Link Party No.22!

Before we start the link party for this week, I have something to tell you... I am being featured in Rhythm of the Home magazine Fall edition. They are an online magazine filled with lots of crafts ideas, yummy recipes, and much more.


Guess what...the magazine is live TODAY! I was contacted by them to do an article a while ago and I came up with a tutorial for how to make a tube scarf.


I hope you will hop over and check them out!

Ok, go ahead and share your craftiness with everyone. Let's start the link party!

1. Please post something YOU made. It doesn't matter if it is crochet, quilt, clothing, anything would be fine. I want to see it! If you use someone's idea or patterns please give them the rightful credit.

2. Link to your specific post, that way it is easier for everybody to find and read it.

3. Please grab the "Tea Rose Home" grab button, and link back from your post. If you can mention the party in your post or place the button on your side bar, that would be great! I want more people to have a chance to come and show off their creation.


<br /><a href="http://tearosehome.blogspot.com"><img border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462799092490427250" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 126px; height: 160px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuoA01dPDcxCv9Ku09VYtszSXA0_T7FXqIzGCrwEgkVFc0iH6Odrctb37Xnb2X1S-la8wBXHBzIAuYLRqt-QdLdVoVbXgOK8JmMJuJJddy66mk2pygB_tIigOtSDA50N0l7LEbzg3Ii-M/s200/GrabButtonLinkParty.jpg" /></a><br />

BACK TO LIFE .......... BACK TO REALITY !! ..........

Back from our jolly 'ole hols, it's back to the reality of the mundane things in life !! For the next few posts, I shall bore the pants off of you all with loads of photographs of our wonderful holiday in Tuscany.

We began in Viareggio, which is a lovely seaside town with a wonderful beach and a great base for travelling to much of the Tuscan countryside.

The lovely Michael of Spice of Life told me of a wonderful restaurant called La Chiesina, in Viareggio. On his recommendation, we went and had the most wonderful evening........... three times !! It is in what was a little church, has the most wonderful atmosphere and is packed to the rafters. Some had pizza, but I had the most delicious lobster ravioli, amongst other things. Michael is a great traveller and is a mine of information and such a lovely guy. Go over and see him and read about his travels. Thanks so much Michael for the brilliant suggestion of La Chiesina. We all loved it as much as you said we would.



Next, we explored the most beautiful and haunting town of Lucca. Everywhere that you look is a photo opportunity. I have spared you ALL of the hundreds that I took and have just given you a little taster !!

Shutters absolutely everywhere ..........

Iron verandas ..........

Street lamps galore ..........

Beautiful little architectural details ..........

Charming little alleyways ..........

Views to die for ..........

Balconies of flowers ..........

Tiny but beautiful little roof gardens ..........

Well, there is just a tiny taste of our holiday and you can be sure that you will be seeing some more over the coming posts !!!!

I shall be over to see you all just as soon as I've finished the ironing !!!!

Time for a Change

Except for the Mora clock, the room above has pretty much looked this way since the day we moved into our house almost ten years ago. I have grown tired of the darkness of the red, the abundance of accessories and the “woody” feel of the space. Thus, I have come to the conclusion it is time for a change.

My plan is to begin by adding a new wall color, lighter curtains – probably panels - and updated pillows. I want to remove some of the accessories to allow the room to breathe and add a fun rug for softness. My goal is to reuse most of the furnishings and some of accessories in order to keep costs to a minimum.

Here is a quick tour of the room as it looks today:

While our house was being built, my husband found the oak doors at a local antique shop. We quickly changed our plans to accommodate them in lieu of the standard pocket doors we had planned. (These obviously will stay.)

My grandmother had a terrific sense of style both in the way she dressed and how she decorated her home. The carved African heads were purchased by her on an African safari and the brass candle sticks (seen in the first picture above) came from a trip to Greece.

I also inherited her sewing box (above) which she had painted by Minnesota artist Enid Grindland in the traditional Norwegian style of Rosemaling. The plate between the windows (below) was a special Christmas present also created by the same artist. I consider both these pieces treasures as they belonged to my Grandmother and are part of my Norwegian heritage.

The furniture is a set – two chairs and a sofa - I refinished when my husband and I were first married. My in-laws had it in their basement but had no room for it in their house. I do not plan to have these pieces reupholstered as the fabric is still in great shape and the cost of this little room redo would skyrocket.

This quarter sawn oak table was found at a flea market my husband and I used to visit every Sunday when we were first married. It was one of those spur of the moment purchases which at the time was probably not very smart - we had little money, no real furniture, etc. – but turned out to be something I am so glad we did. Can you guess what it is?

An antique game table! It is such a fun piece and although we have not used it for its intended purpose since moving here (hard to move with so much other furniture in the way) we have played many a card game on it in previous houses. This too will stay.

On the “probably will be replaced at some point list” is the Bob Timberlake coffee table. I would like to find something more in keeping with the eclectic style and feeling of the rest of the room.

The skirted table will have a fabric change at the very least and most likely will be gone completely. (I never realized how much this fabric looks like my living room curtain fabric!)  I am thinking about a smaller more modern table to add a little twist to this room. (Let me know if you have any ideas.)

I like the size of the mirror and how it looks hanging above the game table but I am not so sure about the gold finish. This was an Ethan Allen floor sample so I am not opposed to painting it. I will have to wait on see on this idea until the rest of the room comes together.

So there you have it. My “red room” which I no longer want to be red! I will be heading to the paint store this week for the first step in this transformation.

I have not even begun to look at fabric for pillows and curtains, rugs or additional furnishings. I know this is probably not the best way to approach a room transformation - most designers will tell you to have a plan in place before you begin. I am just going to “wing it” and change things one at a time and see what develops! Sounds like fun doesn’t it?