30 Days of Creative Practice

I have decide to challenge myself to "practice" creativity for 30 days. I believe EVERYONE is creative, just in different ways. Some people are creative with a paintbrush, others a pen, while others with a computer. People use creativity when they problem solve, or work with numbers, or invent something. I also believe we can expand and enhance or creative brains if we regularly practice it, thus the idea for this challenge. 

Each day I will choose a word to create around. I will share the words a day or two ahead of time. 

The first word is RAIN.

Brainstorm, have fun, PLAY!

Perfection is not the goal, stretching and building our creative thinking muscle is.

I will be sharing my creations daily. If you are playing along, share with me! I am aiming for 30 consecutive days, but I may skip a day here and there.

Spiral Italian Library Steps

Attending yard and garage sales can certainly be an adventure. You never know where you might be digging for treasures or what you might find. When a community garage sale was recently listed in a local area known for being, well shall I say "anti-government", I was intrigued. However, there was no way I was going to attend solely so I convinced hubby to go with me. It turned out not to be much of a sale at all, but rather a few people selling some things in an open field. I did get a free table or bench base (I will share that soon) and this piece for $5.

I bought this piece thinking that it was a plant stand or that it could be used as a plant stand. My daughter has 150+ plants and I thought she might like it. 

But, after doing a Google visual search I discovered my $5 buy was quite a find.

It is stamped made in Italy. It is vintage, but not an antique. I can't find reproductions currently selling on Wayfair or Amazon. Now, I know I couldn't sell it for these prices, I know the prices listed online are often unrealistic. In the antique business we say something is worth what someone is willing to pay. But, I do think I found something special. I was willing to pay $5 for it and I I think I did fairly well with this purchase. 

Oh, and dear daughter is not getting it as of now because I have a library and the perfect place for this spiral step ladder.

I've been sharing our lofted library lately as I've been working to restyle it. This narrow area is on the right side of the library with the steps to the lofted space below this narrow space.

After cleaning up the wood, spiral steps with Wise Owl Furniture Salve (buy it HERE), I decided this corner was the perfect spot for these steps. We are a tall family (I am the shortest at 5'9") so we really don't need a boost to reach the top bookshelf, but shorter friends and family might.

These steps provided the perfect spot for a little styling so of course I had to add a few fun, thrifted finds. 

The plants were sitting on a chippy. wood bench sitting in front of the window. the bench got moved to the sunroom and I set the small spider plant on the top shelf. I few small books are held against the pole and the planter. A vintage crewel of a bird sits on the outside of the next step.

A couple brass swans (geese?) sit on the inside of another step.

The other plant that was sitting on the bench now sits on a thrifted brass plant stand roller. My sons ukuleles--one purchased, one he made, and couple vintage children's books sit in the window now.

I must say, when I looked up this item I couldn't really believe the prices I was seeing. Did I really just pay only $5 for this I wondered. But, as my friend Tina said, maybe it was meant to be as not too many people have libraries in their homes. Happy adventuring!

Have Fun with Farmhouse Furnishings

When you hear farmhouse decor do you think white, and more white, maybe some cream with brown or wood touches, and black lettering and edges? This style of farmhouse decor became very popular in 2012. Farmhouses are a classic and will never go out of style, however all white home interiors hit the trail out of town a few years ago. I don't want to offend anyone (or at least not too many folks). If you love an all white home and you find it soothing and relaxing, carry on.

 But, if you are still decorating your house that way because you are clinging to an outdated farmhouse look, I urge you to update your space and to have a little fun with it. Add color, modern farmhouse style definitely includes many different colors. Look outside to nature, see all of the amazing color combinations and choices. Unless the dead of winter with its white snow and white skies and brown, bare branches warms your heart and inspires you, include some color in your home. Mix and match styles of furniture and decorative items. Simply play and don't take yourself too seriously.

I recently purchased this very classic, enamel topped kitchen work table from a thrift store. The top is in excellent condition and the table is very sturdy. But, the cream colored legs and apron with the white top were a very classic yawn fest that I could not keep as is. A sunny, bright yellow gave this farmhouse table a fresh and mood-lifting update. I also added an old, oversized, black knob to the drawer for a new and fresh look.

This little table is perfect for small spaced dining. 

I set a fun tablescape with thrifted, mix and match dishes and items.

I love these thrifted, vintage dinner plates.

Food doesn't have to be homemade or fancy when you serve it up on a cute and happy table.

This work table also makes a great desk and work space. 

I styled it with thrifted finds--a bright yellow lamp, floral art, a cigar box to hold pens. 

Surround yourself with items that inspire you and your work.

If you ask a child what is their favorite color or which color makes them feel good and happy, fewer than 1% will say white. Take a risk my neutral loving friends and invite some color into your home spaces. Sit with it for awhile and see how it feels. Look to nature for inspiration--what is your favorite flower, tree, rock?  

How to Create a Fresh, Visually Appealing Vignette

The lilacs are finally starting to bloom in Montana, at least on the south side of my lilac bushes.

 I couldn't wait to bring some inside--they smell so delicious!

A vase full of fresh flowers called for creating a lovely spring vignette with unique finds and personality. If there is one thing I know that I can do well, it is that I have the ability to create a visually appealing, cohesive, and pretty vignette with random, curated items. Keep reading to see why this works and how to put together your own, unique to you, display.

I started with my freshly cut lilacs in a vintage, waterfall, Hull vase. I knew this was going to be the centerpiece of my vignette, although that doesn't mean it has to be in the center of my display. Allowing the vase of flowers to be the tallest item makes it the center of attention.

Placing curated finds on a tray, in this case a round, thrifted mirror, helps the random objects to not look cluttered and creates cohesion. Repeating colors, shapes of objects, or theme also lends to a vignette that looks like it was thoughtfully collected and created.

I repeated the color green, although using different shades. I also used three rectangle shapes--the books, the carved, wood box, and the painting that acts as a "placemat" or a little tray for the brass candlestick.

Two vintage poetry books I picked up for a quarter each at a garage sale add more color and height. The Where the Sidewalk Ends book has recently been banned in certain states that like to ban books. It was a favorite of mine to read from to my students when I was a teacher. 

Vary the height of objects and think of a triangle when placing them. The flowers are the tallest item, then the candle on the books, and then the candle on the painting. The box is not part of the height triangle, but creates another triangle with the books and the painting.

The carved wood box adds another texture. The warm color of the wood mimics the warm brass candlesticks. Use items that you love and that have a personal meaning. The heart shaped beach finds are form the trip to Maui that Hubby and I recently took.

It was a long, cold winter and fresh flowers from my yard are a welcomed reminder that it is warm again and winter is finally over. Bring them in your home, make them pretty with curated and found items that you have gathered and love. Mmmm, and take a deep breath and smell their loveliness.

Hexagon Garage Sale Table Makeover

Garage sale season has finally arrived in Montana and what that means is better deals on other people's junk, ahem, treasures. I recently found this cute side table for $3 at a garage sale.

She had good bones, but clearly needed a little love and attention, which is exactly what I gave her for a fresh look and update.

Keep reading to see how I easily achieved a great new look for this garage sale find.

I started with sanding the top to remove stains and a gouge. I was hoping it would be pretty wood, which I could see it was when I wiped it clean with water. I scuff-sanded the ret of the table because I knew I was going to paint the base. I don't like using stripper and sanding intricate legs is a challenge.

After priming the table with Kilz, I painted it with a mossy green (I cannot find the paint color name on the can). I continued to paint around the table base, making sure I was completely covering the white primer.

Next I taped off the clean table top with painter's tape. 

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I wiped on Antique Gold Rub-n-Buff on the table top edge. You can buy it HERE.

Wise Owl Furniture Salve brought out the beauty of the wood table top. You can get it from my friend Tina, HERE.

Look at how the salve feeds the thirsty wood.

This little table makes a great side piece for a comfy chair. 

It also would be great with a plant on it and under it or as a night stand.

Peek-a-boo, there I am. I styled the top with some recent thrift store finds. This watercolor is dated 1952 and cost a whole dollar. The heavy, gold framed, mirror is an older one. I set a brass, zodiac ashtray (not something I usually buy) on top of a thrifted wood candlestick. The candle is from the thrift store too and smells like pineapple, mmm! Even the spider plant in the thrifted, vintage planter is from the thrift store.

This table really was a quick and easy makeover and is a testament to what the power of paint and a little elbow grease can do for an inexpensive find.

Thrifted Art and Having Fun With Your Home Decor

Over the past few years I think I have really adopted the philosophy that our home decor does not need to be taken too seriously. We should have fun and play with our style, trying different things until it feels comfortable and personal and you.

These built-in bookshelves in our lofted library have been a thorn in my side since we moved in. they are not very tall or deep and were made for a certain sized paperback book. One day I will remove some of the shelves and paint, but until then I am playing with styling them.

Last month I shared that I am adding some art to the front of the bookshelves to cover up some of the paperbacks. (See that post HERE.) I found another piece of vintage art to hang on the shelves.

Being that I was an elementary teacher and that this is a library in an old schoolhouse, I thought the subject matter was perfect--three kids looking at a book (I think), talking. This is an original art piece by a Florida artist, Shirley Clement. Thankfully, someone taped a newspaper clipping to the back about the artist and the painting.

This painting, Thursday's Child, won an award in 1973.

I found this at one of my favorite local thrift stores for $12. It was framed, but the frame was not my style and was dented. 

I removed the framing points to "unframe" it. I used wood glue to glue two wood blocks on the back that I then added screw eyes to and picture hanging wire.

I am treating the blocks of paperbacks on the shelves as a colorful backdrop wall to hang the art on.

I've rearranged other books and added thrifted treasures and vintage, hardback books, arranging some in a rainbow colored array.

A trio of vintage, framed prints are propped against the wall with a cast iron elephant bank and a brass, clam shell trinket box helping to hold them in place.

Three unrelated thrifted finds have a cohesive color/material theme--brass. The vase, clock workings turned backwards, and solid brass penguin all work as a bookend.

A Japanese vase with great colors also works as a bookend and peeks out from behind the Thursday's Child Painting.

And a ship's wheel clock without the clock face sits next to a couple stacks of neutral colored vintage books. I placed a vintage, decoupaged map picture behind the ship wheel hole.

None of these items are related or family heirlooms. But, they make me smile, they have personality and add color and texture and interest to the library bookshelves. The shelves are interesting to look at and are styled with a playful and fun attitude. Small family photos scattered throughout the shelves do add something personal to the space.

Your home should be a reflection of you--individual, original, an ever-changing canvas and workshop where you experiment and play. Mix and match colors and styles and eras. Take the time to curate items that you love and remember to not take yourself or your home too seriously.