A Living Fence!

Several years ago, we planted some honeysuckle next to our back fence row. We purchased it from Lowes and it's called Hall's Honeysuckle and it's known for it's wonderful old-fashioned smell.






Hubby has made it his stress-releaving hobby to guide the vines in each direction.


And even built a way for the honeysuckle to arch over a gate and cute log cabin.


It smells so good when the

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Indian Art: Dhokra Art (Eastern and Central India)

Dhokra also known as the Dokra art form is very ancient indian art form dated back to 4000-5000 yrs. The art form originated from the Bastar in Chhattisgarh(India).Name Dhokra is derived from the tribes(Dokra) who are  metal workers of tribal community in Bastar. The tribe extends from Jharkhand to West Bengal and Orissa.

Image Source: Click Here

Image Source: Click Here

Process of making Dokra art piece is even more interesting. Dhokra metal crafts follow the traditional method of lost or vanishing wax technique. First the clay core is designed  and then is layered by wax, resin and nut oil. Wax is then carved and every fine detail is given again this is covered by clay it works as a mould for metal art piece. Clay is then cooked and wax comes out from the drain ducts. Molten metal (that is mainly brass and bronze scraps) is poured inside the mould. After the metal has taken shape and as cooled down, outer clay layer is chipped off. Metal art piece is then polished and finished. Thus this method has a big disadvantage that mould can be used only once and hence two art pieces will not be exactly the same.....interesting isn't it!!
Inspiration is from environment, trees, birds, animals and rituals also.

Image Source: Click Here

Image Source: Click Here

Intricate design and every fine detail on each article holds its unique and distinct identity. This art form is indeed the most beautiful art form among ancient Indian arts.

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My Parents' *New* Sunroom ...

Happy Memorial Day weekend, friends !!

Last time, I shared with you all that my sweet parents asked me to redecorate a few of their spaces in their beautiful home.  *What* were they thinking?  LOL

They gave me "cart blanche," which scared me a bit because I didn't want to disappoint them, but, away I went and prayed the entire time.

Here is their sunroom before (this was the only picture I could find from Christmas a few years ago) beautifully dressed in reds/golds/greens.

And, here it is now ... hope you like it !!  My main goal was to make this an inviting and serene space for my parents. And, rather than sticking with the "safe" arrangment of a loveseat/sofa and two chairs, I opted for this four chair configuration.

I chose BM Wythe Blue for the walls.  And, I selected an inexpensive liner fabric to make the window panels (Allen + Roth bronze rods from Lowe's).  I picked out four SUPER comfy chairs are from Capri furniture ... love that they swivel, too!  Mom found the pretty swing arm lamp ... perfect for my Dad's reading spot.  The coastal pillows are from Pottery Barn.

I thought the "Beach House" sign would be a fun addition, too.  I love the rug Mom found at Belk.

Is this not the cutest rope table (from Ballard's).  The awesome lamp comes from none other than Pottery Barn!

I love the texture of the lamp shade and that you can add whatever you want to the inside of the lamp ... white sand and pretty seashells were the obvious choices:

Even though I think my parents were a bit worried when they saw this huge vintage sailboat come in and take over a bit of their view, I think that they've warmed up to it now.  I just love the dramatic focal point it makes!

The table that the boat is perched on *used* to look like this:

While I liked it, I just couldn't resist adding a coat of Annie Sloane's Old White chalk paint and distressing it a bit (yes, folks, I painted a brand new piece of furniture ... oops):

I chose this ottoman from Pottery Barn ... the base of it matches the textured lamp shade, too!

An oversized blue tray serves as a great place for Coastal Living magazines:

And, pretty clock bounces off of the wall color (NOT that anybody truly cares what time it is when you're at the beach though, right?)

I'm still tweaking ... the last thing we'll be adding are bamboo roman shades to the windows ... can't wait to see those as the crowning touch!

My parents are thrilled with the results (at least, that's what they've told me ... lol).  I truly hope they're enjoying their new space!

I'll be sharing changes to their great room soon!

I'm joining these fun parties ... come on over and play with us!

Savvy Southern Style/WUW

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia/Tuesday's Treasures

At the Picket Fence/Inspiration Friday

Kristen's Creations/Share Your Creations

No Minimalist Here/Open House Party

Under the Table and Dreaming/Sunday Showcase

DIY by Design/Sizzle into Summer

Thanks for stopping by,

Becca

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A Pillar Story

We have a saying in our house, "If one is good then Moore is better."  Why?, because Moore is our last name and it seems that this trait runs in the family.

I have dreamed of having a column on each side of my fireplace in the living room. Then one day, while at a garage sale, we came across five columns that had come off a historic homes front porch and some given to this guy by friends. They

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Lavender and A Cardinal

It's harvest time here for my Lavender!


Dried and wrapped in old songbook pages!If you study this picture below, you will see a yellow painted birdcage hanging from a hook by our swing. As I was sitting out on the patio, I spied a red cardinal sitting on the hook and it just struck me as funny since it was by the birdcage. I was able to snap a quick picture.


These parties I love to link up

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Another Teacup Chandelier!

Ready for another Teacup Chandelier? This time I made it from a vintage 5 arm chandelier! I think it turned out romantic and charming. Don't you?
 




It's ready to wire into a ceiling and ready to use. I'm taking it to my booth and hope it sells!







These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Party Time @ It's So Very Cheri
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The

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My Coastal Obsession Continues ...

You know me ... always spreadin' the love (or my obsession)! 

Yes, friends ... along with doing some painting in our humble abode, I've also been having fun here, too!  This is my sweet parents' beautiful home ... well, it *was* until they asked me to help them redecorate!  LOL

Actually, I was super flattered when my sweet Mama recently asked if I'd help them transition their already gorgeous home from reds/golds/greens to a softer palette.  And, considering that THIS is in their backyard, it seemed only natural to introduce blues/browns/creams to their spaces ... giving it more of a "coastal" feel.

Of course, the first thing I did was to create a "Beach House" board on Pinterest, pinning pictures here and there of elements I'd love to see in their "new" spaces.  Yes, folks, the pressure is on because, obviously, I don't want to disappoint! 

Soooo, I chose Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue (source) for their sunroom:

And, Benjamin Moore White Sand (source) for their accompanying great room and entry:

Naturally, Pottery Barn became a huge source of inspiration.  Casual panels ...

Glass lamps (from Pottery Barn):

Coral splashed around (from Pottery Barn):

How about some lanterns (from Pottery Barn):

A family gallery wall (from Pottery Barn):

Gorgeous glass cloche with nautical rope (from Pottery Barn):

Baskets and more baskets (from Pottery Barn):

Fun, textured pillows (from Pottery Barn):

A beautiful jute rug or two (from Pottery Barn):

And, maybe even a HUGE vintage sailboat (source):

Along with new furniture in their great room, I was also hoping they'd agree to new chairs (somewhat like this from Capri Furniture) in their sunroom, as I have a fun furniture arrangement I'd like to try:

With an ottoman (from Pottery Barn) serving as a coffee table:

And, because they love to entertain on their back deck, we simply "have" to retire the red out there and bring the blue outside too!  (Adding a couple of these fun blue and white striped pillows, also from Pottery Barn):

Needless to say, Pottery Barn wasn't quite the same after Mom and I went there the other week!  Yes, folks, you *know* you've had a little too much fun when you block the staff in behind the counter with all of the purchases; the manager asks if she can take your picture so she can send it to corporate; and, despite having an SUV, it takes TWO trips home and back to load up everything!  LOL

As of today, the painting is almost done, and the new window panels will be hung this week!  Here's a little sneek peak of the sunroom right after furniture and accessories were delivered the other day.  I can't wait to play!

Stay tuned ....

Thanks for stopping by, friends,

Becca

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Lotus Painting

Just finished this painting.  I used soft pastel colors though I used these colors first time.....result is I think good.

Almost after ten years again I'm playing with colors. This is the longest time that I didn't touch brushes, colors and canvas :-(

Image Source: Design Decor And Disha

Now that I have gathered enough courage after making this painting its time for big show. Soon going to paint one big Buddha painting.  Work in progress ....
Happy weekend and stay creative friends!!!

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Grandma's Tureen

I must admit, I have been coveting something for a long time! I know it's wrong to do that, but quite unexpectedly, I was presented it! What is it? That's right, it's Grandma's Tureen.


Every time Hubby and I would go to visit his sweet Grandma, I would see it on a shelf and it just seemed to call to me...Just look at that shape and who doesn't love white?
The story of this little tureen is

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Artwork In Progress

This is what I am upto these days.......

Trying my hand on painting after ten long years!!

Will be completed in a day or so!!!
Super gorgeous DIY is coming this weekend and I bet you all will going to like it. stay tuned friends.

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I've Gone *Postal* for Coastal

Greetings, friends ...

Hope all of you are well and enjoying the season!  I've taken a bit of a bloggy break to clean up from our 80's Prom Party (lol) and do some painting, which I'll soon share. 

For now, here are a few peeks of how, lately, I've gone *postal* for Coastal!  Maybe living a few short miles from the ocean has rubbed off on me. 

A vintage wooden boat, along with a picture of Sandbridge Beach, Virginia in the background (one of my favorite places to go as a child, where we'd spend two weeks every summer):

Of course, you need to have an anchor close by for your boat:

 A candle wrapped in manila boat rope with a sea fan tucked in the background:

A glass cloche is a fun way to "showcase" an interesting sea shell.  And, if you look closely, you can spy the nautical wallpaper in the background:

I also enjoy mixing shells with different textures ... in this case, a rich, wooden bowl (from Target):

How easy is it to add a piece of textured coral on top of a stack of books:

Here, I paired a piece of simple coral with a beautiful vintage black and white boat print (from HomeGoods):

Another sea fan serves as an added layer behind new candle holders (from Michael's).  Can you tell I love adding them *any*where for fun texture?

Speaking of candles, here I've nestled tapered ones into a glass hurricane filled with sand:

I've also added a couple of pretty pillows with soft, coastal colors:

Of course, I simply *had* to add driftwood:

And, lastly, I've scattered a few small glass floats around:

I'm waiting on a few more pieces of coastal goodies to arrive ... look forward to sharing them with you soon!  In the meantime, I'm off to catch up with all of your creativity that I've missed while on a break. 

Also, I hope I've encouraged a few of you to go "postal for Coastal" with me!

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Becca

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