On any given day you might find me at home in old jeans, a too big sweatshirt, and a dingy Seahawk’s cap to hide the hair that I don’t want to mess with. My teeth will be brushed, my face washed . . . sorta . . . and my undies clean (LOL), but that will be the extent of my personal hygiene on one of my “moving mountains around the house” days! Will I invite you in if you stop by? Of course I will, though I may apologize just a bit for not being my normally gorgeous self! I’ll invite you in and I’ll do my very best to make you feel a warm welcome in my home!
What does hospitality mean to you?
Does it mean having your home spotless, the table laid with beautiful china, and a spread of gourmet delicacies? – By invitation only please!
Or does it mean a door that is always open no matter what condition the house is in, or what condition YOU are in for that matter?!
My word for the year is HOSPITALITY and I’m learning a whole new form of it living here in the South. I’ll be sharing more about that later this week in a Freedom Friday post . . . so come on back y’all!
So with thoughts of hospitality on my horizon, what a great time to share the Olioboard I created to plan out our dining room, the next project I’ll be tackling in our new home. This is the first time I’ve tried Olioboard and, though it was a little time consuming, once I got the hang of it it was a lot of fun! How revealing it was as I pinned items to the board and realized that some of the things I was thinking of using in this room didn’t look right together. I found this to be a great resource for planning out a room and also helpful at keeping one from making mistakes.
I’ll start with my inspiration piece, my own Great Blue Heron, (I’ve written a special story about him HERE) which has all of the colors I want to use in this room. Greys, tans, and different shades of green and blue.
Add to that a color washed grey buffet, my crystal chandelier, a vintage Karastan rug that belonged to my mother, a Craigslist dining table and chairs pulled from a pile in a garage, an antique store china cabinet found on sale (CHEAP) over the holidays (similar to the one in the picture but not the exact same piece), thrift store silver pieces collected over time, family china, boxwood greenery, a Trumeau style mirror and two wing back chairs (both on my wish list of things to find) and samples of traditional style wallpaper and upholstery fabric for the dining table chairs. I will paint some of the furniture and leave some of the wood natural as I like the mix of stained wood and painted furniture together.
It may not be Downton Abbey but our gifted and thrifted dining room will definitely have an elegant feeling when it all comes together!
I’m excited to begin work and even more excited to see how God is going to use our home to practice a little Southern hospitality in the year 2015!
Blessings,
VMG206, TuesdaysAtOurHome,
Love this piece. I think I will be learning a lot from you this year. You are a blessing.
Love your plan and admire your vision for your new dining rooom. I’d bet that it’s going to be fabulous.
Don’t know where you live in the south, but you may be interested in a website called Wydevendesigns.blogspot.com (hopefully I’ve remembered it correctly.) Gerrie lives near Atlanta, Ga. She finds and refinishes quality American made chairs. She tracks them down at estate sales, paints some with chalk paint and has a professional to do the upholstry. Her work is beautiful and I thought of her when you mentioned wanting wing back chairs.
I’ll keep tabs on your project for the new year. Hope all goes well.
It’s going to be beautiful Patti! You know if you look around on the internet you’ll find directions for making a trumeau mirror. I’ve seen other bloggers make them.
This one that Suzy Harris made a few years ago is still stuck in my head:
http://www.susieharrisblog.com/2010/02/diy-trumeau.html
Patti,
Although, my upbringing has been on the Prairies of Kansas. . .
my MoMa had Southern blood running through her veins!!!
The coffee pot was always at the ready for any passerby,
family, friend, customer (she operated a beauty Shop) or foe.
She turned NO ONE away!!! She even fed a rail bum in my Youth!!!
Hospitality has always been second nature for me!!!
I think one of our neighbors nearly had a heart attack today
when he dropped by for a visit as I gently pulled him through the front door
exclaiming,”Get in here out of that cold before you freeze!!!”
No harm done, he was grinning from ear~to~ear!!!
Oh, and my appearance. . .I was cleaning house!!!
LOVE your choice of hues for the Dining Room in your lovely new home, dear friend!!!
Fondly,
Pat
Patti, I have a feeling that it won’t take you long to catch on to Southern Hospitality! I like you, would welcome you into my home on any given day. May not be perfect, but having you come to visit would make it that way! Your inspiration board is lovely and I can’t wait to see the room come together. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Most days you would find me in my work clothes too. If I don’t have to go to town, I am in my comfortable old clothes that I don’t have to worry about splashing bleach or paint on! We live in the country, so we don’t get many drop-in guests, but I’ve been “caught” in some pretty awful outfits before. I actually get a kick out of the look on some people’s faces who have only ever seen me “at my best.” It can be pretty comicial!
You have some lovely plans for your dining room Patti! Can’t wait to see the finished product. Thank you for sharing it and your top posts of 2015 at What We Accomplished Wednesdays. Happy New Year!
Blessings, Deborah
I am always in my work clothes but the front door is open for anyone who stops by – that’s Southern style for sure. Love your ideas for your new living room – can’t wait to see it all come together. Thank you for sharing at Share It One More Time. Cathy