I totally dug Grant’s recent Daily Delight featuring an Alice in Wonderland-esque tea party, and its whimsy inspired me to think of other cute things you can do with an old tea set. I’ve already featured some DIY crafts you can make with vintage teacups, so this time I’ve turned my attention to vintage teapots. If you have an old, chipped teapot that would otherwise be headed for the trash heap, turn it into one of these crafts instead.
:Sigh: Charleston — my dream city! I must have lived there in some previous (and terribly glamorous) former life because I feel absolutely at home whenever I visit. The nice folks at the Historic Charleston Foundation invited me down to check out their 10th annual antiques show and peek inside a few of the city’s (amazing!) historic homes and gardens and I couldn’t get my car packed up quickly enough.
One of the nation’s premiere antique events, only select dealers are invited to show each spring in Charleston; independent auditors screen each item before it’s offered for sale to guarantee authenticity and provenance — so, none of my bargain-basement finds here. I’ll share more antiques plus some pics from my home and garden tours later but here are a few of the pieces that caught my eye:
Named for Sweden’s King Gustav III, Gustavian furniture features Neoclassical (Greco/Roman) details and a decidedly French flair — Gustav was a frequent visitor to the French palace of Versailles and modeled his court’s style after the pieces he saw there. Unlike French furniture of the period which was often gilded or shellacked, the Swedish craftsmen continued to paint their pieces in matte, pastel shades — creating the signature look that’s so desirable today. Below: “Mora” tall case clock, circa 1800 — $8,600 and 1 of a set of 6 hand-carved chairs, signed Sven Anderson — $12,000. All available from Dawn Hill Antiques 
I spied this Queen Anne chest-on-stand from a distance and had to get closer for a better look. It’s gorgeous, don’t you think? The wood is in amazing condition — especially considering this English piece (circa 1710) is over 300 years old. That’s right, this dresser is older than our country. Check out the fanciful arched detail on the skirt — beautiful! — $18,000. Available from Jayne Thompson Antiques 
Although most of the items at the Charleston Antiques Show were centuries old and European, there were a few early 20th century American gems like this charming carved bulldog head that opens up to reveal a brass-lined humidor so a Victorian gentleman could stash his cigars within easy reach — $1,900. A Bird in Hand Antiques 
*Check back next Wednesday for more of my trip to Charleston.
MORE ADVENTURES IN ANTIQUING:
Adventures in Antiquing: (Easy!) Beachy Candle Makeover
Adventures in Antiquing: Repurposed Wooden Tray
Adventures in Antiquing: Crushing On Carrara Marble
Adventures in Antiquing: Old Toolbox Turned Magazine Caddy
Adventures in Antiquing: Old Clock Repurposed as a Frame
Adventures in Antiquing: Classical Busts
Adventures in Antiquing: Vintage Avon Bottle
Adventures in Antiquing: Salvaged Molding As Holiday Decor
If we were playing a word association game about patterns, “picnic” would be the first thing I’d pair with “red gingham.” (Closely followed by “vintage apron.”) There’s something incredibly homey about the pattern, which this sweet found object collage by Mandy Lynne Design captures so well.
I’d never considered taking the pattern from picnic table to focal point until I saw this amazing living room. It takes the gingham wallpaper often associated with, say, ’80s country decor and ornamental chickens squarely into this century by pairing it with eclectic accents like the hand-carved mantel and original artwork. The incredible floral rug makes the perfect visual counterpoint.
Vintage Fabric Collage :: Gingham + Floral Living Room
What say you: Would you feel at home with the plaid and floral combination?
April Fool’s! See which color we really picked to feature in April.
When we’re searching for the perfect hue to name as HGTV’s Color of the Month, inspiration can come from the most unlikely of places: think a garden plot, a bird’s nest or even a candy cane. The light bulb moment for this month’s color choice? It all started when a mysterious box arrived at HGTV headquarters.
I first fell in love with marbleized paper on a college trip to Italy — the swirl of rainbow colors just seemed so magical. In Florence, a local artist showed us how it was done. It’s an amazingly simple process: You mix olive oil with watercolor or gouache paints then drop the mixture into a shallow pan filled with water, swirl the floating paint to create patterns then lay paper on the water’s surface. Because oil and water don’t mix, the paint isn’t diluted and floats on the surface, creating a swirling multicolored pattern on the paper. I loved the process for its ingenious simplicity and the fact that the results couldn’t be controlled.
With Easter on the horizon, I thought I’d try a twist on the Italian marbleizing technique when dyeing eggs by adding olive oil to the food coloring dye solutions. Here are my results:
I have to admit the polka-dotted effect was unexpected but I really like it so I left several eggs as-is after a single dip in the dye bath. Others I dipped in a second color for a more traditional marbleized effect. Ready to get started? Here are the step-by-step instructions>> 
Proudly display your finished eggs in a handmade nest or bed of excelsior: 
MORE EASTER IDEAS:
15 Easter Egg Decorating Ideas
Our Favorite Easter Decorating Ideas
Easter Kids’ Craft: (Cute!) Painted Pail With Ribbon Roses
Weekday Crafternoon: Easter Wreath With Paper Flowers
Printable Bunny Ears — Free Printable PDF
Hatching Chick Egg
Kids’ Craft: Dyed Easter Egg Animals — Free Printable PDFs
How to Make Cascarone Confetti Eggs
If you’re a baker, you’ve likely had that moment of panic in the middle of a tedious decorating project. Since I’m a late-night gal, mine usually happens about 2 a.m. when I’m, say, painstakingly weaving lattice crusts for 100 mini apple pies. Most times, it’s worth the extra effort in the end (who doesn’t love a mini apple pie?!), but when you’re entertaining, simpler is usually better.
That’s why I set out to simplify my Easter cupcakes this year: You can start each of these designs with the same lemon-scented cupcake recipe and vanilla buttercream frosting, and all of the toppings are things you’ll likely find at your local supermarket.
These bite-sized mini cupcake chicks, for instance, start with a layer of robin’s egg blue frosting. Add a couple of mini chocolate chip eyes and turn two triangles of fruit leather into an edible beak, then tuck them into a “nest” of shredded paper or Easter grass.
This next cupcake is an ode to our March Color of the Month: a mini garden plot of carrots! Dip a frosted cupcake into crushed chocolate graham crackers, then push chunks of coconut-peanut butter candy as carrot stand-ins. Top the “carrots” with a dollop of orange frosting and add a few pieces of green licorice as leaves. I used half of a craft stick as a crop marker, but you could also write on Easter guests’ names and use the cupcakes as tasty place cards.
Welcome back, spring — I’ve missed you so! The weather here in Knoxville has (thankfully!) warmed, birds are singing and flowers are popping up everywhere. My backyard is abloom with crocuses, daffodils, tulips, forsythia and lenten roses putting on a colorful show. I’m a flower picker from way back. There’s hardly a photo of a preschool me where I don’t have a bunch of wildflowers (and honestly, sometimes just plain weeds) clutched tightly in my chubby fist. So when my yard breaks into bloom, I break out the scissors and head outside to claim some spring color to brighten up the indoors.
I’ve also always been fascinated by that other harbinger of spring: bird’s nests, eggs and baby birds hopping about. Obviously, I’ve no plans to bring those inside — but – in under an hour I can turn aluminum foil, moss and hot glue into a realistic looking bird’s nest that adds a sweet spring touch:
Pretty, huh? It was actually easy to make – get the complete step-by-step instructions here>> The tiny robin’s eggs are easy to craft too, my instructions include how to paint and speckle them.
You can make your nest any size you like. I made this one large enough to work as an Easter basket of sorts:
The birds have returned to my neighborhood in full force. Even though they drive my dog (and my roommate) crazy, they’re a cheerful reminder that spring is finally almost here. To keep them around, I’m trying out this easy project by Susan Gibbs: fill an empty bird feeder with leftover pieces of yarn and your feathered friends will use the colorful scraps to build their nests.
Get more information and full instructions here >>
The forecast here in New York is calling for snow. Thanks, Mother Nature! But the vernal equinox (aka first day of spring) is two days away, no matter what the forecast says. Shake your winter blues away with pretty Easter crafts in spring palettes. Got some yarn hanging around your home? (If you knit or crochet, you know you do!) These ideas I spotted on Pinterest are perfect for using up scraps.
So, I have two cats (as you know). One is a hefty 11 pounds, while the other is a petite seven pounds. Because they’re so different, we feed them different amounts of food in separate food dishes. This is a daily struggle. Mahala loves to eat out of D’Artagnan’s dish; D’Artagnan loves to eat out of Mahala’s dish; Mahala loves to sneak and eat out of both dishes. They just can’t seem to get it right. Maybe if I get these chalkboard food dishes and etch their names on the front, they’ll know which is theirs? One can only hope.
Chalkboard Bowl by Waggo
Dipper Treat Jars by Waggo
Engineer Stripe Circle Bed by Waggo
Love this wool rug in a pretty lavender and white design
DIY: lacquered boxes #hgtvmagazine
This cool yellow pouf works in almost any room. Try the pop
Transform a neutral space into a colorful living room with
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