Monday, March 23, 2009

Day 632: spring table updates


I had a little fun this weekend updating some of the tables in our house (and very inexpensively, I might add). This is one of the end tables in our bedroom. I bought them both for about $25 at Bama Flea Mall about two years ago. One was bright peach and this one was bright yellow. I primed them with Kilz almost immediately, and they stayed like that for ... well, a long time while I was pretending to contemplate paint colors.

I guess I'd finally had enough because I brought this guy out and put two coats of some leftover Grant Beige (which is on the walls in our living and dining rooms) on it and called it a day (I still need to do the other one). I decided I didn't want it to be bright and white, since the lamps are white with white shades, and I'm quite pleased with the result. The lamps were a birthday gift from Wes last year, and came from Tricia's Treasure's. I was lucky to find simple white shades at Wal-Mart that are a perfect fit.

I also tracked down a little plant small (it's Chinese Sedum) enough for my milk glass urn (also picked up at BFM) and it looks happy and spring-like on top of an old copy of Wuthering Heights and a book about Charleston (where we honeymooned). The cute alarm clock is from Target that I picked up on major sale one fine day, and the little black heart-shaped box came home from China with a sweet friend of mine.



In the dining room, I'm finally happy with what's happening on the blue chest (by the way, the color is Stratton Blue by Benjamin Moore). I moved the giant copy of Cabinet of Natural Curiosities to another room, which made the stack of books more manageable (and color coordinated). On top of it, I clipped a few little branches of dogwood blossoms from the tree in the yard.

Still need a lampshade for my marble lamp, and I've just about exhausted all of the ready-made options here in town. I want to get it right, so a custom shade might be in order.


I've been wanted to prop something behind the lamp, but just didn't know what. This is actually a page from the March issue of Martha Stewart Living, from a story on bird motifs. Since it's all silver and dishes, it makes perfect sense in the dining room and the colors work great, too. I just clipped it from the magazine and put it in an 8x10 frame from Target. My black Wedgwood pitcher picks up the black in the photos and on the spine of Frank Stitt's Southern Table.

That little glass piece in the front was a birthday gift from my sister, and it's from a make-your-own snow globe kit from the 1960's -- she picked it up at a thrift store. It's so random, but I love it. Inside, I put a nest I saved after a family of birds lived in our petunia basket last summer, and three little eggs bought for 50 cents each at Leaf & Petal.

Do we have anything in our house that didn't come from a thrift or antique store? Very little. Just how we like it!

10 comments:

  1. Everything looks great. I love thrift shops. I'm constantly on the hunt for new things. I wish I had a big antique mall near me. If I did I would be in a lot of trouble.

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  2. Well, thrifting / antiquing is the best! All those lovely things cannot be found anymore...& are not made the way they used to. I love a good tag sale, flea or estate sale! Bravo
    L
    lamaisonfou blog

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  3. Everything looks beautiful!!! LOVE what's happening on the blue chest!!! the branches are gorgeous!!! yay spring!!!

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  4. You are so great at styling table tops and such. Something I am not so great at! Looks beautiful!

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  5. sigh, looks like spring is in full-bloom at your household...still bitterly cold up here in the north. Great displays Jen! Miss you!

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  6. Can you tell us again where you got the great mirror from? LOVE it!!

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  7. thanks, everyone! I've been studying up on table displays out in blog land -- there are lots of great ones.

    the mirror came from a local shop called Three Sheets in Homewood, AL. it's called Brayden Arch and is made by Uttermost. here's a link:

    http://www.uttermost.com/product_line.aspx?category=-20074&parent=-20064#_top

    you can't buy it online, but you can search for shops that carry the line in your area.

    I love it, too, and think we'll have it for a long time. if you get one be sure to send me a picture of how you're using it.

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  8. I love your spring time updates. I plan to do some major spring cleaning in the house this weekend and hope to update some things as well. I love your birthday lamps and the bird nest snow globe!

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  9. You set up here looks beautiful!! I love the flowering branches, its so Spring looking!

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  10. Ok, here I am commenting again...who makes Grant Beige? That is a great idea for some tables I have, too! Also, you won't believe this, but one of the blues I put on the wall (as mentioned in earlier comment) is stratton blue! A friend used a decorator to do her house, and the decorator always uses stratton blue to get the "blue" effect. Crazy! She says it "blends well" with everything! It looks totally different than the crazy paint chip...thought it was GREEN when I saw it in the store!!

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