Finally, the decorating is starting...

Hello, all. Sorry to have been absent for so long. I've been having some health problems and am trying to get that under control. Just a fair warning for everyone, keep an eye on your blood pressure after you hit your mid-30's-it could seriously save your life, take my word for it.

I have finally gotten around to doing a little something with my dining room, though. I had an old dresser that I picked up at a yard sale several years ago. It was a gross black dresser trimmed in gold, but the lines of it struck my fancy and I bought it for $25. I gave it a good cleaning and a couple coats of white paint and when Otis the jealous dog decided to help me out and break one of the drawers I was painting, I decided I needed an open shelf with wicker baskets. He's such a talented designer, that dog.

I think it turned out pretty good, except that I was so anxious to share the pictures, I didn't put the hardware back on!

I swiped this finial from my sister. It was  this dingy gold sparkly stuff and I got creative and turned it into this...

Not to bad, huh. And best of all-FREE!! See those cool decorative orbs? The red fleur de lis and the embossed leather one I found at the dollar store for, you guessed it, $1 each! The twine ones, I made out of some leftover styrofoam balls from a few christmases ago. The wicker ones came in a clearance package of potpourri, that I bought just so I could dig them out.

The rest of the potpourri in a container I've had forever.I have to give a shout out to my talented sister for making this burlap blind for me. I was a genius and washed the burlap first, so she actually had to make it from the ragged and frayed piece of burlap that came out of the dryer. Note to self-NEVER wash unhemmed burlap! I haven't got the hardware to hang it yet, so I folded it lengthwise and draped it over the dresser. I love it so much, I may keep it here.

I bought this cabinet at Goodwill for $20. I plan to redo it - paint it and add some legs for height and I removed the doors and am going to put more baskets in it (because I went through a whole buying wicker basket phase a few years ago and only have a million around here), I think it will work beautifully in either my laundry room or kitchen (I can't decide which)...

someone thinks it's his new house.

I sense a problem here. I really really do.

Flood recovery is going well. Everyone is pitching in to help reseed the yard, I guess I could wait until Butch is distracted with yard work and sneak and work on my cabinet.

And in closing, here's an awesome poster my eldest made for his school's spirit week. Handrawn, isn't that awesome?!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!