New Uses for Old Things

When I decided to sell my grandparent's dining room furniture, it was a tough decision.  I knew that it wasn't incredibly expensive antique furniture dating from the 1700s, but it was still beautiful furniture that had been in my family for over 70 years.

Before I listed the table, chairs, buffet, and tea cart on Craigslist, I decided I would keep the china cabinet.  That way I could pass it along to one of my children if they ever wanted to use it in their own homes.  I am happy to report that our old dining room table and chairs have found a very happy home.  The couple who bought them on Craisglist was kind enough to send me photos of the table and chairs in their dining room, and it looks amazing, so I know they will enjoy it for many years to come!

Because I had a new china cabinet on the way, which you can read about here, I knew the old one couldn't remain in the dining room.  So I started looking around our house to see where I could put our old china cabinet.

One day, while lying in bed, I realized that the wall between our closet and our bathroom was the perfect spot for it.  The more I thought about it, the more excited I got about moving it in to our bedroom.  I could use it to store linens, almost like a linen press, and some of the special things that had been shoved in our closet for too long, like a collection of scarves and gloves from my grandmother and mother.  Now, with easy access I would maybe wear some of these pretty pieces.


 

And I would simply relocate some of my Beatrix Potter collection so that I could enjoy them everyday when I get up each morning.

They seem pretty happy in their new location too.  Mrs. Rabbit is fixing something yummy for dinner, and I spy butter and a pitcher of milk being carried by a certain kitty cat in the background.

Having the china cabinet in our bedroom also allows me to display some vintage linens, like the crocheted popcorn bedspread that my grandmother or great grandmother made.  And while cleaning out my parent's house, I lucked in to an old Ivory Soap laundry sack that no one else wanted, so I've folded it and placed it on top of the bedspread.  I may eventually turn it into a table runner or a pillow, but for now it will live here in the cabinet.

I've also put some pretty soaps, lotions, and bath salts inside the cabinet and I really love how it gives me easy access to things while still looking pretty enough for display.

I'm really glad that I decided to keep this cabinet since it was something my grandparents purchased together and enjoyed for all of those years.  And I love that it provides me with some extra storage space in our bedroom, for free!

Have you repurposed a piece of furniture and turned it into something useful in your own home?

The Little Things

Today was a holiday here in the US, so that meant that Mr. Tide was able to just hang out with me all day.

I love days when he has off from work and we can snuggle in bed a little longer, and get caught up on each other's hopes and dreams.

As much as I love hunting for the perfect piece of furniture, or trying to become a better photographer, it's the little things that truly make my world a beautiful place.

Give me my family, and maybe some hand and body cream in a beautiful box, and I'm one very happy woman!

By the way, I've heard from a number of you that you've had trouble leaving comments on my blog.  It appears that Internet Explorer and Blogger aren't playing nicely together.  So if you have Google Chrome or Firefox you can comment, otherwise it appears that you will have to wait for Internet Explorer and Blogger to kiss and make up...I hope that happens sooner rather than later!

The World in Black and White

I don't often voice my political or religious views on this blog, it's something I'm just not comfortable doing.  I believe that each of us is entitled to those views, to live our lives in a moral and just way, but sometimes things seem a little bass ackwards to me.

I had planned to chat about my new dining room chairs that I got for a steal yesterday at the Restoration Hardware outlet.

Regale you with tales of how, after a 3 hour drive each way, I lucked into a Pottery Barn outlet closing where the already reduced merchandise was another 40% off.  How I bought a beautiful ticking striped duvet cover and this pretty white platter for a song.

I wanted to tell you how delicious these organic honey crisp apples are, and how they are totally worth the long trip to Whole Foods to buy them.

I planned to go on and on about these pretty white napkins, also found at the Pottery Barn closing sale.

How I've been looking for some nice white napkins at a good price and how these were like a match made in heaven for my new dining room.   But...

Last night, as I sat down to catch up on the day's emails, do some blog reading, and skim through the online news sources, I was confronted with something that makes all of my great purchases seem more than just a little insignificant.

You see, sometimes we like to paint the world as black and white, but there is so much grey area in this world of ours.  Sometimes black and white is a good thing, like in these two photos of Misty Belle and Mr. Quinn, but sometimes, when it is used in a way that is hurtful, it's anything but beautiful.

As a blogger, I now have a sense of fellowship that only other bloggers can know.  Especially bloggers who use their blogs to share a little bit of themselves with each of us.  Those who put their heart and soul on the line for the world to see, the good, the bad and even the ugly that comes with living a real and authentic life.  So when one of us is having issues, I feel like we need to all step in and help out, even if that just means moral support.

Such is the case for Mark and his blog, entitled Our Simple Lives.  Kind of an ironic name for his blog, because life has been anything but simple for Mark and his partner Fred, and their 4 children.  You see, Mark and Fred are a gay couple who have adopted 4 children.

Now, some of you may be running for the hills right now, and that's your prerogative to do so, I surely can't, nor will I try to stop you.  But if you have a moment I'd like to say what I think about their current situation.

You can read much more about it on Mark's blog, and on CNN, where it made front page news yesterday.  Fred is a French Citizen, while Mark is an American citizen.  The two fell in love, got married when it was legal in the State of California, and have adopted 4 beautiful and thriving children.  They have been together longer than many couples seem to be able to make it these days, I believe it's 20 years, and the love they share for their children is undeniable and real.  As in the life is messy kind of real.

Because they are a gay couple, Fred now faces deportation, because even though they legally married in California a number of years ago, and Mark is a US citizen, our federal government doesn't recognize their marriage.  So now Fred must return to his home country after living her for 2 decades.

To those of you still reading, those who haven't unfollowed me, or made snap judgements, or turned away in disgust at the thought of a non traditional family, thank you.  You see, I would much rather see a family like Mark and Fred's, one which has contributed to society, worked hard for everything they have, and given 4 beautiful and innocent children the chance at a wonderful life, than I would half the people I see in what is deemed an appropriate marriage, dragging their children around Walmart at 11 pm.  Cursing at them, threatening them, but given the rights denied to Mark, Fred and their 4 children.

You have to ask yourself, why is it that our society rewards people who misbehave like Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Kim Kardasian with multi million dollar contracts for doing nothing to help society, while it penalizes people like Mark and Fred who kept 4 children from possibly knowing the instability and often horrors of the foster care system?!

As a magazine writer for beautiful homes, I have lots of gay friends, it just comes with the territory my friends.  So I can say that my world is a richer and more wonderful place because of those friendships.  So while you peruse the latest designs and heap praise on many notable designers, who just happen to also be gay, but then turn your back when you see the injustice of it all, well I would have to say that in my book that would be the definition of hypocritical.

You don't have to support gay marriage, or want marriage redefined, but when people like Mark and Fred's family will be torn apart because the world doesn't operate in black and white, I would hope you would at least try and support them so that our society could have one more stable family to help keep this country's future bright!

If you would like to learn about more ways you can support Mark and Fred, please go here.

Texture Love

Thank you to everyone for your wonderful comments and emails about my blog anniversary, it's been a fun 2 years!

I thought I would stay inside today and play with textures.  It's a blustery day outside, and I've messed up my ankle somehow and have to stay off of it, so processing pictures is a perfect way to pass the time.  And, messing around with photos is way more fun than vacuuming!

In the photo above I used one of Kim Klassen's textures, and I have no clue which one.  I should write this stuff down, but that's probably not going to happen...sorry!

This one has another one of Kim's textures and I used a brush texture on it too to give it a more painterly look.

Kim creates such beautiful textures, I find that I go to them time and time again.  And she is also so very generous with her free textures.  If you've been wanting to try using textures, I highly recommend you sign up for one of her e-courses, she has some starting soon.  Click here to find out more.

My sweet neighbor gave me these beautiful pink tulips yesterday.  I had given her a needlepoint pillow that no longer looked good in my house, so as a thank you, she gave me these pretty flowers.  I think I made out in the trade!  Although the pillow does look mighty nice in her green velvet wingback chair, so it was a win, win for both of us!

I put the flowers in this pretty pink vase I have had for years.  It came with the sheer pale pink ribbon which I love, so I thought it was the perfect choice for my pretty in pink flowers.  The texture I used on this one is another free one but from Boccacino.  I don't use these textures often, but when I do I fall in love with them all over again!

And here is the same image, but with script added from a free brush set by French Kiss...I love cool new brushes to play with!

Well that's it for now.  I hope you are finding something to hang out and do that makes you happy today too!

Screw Ups and Sweet Success

Ugh, you know how you have things that just get screwed up, no matter how hard you try?!  Well my last giveaway, WAY back at the end of October was one of those things.

First, I accidentally shipped everything to myself when I thought I had drop shipped stuff to the winners.  And then, when I did get the pictures, it took me frick'in forever to get things packaged up and mailed out.  But before Christmas I finally got my act together and mailed everything, or so I thought.

Last week I started to get some of them back in the mail...UGH!  Yup, I had slipped a digit, so to speak, on the nice spreadsheet that Mr. Tide so generously made me so that I could keep track of who got what photo and their address.  So I had the right name, and the right street address, but the wrong city and state...gotta love my old eyesight and small spreadsheet print I guess!  Thankfully it only appears to have happened on a handful of them, so I will be working on getting them off to the "right" addresses this week.

To those of you who have so patiently waited, or more than likely cussed me under your breath for having not received them, they will be on their way, I promise.  Let's just hope that 3rd time's the charm!!

In other news, today is my 2 year blog anniversary...or at least I think it is.  I started my blog in early January, so I'm just gonna go with the 10th as being the anniversary, because frankly I'm too lazy to look back and confirm the actual start date.

Just like these yummy pecan rolls that I kind of, sort of made from scratch yesterday, I consider this blog to be a sweet success.  Sweet because its success has come as a complete surprise.  When I began writing it 2 years ago, well I figured it would be long forgotten 2 years later.  With the attention span of a gnat, I thought there was no way I would still be blurting out whatever happens to pop into my head on this little blog of mine.  So to be here 2 whole years later is a huge success, and something I'm kind of proud of!

It truly has been an amazing journey, one which has led to so many wonderful opportunities for me.  But I view those work opportunities as a yummy cupcake, maybe a fluffy white french vanilla cupcake.  The icing, which I would imagine is a delicious buttercream tinted a lovely shade of aqua, is what I'm most appreciative of, and that, my friends is what you represent to me.

You all are the icing to my cupcake, and everyone knows that the icing is the best part.  It's the part we savor, sneak tastes of, and save as the "best for last" part of any cupcake.  The friendships I have formed through this blog are what have kept it going for the past 2 years.  Without them, without YOU, I would have walked away a long time ago and done something completely different.

So thank you for the sweetness each of you bring to my life.  Whether you just read and never say a word, whether you comment often, whether we chat outside of my blog, or whether we have actually met in person, each of you is important to me, and to this blog.

Who knows what this next year will bring here at Low Tide High Style, but with you guys by my side, I know it will be worth the price of admission!

Dreaming of French Flowers

It is cold and damp here today, and it even snowed earlier.  Hard to believe when just 2 days ago it was in the high 60s here!

Tonight at dinner, my son and I talked about where he wants to go for his special trip this spring.

When our daughter was the same age, we sent her to London and Paris with a friend.  It was to be the first of many trips abroad on her own.  She loves to travel, and if her finances would allow it, I think she could be happy living the life of a Nomad.

We consider ourselves very, very fortunate to have been able to expose our children to different cultures through travel.  And the college our son attends actually requires a study abroad experience in order to graduate.

But before he goes abroad for an entire semester, we want to give him the same opportunity to travel for a week or so to some place he finds appealing.  Right now, he and his friend are having trouble deciding just where they want to go.

Of course if it were up to his dear mother, well I would have to say France...maybe Normandy.  I've never been to that part of France, but both the beauty and the historical significance of that region has always appealed to me.

For now I will have to settle for looking at these beautiful flowers and day dreaming about my time spent in France last fall.  I think if I ever win the lottery, I will become a world traveler.  I would love that way more than a big fancy house and an expensive luxury car!

If you won the lottery, what would you spend it on?  Would you travel, or would you stay right where you are and build your dream home?

A Little Me Time

When you've been going at breakneck speed since long before the holidays, sometimes you need a day to just regroup and recoup...you know, a little "me" time.

The formula for "me" time is pretty simple really.  All you need is a quiet place, I recommend a big comfy chair or your bed, and some good reading materials, or even a movie you've been wanting to watch.

Of course it never hurts if you have lots of fluffy pillows and some pretty sheets too.  

I hope you each find a little "me" time this week!

Take These Broken Wings and Learn To Fly

Thank you everyone for all of the cabinet love you gave me on yesterday's post!  Things are slowly coming together and I'll be posting pics of the finished room soon.

Yesterday, when I should have been working, I went outside to snap a few pictures of the birds at the feeder instead.  It was a veritable cavalcade of feathered friends...although they weren't riding in carriages or on horseback, so maybe cavalcade isn't the right word, but you know what I mean! ;-)


 

When this little guy landed on the feeder I thought he was a red winged blackbird, but he just didn't look quite right to me.  While I was processing pictures, Mr. Tide looked him up and found out that it's a young male red winged blackbird.

He pretty much hogged the feeder, and everyone backed off, except for this little house finch.

The cardinals were not pleased at being pushed aside, and they flew from tree to fence, to bush and back anxiously waiting for the blackbird to leave.  The cardinals are normally king of the hill at our feeder, so they weren't very happy about our newest visitor.

And then, little man blackbird was joined by what I assume is his dad, or at least an older brother.  The other red winged blackbird looks like what I'm used to seeing when I think of this particular bird.  We often see them flitting about in the marsh grasses when we are out kayaking in the summer, and that patch of red is always so striking against the dark grasses.  They tend to dash away quickly though, so it was nice to catch him on the feeder and really be able to look at him for more than just a few seconds.

Finally, after patiently waiting in the wings, Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal were back to rule the roost at the feeder.  She was very happy to have her favorite perch all to herself once again.

This is one of my favorite Beatles' songs, it is so simple, and the melody and words are so lovely.  As I was photographing the blackbirds, the tune kept running through my head.

Ok, we have people coming to pick up furniture tomorrow, and someone coming to photograph our house tomorrow...not for a magazine thank goodness, but I still have to have every square inch pulled together.  And did I mention that we've been moving stuff all over our house?!  Let's just say that I hope she likes the new "antique store/flea market" chic look we have going!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!