A Glimpse into my world and some Odds and Ends

It’s been a month since I’ve returned from my trip to New York where I…

It’s been a month since I’ve returned from my trip to New York where I visited my sons.  I had a great time and even got to meet the family cat. But I also did a bit of housekeeping, reorganizing and refreshing some things.  Today I’d like to share a different type of post with you.  I’m taking you on a glimpse into my world and a few odds and ends that I worked on while there. 

This is the living room. Of course those lovely burlap pillows were a gift to my older son but I did find time to display them first.  The Peace pillow is a gift from my dear friend Nikki Frank Hamilton. You can visit her at the Make Lemonade Shop to check out her selection or you can custom order your pillows like I did. 
Living room couch, A glimpse into my world and some odds and ends, www.theboondocksblog.com
Above the couch I had originally placed three frames. The one that was here previously has been moved and in it’ place I have added the “Birds of Christmas”.  I was aiming for a brighter look. The two frames flanking the central one have vintage maps of New York and of Greece.  It is my way of paying tribute to our two locations that pull us back and forth all the time.  
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picture frames over the couch, A glimpse into my world and some odds and ends, www.theboondocksblog.com
This is our living room wall with the television set. I have created a gallery wall of sorts using dollar store frames for the most part.  A few of them were old wooden frames which I had spray painted black years ago.  

The 

one to the left is a drawing made by my son and I’ve added a fabric mat to it for a more refined look .  The next two were printables that I downloaded from my friend Katrin’s blog, KreativK.  She has the cutest printables. And these two in blue were perfect for my son’s wall.  And the last one on the top right is also by Katrin; it is a winter village. The rest of the frames hold more of his drawings. They were dollar store frames.  

But the important thing here is that because they display things that we love they are worth much more than just a dollar. I always encourage my kids to make art and then I get to display it.  And it warms my heart to see Katrin’s work on my wall as well. 
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gallery wall, A glimpse into my world and some odds and ends, www.theboondocksblog.com
Moving on to the guest bedroom, I needed a dresser for my clothes and found an old one which was solid wood but in bad shape.  This one actually belonged to my husband and when we married and moved here many years ago I had painted it white. I must have been ahead of the trends!

The problem was that after we moved to Greece, my dad stored it in the basement and had placed things on it.  I tried to sand it but instead of sanding all I did was to move the melted paint from one area to another.  It was really a hopeless case.  I think that in the future this one will need a good strip job.  But for the time being I embraced my farmhouse inner self and just went with it.  As you can see it is full of chips and nicks. There were a few there, but I added some more with the use of the sander. 
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old white dresser, A glimpse into my world and some odds and ends, www.theboondocksblog.com
Below you can see just what I accomplished after 15 minutes of sanding – with a machine no less. Now I have to digress here and say that before I started to blog I would not have been caught dead with a piece of furniture like that in my house.  Oh but how the mighty have fallen – No!  

I have come to love and appreciate many different styles and there is beauty in the reveal of the raw wood underneath a lifetime of paint. This piece is just like me.  A certain age with flaws and wrinkles but there is still much underneath that is of importance.  Every wrinkle, scratch, nick and cut has been hard earned!

I no longer see it as unfinished, but instead, as a work in progress!  Just like me! 😉
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distressing on white dresser, A glimpse into my world and some odds and ends, www.theboondocksblog.com

​This little fish bowl has been in this house for as long as I can remember. The color of the glass reminds me of the Greek sea. 
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blue fish bowl, A glimpse into my world and some odds and ends, www.theboondocksblog.com
The little stool was found by the hubs  when he saved the mirror.  I also finished this one with Old Fashioned Milk Paint in Oyster White. 
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wooden stool, before, A glimpse into my world and some odds and ends, www.theboondocksblog.com
I bought the lamp at Target two years ago.  The shade is actually made from cork.  I love all the texture it has. 
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cork shade on lamp, A glimpse into my world and some odds and ends, www.theboondocksblog.com
The two demitasse cups and saucers were hand made in my birthplace, Agiasos on the island of Lesvos. The village is famous for its tradition of ceramic and wood work that dates back thousands of years. Now you see where I get my creative side from.  It must be in the village water. 
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demitasse cups on stool, A glimpse into my world and some odds and ends, www.theboondocksblog.com
The pottery and painting of the ceramics are all done by hand. And below you can see just how nice the little stool looks after I finished putting beeswax on it. Actually I’m not even sure it’s a stool.  It really is too short to be a real stool.  I’m pretty short and that thing is not going to make much of a difference when I’m reaching up to a high cabinet. 
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demitasse ceramic cup and saucer handmade, A glimpse into my world and some odds and ends, www.theboondocksblog.com
The vintage milk server was handed down to me from my mother.  She had great taste, something which I am becoming aware of only now. I remember her wearing matching outfits and her shoes and handbag always coordinated.  Unlike me, who well…we won’t get into that, after all this is not a fashion blog. Suffice it to say that matching shoes and handbags are no longer in style and I am grateful for that. 
milk server from my mother, A glimpse into my world and some odds and ends, www.theboondocksblog.com
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​I have a huge collection of cards.  I’d get them in the mail and before I knew it, I had amassed hundreds of them.  Well how many cards am I going to send out in this day of e-mail?  None!  Instead, I chose to display them in one of those collage picture frames that hold 12 photos. Depending on my mood and season I can just change them out. You had originally seen this frame in between my bookcase makeover.
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Pcollage picture frames with cards, A glimpse into my world and some odds and ends, www.theboondocksblog.com
This was certainly a different type of post for me, this small glimpse into my world.  I hope you enjoyed it along with my odds and ends! Which did you like the most?

Now you all must tell me, that “stool”… is it really a stool or is it something else?
musings on small changes that were made to the house, picture frames, dresser and stool, along with a bit about my village in Greece, A glimpse into my world and some odds and ends, www.theboondocksblog.com
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63 Comments

    1. Marissa that fishbowl has been in my family for as long as I can remember. Doesn’t it remind you of the blue sea?

  2. Mary, I really enjoyed this peek at your treasures. I always tell people that the best decorating comes from adding pieces you love to your space. You have certainly done that. I have no idea about the stool, but I love what you have done with it!

    1. Thanks Kim. And all this just in my son’s home. I haven’t even gone to the basement yet! 😉

  3. You spoke to me when you said there was a time you would not have liked a dresser like that. I was like that and it was my ex husband and ex fiancee who opened my eyes to the beauty of used items with a coat of paint. I am grateful they did. I love the dresser and all of the other items.

    1. Thanks Debra, we are learning to appreciate so many things we would not have given a second look at years ago. I think that is the true beauty of this journey of ours through our blogs.

  4. The stool is quite the find, I can see it as stool for a preschooler, as elevated shelf, as prop shelf on a porch with pots on it, you name it!

  5. Thank you for showing us a “glimpse” of your world, dear Mary. Those odds and ends are full of memories and lovable. I really like those cups – wouldn’t mind finding them in my china cabinet… I’m sure you had a lovely time in New York!
    Have a great day,
    Marjan

    1. I had the best time even if I didn’t finish everything I set out to do. But when are you really finished?

  6. Oh that stool is perfection and so perfect for decorating vignettes like yours here Mary! The dresser is so nice, with all it´s scratches and imperfections! I have to say that I also didn´t see the beauty in imperfection before blogging…shame. I would have lot´s more stuff to repurpose if I had! The cups and milk server are so special, and they look great on the stool! I also love your card collection, Thank you for letting us peek into your home!!

    1. Thank you Katrin for always joining me in my adventures where ever they might be. I really need to do something with that stool or whatever it is.

  7. Love the story behind the stuff Mary. Its what make our houses homes. The vintage maps of New York and Greece are especially wonderful. Your living it so it doesn’t seem that glamourous but to be flying between New York and Greece is pretty amazing. Both of those locations are on my bucket list, I won’t ever be able to afford Greece, but New York most certainly is.
    I chuckled when you talked about the stool and needing one to get in the cupboards lol. I am five 7 and by far the shortest in my house so its a new idea for me.
    So glad you were able to see you boys and be a Mom and nest with them. Its lovely to read.
    Enjoy your week. Leanna

    1. Leanna it may be glamorous to you but for me it’s a pain by now. all that back and forth. If only it was fewer hours but the pond is very big. Haha!
      As for that stool, I’m only 5 foot 3 inches so it would have to be a lot bigger to help me reach the top cabinets.

  8. I never thought about the analogy between an old piece of furniture and me Mary, but now I will never look at one in quite the same way again. Lol
    I think that’s a stool too…a bit too low to be a bench, unless someone is super short!
    XXX

    1. Leave it to me Doreen to come up with something like that.
      And that might be a bench if you were an elf! 😉

    1. Thanks Marie, I carry all sorts of baggage wherever I go. I even managed to bring some paint home to Greece with me.

  10. I love your home and I LOVE that dresser.
    By the way, in the room where the television was, I saw your screen and thought that was a print on your wall.
    The coolest print ever.

    1. If only Kari! I just have a cool son who loves watching Animes and makes me watch them with him. Haha!

  11. Mary, you were super busy when going to New York and it looks like you got a lot accomplished. I like the vignette you made with the stool and cups. I wonder if the stool could be used as a bed tray of sorts? Anyway I like how you styled it. The furniture looks great and all your wall displays are beautiful!!

    1. That is a great idea Keri, a bed tray. Unfortunately it’s too small for that. I would have loved that thought!

  12. Mary,
    I can’t help you out with the stool issue but I love your collection of bird cards that you have framed! They’re beautiful! I also love your Blue fish plate (how unique!) and your mothers cream pitcher (beautiful!). I think the dresser is a beautiful piece, whether you re do it or not! I find your life very interesting ! Thanks for the “glimps” !
    Jeannee

    1. Thanks Jeannee. I don’t know if it’s interesting or not. I only know I get to watch lots of movies on the flights back and forth. Haha. And yes I have become very fond of that ole dresser!

  13. Hmmm…you’ve stumped me as it relates to that stool! Could it be a little shelf sort of thing to sit on a counter? What ever it is, it is surely charming as you are using it.
    It was really lovely to see ‘where you live’…this blogging thing is funny…we really get to know each other without actually meeting each other and seeing each other in their environment…as such, it’s always neat to get a sneak peak.
    I hope you are enjoying a lovely spring day in Greece, it is just blissful here in North Carolina.
    Hugs, Lynn

    1. Lynn this is not even where I live, this is where I visit. Haha! But a piece of me belongs here. We’ve had this home since I was a teen and while we moved to Greece my dad kept it and now the kids are back with him…well at least one of them is. It’s funny how life goes around in circles.
      Enjoy the weather because I hear in NY they are having a snowstorm again.

  14. Mary,
    I love your old chippy dresser! It’s perfectly imperfect, you know? Thanks for sharing your heart each week ~ needing a pick up today. <3
    Eat an olive for me over across the Pond,
    Barb 🙂

    1. That’s exactly how I see it Barbara. Perfectly imperfect and that suits me just fine. I hope you are feeling better.

    1. I agree Tuula. That dresser is definitely older than me and deserves some respect. So I’ll not torture it with the sander and just put lovely things on it.

  16. I have absolutely no idea what that cute bench thingy is Mary but I so enjoyed reading this. Your NY home looks like it’s a true reflection of you or how I imagine you to be. All the love and caring for others is evident in every picture and vignette you’ve created. Katrin’s beautiful printables intermingled with your son’s art work, a cherished dish from your mom combined with hand painted cups from your birth place, throw pillows made with love by a friend and a chippy dresser. They each tell such a beautiful story about you. You’re an amazing woman in so many ways

    1. Michelle I like to think that it is surrounded by love and by things that are made by the people I care for.

  17. You are a sweet person Mary, I can understand this and I can see it in your place too. Cozy and sweet full of warmth and love. Love every little detail especially the blue plate.
    Hugs and kisses my friend 🙂

    1. Christina, doesn’t that blue plate remind you of Greece and the greek sea? Thank you for your kind words.

  18. Hi Mary, you were busy while you were over in New York. What caught my eye is the picture at the bottom of the living room photo, it looks like people on a bus looking out of the windows. How nice that you have items from your place of birth, I like sentimentality like that…. My Mum is also a well turned out lady, I couldn’t match a pair of socks if my life depended on it!
    xx

    1. The picture on the bottom is actually the television set that is on. I snapped the photo while it was on. It may be an anime series my son was watching. Ahh those mom’s are classy ladies Debbie. I’m happiest in my pajamas!!

  19. Mary I really enjoyed the glimpse into your world of odds and ends. It’s funny how we use to think if a piece of furniture gets nicked up it’s time to get another. Now that’s what we want, lol. Love your dresser, and that pretty blue dish. Your photo galleries look great, it’s nice that you were able to use your sons drawing, and Katrin’ s beautiful printable. Very pretty!!!

    1. It’s all about feeling comfortable in your home. I am slowly transforming it and giving it a bit of light.

  20. I collect cobalt blue glass and that blue fish bowl is beautiful.
    Thanks for sharing your home life with all of us.

    1. It was a different type of post for me but also lots of fun. It made me look at my house from a different light.

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