Flowers – The Bouqs Company

I love fresh flowers and would have them in my house every day if I could.  To me, flowers bring life and happiness to a room.  There is something about a bouquet of flowers that just makes me smile!

Flowers are also my favorite way to let the special people in my life know I am thinking about them.  For Christmas each year, my sisters and I send flowers to my mom every month.  Of course I like to receive flowers too!  So when the people at TheBouqs offered to send flowers for me to review I decided to give them a try.

I did a bit of research before saying yes and loved the fact that The Bouqs flowers come from farms that treat the environment and their workers with care and respect.  They cut only what they sell and the flowers are shipped directly to you – fresh.  Bouquets start at forty dollars but you can double the number of flowers for only ten dollars more.  Two dozen roses for fifty dollars – wow! This price also includes shipping to all parts of the United States.  A bonus for me was that there are no vases, chocolates, balloons, etc. – simple and straight forward.

I placed a double order of the “Above and Beyond” bouquet and received an email confirming my order and another letting me know they were on the way.  The flowers arrived on time and carefully packaged.

The roses were beautiful and just as pictured.  They took a day or two to open up but once they did they were stunning.  I followed the directions included in the package – using the included cut flower food and changing the water as directed.  Over a week after they arrived I still had a lovely bouquet of flowers on my table.  Even my husband was impressed!

So overall my experience with The Bouqs Company was a positive one.  The ordering process was simple and easy, there were no hidden fees or extras, the flowers arrived on time and they were beautiful.  So with Mother’s Day just around the corner I now know where I will be purchasing my flowers from.

Disclosure:  The Bouqs provided the flowers for my review.  All opinions are my own and are a reflection of my own personal experience with The Bouq’s company - yours may be different.  This post also contains affiliate links which means if you click on them and place an order I will receive a small compensation.

100 Ideas Flea Market Style

The pictures from the photo shoot which took place at my house back in the fall have been published in the latest edition of Better Homes and Gardens 100 Ideas Flea Market Style!  This is a fabulous issue just brimming with wonderful and creative ideas for everyone who loves using found treasures in new and unique ways.  Take a look at all the great transformations which took in my own house.

This picture is from my living room and shows a vintage chicken coop which Donna Talley – Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith publications - turned into a one of a kind coffee table. 

100 Ideas Flea Market Style - John Bessler, photographer

Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

It was a simple and quick project with great results.  She attached vintage looking casters to the bottom of the coop and added a glass top.  My favorite part is the ability to use the inside for storage and display of my ironstone.

You may recognize the picture below from the eating area of my kitchen as I recently added the marble top to the antique grain bin. 

100 Ideas Flea Market Style - John Bessler, photographer

Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

Instead of storing noodles or grains, the glass front cabinet drawers are used for linen storage as well as other party staples. It makes for a pretty and practical display!

The next picture illustrates a fun way to re-purpose and use a vintage tool box.

100 Ideas Flea Market Style - John Bessler, photographer

Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

Instead of transporting table items one at a time or on a tray, why not carry it all in a vintage tool box?  The large size and sturdiness of the box itself make it ideal.

Another creative idea shown in the magazine is to turn a sofa console table into a kitchen island by simply placing a salvaged slab of granite on top.

100 Ideas Flea Market Style - John Bessler, photographer

Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

Although the console is not old, the paint treatment and vintage towel hanger give the piece an antique feel.  The slim profile also makes this a great option for anyone with limited space.

One of my favorite flea market purchases ever is my vintage cart.  Here it is used for holding blankets and throws.

100 Ideas Flea Market Style - John Bessler, photographer

Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

Finally, there is the architectural salvage piece which hangs in my mudroom.

100 Ideas Flea Market Style - John Bessler, photographer

Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

I bought the wood piece at a tag sale and have been so anxious to share this project with you.  I will give details as to what I did to turn it into a coat hanger very soon. Oh – and if you are interested in the tutorial on how to make the “XO” pillow seen on the bench, the instructions can be found here.

These are all such great ideas!  There are many more to be found in the magazine. I am not sure I can pick a favorite, can you?

Master Bedroom Updates

Before I show you one of the many things I have been up to since I last posted almost four months ago, I wanted to thank everyone who wrote to check on me.  I am doing well and it really touched my heart knowing that many of you were concerned about me since it had been so long since I had written anything on my blog.

To catch you up a bit on what I have been doing, the past several months have been a whirlwind of activity.  Beginning in October and lasting through the first of the year, I became extremely busy with my Etsy shop and had my best holiday season ever.  There were lots of late nights and long days to get all the orders finished on time.  So to everyone who bought one of my stockings, pillows or tree skirts – Thank You!

In the fall I had a photo shoot at Donna Talley’s studio with photographer John Bessler.   Donna is a Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications and asked me if I would be willing to share one of my favorite collections in an upcoming issue of Better Homes and Gardens Flea Market Style magazine.  It was a fun few hours and as usual I enjoyed the time I spend with both Donna and John.  The magazine should be on newsstands in March. 

After the holidays were over, I felt as if it had been so long since I had been able to do anything in my own home that I went into project overload - painting, sewing, cleaning, updating small things which had been on my “to do” list for too long, designing and creating new items for my Etsy shop etc.  I was great at getting things finished but not so great about writing about them.  I will try to do better!

Anyway, I am happy to be back and to share one of my latest projects – the master bedroom. 

If you have been a long time follower you know that over the past several years I have been slowly making changes to this space – one piece at a time.  While I still have a few more things I would like to do, the addition of a new bed really makes a huge difference.  Here is a reminder of what the bedroom looked like before.

Back in October I finally found and ordered a bed.  We had lived with only a bed frame for quite some time and after lots of time searching I was excited to make a decision.  (The bed and side table in this picture were moved to my son's room.)  I ordered Hickory Chair’s Simone bed by Suzanne Kasler. 

I love, love, love the bed!  What I did not like was the fact it took over three months to arrive. Evidently they had an issue with one of the bed parts which caused the very long delivery time – three times longer than normal.   When I asked if they could at least reduce the shipping cost or have the bed delivered to my house rather than to a warehouse for me to pick up I was told no – they would do nothing.  Not the best customer service on Hickory Chair’s part so in all honesty I am not sure I will order anything from them in the future.  Enough said, so I will move on.

Besides the bed, I also made new linen pillow shams and replaced the silk curtains with ones made from the same linen as the pillows.  I added a glass top to the basket by the side of the bed which made a big difference in that everything on top is now level.

I am so very pleased with how this space is coming together.  As I said before, I still have a few things I would like to change but as I have done up to this point – it will be one piece at a time!

November RDH Blog of the Month – House of Turquoise

via House of Turqoise - Coastal Living Magazine

Annie Schlechter,  photographer - designed by James Radin

If you love the color turquoise and all its many tones and pretty shades, then you are in great company!  It seems lots of people love this wonderful color.  In fact, Erin loves turquoise so much that she created an entire blog called House of Turquoise dedicated to showcasing this pretty color.

I have been following Erin at House of Turquoise for quite some time and was so thrilled when she said yes to being featured today as the Red Door Home November blog of the month!  

Erin from House of Turquoise

Erin finds and shares the prettiest pictures - all featuring some variation of her favorite color. I have shared a few of my favorites from her blog throughout this post.

via House of Turquoise

Michelle Balfoort, architect - Adam Cohen. photographer

via House of Turquoise

Design by Tobi Fairly

Most people probably think of turquoise as being just one specific shade of blue.  House of Turquoise shows that there are so many hues and deviations of this wonderful color that there really are no limits when it comes to decorating with turquoise. 

via House of Turquoise - Kitchen by Young Huh

via House of Turquoise

Geoff Chick, architect - Jack Gardner, photographer

Besides her wonderful blog, Erin also has a great online store called Everything Turquoise. 

Here you can find anything from pajamas to scissors to linens and everything in between all in – you guessed it - the color turquoise.  It really is a great concept.

I hope you will take the time to visit Erin at House of Turquoise.   Her blog is simply beautiful!

Curtains, Curtains and more Curtains!

Today I am thrilled to be guest posting at I am Momma Hear Me Roar as part of Cheri’s week long Behind the Curtain series. 

I hope you will stop by my post HERE to see curtains from my home, curtains I have created for magazine photo shoots and some all-time curtain favorites.  There is a lot to see!

October Blog of the Month – Design Chic!

Happy Monday!  Hope you all had a great weekend.  Today I am thrilled to introduce you to another fabulous Red Door Home blog of the month – Design Chic!

Design Chic is a beautiful design blog written by the mother daughter duo of Beth Woodson and Kristy Woodson.  Kristy does the writing and Beth is the curator of all the lovely pictures – sounds like a perfect match.

Their blog is one of my favorite places for inspiration on everything from farmhouse sinks to boxwoods, white clapboard houses to butler’s pantries, bobbin chairs to garages and so much more.  The list is truly endless.  In fact, if you follow me on Pinterest you will see that many of the pictures I have pinned have come from Design Chic.  They have impeccable taste and always find the most wonderful pictures. Below are some of the pictures I just love!

A garage by Patrick Ahearn  - architect

Clapboard House from Country Living

Boxwood Design by Arabella Lennox Boyd landscape designer

This designing duo also has a new project in the works.  They are in the midst of renovating a house in beautiful Beaufort, North Carolina.  Beaufort is a quintessential coastal town and the third oldest town in North Carolina – lots of history here and a great place to visit especially in the summer.  In fact, I am very familiar with Beaufort as my husband and I made a stop there on our honeymoon.  The house is definitely a diamond in the rough just brimming with potential.

The front part of the house was built in 1813 and the remainder in 1907.

Future guest room

The master bedroom with another great fireplace.

One of the most spectacular features of the house is the view from the widows walk.

Demolition on the house is in full swing and they are currently working on remodeling and reworking spaces.  I am so excited to see this entire project as it progresses to the finishing stages.

As with all the blog of the month features on Red Door Home, there is so much more to see at Design Chic including their “In Good Taste” features as well as  “Fashionable Friday.”  I hope you will visit Beth and Kristy and leave a comment letting them know you stopped by.  I know they will be thrilled to hear from you! 

Refinished Coffee Table – the details!

A little while back I shared a sneak peak of a coffee table project I was about to begin using a new-to-me refinishing technique.  I am happy to report it is complete and turned out even better than I had hoped!

Above is what the table looks like today and below is a picture of what the table looked like when I started.  I loved the shape and scale of the table for our office sitting area but it was very orange and too shiny. 

My original refinishing plan was to use a furniture stripper followed by sanding with a palm sander.  My plans changed, however, when I visited my local Lowes store.  The salesperson I worked with just happened to be a woodworker and suggested I try using acetone for removing the finish, followed by a good hand sanding.  The acetone, he said, would remove all the inorganic elements (stain and varnish) from the wood and by using a 00 grade of steel wool the table would require only hand sanding to achieve a perfectly smooth finish.   It sounded pretty simple so I decided to give it a try.

After he explained the safety considerations when working with acetone – it will burn your skin and eyes and is highly flammable and should only be used in well ventilated (outside) areas away from any open flames – we went around the store gathering up the supplies.  I needed acetone, chemical safe gloves, a full chemical face mask, 00 grade steel wool, fine grit sand paper and a small metal bucket.

I began the project by removing the brass casters and decorations from the table. The table was then placed outside on rocks (acetone will kill grass) in the corner of our garden area on top of a layer of plastic and newspapers.  I tied my hair back, wore long pants, a long sleeved shirt tucked into the chemical safe gloves and the face mask to make sure I was fully protected.

Once I was ready to go, the project was fairly straight forward.  Simply pour about an inch or two of acetone in the metal bucket, dip the steel wool into the acetone and then start scrubbing with the grain of the wood.  (Acetone will evaporate quickly so you only want to pour a small amount in the bucket at a time.)  Keep dipping the steel wool into the acetone and scrubbing.  When the steel wool “wears out” grab a new piece and repeat the procedure until you are satisfied with the results. 

After all the finish was removed, I sprayed the table with water using a garden hose and let it dry outside.  When the table was completely dry it was time for a hand sanding to even out the grain of the wood and remove any residue. 

It took about 3 hours for me to remove everything from the wood using the acetone and steel wool plus more time for sanding. It was a lot of work but the results were worth the effort.  The table was returned to the natural wood color and was extremely smooth.

Since I wanted the table to have a light, slightly white finish, I decided to try another first for me - Briwax liming wax.  I could not find it locally so I ended up ordering the wax online.  I simply followed the directions on the can and applied small amounts using a cotton cloth.  I kept applying the wax until I had the look I wanted.  Once the wax was dry it was time for a top coat of furniture wax.  I used a clear finish furniture paste wax by Minwax. 

The table turned out wonderful!  I also have to say liming wax has now been added to my list of favorite products.  I have already used it on another project which I will be sharing shortly and have found myself looking around my house to see what other wood pieces I can use it on!

I am curious to know, have you ever tried using acetone and/or liming wax?  Were you happy with the results?  Looking forward to hearing about your experiences!

Note:  Please be sure to read all the instructions and warnings on the acetone container and wax as well as consulting with a salesperson to make sure you have all the proper equipment to order complete this project safely.