the queen of all colors

A post on Vignette Design is where I found this Renoir quote:  "I've been 40 years discovering that the queen of all colors was black."

Black IS queen in one of our bathrooms.  It just "happened" that way.

I picked up accessory pieces at thrift stores now and then, here and there...

Three black tins (part of my larger collection).

 An abstract painting, framed in black.

 A small stand with a refinished top, and painted base.

 A wicker fold up sewing cabinet, currently holding towels & husband's underwear

(so convenient after showering).

 A "found" chair--seat covered in a bark cloth vintage fabric and its frame painted black.

The sink base cabinet was the last item to be painted black. 

If black IS queen in our bathroom, I'm not sure WHAT is king!






Black is DEFINITELY king in my wardrobe
(just in case you haven't noticed)!

perfect and not so much

 Perfect...

 ...and not so perfect.

I have several great pieces of pottery in my collection.  I think all but one of was purchased in thrift stores or at garage sales.  Still my eye is drawn to imperfect and strange bits of pottery such as these three.  I'm sure some of them were art projects of junior high students, but that doesn't diminish my fascination with them.  I discovered the heart-shaped one at a thrift store last week.  It sent me digging for the other two pieces AND a place to display all of them.

pleasure bent

As I was leaving the second (and final) thrift store of my thrifting excursion this past week, my eyes fell on a jewelry box filled with pieces.  It took some sorting, but I came up with this pair of dangly earrings.  Definitely MY style....and for 50 cents, a bargain!

 I found this woven heart at my first stop...

 ...and enough designer fabric to cover two chair seats with PLENTY left over for future projects.

It had to be neutral enough to sit
 at the same table with
this VERY "loud" pattern.

and it had to be VERY inexpensive.

Although on pleasure she was bent, she had a frugal mind. - William Cowper

before and since (janie)

B.J. (Before Janie) I wasn't much into painted furniture.  But look at me NOW!

I had decided on painting this desk green when I remembered we had some paint that might work.  (I realize now that the paint was old - and we probably SHOULD discard all of our old paint. Still, it was a frugal and thrifty decision to use up what we had.)  My husband kindly and capably sanded, primed and painted yesterday, and this is the result.

B.J. (Before Janie), I would have been perturbed about the way the paint covered.  

But S.J. (Since Janie) I am embracing the imperfection and actually seeing the beauty in it.

The color goes quite well with the colors in this thrifted pillow

and the leaves in the rooster picture hanging above the desk.
It DOESN'T match the green in the chair seat covering as well as I'd hoped.

That's fine.  I'm happy.

irresistible

"irresistible" is the only word for these three oil paintings
that I found at my favorite thrift store today.

Do they fit into my color scheme?  

No.  

But I have difficulty passing up floral oil paintings.

Do you find certain things "irresistible"?

over the top

 These two...shelves my husband built over the top of two of our bedroom windows.

 These two...over the top of inexpensive bookshelves.  Also in our bedroom.

 

These two...over the top of the upstairs bathroom door and window 

on shelves constructed by my husband.

Almost EVERYTHING on these shelves and bookcases was found at thrift stores.

They are NOT my complete collection of decorative tins,

rose-patterned china pieces, globes, or turquoise-colored glassware.

hearts and jacket

 Before leaving for our Study Group this morning,

I decided to make heart hang-ups for each lady. 

I pulled out my almost-depleted wallpaper sample book 

(a thrift-store find, naturally),

cut out heart shapes, cut backgrounds on which I glued the hearts,

printed out favorite quotes from the chapter we're studying today (Celebration of Discipline),

glued on a button or two, modpodged & punched a hole for a ribbon hanger.

This is the jacket I wore.  I love its nubby texture, covered buttons, and general cut and style!

Of course, it TOO was a thrift store find!

out with the old

From this....

To this...

Complete story HERE.

parting is such sweet sorrow

In the past, my fascination with tables and chairs has known no bounds!  I redeemed many a stray from their thrift store existences.  This table is a prime example. For at least a year now, it found a temporary home in the garage/workshop where it experienced a bit of abuse as smaller items were placed on it to be repaired.  Finally, desperate to clear the space, its marred (and veneer) top was painted.  Hopefully it will find its way to a new home via Craig's List or an early spring garage sale.

These two chairs will be offered as its companions.  Lovely as they are, I have drawn the line with the thirty-five (or more) chairs I already have in our seven rooms.  I can't imagine changing any of them out with these two.  My loyalty level is too high. 

The thought of parting with them is painful.  Maybe painful enough that I won't be redeeming any more chairs or tables in the immediate future.  (Thanks to my wonder-worker husband for his careful and excellent repair and refurbishing of my "finds".)

dressing the chandeliers

Can't help lovin' my chandeliers.  Trying to decide if/how to "dress" them.  Of course, there are always the traditional globes that came on them...but I've seen some interesting variations lately.  This may be my project for the week.  First, I need to address the cobwebs that I just noticed...There.  (I found both of these at thrift stores.  Prices on chandeliers at thrift stores have risen since I purchased these!)

Now, any suggestions?

comfortable cowl collar

A cowl neckline top is similar to a turtleneck but has much more material making it hang in a scooping fashion on the chest. It is commonly seen on sweaters, camisoles, dresses, and even some wedding gowns. There is no set size for a cowl neckline. It can be quite small and just gather neatly right near your neck or it can have lots of extra material and hang quite low on the chest. Either way, it’s usually quite flattering.

This lightweight sweater also has a sweet button on each sleeve.  The sweater is comfortable.   I enjoyed wearing it around the house today and rearranged the collar several times...

leather

A thrifted purse from a few years back hangs on the doorknob of one of the French doors between our kitchen/dining room and the library/music room.  I've carried it a few times, and our granddaughters enjoy playing with it when they come...

 I chose a v-neck shirt with gold belt and necklace accents today.

Yes, another black skirt!  This one -- leather/suede.

It fits like a glove!
"Gored" style--does anyone call it that anymore?



I'm a little bummed.  I tried for a picture of the new earrings
I received in the mail from Sandy today.  Just couldn't get it right.
I didn't realize she was a jewel-crafter!
These feature a lovely pearl with a diamond bead.
Unusually chic, Sandy!

lwb

Along with the "finds" I posted yesterday, I found this lwb on the $.50 rack of a different store!  I didn't try it on until after my shower today...and I am thrilled!  It's such a different style/cut for me, but I can't get enough of little white blouses!

 Behind me is this special heart garland that I received yesterday.  

You can read more about it here.