Lilacs...A Spring Bouquet for the Dining Room

Hello my friends...I hope that you're having a fabulous day!

Oooh...the lilacs are now in bloom...here in Colorful Colorado!

  I just love all flowers but I must admit...lilacs are at the top of my

 "favorites" list.

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As soon as the flowering shrubs put on their purple hued

 blooms, I began to count down the days till I could go and snip

 a few stems to bring into the house for a bouquet.  I made a nice large

 bouquet for the living room...and a bouquet for the dining room table.

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  Mmmm...the sight...and the scent...simply glorious!

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Today I thought I would share the beautiful lilac bouquet in

 my dining room...along with a few changes that I made to the
vignette that decorates the buffet.  I hope that you enjoy!

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Lilacs...A Spring Bouquet for the Dining Room

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Here we are...in my french country dining room.

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Even though it can be a challenge...I love "lightening

 and brightening" up my dining room for the spring season.

  Dark red, olive green, and accents of gold...make up the dining

 room's color palette.  I really do love the deep, rich colors.  This room

 would be would be "dark"...if it weren't for all the bright light that the large

 windows allow in.  And...the white furniture pieces help keep the room

 light and bright as well.  I love the contrast of the white furniture

 against the red dining room walls!

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Here they are now...LILACS...in all of their glorious beauty!

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Several stems of this pretty purpley flower fill a large white ironstone pitcher.

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I kept the table centerpiece...simple.

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  A stack of white bowls and plates sit on a large ironstone platter...joined by a

 single green apple...and of course...the beautiful bouquet of lilacs.

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I used a vintage linen runner as a foundation for the centerpiece vignette.

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Lilacs...in lovely hues of varigated lavender!

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A single green apple...ready to eat!

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I do believe that this beautiful hue of spring yellowy-green is one

 of the prettiest colors to pair with lavender.  Paired along with the bright

 whites...it just feels fresh and...well...spring-like.

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I found this set of white dishes at JC Penneys last year.  Beautiful

 embossed flowers and meandering ribbon decorate the dishes...and the

 edges of the plates are made of up "ruffled scallops"...LOVELY!!!

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The dining room buffet's new look!

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I made just a few minor changes since Easter...

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Here is the buffet's Easter vignette...

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Bunnies...bunnies...and MORE BUNNIES!

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I love all sweet bunnies and my collection seems to be multiplying (wink)

...but it was time for them to go.

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If you would like to see more of the Easter vignette...you can just click HERE.

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As you can see...I just replaced the bunnies with a few simple pieces.

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On the right hand side of the buffet vignette...

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a stack of three green apples on a silver pedestal dish...all under a tall cloche!

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On the left hand side of the buffet vignette...

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A frenchy looking white pitcher filled with teaspoons...sitting upon

 a stack of white plates.

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A few months ago I found this beautiful set of flatware on sale

 at Horchows.  I have been "eyeing" them for quite some time and took

 advantage of the sale.

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I love the white handles with the embossed silver tips!  Sooo pretty!

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Voila...and there you have it!

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~LILACS~

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...a spring bouquet for the dining room.

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I am joining these fabulous parties...

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Met Monday...hosted by Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch.

Table Top Tuesday...hosted by Marty over at A Stroll Thru Life.

WOW party...hosted by Kim over at Savvy Southern Style.

Open House party...hosted by Sherry over at No Minimalist Here.

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Thank you, dear ladies...for hosting these lovely parties for us!

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Well dear friends...I am so happy that you stopped by today

 for a visit!  Please leave me a note and let me know that you

 were here.  I would love to visit with you!

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Warmest spring wishes!

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A Summer's Tea on the Veranda...a Revisit

Hello my friends...I hope you're having a fabulous day!

Wow...we are having such beautiful, warm weather here in
 Colorful Colorado!  I'm wondering if we are going to "skip" right
 through spring...right into summer.  Hehe!

I have been wanting to spend time outside since the temps
 have been so nice.  Earlier in the week, I shared a post about my
 little blue cottage veranda.  It's such a nice place to just sit and enjoy my
 morning cup of coffee...and maybe read the latest copy of
 Romantic Homes.

  Today I thought I would revisit a tea that I hosted out on the
 veranda a couple of years ago.  I hope that you enjoy!
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~A Summer's Tea on the Veranda~
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Here we are now...out on my little blue cottage veranda.
It is mid-morning....the perfect time for a cup of tea!
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 Ohhh...and the sunshine feels soooo good this morning!
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A Tea Time Vignette...
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Hmmm...just any ol' tea won't do! I really wanted to set a pretty
 tea table since I was celebrating my birthday!

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I decided to use my cloche with a few teacups stacked under
 it, a couple pretty pearl candleholders, and a glass figurine of a
 lovely lady in blue for the tea table centerpiece!
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I am soooo enjoying my new cottage blue table!
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 Isn't it just the prettiest shade of blue that you've ever seen?
 Honey and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary in June...this
 table was an anniversary gift to ourselves!
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A Pretty Teapot...
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I found this beautiful teapot at TJ Maxx a few months ago...it
 was only $9.99! I just love the beautiful embossed roses on the side
 of the teapot...so delicate looking!
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*The teapot is sitting on one of my lacy, metal charger plates. The
 pretty little pink and lavender roses that are sitting around the teapot are
 actually soap flake petals! I found them at the Dollar Tree...a box of nine roses
 for just $1! Ohhh...they smell sooo good!!! I have used these pretty roses in
 several of my vignettes but they are just fabulous to float in a bath!
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My Birthday Teacup...
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This pretty teacup was a birthday present to myself! Hehe!
 I found it on ebay and just had to have it! I love the gorgeous gold
 scrolly pattern and all the pretty soft, pastel colored flowers!
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"Queen Anne"
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The manufacturer's mark says "Queen Anne" Fine Bone China...England.
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Vintage Table Linens...
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*I layered two round crochet doilies on top of the table...one
 white and one off-white doily.
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*A Tea Napkin, A Vintage Handkerchief, and a Teapot Napkin Ring
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*I also layered the tea napkins. I used a white cotton napkin
 with lace edging from the Shabby Chic line at Targets and a pretty
 vintage handkerchief. This beautiful handkerchief belonged to my dear
 sweet Grandma! I just love the soft pastel colors and the scalloped
 edge...sooo pretty! A silver teapot napkin ring holds the napkins!
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*A Silver Basket & More Napkins...
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*Another vintage handkerchief from my Grandma!
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I found this pretty silver basket at the GW...it was only $.50.
 It works perfectly for holding my tea napkins and the shape of it
 reminds me of a teapot! Just perfect for this tea table!
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*A Lovely Lady in Blue...
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I found this glass figurine of the lovely lady in blue at the
 Dollar Tree...I thought she was so pretty! She's dressed for
 a tea party...you know!
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*Pearl Candleholders and a Cloche...
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*Ohhh...I do love my pearl candleholders!
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 I found these fabulous candleholders at Hobby Lobby last
 year...I sure have gotten alot of use out of them! I love all the pretty
 white pearls and the pearlized white glass mosaic...they
 really are exquisite!
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*This tall glass cloche was a gift from my sweet friend Gloria!
 It is sitting upon a glass pedestal plate...adding a little height to the
 tea table centerpiece. I stacked a few more of my birthday teacups under
 the cloche! Altogether, I bought four teacups and saucers...
Happy Birthday to me! Hehe!
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*My "Artsy" Photos...
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I thought these two photos turned out pretty! My veranda
 is on the east side of the house...when the sun is overhead...we have
 a very nice afternoon shade. The shade on the veranda caused
 the...nearly black...background in the photos!
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This was a completely "natural" effect...I didn't touch up either photo!
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I think the pretty pink and lavender soap flake roses look
 beautiful against the white teapot in the photo above! And...in the
 photo below...I just adore the lighting! All that vibrant color of my birthday
 teacup against the white teapot and pearl candleholders...really pretty!
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PS...The photo at the very beginning of my post was achieved
 using Photo Bucket's photo effect...color sketch.
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Well my friends, I hope you enjoyed your afternoon tea out
 on my veranda!  I'm so happy that you joined me!
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I am joining these fabulous parties today...
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Tablescape Thursday...hosted by Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch.
Home Sweet Home...hosted by Sherry over at The Charm of Home.
Feathered Nest Friday...hosted by Courtney over at French Country Cottage.
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Thank you, dear ladies...for hosting these fabulous parties for us!
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Well my friends...I 'm so happy that you stopped by for a visit today!
  Please leave me a note and let me know that you were here. 
I would love to visit with you!
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Warmest Wishes!
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Springtime Sprucing...and a Blue Cottage Veranda

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- April 22, 2012 -
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Hello my friends...I hope you're having a fabulous day!

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We are having some gorgeous weather here in Colorful Colorado!

  Spring fever has hit and I am sooo ready to get outside and get things spruced

 up!  Honey and I enjoy spending time out on our little cottage veranda.  It's

 time to get out there and get things cleaned up!

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A couple of years ago, I gave our little veranda a "cottage" makeover.

  I thought I would share that makeover with you today.

  I hope that you enjoy!

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~A Blue Cottage Veranda~

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Our poor little patio/veranda was in such disrepair after this
 last winter. Since we were having out of town guests coming in July,
 I decided it was time for our little veranda to get a facelift! Hehe! I don't
 have any "before" photos. Shoot, I wasn't even thinking about taking "before
 and after" photos to show this sweet metamorphosis...I do apologize!
 However, if you can just imagine...dirty, worn and torn, with
 absolutely no appeal...then you get the picture!
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Where to start...
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A Brand New Table for the Veranda
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This table is what started the entire veranda makeover!

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Honey and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary June 4th.
 We planned a day trip to Denver and honey took me to Home Goods.
  My very first time to go! We found this sweet blue cottagey table
 and a matching end table...for just $69!
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Sooo...the planning, scheming, and decorating began...

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For those of you who follow Happy To Design...you may
 remember a post that I did June 25th. I stated that I was in the
 middle of a summer "mystery" project...shared just a couple
 of photos...and asked if you could figure out what I was doing!
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The photo mosaic above is compiled with the photos from that post.
 If you would like to see that post...you can just click HERE.
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Our Newly Remodeled
~Blue Cottage Veranda~
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Our veranda is fairly small. The covered area is about 10'x10'...
however we have concrete that stretches beyond the covered area so
 it feels a bit larger. It's difficult to see here but our home has a light gray
 siding with a blue metal roof...so a "blue" cottage veranda is perfect!
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I would love to add an outdoor rug...the concrete isn't very pretty,
 however it probably isn't very feasible considering our veranda is open
 on two sides to the weather. Hmmm...maybe I should paint or stain
 the concrete? Yet another project for another day! Hehe!
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- 2012 update -
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Last summer I found the perfect silvery-blue colored rug that
 works perfectly for the veranda!  Now I'll have to update photos.
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*The Swing...
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I just love our "two-seater" swing! Honey and I have spent
 many a day enjoying the outdoors on this little swing!
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A New Quilt

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Believe me...the cushions and covering over the swing had seen
 its better days. Instead of taking the entire swing apart to recover the
 cushions, I decided to make a quilt that would cover the cushions. I liked this
 idea because I can bring the quilt inside when we aren't using the veranda.
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Fabric Needed...

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Ohhh boy...I was going to need quite a bit of fabric to carry out
 my plans! I wanted to sew a quilt, make a new cover for the swing, and
 recover the chairs that we would use with our new table.
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Soooo...I bought sheets!

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Yep, I did! I found the sheets at Walmart! I purchased two sheet
 sets; 1 twin set and 1 full size set. I was immediately drawn to these pretty
 sheets. Walmart has color coordinating sets. The twin set had the prettiest blue
 and sage green paisley pattern and the full set was done in the exact same
 coordinating colors but with a small floral pattern. They would be
 perfect for my veranda makeover!
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I used the paisley fabric on the front side of the quilt and the
 coordinating small floral print on the back side. The quilt is nothing
 fancy...it's just a "tie" quilt but it turned out just as I had planned!
 It covers the swing cushions perfectly!
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Swing Cover...

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Here is a photo of the swing cover. I took off the ratty, old
 exsisting cover and used it for a pattern to sew a new cover out of the
 small floral print. You can see the old swing cover on my dining room table
 in the photo mosaic above. I'm tellin' ya...the fabric from the sheets worked
 sooo well! I forgot to mention that I only paid $15 for the twin set of
 sheets and $22 for the full set! That is alot of fabric for just $37!
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New Pillows...

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Of course I had to have pillows for the swing!  I used the
 two pillowcases from the small floral set to make the pillows! I
 actually have a real pretty embroidered, blue floral trim to add to these
 pillows...that I still need to sew on! I think the pillows turned out nice
 and now I can take a little nap out on the swing! wink!
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Even the chairs got a facelift!
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These little chairs were made in 1955! How do I know...you ask?
 Because the date was stamped underneath the seats. The metal was black
 and the seats had a red vinyl material on them...they also had
 seen their better days!
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Honey spray painted the chairs white! Already such an improvement!
  I used the paisley to cover the seats of the chairs...love it!!!

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Cottagey Chair Slips...

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The backs of the chairs have metal rungs...not very dressy...or
 very cottagey! Sooo...I decided to sew chair slips! I used the paisley
 for the body of the slips and the small floral print for the ruffle!
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 I just love, love, LOVE how these turned out!
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A Cottage Veranda Vignette
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This is the matching end table to our new cottage table set!
 I really do love this beautiful shade of blue!!!

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A Cottage Veranda Vignette...

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A few potted flowers sit atop a couple of old milk cans!
 Honey spray painted the milk cans white while he was doing the
 chairs. You should have seen what they looked like before....picture
 all black with big ol' orange and yellow mushrooms painted on them!
 Honey said that his brother decorated them during the
 1970's! Go figure! Hehe!
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I love the old crock planter/pot with the faded tulips painted on
 the front. We found this old crock planter in the basement of honey's
 Dad's home when we were cleaning. It's no telling how old it may be! We
 also found the old white enamelware coffee pot in that same
 basement. I love the red trim!
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I added a pretty white oval bowl filled with a few
 green apples to the end table.
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I found this pretty retriculated bowl at TJ Maxx for just $9.99.
 I wove a green and blue floral ribbon through the cut-outs....sooo pretty!
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A View from the Veranda....
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And....this is what you see when you're sitting on the swing!

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We live in the country! There is a big open field behind our home!
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Voila...there you have it! A blue cottage veranda!!!*

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I had some fun making this mosaic! I used Photobucket's "color sketch" effect!
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Well my friends...I'm sooo glad that you came by
 today! I hope you enjoyed the little tour around our veranda!

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I am joining in with these lovely parties today...
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Metamorphosis Monday...hosted by Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch.
Mod Mix Monday party...hosted by Nita over at Mod Vintage Life.

Table Top Tuesday...hosted by Marty over at A Stroll Thru Life.
WOW party...hosted by Kim over at Savvy Southern Style.
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Thank you, ladies...for hosting these lovely parties for us!
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Well my friends....thank you soooo much for coming by and visiting!
 Please leave me a comment and let me know that you were here.
  I would love to visit back with you!
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Have a fabulous week!
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