Category Archives: Discoveries

Inspiration for Home

Some Things That Inspire Me Today……

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Some things that inspire me today? I thought I would share them……

Linens..especially throws, blankets, pillows…..oh! I just love them stacked everywhere. It makes me happy just looking at them.

Home inspiration

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This floor is great…I’ve painted one similar, but I love the green and white…..

Home inspiration

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Love. this. Grain sack used as a stair runner. It’s really tough material and can handle it.  I love this idea. {Hey, Handsome…how hard would it be to tear up the carpet on the stairs……?}

Home inspiration

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If I could have this pantry I would do a happy dance. I would even record it and post it here just for you guys.  I love the organization, ease-of-use, accessibility of everything. This is pantry fabulousness. {When you open our pantry…things fall on your head. It was definitely not built by someone that enjoyed cooking at home.}

Inspire

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Made out of reclaimed wood….love the rustic and oversizeness of it. {In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, I do like to create my own words.}

Inspiration for Home

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Little cubbies. With numbers. Enough said.

Inspiration for Home

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This is Maria’s bedroom from Dreamy Whites…I’ve always loved it. The headboard and the chandelier are my favorites.

Inspiration for Home

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This tablecloth is the bomb! Tailored around the table…how cool is that. I think I need to make one. This would add so much character to any table…any size. Love this idea.

Inspiration for Home

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Shutters. Fun colors. Perfect. This is literally just shutters nailed to the wall. I am considering doing something similar in our bedroom…in lieu of a headboard.

Inspire

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Sleep in a boat bed? Why, I’d love to!

Inspiration for Home

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Another great floor….I love the ‘non-pattern’ of it. And the mix of colors.

Inspiration for Home

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Same as the shutter wall…just with doors. This is so me. Wait! I have some doors in storage…… {Haaaaaannnnnnnddddddssoooooooooooommmmmmmeeeee……..!}

Inspiration for Home

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Such a simple paint job on this chest….but what a great impact! {This piece if the creation of one of our lovely readers!  Be sure to click the source and visit her blog!}

Inspiration for Home

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A floor made out of reclaimed wine crates. I. Love. This.

Inspires Me....

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What’s inspiring you today?

daune

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Vintage Wooden Folding Chairs

Vintage Wooden Folding Chairs……

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Thank you all so much for your sweet comments, e-mails, and special little gifts that you’ve sent in honor of Cottage in the Oaks being 2! =)  You guys are the best! I have the best readers!

If you haven’t, already, be sure to enter the big, super-huge giveaway!

I hope you all had a great weekend. It was beautiful here and we spent most of it in the garden.

Vintage Wooden Folding Chairs

A few months ago we were gifted with 56 vintage wooden folding chairs from this wonderful place. We have two big events within the next month that will be taking place here at our cottage….and we plan to use these lovely chairs for both. BUT, they had been stored in the top of a barn, buried in hay for many years. I thought I would share how we cleaned them up…and show you how great they look!

We began by making a 5 gallon bucket of cleaner with Murphy’s Oil Soap. We had them all spread out in the driveway…and our whole side yard smelled great! Using a scrub brush with stiff bristles we scrubbed every square inch of each chair with the cleaner. Then, we allowed them to dry overnight. {You can find Murphy’s Oil Soap at most grocery stores…it’s great!}

The next day we used one of our favorite products for wood…Howard’s Feed-N-Wax. {This is not a sponsored post….they have no idea who I am….I’m just sharing what we like to use with you, because I think you guys would like it, too!} In some areas you can find it at hardware and home improvement stores; but I shared the link to it on Amazon in case you are interested in using it and can’t find it in your area.

Howard's Feed-N-Wax

Each chair was completely rubbed down in Howard’s beeswax……look at the difference:

Vintage Wooden Folding Chairs

We love this stuff!  We use it on our front door and porch swing at least once a year.  These chairs were so dried out…the poor wood was thirsting to death. Raw wood needs to be ‘fed’ at least once a year.  These chairs are absolutely gorgeous now!  We can’t wait to use them. =)

What did you do over the weekend?  Have you ever used this particular beeswax on your wood? If you try it, let me know how you like it!

Happy Monday~

daune

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Favorite Things

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things {No. 2}

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A while back I shared a post about some of my favorite things.  You can find it here.

Here’s some more fun stuff to add to the list…….

Favorite Things

1.  Paradise Tropical Tea is my very favorite iced tea to make at home.  It is the same tea that Cheesecake Factory serves.  We like to make decaf. {I get enough ideas without the caffeine…Handsome requests decaf!}

2.  Those of you that have been hanging out here with me for a while know that Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is my very favorite paint to use for furniture and other home projects.  The colors are incredible and I love the finish. No need to prep the piece before painting…..yes!

3.  Illy coffee…..our favorite to brew at home. We’ve tried so many others…and Illy is by far the best.

4. Coco by Chanel. My fragrance. Been wearing it for over 25 years….love it!

5.  Brushes. Ahhhhh…..can you have too many paint brushes? I just love having all sizes and shapes. New art brushes just make my heart giggly.

6. Bojangle’s Sweet Tea. It is my Rocket Fuel. {Handsome tells the kids that if they let me get Bojangle’s tea after 4:00 pm they will be grounded. Hmmmmmm…I always thought he loved it when at 2am I was saying, “Hey! Are you asleep? I have an idea! Want to hear it? You know what we can do………”}

7.  Jenny & Tyler…..great music. Check them out….especially if you like singer/songwriter/folk.

8.  Mindy Gledhill…..ditto.  She’s playing a lot here at the cottage.

Here’s my playlist of late…..hope you enjoy!

9.  Guy Wolff pots….my collection grows each year.  All sizes…love ‘em all!

10.  Weck jars. I don’t like tupperware or plastic-y kinda stuff. We have a huge collection of Weck jars and use them for leftovers, sauces, drinks, salsa, yogurt, and anything else that needs to be contained. {FYI: children don’t fit.}

11. I have had this handy little British garden tool for over 15 years. I use it more than any other garden tool I own. Planting seedlings, transplanting plants, etc. It’s the bomb! I purchased it at a wonderful garden center in Waterbury, VT…just down the road from Ben & Jerry’s. Anyone know the name of it?

12.  Blick Art Materials….my favorite place online to get art supplies.  Super great prices…and they ship fast. Never been disappointed.

You can check out some of my other favorite things here.

What are some of your favorite things?

Blessings~

daune

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Favorite Place for European Grain Sacks……

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We are gearing up for our next fun project with the wonderful treasures that we were blessed with at this wonderful place.

You can check out our first project, the Paris Grey Etagere, here.

Next up are these wonderful chairs…..

Antique Chairs

I was able to score some gorgeous German grain sack material at a wonderful price from a European dealer. So excited!  Handsome is going to make a wooden base/seat and then I will cover them with the grain sack. We will be painting them first…..still deciding on the color.  Here’s my grain sack material…can’t wait to get them covered….

European Grain Sack - Vintage Fabric

They will go in the dining room…..and I keep going back and forth between Paris Grey and Old White. So far, Old White is winning. =)

I also found these gorgeous, rare, lavender grain sacks from the same dealer. These are Handsome’s favorite…..can’t wait to use them, either.

Lavender European Grain Sack - Vintage Fabric

Another project that is in the works is the vintage chandelier that we took out of the farmhouse’s dining room. It is almost finished being rewired….I’m going to do something fun with it and put it in our office. Woohoo!

vintage chandelier

I thought I would share two of my favorite places to get European grain sacks. My #1 favorite is at fairs and markets, etc.  But here in Eastern NC….finding European grain sacks at these places is almost nil. So, I get most of mine directly from dealers…ordered and sent in the mail.

Here are my two favorite places:

Stacks of Sacks

Antique Linen Store

Do you like European grain sacks?  My favorite ones are German, French, and Austrian. If so, where is your favorite place to find them?

Blessings~

daune

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Wicked Wednesday…… {No. 6}

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I thought I would share some wicked plants today that all grow in my garden! {And probably most of yours, too…..especially if you live in the U.S. south.}

Did you know that hydrangeas contain low levels of cyanide? It is not enough to kill someone…..but can cause vomiting and muscle weakness. So, it’s not a good idea to decorate food with them. Eeeeek!

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Azaleas and rhododendron have toxins in all parts of the plant…including the pollen. Honey made from rhododendrons can be toxic. If ingested it causes heart problems, vomiting, and extreme weakness.

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Carolina Jessamine or Carolina Jasmine, as some people call it, is an evergreen vine that is prolific here in the U.S. south…and is in almost everyone’s garden. It perfumes the entire yard when it blooms. We have it growing on arbors and parts of our picket fence. Children have actually died by mistaking it for honeysuckle…..even the pollen is toxic to bees if they frequent the plant too much. All parts of the plant are poisonous.

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The berries that form on lantana are extremely poisonous. If ingested they cause vision problems, vomiting, and even death. Butterflies and hummingbirds love this plant…and here in the south it is a perennial. After learning this I had a fit! {I’ll have to do another Southernism post soon to explain that one!} I used to let our daughters pick the berries and put them in little bowls for their Barbies to pretend they were blueberries. Yikes!

monarch butterfly

Do you have any of these growing in your garden?

Careful what you munch…..

daune

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Wicked Wednesday….{No. 5}

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Ok…who’s been checking their gardens for wicked plants lately?

I have several in mine….I shared last summer about our Bible Garden…..

You can read about it here and here.

I guess I have the flip side…a Wicked Garden, too…and didn’t even know it!

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Ever heard of Mandrake? It grows in Europe, has fruit that looks like small, unripe tomatoes; but the danger lies underground in its root.

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The Romans believed that it could cure demon possession. The Greeks used it for a love potion. In AD 200, in the northern African city of Carthage, Hannibal deserted the city and left behind a huge feast…..with wine laced with mandrake. It caused the whole army to fall in a deep sleep, he came back with his army and completely conquered them.

Shakespeare used it in Romeo and Juliet…..the friar made Juliet a potion with mandrake that would cause her to look “like death when he shuts up the day of life”.

Mandrake attacks the nervous system, slows it down, and induces a coma.

Go on Pinterest and search for Mandrake…..whoa!

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Oleander was once believed to be an antidote for a snake bite. But, alas….it’s no such thing. It is highly toxic…all parts. It is grown in warmer climates {like here in the South} prolifically….hence, there are many tragedies each year. It only takes a couple of leaves to kill an animal.

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Campers have tragically died by using the branches/stems to skewer their food and cook it. Many children have perished from eating the leaves.

Oleander suicides are not uncommon…especially among the elderly. It is grown quite often at many nursing homes……the elderly are quite aware of its toxicity. Sadly, in Sri Lanka, it is the most common way of committing suicide.

We have two beautiful ones in our garden. Please….if you come over…just look.

It is recommended that if you have pets or young children in your home or that visit often….do not have oleander in your yard or garden.

Heading out to put up warning signs in the garden…..

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Wicked Wednesday……… {No. 4}

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Each time I type that title I break out into the song from Wicked….you know, the last line…

“I’m feeling wicked!”

If you have not seen the show…by all means…..see it! On Broadway preferably.

Superb!

When the settlers arrived in Jamestown there was a beautiful weed that seemed to flourish. Since other food was scarce…they thought they would add it to their diets.

They died horrible deaths….complete with convulsions and seizures.

The plant? Datura.

Commonly called Moonflower.

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All parts of the plant contains the toxic alkaloids…but the seeds are where they are most concentrated. A woman in Canada used the seeds in a dish she was cooking because she thought they were a type of seasoning….she went into a coma for 24 hours and was hospitalized for 3 days.

In the past many unwise individuals {teenagers} goofed around and made a tea with the leaves….it caused dangerous hallucinations for days, fevers high enough to kill brain cells, and failure of the nervous system….leading to coma and death.

Not only do I grow moonflowers in our garden each year….I give seedlings as gifts. Maybe I should put a warning label on them:

Warning: Do not chew on seeds, use in food, or make tea with any part of this lovely plant. Just look at it.

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Who knew that grass could kill you. There are actually many types of dangerous grasses.

A big one is Johnson Grass…..it grows throughout the U.S.

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It contains enough cyanide to kill a horse. Death is usually very quick….preceded by hours of anxiety, convulsions, and staggering. Oh joy.

Just read a caption on Pinterest that said…’Did you know you can juice Johnson Grass just like wheat grass?’ Yeah. Right.

No, thanks.

Watch what you munch on~

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Vintage Etagere

Vintage Etagere {China Cabinet}

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A few weeks ago I shared how we were so very honored to be special Memory Keepers…you can read about it here.

If you follow me on Instagram you have been a part of seeing some of the wonderful treasures that we have been gifted with. {If you’d like to follow on instagram here’s my handle: cottageintheoaks}

We now have a huge storage room full of wonderful vintage and antique furniture and items that we have lots of fun ideas of what we’d like to do with……here’s  a look at the first one that we’ve tackled.

Here she is…when we found her.

Found treasure - Vintage Etagere

Forlorn. Standing on her head. Needing a bath and some TLC.

How do I know she was a she? It was the curvy legs.

She was missing her door…but that didn’t bother us a bit.

Found treasure - Vintage Etagere

Here she is in her new home….the dining room. Handsome has repaired her badly damaged, curvy leg…and built her two new shelves, and a new bottom, since her original ones were missing.

Vintage Etagere

We’ve scrubbed and cleaned her up….and was so happy to find out she has vintage, wavy glass! We’ve been letting her settle into her new surroundings for a few days now….and this week she will be getting a coat of Paris Grey. She’s excited.

Vintage Etagere

And then she will be the keeper of all of our white dishes and serve ware.

Vintage Etagere

Can’t wait to show you the finished product! {Actually, I can’t wait to see it myself.} ;)

What are you up to this week?

Blessings~

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Kudzu Eating a Building

Wicked Wednesday…..{No. 2}

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I hope you are having a Wonderful Wednesday…not a wicked one! But I have some more fun, wicked plant facts to share……

Did you know that the Greeks used hellebore in one of the earliest known instances of chemical warfare?

Hellebore

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Or that here in the American South kudzu has literally eaten buildings and cars? {I know if you live here….you already knew that one!}

Kudzu Eating a Building

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Kudzu Eating a Car

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Or that a killer algae escaped from Jacque Cousteau’s aquarium and continues today to smother the ocean floor all over the world?

Cousteau's Killer Algae

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Encountered any of these???? =)

Have a Wonderful Wednesday~

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Heart Rock Collection

Heart Rocks…….

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Many years ago Handsome started giving me rocks that he would find in the shape of hearts.  Not ones that had been cut or shaped into a heart…but natural ones. My heart rock collection has grown ….. and continues!

It’s like a little Godwink when you look down and find a piece of nature that has been shaped into a heart.  {My pastor’s wife dropped by one day and left me a potato that was shaped like a heart. It was fun to find it in the mailbox, and then display it in the kitchen. It lasted several months! ha!}

heart rock collection

They have come from all over the nation….and some from other lands.

It’s like Valentine’s year-round! =)

Do you collect anything from nature?  Or is there one thing in particular that you have always collected, and probably always will?

There are some things that I collect for a season….and then move on; but heart rocks, vintage shave brushes, and ‘P’s’ are something that I always have and probably always will collect.

You can see my post about Collecting P here

and Collecting Vintage Shave Brushes here

Happy Beginning of Valentine Week!

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