Office Updates & Shell Charger Progress: Welcome to the 171st Metamorphosis Monday!

Greetings!  How was your weekend?  What did you work on this weekend?  Do anything fun?

I have a couple of small little updates to share this week for Metamorphosis Monday.  I decided to remove the TV from the office since I found I only turned it on a couple of times a month.   You can see it in this older photo to the right of the wallpaper organizer, beside the lamp.  I guess I hadn't added the ottoman yet when this pic was taken.

In place of the television, I have a new little file organizer.  Sorry this pic is a bit dark; these photos were taken after dark.
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Inspiration for Mother's Day

Between Naps on the Porch has the best Sponsors!  They help make the posts you see here each month possible.   They are all stocked up with wonderful gift ideas for Mother's Day, as well as helpful tips and tutorials for everyday living.  Have fun checking them out on this lazy Sunday afternoon!
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Historic Home Tour: An 1880 Victorian Mansion, Beautiful & Bright

I subscribe to several "old house" websites featuring information about historic homes available for purchase.  Though I doubt I'll ever own an historic home, I do love to tour them pretty much every chance I get.  I drool over their large windows, deep moldings, high ceilings and rich history.  If there's a ghost story attached, it's all the better.

But this post isn't about ghosts, instead it's a tour of a beautiful historic home, an 1880 "Victorian Mansion" located in Madison, Florida.  The listing states, "Located in the historic section of the City of Madison is the Victorian Mansion that was built in the 1880s for Major William H. Dial. The home is one of the finest examples of the Italianate style in north Florida."

The listing also states, "The home features bay windows, a roof cupola, and an unusual bow porch on the main facade. It is lavishly decorate with bracketed cornices, window pediments, and other distinctive late 19th century mill work. The house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.  The historic home has 4 bedrooms with their own private bathroom, a library, parlor, dining room, kitchen, and enclosed porch for a total of 3773 square feet."

Let's take the tour!  (All photos are from OldHousesdotcom)

Beautiful, large entry with a wonderful chandelier.  Look how deep the baseboards are.  Wonder if it's still called a baseboard when the molding is this deep.  When I go on historic home tours, I sometimes almost miss the furnishings from oohing and ahhing over the heavy moldings and architecture of the room.

Not sure if this is the parlor or the library.  Love window seats in bay windows.  What a gorgeous mirror!  Notice all the plantation shutters throughout the home...my favorite window treatment in the world.  I love them layered with draperies...not heavy draperies...gotta have lots of light.  But I do love the look of the plantation shutters, both from the inside of the home and from the outside/curbside.
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The Lure of Honeysuckle: Welcome to the 191st Tablescape Thursday!

Thanks so  much for all the wonderful comments left on yesterday's post.   I so appreciate each and every one.  Your encouragement is giving me the perseverance I need to finish the project.

I know Easter has long since past but I'm still not quite done with bunnies.

This time the bunnies are in a springtime breakfast table setting.
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Pottery Barn Knock-off: Shell Chargers for Summer Dining

In March, right after I purchased cupcake stands from Pottery Barn for this Easter table setting,  out of curiosity I typed "Pottery Barn chargers" into the search engine on eBay.

This auction for shell chargers popped up.   Wow...shell chargers!  Not great for Easter but perfect for summer dining on the porch.  Unfortunately, the bidding quickly escalated to way beyond the amount I would have been willing to pay.
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A Beautiful Sun Room! Welcome to 170th Metamorphosis Monday!

Recently, I shared a few posts highlighting my quest for a ceramic, garden seat for my screened-in porch.   A few days later I was "chatting" via email with Marlene, and she shared some photos of her fabulous sun room that just happens to be sporting two lovely garden seats.  When I saw her pictures, I was so busy admiring her beautiful sun room, I almost forgot about the garden seats!

I don't have a "Before" pic, but Marlene shared some background about how this space once looked.  Marlene said, "I bought this house 8 years ago when I moved back to my home town. It is a Colonial red-brick, two story home with hunter green shutters and everything was carpeted (even the garden room) in green.

I'm a blue and white person and I had all the carpet ripped out and underneath were wooden floors which was so exciting for I have oriental rugs. The house had wonderful bones and was built in 1948. The doctor and his wife who built the house were the only owners.

This garden room use to be an open porch and they had it glassed in. There is raised paneling beneath the windows in the garden room which is surprising and solid wooden pillars in the corners. The floor was cement and when the carpet was torn out I had it scored and painted in a deep brown/red. I chose that look over tile or brick and was very pleased with the results."

How exciting for Marlene to find hardwood flooring throughout when the carpet was removed!  Let's check out Marlene's sun room...can't wait to share it with you!

I love every thing about this room, especially the antique wicker!

Doesn't the rug remind you a little of that fabulous rug in the movie, Something's Gotta Give?  Marlene said, "The rug is from Pottery Barn purchased a year ago and still available."
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Underwater Dogs: Amazing Photography, Wonderful Dogs

Friends send fun emails my way from time to time; I'm sure you get them, too.  Occasionally, something arrives in my Inbox that is just too awesome to not share.

Earlier this week I received an e-mail with the most wonderful pics of doggies playing fetch with balls.   Underwater.

The photos are the work of the talented photographer, Seth Casteel with Little Friends Photo.

Seth has just completed a book titled, Underwater Dogs.  It is scheduled to be released October 23 of this year.  I'm thinking of ordering some as Christmas gifts for my doggy loving friends.   If you love dogs, or just appreciate amazing photography, you're going to love these photos.  Enjoy!
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One More Garden Seat Post

I know, I know.  I'm beating the garden-seat horse to death.   No, wait...is it a dead, garden-seat horse to death?  Oh, never mind.

When I last left you I had purchased this cute little garden seat for the screened-in porch.  That was the plan.

Well, you know what they say about "best laid plans."   Once I brought it upstairs...
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Table Setting with Spode, Chinese Rose: Welcome to the 190th Tablescape Thursday!

Greetings!  For this week's Tablescape Thursday, we're stopping by Cornelia's beautiful home in Switzerland.  Recently, Cornelia prepared a wonderful table setting to share with friends and family for Good Friday.

Cornelia said, "I set the table with Spode’s Chinese Rose.  Chinese Rose is the most popular and long-lived of all Spode patterns, and is derived from the Spode INDIA pattern which was copied from early C18th Chinese KANG HSI porcelain by Josiah Spode in 1813-15."
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Fun Random Things Worth Sharing

Several folks commented how great the garden stool I purchased recently looked in the guest room.  Thanks!  I do love it here, but I was mainly trying to find one for the screened in porch.

So, I'm thinking a second seat might be in order.  I tripped over these online at Ballard Designs and they are super expensive...$269 each!  Crazy pricing.

I think the vine design/color would look great here on the porch, but not at that price.  I'll watch to see if one appears in their outlet here in Atlanta.  Or, I just may buy a second white one sometime when I find it for the right price.  I doubt the green viney ones will go on sale low enough to tempt me.

In the meantime, I'm discovering these garden stools are making phantom, now-you-see-it, now-you-don't-appearances in all the great discount stores.   It seems to be a matter of luck if you happen to walk into the right store on the right day, or else you need a decorating angel watching over you like I apparently had on THIS day.

In the comments on yesterday's post, Lori said she spotted one a while back in Ross.  Penny found them in Big Lots one summer for just $30 each!  Wowza...that made my ears stand up!

Source

So, today I decided to run over to Old Time Pottery to see if they ever carry garden stools.  I mean with a name like Old Time Pottery, I thought there just might be a chance.  While I was cruising around the store checking out the dishes and looking for a new lamp for the porch, I came across this green vase/umbrella stand.  Ummm, now where have I seen that design?
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Ceramic Garden Seats, So Versatile for the Home or Garden

As the years pass things wear out, my ideas for a room in my home may change, or I find something better for a space than what's currently there.  Does that happen in your home, too?  It gives us an opportunity to "freshen up" and revive our rooms, giving them new life.  

A while back, just for fun, I created a "wish list" board at Pinterest.   It's a virtual pin board where I can store a picture or idea for a product or item I may wish to purchase or make some day for my home/garden.  It may even be a product I'd love to find for an upcoming party or table setting I have planned.  I created the board fairly recently, so it's pretty empty right now.  Over time, items will be added and I'm sure some things will be removed.

Do you have a virtual pin board or a physical file for storing away pics of products you are thinking of purchasing one day for your home?  I guess you could call my Pinterest "Wish List" board my virtual Sears Roebuck Catalog.  It's filled with dogeared pages, red crayon marks and little notes scribbled into the margins.

Source

Garden Seats or Stools:
Many years ago, long before decorating blogs existed, I devoured each issue of Traditional Home magazine when it arrived in my mailbox.  Often, I'd see beautiful rooms with pretty garden seats/garden stools.  I thought about adding one to my home, but they weren't very easy to find back then and when you did, they were pretty pricey.

Not so, now.  Garden seats are back in a big way, even appearing front and center on the cover of some magazines and many are very affordable.  Of course, if you buy an antique garden seat, you'll have to spend the big bucks, but you can find new ones for very reasonable prices.

You may remember seeing this ceramic garden stool in our tour of the Southern Living Idea House in Senoia, Georgia.
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A Beautiful Front Porch Renovation: Welcome to the 169th Metamorphosis Monday!

Greetings!  How was your weekend?  I hope it was as beautiful where you live as it was here!  Glorious spring!

Michael blogs at the wonderful blog, Rattlebridge Farm, and recently she bought a new home.  She's currently in the middle of several renovations, both inside and out.  For this Metamorphosis Monday I'm excited to share the front porch transformation that's underway.

This is how the exterior of Michael's home looked when she first purchased it.  She appreciates the quality of a brick home but prefers the look of painted brick.  The existing brick porch overwhelmed the entrance area making it dark and giving it a tunnel-like feeling.

Michael is pulling inspiration for the new design of her home from several sources.   This home's front porch below with its wonderful railed balcony and columns is the look she is going for with her new porch design.
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Antiquing and Thrifting for the Weekend

It's been ages since we took an antiquing/thrifting trip.  I've gotten several emails/comments asking for another trip, so let's go!   Let's start with A Classy Flea, one of my fave haunts for great deals. (Click any photo to enlarge, click the back arrow to return to the post.)

Just outside the front door I saw a fun, beachy sign.  I could so do with a beach trip about right now.  How about you?

Not using your old armoire for a TV now?  Remove the doors and add shelving to turn it into a pretty display cabinet.

Nice, big table for the dining room...
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A Teeny Bit of Trouble & A Big Giveaway! Welcome to the 189th Tablescape Thursday!

Winners of A Teeny Bit of Trouble Giveaway:

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway!  I first ran the InLinkz Random Number Generator, to choose one winner for the $100 Amazon Gift Card.  The generator chose #226, Sally.  Congrats, Sally!  Please e-mail me at betweennapsontheporchatgmaildotcom.

I ran the Generator once again asking that it select 6 winners, the winners who would be receiving of a copy of Michael's latest book, A Teeny Bit of Trouble.  The Generator selected the following winners below.  Please email me at at betweennapsontheporchatgmaildotcom with the address where your book should be mailed.

Congrats to all the winners and a huge Thank-You to Michael Lee West for sponsoring this wonderful giveaway!

A Teeny Bit of Trouble & A Big Giveaway!

Time to celebrate!   A Teeny Bit of Trouble, the long awaited sequel to Gone With a Handsomer Man, was just released, Tuesday!

To celebrate, author Michael Lee West is giving away 6 copies of her new novel that hilariously chronicles the latest escapades of our heroine, Teeny Templeton.  But wait...it gets even better!  One winner will receive a $100 Amazon Gift Card!  Whoo, hoo!  That's $100 to spend on anything that strikes your fancy at Amazon!  (As always, you do not have to be a blogger or have a blog to enter.)

Teeny loves to bake so I couldn't resist whipping up some Red Velvet cupcakes to celebrate the release of A Teeny Bit of Trouble.   The table I put together for this week's Tablescape Thursday takes the cover of the book one step further.  I decided it was time Teeny caught her man, at least for today!

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Make Marshmallow Flowers for Cupcakes: A Tutorial

Last week's Tablescape Thursday included some yummy cupcakes.

The cupcakes were decorated with little flowers in celebration of spring.

Today, I though I'd share how I made the little flowers.  It's soooo easy, you're gonna love this!
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Inspiration Galore for Your Flea Market Finds

Flea Market Finds with Matthew Mead

Recently I received a copy of Flea Market Finds, compliments of Matthew Mead.  I had heard this issue would be coming out in April so I couldn't wait to dig in and start reading.  It didn't disappoint!

For this issue, Matthew teamed up with some great talent in the Blogosphere to create an issue filled with wonderful ideas for taking those everyday flea market and thrift store finds and turning them into one-of-a-kind treasures you can display or use in your home.

You get a real sense of who Matthew is in this issue and shhh, don't tell anyone, but he's a bit on the sentimental side.  You can feel the passion Matthew has for vintage pieces and they don't need to have a high monetary value, either.  Matthew believes a piece has value if it has meaning for you. Maybe it brings back a cherished memory from your childhood or reminds you of a special time and place.

Matthew totally gets it!  He understands why our cars seem to have a mind of their own, making u-turns whenever they pass the thrift stores and vintage shops.  He's out there with us hitting the flea markets and swap meets on the weekends.

Here's a little sneak preview of what you'll find inside this beautifully designed, drool-worthy issue. Remember those old globes and maps of yesteryear with their soft blue, green and yellow color schemes?  In this issue, you'll find lots of unique ways to incorporate them into your summer entertaining.  

I love the suggestion in Flea Market Finds of taking a map to the local paint store to get that perfect shade of blue you're craving.  Didn't this piece turn out beautifully!

Remember when I made this ice chiller with cranberries for Christmas, 2010 using an old tin as a mold?
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Waking Up the Porch and Decks for Spring: Welcome to the 168th Metamorphosis Monday!

Preparing the Porch and Decks for Spring: Cleaning and Planting

At the start of this past winter, I decided to try something new.  Instead of tossing the big geranium that lives all summer on the porch, and the three smaller ones visible behind this summer table setting below, I tucked them all away in my garage for the winter.

Amazingly, they lived.  They only needed watering a few times all winter.  I placed them near the windows in the garage so they got a little light, although it wasn't much.  We had a very mild winter here this year, so I'm sure that helped them to winter over.  About a week ago, I brought all the geraniums back out onto the deck.  I placed the three smaller ones back in their stand under the window.  We'll call this our "before" pic for this post.
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Easter Spring Table Setting with Tulip Centerpiece: Welcome to the 188th Tablescape Thursday!

Easter Spring Table Setting with Tulip Centerpiece

Happy Spring and welcome to Tablescape Thursday, a party where we celebrate our love for entertaining and creating pretty table settings for our friends and loved ones.  A beautiful table setting is really just an expression of caring and love for those who'll gather there.  It not only offers substance for the tummy, but for the soul, as well.

And, did I mention that it's just plain fun?

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A Bunny Napkin Fold for Your Easter Table

Looking for a cute napkin idea for your Easter table this Sunday?  Here's a tutorial for a cute, easy-to-make bunny napkin fold.

You may remember when I used it in this Easter table setting.  All you need is a little ribbon and a few fuzzy pom poms and you'll be all set for Easter dinner.

This fold may look complicated but I promise, it's not.  I used an 18" square napkin, but a 20" napkin would probably work even better. I recommend folding your napkins on top of an ironing board with a hot iron at the ready. For this fold, you'll need to press the folds in place as you work for the best results.

This napkin fold would be great for a spring or summertime table setting.  (Click on any picture in this post to enlarge it.  Then click the back arrow to return to the tutorial.)

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Pottery Barn Knock-off: Double Bowl Hurricane Easter Tulip Centerpiece

I've been using a lot of fresh flowers in table settings lately.  Once those cold winter months are behind us, it's such a joy to bring fresh flowers into our homes.  One of my favorite flowers is the tulip.  It's almost impossible to think of spring and not think of beautiful tulips.

Tulips are a wonderful flower to give or receive for a birthday or for Mother's Day.  I've been the happy recipient of tulips on several previous Mother's Day.   Roses are always nice, but tulips are such a delightful surprise, not the same old, same old.

A few months ago I was shopping in Pottery Barn and I came across a vase that really caught my eye.  It was designed with a center vase for flowers and that was surrounded by a larger vase.  It was more or less, a vase within a vase and it opened up lots of possibilities for pretty centerpieces.

I couldn't find a picture of the vase online, but here's a screen shot of two of them being used by a Pottery Barn Floral Designer and Expert Sylist in this Pottery Barn You Tube Video found, HERE.  He calls it a "double bowl hurricane."

I really liked the design of the double bowl hurricane but not so much the $49.  So I decided to try and make my own.

I purchased two vases, one a bit larger than the other.

I found both in a local discount store.  The large vase was just $9.99 and the smaller one was on sale for $5.   You can see in the photo below, the smaller vase fit nicely down inside the larger one leaving about an 1 1/2 inches all the way around.  Before purchasing the vases, I checked to make sure the height of the center vase would work fine with that of the larger vase.  It was just right...not too tall and not too short.

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Decorate Your Door for Easter: Welcome to the 167 Metamorphosis Monday!

Greetings!  I have a fun, crafty metamorphosis to share for this Met Monday.   I don't have "before" pics but they would simply be the supplies you would buy to create this adorable bunny for your spring door.   I know that looks like a Christmas tree out on the porch.  It was a tree in an urn with dragonfly lights.   I had it out there for a while but eventually removed it since it did look a bit too Christmas-tree like for year 'round.

Many years ago, probably 14 or so now, I purchased this cute bunny "wreath" at a crafts fair.  (View Easter tablescape HERE, or click on Holiday category at the top of this page and scroll down to the "Easter" section.)

Here's a close-up of Mrs. Bunny.
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