Farmhouse Cutting Board

I bought this rustic antique footed cutting board last month while we were home in Ohio. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it, but it was too fantastic and too reasonably priced ($28) to pass up. It's made from a single 18" wide board, and my dad, the wood expert, said he thinks it's butternut wood. The patina on the old wood is so beautiful.

I ended up adding the cutting board to my dining table centerpiece. I loved the ironstone and grain sack combo before, but that layer of rustic wood makes it perfect. It looks like a piece of an old farmhouse table. It was my favorite find from our trip!

The Dining Room

I've been tweeking things in the dining room, and thought you might like to see the progress. Sometimes I play the "spot the changes" game with my husband when he comes home from work. Usually he notices and compliments even the smallest details that I've changed. He's such a good sport! Can you spot any changes?

First, I repainted my plate rack. I love the way antique pewter looks with blue, so blue it is! I used a couple different shades of blue paint, and let some of the gray paint show through underneath. I like it much better. Also, let's not overlook the big beautiful antique pewter charger on the top shelf. I stalked this charger on etsy for weeks before finally buying it, and now I have no idea why I waited so long. It is gorgeous - it has a beautiful dark patina, and there's a small "PM" monogram carved into the top rim, and it was a great price. I'm so glad nobody snatched it up while I was debating!

Next, I rearranged and simplified the ironstone collection in my blue china cabinet. Before, the cupboard was much fuller, with a layered, slightly chaotic arrangement. I am realizing that I like it better with a more intentional, symmetrical layout, where every piece is showcased rather than being stuffed to the gills. I sold a few pieces in my etsy shop and moved some to another cupboard (which I'll show you in just a second).

Next, I added some more grain sack pillows to the dining room. See the trio of pillows peeking out from behind the table? I pounced on several grain sacks that sold at an Ebay auction for under $20 a piece - how could I say no?!

Before, I had one long grain sack pillow across this bench, but with a couple of new blue-striped sacks, I was able to fill the bench with three square pillows with coordinating stripes. So pretty!

 Here's my grain sack pillow secret... I never actually sew pillow covers. Instead, I slip a feather pillow inside the sack, shake it all the way to the bottom, and then just fold the extra fabric over the back. If it's a really long sack, I'll wrap the fabric all the way around the front of the pillow again, and tuck the end behind the pillow. It's super easy, and zero commitment. All of my grain sacks are left intact, so if I want to use them later as table runners, or long pillows, or even display them in a folded stack in a cupboard, I still can. And... no sewing in zippers. Horray!

I also redid the ironstone display in the antique cupboard on the other side of the dining room. I have to confess, I play with my ironstone collection like little boys play with Legos. I love taking apart a display and building something new... organizing all of the platters into one big graduated stack, switching tureens and gravy boats so that everything looks balanced, and then standing back to admire my latest "creation". Boys are not the only ones who love their "toys"!

 Again, I kept this display much simpler and less crowded. Plus, this old cupboard is so great on it's own, and now you can see a little more of the pretty blue paint inside.

I also switched up the display on top of the cupboard. A collection of old crocks and a blue painted bowl replaced the baskets and folk art pig that were there before. My black and white pig has already found a new home with one of my wonderful etsy customers :)

But, do you notice anything missing from my ironstone collection? Anything small? Or, rather, LOTS of small little things that are missing? Butter pats. That's right, there are no more butter pats in my cupboards. But don't worry...

The butter pats now have a little shelf all to themselves!

Grain Sack and Ironstone

I broke down and ordered a couple of antique grain sacks from Ebay. Out here in the middle of the prairie, I've discovered that you don't come across many antique European textiles... and I really wanted some! I've been mildy obsessed with checking Ebay and trying to decide which sacks I wanted to order (just ask my husband!), and I finally settled on two, both with blue stripes.

The first one has a nice cobalt blue triple stripe, and ended up as a pillow on my couch.

 

 

The second one, with three fabulous thick dark indigo blue stripes, is perfect as a table runner on our small dining room table. I considered opening up the side seams to make one extra long piece, and laying it all the way down the length of the table, but I just couldn't quite bring myself to do it. I know people chop up grain sacks all the time to make pillows, upholster chairs, and make long table runners... but I can't. At least not with this beautiful sack. So instead I laid it across the short side of the table, creating a nice intimate table setting, just right for two. And since I only keep two dining chairs at our table anyways, I think it works out just perfectly.

The new table runner also inspired a new centerpiece, using some of my favorite ironstone, stoneware crocks, and wooden kitchen utensils. I love the simplicity of white ironstone paired with old wood, and combined with the grain sack, the whole table has a rustic french farmhouse feel.

A small, primitive, stoneware salt crock with a wooden lid keeps coarse sea salt handy at the table.

An antique stoneware marmalade jar from England holds a handful of well-worn wooden spoons and a butter paddle. I love the way that the grayish stoneware and aged white ironstone look together.

I also did a little furniture rearranging and moved the antique shelves full of ironstone from the opposite side of the living room into the dining area so that it creates a nice backdrop to the table.

Let it be known, however, that while "a little furniture rearranging" sounds easy, it is in fact back-breaking work when it involves moving a pair of bookcases full of hundreds of books, and a super heavy antique cupboard filled with ironstone. Decorating is a hard job, but the payoff is so worth it...

I paired the "Meat Market" sign that I painted this fall with the cute old black and white wooden pig sign, and hung them both above the ironstone cupboard. A trio of antique baskets on top ties the whole display together, and finishes off my dining room make over.

China Cabinet Makeover

I painted my white china cabinet blue - and I love it!

I've been debating about whether I should do this for a while now. Just a few posts ago, I redecorated my dining room with my beautiful new french chairs from TJ Maxx, and the room had a really sophisticated, neutral palette. And I liked it. But I couldn't help thinking... I wonder what it would look like if I painted that cupboard blue?

The answer? Even more lovely than before!

I started with a can of "French Gray" paint from Glidden that I had picked out for FREE from their website a couple months ago during their paint giveaway promotion. I love free paint! By itself, the color was a little brighter blue than I wanted. But I watered down a bit of black acrylic paint (the kind you buy in little squeeze bottles from a craft store), brushed it on, and then wiped off the extra with a damp rag. It ended up being even better than I expected.

And my white ironstone has never looked better...

I've been wanting to repaint my dining room table for a while, too, and the new blue cabinet gave me the motivation I needed to finally do it. I used a nice warm grey called "Cobblestone" from Olde Century Colors, with just a touch of distressing. It's a cooler tone than before, and the finish is a little less "faux" looking...

Before.... and after!

Not to mention that the last time I got the urge to paint my table, I didn't really have the right paint on hand, so... being the impatient decorator that I am... I used leftover wall paint from my kitchen. Flat wall paint. Not the best finish for a dining room table - take my word for it!

The finishing touch was a grey and blue chippy wood bench from the basement, and the antique grainsack pillow from my couch. Now, I am on the lookout for a matching 4 gallon crock to go next to the 3 gallon on top of the cupboard... I saw the perfect one at an antique shop in Ohio when we were home for Christmas and I was THIS CLOSE to buying it. But I didn't, and now I want to kick myself. Oh well, just keep looking!

Dining Room Makeover

Ta da! I picked up some beautiful (and affordable) new french style dining chairs from Marshalls and TJ Maxx over the last few months, and I am loving my dining room's new look!

It all started with this chair. Technically, I have owned it for about 4 months, but I didn't get to bring it home until a couple weeks ago. No, it wasn't at the hospital in intensive care... it was in Ohio. I may live 1000 miles away, but I still go shopping with mom and sister in Ohio almost every week - via camera phone! After sending me a picture, my sister bought the chair for me a few months ago at Marshalls (one of our regular stops) and in the meantime I've been scouring stores out here trying to find some coordinating ones.

I found two matching Louis chairs in a straighter, cleaner style with darker linen and upholstered backs instead of caning, and I ended up really liking the collected look that the different chairs create.

Of course, as you can see, I'm not quite finished "collecting" yet... One green "before" chair still lurks at my table :)

This is was the dining room before. Not too bad, but the green chairs and blue floral china were giving it a cottage vibe that seemed a little disconnected from the rest of the house.

I found two oversized white-washed terra cotta pineapple finials, also from Marshalls, to replace the centerpiece. I love the scale and height of these - everything else I tried was too short and looked silly, but these really make a grand centerpiece.

Some great new antique white ironstone finds replace the blue in my china cabinet.  (If you like blue patterned china, stay tuned... I think a few of my blue pieces will be showing up in my etsy shop in the near future!)

A collection of old ironstone platters, along with an oval frame from the 1800's, create a wall display behind the table. This is my first foray into hanging plates on the wall and I wasn't sure I would like it... but it ended up being one of my favorite parts of the room.

And I found this primitive black and white wooden pig at an antique mall in Ohio. I bought it to sell, but I just couldn't part with him :) He's now hangs on the wall between the dining room and kitchen.

This picture makes me laugh and reminds me of the Biblical reference to "casting your pearls before swine..." But I like the juxtaposition of rustic country farmhouse decor with a touch of glamour, and I think this picture sums that up perfectly!