Spring Mantel with White

Yes, I know that it is not Spring just yet, even though it was 60 degrees in New Jersey today.  I just thought I would get a jump start on the upcoming season.........and my mantel kept on saying, "change me, change me".

So, I threw caution to the wind and changed things up a bit. Since we are redoing the dining room, I decided to take the ironstone out of that room and move it to the family room.  Honestly, this room really needed a change.  And I'm loving the white on the oak mantel.  

I was browsing through Pier 1 Imports one day and found large batches of faux purple lavender in the clearance section, what a deal!  And it looks perfect in the white pitchers.

The white just seems to brighten up the entire room, which I love.  Of course nothing would be complete without the presence of one of my roosters.  I think he is enjoying this new look.    As for all of my blue and white, it all packed away just waiting for the dining room to be finished.  

Thanks so much for stopping by.....

I'll be linking up with,

At the Picket Fence

Potpourri Friday at 2805
The Charm of Home
Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Our Dining Room Mess

Wow, where do I begin.  I've missed being on here and now I have to figure out an entire new blogger layout.  Working really took up so much of my time I thought it would be best to put my blog aside for awhile instead of stressing out over trying to post.  While I loved working full time for a few months I am glad that it is back to part-time.  My house is a mess and there are a million unfinished projects going on that I need to finish up.

Since it is still cold in NJ our backyard oasis is on hold until warmer weather and until the township gives us the go ahead on our built in pool.  In the meantime we started redoing our dining room.  Mike has been promising me that he would install wainscot in that room so we started working on that. I've mentioned in the past that I really wanted a new dining room set, that I was looking for a more casual look, well..........we ordered a new set but I didn't go with a casual look.  I went to my favorite store Ethan Allen to browse and fell in love with their Country French look.  My loving husband decided that he didn't want off white furniture.  So after much deliberation we decided to just replace what was broken and falling apart.  The furniture is scheduled to arrive in the middle of April so we have a few more weeks to finish up our project.  Needless to say, both the dining and living room will need to be painted after the wainscot installation.

I am putting a tutorial together about how we built the wainscot which I will post once we are finished.

In the meantime, lets talk furniture and paint colors.  I emptied out and packed up everything that was stored in the furniture thinking that I was going to sell the set.  I guess some things are just meant to be because I couldn't find a buffet that I liked and couldn't sell the set.  This is when we rethought the entire project and decided to keep the buffet and server that I had and just replace the table, chairs and hutch.  This was definitely the right decision because I really felt comfortable with it.  You know when you keep questioning yourself on a decision your making.  Well, I kept doing that until I went with replacing the mahogany furniture.  I guess I am just a traditional girl at heart!

  .

  Yes, these are pretty sad pictures but it's the best that Ethan Allen would let me do!

A sneak peek of the wainscot going up.  

This is the wall color that I chose. The darker color is the BM Shaker Beige.  I'm just hoping that it doesn't look yellow once it goes up.

So here we have it!   I will be keeping you posted on the progress.

Thanks so much for stopping by!


I'll be linking up with.....


mrshinesclass

Backyard Oasis

Hello everyone, and Happy New Year to you all! 

I thought it would be nice to move outside my home for a post or two.  It seems to be a nice change after all of the Christmas posts...and plus, the inside is a mess right now!

Since we moved into our home 10 years ago we've wanted to create a backyard oasis for our family.  Our home is on 2 acres and we have a huge backyard so we knew this would be a very large project.  Mr. Country has always wanted a built in pool so we decided to incorporate this into our design plans.  I'm sure you know how these things can get out of hand. Our current plan includes a swimming pool with waterfall and pool house, patio off the deck and walkway leading to the driveway with a pergola as the entrance.  We are hoping to start the pool in early spring but been having problems with the township.  Hopefully they will be resolved soon.

We finished the first phase in November and just love how it came out.  I'm so excited to plant a garden here in the spring.  This side of the house gets lots of sun so I know that I will be growing plenty of gorgeous perennials.

Here is the before picture of where the new patio is.  Just uneven grass and mud.  

The masons working hard!

This is the walkway that leads to the driveway.  

This is the driveway entrance looking into the yard.  The pergola, once 

completed, will match the one on the deck.

The finished product.  Now we just need some nice furniture!

The completed walkway.  Mr. Country will stone face the base of the columns and build the pergola.  We're hoping for a mild winter so we can get all of this done.  

We added stepping stones to the shed.  This area would always flood when it 

rained so it was raised about one foot.  We still need to add dirt and mulch to this area.

I'll post pictures as we complete more of this project.  We are hoping to have the 

pool and all of the hardscape done by May.  Wish us luck!

I'll be partying with, 

Between Naps on the Porch

Wow Us Wednesdays

No Minimalist Here

Favorites From 2011

Happy New Year to all and hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Holiday.  

Here are some of my favorite projects from this past year.....my first year blogging.  And what a learning experience it has been.  I've met many wonderful people, learned how to take better pictures and know what a cloche is.  And of course there is our favorite, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  I've learned to decorate  with burlap and white and am now obsessed with both.  I neutralized my home and painted lots of things, much to Mr. Country's dismay.  But I could never have done any of this without the awesome inspiration that comes from all of you talented ladies.  I thank you all for your sweet comments and mounds of encouragement.

Can't wait to see what 2012 will bring!

Have a Very Happy and Healthy New Year....and see you all next year!