A Red White & Blue Table Setting

It has been quite awhile since I've put together a patriotic table setting...4 years to be exact. Not sure why it just hasn't been something I do on a yearly basis like my Christmas and Thanksgiving tables. This year I wanted to put together a table using red, white and blue but not really focusing on typical 4th of July items. My goal was to do something not contrived and to implement a "...hmm...I never thought to use that", kind of approach. So what I did was simply shop my home for any items that where red, white and blue, to put together a patriotic tablescape.

And what I ended up using even surprised me!

I decided not to use any tablecloth and let the plain white table serve as the backdrop. Next I spread out a red and blue boat print table runner I purchased a few months ago at the Christmas Tree Shop. Then I scoured the house...nothing was off limits including the frig! I pulled out a bag of cherries I just bought at the market for the kids, and yup, they went right into a glass bowl as an accent element for my table.

A natural fiber place mat is topped with a galvanized snowflake looking charger along with my everyday white dinner plates. Then  blue and white salad plates where placed on top of the white dishes.

Using a red and white print napkin, plus a second blue napkin, I cinched the two together with a silver napkin ring and, in a criss-cross pattern, tucked in the knife and fork. As I rummaged through the breakfront in the dining room,  I found my little candle wreaths I use for the dining room chandy at Christmas, and decided to I pull them up over the silver rings to add a little more color to the place setting.

Plain mason jars serve as casual glassware and the centerpiece display is flanked with two galvanized lanterns from Pier One.

A few little rope spheres and starfish are scattered about the table to add a bit of a nautical touch.

I also decided to keep the turquoise blue candles already on the table for a pop of an unexpected blue color. I wrapped the base of each candle with a piece of burlap for texture and then added a couple of miniature American flags for a patriotic flare.

Wishing you all a very happy and safe

4th of July!!!

XO

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FRENCHCOUNTRYCOTTAGE

Designthusiam

Simple Wine Crate Chandelier

This project for our back porch was so easy and fun to do. I used a simple wine crate I picked up from my local liquor store and then since it is going to be outside, I coated it with a polyurethane. 

Four eye hooks were screwed into the four corners of the crate with  "S" links looped through the hooks. Then attached to the links where four equal lengths of chain.

The chains were slipped through the four holes of a floor flange and hooked onto 2 hooks screwed into one of the porch's transverse beams.

Flameless candles with 4 hour timers were added to the inside of the crate and then moved around to create a balance.

I think I may go buy a few more candles!

Easy, Simple and Fun.

Hope you are enjoying a great start to your week!

XO

A Roadside Find Transformed into an Outdoor Beverage Cabinet

Sometime around mid March, as I was on my way home from one of the kid's basketball games, I came across this little cabinet sitting all by itself on the side of the road. Immediately I stopped the car and jumped out for quick inspection. It seemed to be in pretty good shape despite the worn finish and ridiculous number of spider webs and spider's eggs.

The piece sat in our garage for about a month or so until I finally decided to pull it out and take a really good look at it. I took the sander to the top and sides and made the happy discovery that this poor neglected cabinet was solid wood! Now I love painted furniture just as much as the next DIYer, but for some reason I kept thinking 'leave it o'natural!'

I also needed to determine where to put my new little cabinet. My mind quickly went to the thought of using the piece on our screened-in back porch because I was so desperately in need of some storage space there. To be honest I hated the fact that I had to run in and out of the house with my plastic plates and cups every time the kid's asked to eat outside. So while this cabinet is primarily the centerpiece for serving outdoor libations, I am also using it to house my outdoor dinnerware. 

I also made the decision to do away with the top drawer after seeing a few beverage cabinets on the internet.

The drawer was replaced with a sheet of pine I picked up for around $10 at my local Lowes, and then Mr. Rosemary Lane cut the sheet to fit perfectly in the cabinet. It was easily installed by removing the back of the cabinet and sliding the wood in place. I attempted to stain the pine to match the wood of the cabinet but that didn't work, it came out way to cool, no where close to the warm color of the cabinet. Next I tried to paint the wood an almond color which ended up looking really awful, even worse than the mismatched stains. Then, while rummaging through my countless cans of spray paint in the garage, I found a can of pounded metal paint in a silver color I had bought a few years back to make a Halloween costume for Michael. This turned out to be the perfect color because it totally tied together some of the other industrial elements used in the space. Square shaped drawer pulls in a bright, brushed nickel were purchased to replace the nasty ones that came with the piece. The hinges are the originals, I just sanded off their already chipped and rusted surface to reveal the silver color underneath.

The entire piece was sanded down inside and out, and both a clear poly acrylic plus several coats of polyurethane in a satin finish were applied. I already had the two polys, so the total cost of the project was roughly $15. Ten dollars for the wood and about $5 for the drawer pulls, plus a good three days of intense work, is all that was needed to create this beautiful storage showpiece for the screened-in porch. 

Now, the natural wood finish I felt compelled to use actually works to help break up the white of my wicker furniture by giving the eye a place to land while taking in the visual of this space.

How about you...have any furniture projects you are in the throws of???
Would love to hear about them!!!

In the meantime wishing you all a great week!

XO

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Cozy Little House

Sneak Peek at 2 Upcoming Projects

Hi everyone and Happy Tuesday. Yeah I know I am a little late in the day to be wishing you a happy day but you know what they say about being late vs. Never?  So today I am sharing a quick little peek into two projects I am working on primarily for our back screened in porch. The first project is going to be refinishing this little road side find cabinet into a storage/bar area for the space. Lucky me, this afternoon I took the sander to the top and it seems to be solid wood.

Not sure what look I'd like for it to have so I did a little internet  searching. Here are a couple ideas I liked.

I know this one is not exactly like what I have but I do like the clever display of drinks at the bottom.

The next project is to do something with this horrible entry to our house that we never use.

The ugly and filthy screen door has to go and I would like to create some sort of an eye catching vignette by painting the door in a pretty fun color.

This first door I thought was super cool with the way it has been distressed. Love that chandy!

The painted glass and bold blue color on this next door really caught my eye.

Still have to figure out where I want to go with both these projects but am kind of excited to see what I'll end up with.

Hope your Tuesday has been a great one and don't forget to stop by tomorrow evening for another Share Your Style Link party! Should be loads of fun with tons of inspiration!!!

(Maybe I will find inspiration for one of my projects...keeping my fingers crossed.)

See you there!!

XO

Outdoor Christmas Tablescape with Blues and Greens

Hello all and thank you so much for stopping by!

 I certainly hope you enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving on Thursday. I know I gobbled until I wobbled. 

Wow I cannot believe we are already into the Christmas season, you certainly wouldn't know it by the warm almost early fall like temps we have been experiencing here in the northeast. The weather yesterday was so amazing that I simply had to take advantage of it by getting outdoors and creating a Christmas tablescape on the back porch.

My first thought was to do a pretty table in red and white. But once I got started, for some reason, it just didn't feel right. Maybe because the grass in our backyard is greener now than it was in June! So then I decided to use the color scheme which I had chosen for the furnishing's cushions on the back porch, and carry it on to the tabletop. That being one of my favorite color combos blue and white.

A little sparkle was added in the way of silver along with accents of green using apples and fresh cut greens.

My two little love birds once again made it onto my table setting. Two silver napkin rings were added to the candle holders to give them a little more interest.

The napkins themselves were rolled up and tied off with a simple piece of jute twine. A fresh sprig of arbor vitae was added for a seasonal touch.

I just couldn't resist a pretty evening shot, or two!

How about you...have you started your Christmas decorating yet??? 

Well if you are looking for holiday ideas and inspiration, beginning December 7th 

21 Rosemary Lane 

will be participating in a Holiday Home Tour extravaganza! My dear friend Marty from the stunning blog A Stroll Thru Life has put together another 30 bloggers who will be sharing their homes all decked out for the Christmas Season.

The lineup is as follows!

Monday - Dec 7th

A Stroll Thru Life - Marty - http://www.astrollthrulife.net  

Claire Brody Designs - Claire - http://clairebrodydesigns.com 

Hymns & Verses - Doreen - http://www.hymnsandverses.com  

Rain On A Tin Roof - Jenna - http://www.rainonatinroof.com  

Making Home Base - Chelsea - http://www.makinghomebase.com 

Snazzy Little Things - Jeanette - http://www.snazzylittlethings.com 

Tue - Dec 8th

Bliss @ Home - Kristen - http://www.bliss-athome.com  

Driven By Decor - Kris - http://www.drivenbydecor.com 

(new)    Refresh Restyle - Debbie - http://www.refreshrestyle.com 

Our Southern Home - Christy -http://www.oursouthernhomesc.com  

(new)  Far Above Rubies - Anits - http://http://www.anitafaraboverubies.com

Life on Virginia Street - Sarah - http://www.lifeonvirginiastreet.com  

Wed - Dec 9th

Burlap and Lace - Shannon - http://www.burlapandlaceblog.com 

Simple Details - Pam - http://www.simpledetailsblog.blogspot.com 

Decor To Adore - Laura - http://www.decortoadore.net  

Thrifty and Chic - Alicia - http://www.thriftyandchic.com 

21 Rosemary Lane - Barbara - http://www.21rosemarylane.com 

Style Your Senses - Mallory - http://styleyoursenses.com  

Thurs - Dec 10th

Simple Stylings - Summer - http://www.simplestylings.com  

A Thoughtful Place - Courtney - http://www.athoughtfulplaceblog.com 

Tidbits & Twine - Kim - http://www.tidbitsandtwine.com 

Monica Wants It - Monica - http://www.monicawantsit.com  

(new)   Decorating Delirium - Jennifer - http://www.decoratingdelirium.com 

No Minimalist Here - Sherry - http://www.nominimalisthere.com  

Fri - Dec 11th

Life Love Larson - Andrea - http://www.lifelovelarson.com 

Remodelando La Casa - Christina - http://www.remodelandolacasa.com  

(new) It All Started With Paint - Linda - http://www.itallstartedwithpaint.com 

Dimples & Tangles - Jennifer - http://www.dimplesandtangles.com 

SG Style - Shavonda - http://www.sgstyleblog.com 

Make sure to mark your calenders...you won't want to miss a minute of these fabulous tours!!!

Wishing you all a wonderful start to your week!

XO

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The Everyday Home ~ Share It One More Time

Coastal Charm ~ Show and Share

Cozy Little House ~ Tweak it Tuesday
A Stroll Thru Life ~ Inspire Me Tuesday
Savvy Southern Style ~ Wow Us Wednesday
Stone Gable ~ The Scoop

Celebrating Early Autumn Al Fresco Style

I know I know I am beginning to sound like a broken record but I really do LOVE this time of the year. The sun is still warm and with the cooler air moving in it makes the evenings temps a bit more chilly, you know sweatshirt kind of weather.

Mr. Rosemary Lane and myself are in the process of finishing up our back screened in porch project. All the screens had to be replaced and the wood needed to be repainted. A daunting task at that but well worth it. After I rearranged the seating area I had the brainiac idea to build a new table for the space. Previously we had a little round cast iron table my parents gave to me when they moved to Florida some 20 years ago. It only sat maybe 5 comfortably, and with the new furniture configuration it really didn't make good use of the porch's floor space. So using the base of another table also from my parents home years ago, Mr. RL built a custom picnic-like tabletop for the base. Then the entire table was painted using an exterior paint in bright white. The old chairs from the cast iron table are being used for the side seating. Eventually I would love hunky Mr. RL to build benches so to seat up to 8 people at the table.

The table was set with pops of orange and yellow sunflower plates on top of black and white dinner plates. For a little bling, silver chargers were set under the plates. Then, to make the place setting seem more casual, dark wicker place mats were placed under the silver chargers.

Pretty glass candle sticks contrast the white ironstone salt and pepper shakers from Phaltzgraff's Country Cupboard collection.

Two sweet silver love birds sit center stage to add a little more bling.

Sprigs of bittersweet which haven't quite shed their pods to expose its vibrant orange berry, are dropped into the wine glasses. I love the golden shade of the pod, it's so pretty.
(FYI: All parts of bittersweet fruit is toxic if consumed. All parts of the plant may be toxic.) 

The perfect afternoon lunch venue don't you think?

Wishing you all a warm and sunny last weekend of summer!

XO 

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Coastal Charm

A Stroll Thru Life

StoneGable

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The Dedicated House