Paris in the Winter Featuring my Handbag

Paris in the Winter by joyce-mercer featuring chunky jewelry

Burberry brit
$795 - net-a-porter.com

Tan pants
£85 - johnlewis.com

Sam edelman boots
$274 - coggles.com

Friis Company chunky jewelry
€21 - shopfriiscompany.com

Manumit link jewelry
£10 - fashion-conscience.com

Red Herring velour hat
£9.80 - debenhams.com

Fashion for the Weekend Featuring my Patchwork Bag - New in my Etsy Shop.





Fashion for the Weekend by joyce-mercer featuring ralph lauren cardigan

Lauren Ralph Lauren ralph lauren cardigan
£105 - houseoffraser.co.uk

Vince raglan shirt
$220 - barneys.com

School Rag bootcut jeans
€99 - placedestendances.com

Sperry Top Sider flat
$85 - nordstrom.com

Kenneth Jay Lane post earrings
$45 - maxandchloe.com

Mulberry wrap bracelet
$230 - mulberry.com

Lightweight scarve
topman.com

Fedora hat
€45 - shopfriiscompany.com

Painted Jars on my Fireplace

I am trying to bring a little color into my living room. Also, trying to do away with a lot of Country Clutter and redecorating with sort of a Cottage Look. I had a wood wagon with ivy on the corner of my Fireplace. It really looked Country and was very dark. I have had a 2 Quart Ball Jar just sitting in a cupboard for many years. I purchased a Quart Jar and a Pint Jar at a Thrift store for the sum total cost of 40¢.....not bad for a start. I painted the jars with a brush, as I did not want to invest in colors of spray paint that I did not have. It took about 4 or 5 coats.......a little time consuming, but I am retired and have more time than money. After, they were all painted, I sprayed them with Krylon Satin..........always have that on hand. Headed over to Hobby Lobby and after about 2 hours of hemming and hawing, finally chose my flowers. I put them on the fireplace where the wagon was and was not sure if I liked them or not. I kept looking at them for a day or two and decided to put them on the other end.......like them much better there. I spent about $10.00 on the flowers. All in all, I like the improvement.

Painted Jars

I probably could use some more "things" on the Mantle, but I detest dusting, so am keeping it sort of plain. We purchased the sign at an auction in New Hampshire about 30 years ago. My hubbie's grandmother lived in Hillsboro and his Mom and Dad had a summer place in Antrim at one time, so it has a lot of sentimental value. The Birdhouse came from a thrift store and we purchased the little Sheep in Sweden on a vacation. I love to purchase an inexpensive material thing to remind me of a vacation memory. The Wood Bear in the bucket came from a vacation to Northern California.......another happy memory.



Dollar Tree Bird at home in my Bathroom

I found this little Bird at the Dollar Tree. He was an atrocious green and certainly didn't fit into my Cottage Decor Bathroom. Thanks to a post on The Speckled Dog I was inspired to paint him (or her) white with a Blue Glaze. He is just perfect for the shelf and only cost $1.00. I had all of the other supplies. Sorry, but I forgot to take a "Before" pic.

Big "Bath" Sign

I just renewed our little Bathroom......... It was decorated in 1980's Country Wall Paper and was really in sad need of a facelift. We will probably put our home up for sale in a year or two, so I really didn't want to spend any money. It took 4 days and a lot of steaming to get the wallpaper off........too much work for an "Old Lady".

BEFORE:

 I had this space to fill between the cabinet and the door and this is what I came up with. Again, I didn't want to spend much money. Besides "Frugal Decorating" is so much more fun.

AFTER

The pre-cut letters came from Hobby Lobby for the fantastic price of 70¢ each for a grand total of $2.80. Hubby cut the board from scrap lumber and had the little hook for the top in one of his jars of "things". One of the nice things about being married for 54 years is all of the stuff we have on hand for this type of project.

First of all, I did a wee bit of sanding on the letters. Then, they were glued on the board, which Hubby had sanded smooth. Then, it was stained a medium brown, so the stain would show through. I then slapped a coat of Vanilla (yellowish off-white) colored paint, let it dry and then distressed it with rough sandpaper. Here is a close-up of one of the letters.

Hope you like my sign!!!

Happy 54th Anniversary to my sweetie and me

Today, June 10th, is our 54th Wedding Anniversary. I married my high school sweetheart 3 days after graduating from high school. Buzz was a year ahead of me in school and had enlisted in the US Army, shortly after graduation. He was a private and was stationed at Ft. Lewis, Washington. I graduated from high school in Sarasota, Florida and flew to Washington to get married. I guess you could say I eloped all by myself.  Being so far away from our parents forced us to grow up very quickly, but it was the best thing ever!!!

The boy that I fell in love with!!!

Pretty cute.....huh!!!

This was us then.

I had to put this together, as we didn't take pics.

This was our family on our 50th Anniversary........

The 3 in the back are our children....

The 3 in the front are our oldest son's girls.

The little girl in the middle belongs to our younger son.

We have added another granddaughter to our little family.......

I couldn't leave her out.........Such a cutie!!!

I made her dress.....such fun to sew for little ones.

This was us last winter.........

Think we have survived the 54 years pretty good!!!

I love him as much today as I did in 1957.

Recycled Jacket to Purse

I look at this Jacket and wonder why it used to be my favorite. Also wonder why I have held onto it. It used to be my traveling companion and went everywhere with me. Now, I am in need of a bag to carry with me on a plane that is big enough to carry all of my necessary "stuff".



First, I deconstructed the Jacket, with the help of my assistant, Oliver. He really isn't much help, but please, don't tell him. I am sure he will be insulted.

OK, it is all taken apart. I will remove the zipper later..........Who knows, I am sure I will find a use for it someday. My sweet hubby says I will not live long enough to use up all of my stuff. He is probably right, but I am keeping it anyway.

 

Yea!!!! It took a lot of hours of sewing, but here is the finished product. Hubbie is quite impressed and wants me to sell it in my etsy shop. I tell him.............Nope, this one is for me!!!!

Back looks pretty good too. Guess, it pays to keep things for years and years. It is totally made from recycled "things", except for the adornment on the front tab. It came from Michael's.........one of my favorite places to shop!!! The leather straps and front tab were recycled from a thrift store leather jacket. The magnetic snap and zipper came from a thrift store travel tote. The lining came from my stash of fabrics.



Woo Hoo!!!!!

This is my first post. It is so much fun.

Happy Easter!!! My hubby and I were at church this morning bright and early at 6 AM. We and several of our friends cooked pancakes, sausage and bacon for the congregation.........turned out awesome, if I do say so myself.