New to Me Hallway Mirror

Thank you so very much for all the nice comments about our new puppy, Abby.  She has been such a delight and has already become an important part of our family.  It is hard for me to believe over two weeks have passed since I last shared news from the house with the red door.  I don’t think I have ever gone this long without posting something since I started this blog over two years ago.  It is not for lack of things to write about but rather just plain busyness.

Anyway, I wanted to finally reveal what I meant to buy when I purchased the blue glass lamp for the master bedroom way back in April.  You may recall I had come across an item of interest on Craig’s List and ended up purchasing the lamp and the item.  What was the item?

It was a large Eastlake mirror.

Originally I was looking for something big to fill up the wall space at the bottom of the basement stairs (from the above pictures you can tell it did not end up there) and thought a large mirror would be just the thing. I have always loved the look of an oversized mirror leaning against the wall and this seemed like the perfect spot.

After a while, however, I realized it was just not big enough for the space.  It looked good but didn’t have the impact I had wanted.  I began looking for an alternative location and was so pleased to see it fit perfectly at the entrance to the basement stairwell.

No surprise in that I decided to paint it white – Annie Sloan’s old white to be exact.  I still have not figured out if I should distress the edges or leave it as is.  I keep waffling between the two.  I would love to know what you think!

Thanks again for your patience!  I am going to try to get caught up soon.

Goodies in the Mail and a New Family Addition

The past few weeks have been filled with lots of fun and excitement!  The mailman has been a regular visitor at my house – delivering a few expected packages as well as a nice surprise – and we have added a new member to the family.

Last week started off with the delivery of this wonderful enamel sign I won a while back from a giveaway hosted by Darlene at Fieldstone Hill.

It is made by Ramsign and is a work of art which is made to be used.  It took several weeks to arrive once my order was placed but it was well worth the wait.  Thanks Darlene!

The second delivery came about courtesy of Joan from For the Love of a House.  She recently shared her source for real wax candle sleeve covers - Lumiere Candles.  I honestly did not even know such a thing existed!

Since I am all about the details, I couldn’t wait to replace the plastic sleeves on my vintage light fixtures in the dining room and living room with the real thing.

The funny thing was, I was in such a rush to order the candle sleeves I ordered six twelve inch sleeves instead of the twelve six inch sleeve I needed.  Lucky for me, Lumiere Candles’ customer service is incredible.  I left a message about my mistake and received a phone call back almost immediately telling me what I need to do to make an exchange.

My new beeswax candle sleeve covers really do make a difference in the way the chandeliers look and I highly recommend them for anyone who loves authenticity.

The third package I received this past week was a lovely surprise.  I recently featured Jenni from Dear Lillie as the September RDH blog of the month.  During the post I mentioned how much I liked the silhouette shopping bag which was a new addition to the Dear Lillie Store.  Well, a few days later I received one in the mail!  It was such a lovely and unexpected gesture and I can’t thank Jenni enough.

Finally, I wanted to share a picture of the newest addition to our house with the red door – Abby!

She is a miniature Schnauzer puppy and came to live with us just this past Saturday.  She may show up from time to time in some upcoming pictures so I thought I should introduce her to you.

Decorating with Shells – An Oyster Shell Ball Tutorial

One of my favorite activities when I visit the beach is shell hunting. For years I have been slowly adding to my collection and using my treasures in my home.

They are scattered about in almost every room and serve as a reminder of the many fun vacations my family has enjoyed over the years.

This summer I decided to collect shells which I had previously ignored – oyster shells.

I have seen lots of different decorative uses for these shells and decided to try my hand at creating a simple shell ball.

It was an easy process requiring only shells, hot glue and a Styrofoam ball.

I began my project by grouping the shells by size.  By using shells of nearly the same size, I figured I would increase my odds of ending up with something round.

Beginning in the middle of the Styrofoam ball, I simply applied hot glue and stuck/pressed the shell into to Styrofoam through the glue before it hardened.  I worked in a single row around the circumference of the ball before beginning the next row.

The entire project took about twenty minutes and when I was finished I had a decorative reminder of another great summer of fun!

Do you use shells as decorative accessories in your home?  If so I would love to know how you display your beach finds.

Built-in Cabinets Reveal

I am so excited to be sharing the final reveal of the built-in cabinets next to our family room fireplace.  The process began in May and was finished up just a few days ago.  So I couldn’t wait to share the photos!

I will have more information about the building process and the details of the cabinet contents in a little bit.  The picture below is a little reminder of where we began.

Here is what the room looks like today.

Hope you enjoy the upcoming long weekend!

September Blog of the Month – Dear Lillie

Today I am thrilled to be featuring Dear Lillie as the Red Door Home September Blog of the Month.

I discovered Jennifer’s blog last spring when we both participated in the 2011 Poppies at Play Parade of Homes.

Jennifer’s End of Summer Mantel

From my very first visit I was captivated by Jennifer’s beautiful and welcoming style as well as her gorgeous photographs.

Jennifer’s inviting home is filled with many of her own unique decorating designs (many of which she has tutorials for) including the pretty ruffled lamp shade and slipcovered ottoman shown below and the moss covered letter shown above.

In addition to home decorating, Dear Lillie also features some of Jennifer’s original and creative party ideas – my favorite of which is the Jane Austin themed party shown below.

Jennifer is also mom to two beautiful little girls who often model items found in Dear Lillie’s online store.

Lillie wearing a Briar Hat

As luck would have it, Dear Lillie just reopened their online shop today!  I am totally in love with two newly added items - the Organic Annistyn Scarf in Winter White and the silhouette shopping bag shown below.

I hope you will visit Dear Lillie and leave a comment to let Jennifer know you stopped by. I know you will be glad you did!