Friday Favorites- Classic Blue And White

Friday Faves and Kitchen Project Update

Well we're into week….I don't know, I think week four of our kitchen project.  As I'm sure the DIYers out there know only to well, projects take more time than you anticipate, especially if you have to work!

Hubby and I have been putting in long hours at work so we only really have Saturday and part of Sundays to get things done.  Now I'll admit, I am a wee bit impatient…every room in the house is a mess due to the kitchen work zone and living in a mess drives me crazy!

The bead board ceiling and crown moulding is done for the most part, just a few paint touch ups to do.  The crown was a bear to install for hubby, I don't think we have a straight wall in the whole house! The cabinets are getting a facelift too with the leftover bead board, plus we're adding glass inserts to two full doors and the tops of two other doors.  I have one almost complete…the primer is drying as I'm writing this…I finally, after thirty plus years of living here, have a new fixture over my sink!  I also found an old fixture at a second hand store the perfect shape and size for over the table and I am giving it a makeover as well.  I got to use more power tools too, installing the bead board and trim on the cabinet doors!  I think I did a pretty good job on those mitered corners.

Now, for my Friday Faves….Blue and white is such a classic color scheme!  Crisp and clean looking it works well in any design style or room!

 You can see all my Friday Faves on my Pintrest board along with the photo sources!

Thanks for stopping by!

Tina 

Interior Transformations-Share Your DIY Project

  

 Transformation Tuesday

I love seeing rooms or objects transformed from blah to beautiful, from dysfunctional to fabulous!  I'm always on the lookout, as I peruse the web, for interesting ideas and solutions to interior design challenges for both my own home and clients spaces.  Yes, interior designers have to constantly be in the loop about current products, ideas and solutions in order to spur our creativity!  Often times an idea or concept we see in another design can be tweaked or altered to accommodate a totally different design plan or space.  I get a great sense of satisfaction when I see a completed design for a client and they are thrilled with the result, as I'm sure all you do-it-yourselfers out there are thrilled with your completed projects.  Then I came up with an idea to showcase your own transformations in a monthly blog post!

Do you have a project your proud of and want to share?  If so I'd love to see! Simply e-mail me your before and after photos of the space or piece you transformed with a brief description of the project and what you did to transform it, and I will feature a different transformation each week for the Transformation Tuesday blog post!  Let everyone see your creativity and maybe they'll be inspired!  

Wait, there's more!  At the end of each month the project that received the most comments or likes will be the winner of a terrific prize!  Let's have some fun and see what great DIY transformations you have to share.  Tell your friends about it also, maybe they have a project to share.  I can't wait to see your photos.  They don't have to be professional, or even great photos, as long as they give a good representation of the design.  So send in your photos soon, the first DIY Trasformation Tuesday post will be March 1st 2016!

Here's a few of my favorite transformations this week!

All photos will be given proper credit, first names only.  By participating and submitting you photos you give consent for CDG to post publicly.  Please e-mail photos to: Sylewise.

Sources for all photos here can be found on my Pinterest board Terrific Transformations

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time,

Tina

Valentine's At The Vineyards-Dates And Day Trips

Friday Favorites!

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought I'd share one of my favorite vineyards and wineries here in CT. If you've never visited a local winery you're in for a surprise.  It's the perfect Valentine's Day date or day trip, no matter what the season! 
I hadn't ever though of CT as a vineyard state until I spotted a brochure at the train station a few years back,  advertising the CT wine trail.  It has been my desire to go to California and spend some time in Napa and Sonoma Valley, possibly when we retire!

So anyway, the brochure peeked my interest!  That summer my husband was between jobs and I was looking for ways to have some fun (on a budget) and enjoy the outdoors as we like to do, so exploring the wine trail seamed like a great way to do that.  So off we went…a picnic lunch was all we needed… over the course of the summer and fall we visited sixteen out of the then thirty-two vineyards in our fine state!  For just a few dollars you can do a wine tasting of the wines produced by the vineyard, then, if you like, you can  purchase a bottle of your favorite for either drinking there, while eating your picnic lunch and enjoying the scenery, or taking it home.

Our first stop was the beautiful Gouveia Vineyard in Wallingford, CT.  Friends had invited us there earlier that summer for a get together, they said we'd love it, and certainly were not wrong about that!  We were immediately mesmerized by the beauty of the vineyard! 

In my opinion Gouveia is by far the best for overall scenery and views! The vineyard location sitting atop of Whirlwind Hill says it all!

The pergola was installed a couple of years ago to shade the main patio from the hot summer sun. It is now covered in beautiful Wisteria vines!

  The sunsets here are just magnificent! 

  We've been to Gouveia in all seasons, however the winter is especially nice because of the raw beauty of the landscape.  We were there last year during a snow storm…it was perfect!  The snow did not stop the droves of people coming out to enjoy the vineyard.

And of course Valentine's Day is a great time to visit any vineyard.  I believe it's the perfect date, sitting in front of the large double sided fireplace with your love…how much more romantic can you get!

Out favorite wine at Gouveia is Stonehouse Red, it is a semi dry blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Zinfandel, and has won awards in serveral wine competitions. Paired with a sharp cheese, some Italian bread and fruit it makes a nice picnic lunch. 

Some of the vineyards are true farm vineyards, meaning they grow and harvest their own grapes for wine production.

Since our summer on the CT wine trail we have been back regularly to a select few of the places we found to be the perfect day trip getaways.  Now when we travel out of state, we make it a point to visit the vineyards in the areas we travel.  So far we've tasted wines grown at vineyards in Connecticut, Massachusetes, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York and Pennsylvania.  I plan on writing a post about them in the future.   If you like to go riding in the country and explore new places this is a great day trip adventure!  

Here's a list of the vineyards around the state, and a list here of special Valentine's Day schedules and tastings.

So pack a lunch, or order something to go, and head out this weekend on a Valentine's Day adventure with your sweetheart!

Note:  Please drink wine responsibly…don't drive intoxicated…the best wine in the world is not worth your life or someone else's!

Until next time!

Tina

Refinish, Repurpose, Rejoice! - Fabulous Furniture Transformations

Transformation Tuesday!

One of my favorite transformations is taking old and outdated furniture and giving it an updated look and new purpose.  Paint is an easy fix to refresh and give new life to an otherwise drab piece.  Really, it is ok to paint wood!  Now, I'm not talking about painting over a beautiful antique piece that has a value, but the old worn out, chipped looking ones.  These pieces just need a little TLC and possibly some modifications to make them work for a new purpose.

If it has a good structure and interesting details are the key elements to consider when repurposing or refreshing furniture.  We all have those furniture pieces that have been handed down to us from family, usually something no one else wants!  Often, when buying a first home, the daunting, and not to mention, expensive task of furnishing the place can be overwhelming, so utilizing any gifted furniture pieces is a good idea. 

For instance…I think every ones parents or grandparents had this china cabinet in their formal dining room.  Well, just look at the possibilities here!  This piece can be used in a kitchen, bathroom, hallway or even a playroom to store books and toys.  Re-think the purpose that these pieces in the rooms that need storage.

Wall paper or fabric make a great accent on the back of these furniture pieces!

A wall paper was used here also to give the plain drawer fronts some interest and texture.

From drab to fab in just a frew brush strokes!

Two classic chairs become one great bench!

Old dining room chairs get a new look!  We removed the arms and completely upholstered the host and hostess chairs for a softer look.  The frames of the remaining four chairs were painted in an oil base paint for durability.

Extra seating is always needed! I love how this transformation has a dual purpose!

I've repurposed and reworked many pieces over the years, some more than once!  The trick to using hand-me-down furniture is to not use them in all in the same rooms.  If you do, you end up with a mish-mosh of a room design.  Think of how each piece will function in different rooms, then make a choice of what pieces work best in what rooms.  Then you can decide on a color scheme and design for the finished piece acording to the rooms design.

I hope you enjoyed my furniture transformation favorites, and are inpired to think outside the box for your next furniture project.

Until next time!

Tina

You can see more, as well as links to the projects shown in this post, on my Refinish/Repurpose Pintrest board here!