vintage chair gets happy/Canada Day holiday

I am going to link up with Debra at Common Ground today for Vintage Inspiration Friday (http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/ ) and also with Cindy at Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday (http://romantichome.blogspot.com/)  I do hope you will drop by and visit these two lovely blogs and see what others are sharing this weekend.

I recently got this chair from a lady who is moving and I decided to give it a fresh coat of paint.

Here it is before - all white and, well, just a little blah.  But see that paint can

at it's feet?  Yup!  I decided to liven her up!

Krylon's Ivy Leaf gave her a brand new look don't you think?

And she matches the little stool that I painted too.

I had this vintage barkcloth cushion cover and thought it would look great on the chair.

The green leaves even match.

I love how this sweet chair has brightened up our back deck.

I want to show you how much my flowers have grown in the past 2 weeks.

This is a little vignette on the stair landing.  It's a fake window with a box at the bottom.  I

just added a couple of old plates and a clay saucer.

Full view of it.

Friday, July 1st, is Canada Day.  Canada is 144 years old!

The smaller flag on the right is Canada's first flag called the Red Ensign.

The larger flag is the Union Jack of Great Britain.

The Canadian flag is very well known around the world with it's

simple red bands and the red maple leaf on a white background.

It was first flown from Parliament Hill in Ottawa, our nation's capital, in 1965.

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian friends!

And  Happy Independence Day to all my American friends!

I hope you all have a safe and fun filled holiday.

Blessings,

Pamela

Canada Day Fireworks on the St. John River, Fredericton.

vintage Foley tea cups

I got up early this morning to bake shortbread cookies so I could do a tea table before it got too hot.  Yes, it is very hot here today ~ about 27 C ~ and humid.  I am in the cool of the downstairs with a sweater on as I write this post.  I love the heat and will have to take a break, go upstairs and warm up soon.

This is the inspiration for this teatime today.  I have 2 of these sweet cups

and saucers from my grandmother's home.  They are so dainty with their

handpainted flowers and the sweet scallop edge in blue.  But, it was the aqua

leaves inside the cup that gave me the idea for a tablecloth.

I dug through my vintage table cloths and found this beautiful square in

gorgeous aqua. It is linen and has 4 matching napkins.  The edge of it is

also scalloped but I forgot to take a picture of it.

I set the table in front of the living room window with the morning sun shining

in on this hot day.  This is a morning tea and there is a beachy theme too.

Do you see the napkin ring?  It is a part of a shell, all shiny and beautiful.

The bottom of the cup.  Foley China. 

Let's look at some old family photos while we enjoy our tea.

I like to pretend I am in this place ~ St. Andrews by-the-Sea.  This little pillow is handstitched

and has pine and other needles inside that smell like the woods.  The vintage post card is the

old windmill at the historic Van Horne estate on Minister's Island near St. Andrews.

Thank you for joining me for tea today.  I am linking up with Sandi at

Rose Chintz Cottage for

Tea Time Tuesday at

http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/

Come along and visit some other lovely tea parties.

Blessings,

Pamela

thems the berries

I purchased fresh local strawberries at the grocery store on Friday.  Well, they were local as in 'grown in Nova Scotia', which is the province next to us and were probably picked on Thursday and trucked here for 5 or 6 hours.  But, they were certainly fresher and better tasting than the ones we get all winter from 'down south'. (no offence)

Yummy, delicious, red, ripe strawberries!

Saturday we had severe thunder showers for most of the day with about 4 inches of rain.

My poor potted plants are so water logged.

It's supposed to be warmer on Monday and Tuesday.

I hope so.

I'd really like to be wearing shorts and tees instead of jeans

and sweatshirts!  Afterall, it's summer isn't it?

How is your weather?  Is it summery where you live?

Canada Day is on Friday, July 1st.  We usually go into

Fredericton for the afternoon and evening and enjoy the

festivities.  There will be fireworks at dusk (10:30) weather permitting. 

Are you doing anything special for Canada Day?

Have a great week.  I'll be back soon.

Blessings,

Pamela

beautiful bloomers

This is our neighbour's rhododendron in full bloom this past week.

And my iris in bloom as well.

I just wanted to share these beautiful bloomers with you before the   

rain and wind coming for the weekend destroy the blossoms.

Thanks so very much for all your sweet comments on

our new kitchen.  I can't wait to get it all together so I 

can show you the total look!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings and Hugs,

Pamela 

a sneak peek at our new kitchen

This is just a sneak peek of a couple of my favorite things about our new kitchen.  It is almost finished.  There are a few little things to be added -  like the lighting, electrical outlets and switches, and a couple of big things  - like the countertop on the peninsula, backsplash, an over-the-range-microwave and a dishwasher. 

One of my favoite things is the display shelf over the kitchen window.  I've already decorated it with a few vintage items.

I love this shelf!  It is quite deep so it will hold large bowls.

There will be lighting under it just behind the valance to light up the sink area.

All these items came from my mother-in-law's house.

Another of my favorite things in our new kitchen is the sink!

It's a Steel Queen from a Quebec company called Richilieu.

The sink has 2 protective stainless steel grids.

It came with this fruit/veggie strainer and a removable stainless steel drainboard.

And

The other favorite part of the new kitchen is the china cupboard!

This was a challenging place to put things in because, well,

I have too many things!  So I saved my favorites and the rest

will go in a yard sale.  I know a lot of people use these cabinets

to display a few large items but I wanted it for my china cups

 and mugs.  So, there they are.  Messily stacked.

Aren't they pretty??  I just couldn't part with these.

So that's a sneak peek at our new kitchen.

I'll be doing a full post with before and after pics once everything is in place.

It takes a while for these things to come together as anyone who has

done a renovation or built a house knows. 

Stay tuned and check back for the full reveal!

Today I'm joining Sarah at Modern Country Style for

Kitchen Favorites Linky Party.

Just click here:  http://moderncountrystyle.blogspot.com/

Blessings,

Pamela

the season of summer

It's the first day of summer and my favorite season.  Here are some of my favorite things. Bring it on!

Beautiful lupin.

Relaxing on the porch.

Harvesting.

Campfires and s'mores on long, warm evenings.

Taking to the water.

A trip to the beach.

Fun on the water at sunset.

Outdoor concerts.

Clothes on the line.

And, summer weddings! 

Happy 3rd Anniversary to our daughter, Jennifer and

son-in-law, Matthew.  Today is the day!

It's a beautiful, sunny day here for the first day of summer. 

I know some of us are having unseasonable weather, too

much rain or drought. 

I know I need to be thankful for every day the Lord has made

and enjoy it in the best way possible. Without complaining!

Happy Summer Everyone!!

I am joining Susan for Outdoor Wednesday at

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Blessings,

Pamela

buttercup meadow

It's buttercup season.

What can be prettier than green and yellow in a field?

Well, a mama cow and her calf maybe? 

How now brown cow?  What's new with you?

More green and yellow in the old John Deere tractor.

Just call it "green acres" out here in the countryside.

Did I tell you that summer is my favorite season?

It is!

And

It's going to be stinking hot this afternoon with thunder showers this evening.

Then it's going to cool down and rain tomorrow.

A Maritime summer ~ if you don't like the weather, wait for 20 minutes.

Here's a sneak peek at the new kitchen cabinets.

I hope you have a super weekend!  I'll be busy trying to find a place

for everything that came out of the old cabinets.  I have more cabinets

but not the same space so it's challenging.  (I'll explain this when

I do a post about the reno)

Blessings and hugs,

Pamela

beauty all around us

We had several hot and sunny days last week concluding with this

beautiful sunset on Saturday night.

This is one of the baby robins that have left the nest.  She was

resting after flying away from our dog.  Poor thing. 

She survived him but I haven't seen any of the babies since Saturday.

Swallowtail butterfly in the honeysuckle tree.

Wild apple tree blossom with a friendly ant.

These are just a few of the beautiful things I have seen this past week.

I enjoy the world that God has created and the beauty that surounds me.

I hope you find something beautiful in your world today.

I thank you for visiting.  I have enjoyed all your kind comments on my past

few posts and hope you will come back and visit again! 

I am joining Outdoor Wednesday today at:

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

 

Blessings,

Pamela

P.S.  The kitchen cabinets are here and partly installed.

We are in a mess and I can't wait to get my house back in order!