My Heart's Desire and a Salute to Beauty

OK, so I must confess that not very long ago I had not seen a Blog or even knew what the blog world was about.   But, a few years back, I was searching for some pictures of the style I wanted to decorate my new home in.  I don't really remember what I searched.  One of my Google search links took me to the most Beautiful place I had seen, and everything that I loved.  It was Cielo’s “House In The Roses”  If you have not been there I highly recommend a visit.

Cielo, had all these beautiful images of flowers and lace and china a nice bit of whimsy all the while being serenaded by beautiful “Fairy music” I was hooked. One of my favorite pictures was a beautiful white chair with a gorgeous vase of roses in it.  So this post and redo is my Salute to Cielo and Thanks for all the Inspiration!

 One of my favorite items in dining rooms, kitchens or just in a nice corner of the room has always been Ladder-back chairs…I don’t know why.  You don’t see true 4 board Ladder back chairs much anymore.  But, being a Thrift store frequenter now, I came across a nice solid wood true one! It had seen some years, but the bones of it were solid, so to speak.    

 When I saw it I instantly thought of it painted white and distressed with a Beautiful vase of Blooms sitting on it.  How Blessed am I that I was able to achieve just that? Maybe not as lovely as Cielo, but I am absolutely in love with this piece and plan to enjoy for many years to come.

I hope you like it too!

So just a quick price break down, It wouldn't be keeping with true Shoestring Elegance style, If I didn’t tell you what a deal I was able to make this for.   Are you ready? You are not going to believe this, I got the chair at the local GW, it was priced only $9.99, but wait, it was half of yellow tag day!!! So yes, I got the chair for $5!  I used less than one sample size of Behr's Chalkpaint to cover it! So add a little under $3 to the tab, the rest was just a pure enjoyment in the painting, sanding, waxing and finishing of it all.  This one was truly a labor of love.  And the final project cost was just under$8.  How is that possible?  As soon as it was done I had to arrange some flowers and go cut some roses from my garden so I could enjoy it the way I had seen it in my minds eye. Hey, psst! If you get a chance go "Like" me on facebook. I have alot more pics and tidbits there.

I’m just following the way I’m lead and loving every minute of it!! Especially, getting to share it with you.  Many Blessing to you all! 

Always linking up with Metamorphosis Monday and Savvy Southern Style!

Goodwill 99cent Planter Redo

Okay now! So as promised, I am back with part two of todays projects!  Oh so much fun!! However, I’m going to keep this one short and simple!!  So I'm sharing another great Thrift store find, lightweight metal’ish, tin kinda, cute bones Pedestal container..99cents!!  Shut your Mouth!

I swear to you,  all I could see when I looked at this was it painted White with some beautiful little pink blooms planted in it!!

Friends, I was so excited, I completely forgot to take a before picture.  As you can see I had already started painting it when I remembered. At least you get an idea of what it was.

So, 2 coats of my Behr sample size chalk paint, under $3.00 now when you order it online through Home Depot!!  A hammer and a nail to put 3 drainholes in the bottom of it. (Otherwise your plant's roots will rott and your plants die) New knowledge to me! 

I grabbed this cute little Carnation and a couple Impatients from a six pack I had and dog gone it doesn’t it just look like that was exactly what it was made for?  I had a blast doing this!! Just sharing the steps with you, so you can pick up a 99 cent special, too, and make it into something special for you!!  If you haven't already, Please take a minute to go over and "Like" my facebook page... Lots more pictures from all the projects there!! Thank you for joining me and Many Blessings to you all!!

No Cost Personalized Tiebacks!!

Hi, Friends!!! I hope you have been having a wonderful week!!  I’ve been out of commission for a little bit with some back issues, but I’m back today with a couple great little projects for you to take and make your own!!

Do you ever have one of those moments when you fix something that’s been driving you nuts forever and then look at it and go, Of Course, That’s exactly how to do it?  I know some people call this serendipitous (a happy accident) I call it a cool new project to share with everyone else that it’s been driving nuts!!

Okay, I know I’m kinda rambling a bit today, but try and stay with me.  I have beautiful sheer curtain panels in my kitchen and in my bedroom. I love them because they provide some privacy while still letting the light in.  

In the Spring, I love to open the windows and watch the breeze blow them up.  However, in the hot days of summer, I just want them out of the way so that any little wisp of air can blow through and help cool down the house! It was like that the other day, and I did what I usually do, grabbed the curtain nearest the back door and tucked over and around the back doorknob, but it kept falling loose.  For some reason, I just opened the back door,  grabbed one of my clothespins and pinned the curtain back to itself. That’s it!! It worked!  Not only did it worked it looked good, really good.  So, I played with the sheers a bit more and loved the way they hung while in the clothes pin. 

Then there was the little issue that the clothes pins were weathered and didn’t look very good on my sheers, so I got about a teaspoon of my white paint and painted them… Then, I couldn’t stop! All the different possibilities!! I wrapped them with ribbon, I 

added a silk flower, I thought," Oh my they could even be bejeweled.. "I went through my jewelry box of broken an unmatched pieces and found an earring, not 2 but 1 that’s why it was in this particular box.. I added that to one and couldn’t believe how basic, simple and beautiful and elegant it all looked!! I hope you enjoy them as much as I am!! Love to see how you would decorate it!  Come back and share if you make some for yourself... I'm telling you, it's just the ticket!!

 I promised you a couple projects, I know!! The other one should be up in a few more hours, so for right now to be continued……. 

This post was featured by the very Lovely Gina @ Random Thoughts!

Hi, ALL !!! It has been awhile and I truly apologize and Thank You so much for sticking with me!!  I am putting on a couple finishing touches on today's post and will have it up shortly.  Very excited to be back and to share these projects with you that are just so darn cute I'm surprised I haven't seen them before ..Stay tuned!! Check back soon. I hope to have all the images uploaded and posted by this afternoon...Happy Friday!! 
Many Blessings!

~Theresa   

Eat, Pray, Live Party @ My House

Good morning to you all, I hope you have sun and you're all out enjoying it!!!  In case you didn't read it over at Shoestring's facebook page. I am sending you my apologies for being absent for so many days with no word, but my back went out and I wasn't able to let you know or work on any of my "projects".  Prayers have prevailed, again!! and I am back here at my keyboard to share with you all!!

So, to get on with it, so to speak, I want to share with you a recent experience of mine!  Last Friday, I provided the Food and Place for one of my new Life Groups through my church called "Eat, Pray, Live".  With having it here @ my home I felt there was a lot of emphasis on the "Eat" part, as that what I was providing...If you follow me on facebook you know I was struggling a little with the menu... 

However, believe it or not, my first passion is, and has always been, cooking and baking ( I'm sure I get this from my Grandmother)  Therefore, I just sat myself down determined to find out what 'universally friendly' foods I wanted to make so that all here were fed well and enjoyed the experience.

"A Brunch-themed dinner" seemed to be what kept coming to my mind.  Who doesn't love Brunch?  Plus, I knew I had created some pretty memorable Brunch meals in the past that had always been a hit.  So I wrote out my Menu.  It was a warm day, so the first thing that came to mind was ***Cucumber Water ( a new find for me ) and  I just Love it...such a simple thing as placing sliced cucumber in your water pitcher, makes your water so much more ...hmmm .. more watery(?) no...Refreshing! That's the way to put it! I can't get over how much difference this small step makes.

If you have the time, put some slices in the water the night before and just add ice for drinking. Another wonderful accompaniment to this is a few fresh raspberries. They just look so pretty! :)

So here's what I made:

A nice Fresh Vegetable Frittata, with spinach, onions, and yellow and orange peppers (Provides a great protein, without making a meat or poultry that might turn someone off)

Homemade Caesar salad(Light on the garlic!! Don't want to be offensive)

Watermelon, Strawberry and Green Grape Fruit Salad (It was hot out!! Nuff said!)

My Pasta Salad, served cold, with spinach, peppers, onions, and feta and my balsamic vinaigrette, (One of my favorite summer dinners) 

Little sidebar here, I must tell you that I won Cottage In the Oaks little tabletop Chalkboard Venue from Courtney at French Country Cottage and I was so excited (I never win anything)  to use it for this, it was the perfect  time and reason to do so...  Doesn't it look Grand?

The Group, the people, the prayer and food all went well!!  I thoroughly enjoyed the evening! So, I guess we can call it a success, I had very little leftovers so my menu was a hit.  Most importantly, was the wonderful fellowship I enjoyed that evening!! What a wonderful group of people that I look forward to seeing again next month! I hope you are all as Blessed as I have been to have people like this in your life!!

The recipes are my own, tried and true, as My Grandmother put it!  If you are interested in one of them shoot me an e-mail. (I'm hoping to find a way to post them here, but not in the actual post). I hope you all have a wonderful week, full of bounty and blessings!! Thank you for taking a few minutes to share with me.

Many Blessings,

Theresa

My Home and "Necessary" Room

Just for fun, I thought I’d share a little project I did, that unbeknownst to me, would be so popular I think I spent about $2.50 on the whole thing!!  First, I have to give you a little History about where I live; I moved into this beautiful 1912 home about 4 years ago...I had only seen it from the outside, but I loved it for years!! It was “For Sale”, and I knew I couldn't afford to buy it.  One day, I drove by and the sign had been taken down, I was so sad because, in my dreams, I had still had hoped to live in it one day. And then, God intervened!!! There’s just no other way to say it!

I drove by, saddened that the house had sold, this ONE time I turned around at the end of the street, instead of driving on to the intersection. I think just to see it one last time and kinda say Goodbye. When I came back from the opposite direction I saw something that I hadn't seen the first time I drove by, it was in the window now facing me, “For Rent” and a telephone number. My heart skipped. I quickly pulled over got my cellphone out and called the number. I got an answer, too. It was a man who recognized my voice and my life, it turned out that we had gone to the same school, his family and my family had been in many classes, together. He told me he had just put the sign up 20 minutes earlier and if I could stay there, he’d meet me in 10-15 mins. And we’d find a way to make it work! And we did!! That’s how I came to be in the house I now call my home. I almost cry with joy as I write this out to share with you, how great our God is!

 

Okay, so on with the project!! When we opened the door to my new home, It had all kinds of wonderful built-ins and moldings, and picture window, etc.. Though it was a bit tough to tell, as the elderly woman who had vacated it several years before had everything painted white, and I don’t mean a pretty white on white theme…more like ceiling paint white, that hadn’t been redone in about at least 20 years with big old heavy upholstery on the window, hiding the gorgeous moldings, until you got to the kitchen!! That, she had updated! Unfortunately,  it was sometime in the ’70s. Everything was yellow, the ceiling the walls the doors and the beautifully molded frames for the doors.  What wasn’t yellow was the vinyl/Formica backsplash of white with the gold starburst (c’mon you all remember someone who had that at one point)! Anyway,  I have rambled on…one of the first things I did was paint the doors and moldings in the kitchen back to their glorious porcelain white... Did I mention the bathroom door is in the kitchen??! Well, I should have, because that’s what I wanted to share with you today!!

After painting the door and molding, I wanted, someway, for people to know where the restroom was without having to open three different doors in hopes they may have found it!! Oh yeah, did I mention, none of the doors have locks?? Yeah, no! Not one.  So, I remembered this cute little needlepoint sign I had seen years before, that I thought would be perfect!!  Borrowed some graphics from Cathe Holden @ JSIM and the Graphics Fairy, bought a very inexpensive, bare, square plaque and a 59 cent door hang and created, what I think is a very fun, yet somewhat sophisticated way to let people know where that room was and to ensure them their privacy!! Everyone, that has been here has had a good laugh and declared their Love for this little project. I enjoy it everyday! How Blessed am I?

It could not have been easier, I didn’t even make a transfer of the graphics, I just got it to exactly the size I wanted and let the ink try overnight, cut only the typography out and sort of just modge-podged it on.  I put a few coats of clear polyurethane on over and Voila!!! Your own little “Necessary Room”!! I hope you enjoy this as much as I did doing it!! 

Many Blessings to you all!!

Theresa. 

Something Pretty

Sorry friends, I'm still here!! It's just that rose garden, unfortunately doesn't take care of itself!! Wouldn't it be so great if it did?? I know wishful dreaming...Well, a person can dream, can't they?  Actually, I've also been working on some other projects to share with you soon. One, I hope to have up tomorrow! But then again, I had hoped to have it up today. Ahem, anyway, going to post a pretty picture for you all.   Thank you so much for coming to visit!! 

I'm going to ask you also to check out Shoestring Elegance's Facebook page and"Like"me there, if you haven't already done so..:) Thanks so much for your continually kind words!!

If you're already following me on facebook you've already seen this, if not this was a joyful little share I had this week, I hope you enjoy as much as I did:

"My cup over flows"

There is always something "over,"

When we tell of all His love;

Unreached depths still lie beneath us,

Unscaled heights rise far above:

Human lips can never utter

All His wondrous tenderness,

We can only Praise and Wonder

And His name forever Bless
~Margaret E. Barber

Many Blessings to you all for now my friends!

No COST Mirror frame redo!!

Hello Friends and welcome to your Long Weekend!!! Happy Memorial Day Weekend! I hope you all have made wonderful plans to celebrate and enjoy your Family and Friends.  If your family is anything like mine you are running around from 8^th grade promotions, Graduations, school dances and celebrations! 

One added Blessed event for my family this weekend is the celebration of, my very young Father’s, 80thBirthday, he still runs circles around me!  So hard to believe how great 80 can look on some people these days.  So pardon my personal shout out to My wonderful Dad, Happy Birthday Papa!! We all love you so much!!

Okay, down to the business at hand, if you’ve been keeping up with me on my Facebook page, I’ve already explained my difficulties in bringing you today’s project.  Not difficult at all to do, just difficult to photograph!! (Disclaimer here folks, and I’m sure no shock to any of you) I am not a photographer, nor have I ever claimed to be.  So when my frame broke on my bathroom mirror and I was lucky enough to salvage this one from my neighbor’s garbage to redo I was ecstatic!! Another NO COST project, right? Well yes, I redid the mirror, and it was awful to start, but solid wood.

 I think it turned out beautiful…I mean I am literally in love with frames now! 

I had no idea when I secured the mirror in place and put it back in its spot on the windowsill, that It would be completely impossible for me to photograph the mirror and all its detail, to share with you,  without my reflection being in it!

 Ahemm.. So what you are viewing are some of my feeble attempts to show you my beautiful newly chalk painted and distressed mirror frame!

This last one is where it actually lives now in my house!! I hope you enjoyed it!! Hey, anyone recognize the ruffled lampshade?  I pray you all enjoy a very safe and fun filled Memorial Day Weekend!!

Take a look at who I’m linking up this project with, and if you haven’t already, please go “Like” me on facebook so you can see some extra pictures and some wonderful little tidbits and shares that don’t always make it here!! Many Blessings to you all!!

The Original "Lap Top"

Good Morning! Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you all Had a great weekend! Okay, so I went“treasure hunting” again! Oh my goodness, did I ever find a treasure! When I first saw this Lap desk, I was completely unaware of it’s history, I just thought it would be something I would use alot and a great redo Item!

Was I ever surprised when I looked up some history on it! (Prompted by my Mom, who said that this was what she had when she went to school, back in a little town called Harcourt in Canada).

She looked it all over and said that it definitely was the same, so I looked it up. You gotta love Google!! It appears in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s school was not mandated by law, kids often had to work alongside their parents, for those towns that did hire a teacher to hold teaching lessons, they were usually held in a church or similar sized building.  As this became more common, this lap style desk entered the picture.  What fun!  I simply thought I write a lot sitting on my couch, near my front window, and am always looking for a phonebook or something to put under my paper, won’t this be great?!

Looking it over carefully, I decided that it must have been a reproduction and did not think twice about making it a bit shabbier for me. ( I did offer it my Mom, who graciously declined) 

                     

Now, here’s the “shoestring’ part of it that you won’t believe, I got this piece for $4.00+ .50 for the paper I got @ Michael's and I  had the paint.  So I was able to have this beautiful  treasure for a grand total of $4.50! I know most people don't like to mention how inexpensively their redo's are But I want everyone to know you can create some simple elegance in your own home! 

Fresh Fruit Muffins!!

Good Tuesday Morning to you all. I wish I could have you all over to enjoy a fresh fruit muffin and coffee with me today!! I always love to use whatever is in season this time of year, with my basic muffin recipe, to celebrate Spring!! And as this morning is a little overcast it’s not too hot to turn on the oven!

I live in a beautiful, yet somewhat dilapidated, old house built in 1912.. I must admit, as much as I love all the old moldings and craftsman touches, the heating and cooling system are a bit (how shall I say this) archaic.  My heating source is, basically, a radiator in a box in my Living room floor. The cooling is a ceiling Fan and lots of windows, accompanied by an oscillating fan on truly Hot days.  So you see I must decide if it’s a good baking day or not based a lot on the weather!  This is not a complaint, I honestly love this old house, but as I am a renter, and can decorate and design as I like, I truly can not do some of the upgrades one doe in a house they own.

Ok, enough History and on with the muffins of the morning recipe. I don’t follow a recipe so I’ll share with you how I make them. Well, this week I got a steal on some fresh strawberries and blueberries…any fruit or dried fruit works but why not use what’s in season and affordable? 

So here it is, My recipe for Fresh Fruit Muffins:

I always start with soaking 1 cup of oats in 1 cup of Low fat buttermilk for about 5-10 minutes before I add anything else. I love the texture and flavor these 2 combined give!

To that I whisk together 1 jumbo or 2 reg Eggs ½ cup brown sugar, some vanilla, and 1/3 cup of vegetable oil or 1/2 cup applesauce (depending on your diet preferences) Then, add that to the Oat mixture and stir. (and I do mean stir!  With a good old-fashioned wooden spoon!) Now when you add the following dry ingredients, it is important to stir it in just enough, don’t use a mixer!! This is the reason Grandma’s recipes always tasted better, she never took short cuts!!(Not that they were available), If you have a sifter put the following in it and sift over your wet ingredients. If you don’t have a sifter combine these ingredients in a small bowl before adding them to your wet moisture…Stir, no more than 15-18 times!  Okay, now you can add your fruit. I did ¼ cup of small cut strawberries and 1/3 cup of blueberries. (Remember to cut your strawberries to about the same size as the blueberries or you will get a soggy muffin.) Let the batter sit while you prepare your muffin tin and preheat your oven to 425 degrees Farenheit.

Spoon in tins to about 2/3 full , bake and enjoy with your coffee!

I hope you all have a Blessed day!! I’ll be posting my latest project later today or tomorrow so Enjoy until then!! Check out these other wonderful sites while you’re sipping your coffee and going for that 2^nd muffin!

Mother’s Day Traditions!

Good morning and Happy Mothers Day to all from Shoestring Elegance!

Today I am happy to share a tradition with you all that My Beautiful Mother started a few years ago…

My Mom and Dad were born and raised in Canada and moved to California after the birth of my two eldest siblings. They left both of their families based on a transfer in my Dad’s business, that would secure their future and the future

of their family.  We went “home” to Canada every summer to see my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.. So as you may imagine, I grew up loving tea and Fine English Bone China Teacups..Royal Albert has always been one of my favorites.  

On Mother’s Day a few years ago my mother came up with a beautiful way to share some of her collection with her daughters.  She made a beautiful arrangement of flowers in the Teacup itself and the flowers and the cup was ours to keep!!

I had already been collecting my own from about 14 on, but love my mother’s collection and she always knew what my favorites were.  So this year, I decided to return the favor for my Mom. (They always say that people give gifts that they would love to receive) Is that saying ever right! This morning I present My Mother with this cup and saucer arrangement~

And in her usual, wonderful way she one-upped me again! As you can see ~ 

She actually planted these little blue beauties in the Teacup! Of course I’ll transplant them in a couple of days and love the cup forever, but she’s the truly gifted one in Our Family!!  I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day with many traditions of your own! Tell me about it! Either leave a comment here or find me on Facebook and tell me your Mother/daughter traditions, I’d love to here about them. Maybe they’re ones that you are creating now with 
your daughter, let me know!!

NO COST Lampshade Redo!!

   Good Morning Friends,  I hope you all had a great weekend!!

I know I sure did enjoy the actual "Spring-like" weather here in Northern California, for a change!! It’s so beautiful to have the garden in bloom and the windows open again, It always seems to take me back to that childhood feeling when summer break was near and all is right with the world.  Now, On with the show!!

Okay , so, as promised, today is Monday, and I am sharing with you my NO COST new little Romantic Ruffled Redo. I have to say I am in love with how this turned out!

If you’ve been following my blog, you may remember the Double Ruffled French Country Cottage inspired Tablecloth that I made out of white sheets, purchased @ the GW.. If you do, great! If this is your first time here click on the Link to the right that says April and then French Country Cottage Inspired Double Ruffle..

What to do with all that left over white sheet fabric??

Well, I actually had no problem there. More Romantic Ruffles, Yay!! Probably not in a way you would expect, although, I did use some of the leftover sheet for a beautiful little Valance over my bathroom window, that I will share with you on another day. But by far, my favorite little redo, is my Ruffley (sp.?) Little Lampshade Redo~

This project was not too difficult and as you can see from the before image very necessary!!  I simply made more Ruffles and attached 4 layers of them to my old lampshade pictured here above right. And Voila!

Isn't this the cutest little shade you ever seen?

On the top ruffle, I turned the top of the fabric down about and inch1/2 to created the little Ruffle you see at the top! Then, of course, I had to finish it off with a simple little satin bow.  What do you think?

All in all, I am very happy with how this turned out and I dare you to beat the price!!! FREE!!

I simply made 3” Ruffles, from leftover material, attached them to my lampshade, with a my handy-dandy glue gun(this shade was headed for the garbage, anyway) and then topped it off with a little ribbon I had laying around the house!

If you have a lamp in your Bathroom, as I do, covering your shade (anyway you like!) Is a quick, simple, easy and inexpensive way to bring some more elegance into the room!

Not to mention the money you save!!

I hope you all have a Wonderful day full of God’s Blessings!  Let me know what you think and visit these other sites below for even more great inspiration.