Friday, March 18, 2016

Five MORE Things....on Friday

Right after I wrote my 5 Random Things post I found five more things to share.


So, I am linking up with Five on Friday, hosted by Amy at Love Made My Home.


Monday was a great day and is my Number 1!


I have been looking for a new rug for my parlor because the one that was there was quite worn and almost 20 years old. I painted the walls cranberry to match the rug which made it hard to find a new rug with the right color.


The only picture I could find of the old rug is from a few Christmas' ago. It was an Aubusson rug with long fringe, which I grew to hate.



I looked online and finally decided on a burgundy rug from a large retailer. When it arrived it was Rust! Luckily for me, the UPS drop off is right up the street in an antique shop. When dropping it off to send it back I just casually asked if they had any large 100% wool rugs. There hanging in the corner was the perfect rug!



The owner offered to deliver it to my house, which is just down the street, so I could try it before I bought it. He actually brought it in, moved the old rug and laid it out for me. He has a flair for decorating and thought it matched although the color is burgundy, not cranberry. It turns out to be exactly what I had envisioned and I love it. It matches my chairs and window treatments and has transformed the look of the room.


I decided not to wait for my husband to see it because I knew he'd love it and leave it up to me anyways. The best part is that when I went to pay for it, I had a 10% off store coupon that was on the receipt I got for returning the first rug! You know that commercial with the woman just sighing at her newly remodeled kitchen and the daughter says "c'mon Mommy, turn off the light and let the kitchen get some rest"?? That's me....standing in the doorway, sighing at how gorgeous my new rug looks!


Number 2

Once the new rug was down, the blotchy floors were so much more apparent, especially in front of the window seat. I remembered a trick I used before in my dining room, which is good ol' olive oil.

The
Before


I sprinkled it on the floor right out of my olive oil bottle, rubbed it in with a paper towel.....



and ta da....


It filled in all the light stains enough to make it look so much better.



Number 3


I love getting decorating ideas from other bloggers and sometimes those ideas are "aha" moments. That is what happened when Carol at Art and Sand posted about how she has books all over her house. She had some fabulous wire baskets filled with them under her table and I loved the look. I bought one of those baskets last year and never did anything with it. Now it holds my grandchildren's books for when they visit, which were not being read because they were hidden in the toy chest. It sits on top of my "new" chippy stool that I am deciding whether or not I can sell!



Number 4


I also got inspiration for a Spring/Easter centerpiece from so many decorating blogs. This is my version of what I saw. I used my lace edged burlap runner from last year under an old pine plank. The slice of tree is actually from Target and the cloche was new at Christmas, from JoAnn's.




I painted some plastic eggs from Walmart with my "Cascade" chalk paint and then splotched on some white. The bird nest is from my yard and the deer is from my vintage deer collection.


Number 5

Our dear friends Karl and Diane are moving to North Carolina at the end of March. We have had some great fun and laughs with them and wanted to capture the highlights to give to them as a keepsake. Good old Walmart was there for me with their photo center machines that you can make a photo collage on. For $2.93 I made an 8 x 10 of the best pictures I could find. For $4 I found a really nice black frame. There you have it....a pretty nice going away gift!




Another week gone by and a busy weekend ahead......

Happy First Day of Spring, Sunday March 20th!!!!

AnnMarie xoxo

I am linking up with these fun blog parties:






28 comments:

  1. What a gorgeous room you have with the new rug! I'm sure it was lovely before too! I have a similar basket and have decided to sell it but now looking at your idea... hmmmmm. It is tough! Great five things, Ann Marie! Enjoy your weekend!

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  2. Love the rug, it really does go so well with all your other furnishings and décor. A great idea to use a wire basket for your Grandchildren's books I am going to look for something similar. Take care.

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  3. I use a mixture of 1 part olive oil and 1 part white vinegar and it seriously fixes scratches, water rings, "blotches" as you call them... I this trick on any stained wood! Every piece I buy for my booth gets this rub down. What's nice is that it's cheap and eco-friendly!

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  4. Great ideals, especially the one using olive oil on the floor. I will defiantly use that one. We have heart pine floors and doge in the house and lots of scratches.

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  5. Great tip with the olive oil, thanks for sharing!! hope you have a wonderful weekend

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  6. Your new rug is gorgeous, AnnMarie. It really does change the look of the room, and ties in all your other colors perfectly. What a brilliant idea to use olive oil to freshen up your floor's finish. Looks wonderful. The basket of books on the stool is fun. I like that. I came across a blog where a rectangular wicker planter was used to hold books. This is what makes blogging so fun. . .we get ideas from one another. Your friends will love the framed collage. That's a really sweet going away gift. Well done. Hugs, Nancy

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  7. I love all your tips and ideas, thank you! I am drooling over you rug, it is lovely. Hugs,

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  8. AnnMarie,
    Me too with a new rug purchase... But mine is Rust over dyed Persian which is the right color for my room. I love your rug I too have your color's in our house. Delightful choice and OMGosh you're a genius with the olive oil trick!!! Loving the nest in the cloche, so fun and sweet.
    xoxo,
    Vera

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  9. Lovely to see these things from your home. Hope that you really enjoy your new rug, it looks really great! Seeing your wood slice has reminded me that I have some waiting for me to use, I should dig them out! Thank you for taking part in Five On Friday, hope you have a good weekend and a good Easter! xx

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  10. Gorgeous new rug and what a great tip for polishing up a wooden floor! i love the book basket too and must do something similar with a cloche I have!
    Thanks for sharing!

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  11. Wow, that rug is fabulous and really makes a difference. That is a meant to be kind of purchase for sure! I love your olive oil trick. My bedroom floor looks just like that in some spots...gotta love these old houses. I have used that trick on my furniture, but it never really dawned on me to try the floor. Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow? ;)

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  12. The chippy little bench looks too happy with its wire basket of books to be sold. Love the new rug. I will be using the tip about the olive oil. I hope the dogs won't lick it off!

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  13. What a perfect, perfect, perfect rug, AnnMarie! WOW! It looks fantastic in there. The olive oil worked great, too. My dil gave me a wire basket that I have been using to hold throws for the girls to use when they are here and want to cuddle. Great 5!!! xo Diana

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  14. Wow, the floor looks amazing! I can't believe it was only Olive Oil that made it look new again :)

    I just love the little basket for the books around the house - very cute and clever :)

    Happy weekend, my friend. Hugs!

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  15. There are no coincidences, AnnMarie -that rug was just waiting there for you to find it! It looks terrific, and I'm glad it is bringing you so much joy! That's what it's all about! I have to try that olive oil trick. I've got a few bare spots on my floor. Very cute Easter display, and a great going-away gift. My opinion? Keep the chippy stool! Thanks for linking up at Best of the Weekend!

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  16. Yes, that new rug looks perfect for the room. What a nice feeling! Glad you found just what you wanted.

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  17. Ok....LOVE the rug, that spring cloche is gorgeous, and what a super cute going away gift! You had a great week!!!

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  18. What a great happy positive five. I agree your rug looks perfect

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  19. The rug looks wonderful. I liked your tip about using olive oil, I'll give it a try.

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  20. I remember a couple of years ago finding the perfect rug for my living room. It had been returned to the store because its previous owner had tried to wash it with soap and water, and the colours ran. I got it half price as a result. Bargain!
    So, some of the white bits are actually pink- but I love it.

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  21. Your new rug is gorgeous! I've always heard that the colours don't have to match 'exactly', rather they just have to be the same 'tone'. the whole room looks lovely, and I one day want this same look of a beautiful rug on the floor and hardwood around the edges (I'm currently stuck with wall-to-wall carpet throughout my whole house). I have used Hawes Lemon Oil on wood the same way you have used the olive oil. What a difference it makes! Better than having to refinish the entire floor ;) The wire book basket and the springtime cloche look great! Happy First Day of Spring!
    Wendy

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  22. Hi AnnMarie, the rug looks great. I like the wall color too. Your floors turned out great.
    Happy Spring and happy Easter week!
    Gina

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  23. Great ideas. Love your eggs, and I'm trying that olive oil on my kitchen cabinets.

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  24. An excellent selection. I love the carpet and the wire basket and I'm looking about me to see what can be improved with olive oil.
    Amalia
    xo

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  25. Your rug looks beautiful and perfect in your room. Love the tip about the wood floors. It's always fun to get new ideas from other bloggers.
    Mary Alice

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  26. I love the wirebasket idea too!
    I am thinking magazines or librarybooks..... ;-).
    Love from Mirjam.

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  27. I love it all, especially the cloche! Thank you for sharing. You are one of the features at the Anything Blue Friday party at The Dedicated House. Here is the link to this week's party. http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2016/03/anything-blue-friday-week-106.html Hope to see you again at the little, blue soiree! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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