Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Still changing things around ~

We have a big eat-in kitchen, no formal dining room but I still like to treat it like one. Who says you can't have your china hutch, a chandelier and buffet crammed into your eat-in kitchen?? Everyday beauty, it's what makes me smile.

We live in a three bedroom ranch with a bonus over the garage and now my 21 yr old son has also converted the garage to his living space as he starts back to college the first of the year. (I'll have to show you his amazing space) So we make what we have work for our family.

I don't know if you've looked back in my blog and were able to see the sheers that I had on this bay window but I've decided to try something else for the winter months.....do you want to take a guess at what that window treatment might be :) ?

You guessed it, drop cloths! I'd saved the panels that I put together for my room at The Plum Tree and thought they'd look really neat on these windows. I love combining the elegant with the rustic ~ hopefully tomorrow I'll take a new photo for you to see them hanging and you can let me know what you think!

I'm so sorry for the dark photos, I took them at night but I love the soft glow of the lamps ~





I thought I'd group a lot of the bird things on the buffet, next to the window ~ Don't you just love this top half of an antique bird cage, placed on an old mirrored plateau, placed on a newer but slightly tarnished (yes, I love tarnish) cake plateau. And what is in the cage? a sweet nest left behind from the cardinals this past spring ~

Wishing you a wonderful Tuesday ~

Surround yourself with things you love, things that make you smile!

xxoo, Dawn

P.S. As a courtesy to Heather of Speckled Egg,
I've changed the name of my tutorial store to
Lessons from the Nest
. . . it's really a better fit, don't you think?

34 comments:

~Red Tin Heart~ said...

Dawn, your home is so lovely! You are such a talented lady.
I started a site to show my work. It is http://redtinheartcreations.blogspot.com/
I hope you check it out. Love Nita

Robin @ The Rendered Nest said...

I love your home. It is so pretty. I can't wait to see the dropcloth draperies. I have thought about doing that in the den of our lake house. Some dropcloths look so much like a heavy linen. Thanks for the inspiration! I just posted a partial tour of our home. I hope you will stop by soon!

Lorrie said...

Beautiful home - love the soft lighting.

Lorrie

Nita Jo said...

Your home is lovely. I noticed the clocks and clock faces... so nice! I'm looking forward to seeing your curtains.

Lessons from the Nest is a perfect name!

Blessings!
Nita Jo

Calamity Jane's Cottage, Bonnie said...

Hi Dawn, your home is so welcoming and beautiful. It looks like you and how I would of pictured it. You need to be in one of those magazines you like.
Hugs,
Bonnie

Dorthe said...

Its a beautifull eat-in kitchen, and i love all your decorations, espeacially the birdcage on its stand.And yes the everyday beauty means soo much ones life.
Hugs and love from Dorthe

Vanessa {Bloom Right Here!} said...

Your home is beautiful. I'm looking forward to seeing your new window treatments. I think "Lessons from the Nest" is perfect!

Anonymous said...

Dawn, have you painted some of your furniture yourself to get the shabby look?

Thank you for sharing pictures of your home.

Diane

Sweet Old Vintage said...

Hi Dawn... Very beautiful with a very down homw feel... You have conquered that beautifully. I also just have a eat in kitchen area.. not a formal dining area ... I really like it that way however....Just gotta add that extra ouch though.. it's in our style... I am over the moon with you plateau you cage sits on top off. Love it... love it.... Looking forward to more....

Sandy said...

Dawn,
Your home is so lovely and so tastefully decorated! You can tell that love lives there. Your vignettes are inspirational. I need to do some sprucing up around the Quill, your posts are inspiring me to to do just that! Have a happy Tuesday!

Jennifer said...

oh dawn...your home is so warm and inviting just like you and your blog!!!!

kathy said...

Dawn lovely - the birdcage and your whole room delightful
Kathy - GA

Free Art Printables said...

Very pretty! I love that hutch and how you have displayed everything!

emily said...

Your home looks so beautiful! I love you kitchen table, so inviting.
emily

Betty said...

What great ideas..especially the old bird cage...lovely.

Vee said...

Completely charming and a very good solution to not having a formal dining room. I just found a divine old oak buffet for $300 yesterday at the pawn shop. Didn't buy it, but I'm going to try talking my mother into doing so. It would provide her with so much more storage than she has with her small buffet.

Looking forward to seeing the drop cloth curtains and may steal your idea. It sounds affordable and very cool...er warm.

Cecilia - Titi said...

Your home is so pretty, and i love all your decorations, espeacially the birdcage on its stand.
Thank you for sharing pictures of your home.
Titi

Dixie Redmond said...

Dawn -

You are a class act. Lessons from the Nest is perfect. I was thinking about you the other day and the old book The Best Nest came to mind - you remember that? It looked like a Dr. Seuss book.

Dixie

Stacey @ The Blessed Nest said...

What a beautiful kitchen! I love the bay window, and especially love the chandelier & stained-glass window!! Your bird displays are also tops on my list (of course!) :).

I also like the new name for the tutorial shop--it's perfect name!

Blessings,
Stacey

Wendy said...

You have such a lovely home, and such a lovely blog. I get constant inspiration from all of your creativity! Thank you for your kind comments about the little pixies I created. That certainly means a lot to me coming from such a talented lady!

Myrna said...

So soothing and serene! I love the hutch--did you paint it (antique)it yourself?
The bird theme on the buffet is darling--great ideas!!
Are you gonna show pictures of the kitchen, too??

Nancy Dooren ~ Nans said...

I love your home!!! The colors are so soft and romantic!!! Looks great!!!

Laurel @ Ducks in a Row said...

Your home is lovely - I will study these pictures.

Anonymous said...

I would love to have your eat-in kitchen!!! I think it's lovely and those windows are beautiful! Can't wait to see the drop cloth drapes...you are always thinking outside the box! Maybe when your son leaves the room over the garage, can I move in?

Sara~Graphic Pretties said...

Dawn, love the pics of your home!
Can I come over?? it looks so inviting! I have a large eat in kitchen and no dinning room also...I would love to see the rest of your kitchen!
Lessons from the Nest... perfect!
Sara

reagan said...

Your home looks just as I would imagine it. Guess what sweetie? I just came back from Michael's, and there, side by side were two of Somerset's publications, Life, with your wonderful onrnaments and The Stampers' Sampler with my Noteworthy feature. It was so fun seeing them right next to each other, taking this step in our journey at the same time:-) Big hugs!
Pam

Unknown said...

How pretty! I'm eager to see the drop cloths- what a clever idea!

Michelle Palmer said...

So inspiring!
I love all that you share!

Looking forward to seeing the window treatments~
Michelle

Bambi said...

Dawn~Your home is so warm and lovely. Thank you for letting us take a peek! Can't wait to see your sons new space! And I love the drop cloth drape idea. I have been looking for something new for my living room windows for about two years and never could find the "right thing". Now I know why--I think they were calling out for drop cloth drapes! They were just waiting for my lovely new friend Dawn to steer me in the right direction! Can't wait to see yours.

Anonymous said...

Like everyone else here, I can't wait to see your dropcloth drapes once you've hung them .... and maybe any explanation about how you made them - prewashed them? made rod pockets, hems all around? Can you just throw them in the washer/dryer as often as needed? I'm not much of a sewer, but this sounds like the perfect solution for my windows whilst I still have a young kids running around; instead of any kind of delicate sheers for those sticky fingers!

Creations from my heart said...

Dawn, I noticed the new photo for your tutorial right away and it is perfect. I loved seeing your kitchen. It was as if I was peeking in from an outside window. I just wanted to keep seeing more. It is absoutely beautiful. It is so you! I want to see the kitchen table and the clotch. When you post the curtains can you post a photo of that. I know everyone would love to see it! Please...Please...
Blessings..Sherry

Anonymous said...

Hi! I found your blog last week and am finally just now getting around to leaving a comment! I'm a little behind - LOL! Your work is gorgeous and I love the photo of your dining area - so beautiful!

I hope you don't mind that I added you to my blogroll. Your blog is wonderful and I wanted to be able to come back to visit again!

Have a blessed evening,
Erin

Unknown said...

Dawn,
I love your dining room/eat in kitchen ;)! I don't have a formal dining room either...or an eat in kitchen...just a living room/dining room combo, so I am always attempting creative ideas for seperating the two. I love the idea of drop cloths for curtains...can't wait to see the outcome!!!

Nancy Hood said...

that title is more fitting :) and I could SO live in your home!!!


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