

Right now we are having to hand wash everything anyway…our TWO YEAR OLD dishwasher isn’t working. I have no idea why…I’ve googled…could be one of four things. But after having to buy a new washing machine because we couldn’t get a simple part, we decided we would just buy a new dishwasher rather than pay $150 to have a repair main come out and tell us we can’t get a part we need. A brand new one was installed Tuesday.

So back to fall decorating. I love it and every year as soon as the temp drops below 80 degrees, I get the itch to start digging out the pumpkins and fall wreaths. But like every year, the temps climbed back into the 90s this week so now I haven the dining room decked out but the rest will have to wait a few more weeks.

That is okay! I will just enjoy the glorious summer flowers! And they are glorious this year!!

The never ending project....

Six months ago I shared a project I was working on …quilts. Sewing…UGH!!!!

As I pointed out in the original post, it was for a good cause…a way to show off the years of Christmas PJs my family wears every Christmas.

I finally finished the first SIX quilts I tackled.

Four are throws that are being given to my daughter-in-laws and my grandsons for their birthdays. I know they should probably be Christmas gifts but I want them to have them for the Christmas season. I also made a twin size and a full size for the upstairs bunk room.

This past week I added shelving and organized our spare room closet so that Brian can move all his “stuff” out of the guest room closet and into the spare room closet. While in the process I finally decided to organize the boxes of leftover fabric from the massive quilt project.

Well, low and behold, I had enough panels to make a throw for Katie…might as well whip that up…

…and Sarah wanted pillows…I didn’t have any panels for those so of course I had to whip those up as well…

…and I wanted a pillow using some scrap green velvet I found…whip that up. Two days of “whipping” and I am WHIPPED!!!

But I managed to use up a good bit of my leftover scraps and get everything organized. I still have a bunch of plaid pieces left I may do something with…someday!

It has been a few weeks of “giving what you have.”

One neighbor wanted a counter top over her washer and dryer…done!

Another wanted a walnut mantel… (similar to mine)

…and a storage divider for her baking sheets…

Done and done.

And of course I have a long list of things I want to get done before we head out on vacation in a few weeks. So little by little I am chipping away at the list on my refrigerator.

No, the closets and the sewing projects weren’t on the list.

That reminds me, I need to add them to the list so I can check them off!

The wardrobe reveal....

Last week I shared the wardrobe cabinet I planned to refinish and convert to a display cabinet….HERE.

Definitely lacking in soooo may respects. But I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do with it.

These “inspiration” pictures have been on my computer for over a year, just waiting on the perfect piece to transform!

The last one is probably my favorite…a Pinterest find. It was the one that influenced me the most, as you will see.

So the plan…remove the panels in the door and add glass. Remove all the shelves and add glass shelving. Lighten the back of the inside. Strip the doors and drawers and apply tung oil. Paint the rest of the outside of the cabinet black. Replace the hardware. Add a light.

So of course the first step is to deconstruct and then begin the stripping process on the doors, drawers and inside back panel.

What a chore!!!! I think someone, at some point, had applied at least 20 coats of poly. The 1/2 acetone, 1/2 lacquer thinner process I shared HERE, wasn’t cutting it. I applied Citristrip and wrapped everything in plastic wrap…that seemed to do the trick for 80% of the finish…then I was able to sand off the rest since this was mostly solid, then clean it up with the 1/2 and 1/2 mixture. Remember, you don’t want to vigorously sand veneer because it can be super thin and you can end up sanding right through it. I started with an 80 grit then finished with a 220 grit. Then I hand sanded it with 220 to get it butter smooth.

I knew this piece was old (which is why I know the poly was NOT the original finish) and that was confirmed when I checked out the underside of one of the drawers.

It was signed and dated…most likely by the person who constructed it…August 11, 1914…wow!

The other thing I discovered was the mortise and tenon peg joint. So super cool. Normally drawers are constructed using dovetail joints. This was unusual to find, but probably not unusual for the times.

I removed the doors to make it easier to work on the inside as well as make it easier to strip them. Remember to ALWAYS reenforce screw holes when you remove the screws. Not hard at all. Just take a match stick, dip it in wood glue, then insert the stick in the hole and break it off.

This will ensure that when you go to reinsert the screw, it won’t be loose or “wonky.”

I stripped the inside back panel then sanded it down. I tried lightening it with oxalic acid but it still seemed a tad to dark and a bit yellow. So I ended up applying a whitewash. Just a little white paint mixed with water, brush it on, wipe it off…like a stain. I can still see the character and grain of the wood but it lightens the interior considerably.

There was a tiny bit of veneer on the base of the cabinet and one side was in pretty rough shape. My original plan was to remove all the old veneer and apply a new piece. I planned to paint the outside of the cabinet so it didn’t matter that it would be different than the other side.

Problem was, when I went to remove the loose veneer, some of it was SUPER stuck…as in it was NOT coming off.

Soooo, punt.

I scraped off all that I could then I used wood filler to get a smooth surface.

This picture is after the 1st coat.

The whole process took a lot of time and patience. Fill, let it dry, sand…apply some more, let it dry, sand. It probably took 3-4 applications to get the side perfectly smooth and ready for paint.

REMEMBER, paint will NOT cover poorly patched or repaired areas…if anything it will highlight it. So take your time and do it right!

After patching, puttying and caulking, I primed the entire outside of the cabinet with primer, sanded it smooth with 220 grit paper and then wiped it down with a tack cloth.

I then spay painted it with a flat black paint. Remember, light coats…2-3.

The paint I used SAID it was primer and paint in one. As you may know, I do not trust that and will ALWAYS apply a good primer before paint…always.

I stripped the drawers and doors (using this process) and I used my new favorite tung oil finish to seal them.

I added new shelving support using some leftover walnut I had from my office feature wall project. I wanted good solid support since it would be holding glass shelves and china…glue and nails!

(This is solid natural walnut…no stain…just an oil finish!)

I moved it in the house before I added the glass or hung the doors…just made it lighter and easier to move…okay, RELATIVELY easy…this sucker is big!

So, my original plan was to put it in my office. But it covered too much of the feature wall I worked so hard on. I moved the Drexel server into the office and put this cabinet in the dining room.

The final touch was the hardware. My original plan was to find some simple tear drop hardware. While looking, I found these precious little ginko leaf designs on Etsy.

Back story…years ago when my kids were little we lived in a house that had a HUGE old ginko in the court yard. I have the loved these trees ever since. Kind of quirky but with a story.

I added a LED light inside the cabinet…simple!

Now I have a place to display more of our family china.

Rather than fill it with all the china I have stored away I selected a few serving pieces of each set. I like to use antique books as risers so I picked a few up at a local flea market.

The only things I purchased were the candle lantern and a fake plant. I know, fake plants are suppose to be “faux pas” these days…I don’t care…I can’t keep a real one alive and it looks lovely.

I love to decorate this room for every holiday so I can’t wait to doll this piece up for fall in a month or so…then Christmas.

I think it will be just stunning!