Sunday, November 8, 2009

The House Tour

Friday morning, the sign went up for the Festival Home Tour, scheduled to begin at 1:00, after the Queen' s Coronation and Luncheon.
Tour Times:
1:00-4:00
5:00-7:00

To say I was nervous, is an understatement! Early that morning I was still tweaking, doing last minute sprucing, and stuffing stray dust bunnies in the pockets of my old sweat pants! At 11:30, I was "swiffering" the master bath floor one last time, after my shower, my hair still ringing wet!

But at 1:00 when the first guests began to arrive, my "stage fright" quickly evaporated and I had a ball! Every person that came through was very friendly, and it was a pleasure to chat with them! Our home is about 10 minutes from where my parents were raised, and I met several of their old classmates. That was really neat and interesting.

Below, is a picture of the "Pecan Belle" and Cadet assigned to our home. The Pecan Belles consisted of local eighth grade girls, chosen through an essay contest. The Cadets were young men from Camden Military Academy.
They were both sweet kids and made a very handsome couple! Isn't she beautiful in her lavender gown!

The Pecan Festival Queen visited our home as well, Dixie Light, from Atlanta, Georgia. Not only was she a beautiful young woman, she had a lovely personality. Dixie was escorted by Bill Thompson, local author/well traveled speaker, who is also a writer for OUR STATE Magazine.

My "Ode to the Pecan," a vignette of pecans and a vintage metal dog nutcracker, borrowed from my dad.If you follow my blog, you have seen my home countless times. But I would like to share a few of the fresh flower arrangements I created for the tour. Whenever we entertain, I try to always incorporate live flowers. Even at Christmas, with all of the silks and faux greenery, I love to throw in a burst of the "real stuff," and enjoy the mood it creates.

These aren't elaborate, most were very simple. I didn't want them to compete with the settings, only compliment the areas. And no offense to any professional floral designers, ...I made six, (some rather large), arrangements for less than I could have purchased one arrangement from the florist. Bundles of bagged bouquets purchased from Sam's Club, were metamorphosed into beautiful arrangements.

Arrangement for Kevin's study, housed in a silver bucket found on eBay.

Arrangement placed on the surround of the master bath. Monogrammed hankies, also found on eBay. Below is an example of WHAT NOT TO DO! These beautiful orange roses disintegrated in just a few short hours, from what I assume was the heat off of the lamp light.
A few arrangements outside...

Arrangement for the Guest Register Table. The green vase was a yard sale find.


Isn't this little prince a real cutie....
And lastly, just a few shots from outside...

The faux pumpkins on the candlesticks were painted white last year, and then retransformed into orange again, this year. The candlesticks which were originally white-washed, were spray painted black.


Back Door....

Bailey enjoying the freshly strawed beds. I think for the next few days, I'll take it easy and bask in the beautiful fall days we are having, too! ~Rhonda :)
I will be linking this post to the following...
Monday...
~ Metamorphosis Monday, at Susan's blog, Between Naps On the Porch.
Tuesday...
~Second Time Around, at Diane's blog, A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.
~It's so very creative, at Cheri's blog, It's so Very Cheri.
~and DIY-Do It Yourself Day, at Kimba's, A Soft Place to Land.
And On Wednesday...
~ for the first time to Outdoor Wedsnesday, at Susan's blog, A Southern Day Dreamer.
Please take a moment and visit these gracious and creative ladies who host these blogging events! :)

Monday, November 2, 2009

Guest Bath Makeover

Unfortunately,
I can't find my "before" picks of the guest bath. But it is easy to describe...
white, white, ...harsh, stark white!

The walls were covered with white on white striped wallpaper. At one point, the plumbing surrounding the toilet must have been repaired, because the wallpaper behind the "stall" was pieced together, depicting a "patch job." (After removing the paper, I found that the sheetrock had been cut and replaced in sections, also.)

I decided to make the space more cozy, by removing the wallpaper and painting the space a soft greenish gray. Once on the walls, the paint took on a bluish green appearance. (Blue being the dominant tint!) I was disappointed, because it wasn't what I had envisioned in my mind, but it is such an improvement, it quickly grew on me!

Most of the accessories were just as before.
The sketches of the Cape River Steam Boats were bought at an auction years ago.
Glass shower doors covered by a shower curtain.
The little mice doorstop was a new find at Stein Mart. Hope they don't scare my guests! :) My son took a double-take when he saw them!


The piece over the toilet was purchased at a local resale shop, The Ivy Cottage, in Wilmington, a couple of weeks ago. If you ever venture this way, it is a wonderful place to stop and shop!


I was thinking, that much like the piece below, I have a lot of "refurbished second-hand" pieces in my home! Those of you who regularly visit my blog, know that I {heart} junk! :)
I began to wonder, if any of those perusing my home this Friday during the Home Tour would recognize or spot any of their cast-aways that I might have picked up at a yard sale, consignment or thrift shop! Wouldn't that be a hoot! :) ~Rhonda

Post Linked To:
Metamorphosis Monday, hosted by Susan,
~~~
Blue Monday, hosted by Sally,
~~~
Second Time Around, hosted by Diane,
~~~
Edited to Add: After a few comments, I thought I would clarify...The wallpaper was a real booger to remove! One of the toughest rooms I've ever attempted! But thank goodness, it was a small space and well worth it for the transformation. One of those jobs you put off, but are glad you did it when it is over! :)

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Fall Weekend Get-Away...Rock Crawling!

This weekend, my family and I took a much needed break from this....

...getting the house ready for the local Festival Home Tour in a couple of weeks, and headed for the HILLS! I've found that you can think your home is relatively clean, until you imagine people walking through...critiquing. Things take on a whole new light then! I so needed a mini-vacation from the cleaning and decorating!!!


Several families from our church get together and go "ROCK CRAWLING" every few months. Kevin and the kids went for the first time in August. But ME, not being an "outdoor woodsy type of gal, who just can walk on FLAT ground," stayed home. I missed them like crazy, so I vowed to go the next time. When they planned the trip for this past weekend, I was in! Confession: I didn't actually GO rock-crawling with the group this weekend...baby steps here. Instead, I held down the cabin, read, and shopped. ...and was waiting for them in the evenings with the lights on! A wonderful compromise, don't you agree! :)

This trip was at Uwharrie National Forrest, between Asheboro and Troy. We rented a quaint and cozy little cabin nestled in the woods! Much to my surprise, I LOVED it! It was extremely clean and very accommodating!


The leaves were turning and the colors were majestic and rich...absolutely beautiful!
"Isn't God's creation and handiwork AMAZING!!!"
The rockers on the sweet, little front porch....
...were the perfect spot for reading.
And might I add, this was a great book! My favorite Sparks' book so far!
Our "Rock Crawler" is ready to roll!
David was the first to be dressed and ready to hit the trails Friday morning!
Pretending...and waiting NOT so very patiently!
Finally, they're off to meet the group for some fun in the mud!
Say Good-bye, Coco! It's just you and I for awhile, kiddo!

The next set of pictures were a few taken by Ashley. My "girly-girl" who lives for Rock Crawlin'!
Our group, "getting dirty!"


The "leader," Doug and his family...


And this is what excites them so! :)
The weekend didn't last nearly long enough. Before we knew it, it was time to load up and head for home!
Coco heading out!
We took the scenic route home, which is only about a two hour drive! What a treat it was!


Home again....
...and back to this! More preparations for the Home Tour! Wish me luck, ...and saneness! (Is that even a word? LOL!)

Happy Fall! ~Rhonda

Monday, October 12, 2009

{big max & friends}

Big Max....
& his friends,
are on display at our local county fair this week.
How cute they are,
decked out in "whimsical costumes!"
"Humpty Pumpky"
"Charlotte's Pumpkin~Accommodations"
"Pump~crow"

"Miss Pump~abulous"


Yep, it's a pumpkin too!
Pink Pumpkins,
representing a very-worthy cause!
Not a pumpkin,