Hickory Dickory Dock

crazy weekend!

So much so, that I'm in need of a weekend.

We lit our first fire today.

Having had a gas fireplace at our past bungalow,

the wood burning crackles are new to us.

Without a doubt, we're getting spoiled!

It was a shopping extravaganza on Saturday.

We purchased a few dishes to hang in the dining room...

a bottle drying rack {not the real deal...but lovely nonetheless}...

a few of those anthropologie glasses I blogged about a few days ago...

a ironstone soup tureen from Pottery Barn...

and some pillows for our new couches.

way too much but necessary.

Did any of my fellow bloggers check out the Family and Friends at Pottery Barn?

I hope you got some goodies!

There was more online that I had my eye on then what was in the stores.

Too bad it was only good in stores...no special orders.

Ticks me off.  Coupon code, PB!

Without further ado...our crazy weekend.

The deer silhouette is now hanging.  He needs friends.

Not really...just something to flank the sides of the frame.

Sconces, possibly?  I'm on the hunt.

Deer and hunt...that doesn't sound good :\

We finally hung our Hickory sign in the mudroom! 

On another note... you need to locate and order one of these candles.

It's from the Swan Creek Candle Co.

We're currently enjoying Vanilla Pound Cake.

Pure Heaven.

These candles come in a variety of pots.

They look good and smell good.  You can't go wrong.

Lastly, I'm hoping that you can offer me your opinion.

We have a carpenter dropping by to take a look at our fireplace.

We plan on recessing and mounting our flat screen.

I can't help but feel that a black screen against white wood will appear harsh.

We are tempted to paint our fireplace a grayish/greenish hue.

Similar to our cabinetry.

I think it will make a statement, but am on the fence?

Can you help me pick a side?

Hanging By a Moment...

We did a lot of hanging this weekend.

We hung all types of ways.

Hung out and hung things.

Try saying that ten times fast.

This weekend we caved in and bought a painting that we've had our eye on.

We debated the purchase and searched for other options.

Nothing could win us over quite like that painting did.

We don't have a lot on free wall space in our kitchen,

so whatever we chose to hang had to be special.

Behold...Bugsy the French Chef.

The artist is a local painter, so Bugsy is one of a kind.

The artist will take requests and will paint a portrait of your own pooch.

How awesome is that?

I love how serious he looks.

Every time I walk through the door, I see Bugsy and smile.

Well worth the moola.

We finally purchased window treatments for the dining room.

I have serious buyer's contemplation when deciding on fabric.

Even when choosing the right rod.

Ridiculous, no?

{pottery barn's vanessa floral in neutral}

We liked the way it played off the anthropologie dishes and the other fabric

in the room without being too feminine. 

Even though I like "girly", I tend to like a healthy balance of

 femininity and masculinity.

We found these beautiful sconces this weekend.

I'm not quite sure where they'll go yet.  The master bedroom is a possiblity.

Do you mind tilting your head sideways?

And as always we had fun hanging out...

...being total goof balls!

It was my husband's birthday today and his beloved team lost.

Now he's hanging on a prayer that they'll win the next game.

The birthday boy is moping and doesn't want his picture taken.

It's most definitely fall here around the cottage.

It's our first Fall in our new home and I'm loving every moment!

I'm getting sleepy, can we hang out later?



Care to Join Us in Some Dining Room Progress?

Tell me... is a room ever completely finished?

This is something I battle with and you know this if you follow my blog.

We've made some progress in our dining room and I'm over the moon thrilled.

We do, however, have some work ahead of us as far as final touches go.

We're getting there.

We still need...

window treatments

to complete the table scape

add some dishes on on the wall beside the mirror?

hang the mirror (jeesh!)

Those things that make a room feel complete and homey. 

Here's a reminder of how the room looked prior to us moving in.

Some progress...

I'm not quite sure why everything looks miniature in size. 

Could it be that I'm just not a professional photographer?

I'd like to think that I'm capable, but boy o' golly...those angles get tricky!

Lighting in another story.

More work ahead this weekend!

Sunday is my husband's birthday!

My love for design and decorating

wouldn't be a reality without this man.

I can't wait to continue on this adventure together.

It's so much fun!

Wishing you another year full of love and happiness.

*photos courtesy of roost-home.blogspot.com and mochatini.org

Fairs Aren't Always Fair...

Fairs aren't always fair

and sometimes they don't end like a FAIRytale.

Blogs are meant to share beautiful photos of rooms

and often times bloggers post those diamond in the rough finds.

I'm going to go out in a limb and presume that we've all been on blogs
 in our blog-life and asked ourselves
"How do they get so lucky?"
Without a doubt, I've been on the jealous end of the computer screen!
I do believe that luck plays a role in finding those coveted treasures.
However, I firmly believe that knowing the "where" and the "when" can
come in handy during your searches {antiques or not!}

For example, we know which Home Goods we can hit the jackpot at.
Am I right?

After attending last weeks Country Living Fair, I was on cloud 9.
This weekend a nearby town was hosting an antique market.
Many friends and family members encouraged that I drop by.
I was unpleasantly surprised.
High prices and nothing that caught my eye.
How could that be?
I paid my 6 dollar admittance fee! 
There needs to be something that would make my time worthwhile!
Huf, nothing.

Nonetheless, I shared my afternoon with my hunky husband and
my lovely in-laws.  Not to mention I was able to gaze at all the lovely
scenery on the drive down and snap some pictures on our way back into our town.

Camera - check

Cell - check

Coat - check

Scarf- check

Boots - check

I'm ready for the fair!

Let's drive back home.

love, love, love this brick road near our home.

And then my husband and father-in-law installed these...

Eek, jumping up and down!

Later that afternoon we added...

Looking at the chain on this fixture had been bothering me.

Now I can happily move on.

My weekend was delightful despite the not so fair, fair.

How was yours, friends?

If I Could Have One Dish...

Tomorrow and we're half way there folks!

F-R-I-D-A-Y.

The word that's music to my ears!

I'm heading to another fair this weekend.

I've been so spoiled.

There's something about fall weather and antique fairs

that I can't seem to get enough of.

After purchasing the creamy white buffet last week,

we went into full force dining room decorating mode.

What's a dining room without showcasing your favorite 

pottery and dishes?

A stop to Anthropologie helped solve that problem.

Anthropologie = the death of me.

The charger is from Pottery Barn and the dishes and 

 tea cup/saucer are from Anthropologie.

Both the minty colored dish and the

flower petals dinner plate can be found online.

{piecrust dinner plate/ $12-20}

They are even more beautiful in person! Trust me!

{watercolor petals dinner plate/ $14-24}

These plates are o.n.e of a kind.

Words cannot express how lovely this dinnerware is.

Shelley Hesse is the artist and I love how she incorporated

little critters to plate.  Yummy, right?

I'm working on the table scape this weekend.

I'm in desperate need of a table runner and some objects

to dress the table up.  

I'm also working on adding draperies to the room and

adding the recently purchased corbels to the corners of the room.

There's always a project at Hickory.

You know this when...

A tape measure is a staple on your coffee table...

Sad...I admit that.

But it's that one thing that makes me come alive.

A few more peeks at the room...

be our guest?

These photos have inspired me to get busy outside.

What a great way to welcome your guests!

I'm in the spirit.

Invite your family and friends to join you in welcoming fall!

*photos courtesy of anthropologie.com (1, 2); pottery barn; bhg.com