All of this in One year

I have been working on this post for two days and blogger keeps messing me up by deleting my content! I guess I can use this as the most frustrating thing in 2011 lol!

I cannot believe this year is coming to a close. It was a year that began with a lot of ideas of things that I wanted to do. Never did I realize that this blog was going to direct my vision.

I just wanted to share some of the amazing moments this year.

My favorite furniture project was my Audrey Hepburn Dresser I got to combine my love of art with my painting furniture!

Your favorite furniture project was my french piano bench!

 My favorite and most exciting thing was a redo with The Lettered Cottage for their HGTV Pilot shoot!

I met so many amazing bloggers this year and became very close to some that I have not even met!

Your all-time favorite project was my Utensil Drawer Organizer! It still cracks me up since it is made from paint sticks!

 My favorite craft project was my Ticket Sign! It led to me opening up an Etsy Shop!

This is a Golden Ticket but the most popular is the original one in my Etsy Shop!

You favorite craft project was my Dessert Tray Chandelier!

 

Last but not least one of the most exciting things was getting to showcase all my furniture and artwork in a store! La Vie En Rose Cottage in Nashville Tennessee!

I couldn't have done any of these things without all of you so thank you so much! For more exciting posts stay a while and take the journey with me by following me into the next year!~

Hugs, Deneen

Linking to

The day after Christmas

For most the day after Christmas is a shopping day. A day for sales of returns of unwanted Christmas gifts. Some are still visiting family and celebrating their time off.

For me it is bitter sweet....

A day that most have forgotten about but still is clear in my mind and heart. You see 20 years ago I lost a baby in a miscarriage. It was a horrible time for me. Every year at this time I feel I need to do something to remember it. Although I want to forget it. It is confusing. I feel like if I don't do something the baby will be forgotten and I don't want that to happen.

For years I used to light a special candle and say a prayer. Then it was just the prayer. Now I can pray and tell my story.

It all started 20 years ago with the excitement of finding out I was pregnant. I had a little boy that was 4 and this was going to add to our family...a blessing. I decided it would be a surprise to everyone including my husband. After all it was Christmas. I found the cutest little sock baby at a craft fair. That was wrapped and put in my husbands stocking, a bonnet for my parents and a pair of pink booties for his. A gift that no one would see coming. A special surprise.

Christmas day that year turned out much different. I started spotting and the doctor said I could be losing the baby. I had to tell everyone. The wonderful surprise did not turn out as planned.
The next day I lost my sweet baby. It's due date was supposed to be July 24th.....

I just wanted to die myself. I had people tell me it was best. That it was Gods way of taking it because it was to weak. Yes I heard it all and none of it was comforting. I even had friends not call me because they didn't know what to say. Please don't ever do that to someone. Just be there for them and listen that is all they want. Don't try to make them feel better because no one can.

Only time can heal...and prayers.

You see I thought I was loosing my mind. How could I have a beautiful healthy boy and then loose a baby? I tried to get pregnant again. I obsessed with it. And just when I didn't think it would ever happen....

 I found out I was pregnant again!

My beautiful baby girl was born! The day was July 25th...ironic huh?

My children are such a blessing to me and I celebrate my gift often. From time to time I think of my little angel. My son, at 4, told me that God needed another little angel in heaven. How come children know just what to say sometimes?

So on this day a get a little teared up. Yes even after all these years, because you are a mother as soon as you know there is life. You are a mother even when it is gone. The bond is there no matter what.
I am blessed to have two beautiful and talented children.

I am grateful to God for angels too......

I know this is not my typical post so thanks for putting up with me.

Thank you for letting me share my story.

So This Is Christmas

I wish you all a Merry Christmas! I hope you had a great celebration. Never forget the reason for the season!

"....for unto us a CHILD is born!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is very special to my family. Years ago my mom and dad started a tradition that we all still keep today. As many Italians do, we eat a huge fish dinner with a pasta bar with different sauces Our family gathers to eat and celebrate.

This is the night we all exchange gifts with each other. We did this so on Christmas Day we could be with our own families. Our children didn't have to be torn away from their gifts on Christmas Day. The kids are grown now but we still do the same thing and look forward to it.

We have a new addition this year. When my sister married, she also got a son to share her life with. So we are back to having a young one around at Christmas.

We also have a new furry little guy.

So tonight we will eat, laugh, smile, breathe and thank God for the many blessings in our lives. We will put out cookies and milk out for Santa and we will celebrate the real meaning of Christmas...the birth of our savior.


May this holiday and all the year through carry blessings for all of you and your families.

Thank you for being a part of my life!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Paris Grey Buffet {Christmas}

Back in the summer I purchased an old dresser. You know the kind, someone's redo project. The one that doesn't quite look like what they thought it would. So I got lucky.

The problem.....so very heavy.

I actually bought it for the store but when I got it in the house I said "This sucker is staying here!" I just couldn't see lifting it again. It my just go with the house if I ever sell it lol!

The one thing I loved was the carved details. The rest of it had to go! Especially those knobs!

My big plan was to have it all done for Thanksgiving.....yeah well you know how my last few months have been. So out came the tablecloth and I covered it up. Don't judge me!!!lol

Then one night I couldn't stand it any longer. Out came the grey paint and crystal knobs!

So I got a little paint on the floor. That's an easy clean up. There was no way I was gonna move this sucker again! It fits perfect there and goes well with my Christmas Decor! Love the before and after! Especially the after!

 What you don't see is that it still has to be waxed! Hee Hee! Gotta love the blogs! Things usually aren't what they seem!

I can't wait to put all the homemade cookies on top of it! .........If I get them baked!

We Are Having Guests!

Design Shuffle had asked me if they can do a guest post and I am pleased to have them here. I thought this post would be of interest of my readers. I hope you enjoy it!


Hello, I’m Joanna, a writer for Design Shuffle, a terrific online portal for interior designers to share their portfolios. My days are spent gathering the most beautiful images from around the web and sharing them with readers of blogs like Dreaming in Color. Today's post showcases eight painted pieces that would work well in the bedroom. Painted tables and chests in fun hues are a favorite of ours. From a formal pink bombe chest to a graphic inspired table, these furnishings inspire many of our own. Take a look at some of our favorite bedside painted tables and chests. Thanks for letting me share!

An ornately carved chest is just as perfect in this hall as it would be beside a bed. The whimsical blue hue offers a dreamy ambiance that will enrich any room it is placed in. The beautiful color of this otherwise traditionally designed chest is visually intriguing, and it glimmers with uniqueness. Pair the chest with a totally different piece, like a round skirted table, on the other side of the bed for a lovely romantic look.

Christmas Tree Story

Christmas for me is all about celebrating the birth of Christ and keeping with traditions of the holiday.  Our family has many different things we do that make it special for us.

I don't buy a real tree although I love them. It just has always been easier to have the fake one. I grew up with that and I guess it stayed with me. When my husband and I got married our tree was lacking in the ornament department. I remember gathering pine cones and pine boughs to decorate the house with. I made my ornaments out of napkin rings that year, that I found for almost nothing. Funny I have been making things out of "nothing" for years!

As we made a life for ourselves, we also made our own traditions. We started creating our Christmas tree to tell "our" story.

We started buying ornaments that related to what and where we've been. Some were made too. I started with this one that I made when I was a little girl.

 

Then the babies came

 

 

As they grew so did our tree. It started to represent them and their acheivements.

College ornament

 All the Broadway shows my daughter has seen

The instruments and music my son played

Vacations and places that we visited.

Even our pets that we have and some that are no longer with us.

 

Our Story......

So every year as I unwrap the ornaments for our tree, I relive the memories of us!

So my tree isn't the latest fad or a Pottery Barn look alike.

My tree is the continuing story of our lives and the changes the occurred in our history.

It is the most cherished Christmas decoration in our home. It is wrapped up with all the emotions of the season.

I share this with you!

Merry Christmas!

Bonne Nuit

I lucked up on a cute little piece of furniture. It wasn't that cute when I first got it but as usual it had a certain appeal.

I new I could try to transform it into something a lot better than the "before".

 

It was beige in color and boring. So I began to paint it in black. I called it a bench/magazine thingy. That was the technical term lol!

This time I found some really cute stencils at Hobby Lobby and with some old white I stenciled the front of the piece.

 

Then I stenciled the front of the magazine holders or sides of it.

 

This is it with the paint still wet.

I felt like it still needed something so I hand painted Bonne Nuit to the top.

 

I heavily distressed it and let the beige color come through.

 

Now it was an interesting piece to put in the store.  

It sold a couple of days later!

Christmas shopping today! NO I haven't finished yet!!!

Fluer De Les

On of the newest members of La Vie en Rose is a cute little double round table I found.

 It is a little bit chunky but I think it has potential. The sides are the perfect canvas for something special.

I decided to paint it a two-tone look of charcoal and grey.

 Then I painted fluer de les on the squares with a stencil and lightly distressed it.

 I think it is something different. I get tired of just painting a piece of furniture. Now I have another sweet thing to put in the store.

What do you think?

I am waiting for my fridge to be delivered as I type. I cannot wait! I have been waiting since Thanksgiving. Thank God I had one in the garage to help me out!

Have a wonderful day!

Winner of the WISH sign

Crazy days as usual. I can't seem to get ahead of the game. what makes today so different than any other day?

I have picked a winner of my sign......

BeeHappy! congratulations and thank you for being a faithful follower. Please email me within 48 hours to claim your prize!

Christmas Table Decor

One of my favorite things is setting up the holiday table. A place for family to gather to eat, pray, and laugh! I like to continue the sparkle of the holiday throughout each room. This room gets silver and crystal. Of course for a photo you don't get to see the beauty of the sparkle. So you have to imagine it!

I made the napkin rings by gluing ornaments to old rings. I went with a snowflake motif to match the dishes.

The teacups are crystal and I may add names to the snowflakes for place settings.

Even the light fixture gets some bling! I am still in search for my crystals that dangle from each candle. I am afraid I used it in a craft project!!! Whoops!

 

My chairs are covered with pillowcases. Yep you heard right. It is so simple to just pull them over the top of the chair and embellish it with a bow. This can be done in many colors to change up the look. It is better to me than sewing or buying a slipcover.

 

I add a silver and white bow with crystals dangling from the centers. I only cover two of the chairs so it is not so matchy, matchy.

 

I will probably add a few more details to it but you get the gist.

 

 

Now we are ready for a wonderful Christmas Dinner! Italian of course!

Just a few more days to enter the Giveaway for a WISH sign!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!!!

What a wonderful gift for Christmas! Good Luck!

Thank You Party and Giveaway

 Don't forget about the WISH sign Giveaway!!! Enter Here Now!

Today is my Thank You Party!!! Come visit and show them the love!

What is a Thank You Party?

It is my way of giving back! I do this by Showcasing YOU! You read and comment the most!
All I ask is that you read this and GO VISIT the person. If you like them please follow them but that is up to you. If you do, you will be glad you did because they are truly sincere in what they write on your posts and who knows, you might want them to follow you too!


You might be next! I like comments so I am going to start doing this as much as I can! I want it to be special so it is probably not going to be every week.


Today I will showcase Carol from The Answer Is Chocolate....love the name!

Hi there! I'm Carol and I blog over at The Answer Is Chocolate. The rest of it goes "Does the question really matter" and you might be able to guess that since I named my blog what I did, no...the question doesn't matter. The answer for me is ALWAYS chocolate.  I'm a lifelong  chocoholic. So is mine a chocolate blog? Kind of, but really, it's my little corner of the web where I share my love of creating all kinds of things. You'll definitely find some chocolate features sprinkled in.



My first creative love is paper and I started out making cards. That led to scrapbooking which led to mixed media, which led to home decor, which somewhere along the line led to jewelry making and somewhere in there I got hooked on up-cycling / re-cycling  / re-purposing and transforming "trash to treasure".  I enjoy using materials for other than their intended purpose which results in some interesting conversations and looks at places like Home Depot.  All of this is fueled by chocolate confections and coffee. Mochas specifically. What else?!



I started my blog about a year and a half ago since my son was about to graduate from High School and we were soon to be empty nesters when he left for college. Blogging has been an incredibly fun and rewarding experience. I have met so many great people like Deneen, and have been so amazed at the support and generosity of other bloggers. Because of that, I started something on my blog called "Blog Feature Friday" where I highlight a new or growing blog I've encountered and whose style I think my readers would like. It's my small way of giving back to the community that's given so much to me.  My husband appreciates it too because now I have other people who get as excited about a new product or technique or steal deal at Michaels or JoAnn's. No more blank stares from him! Well, fewer of them.



Here are a few of my rather unorthodox ideas:

Cleaned out my refrigerator just to get the jars for these snowglobes. 

For this project, I used an old furniture leg and an ornament from the Dollar Tree:

Right now I'm in Christmas mode but here are a couple of non-Christmas projects too. I love to play with plain glass candles from Dollar Tree, and use up bits and scraps of what I have in my craft room: 

This is one of those things that cause the folks at Lowes and Home Depot to scratch their heads when they see me coming. This started out as a plain would thigamajig from the HW store: 

and turned into a 50th Anniversary present for friends of my husband's parents. 

I would love for you to drop by for a visit and thanks Deneen for the opportunity to share!

Carol

I love doing this! It is so much fun! You can be next!