painted paneling

After over five years of {nagging} discussions, the dark stained paneling in our home is getting painted this week.  Yep ...painted :)

One of the things we loved about our home, when we first saw it, is the very thing that we were starting to dislike ...the dark stained paneling {more-so for me than my husband}.
Agreed ...the picture-framed paneling is beautiful, but a bit overwhelming and outdated when you consider that the entire downstairs floor is paneled dark.  We have beautiful dark-stained wall units from Belgium in our Living Room that are lost up again the dark stained paneled walls right now.
So...

I am sooooo excited that our home is getting a make-over.  I will keep you posted as the transition unfolds.  This is a huge undertaking that will make a huge difference in our home.  After the job of painting the paneled walls is complete, I will have the distinct privilege of re-decorating our home and plan on adding more of the Feng Shui principles I have learned about.
Pinch me ...I must surely be dreaming.
~Jan @ BellaCasa

lucky day tea service

Anyone that know me well, knows how much I love my hot tea and white ironstone collections.
Well over the weekend I had this urge to go shopping ...been looking for a silk tree and thought what the heck ...this could be my lucky day.

 I always walk thru the aisle where all the dishes are displayed first before going through the rest of the store to see what is new.

To my disappointment ...the shelves were very bare that day.  As I approached the third aisle   ...boom, there she was ...my beautiful new tea service.

And this isn't just any tea service.  This is the tea service I have been lusting longing for ever since the day I found the pitcher that goes with the collection.

Research led me to the Victorian Bird collection, but I couldn't find the pieces locally for sale.

I am now the proud owner of my first complete tea service...I am so very proud.
Passing on purchasing the coffee pot in the collection, I'm hopeful that it will still be at available the next time I'm shopping.  Then I'll have {what I think} is the complete collection {not quite sure since I believe the collection to be retired}.  This collection will one day belong to my daughter and for that, I am very grateful.

~Jan @ BellaCasa
{photos by:  Jan @ TheBellaCasaBlog.com, Tea Set:  by Coastline Imports, Victorian Bird collection @ Home Goods}

Tea On The Courtyard Table

What an absolutely beautiful day!

After a round of golf ...I came back to relax at the table on the courtyard and have a cup of tea.

I'm sharing from my other blog today ...The BellaCasa Blog.

Jan

Love Is In The Air

These are the lovely flowers my husband gave to me for Valentine's Day.

Valentine Table for two

I am officially ready for Valentine's Day now.

We'll start with coffee and save all the little sweet kisses for throughout the day.

And we'll light the little candles for dinner that's what we will do.

Rose-Strewn Paths

...and this wonderful 'ol girl is still blooming

...yep, even in February!

Jan

Synchronicity

I am so grateful for all that I have and all that I've gained this day.

Living at the lake is truly a dream come true and one that I do not take for granted ...ever.

The ability, that I have been given, to photograph this wonderful place is sheer heaven to me.

White

Have you ever rescued a plant before?

This poor, little thing looked nothing like it does today.  To some, that may not be saying too much especially since you can't see the before photo.

So you'll just have to take my word for it ...it is 150% better looking today than four months ago.

The price should have been $1.00  50 cents.  Sadly, there was a companion to this one which looked even worse.  At $8.00 each ...I decided on only the one.  I even tried to talk the lady at the store into selling me both for $8.00.  Basically she said no can do.  The store would simply give the poor, neglected plants back to nursery from where they came.  Most likely, she added, the plants would be put in the trash, but there was nothing she could do.  I still can't ...to this day, believe I paid $8 for this plant, but it is so unusual and the fact that it needed saving spoke to me the most of all.

So, so very sad.

At least I managed to get this little guy back to healthy.

It is such a fragile little thing, but yet so very unusual.

It now graces my kitchen so that I can watch over it every day.

Till later,

Jan



Joining in at

A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday

Metal

Today I want to share a few photos with you.  They are of my copper container which I have used today to display a bouquet of flowers ...no surprise ...the flowers part that is.

This metal container has many different uses, one of which is for holding a candle.  The sides to this copper container are pierced so that light from the candle shows right thru ...lovely!

The metal container isn't very large and fits perfectly in the middle of a charger as you can see above.  It has two wire handles so the container resembles a shopping bag.

I have a small obsession with copper.  When I bought my current home, the previous owner had remodeled the kitchen and replaced all cabinet handles with copper ones.  Also, there is a copper ceiling fan in the breakfast room and a copper light fixture over the sink.  The granite counter tops and flooring have copper colored accents in them ...so you see, copper goes with this house very well.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Jan

Joining

My Romantic Home for Show And Tell Friday

Fruit

The other evening I brought home this fabulous dessert.

It was called a Raspberry, Chocolate Mousse Tart.
Not sure what the outside rim was made of, but it was the consistency of cheese and had sliced chocolate chips in it.  Very unusual combination.  The tart itself was filled with chocolate mousse.

It was soooo yummy and I felt as if I was celebrating a special event ...right in the middle of the week!

Have a great day today,

Jan

Envelope

An envelope arrived.

Inside was the cutest of cards.

A candle holder frog with 4 of the tinest green candles I have ever seen.

Have a wonderful day!

Jan

Chair

This is one of my favorite chairs.

It is large, bright and very comfortable.  I love to cuddle up in it to read.

Right across from this chair are the windows that face the lake in my Sun Room.

After moving it into the Sun Room though I've decided to have her reupholstered.

I'm looking forward to giving her a face lift.

Have a fun day!

Jan

Hand

Some may look at this hand form and the first word that comes to mind is ...looser.

I bought this because I love it for the art form ...the hand.  I display it on my secretary desk and it makes me smile when I look at it.  The ribbon ...yep, to help me think about anything I need to get done.

Have a wonderful day!

Jan

P.S.  Be sure to check out the Giveaway at French Country Cottage for the $100 Lowes giftcard.  Seriously, you need to go now!

Participating at:

A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday

Sunshine

Hello, what an absolutely beautiful day we are having today.

With so many of you sharing your beautiful snow covered roof tops ...thought I'd share the scenry I'm having today with you ...my sun drenched lake.

The wind has picked up making it a great day for the sail boats ...if you dare.

It was a good day to open the windows and air-out the house too.  I love to do that, don't you?

This 'ol house gets stuffy and sometimes the only cure is fresh air.  I don't like covering up odors with sprays unless that's all I can do.  So every chance I get ...I open 'er up wide.

When the sun goes down, the windows and doors have to be closed shut ...it gets a bit nippy this time of year.

Have a wonderful day!
Jan

Participating at:

The House In The Roses for Show Off Your Cottage Monday

Happiness

Anyone that knows me, understands how much pleasure fresh flowers give to me.

I keep a vase of fresh flowers in my Sun Room year round as a special treat.  It causes such a stir of happiness.

Do you have a favorite flower?

For me it has more to do with color than type of flower; however, I do have my favorites none-the-less.

Half the enjoyment of having fresh flowers is being able to photograph them ...as they change.  I go to the market to buy new ones just when the old ones are fading away and try to re-photograph them in their different stages of glory.

I wish you happiness today and always,
Jan

Afternoon Tea by the fireplace

Good afternoon!

It is time for tea and I've set my table by the window and fireplace today using one of my favorite tea pots.

I bought this lovely ironstone flower pot a few weeks ago and just had a devil of a time waiting to put it out.  I kept it put away as long as the Christmas decorations were out and then presto-change-o my table by the fireplace got a new do with my new pot.

I'm really rather digging the fresh green color in my living room right now.  It is definitely a color I will be bringing back again in my home.

Today I must go shopping for a new phone ...something I'm not really looking forward to do doing.  It ranks right up there with shopping for under garments ...gotta have them, but don't want to spend all that time shopping for them.

Anyway, that's what I'm doing today.  How about you ...what are your plans for the day?

Blessings,
Jan

Sharing at:

Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
The House In The Roses for Show Off Your Cottage Monday
The Charm House for Home Sweet Home