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Archives for December 2013

Top Ten Posts for 2013 From Old Things New Blog

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So, these aren’t necessarily my “most visited” posts. I’ve looked through and chosen the posts that received the most comments and also, in the tradition of Old Things New, the posts where I actually re-purposed or restored something old into something new.

So here are my Top Ten Posts for 2013:

#10 Braided Cuff Tutorial

#9 Vintage Jewelry Bookmarks

#8 Three Tiered Succulents

#7 A Dropcloth Slipcover for an Old Bench

#6 Guest Cottage Before and After

#5 A Frenchy Bed Makeover

#4 DIY Junky Chicken Wire Cloche

#3 Turquoise Bedside Table

#2 Rosette Wreath Tutorial

And finally, my most popular post of 2013 . . .

#1 Vintage Dresser and Mirror Update

If you’d like to see more pictures or tutorials of any of these posts you can click on the title for the link to the post. It has been a busy and wonderful year of blogging in 2013 and I’m looking forward to new things ahead for 2014.

Blessings to you all in the year to come,

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:
UnderTheTableAndDreaming, TheDIYShowoff, TheTablescaper,LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SuburbsMama,
NiftyThriftyThings
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
IHeartNapTime, WeCallItJunkin’,
Saturday:

Mercury Glass Used in Winter Decor

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I have a special fondness for mercury glass no matter what time of the year but especially in winter. Winter nights are long and the days are short and anything that catches and reflects a little more light around my home makes me happy.

I spray painted the inside of this clear bottle to give it the mirrored effect of mercury glass, then added this cute little snow baby graphic (I’ll give you all the who, what, where, when, how info at the end of this post!)

I love the look of dried cotton but since I didn’t have any available to me I made my own. What do you think?

On Christmas my sister-in-law asked me where I got the cotton and when I told her my secret she was so impressed.

On the reverse side of the bottle I added a different graphic.

In my powder room I have these great vintage bottles on display. I was fortunate enough to find a whole “family” of them at a local thrift store for $2.00 apiece. After a few light coats of spray paint I applied French perfume bottle labels which seemed fitting for a powder room.

A little twine and few sprigs of faux winter berry branches make these festive all winter long.

This is a vase I had on hand (one of those vases that collect under the sink after the flowers are gone). I added a pretty vintage earring for a little more bling.

Roses and mercury glass go so well together . . .

As an FYI, Looking Glass spray will not withstand water. I put my flowers in a ZipLock bag filled with water and carefully slipped it down into the vase. You could also insert a smaller vase inside a large one.

Here mercury glass is a part of my winter centerpiece. Silver and gold mixed together is festive for New Year’s and beyond.

A little warmth on a cold winter’s night.

One last touch of mercury glass in my home are these light fixtures that I purchased to hang over my kitchen island. Being a DIYer I tried to use my fancy spray paint on the frosted glass shades that used to hang here. Note: Mercury glass spray paint does not look good on frosted glass! They turned out looking more like metal shades than glass. Oh well, there are bound to be some failures along the way.

I thought these were reasonably priced and they came from Pottery Barn.


So, here are the details, as promised:

For all of the DIY mercury glass projects I used Krylon Looking Glass spray paint (found at WalMart) to create the mirrored effect. There are many good tutorials to be found online but for these pieces I simply followed the instructions on the can and sprayed a thin coat of paint down into the bottle followed by a spritz of water to make the water drop effect. I speeded up the drying time by using my hair dryer between each coat of paint. On the more “see-through” items (like the old bottles) I used 3-4 coats of paint and on the vases I probably used 5-6 coats of paint.

All of the cute graphics are from The Graphics Fairy. If you haven’t been to her fabulous website you’ve gotta go! To age the paper I dipped it in very strong coffee, placed it on a cookie sheet and baked it in the oven at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes. Then I applied it to my bottles with Mod Podge.

For the homemade cotton twigs I used pieces of polyfill stuffing which I sort of rolled into balls between my hands and “stuck” onto pussy willow branches at random. I didn’t use any glue at all and they’ve held up just fine.

Do you love the look of mercury glass as much as I do? For more bright and shiny inspiration be sure to check out my Pinterest Board “Mercury Glass Love”. I’ve pinned a lot of items that I’d like to try to duplicate myself, if I can find the right clear glass pieces. I’ve also pinned some ideas on how to use mercury glass pieces in home decor.

Keep your light shining bright throughout this winter season.

Blessings to you,

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:
UnderTheTableAndDreaming, TheDIYShowoff, TheTablescaper,LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SuburbsMama,
NiftyThriftyThings
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
IHeartNapTime, WeCallItJunkin’,
Saturday:

Merry Christmas!

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The Story Of Christmas
From Luke 2: 1-20

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

May the wonder of the true meaning of Christmas fill your hearts with great joy!

Christmas at The Secret Garden Tea Room

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I was so excited when the day arrived for lunch with my two friends at The Secret Garden Tea Room. All three of us really needed a break from our overly busy lives and we wanted to do something special where we could dress up and feel pretty!

On the day of our planned lunch the weather here in the Pacific Northwest was bitterly cold and not expected to reach even into the 20’s. Here is a sample of the group texting:

Rose: So Patti, what did you have in mind as far as dressing up?

Me: I’m not sure. Something warm!

Rose: LOL! Okay, something warm sounds good.

A little later . . .

Me: Okay, so I’m dressy on top, in holiday attire, and warm on the bottom, black jeans and UGGS . . .

Rose: Great! I guess I will trade my 6 inch stiletto heels for warm and comfy. I was really looking forward to wearing those heels 🙂

My friend Rose. She always makes me laugh. And quite awhile later . . .

Debbie: I’m totally missing out on the whole conversation but I’m good with whatever you ladies decide and I’m so looking forward to our time together. It’s been way too long.

It had been way too long since the three of had been together. Life can be so full that it can be hard to take time out to have fun. It was just about one year ago that the three of us were having lunch (a time when one of us going through a bumpy spot in life) that we decided to get together on a more regular basis and have our own little “support group” of sorts. We share our highs and lows, we laugh, we shop, we laugh, we eat, we laugh, and . . . suffice it to say that being with these two dear friends is, for me, like taking a mini vacation!

The Secret Garden Teahouse, Sumner, Washington

This is the beautiful Victorian mansion that houses the tea room. It was so cold that day that I could barely stand to stay outside long enough to get this picture! Brrrr . . . Let’s go inside for a walk-through.

The halls were gaily decked, including several Christmas trees, all with different themes.

Of course, being a Tea Room, there were also beautiful tea sets on display.

The Secret Garden Tea Room menu is amazing and the food delicious but I have a confession to make. When it came time to eat I was so hungry that I dug in before taking any pictures! Since our lunch was a late one we were the last to be served so I couldn’t even beg to take pictures at someone else’s table (not that I would actually DO that)! So, sadly, the pictures above were stolen off the tea room’s website.

I think our waitress felt bad for me because she brought out her own lunch plate for me take pictures of.

I am so bummed that I didn’t get pictures of our own lunches. We each ordered something different and the presentation was amazing!

After eating my entire lunch I had enough control over my appetite that I was able to get a picture of this dessert plate that we shared.

So delicious with a final cup of hot tea!

Here are my dear friends Debbie (on the left) and Rose (in the middle). They are beautiful, inside and out.

And here are two new friends we met in the tea room.

After lunch we spent some time in the gift shop.

When we came to the hats Rose told me that she looks terrible in them. I coaxed her into posing for some pictures so I could prove her wrong.

I think she is just darling!

Rose insisted on taking a picture of me in the gift shop too because she said it made me look pretty! Haha! The day before a much needed cut and color I wasn’t feeling too pretty at all! I think all of the beautiful things in the shop were just making my eyes sparkle!

We’re finished with our shopping and ready to go . . . but wait a minute . . . where has Debbie disappeared to?

Oh Deb . . . have you found two new friends to replace us with? Well, yes maybe they won’t talk as much as we do . . . but they’re kind of stiff doncha’ think? That Debbie . . . no one is a stranger to her!

It was a wonderful day spent with my friends.


Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12 New International Version

I feel so fortunate to be part of this special threesome and for the other great friends God has brought into my life. Do you have special friends in your life? Having good friends includes a willingness to open your heart to others. It means taking a risk, as some people will hurt you. If you are lonely do something nice for someone else. Giving of ourselves, being transparent about who we really are, pouring love and encouragement into the lives of others, this is the way to a good friendship.

 

Blessings to you,

1711 Elm Street East 253-826-4479
Sumner, WA 98390 fax 253-826-3231
I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:
UnderTheTableAndDreaming, TheDIYShowoff, TheTablescaper,LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SuburbsMama,
NiftyThriftyThings
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
IHeartNapTime, WeCallItJunkin’,
Saturday:

A Fancy Christmas Chandy

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Part of my Christmas decorating each year is to turn my dining room chandelier into A Fancy Christmas Chandy! I like to add embellishments to my chandelier, whether that be changing out the shades, adding fresh greenery from the yard or filling the cups that hold the “candles” with cranberries. This year I decorated my chandy to match my gold and silver tablescape.

My chandelier has a story of it’s own. It was the first birthday gift my husband bought for me after we moved into our first home . . .

I grew up in a wonderful old home in Seattle and my mother had a gigantic crystal chandelier (at least it seemed that way to me as a child). I loved to lie on the floor on a sunny day and watch the prisms reflect rainbows all around the room.

So when Mr. OTN bought me a crystal chandelier of my own I was delighted.

04-Christmas Chandy 010My youngest daughter also delighted in my new chandy. She would bring friends over to the house and if they had never been there before she would take them right into the dining room to show them the chandelier!

“Your house is SO fancy!”, they would say. It wasn’t really, but the chandy made it feel that way.

My chandy has been with me for many years now and followed us to our current home. When we first purchased this house it was more Tuscan in style and my youngest daughter (who was by then all grown up and in college) thought it was totally out of place. I didn’t care and I WASN’T giving up my chandy!

Over the years we’ve lived here our home has gradually changed over to the style I’m most comfortable with. I love sparkle . . . crystals, gold and silver. I also love shabby pieces of furniture, burlap, and horns hung on my wall! (You may have noticed that the chandelier chain is wrapped in burlap and gold ribbon!)

My chandy fits right in with the changes we’ve made here and my “Farmhouse Glam” style.

It also fits with in with my decorating on a budget way of doing things.

The iridescent Christmas balls are from our local Goodwill Christmas Store.

The gold wired ribbon has been around for years and used to be added to our Christmas tree . . . way back when we didn’t really have enough Christmas ornaments to fill a big tree.

Perhaps I sound materialistic to say I love my chandelier. But it isn’t the chandelier so much as the feeling of happiness and well being it creates within me. It reminds me of a very happy time in my childhood.

Last Spring I had a crafting party for some friends and at one point my friend Betty said, “Look at the walls, just like in Pollyanna!”

The sun was shining through the crystals and painting tiny rainbows all around the room as God smiled down on our day together.

I think this year’s Fancy Christmas Chandy may be my favorite one yet. I may have a hard time taking it down. Do you think it can remain as a part of my winter decor, even after the other Christmas decorations are put away?

Wishing you happy holiday memories to warm your heart this holiday season.

Blessings,

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:
UnderTheTableAndDreaming, TheDIYShowoff, TheTablescaper,LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SuburbsMama,
NiftyThriftyThings
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
IHeartNapTime, WeCallItJunkin’,
Saturday: