Sunday Southern Days

I was lucky enough to inherit a great armoire from our neighbors who were otherwise going to craigslist it (and according to my husband, I'm the adopter of lost furniture everywhere). The piece was totally solid and in great shape, with a 70s vibe. I've been seeking a piece to create a painted distressed chest for our home office and started working on this when my momma came to visit a couple of weeks ago. After removing the drawers, doors, and hardware, I gave it a little rough up with an electric sander and 80 bit sandpaper. Wiped clean with a damp towel and allowed it to dry thoroughly. We painted it a wonderful neutral Martha Stewart. *Tip* Use a 4" high-density foam roller to paint so you don't get the typical roller marks a high-nap roller will leave. While the second coat was about 20 minutes into drying. we took a Scotch-Brite pad (like a green scour pad for dishes) and started roughing up the edges, doors, and some of the panels.  The great pa...

If you're into antiques, go get a handkerchief for the drool you're about to, well, drool. I present to you .... my coffee table. This is the antique trunk originally belonged to The Captain's great-uncle and great-aunt when they were living in Greece in the 1910s. They immigrated in depression-era America and settled in Aurora, Illinois, where they lived out their lives. In 1953, they sent for one of their nephews, my father-in-law's older brother, to be sent to them in America to live and work. When his brother decided to go to Australia instead, my father-in-law was sent, and so our family's history in America began. When my in-laws sold the family home were The Captain grew up, we found this old trunk in an attic closet, only containing some table linens and a few Greek dance costumes. I dutifully asked if my mother-in-law or sisters-in-law wanted it for their homes, fingers crossed they would all declined and it could come live at our house. I lucked ...

I have some great finds from today's, not one but two, farmer's market stops today! I started the morning at Joann Fabrics and found these little gems for pillows for the Living Room redo currently in progress. Top: Orange and ivory Chevron, Middle: Waverly Blue, Orange, and Green Floral, and Bottom: Martini Olive. All three will be throw pillow fabrics (check back later this week for the finish products). One of them (still unsure which) will also be a lumbar pillow on the wing back chair I'm recovering soon. If you remember the inspiration board and Chip It! I posted a couple of weeks ago, the fabrics are coming together! On to the farmers markets. I stopped at the Batavia Farmers Market on Water Street first. There were some nice finds from family farms located in Illinois and southern Wisconsin. I picked up summer yellow squash and bi-colored corn for dinners this week. Next, I headed over to the Aurora Farmer's Market (if you remember it at the ...