From My Front Porch To Yours

Treasure Hunt Thursday #42 & Highlights

2012-02-02T07:36:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Treasure Hunt Thursday #42!

Sorry I am running a little behind. I have been trying to do to many things at one time!;)

We had a large turn out last week. Our largest to date which got me really excited! I am hoping that maybe this week we can top 100 party goers so be sure to invite all your friends to come and party too!

I fell in love with these pillows that Dusty from Cherish Life made! I love them so much I think I am going to get her to make me a few!;)

With Valentines Day coming up I loved this quick and easy project that Tami from Curb Alert shared!

And oh my when I saw this $20 desk my heart skipped a beat! Mel over at Shabby Loco did an amazing job on this piece!

As always thank you to all who partied last week!If you were featured please feel free to grab the "I've Been Featured" button!:) Though I was unable to leave a comment on every persons blog please know that I did stop by and visit!! I appreciate everybody taking the time to come over every week! What would be a HUGE help and encourage more comments not just from me but others as well would be for everybody to take off their required verification codes for leaving a comment. This seems to take just a few seconds of time but when you have to do it on 30 or more blogs it takes up a TON of time.

Now on to this weeks party! As with all parties there are the normal rules. You must link back to From My Front Porch To Yours in your THT POST. Just common courtesy. If ya don't link back ya don't get to party. Only link up to your Treasure Hunt Thursday post and NOT your blog homepage. Please No advertising and PLEASE NO MORE than 3 links from the SAME party goer. If you find your post deleted it is not because I am a meany, I just have to make sure the rules are being followed. You can save some of your posts for the following weeks party! Also be sure to visit at least the link before you and after you to just say Hi! It makes partying all the more fun! If you are new around here I would love it if ya become a follower!:)

Breakfast Nook

2012-01-30T09:19:00.004-06:00

This is the breakfast nook at our first home. We always place our beloved pie safe in the breakfast area in all of our homes. I have always had a tough time decorating around it though.

Here it is at our last house. Again nothing to write home about.

And here it was just last week in our current home. I have never really shared pictures of our kitchen or breakfast nook because well they just were not all that exciting as you can see.

Here it is just a few days ago after Oldest knocked almost everything off the top of the pie safe. This is one of my keeping it real pics folks!;) Anyways, since that happened it started the whirlwind redesign of this space. It was just the kick in the pants I needed to get my decorating ideas flowing.

A few days ago HomeGoods had this fabulous little plate rack that I HAD to bring home. I was not sure where I was going to place it but again I HAD to bring it home!;) Good thing too cause I had the perfect spot for it right on top of the pie safe. Who knew!

I kept the little lamp and my little Gnomes. They are quirky like me so they had to stay.

Then I brought out some small white plates that I had purchased for the dinning room. I love the subtle design on them. They ended up being the only plates that would fit the piece.

Then I just added a few more small accessories. Nothing major but enough.

Next up came the side areas of the pie safe. I had this picture in my pile of things to take out and sell out at the cottage but I pulled it and placed it here and am so glad I did. It is perfect for this spot!

This is my favorite little spot! I next pulled out a few of my herb crates and hung them on the wall. It made a perfect spot to show case The Hubster's grandmothers rolling pin! I then had the stool just sitting in the guest room and pulled it out cause there needed to be something to fill the space. Placed a little greenery in the top herb crate as the final touch. I think it worked out perfectly!

Here is the whole picture! I would say much much better!
Before I go though let me share a few more touches to our breakfast area since I have never really taken you on a tour.

This here is my $10 brass chandy I purchased back when we first moved in. I painted it up and made it showcase worthy.

I love my little Welcome sign. It hangs by the back door.

I brought out the large cloche that I had made from our old foyer light fixture. It use to sit on the dining room table.

And I kept our blue backdoor that I had painted last summer. I was not sure about it but now I love it! I am still needing to make one more set of cafe curtains for this area and after that this area is done!
Thanx for stopping by! Hope your Monday is going well.
Linking up to the following link parties: Metamorphosis Monday

Show Off Your Cottage Monday

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Table Top Tuesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Antoinette's Reveal

2012-01-29T07:00:00.002-06:00

About three weeks ago I shared a dresser that I had purchased to make over. Since then I have been sharing only sneak peeks of her!;) Well today Antoinette is ready to make her debut! She is all dolled up and ready for her new home!

I really love how she turned out. I used both Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and CeCe Caldwell paint.

I decided to add a little something special to the sides.

I kept her hardware because it was to me just to die for!

She is truly a one of a kind piece now!

Here is a look at her before pic.

I am hoping Antoinette will find a loving home very soon! And Opps I had a wonderful FB pal point out to me that I put my handles on upside down. No worries they have been fixed!:)

Linking up to the following linky parties:

Sundays Best

Metamorphosis Monday

Furniture Feature Friday

Willoughby Portraits

2012-01-28T08:23:00.001-06:00

I shared these darling portraits with y'all yesterday that I purchased off of the local yard sale site. I fell in love with them the first time I saw them. I was so excited that I was able to purchase them. I have been trying to research these darling portraits with very little information but thanks to a wonderful bloggy pal, Ann B. that is you!:), I now know that the one portrait is Miss Julianna Willoughby. She is the work of artist George Romney. I believe that the boy is by George as well though I can not find info on it. He has a sticker on the back that is partially missing but it starts out with "Master Will....and then that is all there is. I am thinking it is suppose to say Master Willoughby.Though they are not originals I believe that they are original oil prints and if they are then they date back to 1910s-1920s!! I wish there was a way to know for sure but I guess since I do not know I will resist altering their frames!:0

For almost three years now this wall in our dining room has been blank. It is one of the first walls your eye goes to once in the front door. I have tried hanging several things here but they all came down as soon as I put them up.

Now I can say that this wall is complete!

I decided that there needed to be something else on the wall between the two portraits so I placed this wooden sconce on the wall and then just for fun added the frame and moss ball. Turned out I really liked them there.

I love to imagine the life that these two portraits have had if indeed they truly are almost 100 years old. I wonder where they hung in their previous home/homes.

I hope that the previous owners would be happy to know that I just adore these portraits and that they will continue to be well cared for!

Hope your week was a grand one! Be sure to stop back by tomorrow! I will be sharing Antoinette's reveal! I took pics this afternoon but it was too late in the day and so they came out too dark so I will be retaking them in the morning.

Linking up to the following link parties:

Vintage Inspiration Friday

Treasures

2012-01-26T19:37:00.001-06:00

I went shopping today. It has been awhile since I went shopping and actually purchased things. I have been trying to be really good and get only things that I HAVE to have and just can not live without. Well today HomeGoods was really bad for me!;)

Look at this awesome rustic tool caddy! As soon as I saw it things that had already hopped in my cart quickly hopped right back out. I knew this was a piece I HAD to have!;)

Next up I found this cute Guest Cottage wooden sign. The lettering is not quite the styling I was hoping for but I figured I would bring it home and try it out since I had been hunting for one for awhile now. I think it is a keeper. Wait till you see where I put it.

Next up I found this cute little plate rack and I say little because even though I thought it was big when I got it home it would not fit most of the dishes I had even the small ones. Hmmm, maybe why HomeGoods got them. I did though luck up and had some pretty little white plates that fit. I am still messing around with the decoration for it and the space it is in. I will share that soon as well.

Then the boys and I headed to look at these beauties that were posted on the local yard sale site. Needless to say they ended up coming home with me too!;) I told you today I did some serious shopping!;)

When I saw those precious pictures I had visions of them going here on the blank wall in the dining room but now I am torn. They would look fabulous going up our stairs with a mirror hanging in the middle as well. Decisions decisions! Also if anybody knows anything about those portraits please let me know. The gal who was selling them tried to research them as did I and we came up with nothing other than they are very old. The paper on the back of one was gone and on the other it was super thin and falling off from old age.

So there are my recent treasures. Be sure to share your treasures for Treasure Hunt Thursday!

I am linking up to the following link parties:

Feathered Nest Friday

Inspiration Friday

Potpourri Friday

Treasure Hunt Thursday #41 & Highlights

2012-01-26T15:30:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Treasure Hunt Thursday#41! I appreciate y'all taking the time out to come over and party. We had a lot of wonderful inspirations out there this week like every week. I know I say that all the time but its true! Y'all are a bunch of talented gals.

Decorate With A Little Bit showed us this awesome space she transformed! My favorite parts are the door and hanging ladder!

Savage Whimsy made an awesome table out of old chippy corbels. I girl after my own heart!

Martina over at Northern Nesting showed us how she transferred an old worn down dresser into a show stopper!

Thank you to all you join us each and every week! If you have been featured please feel free to grab the "I've Been Featured" button to display on your sidebar.

Now on to this weeks party! As with all parties there are the normal rules. You must link back to From My Front Porch To Yours in your THT POST. Just common courtesy. If ya don't link back ya don't get to party. Only link up to your Treasure Hunt Thursday post and NOT your blog homepage. Please No advertising and PLEASE NO MORE than 3 links from the SAME party goer. If you find your post deleted it is not because I am a meany, I just have to make sure the rules are being followed. You can save some of your posts for the following weeks party! Also be sure to visit at least the link before you and after you to just say Hi! It makes partying all the more fun! If you are new around here I would love it if ya become a follower!:)

The Finishing Touch

2012-01-24T06:00:00.003-06:00

Right before Christmas I shared our guest bath mini remodel. I have to say it is still my most favorite place in our home even if it is a tiny bath room!;)

I had been trying to hunt down a boxwood wreath to hang in the window but had no such luck. I was even going to break down and order the set of four small ones from Ballard but they were sold out. I figured between Michael's and HobLob I could at least find a boxwood candle ring that could pose as a wreath. No such luck so I had to make a wreath instead.

All I did was hot glue some greenery from a garland to a small grapevine wreath. I would have used florist wire but I ran out and I wanted the project done like last week.

Though it is not boxwood I think it turned out pretty darn nice! I had enough to make two so now I am trying to decide where to hang the other one.

And before I go I had to share a pic of my assistant for the day. It usually is her brother that is supervising and she is rather elusive but today she decided she wanted to be a part of the wreath making. Her favorite room in the house is the guest bedroom!

Hope your day was a good one!

Linking up to the following link parties:

Wow Us Wednesdays

Open House Party

Dining Room Fluffing

2012-01-22T15:58:00.004-06:00

This morning I spent some time fluffing the dining room decor. It had been the resting spot for all the everyday decor I pulled out of the closet after Christmas. It was easy just to walk in here and look at what was on the table rather then running back and fourth to our master bath.

I love this print! I have had it printed out and ready to frame for awhile now but just never got around to it.

Took the plates out of the larger herb crate and brought out the smallest herb crate to hold the antique silverware.

I also brought back out my favorite bust form and crazy bird nest wreath thingy that I purchased at HomeGoods about two years ago. I love the little round frame but have yet decided what to put in it.

Here it is all put together. The large whit mirror came back into play. It had been waiting patiently in the hallway. Now the Eagle mirror and shutters are in the hall way. Not sure if the cute artichoke votive holders will be staying or not. I had purchased them last week yes again at HomeGoods. I swear they should start paying me to shop there!:) What I really wish is that they would start a frequent shopper program or have coupons!! Now that would rock!

Anyways, here is another teaser of Antoinette! She is almost ready for her full debut. I just have three drawers left to wax and then to finish the other side of her.

Hope your weekend is going well!

Linking up to the following linky parties:

Sundays Best

Show Off Your Cottage Monday

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Tuesday Treasures

Table Top Tuesday

How To Make a Favicon

2012-01-22T00:23:00.002-06:00

Have you ever wondered how websites/blogs get those cute little images to the left of their web addresses? Those little images are called Favicons. I wanted one but I did not want to pay somebody to make me one so I researched on how to make my own and now I am sharing my findings with y'all! My blog is on Blogger so I have no idea if this will work with other blogs hosted on other sites or not.

First ya will need to find a graphic you want to use. I like going to The Graphics Fairy for all my graphics such as this. On the right hand side of her page you will scroll down and see this box. Click on it and it will take you to all the categories of images she has which are all FREE.

Now keep in mind there are tons of fabulous graphics to choose from but keep it simple. Images such as this will not do well. You will be making the image into a tiny little square and you want your readers to be able to tell what it is.

I decided on this image.

This next step will vary on process depending on what type of computer you have. We have a Mac so all I do is click on the image right off of the page and drag it to my desk top.

Here it is on my desk top.There is no need to click on the actual image to gets its true size because it will be wayyyy bigger than you actually need it. For standard computers I think all you have to do is cut and copy it straight from the page it is on. Not sure though cause I have not used a standard computer in over 7 years.

Next up you have a choice of two FREE online photo editing programs. I will show you how to make your Favicon with both so be prepared for LOTS of pictures.

The first program I am going to show you is Pixlr. I stumbled across this program last weekend when redoing my blog. It is a great program and again it is FREE! Once you are on the home page click on Pixlr Editor.

It will then take you to this screen and you want to open the image you chose and had saved to your desktop or wherever it is you save stuff like that on your computer.

Select the file you want.

It will appear like this. Sorry it is not rotated but you can get the idea. There are too many pics and I am to lazy to go back and fix this one!;)

Next up click on Image and then image size.

This is what will pop up.

You want to uncheck the Constrain box and then enter in 100 width and 100 pixels. This will make your image square which it HAS to be.

Here is what your image will look like if you did it right. If you are having issues with it not letting you make the size 100X100 it is because you did not unclick the Constraints box. Trust me I know this from experience!;)

Next up ya want to save your image to wherever it is you save stuff like this on your computer.

You have the option of renaming it if you want. Leave in the JPEG format and the quality does not need to be adjusted either. Just click ok.

Next up go to your blog. I am using my custom furniture blog to show you how to do this since I had not changed mine out on there yet. See the orange Favicon?

To get rid of it click on Design.

Then off to the left you will see the Favicon section so click Edit. I managed to not take a pic of the next step but it is pretty much self explanatory. You will see a choice to download your image so click on it and download your image. That simple.

Once you have done that this is how it will appear. Notice your new Favicon! Be sure to hit the save changes button before you leave the design page otherwise it won't save it more than likely.

Now if once you go back to your blogs main page and you do not see your Favicon up in the window no worries! Mine did not show up till three days after I downloaded. I read that sometimes it takes up to a week and sometimes it shows up instantly. Just be patient if it is not there right away.

Next up I will show you how to make a Favicon using Picnik. Picnik is another FREE editing program but after April it will no longer exist but we still have over 2 months to play with it so I figured it was worth sharing since it is the program I have been using for my blog.

Just download your image like you did before.

Then click on Resize.

Uncheck the Keep Proportions box. Then adjust your numbers to 100X100.

This is how it will appear.

Next up just click on the Save option and save it to wherever you want on your computer and follow the previous steps for getting it on to your blog. Note when the resized picture pops up after being added to the Favicon on Blogger it will appear larger and fuzzy. NO WORRIES! It is suppose to look that way. I was all ticked the first time I saw it but again all was good.

So there ya have it! You too can have a fun favicon in front of your web address!
Though a lengthy tutorial this is a fairly simple project but if you would just rather have somebody do it for you and you have your image chosen I will be offering up my services for just $5 a Favicon. Really though I BELIEVE you can do this too!!

REMEMBER: It may not show up right away. It could take up to a week.

Hope this tutorial was helpful!

Linking up to the following link parties:

Metamorphosis Mondays

Home Tour

2012-01-21T10:41:00.001-06:00

Who is ready for a home tour!? I know I ALWAYS love looking at homes for sale and going to open houses. Yesterday I took y'all to an area that I just love back in my hometown that has many many gorgeous homes. Today I thought that I would share one of those home with y'all!

My mom read my post yesterday and asked how in the world I was going to pull that off cause she knew we had not actually gone inside any of the homes we saw. So let me go ahead and state that these pictures are NOT mine. I am sharing them off of Zillow. I went and looked thru tons of homes for sale and decided I wanted to share with ya this one for all of its beauty! Zillow is a great place to browse thru homes for sale.

Without further ado...

This beautiful home was built back in 1911 and the home owners did a fabulous renovating it I think! It was purchased back in 2002 for just $480,000 and today they are asking over $800,000 but you will soon see why!

Here is the foyer of this magnificent 4200 sq ft home. I LOVE those columns.

The formal living room with stylish furnishings and a better look at these amazing columns.I am guessing that the chandy may be original to the house possibly.

Lovely dining area.

Cozy living area. I love the old brick fireplace but I would have to say I am not liking the bar area thing. That would have to go. It makes the room look really small. It appears for some reason they ripped up the wood flooring that can be seen thru out the rest of the home and tiled this area. Not sure why. Maybe the floors were original to the home and they could not save them in here. I would have gone a different route though than a large grey tile. Something that is more fitting to the home even if the wood would not match or I can even picture a brick flooring. In a sec I will share the link so you can view the Virtual Tour and see for yourself more of what I am talking about.

Next up there appears to be a very spacious master bedroom. You will see more of this room as well as others when you view the virtual tour.

A very spacious kitchen that I am sure they redid back when they purchased the home but could use a another refresher. With a few minor tweaks like stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops and new hardware and this kitchen could be a show stopper! I can see a chandy hanging over the island instead of that pot light.

A porch that would be very fitting for me! I can imagine sitting on this front porch blogging all day long!;)

The backyard does not leave you disappointed either! The landscaping is just beautiful.

And this pool is amazing!! Yes, if we moved back home and had $870,000 to spend this home would be a contender for sure!

So if ya wanna see more of this beautiful home here is the link you can go to. It includes the virtual tour that is a MUST! You will see many more fabulous features of this home like all the fireplaces!!

What do you think the original homeowners would think about their home today!?

Have a great one y'all!

Walton Way

2012-01-20T08:32:00.001-06:00

When we go home at Thanksgiving I always love taking a drive down Walton Way. Some years we get lucky and the leaves are just hitting their peek. This past year we missed it but I still enjoyed the drive. One of the reasons I love driving down there is that there are sooo many beautiful homes to look at.

I apologize in advance for the poor picture quality. I was taking them with my phone and my mom was driving.

The Gegorgian style home is seen primarily thru out the area. They are so stately and beautiful. Reminds me of Gone With The Wind and Designing Women!Ha!

A cute cottage style home. You will see a lot of cottage style homes as well.

Another Georgian style home. Many of these homes are considered historic.

This onis actually is in historic Summerville. A coveted neighborhood off of Walton Way.

This home has the cedar shingles. I would hate to think about the up keep on this one.

A Georgian styled ranch home which I just love!

There are also some new homes popping up in the area. Arcadian style homes seem to be the most popular choice with new home builders and I can not blame them.

Another Arcadian styled home. I dream of one day having a home with huge front porch with rocking chairs and swing.
Come back tomorrow and I will take you inside one of the beautiful homes on Waltons Way!

Treasure Hunt Thursday #40 & Highlights

2012-01-18T18:01:00.000-06:00

AMAZING turn out last week y'all! We hit over 70 party goers which is the highest turn out we have ever had!! Y'all make me smile! We had so many amazing links and though I was not able to leave comments on each one know that I appreciate ya taking the time to come and party with me! Maybe we will make 100 links this wee!? Okay lofty goal but maybe in a few weeks we will. On to Highlights!

Did y'all see Rhonda's make over of this awesome lamp over at My Blue Creek Home!!?? I want one!

This bench pulled at my heart strings because of its story and because I have one almost identical to it and always wondered if I should repaint ours someday. Head over to Redoux and check it out if you have not already!

This make over is beyond amazing!! Head over to Freddy & Petunia and see the step by step transformation. It is out of this world!

If you have been featured be sure to grab the "I have been featured button"!

Now on to this weeks party! As with all parties there are the normal rules. You must link back to From My Front Porch To Yours in your THT POST. Just common courtesy. If ya don't link back ya don't get to party. Only link up to your Treasure Hunt Thursday post and NOT your blog homepage. Please No advertising and PLEASE NO MORE than 3 links from the SAME party goer. If you find your post deleted it is not because I am a meany, I just have to make sure the rules are being followed. You can save some of your posts for the following weeks party! Also be sure to visit at least the link before you and after you to just say Hi! It makes partying all the more fun! If you are new around here I would love it if ya become a follower!:)

Living Room Fluffing

2012-01-18T13:39:00.004-06:00

Over the weekend I began fluffing our living room after several weeks of it looking like we were moving out. I started out with the fireplace and mantle.

Last night I worked on the top of the t.v. armoire.

Thankfully again I already had everything I needed. The clock had been sitting in the closet since last fall. I bought it HomeGoods for just $12!

It took me about an hour to pull this all together. I can not tell you how many times I changed it up before I got to this display.

Next up I worked on the area next to the fireplace.

This was the perfect spot to hang my boxwood wreath that I purchased a few weeks back from HomeGoods. I have to say I LOVE me some HomeGoods but ours over the last month or so has been moving everything around and I HATE the new flow of things. It is just awful. So awful that I find that I do not go in there as often. HomeGoods if you are reading and I know sometimes you are please STOP with the madness it makes no sense at all! Anyways, back to accessorizing.

I always keep out the angel from our nativity set. I think she is very pretty though one day I hope to find a Santos angel as well.

My favorite books that I got back at Christmas time that I just can not put down. Also added in these fleur de leis book ends I received. I was thinking about painting them but they work so I will leave um alone.

And here is the final touch of the living room. Well minus the coffee table that has all the stuff I pulled out of the pretty closet and decided not to use!;)

On a separate note, I woke up this morning and on the radio they were talking about some study conducted that resulted in the conclusion that using FaceBook makes people sad because all they ever see are peoples perfect pictures of their perfect lives which we all know is not always the case. We just like to share only those perfect pictures. Well it got me to thinking that blogging really is the same way. I can not tell you how many times I have gotten a little blue after looking at all the wonderful inspiration out there in blogland and thinking my house will never look like that no matter how great my house may look at the time. I am sure I am not alone. Don't get me wrong I LOVE my house and will be sad to leave it but sometimes it is just nice to know we are not perfect and that we do not live in a perfect world.

On that note here is the unperfect side of our house at this moment. Enjoy!;)

Next up the dining room.

Linking up to the following link parties:

Show Me What Ya Got
Wild Wednesdays
Feathered Nest Friday
Inspiration Friday
Potpourri Friday

Lighting

2012-01-17T21:51:00.002-06:00

I am in the midst of making a decision for our guest bedroom. I am working on the lighting for in there.

I shared this antique lamp last week that I purchased back in November when antiquing with my mama. It is the one lamp that is staying in the room. Yes, the gold mirror is from last week as well waiting to be made over like its twin or triplet in this case. Anyways, I am trying to figure out what style of lamp to do for the other bedside table.

I came across this Pottery Barn inspiration pic.

Went to Target today and found this lamp on clearance so I decided to bring it home to test it out. It was only $35 which is a far cry from the $129 PB wants for theirs.

Here is the full view. Still working on the headboard by the way!;)

Next up is another Pottery Barn inspiration pic.

Then I found this lamp at HomeGoods today for just $40. An even further cry from the $179 that PB wants for theirs! Can we say OUCH!

Keep in mind only one of the mirrors will be staying. I am wanting to do some smaller vintage mirrors on the wall where the lamp in question goes.

Now there is the love I have of chandy's. Inspiration from google. Check out that headboard while we are here! LOVE it!

This one is a tad over the top but still love it.Not sure where this pic came from. It was in my file.

More scaled to size chandy. Makes me say hmmmmm. Google again. Sorry!

Which brings me to this chandy that The Papa rewired for me. I love it but am torn on what way to go. If I chose this one should I hang it from a hook in the ceiling or should I hang it from an iron bracket attached to the side wall??
I have my two faves from this bunch. What one would you choose?

Linking up to the following link parties:

WoW Us Wednesdays

What's It Wednesday

Antoinette Update

2012-01-16T13:29:00.001-06:00

The boys are off school today and I am having so much fun watching and listening to them play together! I am so glad that are best buds...most of the time. I have also been busy working some more on Antoinette! I hope I can be done with her some time this week but she keeps morphing into more!;)

Hope your day is going well!

Simplicity

2012-01-15T12:59:00.008-06:00

I finished taking Christmas down a lil' over a week ago. Our living room looked really bare but I just was not inspired in the least. Nothing was coming to me. Then last night at yes, 1:30 am as I was walking by the fireplace after double checking to make sure the doors were locked it was like a light bulb went off in my head.

I finally had an epiphany for our fireplace mantel and I think it came out rather nicely even if I was half asleep!;)

My mom gave me this wrought iron tea light holder for Christmas. I could not figure out where I was going to put it and so it wondered around the house for several weeks. I think this is a good spot for it! I also decided to place my Boxwood HomeGoods topiaries that I purchased a few weeks back here as well.

Next I pulled this scrolly resin piece and added it to the front of the mantle. It had been residing in our lil' art niche which now is in need of a make over.

I took some of the same elements from my fall display and used them for this display. You just can't go wrong with vintage shutters. Next I wanted to keep the round theme going so I brought back in the two taller topiaries. I also brought back in the old world style book ends. I just love those!

My Kirklands pillow that I purchased sometime last year came back out to sit on the frenchy chair.

And I decided I Iiked the frames from my Christmas display so they stayed too with the addition of the scrolly frame which guess what is just a plastic frame from HobLob that was only $5 and I painted it! It use to be white.

I love how simple and uncluttered everything looks. It is a refreshing change from Christmas. The best thing is is that it cost me nothing!

What projects have you been working on?

Linking up to the following link parties:

Sundays Best Party

Metamorphosis Mondays

Show Off Your Cottage Monday

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Tuesday Treasures

Table Top Tuesday
Wow Us Wednesdays

Shout Outs!

2012-01-14T23:11:00.003-06:00

I have spent the last four hours playing with the design of my blog. I have refreshed everything even down to my signature and blog button. I tell ya I understand why blog designers charge what they do! It is very time consuming to say the least. I would love to have mine professionally done but until I find a money tree I will just have to keep playing around with all the freebie's! I so appreciate all the hard work the gals do so that we can have beautiful blogs that cost us nothing but our time and sanity every now and then. Two of my favorite sites are Shabbyblogs.com and Cutestblogontheblock.com. If you want a blog makeover but have no budget for it like me I highly suggest ya check these two sites out!

So what have y'all been up to this evening?

Treasure Hunt Thursday #39 & Highlights

2012-01-11T18:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to THT #38! Our numbers are back up after the holidays so thank you! It seems that everybody is now getting back in to the swing of things and catching up. Last week we had some great entries.

Look at this fabulous piece that Karen painted over at Not Enough Thyme Creations!

LOVED this old cash register Betsy over at My Salvaged Treasures saw while out on her treasure hunt!

I love the color of this old type writer over at Out Junking!

If you have been featured be sure to grab the I have been featured button!

Now on to this weeks party! As with all parties there are the normal rules. You must link back to From My Front Porch To Yours in your THT POST. Just common courtesy. If ya don't link back ya don't get to party. Only link up to your Treasure Hunt Thursday post and NOT your blog homepage. Please No advertising and PLEASE NO MORE than 3 links from the SAME party goer. If you find your post deleted it is not because I am a meany, I just have to make sure the rules are being followed. You can save some of your posts for the following weeks party! Also be sure to visit at least the link before you and after you to just say Hi! It makes partying all the more fun! If you are new around here I would love it if ya become a follower!:)

Vintage Mirror Makeover

2012-01-11T17:04:00.006-06:00

So I decided to keep at least one of the mirrors I found yesterday and paint out one for now. I got busy last night after I put the boys down and busted out my Annie Sloan and CeCe Caldwell paints. Can I tell yahoo much I LOVE these paints y'all!

Before

After! I painted and slightly distressed it in areas so that the original gold would show thru. I used three different colors on this piece.

Painting it really made all of its intricate details pop out.

I just love its old warn chippy feel! Don't worry about the cracks. This piece is solid! The cracks just add more charm to the piece.

I am loving how it turned out and am now thinking the one I am keeping just may get painted as well!

Thanx for stopping by and I hope your Wednesday is going well!:)

Linking up to the following link parties:
Feathered Nest Friday
Inspiration Friday
Potpourri Friday
Furniture Feature Friday
What Have You Redone Friday Party

Blingy Lamp

2012-01-11T09:56:00.002-06:00

Do ya remember back in November when I showed y'all this antique lamp I saw while out antiquing with my mama? Well I LOVED this lamp the moment I saw it. I hemmed and hawed over getting it. They wanted $75 for it which I honestly did not think was a bad price seeing as it appeared to have all of its original crystals and it included the awesome script lamp shade which I knew would run at least $35 and up on its own. Mama said to ask if they would go down on it cause she knew it had been there for months. It was at one of the little shops she frequents often. I asked and they said no. So we left and went to another shop around the corner.

Needless to say we went back to get it! I do not normally spend that much on lamps but I HAD to have this lamp! It was just perfect for the guest bedroom.

I love its scrolly base!

And my oh my does it have some bling!

I ended up changing out the large script shade when we got home. It was just too large for the lamp. Thankfully I had this smaller one from Better Homes & Garden that I got awhile back at WM for just $10! I think it was made for this lamp.

Did ya notice what is behind the lamp? Come back later and you will get to see!:)

Also I have had several requests lately from those of you who want to sig up to follow by email so I have added that option to my sidebar but please still sign up with Google Friend Connect too so I can see who is out there!:) I love seeing my smiling followers faces!:)

Not Enough Time

2012-01-10T17:18:00.000-06:00

It is the first full week of a new year! I have been busy and finally am finished taking down all of Christmas. Now there are dust bunnies every where and it looks as if we are moving out!Ha! In between that I have also been working on a few projects.

This chair is almost ready for its reveal! It will be headed to the cottage.

Then I finally decided on a color story for Antoinette. As much as I wanted to wait for the new AS Antoinette pink to come out I talked myself into using colors I already have. So Paris Grey it is! I have an inspiration pic that I will share when I reveal the completed make over.
In between projects I have also been doing a little shopping here and there.

I purchased these antique mirrors off of the local yard sale site today! They were only $60 for the three. I will be honest I went to purchase them to turn into chalk boards and sell at my space out at the cottage but after getting them home I just do not know.

They are real wood frames and oh my the ornateness is dreamy! The gold not so much but that can be worked with. What would you do? Would you keep um or sell um?

Then I was at HomeGoods and found this miniature bust form that I just HAD to have! I figured it would be super cute in my sewing/craft room but then figured I could actually use it anywhere in the house. It was just $12.99.

So as you can see there is just not enough time in my day to get everything done that I want. Good news is that I am almost caught back up with laundry. Bad news is that you can still not see the top of the counter here in the kitchen where I plop all my craft stuff.

Hope all is well!
Linking up to the following parties:
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Tuesday Treasures
Wow Us Wednesday

Introductions

2012-01-10T00:17:00.002-06:00

As y'all know I have enjoyed my time working out at the cottage! I have gotten a chance to meet so many wonderful people and today I would like y'all to meet one of those people!

This is Cecily! I think I literally met her my first day working out there and she is such a wonderful person just full of life and super super sweet! She always is full of smiles and it is contagious I tell ya! Her kiddos are super cute as well!

Cecily and her hubs own a local boot camp called Humble Area Boot Camp! They really know how to kick butt and take names!
Recently Cecily started on another adventure in her life. Well actually two but first let me tell you about her kitchen makeover!

This is Cecily's kitchen not too long ago. Beautiful but she wanted something more. Something that fit her and her hub's personality a bit better. Let me tell ya they seem like the most funniest couple ever! You should have seen their Christmas card pic! It was priceless. Anyways, for her birthday she got some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and got busy!

Doesn't it look fantastic!!??

Cecily did the painting and her Uncle did the waxing for her. The finish turned out just perfect!

And as you know I am a sucker for beautiful hardware and these glass knobs are no exception!

This is their desk area. It truly makes their home sooo much brighter! Cecily has a great sense of style mixing the old with the new!
Now not too long ago I noticed that I had not seen her in awhile. I was thinking maybe that I had just been missing her. Well Christmas Open House came and went out at the cottage and no Cecily. Then one day while on FB, FB suggested a few people I might know and Cecily was one so I went to send her a message and looked around her page. What I read pulled at my heart strings immensely!!
See Cecily had not been out at the cottage in awhile because she found out back in October that she has breast cancer. Yep that big ugly C word!! I cried when I read that.
Cecily refuses to let that slow her down. Even though she has had to step back somewhat from her work while she undergoes treatment she manages to keep busy with her kiddos and her passion for decorating her home! I can NOT believe that Cecily was able to accomplish her kitchen makeover herself! She truly is an inspiration I swear!
If you would like to find out more about Cecily, send her well wishes and see more of her beautiful home please stop by and pay her a visit at her new blog- Faith,Patience, and Love, My Recipe to Survive It All! She is new to the bloggy world and would really love to meet some new friends so I knew y'all would be more than happy to welcome her because y'all are the best!

Hope your Monday was a good one y'all!

Found It!

2012-01-08T17:37:00.002-06:00

Hope everybody's weekend has gone well! Ours has been semi busy. We ran lots of errands yesterday and then I came home and got busy on my next project! What is it you may be wondering?

Lucille sold back before Christmas and so I have been on the hunt ever since for my next piece and yesterday morning I found it! Meet Antoinette! To be honest I was not thinking I would be buying her. I thought from the pics she was MDF but when I went to look at her and saw that she was solid wood and in like new condition as far as construction goes thus I had no issues with paying the price they were asking.

Just look at her lines!

Her hardware is gorgeous!

I was super excited about getting her home! It took two trips because she was so heavy! The first trip I just brought all the drawers home and then we went back for the dresser itself. She is so long that since the boys were with us we had to ride home with the lift gate open. Once home I got straight to work and busted out my CeCe Caldwell paint in Vintage White! For those who have not heard about CeCe Caldwell paint it is a paint made from CLAY & CHALK. I have been referring to it as the new chalk paint and oh my that is a huge no no! It does though have all the same qualities as Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. With that being said after working with CeCe Caldwell paint on a larger piece I am truly loving it as much as my beloved Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Yes that was hard to say but very true! So please no egging my house or toilet papering my trees. I just give my honest opinion and my honest opinion is is that I love both of these paints!!

Here is Antoinette after two coats of Vintage White! Now I am trying to decide on what other color I want to use. I keep going back and fourth between grey, my new Smokey Mountain Blue, or a green.

I hopped over to Annie's site to look at colors and look at this gorgeous pink that will be out very soon! And guess what it is called!? Antoinette! I took it as a sign!! Not sure I can wait though for it to hit the stockiest. We shall see.

I am also in the middle of working on this piece that I have had for quite some time.

What have y'all been up to?

Linking up to Metamorphosis Mondays!

Early Bird!

2012-01-08T11:08:00.002-06:00

Well this time the old adage The Early Bird Gets The Worm is sooo true!! Congrats to Martina over at Northern Nesting for winning a custom wreath by Becca over at Adventures In Decorating! WhooHoo! I am still seeing entries come in but please remember that this giveaway closed at midnight on 1/7/20012.

Congrats Martina and thanx to all of you for being such wonderful bloggy pals! Here is to a wonderful blessed New Year!! Martina contact Becca for the specifics of your custom wreath and please be sure to share it all with us! We can't wait to see what you have her design!
Thanx Becca for so kindly agreeing to give one of your awesome wreaths away! You rock lady!

Come back later and see what I am working on!

FMFPTY's First Annual Auld Lang Syne Party

2012-01-07T21:07:00.001-06:00

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

Edited Note: Today 1/7/2012 is the last day to enter the give away to won one of Becca's custom wreaths!!

Welcome to FMFPTY's First Annual Auld Lang Syne Party! So glad you came by! Today is the day we will be sharing our favorite projects/posts of 2011. There were a lot of fabulous ones out there so I can not wait to see which ones you will be sharing. For me it was a hard decision.
Before we get to sharing though today we have a Giveaway! Becca from over at Adventures In Decorating has so graciously offered up one of her awesome CUSTOM wreaths! The winner gets to choose what style of design they want!

I love Becca's wreath and I just know you will to!

All ya have to do to enter this Giveaway is-

1- Leave a comment on this post.

2-Become a Follower of Adventures In Decorating and let me know here. Yes, if you already follow Becca that counts too. Just leave me a comment.

3-Head over to Becca's Adventures In Decorating FB page and LIKE it. Then come back here and let me know.

4. Then if ya want one more entry let me know if you are a follower of From My Front Porch To Yours!

The give away will run from Dec 31,2011- January 7, 2012! We will use a random number generator to pick the lucky winner and will announce it on January 8,2012. Sorry but this giveaway is ONLY open to U.S. residents.

Now let's get on to the sharing! These are just a few of my projects that I truly love though there were many to choose from. I did not realize it was such a busy year here at FMFPTY.

I had to include the completion of our kitchen island that The Nana & The Papa gave us.

It took awhile but I am still loving how it turned out to this day! You can read more about here.

Then there was our fireplace surround transformation back in the spring that began when The Hubster got a crazy hair and decided we could start on the largest DIY project we have done!

This was actually a fairly easy project to complete. You can read more about here.

Of course one of my all time favorites is our flooring project! Wow was this an adventure! Though quite a daunting project I think The Hubster and I still would attempt flooring ourselves again. Just not on such a large proportion. You can read all about it here.

Our guest bedroom got a redo this past year and I am truly in love! Read more here.

The Hubster and I made these shutters for the window above our front door. It was a very inexpensive project and made the world of difference. Read more about it here.

And last but not least is the guest bath mini remodel. This project was not a planned project and threw us for a loop but it got done on time and we are just thrilled with it.

What projects will the New Year hold for us? Well I have our stairs topping the list. Then I want to redo our half bath and get rid of the pedestal sink. Anything else will be a bonus.
So what were your very own favorites of 2011? I can not wait to see which ones you pick!
Here is to a new year hopefully filled with only blessings for all and new bloggy friendships and inspirations!

As with all parties there are the normal rules. You must link back to From My Front Porch To Yours in your POST. Just common courtesy. If ya don't link back ya don't get to party. Only link up to your Auld Lang Syne Party post and NOT your blog homepage. Please No advertising and PLEASE NO MORE than 3 links from the SAME party goer. If you find your post deleted it is not because I am a meany, I just have to make sure the rules are being followed. Also be sure to visit at least the link before you and after you to just say Hi! It makes partying all the more fun! If you are new around here I would love it if ya become a follower:)

P.s. I have the music player on but just for the weekend. If you choose to not listen all ya have to do is click stop on it. It is located on the sidebar. I just thought it would be fun since we were having a New Years Eve party!

Favorite Furniture of 2011

2012-01-05T23:58:00.000-06:00

So I am a little late but just now have had time to breath. I am linking up to Miss Mustard Seed's Favorite Furniture of 2011 linky party! I know a lot of you have already seen most of these projects but I also know that there are many of you who did not start following along till half way thru the year so it will be new to you!:)

We finished up our kitchen island remodel a year ago! Here is the original post.

Then there is my frenchy armoire that The Hubster got me for our 10th anniversary back in August. It use to be a yellowy goldish color. This piece will always be one of my favorites and I was even lucky enough to have it featured on Miss Mustard Seeds blog! I was truly honored! Here is the original reveal. Thank you Marian!

Another piece having to do with our guest bedroom. My mom hates this pink chair but I think it makes for a great conversation piece. Original post with tutorial here.

Oh my then there is Lucille which is just one of my all time favorite pieces! I sold her just before Christmas to a good home but I have to admit I was kinda hoping to have to bring her back to our home!;) You can see more of this sexy mama here. It does have a before & after pic so think of Lucille's before when you look at the frenchy armoire above!

Frenchy side table that I just loved. Original post here.

This piece was popular. I painted it for The Hubster to have in his office. It was a HOT HOT day. I am trying to talk him into letting me sell it. Original post here!

Then last but not least but really my last project of the year was our guest bathroom vanity that after getting home needed to make over. It was way too yellow before. I loved how it turned out and I doubt when we sell the new owners will mind when we take it with us!Ha!;) Original post here.

So there ya have it my favorite furniture pieces of 2011!

Daisy522

2012-01-05T23:00:00.000-06:00

Edited 1/5/2012- Daisy 522 I have tried tirelessly to figure out who you are. I have posted numerous times on my blog and on FB trying to reach you. You did not leave any way for us to contact you so if we do not hear from you by 1/06/2012 by noon then we will have to go with the runner up.

Attention Daisy522 please contact me thru my blog or FB page so that we can get your info and send out your Annie Sloan prize basket! If we do not hear back from ya I will have to crank up the old random number generator and get a new winner. I HATE to have to do that! Still debating on how long we will wait. If anybody knows Daisy522 please let her know she won and that she needs to come and claim this awesome prize! I have no way of contacting her so I have been leaving messages on my FB page and now here. I really want her to get her awesome prize!

Treasure HUnt Thursday #38

2012-01-04T16:46:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe another week has gone by so quickly y'all! We are almost done with the first week of the new year! I hope that your new year is going well thus far! I have been super busy this week and there is just not enough time in the day. Since last week we had a lot of link ups for top posts of 2011 in our THT party I decided not to do features this week. Features will be back next week though so show me what ya got!

With that being said I thought that I would share a few of my treasures from the past week. I apologize in advance for the poor quality. I was too lazy to get the big camera!;)

I found these adorable lil topiaries at HomeGoods! I snatched um right up at just $7.99 each. Pardon the undusted table. Just keeping it real!;)

Today I went to HobLob with a friend and scored these two Christmas arrangements. They were originally $100 each but today 80% off. They are fairly large and much prettier in person. I debated on whether I needed one or two or at all. The verdict is still out. I am having a hard time spending $40 on Christmas decor when all I want to do is buy all new fresh spring stuff. The arrangements are very ornate and even have large jingle bells thru out them. Decisions decisions.

Then I scored these cute lil nesting tables yesterday. They are in perfect like new condition and will be headed out to my space out at the cottage.

So there have my treasures for the week. Don't forget to head on over to my Auld Lang Syne party where we are sharing our favorite projects of 2011! There is a give away you do not want to miss! Giveaway ends Saturday at midnight.

Now on to this weeks party! As with all parties there are the normal rules. You must link back to From My Front Porch To Yours in your THT POST. Just common courtesy. If ya don't link back ya don't get to party. Only link up to your Treasure Hunt Thursday post and NOT your blog homepage. Please No advertising and PLEASE NO MORE than 3 links from the SAME party goer. If you find your post deleted it is not because I am a meany, I just have to make sure the rules are being followed. You can save some of your posts for the following weeks party! Also be sure to visit at least the link before you and after you to just say Hi! It makes partying all the more fun! If you are new around here I would love it if ya become a follower:)

Visiting Part 2

2012-01-01T16:36:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year y'all! I hope that everybody had a fun and safe New Years celebration with family and friends. Ours was spent with close friends and we had a fabulous time ringing in another New Year with them. Since I have not been up to much in the past week I thought this would be the perfect time to share Part 2 of my husbands cousins beautiful home that we visited back at Thanksgiving. A lot of my pics did not come out so I did what I could with the ones I had. If you missed Part 1 you can view it here.

This is the sitting area off of the kitchen and breakfast room.

Tina has such a knack for details! I love the vintage sleigh the tree is sitting on.

I was disappointed that this was the only picture of her kitchen I could salvage. All the others were way blurry but I think you can get an idea of just how marvelous it is!

The laundry room is just adorable. I love her red washer and dryer! Her hubby John surprised her one day while she was away and built the cabinet around it.

I love the vintage pieces she has on display here.

In the center of their home there is a stair case that leads down stairs. I have never seen anything like it and let me tell you it is breath taking in real life!

The downstairs is for the most part her hubby's man cave. He wanted to make sure I showed his Bama pride!;)

The man cave bathroom.

A beautiful picture of The Masters Golf Course.

This small bathroom is truly just darling for a man cave bathroom.

Also downstairs is one of the guest bedrooms.

I LOVE this antique headboard!

A great way to display a vintage sewing machine cabinet.

My favorite part of the room is this beautiful vintage chandy that belonged to her mother in law. Tina brought it home cleaned it up and placed the shades on it. The next time her mother in law came to visit she asked if she could have it back cause it looked so good!;)

And I could not end this tour without sharing a picture of Tina's most prized possession, Lizzie. The boys loved her to pieces and the feeling was mutual. She had never been around kids before and was enamored with Littliest!

Hope you enjoyed the tour! Don't forget to head over and link up your favorite projects/posts of 2011 for my Auld Lang Syne Party! You can enter win a beautiful custom wreath from Becca over at Adventures In Decorating!

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Giveaway Winner Is.....

2012-01-01T01:25:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year y'all! I hope that everybody had a fun and safe New years Eve! We just got back from spending a wonderful evening with friends and well we are all STILL awake so I thought what better time to go ahead and punch in the number total for the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Giveaway! Thank you to all you entered!
And the winner is......

#37 out of 132 entries! #37 is....Daisy522! Congrats Daisy! I have no way of contacting you directly so please send me over your shipping info so we can get your prize out to you as soon as possible! You can find my email address on my contact page.

Thanx again to everybody who entered! A HUGE thank you to Magnolia Lane for choosing me to be the host of such a fabulous giveaway!

HUGE & I mean HUGE Giveaway!

2011-12-31T08:24:00.001-06:00

This Giveaway is now CLOSED.

Edited: Today Dec 31,2011 is the LAST day to enter this amazing giveaway!

I have been chosen to help announce Annie Sloan's 2012 North American Tour! What does that mean to you my readers? Well let me tell ya! It means you are in store for one HUGE giveaway! This is a NATIONAL giveaway and the biggest to date!

Every Stockist in North America is going to be having their own giveaway and I am thrilled that Stephanie Kahrs Granit from Magnolia Lane has chosen to team up with me for her giveaway! Stephanie has some FABULOUS stuff and if I lived anywhere near her I would be in so much trouble!;)
Anyways, wanna know what ya can win!?

You can enter to win one of the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Holiday Baskets being given away by over 100 Stockist across North America! Each basket will include two fabulous pots of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, Annie Sloan soft wax in clear & dark, and Annie's book Quick & Easy Paint Transformations.

Plus there is even MORE!
In addition to the holiday basket giveaway, a lucky winner of the holiday basket from EACH shop across North America will be entered for a chance to win a $350 gift certificate from Annie Sloan Unfolded. It will be good toward your choice of a credit on your Annie Sloan American Tour registration fee or $350 in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint! The big winner will be announced on Annie's blog on January 10,2012.

Can it get anymore exciting than that!? So here is what ya have to do to enter.

1) Become a follower of Annie's blog and comment "American Tour 2012".
2)"Like" Magnolia Lane on Facebook and then come back here and tell me you did.
3) If you "Follow" From My Front Porch To Yours on here or on FB leave me a comment here. If you do both then leave two comments.
4) If you Blog or FB about Magnolia Lane's Giveaway leave me a comment!
5) And last but not least if ya live in the Cape May, NJ area be sure to stop by Magnolia Lane to enter for another chance to win!

Giveaway will end New Years Eve!

P.s. I am hosting this giveaway just as a thank you to my readers for being such great bloggy pals! Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is a WONDERFUL product that I use all the time. I am NOT receiving any reimbursement at this time for hosting. My opinions on this product come from my own experience in using this product!

A Few of My Favorite Things

2011-12-29T20:52:00.001-06:00

Wow! It is hard to believe that this holiday season is almost all over with. We have had a whirlwind week this past week but have loved every minute of it. The Nana & The Papa came in from Ga to spend Christmas with us. We love having them here and it helps take the sting out of living half way across the country from both of our families.

Some of my favorite things from this past week include our festivities for one little boy who turned 6! Now those are 6 years that just flew by! His pick of theme this year was Angry Birds. Thankfully I was able to find a few party supplies. Party City just started getting them in so there was not much. He had a blast that day at Dave & Busters. We all did!

One of my next favorite things included a project with our garage doors that I have been wanting to do for over two years now.

I think I am in love! There are a lot of homes in our neighborhood that have these carriage house looking garage doors and I have been wanting the hardware for ever it seems. The Papa & I put them up and it was beyond easy y'all! An inexpensive project with such a big impact! I have no idea why it took us so long to do this. It really does make a huge difference in the appearance of our home. Just click here and it will take you to where I found it at.

I was over the moon when my Mom and Oldest got me new Mark Roberts Fairies to add to my collection! Thanx Mom!

Then The Nana & The Papa gave me these wonderful books of inspiration. I can spend hours just flipping thru these! Thank you Nana & Papa!

And then there is this project that finally was completed. I purchased this chandy over two years ago on the local yard sale site for my craft/sewing room....FYI for those of you wondering we have a website where people who are local can post their items for sale. Kinda like Craigslist but more localized....Anyways, I have hemmed and hawed on what to do with it and where to place it but I finally decided to ask The Papa to just make it into a lamp that I can plug in the wall and turn on and off with a switch. I also decided that it will go in the guest bedroom and not in my sewing/craft room!

So there are just a few highlights from my past week! I hope that yours was as joyful and blessed filled with family and friends!

Don't forget to come back by Saturday and share your favorite projects/posts of 2011 for my Auld Lang Syne Party!

Also do not forget to enter the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint giveaway if you haven't yet! Deadline is Saturday!

Here is the winner of the CeCe Caldwell Paint Give Away!

And The Winner Is.....

2011-12-29T17:49:00.000-06:00

I know y'all have been on pins and needles waiting find out the winner of the CeCe Caldwell Paint Giveaway is so here is a fun little video Nena made to announce the lucky person!

Congrats to entry number #97 Valerie of 2nd Essence!

Please send me an email so we can get your paint and wax out to you! Thanx to everybody who entered!!

Treasure Hunt Thursday #37

2011-12-28T21:01:00.000-06:00

Hey y'all! Things have been super busy around here so I thought I would help mom out with Treasure Hunt Thursday this week. I apologize for no Highlights but promise mom will be back next week to share your amazing finds! The Nana & The Papa came in from Georgia to see me and I guess to celebrate Christmas and my little brother turning 6 so we all have just been having a blast. I am sure mom will tell y'all all about that too!

Also I wanted to remind ya for mom that Saturday at Noon she will be kicking off her Auld Lang Syne Party where y'all share your best projects or posts of 2011! Becca from Adventures In Decorating so graciously offered up a custom wreath to be given away as well so be sure to stop by!

Let's get this party started!
As with all parties there are the normal rules. You must link back to From My Front Porch To Yours in your THT POST. Just common courtesy. If ya don't link back ya don't get to party. Only link up to your Treasure Hunt Thursday post and NOT your blog homepage. Please No advertising and PLEASE NO MORE than 3 links from the SAME party goer. If you find your post deleted it is not because I am a meany, I just have to make sure the rules are being followed. You can save some of your posts for the following weeks party! Also be sure to visit at least the link before you and after you to just say Hi! It makes partying all the more fun! If you are new around here I would love it if ya become a follower:)

Guest Bathroom Reveal

2011-12-26T01:30:00.010-06:00

I am finally finished with our guest bath mini remodel! I was trying to wait for the sun to come out so I could get good pics but it has been overcast and rainy here for three days now with more to come so I just went with it!;)

If you would like to see what this space looked like beforehand you can click here and here.

Welcome to our new frenchy guest bath!

I kept the cute shower curtain hooks that I bought for the first makeover because I loved them so much.

I ended up purchasing two shower curtains. One was just not full enough for me and that was okay because I lucked up and was able to get the one shower curtain for just $20 because somebody had opened it and returned it. That was a ten dollar savings and helped this impromptu mini guest bath remodel.

I just love the shower curtains! The faux lace detail and ruffle trim jumped right out at me when I saw it. The shower curtains and hooks both came from Target.

Here is the biggest change in the bathroom!

I repainted the medicine cabinet with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I used Paris Gray , Old Ochre, and Old White and topped it off with clear and dark wax. The knob I reused from the previous make over. It came from HobLob.

The tile back splash is the same tile we used to frame out our fireplace surround back in the spring. It was very easy to install but grouting was a tad harder due to not wanting to get it on the freshly painted walls and the tight space. Since I did it after 11:30 pm I now see I have a few places that I need to get some of the grout off of!;) Funny how we notice things after we take pics of them that we otherwise would not have.

This is the faucet I finally decided on. I had a hard time making a decision and The Hubster was getting irritated but I wanted to get it right. I would find some that I liked but they would not be in the finish I wanted or too expensive. I think this one turned out perfect though.

We took down the old builders grade mirror and I replaced it with this mirror that I purchased off the local yard sale site over a year ago for just $15. It use to be a brown and gold combo. I took my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint out once again and went to town with Old Ochre and Old White. I opted out of waxing it. I wanted the contrast.

I just love this vintage like soap dispenser that I found again at Target!

And here is the piece of resistance! Please ignore the fact that we still need to put the little piece of baseboard back on!;) Reason for this mini remodel was because we had a teeny tiny leak that we did not notice till it was on the bathroom floor over a two and half month period all because I asked The Papa to change out the faucet!:0 The cabinet had to be ripped out but thankfully everything else was perfect!!!

We hunted high and low for a replacement but I always kept coming back to a furniture fixture style. Because of this we had to tile the portion of the floor that was under the old cabinet but that ended up being very painless.

I just love this vanity to pieces! It got a makeover as well because after we got it home and in the space it was too yellow. You can see the original finish here.I used Old White and Old Ochre on it along with clear and dark wax.

I had a vision in my head and that involved taking down the white blinds we had installed. I was not sure The Hubster was going to go for it but he said yes right away! I had these vintage shutters out in the garage my mom bought at an estate sale. There were two boxes of them and I still had one box left so I just stained them to match the vintage shutters I have hanging up in the guest bedroom.

I just love the amount of light they let in. It makes the room feel so much larger than it really is. I am on the hunt for a boxwood wreath of some sort to hang above the shutters.

New frenchy looking basket I purchased from HomeGoods awhile back when I started on the guest room make over.

This is the view from the loo. You can kinda vision how small this space really is.

I purchased these vintage botanical prints again off the local yard sale site a few months back for just $5 for both of them. The mirror I purchased at an antique shop when shopping with my mom back in November. It was just $10.

A finishing touch are these metal hooks I got at HobLob when they were 40% off.

Our guest bath mini remodel cost us at just under $500 which I think is pretty darn good and really was not that hard to do. Just a tad time consuming but only because it is the holidays and already so much going on. Once i list the old marble counter top and faucets the cost will go down some more.

Well I hope you enjoyed the tour of our new guest bath! I also hope that y'all had a wonderful Christmas day with family and friends!! I am looking forward to hearing all about it in the upcoming days!

Linking up to the following parties:
Metamorphosis Monday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Wow Us Wednesday
Open House Thursday
Transformation Thursday
Show & Tell Friday
Furniture Feature Friday
Feathered Nest Friday
Home Sweet Home Friday
Potpourri Friday
Saturday Nite Special
Thrifty Decor Chick

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T17:38:00.001-06:00

CeCe Caldwell's Paint Giveaway

2011-12-24T12:41:00.004-06:00

****This Giveaway is now closed! It closed at midnight on Dec 24! Winner will be announced Dec 29!:)***

Hey y'all! Hope your weekend is going well! Can you believe we are only one week out till the big day!? I sure can not. I have been super busy trying to get everything ready. The Nana & The Papa will be here at the end of the week so I have been working non stop on the guest bath. I will share our progress this evening! Until then I have something exciting to share with ya!

Remember back in November when my family and I were in Georgia for Thanksgiving and I happened upon a new chalk paint!? I was super excited to share it with y'all and was hoping to get to play with my Destin Gulf but sadly things have been so crazy I have not had a chance. I have though since found a few pics of items painted with CeCe Caldwell paints and they are truly drool worthy! All pics are from CeCe's website.

CeCe Caldwell paint has been hard to find but recently I heard it was rolling out to a few select distributors across the nation. Luckliy one of those distributors is right here in my area! This prompted me to contact
Nena who owns NCF Studio of Decorative Art to see if she would like to team up with me on a giveaway so that y'all could get your hands on some too! I was surprised when she said yes!!

So who would like to win 3 quarts of CeCe Caldwell paint plus two cans of wax!? I know I sure would but I can't play so whomever wins will have to share with me!;) Just joking.

If you are the winner you will get to pick any three colors of your choice!

And just in case you are wondering CeCe Caldwell's Paints are earth friendly, all natural chalk and clay based paints designed for use on furniture and home decor items. Her wax is water based and not petroleum based.

The Giveaway will be from Dec 18-Dec 24 and the winner will be announced on Dec 29!

To enter:

1- Leave me the comment "Get My Paint On".

2-Let me know you are a follower of my blog thru Google Friend Connect.

1-Go to FB and Like NCF Studio of Decorative Art and leave the comment "Get My Paint On".

2- Go to FB and Like CeCe Caldwell's Paints and leave the comment "Get My Paint On".

3- Share on your blog or FB page. If you do be sure to come back here and leave me another comment!

Easy peasy y'all so get your paint on and get to entering! I want to see what fabulous colors you choose!

P.s At the time of the start of this giveaway I was not receiving any reimbursement for my hosting it. I contacted NCF Studio of Decorative Art and not the other way around. My goal was just to bring to my readers a really cool product since I know we love to paint! Since the giveaway has gained momentum as a thank you NCF Studio of Decorative Art will be graciously giving me some of my own CeCe Caldwell's Paints. This will NOT alter my opinion of the product once I get to actually find time to play with the paint! I only give out my HONEST opinion of products that I use so no worries!! If I do not like it trust me you will know!;)

Treasure Hunt Thursday #36 & Highlights

2011-12-21T22:52:00.001-06:00

Sorry this is late y'all! So much to do this week that it is craziness here! Finally finished our Christmas cards to go out tomorrow. Nothing like getting them out three days beforehand but oh well. Also was able to get the guest bath backsplash up but still needs grouting not to mention I have not even started wrapping yet! Yikes! Where is an extra Elf when ya need one!?

Thanx to all who joined the party last week! It was a wonderful turn out!!

Before Highlights a reminder to check my sidebar for some exciting giveaways I don't want ya to miss out on and an invitation to my New Years Eve Party!

Now on to highlights and boy it was hard to choose!

I fell in love with this whimsical oil can turned card holder over at Cottage & Creek!

Elizabeth & Co. made this gorgeous ornament wreath!

And oh my what a beautiful master bedroom reveal over at Down To Earth Style! It is beyond fabulous!

As always thank you ladies and be sure to grab your "I've Been Featured" button!!
Now on to this weeks party! As with all parties there are the normal rules. You must link back to From My Front Porch To Yours in your THT POST. Just common courtesy. If ya don't link back ya don't get to party. Only link up to your Treasure Hunt Thursday post and NOT your blog homepage. Please No advertising and PLEASE NO MORE than 3 links from the SAME party goer. If you find your post deleted it is not because I am a meany, I just have to make sure the rules are being followed. You can save some of your posts for the following weeks party! Also be sure to visit at least the link before you and after you to just say Hi! It makes partying all the more fun! If you are new around here I would love it if ya become a follower:)

Treasure Hunt Thursday

2011-12-21T18:21:00.001-06:00

Treasure Hunt Thursday will be posting later this evening! I am running behind today so thank you for being ever so patient!:)

Almost Done!

2011-12-20T18:27:00.003-06:00

Over the weekend The Hubster and I worked around the clock trying to get the guest bath ready for The Nana & The Papa this weekend.

The tile is down and you can not even tell there ever was tile missing! I will say we had our doubts about the tile cutter but it worked wonders! Negative was that it sounded like nails being scrapped across a chalk board.

The new vanity is of course painted.

The new faucet has been picked and installed. Let me tell ya faucets are pretty pricey! This one was a middle of the road choice and it was still half of what we paid for for the new vanity.

The medicine cabinet has been updated.

I hunted high and low for a new mirror and well the ones I wanted were not in our small budget so I pulled out a mirror I had in my pertty closet that I purchased off the local yard sale site. I started working on it last year sometime and forgot about it. Now it is painted as well!

New shower curtain is up.

Thrifty treasures hung.

Antique shutters stained. Not an easy task.

I am not quite ready to show ya how it all turned out but soon, very soon!;) All I am gonna say is that I am ready to move into the guest room!Ha!

Hope your week is going well!

I am linking up to the following link parties:
Wow Us Wednesdays
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

P.s Be sure to check out my sidebar for exciting giveaways and parties!

Auld Lang Syne Party

2011-12-20T02:12:00.001-06:00

I know we are all running around crazy trying to tie up loose ends before this weekend but I wanted to let y'all know I am throwing a party and y'all are invited!! My Auld Lang Syne Party will be a linky party showcasing our favorite projects or posts from this past year! It will be live starting at Noon on Dec 31,2011. So that gives us all a week and a half to get our links ready! Please Only ONE Link per party goer. That means you will need to make a separate post about your favorite projects or posts and link that up.

As a thank you for coming to the party I will be hosting a giveaway with Becca from Adventures In Decorating! Becca makes the most beautiful wreaths y'all and you will get a chance to have her design one just for you!! Now how is that for a New Years Eve Party!

Get your party dresses ready and be sure to tell all your friends!

Also just in case you did not know I have an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Giveaway happening here and a CeCe Caldwell's Paint Giveaway happening here!

Hope your week is going well y'all!

Christmas 2011 Home Tour

2011-12-15T19:30:00.000-06:00

I wanted to create a post that will have all the links to our Christmas decor this holiday season. There are so many posts and parties out there that I was getting dizzy trying to go back thru them all. No worries though there are a few new pics I have not shared yet!;)

Welcome to From Our Front Porch To Yours!
To see more of our outdoor decor you can click here.

This is the transom window above our front door. I took the shutters from the fall mantel display and decided to use them here.

A view of our banister from the foyer. This is a new display this year. I really like how it turned out.

This year our manger found a new home.
You can click here to see more.

Ice Skate Wreath I made for our foyer.
Click here to view more.

This is the view from the front of our home into our living room.
Take the entire tour here.

Our mantel display this year.
Click here to see more.

Last but not least our tree which is sadly enough already crispy!:(
You can see more of it here.

Thanx for stopping by! Hope your week is going well!

Linking up to the following linky parties:
Show Us Your Life-Kelly's Korner

Treasure Hunt Thursday #35 & Highlights

2011-12-14T16:17:00.002-06:00

Welcome to THT #35 y'all! Boy has it been a busy past week. Though I have not had a chance to knave individual comments know that I have been by to visit everybody who came to party last week! We had so many wonderful links up that it was hard to choose my favorites.

Check out this neat Christmas Card Holder over at REDOUX! She shows you step by step on how to make your very own!

Oh my word is this not beyond gorgeous or what!? I soo wish I was Courtney's neighbor! Check out her awesome chalk board and her awesome style over at French Country Cottage!

I could not resist some crafting going on this past week! I am in love with lil' Rudy here! If you have not seen him head on over to A Pinch of Prim and check him out!

This pink crepe paper tree is just as daring as darling can be and better yet there is even a tutorial! Head on over to Miss. Fibbertigibbet's and check it out! There is still time before Christmas to get your craft on!;)