Cold Weather, Warm Touches

Oh, the weather outside was frightful... "Frightful," in this instance, is defined as "having over a foot-and-a half-of-snow coating everything like a casualty in a Marshmallow Fluff plant explosion"...
In all the years I've lived here, I've never seen snow just sit straight up and pay attention like the snow is on my backyard fence...

So, since there really was no place to go this weekend, I decided to get some good old-fashioned cleaning and decorating done around the mini-manse. And for one accomplishment in the last two days, I have you good folks to thank!...

Yes, all of your input on Wednesday was not wasted regarding the desk I'd thrifted from St. Vincent de Paul thrift store. I listened to the Pro-Paint, and the Con-Paint sides of the Desk Improvement Dilemma we'd discussed.

And I decided that the outcome of a good cleaning and some scratch oil would determine which course I should take...

Well, as you can see, the desk cleaned up a treat. And the dark polish was just enough to minimize the dings and scratches to where they were no longer a focal point. So now the desk is residing happily in my blue sitting room...Along with, ironically, the pink needlepoint chair I'd thrifted at the Salvation Army years ago.

Where the pink chair had been, I moved in a brown tapestry chair that's a bit worse for wear, but I still like it a lot...
It's quite comfortable to sit in, and even though its seat is rubbed away in places, I think it's faded fabric has charm.

A small craft store investment in silk flowers that look dried have topped off this bowl that once held pinecones for Christmas...
And some becrystalled candlesticks-- also from the craft store-- now sit on the mantle mirror, along with some delicate rose garland...
Some serious pre-spring cleaning led me to swap some drug store painted bottles with some quirky hobnail glass pieces I've picked up over time...

And I decided the picture window might be the right place to display some Westmoreland glass vases I'd been storing. I love how the light hits the glass and lights them up.

Lastly, many long hours of cabinet purging has left my kitchen more organized than it's been in years. Anything surplus to requirement is being donated to the thrift stores-- meaning some of it technically will be coming full-circle.

The treat of the day, then, was finally getting this window display over the stove to feel cheerful and cohesive. You wouldn't believe the number of trial-and-error botched attempts, trying different items here.


Finally, when I saw this combo, I felt a lot happier and more relaxed about it. You just can't beat the clean sweeping lines of art deco pottery... And the Fiesta will be able to handle any spatters it encounters with a simple wipe of a sponge.

Well, that's all for me today. Between the heavy-duty snow shoveling and the cleaning, I'd say I'm about ready for a heating pad and a nice cup of tea right now!

• If you missed Wednesday's post, about discovering the desk that got the mini-makeover this week, click here.

Here's hoping tonight finds you all safe, with your heads above the snowline and power in your homes.