Author: Jordan (Spring)
I’m recovering from my first marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. Autumn (my mom/blog partner) is recovering from a bicycle ride from Pittsburgh to DC. We’ll be back tomorrow with our regular postings.
Lunch – Syracuse Style
October 28, 2011 By
Author: Spring (Jordan)
Here in Syracuse, we have a nearby world-famous food establishment – Heid’s Hot Dogs. It is located in Liverpool and was founded in 1917. They have their own hot dog recipe that people from all over come to savor.
Recently when my parents and grandmother were in town, we stopped in for our lunch during an outing.
Although my parents ate here during their cross-country bicycle trip a few years ago, this was my first visit.
The architecture is very retro and deco.
They have a huge menu.
But their hot dogs are their claim to fame.
They have a few different blends, and as far as I know, they are secrets. So, we don’t have a recipe for you today – just pictures of food.
I had a sea dog, which was like a giant fish stick. I don’t eat the preservatives that go along with processed meats.
We all agreed that our visit to Heid’s was a fun way to enjoy a casual lunch together.
Cheers!
We were not paid to promote Heid’s. We are just fans.
A Housewarming Gift
October 25, 2011 By
Author: Spring (Autumn)
One of our friends and neighbors is moving to a downtown loft. I wanted to make a special little house warming gift for her and decided to make coasters. I had a lot of luck making coasters with our custom-made monogram, here, that I decided to make a set for her.
I saw this idea on Pinterest a couple months ago. First, I bought some inexpensive floor tiles at the home improvement store. And while I was there, I picked up some paint chips in her colors.
I assembled the products I needed.
I cut the paint chips the same size as the tiles. Then I attached them with spray adhesive.
Once they were dry, I applied four coats of Mod Podge followed by a coat of glossy sealer.
I tied them up with a piece of twine to make a cute presentation. I hope she likes them!
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Cheers!
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Our New Hutch
October 24, 2011 By
Author: Spring (Jordan)
My mother spent a week with us recently, and we had a great time taking on some painting projects. We painted our kitchen, our guest bedroom, and a hutch.
We took a trip to the Salvation Army store and spotted this pine hutch made in 1976 for $129.00 We knew it had great potential, and we bought it right away.
(Source)
I forgot to take a picture when the hutch was still together, and I found the same hutch online. So here is the before of the hutch.
I am trying to remove the bottom section of the hutch to make the lines straighter. I was laughing because Gracie was wanting to play and kept bringing me toys.
We removed some trim that made it look too colonial so that the lines would be straighter. Mr. Spring and I live in a 1928 craftsmen house, and we wanted the hutch to look better in our house.
After four coats of paint, it looks like this.
The trim now is straight and linear. The “panes” were brass and we painted them white. (I see from the photos that I still have some paint to scrape off.)
We definitely want to update the hardware because this is too early American for our tastes. Meanwhile, I painted it oil based bronze. The problem is that some of the holes for the hardware are three inches apart and some are four.
I also need to line the drawers and get rid of the 1776 look.
I have lots of accessorizing to do. Right now I have placed my vintage state glasses, here, in the cabinets. I will be on the look-out for the right items.
I love having a nice surface to use when we are entertaining. It will be a great place to set the desserts.
Thanks to a recipe I found at No Minimalist Here, we mixed our own chalk paint. It was a huge savings.
However, we chose not to distress it.
I will keep you updated when the handles are changed and when the drawers are lined.
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Cheers!
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Fall Features
October 23, 2011 By
Author: Jordan (Spring)
It might has appear like I am late to the party, but our fall decorations have been up for a few weeks. When my mother recently visited, she convinced me that we should include them in our blog.
I used the usual gourds, candles, and lanterns, but then I found some treasures at Goodwill.
I found these cute amber colored bottles. They were at a new Goodwill here, and the store smelled nice and fresh.
I saw this idea on Pinterest and thought I would do this at home. I bought a stencil at Michael’s and put F A L L on the bottles and then put some wheat into each one. That takes up some space visually in front of the mirror.
The gourds are faux but look very realistic.
I added some pumpkins and a bale of hay to the fireplace, which has battery operated candles and a mirror in it to add some coziness. Gracie likes it.
We recently moved a dresser/buffet from the dining room to our entry and I decided to spiff up that area for fall, also.
My friend Meghan attached small bundles of wheat to her stairway and posted a photo of it online. I totally stole this idea from her, and it is my favorite fall decoration.
I used my chalk board platter,read about it here, and added a Halloween touch.
I framed photos from us in some past Halloween costumes (here were are as gangsters) and added them to the table top.
Here we are as I-pod ear buds.
Fall is definitely in the air around here. We just moved into our house last autumn and were unpacking boxes instead of decorating for fall. So, this year we are really enjoying it.
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Cheers!
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My New Old-School Phone
October 21, 2011 By
Author – Spring (Jordan)
I saw this photo on The NewlyWoodwards, and as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have one.
I did some research and found this old school phone on Amazon.
You just plug it into your iphone and you are hands-free.
You can be hands-free or not. Disregard the nails. I am getting a manicure this weekend.
This is so much better than the ear buds. The sound quality is excellent, and let’s face it…..It’s so cool.
Cheers!
Click here if you want the link if you are interested in the phone.
I was not paid by this product. I just love it!
Bicycling in France
October 20, 2011 By
Author: Autumn (Janette)
As you probably know, Mr. Autumn and I rode our bicycles from the top to the bottom of France a few weeks ago. It was an amazing trip, and I wanted to share just a few photos with you. I don’t take the typical tourist photos. I like the angles of old buildings, things growing on old buildings, cows, landscapes, and peaceful places. I picked out just a few that you will hopefully enjoy.
We spent two days going through the Loire Valley so I had to share a castle….
or two.
The flower shops have such a nice way of displaying their items.
There were so many fields full of dead sunflowers. This is the only field that had live ones.
I loved the angles on this old house.
The most popular flowers in the entire country were geraniums. It was as if they had all gotten together and decided they would be the flower of the year.
There were so many old/interesting shutters in so many different finishes.
This foggy morning was one of my favorites. Although it is dangerous to cycle in these conditions, I loved the atmosphere. Mr. Autumn is waiting for me to take his photo.
We were in the beautiful mountains for three-fourths of the trip.
The bridges were charming.
This was a peaceful place.
These two gals reminded me of twins. I took lots of cow photos.
When we arrived at the Mediterranean Sea, of course we celebrated with champagne. (In case you are wondering, I am 5 feet 8 inches tall, and my Mr. Autumn is 7 feet tall. Yes, he played Division 1 basketball and played professionally in Europe).
Take care.
Our New Little Lady
October 18, 2011 By
Author: Autumn (Janette)
I like original art, and I take my purchases seriously. Recently, I met a little lady, and I had to bring her home with me.
Isn’t she charming? This is an 8 x 10 folk art oil done by Janice Miller, an artist who lives in a nearby town.
She used a technique in this painting that gives it lots of texture and layers.
She uses “found” frames and paints them to complement the painting.
See that thermostat in the middle of the wall there? Let’s just say it was a battle that I lost during the remodeling of our new place. My husband hired a specialist to serve as a consultant to make sure all of our changes were as energy efficient as possible. Evidently, in order to get a true reading on a room’s temperature, the thermostat cannot be hidden away in a corner. Whomp, whomp.
Our newest painting is hanging in the foyer with the oil painting by my mother. She loves to paint old buildings and barns.
This little piece was in my home when I was a little girl. I have no idea if it has anything other than sentimental value for me. I added the frame. Even though each frame is different, the three work together because of their blue backgrounds.
Notice anything different? After I hung the painting, I decided the frame needed to be wider. This one looks much better. The foyer is somewhat narrow in this part, but I think that I need two more paintings to fill in above and below. I don’t want to rush out and just buy something to be buying. It will have to “speak” to me and be the right size. Till that time comes, I am happy with our new purchase.
Take care.
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Sofa Before and After
October 17, 2011 By
Author: Autumn (Janette)
When we moved into our new place, one of the first things on our list was to get two of our sofas recovered. They are now back and lookin’ pretty fine.
(Before)
This sofa was in the study in our last house. Because it didn’t get used much, its “insides” were in perfect condition.
However, the fabric was very tired. We decided to get it recovered and use it as the sofa in our great room.
Doesn’t it look better?
We went with a nice neutral fabric that will be the perfect backdrop for all of our pillows. I like to switch them out seasonally. It is very comfy. In fact, I’m lying on it right now and think I’ll take a little afternoon snooze.
So, till next time……
Take care.
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Renewed and Reused
October 16, 2011 By
Author: Autumn (Janette)
I bought this charming little Victorian bamboo plant stand at the Scott’s Antique Market in Atlanta a few years ago. It had been lovingly used when I bought it, and I lovingly used it some more.
Two of the shelves were damaged from plants that had been on them. Even though I doubted if I could get a perfect finish, my goal was to make it at least look better.
I sanded off as much of the old finish and damage as I could.
I then applied a walnut stain. The bottom shelves here already have the stain, and you can see there is a definite contrast in the appearance. Also, you can see the damage that I could not sand out. I like the walnut because it matches the dark pigmentation on the bamboo. After the stain dried, I applied one coat of dark Briwax.
I then moved it to its new home in our sunroom, here and here. I “shopped the house” and found some items with fall colors to use as accessories.
For the top shelf, I used one of the plates from a set I have from my grandmother. I added a wooden stirrup that is usually a napkin holder in the kitchen and a votive candle in an amber container.
I placed two of my Hall teapots in deep green on the second shelf. You can see here how nice the newly stained shelves look.
I have some children’s books with garden themes that I bought used at the public library’s annual book sale. They are now on the third shelf. I bought these books specifically for our back porch at our last house, and now they work perfectly in our sunroom.
The bottom shelf is now home to a little vintage picnic basket that I have. I put it there simply because it fits. When I change the sunroom over to my north woods look for winter, I will have a new use for it.
This little shelf has been used in our powder room, in the guest room, and in the pantry. And now it works perfectly in our sunroom. And with its new facelift, I am sure it has many years of service left.
Take care.
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