Chop Chop

 

Are you a chopper?

Of pillows that is...

Some say don't. Some do. 

Which one are you?

Yeah, I just made a rhyme (or two)

Mad rhyming skills I tell ya!

Chopping...

Fluffing...

Lets have a poll shall we?

Do you chop or fluff?

Florence, SC Family Photographer

While I was home for Thanksgiving, I had a few photo shoots!

Here are a few of my favorites!

Lately...

Lately, I've been busy.

And, I've realized something...

 

I've always tried to do everything. I'm learning to prioritize.

Learning people, learning. 

I am going to continue blogging-I love it! Although it may not be EVERY day like it used to be, I'm going to write about what I love. When I have something to say, I'll say it. 

No more thinking of what to write about! I'm over that:)

Let's do bullets of my lately shall we?

-drove (like he would ever let me) rode TEN hours to SC

-spent Thanksgiving week back in SC

-took lots of photos there

-tried to visit everyone

-drank way too much wine

-visited Scarlett's

 -recieved a beautiful tobacco leaf

-rode TEN hours back to OH

-edited pictures

-worked

-decorated a house for the Columbus Holiday Tour of Homes

-went Christmas tree shopping

-started decorating our house

Lately, I've been busy!

 

 I'll be back soon with an overload of pictures from Florence!

 

 

I Stole: Not Really, But It Feels Like It

So I have a few steals to share with ya!

1st

 

Emily found these chairs for me for a whopping $9 for the PAIR.

Not sure when or what is going to happen to these or where they are going.

 But hey, for $4.50 each, how could you resist?

Any ideas or great inspiration pics?

2nd

This 60" oak table for $80

I haven't quite decided what to do with it yet.

Option A:

Limed oak finish

via

via

Option B:

Gray wash

via

Option C:

via

Paint it Benjamin Moore metallic veil cream

What is your pick? Do tell!

Oh, so I know I was a bad blogger and didn't blog yesterday, but head on over to My Crafty Home Life to see my guest post:)

The South Carolina Joggling Board Company

Meet Jammie Harris- Owner of The South Carolina Joggling Board Company.

And this, is his story.

"Standing on the shoulders of Sam Tinsley, I first built a joggling board for my brother as a house warming gift. And the word got out. Joggling boards originated in Scotland and were first documented in Aiken, South Carolina, over 300 years ago. They are more recently associated with Charleston, South Carolina, where they are most prominent.  

Although there are many silly stories about the origin of joggling boards, it is most likely that they were created out of necessity to keep children off of home construction sites. On these sites, large planks were placed on the ground to the foundation for workers to enter and exit the structure;these planks had a lot of give to them which attracted children who wanted to jump and spring on them. A long plank would therefore be moved off of the site on which the children could play. Eventually this idea took on its own life as a toy to be placed on covered porches."

Today, joggling boards are still popular on porches around the South. Jammie filled a need for them in the Florence area and those who are fortunate enough to have his pieces will be forever grateful. 

Not only does he make new boards, he repairs old ones as well. 

Many boards are passed down from generation to generation and although they last for almost a hundred years, they sometimes need repairs.

What a great family heirloom to have! 

Jammie doesn't stop at joggling boards. 

He offers a variety of handmade items.

One of my favorites; the framed tobacco leaves.  

These leaves are grown in the area, dried and then matted on linen. 

The frames are handmade and decorated with hand carved tobacco leaves.

Oyster roasts are very popular around here. 

Of course, you need the right table to serve guests from. 

Hand made oyster tables are the way to go.

With it being oyster season, every man (or woman) needs
 one of these for oyster roasts! 

I had such a great afternoon with you, Jammie. 

Thanks for showing me around your workshop.

This spring, I hope to add a little joggle to my porch too!

click here for more information on purchasing

Custom products are also available

What Would You Do?

With this window?

(Please excuse the blue tape and the giant stump that needs to be taken out:)

I'm not sure what to do either. 

You see, the stairs were apparently added after the house was built. 

The windows are new so we can't mount blinds inside.

 I have to do an outside mount. 

Decisions, decisions! 

So, what would you do? I need help!

Watching Paint Dry

So after we paint the entire house, we plan on tackling the kitchen next!

So excited.

I feel like I'm watching paint dry! I'm just not a very patient person!

And look at this gem I found.

I debating on whether or not to go ahead and order a couple.

At only $100, they're a steal!

Reminds me a little of the hicks pendant -without the $525 price tag.

What do you think?

SBCGSA Grilled Cheese with Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Can you guess what SBCGSA stands for? 

Don't scroll down!

Take a guess and leave it in a comment:)

Last night our meal was the bomb diggety. 

No Joke

I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to make this genius creation but boy, am I glad a did!

The Recipes:

Sourdough, Brie, Chicken and Granny Smith Apple Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

2 slices sourdough bread

a few slices of brie

deli sliced buffalo chicken

granny smith apple, sliced thin

mayonnaise

Dijon mustard

Directions:

•  heat pan over medium and spray with pam
• coat once slice of bread in a little bit of mayo- (trust me)
• put in pan to toast, flip once crusty
• layer (in this order) brie, apples, chicken
• cook on low until melted
• take this layer and put it on a plate
• coat another slice of bread and toast both sides
• put on top of other layer 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup 

I honestly don't have a recipe but I'll let you know what I did!

• roast a butternut squash
• caramalize a couple of onions
• add red pepper flakes, and  a couple bay leaves
• add a box of RR chicken stock
• add squash
• add some milk, fresh thyme, hot sauce, nutmeg
• puree
• S&P to taste
•  add a dollop of greek yogurt, parmesan cheese, and nutmeg

Both delish and pretty easy. So do me a favor, make this tonight and let me know your thoughts. If you don't pin it asap, you'll be glad you did!

In other news, we're making some progress on the house. 
I wish 
some 
was 
A LOT 
 but it's not. 

More on that tomorrow! And I need help. We have a dilemma in the dining room!

Henhurst Interiors: A Dining Room Design

I came across Phyllis' blog a few months ago and totally fell in love with her pictures and design inspiration! I'm so excited that she is here today to share with us her Dining Room Design plan for my new house. How lucky am I???

 

Without further ado, A Dining Room Design by Henhurst Interiors.

______________xoxo_______________

It is a great pleasure to be here today offering up some ideas for the dining room in Fletcher’s new house. Moving is incredibly stressful and there is so much to be done while settling into a new life, it can be hard to focus on specifics while sorting out the big picture. I was happy to be asked to fill in some focus on one room.

I started out by having a look at Fletcher’s Pinterest boards to get a sense of her personal style. The first thing I noticed is that we share very similar taste in design: we gravitate to neutral colors, linen, wood finishes and natural elements, but like magpies, sometimes seek a little shine. On Fletcher’s ‘Next House’ board I found the photo below designed by Tracery Interiors and published in Veranda, July/August 2012. I love the color palette and mix of textures.

The next dining room is the work of Steve who writes the blog An Urban Cottage. Steve is truly a visionary. His thoughtfully restored house has been the subject of a Better Homes and Gardens story (see it here) and his blog is a great design resource. I think this room perfectly illustrates a how a dining room can be multi-purpose. In a small house this is key. I can see reading and relaxing here when not actually dining. Also, Fletcher’s dining room has similar shelves on one wall.

An Urban Cottage

Angela of The Painted House, a stylish blog rich with creativity and inspiration, took the next photo at the Rosemary Beach, Florida Coastal Living Showhouse 2012.  I love the limed-oak finish of the table and the slipcovers on the chairs, both of which are very forgiving of dining mishaps so you can relax when you have guests for dinner. How beautiful are the plates which, with their imperfect edges, appear be hand thrown pottery and look like an art installation on the wall?

The Painted House

Below is a photo of Fletcher’s dining room from the real estate listing.

Fletcher’s tentative paint colors are: on the wall, Benjamin Moore Feather Down and the trim, Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan – ideal choices in my opinion!

The room is essentially square (the darker block of risers is the upper portion of the staircase, the area below it is open,) and I am an advocate of round tables in square dining rooms. The shape makes it easier to navigate around the table if the room is small and I find them conducive to convivial gatherings – round tables seem to encourage shared conversations.

Here are a few good examples courtesy of House Beautiful.

Barbara Westbrook

Abby Rizor

Myra Hoefer

Michael Smith

In the course of planning this guest post, Fletcher introduced me to Olioboard. It is a very easy platform to use for creating virtual storyboards. A great feature is that thousands of products are pre-loaded by participating companies (among them my adored OKA from the UK) and websites that feature several of my favorite manufacturers (Arteriors, Zentique, and Aiden Gray to name a few.) 

I put together a few boards in different styles (the first and last I would call Transitional, the second and third Swedish and French Country) to show Fletcher different options. I’ve used a lot of beige and linen, painted and limed-wood finishes, and starburst mirrors for shine. Forgive me for indulging my personal taste here; I encourage you to envision your own favorite colors and finishes, fabrics and textures, art and accessories.

In addition to a round table, I would recommend a chest to the left of the door to the kitchen in which to store table linens, candles, and maybe seasonal items.

I love hanging a chandelier in the dining room. Position your table before you hang the chandelier because you might not wind up having the table in the absolute center of the room. Also, make sure your chandelier is on a dimmer.

You can upload your own product images to Olioboard; here I added a favorite lantern from Brown in Houston. When you upload your own image you are prompted to add a website link, description and price so people who view your board can find the item online.

I am going to give you a word of warning…last Spring Mr. H threatened to stage a ‘Pinter-vention’ because of the hours I was logging online at Pinterest. Well, Olioboard is possibly more addictive. And the dangerous  part…after you have assembled all the things you love on a board, you can simply click on an item…and buy it.  Uh, oh.

This has been tons of fun, thank you so much Fletcher, and all best wishes for many happy years ahead in your new home!   xoxo, Phyllis

Many thanks to Steve at An Urban Cottage and to Angela at The Painted House for giving permission to have their photos used here.