Saturday, June 28, 2014

Dining Room Seating


I have collected pieces for our dining room over time so it has been a matter of mix and matching pieces.

These were the first set of chairs I purchased for our dining room table. They worked great till I changed out the top of our dining room table to planks.
That resulted in me swapping out the arm chairs for the frenchy arm chairs that were in our office.
That was great but then the armless chairs I felt no longer went with the space so I took them out.
To replace the armless chairs that I sold I am in the process of painting two of these round back french chairs I have. Yes, I said paint, fabric and all but I will share about that in another post.
Once I decided on using the french round back chairs I decided the frenchy armed chairs were too much in the space so I went out and purchased a set of Kubu chairs from Target when they went on sale. 
Now that leaves the Windsor bench. I LOVE this bench but sadly it no longer goes with everything else in the dining room. I was/am so torn on what to do with it. I am trying to sell it because I honestly have no where to put it but that still leaves me with having to figure out what to use in its place.
The first thing that came to mind were these crate ottomans. I have had this pic for awhile now and forget where I snatched it from but I know you can buy them from Ballard Designs for a whopping $499 each and I would need not one but two. Seeing as just one is out of the question two are certainly not happening. 

Then I found this bench which has similar styling to the legs as the round back french chairs I am painting. It is $249 over on Wayfair.
I also found this bench over on Wayfair as well and thought it would be perfect since it has casters. Oldest and Littliest are the ones who sit at the bench when we eat in the dinning room so I figured having casters would make it so much easier for them to get in and out. I can not find the link right now but this one was priced around $270.

Since the Windsor bench has not sold yet I am not in the market to be spending that type of cash so I have come up with another plan! Two words- Ana White.
Stay tuned!:)

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Treasure Hunt Thursday #161 & Highlights

Treasure Hunt Thursday
Can you believe that June is almost over!? I sure can not. Since THT falls the day before 4th of July next week what do you all think about making THT a themed party? Of course you can link up anything but I know we all would love to see all the patriotic shows of display so we can take note for Memorial Day.
 Here are highlights from last weeks party.

Treasure Hunt Thursday- Our Southern Home
Our Southern Home- Upcycled Beverage Center
Treasure Hunt Thursday- Ever Evolving Life 4-5
Ever Evolving Life 4-5- Dresser Turned Funky Shabby Makeover
Treasure Hunt Thursday- Bliss Ranch
Bliss Ranch- Upcycled Radio Bar
Treasure Hunt Thursday- Clover House
Clover House- Feta Turkey Burger
Treasure Hunt Thursday
Thank you so much for coming out to party every week! Please if you would like to Pin go to the blog directly and Pin from there!:)


Let's get this party started shall we!?


Common Courtesies
1. Please only link up new links that you have not shared before. 







2. Please link up only 3 times. If you have more you would like to share save the sharetill the next THT so it will be just as awesome.







3. Please do not link up items you are trying to sell or other linky parties.







4. Please be sure to link back to THT. Hint hint I will only feature those who have the link back. DO NOT include the link back in a mass link back on a separate page that people have to click over to. That will not count.People do not click over to those pages. 







5. Disable Word Verification to encourage more comments from your visitors!:)








I would love to have you follow along with me if you do not already!







Can't wait to see what you have to share this week.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

How I Found My Style Sundays- Cottage at the Crossroads

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-Cottage at the Crossroads

Jane from Cottage at the Crossroads


Thank you, Pamela, for inviting me over to share how I found my style with your readers. Hi, I'm Jane from Cottage at the Crossroads.

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-Cottage at the Crossroads


My husband and I live in a small country cottage in South Carolina so there is no doubt what my style is. It's definitely Southern country cottage with leanings toward an English country cottage style. Which is really appropriate because our house was built by my husband's grandfather on land that has been in his family since the 1700s. The land was a grant from the King of England to encourage settlement in this region. And my husband's family has been here ever since. The South is dotted with numerous houses very similar to ours, but sadly, most of them are in disrepair or have been abandoned. We're preserving ours.

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-Cottage at the Crossroads


The front of our house has a screened-in porch, and you can see that the cottage style starts here with repurposed items and painted furniture. The shutters are actually bifold closet doors that someone was going to throw away. We rescued them to add a sense of privacy to our porch and make it feel more like a room.

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-front porch | Cottage at the Crossroads


And the red ticking, checks, and ruffles all say "cottage" along with the furniture that has an emphasis on comfort.

  From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-Patriotic door decoration | Cottage at the Crossroads


The front door is sporting a new patriotic door hanger. I love to decorate for the seasons and holidays, and July 4th is no different. I'm a retired school teacher and my husband says that sometimes he feels like he's living in a giant bulletin board! Ha! But for the summer, my decorating inside the house is simple. 

  From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-sweetgrass baskets | Cottage at the Crossroads


When you enter our home, you will see a display of sweetgrass baskets. My husband Leo and I lived in Mt. Pleasant, SC for many years, and sweetgrass baskets are a traditional art form and found only in Mt. Pleasant and just a few places in Charleston, SC. Most of these were gifts to me by special people or students who I taught. The baskets are very durable and are made from native sweetgrass and pine needles sewn with strips of palmetto leaf. The art of weaving them is handed down in families from generation to generation. 

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-sweetgrass baskets | Cottage at the Crossroads


If you collect something, I think it's important to group your items for greater impact. And this collection shows people a little bit about us when folks enter our front door. The pine piece is unique and tucks into this corner well. I have a great love of English pine pieces, but most of what I have are reproductions.

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-living room | Cottage at the Crossroads

One hallmark of cottage decor is painted furniture, and you can see that I'm not afraid to paint something. To the left is a music cabinet that I painted last summer, and the little rustic coffee table was used on our back porch in our previous home. To get that cottage look, just mix the old with the new.

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-chair and ottoman | Cottage at the Crossroads

This floral print on my chair and ottoman reminded me of bark cloth when I purchased it years ago. It definitely has that retro, cottagy look.

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-vintage dresser scarf | Cottage at the Crossroads

I placed this vintage dresser scarf that I've had forever on our sofa table under the dough bowl. Simple and summery.

  From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-dining room | Cottage at the Crossroads

We have a large farmhouse table in our dining room. Nothing makes me happier than having every seat filled with family around the table.

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-collection of jugs | Cottage at the Crossroads

And there's a grouping of jugs on top of the corner cabinet. I used to have them spread out throughout the house, but they have a greater impact when placed together. A few of them look like they could have held some moonshine in them, don't they!

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-hydrangeas | Cottage at the Crossroads

You'll never find a cottage without some fresh flowers in it and these came from our yard. Nothing adds more life to a room than fresh flowers.

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-ivy | Cottage at the Crossroads

And real plants, of course! My favorite is English ivy, but do you see those fern fronds in the candle holders? Psst! Don't tell anyone, but they're artificial!

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-faux succulents | Cottage at the Crossroads

And so are these succulents! I'm not big on using artificial plants in decorating, but they are making some now that are really hard to tell that they're faux.

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-beach painting | Cottage at the Crossroads

I recently hung this beach painting for the summer. It's an original, and I got it along with another item for $15 at the auction that I attend. Flea markets and garage sales are also wonderful resources for finding items to complete a cottage look. 

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-milk glass in cupboard | Cottage at the Crossroads

In the cupboard in the dining room, I have displayed some milk glass that I've started collecting. Pieces of milk glass are usually very inexpensive and easily found.

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-beadboard in bathroom | Cottage at the Crossroads

Nothing says cottage more than beadboard so we clad the walls in the bathroom with it when we were modernizing it. And we added some in our kitchen, too. If you're on a budget, you can use beadboard wallpaper to get the cottage look for less. You'd never know it wasn't real beadboard unless you touched it.

  From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-pie safe | Cottage at the Crossroads

Pamela asked me to share a treasured find, and this is my grandmother's pie safe. I can remember going to her house when I was a little girl and seeing freshly baked pies sitting on its shelves. She gave it to me in the 198os and I've treasured it ever since.

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-pie safe | Cottage at the Crossroads

Not a valuable antique but a family treasure, for sure. Now I use it as a bookcase.

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-butter mold and egg basket | Cottage at the Crossroads

This butter mold and egg basket also belonged to her, and I have many memories of her associated with these items. Putting out old, family pieces help to tell your story when you're decorating.

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-church pew | Cottage at the Crossroads

Just how did I develop my cottage style? Well, I've always loved old things even when I was young. And I used checks in decorating several decades ago. In between, I've decorated with 18th century furniture, but it was a little fancy for me. So I switched to a more rustic country style during the 80s when it was at its height of popularity. Since then, I've developed my own style by choosing things that fall somewhere in between those styles.

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-guest bedroom | Cottage at the Crossroads

What advice do I have for decorating? Well, you don't want things to be all matchy and look like you bought everything at one store! Take time to acquire things you really love. Put out your personal collections to create a unique home. And paint can be your best friend!

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays-iron bed | Cottage at the Crossroads

And remember, people are not really going to care what things you have. It's how you make them FEEL when they come to visit you. That's the important thing!  

From My Front Porch To Yours-How I Found My Style Sundays
Jane you and Leo have such a special home and it is truly blessed to have such loving owners who understand its importance! I love the history behind your home and I am sure it will always be a treasure for many generations to come. Thank you so much for stopping by today and sharing not only the history of your home but your decorating style and tips.