Helping our son finish his remodel

Our son called in February and asked if I could come out and 

help them finish their house so it would be ready to put 

on the market.  

It was on the 15th that I arrived and I spent two and a half

weeks there helping paint, spackle, caulk, pack boxes, 

and whatever else needed to be done.  Plus the bonus was, I got to see the

kids and the grand kids.  I arrived on Braxton's birthday, and

left the day before Weston's birthday, so we had some

 really fund times together.  

And did I mention caulk?  Oh, we went through a lot of tubes

of caulk!  I learned from the painters we hired 3 years ago that

one of the keys to a great paint job is caulking first, and getting every

crack between the floor boards, and casings, and anything

else filled before you paint.  

So we caulked! and caulked and caulked!

I am just sharing a few rooms of the house in this post.

It really turned out great, and the house was under contract in

10 days!  So it was worth all the work.

                                                                                                                                                                      Here is the living room/Kitchen.

Several years ago we helped Jer remodel the kitchen,

all the cupboards are original to the house, however, they

are not all in the original space, where the island now is - was a 

wall with cupboards on it.  So they got moved to the other side making

the kitchen bigger and on the bottom of the island,

and giving the house an open concept living room/ kitchen.

                            

Here is another view of the kitchen

This view shows some of the living area too.

The false fireplace is a fun feature that Jer added to the room.

This is a unusable wall, basically a walk way.

The mantel was given to me as a gift from the contractor we

hired, and came out of a very, old house that was falling apart.

I loved it, and used it in every house we sold 

when I was staging.  Jer has put it here permanently.

This is the bathroom that needed an entire new floor, which 

Jer did before I came, he put a new countertop and sink in the 

bathroom before I came too.  I only had to paint and 

lots of caulking, he also put in a crown molding which you

cannot see, but made the room!

This bedroom was only sheet rocked when I arrived, 

so there was a lot of work to this room.

The walls were quite wavy too, so many days of 

spackling and drying before any painting could be done.

This is my bedroom when we come to stay. This time I came

by myself, but usually it is both Dana and I when we come to visit.

Isn't this laundry room a dream!

Long story as to how it came to look like this, but it is 

one of the greatest features of the house.   Jer made the counter

tops for the room from scratch!  So love this room.

It is pure joy when you have to fold clothes.  

Well, as "pure joy" as folding clothes can be!

Master bathroom.

All the bathrooms and bedrooms were painted in 

Agreeable Grey from Sherwin Williams.

There are 4 different grey paints in the house.

The Family room.

 My adventure to the kids for a few weeks was a job for sure.

But it was worth it, we knew the house would not last long on the

market.  One great feature of the house, is the guest bedroom is on 

the opposite side of the house as the master and kitchen,

So when we come we have privacy, which is nice sometimes with

4 grand children running around!

So happy for the kids that the house sold so fast.

It was a fun few weeks, and I must say, I am getting older,

cause there were days I was in pure exhaustion.

What do you think?

Robin

New Years Eve Tablescape

Such a fun time New Years Eve!

Just home from visiting our daughter in California.

My first project is this tablescape.

I wanted to share this idea with you.

I so love to create table settings.  Do we have an opportunity

to use them all.  Not always, but for sure this is one

I have wanted to do for myself for many years.

Last year we had a New Years party, but not elegant like this would

require.  We played games - minute to win it games.

visited, and ate great food.

This year I want to do a more elegant evening.

A special dinner and a night of visiting.

Do you think I should ask people to dress up for this occasion?

It certainly would be much more fitting for this celebration.

My dinning room from afar.

This room is doesn't have any windows, just the window from the

room next to it, the door is the window, and from the kitchen.

It is a little hard to get beautiful bright pictures with out windows.

but I continue to work on brighter pictures of the tablescapes

when I am taking pictures in this room.

I love these dishes!  Gold and silver with white.

How can anything be more elegant?

I just found these silver goblets at a  resale store.

It always makes me a bit sad when someone sells something

so fabulous.  Was it their mother's, their grandmother's?

Or maybe it was their mother-in-laws. 

I am so blessed that they came my way, and I was able

to find this treasure!

Simple.

White tablecloth, gold and silver plaid place mat, gold napkins.

Gold plated stainless.

Silver charger, 

gold rimmed china dinner plate

from Mary Carol,

Silver rimmed salad plate,

gold rimmed roll plate

from Mary Carol,

Gold rimmed dessert bowl with handles

from Mary Carol.

The centerpiece is all sorts of little silver and candles that I had.  I'll show

you how these were put together.  Very easy to accomplish

with things you may have around the house.

I should have put little mini lights around the center of the

table, and I may still do this.  It would really look nice if I add this

and brighten the center of the table.

This is the serving side table in my kitchen.

I just recently painted it from black to grey, and distressed

the legs to look rust and grey.

I forgot that I made this teapot years ago with a clock on it.

I used an old silver teapot and added jewels and jewelry to the

outside of the pot.  It is one of my favorite creations.

It is quite perfect for the table setting for New Years.

I added small mini led lights to this table.

To create the parts of the table centerpiece, here is what I 

put together.  Just one on top of the other to create the 

look of high centerpiece if you don't have this 

high of pieces, you can create your own!

A vase, a small silver dish, and a candle.

The centerpiece with lights.

A cupcake stand and a candle.

Simple.

The table all put together.

Lights, stacked items to create the centerpiece.

This will be a great dinner, and a beautiful way to serve 

dinner.  I have not yet decided what we are having

for dinner.  Do you have any suggestions?

I could use some!

Happy New Year!

Robin 

Christmas Eve Tablescape

My favorite time with the family is on Christmas Eve.

We do our celebration on the Eve of Christmas,

presents, and our big dinner.

I spend days preparing for it, all the festivities,

nothing brings me greater joy on Christmas than to 

spend time with our grandkids and kids.

Here is my tablescape for this year.

So much fun!

This year I used some very special items from my favorite

boxes, some from the past, my mothers crochet red and white

table cloth.  I think it is actually for a bed, but

I decided to use it this year on the table.

A few years ago I purchased these angel wings for pictures I do each

summer with my grand children.  They really are angels!

I used them on the back of each chair, and tied them

with these gold and red rope tassels.

The table setting is so gorgeous!

Gold plated stainless, that my close friend brought to me

a few weeks ago.  She found them when she was cleaning out a house

of a man who had passed away, and everything was going to a yard

sale.  She knew I loved to do these table settings, and so shared

them with me.  Such a great gift, such a special friend.

White chargers, under silver chargers, then red plates, and beautiful

white bowls, on top of that green fruit salad plates.

Red goblets, and white cupcake pedestal plates. 

Each place setting has black and white cloth napkins from Pier I,

and red embroidered cloth napkins from Ralph Lauren. 

The center piece Dana made for me with wood from  a palate,

I filled it with greenery, red pine cones, red pomegranates, cream candles,

and beautiful hand cut glass candle holders. 

I repainted this table a few weeks ago, it was black.

I used Mindful Gray paint from Sherwin Williams.  I 

distressed this with a brick color on top of the gray.

This table cloth I purchased at the Christmas Markets in Germany

a few years ago.  I fell in love with it, it really was my intent to buy a 

tablecloth that I could embroider myself, but only finished ones

were available.  Really to my advantage!

My special find this year.  I found this at a vintage store.

I changed the chairs in the dinning room to white for Christmas,

and it brightens the room to have them in here.

I used red ribbon to tie a bow on my pillows.  They feel so 

festive!  I did them on all the pillows in my family room too!

So a Merry Christmas to you!

I hope that you will have as much fun on Christmas Eve as

we are planning on this year.

Have a great Holiday!

Robin

Thanksgiving Tablescape

Hello Friends,

We have been so involved this year,

and I am back to being able to post again.

This is such a great way for me to show my loves in

my life by posting on this very fun blog.

Today I am sharing my Thanksgiving tablescape.  

As time goes on I will share other things in our home.

Our Thanksgiving this year will be just us and another couple,

we had a great weekend with out children just a few weeks ago.

I have used some very special items on my table this year.

The table cloth comes from Ethiopia.  We served a humanitarian 

mission there for 2 years,  In Addis Ababa there was a leprosy hospital

where we would go and do some service.  The hospital had a

gift store where there were women with very broken and gnarled

hands that embroidered many different things, table cloths,

dresses, hand towels, pot holders with their Ethiopian motifs on them.

I ordered this table cloth with matching napkins for my home,

and sadly this is the first time in 6 years I have taken it out of the bag to use.

I think because we have been gone so much, it just never was on

the top of the list of things to use.

I also wanted some velvet pumpkins and decided I could

make some.  I found out that finding velvet in the colors I wanted

in my area wasn't an easy task.  I found faux velvet, and 

spent hours making pumpkins while we were traveling on the road.

I used rust, ochre, tan, and grey for my pumpkins.

I also used antique jewelry, ribbons, doilies to decorate them.

I also decided to use vases in brown and silver.  They are from the 

Mary Carol Collection.  She has a beautiful line and is out of Kansas.

The dishes are some of my favorites.  I bought the white chargers at a

second hand store, the brown plates are from Precious Goods with a 

beautiful embossed swirl on the plate, the turkey plates are from  

Noble Excellence, I purchased them at Dillards a few years ago, and the

little gratitude plates are from Zions Mercantile purchase at Deseret Book.

My silverware is antique and I have been collecting pieces for years

as I can find them at a good price.

In my kitchen/eating area I have some nice pieces of hand painted furniture,

all in brown and black tones.  Here is a bombay styled chest.

The picture above it is Tales Beneath Timp by James Christensen.

I love to put this out every fall in the kitchen.  It was one of my mother's

favorite pieces of his work.

I have instructions on the Chattering Robin's Blog on how to make these

cute pumpkins.  This one I have used a antique doily of my mothers, 

ribbon and a pin, and a pumpkin stem saved from last year.

In the glass clear glass candle holders I filled them with mini Indian corn

my parents grew in their garden.  I also made the clip board with black cardstock

and a clip board, and cut out the saying on my cricut.

Here is another pumpkin with a doily, ribbon, leaves, and a bracelet of mine

I never wear.  

This is the top of the other mini buffet that is in the dining room next 

to the table.  I have put my turkey here, isn't he cute!

I've had him for many, many moons.  I continue to use him in the

decorating every year.

This is the view looking from the table into the kitchen.

The color palate this year is white and brown with a touch of burnt orange.

I love silver!  Well now that it doesn't have to be perfectly polished!

As a child I complained every time it had to be polished.

But even now I get the cream out and polish away.

My kitchen isn't large, but makes me quite happy, and the dining area

is perfect for our family.

My china cabinet, that was my mothers and I was able to get it when she

and dad died.  I grey washed it to fit the times today.  Love this piece

very much.  It is the first time I have had something to put my 

dishes in, and I change it out season to season.

On either side of the china cabinet are these old windows.

I like to occasionally decorate them with a wreath.

I hope you enjoyed my Thanksgiving table scape, and

my kitchen at Thanksgiving.

I am so very grateful for all the blessings we have be given.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Robin