New Frames and Spring Bulbs

Is it Spring yet?

It's nearly March and it seems as though everyone except mother nature is ready for this cold weather to lift, and warm temperatures to start moving in.

This morning it's 21 degrees below zero. And that's before the wind chill!

However, to make the weather a little more bearable, the grocery store had buckets of beautiful Spring bulbs this week.

My bright, yellow Daffodils remind me that despite how deceiving the weather currently is, warm Spring weather is right around the corner. 

Another discovery while shopping was this antique frame that I found while looking for a light fixture with my mom. It was in an antique shop down the road from them called The Duke and Duchess.

The painting that I got for Christmas from Ryan fit perfectly in it. It's now beside my chair in the living room. At $35 I thought it was a good find.

You can read more about the beautiful painting here.

I also found some Hyacinths, which always fill the house with the scent of a garden blooming in early Spring.

While cleaning out an area of our basement, I came across a collection of small gold frames I've collected from thrift stores over the years. At 50 cents each, a small collection of them isn't expensive, but they make a pretty display on our dresser.

And our home isn't the only place that's ready for the arrival of Spring!

I was excited to see that my parents had started setting up the shop. It will be opening soon, and it's coming together so nicely.

The Oxalis (Four Leaf Clovers) are already out on display among some of the beautiful antique pieces they've been collecting. 

A Painting and White Cabinet

 

I decided to hang a painting that I've had stored away for months in our living room yesterday.

 

I got it from an Aunt of mine who had it hanging in her guest room, but had grown tired of it and was going to donate it. I had always admired it.

 

However, this beautiful piece of art is old, and worn. It's Gesso frame has broken and chipped over time and it's colours have dimmed under years of dust and impurities.

 

Regardless, I still love it. The wood and plaster frame compliments our sofa covers and adds life to the all-white walls.

 

I hung it above an old cabinet I had purchased two years ago.

 

 

 

It's a pretty pastoral scene with a farmer in blue, a small flock of sheep, a simple barn and a small town with a church in the background. It's quaint and warm.

 

As you can see, the frame has broken in many spots, but the details are beautiful.

 

I added a simple Ivy potted in an old ironstone sugar pot and a pillar candle in a hurricane vase to add a bit of warm light in the evening.

 

The frame compliments the room and matches the large Gesso frame hanging above our couch. It also is worn and old, but still beautiful.

A New Painting and Our Master Bedroom

 

I finally received a purchase in the mail the other day.

 

Rather, finally bundled the boys, braved the cold, climbed in a frigid car and went to pick up the post that had been waiting for quite some time.

 

Luckily the post man knows me quite well and is very understanding.

 

I purchased this beautiful little antique watercolour painting from Giorgios Alexandridis' shop Retro-Deco Shop on Etsy. It came all the way from Greece.

 

I think it's so charming. It's very small, and fits the corner space between a window and closet in our master bedroom perfectly. It's a painting of a simple, little white house near a lake at sunset.

 

It's the perfect addition to my collection. I also loved the gesso frame. It compliments our mirror and stands out beautifully on the white walls.

 

 

 

 

I can't actually read the back with the exception of the date 1967.

 

 

I realized I've never really shown our bedroom. It's very simple.

When we bought the house it was red. Like red, red. I lived with it for 2 years before painting it. There were more important painting projects for me to do before I could get to this room.

 

It was a wonderful day when the red was gone.

 

Ryan had purchased this bedroom set before we were married and though I would love a beautiful antique bed frame, this one is in perfectly good condition. It's nice and high and is quite comfortable. I have a habit of mentioning how much I love my bed before I fall asleep, particularly after a long day.

The window to the right of this picture faces the woods in the back, and the window to the left, on the side wall faces our neighbors. Their house is white and there are no windows on that side of the house so it isn't so bad. Plus, in the Spring, that entire side of the house is mature Lilac bushes in bloom, smelling beautifully, and full of chirping birds. It was actually a selling feature of the house for us! They were in bloom when we toured the house and the owner had the window open. We just kept saying how wonderful it would be to wake up to birds chirping and the smell of lilacs right outside your window.

 

I recently purchased these white Euro covers for $1.47 at the Superstore! It's the only place that you can pick up pillow covers and groceries at the same time.

 

The wreath was something I picked up at Christmas from Vermeers (a local garden center) for $14.

 

I also found this little clock radio for $4.99. I'm still on the look out for an antique clock for on our night stand, as well as an antique light fixture, but I just haven't found anything I love yet. In the mean time, these are functional and simple.

 

Fresh Hydrangeas are lovely to wake up to. The whole room smell like Spring.

 

And then there's this beautiful little baby boy who snuggled so peacefully while I snapped some pictures. It's a nice change of pace as he's really grown up a lot in this past week! He's managed to start crawling, has got his third tooth in (top front) and can balance himself to sit up and play and then fall over softly.