A little Spring and Easter

Happy Friday everyone.

I wanted to share a few little Easter/Spring decor things I have gotten out.  I am still playing and moving things around.

I introduced you in my last post to this white bunny I found at Home Goods.

My front door has a sweet bunny to welcome you in.  Don't you love her little ballet shoes!

In the kitchen I have some playful white bunnies along with some carrots and easter basket.

The kitchen shelf needed some spring decor.

I found this pretty centerpiece at Kirklands.  I love the softness of the roses and the Spring ribbon.

My island bunny hopped into the living room and onto the expando matic table cabinet.

This picture is of our backyard.  It is in desperate need of a make over.  It has been a big mud pit and as Spring approaches it will only get worse.

We have used these plastic temporary fences to keep Peggy out of the mud areas.

Poor girl has to walk the plank!!! to go out and do her business.  Terry and I have been planning out what we want to do in this area come Spring.  We are thinking new sod, some pretty flowering plants and bushes and maybe a small patio or deck.  Anything will be an improvement from the mud pit out there now.




This is what I want to be looking at hopefully soon!!!!

Have a fabulous day today and wonderful weekend.

Hugs,

Kris

Winners and Hippity Hop

Hi Everyone.

Hope the new week is starting out great.

I have the winners of the purse favor giveaway and a cute bunny to show off!

I was at Home Goods the other day and this little guy hopped right into my cart.  Is he not the cutest.  It is rare you find these kind of bunny's in white.  I love his little sweater and vest too.

His backpack is a nest with eggs. 

Gotta love Home Goods!

Now onto the winners of the little purse favors.  Thank you to all of you that would have like to win one of these.  I wish I had one for each of you.  I put your names into a bowl and had the hubster pull out 4 names.

If your name is listed below please email me your full name and address and this sweet purse favor will be on it's way.
Don't you love to get Happy Mail like this I know I do.
Have a great rest of the week.
xoxo
Kris

Winners:
Ricki Treleavan
Sandi
Flower Lady Lorraine
Melanie
Congrats girls!

Happy Friday Giveaway

Happy Friday and Happy March!

So happy to say goodbye to February and hello March.  Hopefully in the next month we here in the Midwest will begin to see signs of Spring.

My daughters and I worked on some gift favors for my upcoming 60th birthday.  Where did the time go?  We had a few extras so I thought I would share them with you.

I found these cute purse gift bags on Etsy.

Then we added some fun things any girl would love to have in their own purse.  Heart Mirror, cute kleenex, hand sanitizer, a flashlight key ring and a nail kit and of most importantly the emergency chocolate bar!

We put all the purse items together in the cute purse favors and tied them off with fun ribbon.

It was fun sitting with my daughters having a glass of wine and talking together while putting these together for my gal pals coming to my party.

My hubby Terry is treating us girls to pedicures and a luncheon after.  It should be lots of fun.  I could not think of a better way to celebrate my birthday.

If you would love a chance at one of these I would love to share one with you.  All you have to do is leave a comment and I will throw all the names into a hat and draw out the winners.

Have a great Friday and wonderful weekend.
Hugs,
Kris

Grateful Heart

Happy Monday.  This is why I love Basset Hounds so much!  Don't you just want to smooch on that sweet face.  I remember when our late two basset girls Molly and Libby were puppies like this one.  They would trip over their ears whenever they tried to walk or run as puppies.

I found this sign yesterday at Home Goods.  This is my favorite saying.

Love seeing some sun this morning.

I am starting to think Spring and Easter.  Pulling out some Easter decor.

This cute garden bunny and all his carrots is out on the kitchen island.

Speaking of basset hounds I caught Peggy just as she was starting her roll into basking in the sun for a nap.  It is so great to see sunshine today.
Have a fabulous new week ahead.
Hugs,
Kris

I got some Happy Mail today after I posted so I am adding this big THANK YOU to Julie @ Julies Creative Lifestyle Blog.  Just to be nice and sweet she sent me these beautifully crocheted pot holders for the new house and also the pretty white scarf.  I am always in awe of the beautiful things she knits and crochets.   I love them both Julie thank you thank you.  Aren't blogging friends the sweetest peeps on earth.  I did a little Happy Dance at the Mail box today.

Expand O Matic Table

I got so many emails asking about my last post on the Expand O Matic table I re loved for the new house.

So many people did not even know they existed and wanted to know more about them.  

I originally saw them on Pinterest.  After seeing how great these are I knew I was going to be on the hunt for one!

They really are great when you do not have a dining room or space for a big table.

With so many of you expressing an interest in these, I thought I would show you some of the ones that are out there.

Here are some examples.

Here is one like mine. This one has a roll out table leaf instead of the individual leaves that hook together like mine.   This one comes in a cherry finish.

This one is a vintage buffet that turns into a expanding table.

This  china cabinet expands into a table.

This is a desk that pulls out to a table.

This one is a dresser that pulls out to a table.

This one has chairs that fold up and can be stored in the cabinet.  

This one is a modern day version that is Amish made that you can purchase.  Price tag $1,995!
  While I am sure this is well built of solid wood that is a bit pricey.

I love mine and am so happy to have this one.  If you are looking for one just check out your local sale sites and antique shops.  They really are a great way to have a dining room table when you do not have room for one.

Have a good weekend.

Kris

What Is that????? The Reveal

Ok here the is cabinet with some of it's parts laying on the top.  A lot of you guessed this to be a stereo or old radio cabinet.  Nope!

This sweet cabinet is called an Expand-O-Matic dining table!! Yep those are the leaves on the top of this cabinet.  These were made back in the late 60's and early 70's.  The leaves stored in the inside of the cabinet.

The top draw pulls out and becomes the end of the table when extended.  As you can see the extension bars open up to any size seating from 2 to 12.  The leaves then fall into place and you have a table.

Here is one very similar to mine that I took off of pinterest.  You can see how it opens up to a full table.

These are the leaves before we sanded and painted them along with the middle table leg for support when the table is fully extended.

Terry sanded down the piece so it would take the cabinet paint.  Believe it or not I was planning on leaving this a light colored natural wood if it sanded nicely!  Nope it had sections as you can see that did not come out well from sanding.  Just years probably of poly and the different types of wood.  So white paint was going to take over!

We had to paint this inside due the house due to the cold weather we have here in Illinois.  However,  the sanding part was done outside in the garage!  Sorry Terry but trying to clean up all those fine dust particles for the next three months was not going to happen!  So outside this piece went to get her sanding.

My living room then became a painting room for the cabinet and all her parts.  

We used Lowe's special cabinet paint.  I love this paint.  It is specifically made for painting cabinets.  No primer needed.  It goes on like glass and the cabinets hold up very nicely.  We have used this cabinet paint on the kitchen cabinets and they still look great like the first day we painted them.  You can tint this to any color you want including the 100's of white shades.  I just use the semi brilliant white that it come in.

As you can see in this before pic the bottom of the cabinet was ok but I felt a little dated.  So Terry and his tools took some left over molding from when we made the island and finished this to make if feel more updated.  You can see this in the next picture.

Please excuse the grainy pictures but if I wait for good light and a sunny day it might be April to show you this piece finished!
I added new hardware for the upper drawer and left the hardware that was on the doors below.  Just gave them some white paint and sanded them for a distressed look.

The leaves all store nicely in the cabinet.  There is still room on the other side that I will put some serving pieces and a table cloth or two. 

Here is what the table looks like when you pull out the faux drawer.  You can see the mechanisms that pull out for each leaf.  This table expands to fit up to 12 comfortably.

I put in about 4 of the leaves to show you how this works.  They slip in and have little pegs that fit into the holes in the next leaf so the fit nicely together.

I love this piece.  Since I do not have a dining room in this tiny house this gives me a dining room table to entertain my guests when needed.  Then I can be put back away in this cute cabinet that does not take up a lot of space.

Oh how I wish I could get a better picture of this piece finished.  It really is pretty in this room and the finish came out really nice.  I guess that is the draw back of living in the midwest during the winter!  Some days we see sun but this week we are not going to see much sunshine.

Hope all of you are having a wonderful week.
Just trying to stay active and not feel the winter blues with no sun.

Have a great rest of the week.
Kris

Project News and Vintage Hollywood Schwinn Bike

This piece is done! Well you are still seeing the before picture here. 

It has been a rainy and fog filled day.  So every time I tried to get a good picture of this piece finished it came out very grainy. 

 I need a sunny day and I will show you how sweet the re love came out on this piece and reveal what it is.

 I promise!!  Hopefully soon!

In the meantime while I was on my lucky resale site I found this beautiful vintage Schwinn Bike.

It is the Hollywood Edition.  Not sure what that means but I just love it's cuteness.

Here are some of my garden bikes from our past Junk Chic Cottage homes.  

I have really missed having a  garden bike fixed up cute in with my garden flowers.

I think this one I found today on my favorite resale site for $25 is going to clean up nicely. Maybe just maybe some paint and some beautiful flowers I think I will have a nice addition to my summer garden this year.

I guess from what the seller told me this bike is still rideable too.  Hope nobody rides away with her after I give her some love and flowers this summer out in the garden!

I promise the reveal of the new piece is coming soon.  Just wish me some sun filled days and I can click off some final pictures.

Have a great new week.
Hugs,
Kris