President's Day

I spent my President's Day off doing housework, grocery shopping -- all the things I should have gotten done this weekend.  Except this past weekend wasn't like any other weekend.  Patrick & I spent a few nights down in Cullman participating in Catholic Engaged Encounter.  If you're newly engaged, I highly recommend attending one of their weekends, even non-Catholic couples were in attendance.  It was an amazing experience.  The whole weekend was about making sure you knew who you were marrying and providing tools to survive being married.

Now, on to what I spent some of my Monday on:

I got some stencil sheets from wally-world and carved out my own stencil and began stenciling an accent wall in my guest bathroom.  I darkened the picture so you could see the stencil better, but the walls are in Behr Sterling and the stencil is just one shade darker (I can't remember the color right off the top of my head, maybe Dolphin).  The picture is the extent of my efforts today since no one clued in the university that today was an off day, so I still had class to attend.  I'll try and update this post with a complete picture.

Vintage Finds

I hope everyone out there is safe and snug or is quickly on their way home.  The roads are absolutely treacherous.  My traction control light in my car was blinking feverishly throughout the mere half mile I attempted (and then promptly turned around and went home).  But now I have a whole day to procrastinate from my graduate course work and write to you, lovely blog land. :-)

Both Patrick and I have numerous quilts and throws that were handmade by our grandmothers, all of which had been tucked away to be kept safe.  Now that Patrick and I are re-evaluating our situations with our upcoming marriage, we decided that a blanket chest would be needed to house all of our grandmother's keepsakes.  After a quick search on craigslist, I was in love.

 A solid cedar blanket chest with mahogany veneer on top!  The scroll work on the front is just enough detail to be timeless.

Here you can see the vibrancy of the cedar chest already occupied with some of Grandma Helen's blankets.  After July, there will be some new additions from my grandmothers.

Another bonus piece that the same lovely lady was selling -- a black Northwind chair.  If you look closely, you can see the face of the North Wind carved into the seat back.  With the curved seat bottom, my derriere was pretty comfy!

Never underestimate the pre-loved options for furniture, particularly solid wood items.  With just a bit of a scavenger hunt, you might surprise yourself with the treasures you'll find!  Happy Hunting! :)