Beautiful Tablescapes using Cakeplates...and other Surprises

A beautiful dessert table scape cannot be underestimated.  During the recent Christmas holiday I was able to attend a number of holiday events and enjoy  the beautiful table displays.  People were so creative in their presentation.  I noticed that the elements utilized in the displays were elements that you or I would not normally consider in preparing a presentation. So I decided to share this blog entry which will show and discuss creating a beautiful table scape for any occasion that will add that little extra something for the guests who will be partaking of the tasty delights at your event.

I am a collector of fine china as you probably already know.  I kind of over indulged in the plates and tea cups and the many beautiful china patterns and serving ware that accompanies my many sets of vintage Noritake and Homer Laughlin china.  Recently I acquired a lovely domed cake plate created by Martha Stewart.  It was a raffle prize and I absolutely love it. It was one that I had seen before in the department store one of many that Martha Stewart created as part of her line of cakeplates and serve ware.  Her stuff is always beautiful.  But this particular line of cakeplates is one that I have been eyeing for some time and actually acquiring one through a prize raffle was exciting for me because her product line is pretty pricey.
A few years back people began to take a liking to the "shabby chic" style.  It consists mainly of light pastel colors, repurposed fancy furniture treated in a whitewash with a glaze overlay.  The furniture of this style is attractive all by itself but then designers began to add place settings and serve ware to the mix.  I think that is when the Martha Stewart line began to interest me.  Other manufacturers grabbed hold and now you can find a variety of beautiful white and glass shabby chic inspired cakeplates and accessories.  See the picture of the cakeplate I have?  It is a treasure to me.


 

I love the crisp white color, detail and

the glass bird knob on the dome of this Martha

Stewart cake plate.  I own now  this one.

You could virtually place a half of a bologna sandwich on this cake plate and it would look like a piece of art!  And wouldn't that make the person who was going to eat that sandwich just a little more enthusiastic about it?

Cakeplates and other serveware can be used to create dessert table displays as part of the overall decor for any party situation.  I admired the following as I researched for this blog entry.  I just have to share these!  I hope you are inspired to try to recreate these in your own home for your own occasion. In the first picture you see an old table set very attractively using sterling silver flatware, tin and wood elements and the color scheme of the treats is all sort of pastels.  Pretty but all functional.  Several different heights are created creating a great roam for the eye of  admirers.   This treats table would be suitable for a wedding or baby shower or even the wedding itself.

 

Rustic but with sophistication

I love the way this enhances the cupcakes

Circular tree slices as trays! How original!

The second photo to the right demonstrates beautifully the use of a picture frame and a color theme of pinks highlighting the cupcakes being served.  I looked at this and a sweet sixteen birthday party came to mind. See the way the creator of this lovely setting used candle holders as the "legs" between glass or acrylic shelving to heighten everything?  Adding dimension to a tablescape is so important.  Don't get stuck in everything being flat.  Have fun!

The bottom picture depicts another cupcake treat event.  I love the use of the round wood trays.  The color scheme is acceptable to use for both genders.  I like the way the eye has a center to focus on and then all the different trays that are around it.  What a great trip for the eye.  And again, I cannot over emphasize how creatively the designer elevated several of the trays to give the display more depth which creates more interest for the viewer. 


This is the very point of serveware.  While eating food is an everyday event sometimes making it a special event is the very thing that we need to do to keep the people we are cooking for engaged and excited to partake of the feast that would otherwise seem pretty ordinary.

Recently I have been setting up tablescapes in other places using serving ware.  Sometimes a pretty plate can be used in a bedroom to display jewelry or small photographs in pretty frames, or even display jewelry.  Take a look at the photo below.

 I have such a tray set up in my master bath.  I have a milk glass tray

I love love love this idea!  Just change out the size to

fit the space. Adding a beautiful vintage watch would make

this suitable for a men's room.

 

 

and on it I have placed three small crystal perfume bottles, a
pretty sterling silver necklace and a pearl necklace.  I also have a Swarovski element lipstick case on it.  It enhances the decor
of the bathroom and it actually makes me enjoy using the room and showing off my personality.

You can make your own cakeplate if you do not have exactly what you want.  If you have a candlestick or pretty jar that you are not using for anything you can cement glue it to the bottom of any vintage plate or tray and create a cake plate that way.  Here are some lovely examples of what you can make with a bit of glue, some charming china and a little bit of imagination.

Notice how old wooden candlesticks were put
to good use..and painted to create a whimsical as well
as colorful freeform cakeplate/dessert display.

Even mismatched odd candlesticks, some I recognize
as from the dollar store with a mismatched pretty china
plate are put to good use here.

The person who created these cake plates
even decorated otherwise plain and lifeless
drinking glasses to come up with these retro
style cake plates.

One thing you can say for sure is this:  There is no limit to your imagination in designing the perfect table scape using some very interesting elements.  Another idea you may want to consider is having friends and family of a mother to be put a few of these cakeplates together before the planned baby shower and use them as the door prizes or takeaways at the event.  I do not know anyone who couldn't use a unique and homemade designed serving piece at some other occasion in their life.  And if you are fortunate to have some of the elements around the house taking up much needed cupboard space this is the perfect way to use them.

Now if you are into cakeplates and serveware that is store bought there are many lovely options at any high end department or home store from where you can find the one that fits your needs and occasion.  And who is to say that if you thought they needed more embellishment you couldn't go crazy with it?  Take a look at the examples below and be inspired.



I found these on Amazon but if you go into
any fancy bakery they may be found there too.
I love the Shabby Chic style of these.



How could you not have this on your dessert table
at the next church luncheon or Women's Auxiliary
meeting?  Also perfect for any bridal or baby
shower!  So much more beautiful with a lovely decorated
cake or dessert underneath.

If you like the look of old world sterling silver
in your tablescape this one fits the bill. The mirrored
top throws light and will add another cool element
to your particular fancy occasion.



If you were fortunate enough to get a few of these
out of Grandma's things before they went off to
be donated then lucky you!  Nothing can take the
place of a vintage hand painted beauty to make
your tablescape the envy of all of your guests.


 



When you begin to decide what you will be serving at your next event and are deciding on color scheme and theme don't forget to plan on using a nice tablecloth or runner beneath the platters and serving trays and cake plates you use.  Here are a couple of ways to highlight your food table using color from napkins, tablecloths and other serving ware that will make your table glow.

Time to pull out your pretty china.  The Charger plate is a nice touch and
accents the theme or feeling you are trying to emulate at the brunch or fancy
family affair.  Too many glasses you say?  Of course not!  Use everything
you have.  Put those lovely wedding gifts to proper use!

I like the color combination of the flowers, light greens and pinks.  No, napkins
and napkin rings did not go out of style.  And notice the hand painted glassware?
Here is another way to personalize your presentations..show off your artsy
side!

Perfect for a little girl's birthday party. Can you imagine the look on your
children's mother's faces when they see this?  Notice the placemats
provide the inspiration for the colorful and whimsical presentation. 

Don't be afraid to pull your grandma's silver out for your next occasion. Don't
worry about appearing to be pretentious.  Having a beautiful setting adds
to the mood and enhances the guest's demeanor at an afternoon tea
or party.

This lace table runner needs to get out and breathe once
in a while so don't hold back.  Once you lay this down,
and here on a more primitive table shows your designer
instinct and will garner lots of attention!


 

I could add more here but will stop for now.  I may add more ideas later so come back from time to time and check.  If you have any comments to add please do!  I love to get pictures and feedback ...share your ideas with me. 
Have a wonderful day!

For information and a way to purchase the lovely things you will need to produce a glorious table scape, go to http://libertytabletop.com/2015/08/formal-dining-etiquette-by-liberty-tabletop/. 

Redecorating a Tiny Townhouse Kitchen in the Shabby Chic Style

As you know I moved into a new townhouse a few months back. I have loved my new location and my space because it is more space than I had when I began writing this blog.   I said goodbye to one bedroom, one bath and said hello to two bedrooms two baths.  Everything is great, I love the location and am enjoying the extra room. 
With that great change in my life I decided to purge a lot of the stuff I brought with me to my new address and came across a wonderful facebook page specially created to buy/sell/trade shabby chic and country french items.  On that page I sold a bunch of stuff in just a couple of weeks things that had been advertised on Craigslist, eBay and a couple of other sites for eons.  The women I have been meeting that purchased my stuff are all into the shabby chic style as most of the things they were buying  were paint projects for them.  They were posting photos of beautiful furniture pieces and home made decorative accessories that they themselves were selling.  In just a few days of reading the daily posts on that page I was hooked to this site and became part of a very stylish family and  was inspired to change the color and style scheme in my own little galley kitchen.

Now the style of my living area and dining area is something I cannot do much about right now. But the kitchen is the room  that is more flexible and smaller so I thought wouldn't be too big of an expense and take very little effort. On this blog I will share photographs of the way it looks now and as I move along in my quest to get the space infused with the colors, finishes and style I want now I will let you know how I made each change, list the resources I utilized to get the components I needed to make the change and also comment on what I was thinking, feeling and trying to express in this room along the way. 

Day one - Photos and commentary of the way my kitchen looks now.  Ugh!  Just a recopy of the kitchen I had in the last place I lived. Definitely time for  a re-do!

This is not a terribly ugly kitchen by any means. But  it is just so ....small.  And the cupboards are old thick fiberboard, the doors are ill fitting and they have tons of layers paint on them. I cannot really do anything about the cupboards unless I paint and then I have to change it back.  I plan on getting some kind of clearance from the management about my limitations. Maybe it would be okay with them to get a square routered out of the door just to add some depth and design. Still checking on that one!

The handles on the cupboards are just as average as the rest of the space I evaluated.

This is the right side of the galley kitchen. The
color scheme is the same all the way around.
It looked dark to me and was ready for change.

 



This is the right side of the kitchen. I do like the counter top..
it mimics granite and is cream and black in color.

While I was grateful for the black and white speckled "go with everything" Formica I saw that this kitchen looked too much like the one I moved away from in my last apartment.  Good thing that the cupboards were white and the walls were white also.  A perfect place to start changing over to the more feminine flair of a shabby chic kitchen re-do.

I began to evaluate what I could re-use in the way of accessories to decorate the space in the new scheme. I knew I could re-use the framed "kitchen prayer" hanging under the metal tray on the wall. I could even use the tray itself, but it is too big for the wall and affects the amount of space I have to work with in adding new accessories. I actually ended up selling the tray even as pretty as it was with the roses and black backdrop.














Take a look at the vignette, below,  from which I am drawing my inspiration.  I like the pink and the sage green and I like the flowery fabric. I like the off-white accessories and the gold tiny wooden picture frames.  A nice start?  I think so!

Take a look at  the footed dessert cups.  They are from the Sharon "Cabbage Rose" pattern. I collect

Fostoria etched crystal and found these ...being in pink I began collecting them

to accessorize with my pink china.  The  edge of the white china in the photo

is pieces from my other set of china that I love which is Pope Gosser "Rosepointe".

Look it up...you will love that pattern too. It lends itself well to the shabby chic

scheme I am trying to achieve in this kitchen project.

I love my Homer Laughlin "Marilyn" pink china. It has all the markings of a shabby chic
china set...flowers, delicate gold trim, and in pink!  How lucky was I to find this set
in Florida for $30 for service for 8, and have a relative pick it up for me and bring it
back to me in Michigan for just the gas to get to the seller's house.  Again, you can see
my Pope Gosser Rosepoint coffeepot which is very shabby chic.

I took all of the beautiful things I have collected over the years in the color scheme for my someday shabby chic kitchen project and put them together.  This way I could get a fix on what to add and what to take away.  Everything in this photo is an inspiration to me.  They are the colors I love.  And, too, notice the classic china and accessories...everything from the coffee pot to the tea cup and the wall art down to the little cast iron "chick" spoke to me.  The beautiful fabric you see, a thrift store find for pennies,  actually made me think about using this kitchen as the first place I would put all of these things together.  This is the way to begin any decorating project with a flavor that is specialized and designed to incorporate any of the things you collect that you love.  This vignette helped me to get started.

So I looked at the kitchen, careful to evaluate each corner.  I had a nice backdrop to begin with what with the white cabinets, the black and white speckled Formica counter tops and the cozy size.  If I could have changed anything else in the space I would have raised the ceiling a few feet and gotten rid of the dishwasher which I think was a huge waste of space since I never use it.  I would have also replaced the appliances with a french door refrigerator and a new gas stove. But I couldn't so I evaluated other ways to inject the style I wanted into the very boring space.

The light fixture change out was a huge no no...I could see that in the past there was a repair to the ceiling there. But I could at least change out the globe.  I saw that the cupboards were old and the doors were makeshift and not fitting right but they at least closed off what was inside them.  I saw the knobs were unattractive, the floor was boring linoleum which also could not be changed..and I saw that the backsplash was the same colorless white at the entire space.  So, I began looking for things to do to dress it all up. Here are some of the elements I incorporated to make the changes to the space.

I love the intricate delicate flowery detail
on this medallion. I also changed out the
globe with a $7.97 one I found at Lowe's.

I went to eBay to look for a ceiling medallion to use in the kitchen. However I saw that I did not want to mess with electrical work of any kind. This is an apartment dwelling after all and I also saw the repairs done around the light fixture in the past.  I came upon a medallion with no middle..meaning it could be mounted around the light fixture adhered to the ceiling with no electrical work involved at all.  With a little bit of liquid nails I was able to place the perfectly sized ring with the pretty detail and the fix was in!  The ring  only cost $10 by the time I was finished with shipping.  What a great way to add some charm to a boring ceiling for little or no cost and no messy electrical work involved.
I spotted a cheap lamp kit at Lowe's and bought it for the globe itself which is clear glass but looks like crystal and lended itself nicely to the lamp base which is white, so no electrical work involved.  The finished product..well pictures to follow so you can see the entire complete picture. I think it turned out beautiful.



 I saw this clock at Lowe's and thought the colors were perfect.  I did need to have a clock. This one works with my theme and fit perfectly over the sink.  The cost was minimal...I believe it was $9.99.

The pink shade turned out to coordinate
perfectly with the theme. I also ended up
purchasing a lovely sage green jar also
which you can see in the space also.

 Lowe's provides for these sample size jars of paint.  I chose to paint the boring white backsplash with a dash of pink to set off one of the main colors in my vignette.  For about the cost of a bag of chips I was able to paint the backsplash both behind the sink and behind the stove too.  I also used the paint to paint a shelf and a picture frame to decorate the space.  I have over half of the jar left.  I used sponge tipped paint brushes so clean up was easy...they were so inexpensive I just threw them away so I did not have to mess with cleaning the brushes when I was done. 

I purchased the pink crystal knobs
from eBay for $15 for a set
of eight.  I have not changed out
the handle knobs on the doors yet but
intend to do so.

I went on eBay to look for feet for my cabinets...an easy way to dress up otherwise lifeless and boring cabinetry.  The feet I found cost almost $15 per foot on every site I was directed to.  And...they would have had to be painted by me which I was not ready to do.  I remembered that many curtain rods have pretty finials that can sometimes be purchased to screw into the wall directly as they are independent of actual rods.  It occurred to me that this would be the answer to my dilemma of getting fee added to my cabinets.  So, again, at Lowe's I was able to find these curtain finials that were being discontinues.  Usually retailing for $22 dollars a pair, I found these white fancy ones on sale/clearance for only $5.13 a pair!  I quickly scooped up three sets of two, which provided four "feet" for my sink cabinets and one set for the set of cabinets between the stove and refrigerator.  I made them fit the space by using shims.    I think they add a custom look to the kitchen and for minimal investment. 





I could not change the floor but you can see the corner of the rug I purchased in a lovely green shade to serve as a runner down the length of the kitchen space.  It covers the floor and stops the eye from dwelling on it.  I thought of a brocade rug of some kind but have not found one.  Important:  use a rubber mat under any rug you place on a linoleum floor..otherwise it will slide around. 

So now I have arrived at near completion of the kitchen re-do:

I accessorized for the purpose of this photo with my
beloved china and my silver plate flatware and
jacquard napkins.  The domed butter dish, a recent
purchase at a thrift store is useful and used every day
but it is an attractive useful object in this space.

The pink painted backsplash was a perfect choice. I can easily repaint it if I need to.  It coordinats perfectly with my china and my "kitchen prayer" that you can see hanging there and all my other decorative accessories.

The domed cake plate, one of the Martha
Stewart items I have been wanting to get
for a long time inspired my love for
shabby chic style.  The gold framed picture
works well here..a carryover from the previous
kitchen design. And look, a silver plate butter
dish...pretty!



Notice the new clear glass globe in the ceiling which replaced
the plain white one.  A great look for pennies. The shelf on the
wall was burgundy in color...I repainted it and now I can
display the Sharon Cabbage Rose footed sherbert cups.

I made this skirt out of the fabric I found at the Salvation
Army...it was originally a shower curtain in a nice cotton duck
sort of fabric. Perfect for my use and perfectly sized. I cut it in
half and just one
straight stitch to create the rod pocket and I was done!  The
rod wasn't a big investment at $2.99.  Skirts were common
in kitchens of the past used to hide ugly piping. Here it hides the
cabinet door that didn't close and a few other sins as well.

I painted out the shelf and purchased a couple of frames
that matched one another in the sage green and pink paint
samples. What should I put in the frames though?  Thinking
of printing off a couple of quotes or recipes or floral photos.



A cute feature wall space to display a couple of the
matching luncheon plates to my prize china.  Another
intricate mini gold frames features a floral picture I
cut out of a magazine. I love intricate gold frames. This one
plays nicely off of the detail of the medallion ring
that I have on the ceiling around my light fixture.

 

I will be doing some other things to this space in the future.  I intend to dress up the plain cupboard doors. I just have to figure out how and maybe find some carpentry help with that part of the project.  I will add more pictures as I go along but I think you all get the idea.  Keeping everything in this small space neat plays a big part everyday in enjoying this kitchen.  I am forever washing dishes to keep the sink empty or shoving them in the dishwasher.  I have to shake out a rug now where before I was simply sweeping.  I love waking up in the morning and coming down for tea now, before it was just a utility room...now it is an enjoyable pretty space that perks up my mood upon entering. 

I hope this post inspires you.  Please share your comments and advice.  Have a beautiful day!

Decorating the Office With Style for the Holidays on a Strict Budget

Every year I decorate the space at my office for the staff holiday season.  More fun is to decorate the sterile employee lunch room that, between the pale linoleum on the floor and the florescent lights in the ceiling, is bright enough for a doctor to remove a kidney right there on any of the tables.  So I faced a challenge.  Over the last few years I have perfected my ability to complete the task for pennies on the dollar and have the end result rival a  fancy expensive ballroom.

I start with the color scheme.  Last year and the year prior I came up with the red and green colors.  So I purchased the supplies I needed in those colors focusing on the centerpieces and the room decorations.  It seemed like making centerpieces for this room would be so expensive.  There are ten round tables and then there are the room decorations that would be required to warm up the space. 

I used to be a professional gift wrapper. I started out at J.L. Hudson's, which is now Macy's.  I became adept at making beautiful fanciful packages wrapped for any occasion using wires ribbons, grosgrain and other types of ribbons adorned with "tie-ons" designed to create a package that no one would want to open.  By that I mean that the packages became so pretty to look at that pretty soon I found myself doing this to my own packages. It was about this time that  I observed that the  dollar stores had great pricing on pretty wired silks and sparkly ribbons in a variety of prints and widths.  Tie-on's that used to cost an arm and a leg at the craft store could now be found at the dollar store too. 

Putting my expertise to work I decided to make the centerpieces for our employee holiday party out of a wrapped present and the dollar store red faux silk runners.  All the wrapped packages are the same size box.  The wrapping paper was purchased from the dollar store too. In all the cost of the packages wrapped ran about 1.85 per box!  You can see the results here. 



The dollar store table runners combined with
the festively wrapped packages

Each individual package looked like a million
dollars but cost under $2 to create



Each package had a different tie on, as I purchased them as I could find them.  The big box craft stores were a bit pricey so I tried to use materials only from the cheaper resource.  The wire ribbon was fun to find and I found I had to visit several of the same store and clean them out of their wired ribbon to make sure I had all the same. Of course I could have used different on each package.  That's an option after all.

So next I was faced with how to warm up this big room space.  I think you can see what I have had to work with over the last two years.  This room is so plain, bright and lifeless. There is  no dimmer switch, no switch to even turn the lights down.  I could resort to flameless candles to create atmosphere but obviously that is not an option. The atmosphere is not festive to me at all as it was no matter how nice I decorate the tables and so I came up with a couple of ways to get past that.

I had our facilities manager remove one florescent wand from each of the ceiling light fixtures.  
Next, I decided to use the Christmas bulbs I purchased from Sam's Club for $29.99 per box and suspend them from the ceiling on fishing line.  Since the ceiling tiles are perfect for stick pin usage, that was the best way to hold the hanging bulbs in place. The final product looks like the bulbs are hanging in mid air and filled up the space nicely. 

Next, I created a chandelier of shorts from two different sizes of wreath.  The room size meant I would have to have a pretty large wreath and then a little smalled one for the second tier.  Now for this I did not  have to buy at a craft store because my budget was small. I had to be resourceful. I did have smaller ones to bring from home and I think I actually did end up purchasing the larger one from a thrift store.  I used the wire ribbon from the packages to bind them together and then added the same bulbs as the ones suspended from the ceiling to decorate the underside (the side everyone would see looking up) and then connected a very strong hanging wire to hang it from the ceiling.  Last year I added a string of lights and worked the extension cord through the ceiling down to the edge of the wall and then down to another extension cord into an outlet for extra ambiance.  You can see the results of the entire ceiling decorating project and I am certain you will agree that it turned out beautiful!   

My first attemtp at creating a "chandelier" holiday light fixture.
  And the bulbs appear to float in mid air.

The view from the front of the room Notice how the color
 scheme warms up the space.
 

The completed job took very little money.  Everyone seemed to be in awe of the final product. I know I can wow everyone again this year. I am changing the color scheme to bright white, silver, red and light blue. I will let you know how the changes work out. Photos to follow after the 19th of this month.  So I will be adding to this post.  for now...enjoy this short presentation. 

I work at an automotive supplier in the human resources/administrative area.  Over the years I have been the one to coordinate the corporate activities for the employees.  It is a fun job and I have enjoyed the oohs and aahha from the employees....especially when it comes to preparing for the holiday party.

I love to decorate my own place. So every year I have gladly decorated the lobby for the holiday and most importantly, the employee lounge where the holiday party is held each year.  So I devise a color scheme and get to work on creating a mood in a very otherwise sterile environment and centerpieces for each of the tables.



The view of the room from the doorway

Living the Dream......in a Small Tourist Town

Remember when you visited that cute little tourist town with you family as a child? It was on or within a bike ride's distance of a lake, had a cozy in-town diner, maybe a cute beach side park with very few parking spaces, a church in white woodboard siding with a tall steeple, and perhaps a great little thrift store. The only proof of being with the 21st century was the post office, a library, a town hall and the street light and of course lots of bike traffic. I enjoyed many such trips with my family as a child and as an adult with my three children. Their father and I loved the small town flavor and friendly demeanor of the people we bumped into there. I remember wishing to have the means to have either a family cottage or just retire there someday.  I even wondered if it would ever be possible to live in a place like that before retiring and have the means to do so, or working for a company that had a small town near it that had all he comforts of the small town life but everything I needed of a big city just a few miles away.

I lived 23 miles from my work on a busy expressway. It was a madhouse every morning and as I drove to work I listened to the traffic reports like my life depended on it...and it did. There was at least one accident every day on this road on either the westbound side or the eastbound side. It was the sacrifice I was making to live in the town in which I grew up with my five sisters and one brother. A cute bedroom community  Berkley boasted streets that went across and down instead of like a subdivision where a newcomer could get lost for months learning how to get in and out quickly.   Until recently it had an in town grocery store that was very much looked to as the place to shop with the best meats, produce and charm.  However, it closed.  My dream of riding my bike to the grocery store was quickly relegated to a non-choice.  So while I was happy to return there and enjoy living across the street from my old Catholic grade school and nearer  all of my friends, the quaint downtown and all its summertime and holiday festivities, I was beginning to find the trek to the office every morning even more tiresome. But I was in a lease agreement that had just auto-renewed due to my diligence in trying to save $15 more per month on a future rent increases. However, the thought of remaining in my present situation nagged at me relentlessly every day and practically every night. I had to make a change, but what were my options? I had some serious homework to do.

I had been checking out the real estate close to work for a while and was even looking into housing in Berkley. I was living in a small 660 square foot apartment and  I began to resent that the smaller inexpensive bungalows I someday hoped to buy were being snatched up rather quickly by builders who were coming in and replacing them with huge two story homes that I could never afford pricing me right out of the community. Neighboring communities didn't have the same charm. I was forced to look elsewhere.

Fast forward to March 2014. I was minding my own business driving over to the Salvation Army thrift store on my lunch hour from work and used a road that ran alongside a small lakeside community called Walled Lake.



Remembering the happy history of Walled Lake

It was a beautiful sunny day and it struck me...why had I not checked into housing around here?  I had come here as a child to the amusement park that used to be here. That is long gone...but the small town flavor remained.  I began looking on the ads to find a place for me to live. I checked out Craigslist and Apartment.com and did so almost every day for the next few months.

Long story short, I found a townhouse for rent for only $10 more per month than I was paying now, and it had two bedrooms instead of one and twice the square footage of the Berkley place! I looked into several housing choices, but this one particular community fit the bill, seemed friendly and bonus....only a short bike ride away from the beach, downtown weekend events, and small specialty shops like the ones I  had enjoyed on my family vacations all those years in my life! Best of all my income would support living here!

I have an actual front porch now!  Bonus!

 

Another view

I am now enjoying Walled Lake Michigan! This community's public beach is without the riff raff because it is so small. There is a lovely dockside restaurant/bar that have live bands on the weekends and is lit up like a holiday tree all year long.   When I ride my bike to the downtown area, which I have done on many occasions since I moved here, I see the little shops such as the ice cream shop and a drive-in restaurant that mimics the A & W style, but is painted bright pink and is called The Corner Carhop. It has wonderful summertime charm and even has deep fried oreos on the menu!  The place is right across fromt the lake and on a sunny day and all summertime nights it is abuzz with a young clientele that keeps the place hopping and fun.
 

Summertime in downtown Walled lake means lots of wonderful events. Of course they have their own fourth of July fireworks display and events. There are picnics at the beach and a nearby lakeside restaurant called Bayside Grill that lights up the summer evenings with live music and outdoor tables for dining on what I consider to be a great menu.

 

The other thing that attracted me to Walled Lake is that  I can enjoy a bike ride around the entire lake using the trail traced out on the road.  The beach houses and scenery on a pretty summer day are pretty distracting though, it is all so beautiful and fun and  rival waht  I have seen in the little finger area of the state of Michigan.  the water is blue and there are ducks and swans that inhabit the beach and are quite plentiful despite the many familes that visit there.  There are people who paddle board across the lake and two vendors that supply the board and paddles if you care to venture out!

There is a restaurant there called Bayside Grille where you can sit out on the patio and enjoy the sounds and sights of a lakeside summer day.  It is quite a popular place especially in the warmer months. There I can hear families talking about their last summer vacation day there and go on and on about how much they love the lake.

 

 

I cannot forget to mention the cozy diner, Woody's on the Trail that I discovered one morning wehn I decided to venture out for some breakfast.  Recently they had a 50th Anniversary of their opening in 1954 and featured a menu of all their

menu items being offered at prices reflecting thier menu from that year. A friend and I enjoyed an Original Woody's Burger, fries and a strawberry shake for a song.  And their breakfast? Don't get me started!  Just the ambiance and the clientele there bring me back to the neighborhood diner days and I just ..well, eat it up every time I am there.



Woody's on the Trail

The history behind many of the houses that I pass on my bike ride..well, let's just say if they could talk I bet they have a story to tell! There are stone pillars at the entrance to several of the homes front walkways and wonderful gingerbread that is original to the homes. The sidewalks are a bit narrow, but that is because they are old. I can just see what life was like years ago when this town was in its infancy. I can still see the

families pouring out of the old steeple church that mimics those found in the new England states, and I can visualize others crowding into the Masonic Hall. I can see people enjoying the beach and can still see through the updated houses lining the bike trail that used to be summer cottages for the families that were fortunate enough to enjoy summertime get away spot. 

Walled Lake Masonic Temple

I can see myself becoming part of the Optimist's Club or the Lions Club or the DDA and volunteering to find sponsors for the summer boat races on the lake that didn't happen this past summer for lack of sponsors. I am going to see if I can be included in the group that wants to change that.

Living in this small town community with all its historical significance and cute houses and a beach too gets me so excited. I am feeling so happy. I wake up to sunny days and rainy days but it is never a bad day.  I am so lucky that I can move to where I wanted to live, albeit with some significant cost (lease break fees, and the like) but it was well worth it. I love my place. I am beginning to give apartment/townhouse living a second look. Maybe if I want to be happy and still have the means to enjoy everything life has to offer I don't have to have a mortgage payment and lawn cutting to do on the summer weekends. Maybe I just need the peace and quiet I have achieved by making this move.

I cannot wait to see what this town looks like all dressed up for the holidays. The events calendar for Walled Lake reads like a listing that rivals those of most larger towns, but they smack of small town charm.  I know that in the summer they have a mega Memorial Day Parade as well as celebration for the Fourth of July. Right now as I write this it is November and I am just starting to see the ice forming on the lake. The houses surrounding it in all thier festive lighting must be a sign to behold..not so much for those who lived here a long time, but for me, the newcomer, who revels in the holidays with the lights and garland and the shimmering reflections that will most certainly show themselves from now forward. I just took a photograph of the beach the other day.  It looks dreary now as one can expect, but hey..the holiday season is just getting underway.

Recently I joined the Walled Lake Civic Fund and look forward to a fundraiser where I will make more new friends in the area and show off my bowling skills.  I have also gotten my library card and connected with the Downtown Development Association hoping to lend a hand with all the events.  It is my goal to immerse myself in this community and keep it the cool fun place to live that I do now. 
 

Ask yourself this question:  Are you happy?  Where do you live? Does where you live just create a lot of stress? My advice is to try to fulfill that dream about where you want to live. For me it has made all the difference in the world to my quality of life and I wish the same for you!

Vintage Summer and Other Lovely Things

Spring has sprung, as they say, and it has been actually been so wet that it leaves many of us wondering what is in store for summer. I know that whatever is happening now it is ten times better than last year here in Michigan when it was so hot and humid so early in the spring that we never felt like we had a spring. Hey, on the whole, I am just grateful for blue skies, leaves on the trees and the enjoyment of early morning or late evening walks even if I have to wear a sweatshirt for either!
I cannot believe that it has been since March that I have not visited my page and shared my thoughts and information on the things I know and love and the memories I have of days past that made me the person I am today. 

The things that come to mind when I think of summer are many.  The last day of school, wrapping the textbooks in brown paper and cleaning out my desk, picnic lunches out on the grass by the rectory...all of these things were commonplace up until eighty

Downsizing Yet Retaining Your Treasures

Moving into a one bedroom apartment, downsizing from a four bedroom home with a living room and a family room and a much bigger kitchen was a painful exercise for me.  Not only was I bidding farewell to more space and a myriad of places to try out my design savvy, but also I was forced to inventory all of my "stuff" and make tough decisions on what to keep and what to let go of based on lack of space for storage and display. I was forced to acknowledge that I had less shelving, closet space, and walls upon which to hang frames and rooms in which to display my choices in throw pillows, lighting and accessories.  I had to put a stop to bringing home wonderful decorative elements from my trips to the thrift shops because now...I would have no place to put them. To me coming to this truth was the more painful part of the moving process.  Sure I lamented the loss of my home after twenty three years. But for me, the bigger realization was painful. -- I had to think like people in my life who had no idea what being sentimental is about and no appreciation for vintage or antique.Unless I could wrap my brain around this mantra, I was doomed to fail at making this move work.

I wonder who of you who is reading this can understand how hard it was to re-think my "keep, don't keep"  mindset  to make my relocation successful.  I decided to focus instead on the excitement of new surroundings and my joy at being employed after going for nearly three and a half years of part time work but needing a full-time career position and  wondering where I would go if I never again would be a full-time employee.  When I accepted my circumstances and committed myself to being grateful and use strength from there to move forward it became much less of a sad thing and more of a happy occasion to be celebrated. Once I was settled in my new place, no matter how small, I would have placed before me a fresh pallet upon which to exercise my creativity, exhale.  I would finally be able to take in the peace and tranquility that comes with smaller utility bills, having no one to cater to except for myself, and enjoy minimalism decorating which I would eventually come to embrace. I have learned there is something to be said for having less "stuff"  sitting on every open level spot and occupying every inch of wall space around me. I could find comfort in knowing that this new place symbolizes a rising up of a phoenix after a long arduous journey that had left me feeling out of hope and running out of time. Now, what better thing to do in this new place than to just be happy?

Well here we are a year and a half later and I am loving my space more than ever.  I found a way to keep my stuff and make it all fit in my new place.  I utilized a few tried and true tricks and a little bit of ingenuity.  I have a place for the extensive collections that I did not part with and a space for everything else that most would have either left on the curb or given away. I have reached a place where there is a healthy balance of "things" in my space and have avoided the sometimes unavoidable scourge of becoming looking like I joined the hoarders. My space is friendly, open, full of light and I have the things I love in enough quantity around me to tell each and every visitor what I am about, what I love, and what kind of person I am.  From the first step in the door people can see pictures of my children and special others in my life. They get a glimpse of my many collections and most importantly, the things I chose to display are conversation starters.

 

One of the things that I have done is use all the spaces I can that even you may not have thought of before.  I am using space above the cupboards in my tiny kitchen to display vintage kitchen wares, cake plates and china coffee and teapot collections, and various other pantry items.  I have some Hall pottery bowls, some refrigerator butter containers sitting up there as well as some pieces of various historic value displayed. On one wall I display some  plates that I have that I find very pretty.  On my counter top Homer Laughlin bright yellow fiesta ware creamer arranged in the corner.  Copper jello molds of various designs and fancy gold framed pictures hang about on the back splash behind the sink. There is no shortage of character in this kitchen, I made sure of that!

 This corner space would be a real snoozer without something to look at in an otherwise blank space. From the floor you can see a vintage tin biscuit/cookie canister with a Bakelite handle on it, a Spode Billingsley Rose coffee pot and a ceramic rabbit milk pitcher. 

 I like the color and shine of copper because it lights up the space. You can see my Halls ceramic bowl and the towle painted tray.   The "HOME" sign is more contemporary but that's okay!

 I have a few of these aluminum cake plates. I do use them and when I don't I have one up here on the shelf.  I think you may recognize the Mexican lady napkin holder and the milk glass sugar and creamer.  More copper and a birdhouse is there for the perfect red and yellow color it adds.


I love my little chicky egg timer and Homer Laughlin creamer...yellow is such an inviting color to introduce
into any space....especially the under cabinet areas in kitchens where light is minimal and there are gray shadows.



The positions of the wreath, copper and cauliflower relief plaque works because all have different textures.
It may seem like a lot to have in one corner, but the canisters are functional and the items on the wall
provide color. These things, if not for this space to show them, would be holed up in a storage
area or in a bin or given away.



I haven't used it yet...but I plan to. Most people think of these nik naks as dust collectors but I
refer to them as conversation starters.

I have a set of canisters filled with staples and a tin canister with a bake light knob, a cute vintage egg timer, and a  bright yellow Homer Laughlin Riviera creamer that is actually used from time to time. It helped a lot to actually add knobs to the cupboard doors! The landlord was nice about allowing me to have the freedom. to do that.  Purchased for pennies at a recent garage sale.   Most landlords are not as flexible about changing cosmetic items, save a single wall with an accent color on it.

On to the bathroom.  I have a lust and love for crystal and "bling" in general. Sometimes things can come off looking a bit gaudy, but in a measured amount, it can look tasteful and elegant. The bathroom in my apartment looked empty and boring being all white from top to bottom providing me the perfect backdrop for showcasing my shiny bright nik-naks. Everything surface in there is white, from the sink to the vanity top to the original small square vintage floor tiles to the tub surround, to the walls and ceiling. But I was inspired and introduced crystal into the space. I ordered some solid crystal knobs for the vanity from Ebay for a mere $2.95 plus shipping for the pair, brought out my $4.99 thrift store Waterford vase (someone obviously didn't recognize the piece as a genuine Waterford...good for me!) and a bouquet of cream color fabric roses.  These things would bee stored away in a box if not this opportunity!  I continued the theme with a crystal soap dish and a small crystal biscuit jar and a candle holder (2) on each side of the basin.  On the back of the toilet bowl I brought out my milk glass tray and set two of my many crystal perfume bottles on it.  White shower curtain with clear plastic hangers, white rugs and there....all of my beautiful crystal out in the open. I don't have to worry about any of it being broken cause there is just me in this space. And my bathroom shines and twinkles like the feminine space it should be after many years of decorating casual for everyone else in my family.  Every single one of these lovely items would not be out in the open if not for me choosing a design and color palate that required their use. 

                       

I never needed tons of counter space to manage my morning routine so
this look works for me!  Oh joy! These sparkling collectibles greet me first thing
in the morning and set my mood for the day!

Just a couple of simple crystal knobs dressed up this boring white vanity and helped to
make my collection of crystal perfume bottles, candlesticks and vases sort of
"belong" in the space.



The crystal biscuit jar and lotus candle holder twinkle
so brightly right after a cleaning. The candle is
one of those flame less ones. Out of the box and  in
the bath for a romantic light when guests come over.

This sits to the left of the white vanity basin. With the crystal and the mirror being so close together it all relates better. Most of the time before now my crystal vase was in a shoebox wrapped in tissue where absolutely no one could look at it and enjoy seeing something pretty!

The "towel rod" was packed away after I got it a the Salvation army. Heck, I don't know if it is a towel rod, but that is how I decided to use it. Anyway my pretty embroidered and lace towels, part of my vintage linens collection is now a showpiece under the pretty ornate picture frame. All of these cool accessories were staring at the inside of a cardboard box..until now.

Hallways have always been regarded as a pass through.  I have a very small hallway but plenty of boring tall walls to display family photos and a few choice prints that I have come across in my thrift store and antique mall visits.  This space provides the perfect backdrop for all of them.  And no...my hallway doesn't feel smaller...it feels artsy and fun!  It is fun to give my guests the 2cent tour when they come to visit.  Most of the family photos are in black as are the frames to keep the "noise" at a low pitch in the space. I think that these choices made this space work better.  Oh, and the little table..rescued from someones curbside garbage heap, became a useful drop off point for keys or maybe a small vase of flowers from time to time. Charmer!

  <All my favorite b&w  family photos.













       My special friends>

Do people really put much thought into their bedrooms?  It is a functional space for most of us and we are in there to sleep, dress and well..that's about it.  I wanted to celebrate the opportunity to move away from my last bedroom with all the dark colors.  This room has a very large window that streams in light...and love I say...and it needed to be decorated right.

Initially, I was a little disappointed when I found out that my windows had no moldings. But no matter, I dressed them up with a crystal embellished rod and light and airy silk panels in a pretty taupe.  I have a mirrored nightstand and a crystal lamp and have adorned the space beside each side of my bed with more crystal and white and taupe collection pieces, again pulled out of the dark side of a closet. I have my vintage Buzza prints hanging next to the upholstered headboard. These prints are in aged fashion and the color evokes history and charm.  With those I have mirrors and ornate framed pictures hanging there too.  A crystal jewelry jar sits on the mirrored nightstand and a Waterford crystal vase with white and blush pink posies resting in it.  I guess you can see I do like roses. The main thing with this bouquet is that they introduced an additional speck of color into an otherwise monochromatic color scheme which bounces off of the rose print that hangs above the bed. It all works together!

This "bluebird of happiness" print is what I am all about.

I love this frame by Cynthia Rowley..totally vintage charm

My beloved Buzza Prints!

A pretty vignette of crystal, silver, and bright bright white. All the little things that make this room cozy and allow for bringing out all of my "stuff". When I roll over in the morning I have something lovely to look at.

Corners are not always meant to be empty. I couldn't let the corner be a blank space and I had a chair that I thought would have to go into storage. Fortunately, my new room design worked so well with the color and style.  The cabriolet legs and the ivory moire fabric upholstery lended itself to the color of the walls and the silky taupe fabric of the curtain. A bit of bling sealed the deal...a pillow I had been keeping for just the right place to set it embellished with tiny silvery glass bead work.  Voila! What could have been a tired empty corner is a showplace and a quick place to sit to put on my slippers or just take rest.  I have a collection of hatboxes and these provide storage for cashmere scarves, gloves  and various other accessories for use whenever I need them.

I so love this chair!

Don't let anyone criticize mixing pillows of many different looks.  This is YOUR space..and no, i don't mind moving all of this around when I turn in at night. It doesn't take but only a few seconds! Notice that everything balances and all the colors in the room are accentuated and displayed even though I may be breaking a rule about quantity.  Dusting the furniture is not any more tedious than without all this to work around and they are things that I can look at as I awaken in the morning and see and smile at. A nice way to start my day.

Sparkly and fluffy bright white and cream colored pillows are propped up against the shammed ones on the bed and sit on each chair.  I had a collection of pretty throw pillows in various designs and shades of white, ecru and taupe.  They were in a zippered plastic container until now.  Throw pillows are vastly underrated!  They are, by far, the cheapest way to spruce up and add color and character to a boring sofa, bed or chair. They don't have to match...just have to be interesting! No rules to their use. 

This mirror is something I absolutely treasure in my space. It sparkles like mad! The chair was a $25 find. The great thing about these kinds of chairs is that I can change the look with a simple and inexpensive slip-cover if I move it to any other room.

Funny thing about all of my furniture likes...I am varied in my choices and those I had on hand from my past..but here they all sort of "sing" together. The symphony created is beautiful when combined with my furry silk trimmed blanket and sparkly taupe comforter that lays at the lower part of the bed. The ivory, white, taupe and blush pink colors throughout the room mingle gently and the style differences add that extra something.  I love my room. Soon I will be hanging a vintage crystal chandelier in there to replace the boring light/fan that hangs there now.

My point here is this: you can take it with you to your smaller next home, just be sure to follow the guidelines such as these:

1.  Evaluate your new smaller space.  Make your choices as YOU like for what to fill it with and remember that the more you put up the smaller your space will eventually feel to you.

2.  Minimize minimize minimize.  No one needs to display twenty sets of toothpick holders, I don't care how much you love them.  Collections that are small individually but grow to humongous numbers are the collections that require you to vet. Remember, designing in a small space is about showing what you are about but not being so one dimensional that people begin to think of you as the "crazy toothpick collection lady."

3.  Utilize the boring spaces as places to display your stuff.  That space, if you are fortunate enough to have it, about our kitchen cupboards, not only valuable as storage but also a great place to design a vignette that will impress even the most hardened "throw it out" kind of guest that comes to visit you. Another tip to follow is to keep things up off the floor if you can because this will fool the eye into thinking you have more space.

4.  Be smart in your design. Make your displays follow a theme rather than a mishmash of objects. Making sure that the objects all relate to one another in their function is the key. Kitchen items belong in the kitchen.  There is no reason to put old tools like wood planers and hammers there. Your display should make sense, tell a story, explain something about you, what you love and how you live your life.

5. Keeps the proper items in the proper rooms.  Try to stay away from showing off your gun collection in your smaller living room. This  is something that requires a discriminating decision and maybe belongs in the basement, garage or man cave.
 
6. If you have an interesting collection of anything that you think might be enjoyed by others on a larger scale, connect with your local library about setting up a display of your things there. Libraries have glass enclosed showcases that are there specifically to feature such displays for a month or two at a time. I have enjoyed displays of Southwestern jewelry, pottery or doll collections or even milk glass collections.  Libraries love to provide a venue for collectors because it is free and educational for their patrons.

7.  I have always loved beautiful pillows. I have so many down filled silk covered pillows and I can find a place for ALL of them in my new home. People seem to forget that pillows are a great way to introduce color, style, and bling into an otherwise plain room.  Don't be afraid to have too many either..only people who do not wish to bend a flex a little taking them off of the bed at night and setting them back up on the bed in the morning fail to appreciate this. 

8. If you must use floor space under tables and chairs, use pretty boxes as storage to double duty the space.  Hatboxes come in all kinds of sizes and those pretty storage boxes that look like luggage are perfect for storing books, jewelry, scarves and other accessories.

9. Accept that you may have to give away, donate or store many of your things. Decide what to keep by evaluating like this:  Does it hold a memory?  Does any of my children want this?  Is it valuable monetarily?  Have your tastes changed?

What I did was look at the second half of my life, symbolized by my moving out of my big house to a smaller apartment, and asked myself what really mattered in my life and moved forward.  This was more about starting over, second chances and that includes second chances at changing my personal surroundings to reflect my new confidence and excitement about my life, including my family, my career and the rest of my life. I had embraced a renewed attitude of gratitude and a pledge to shed the old and embrace the new.

Take a look at the photographs here and get inspired.  Look through decorating magazines and picture what you see in your space. You can make it work and find a place for all the things you love there if you just open up your mind.  So long as you are not mixing 1960's orange and brown mushroom wallpaper with crystal and milk glass you should be okay. You will instinctively know where to put what before you end up putting "it" in a box to give away or throw away. 

I would like to someday own another house.  I hope to have a cozy cottage type dwelling. Until then I will be a happy and stylin' apartment dweller.  I am content in my comfortable place of refuge and will continue to entertain guests as I have been up to now. But for the absence of a second floor and three bathrooms, company will be just as comfortable in my place as I am.

Take care until next time!