Slow Decorating in the Sunroom

It has been nearly four years since we enclosed our screen porch and made it a sunroom. (I can hardly believe that it has been that long!)

We have loved having this room and we have used it so much. It has been a place for morning coffee, parties, overflow space for celebrations, most of our evening meals, Bible studies, buffet set-up, dessert serving, conversations. 

Although we loved it when it was fresh and new . . . 

. . . over these past four years, we have made a few changes, collected a few pieces, and tweaked little by little. 

We added blinds. (You can read about those  ~ here ~.)

We made an "Ice Cream" sign to hang over the doorway, a nod to Ron's love for making (and eating) homemade ice cream. He collects antique ice cream scoops and always seems to have a number of vintage ice cream freezers too, but that's another story. :)

We have collected some small family treasures and antique goodies, some of which rotate seasonally.  I have had the sailboat since we finished the room, but last year I coffee-stained the sails to tone it down a bit and I like it better. 

From the start, I knew that I would eventually want to have a sofa in the sunroom - a place get comfy or even take a short nap. We had bought the wicker set at a second-hand shop when we first moved into our house. We have gotten our money's worth out of it and it still looks good. But I wanted the sunroom to feel more like a "room" than a porch, and I knew a sofa would accomplish that. 

I have been looking (mostly on Facebook Marketplace) for just the right thing for four years! These were my criteria: 

• white or off-white
• removable slipcovers, for ease in washing
• excellent condition
• photographed in a clean, orderly room (because that's a clue to how clean a piece of upholstered furniture will be) 
• within 100 miles
• a "good" price

With those criteria, you can imagine why it took me so long to find what I wanted! I must say, though, that I did not shop Marketplace every day. I looked when I thought about it which means that during busy seasons I didn't look frequently.  But soon after we returned from our southern trip (and brought back a Windsor chair!), I came across a listing for just the right thing! 

Waiting paid off! This loveseat was in perfect condition. It is quite comfortable and, yes, good for a short nap. 

Serendipitously, Target released an "Americana Geo" collection a few weeks ago and I snagged this throw for just $25.00. Doesn't it look like an antique coverlet? I won't leave it draped on the loveseat because it may fade in this sunny room, so now I am looking for a sturdy basket to keep the throw out of the sun, but handy for use. 

We had to replace one of the little side tables because it was too big. I found this one on Facebook Marketplace for only $25 and a little drive. 

Slow decorating is what I love.  I enjoy collecting things over time and looking for just the right pieces as a room evolves and becomes personal.

What I Brought Home (Besides a Full Heart)

When I told you about our recent trip south to visit our daughter Kati and her family, I told you that we returned home with full hearts, and indeed we did. But we also brought home a few physical treasures. 

I had been keeping my eye out for coral as I shopped in antique stores. This piece called my name and I had some birthday money tucked aside for a special piece. I think I surprised Ron with my choice; he didn't think it looked like my usual style, but he trusted my opinion. I plan to use it as part of my summer mantel. For now, it is atop the cabinet in my sunroom. 

We also brought home a small trove of pottery made by our son-in-law Andrew. Making pottery is one of his hobbies and he is quite good at it! They brought out a couple of boxes of pieces that they were not using and let us take whatever we wished to have. 

I bought a small potted (faux) geranium.

I picked up some beverage napkins, of course. (If you're a longtime reader, you know that I always have a stash of napkins.) I love the pomegranate ones and have tucked them away for next winter when I need a pop of color. The botanical berries will probably show up on my Bible study table soon. Life's simple pleasures. :)

(I also purchased some wool acorns and a few fall stems, but those have already been put away.)

And last, but not least, we brought home a lovely Windsor chair that Andrew had purchased shortly before he and Kati got married. When they moved to their new house three years ago, they did not have a good place for the chair so they asked us if we'd like to have it. They have been keeping it in their barn since then, but we were able to bring it home with us on this trip! 

We have a great place for it, along with something else that we purchased on Marketplace since we have been back home. 

I'll tell you about that in my next post! 

Project #3: Blinds in the Sunroom

When we converted our screen porch into a sunroom (you can read all about it ~here~), I was so happy with all of the windows and all of the natural light! Although I knew that we would need some type of window treatment for privacy at night and to keep the sun out of people's eyes at certain times of the day, I really didn't want to cover those windows. And since I wasn't even sure what I wanted, I just waited. No hasty decisions for me. 

Fast forward about a year . . . 

I saw that BLINDS.COM was running a 4th of July sale and we decided to go for it. Ryan and Sarah had ordered from this company several times and were impressed with the quality as well as their customer service. 

After much deliberation (so typical of us . . . or is it me?), we chose Levelor Natural Woven Shades in Spa Cove Tan. They are cordless and have a light filtering liner.

We had paid to have them professionally installed, but when the time came to measure, there was no local installer available and no word on when there would be one. There was also a problem with what we had ordered (the problem was on our end!). With both issues, the company worked with us to resolve the problems and went above and beyond to make sure that we had what we wanted! We would highly recommend BLINDS.COM! 

After they arrived, we waited several weeks to install the blinds because we had two rounds of company in August and that was much better than blinds! On Labor Day, after eating our grilled burgers and corn-on-the-cob (see the ladder waiting in the background?), Ron hung all ten blinds in less than an hour! 

Yes, I did love my unadorned windows . . . 

. . . but I also love them with the new blinds! 

There is still plenty of light, but we now have the ability to filter the light and to create privacy in the room. 

Another house project checked off the list! This one, too, was mostly handled by Ron. Otherwise, it wouldn't have happened last year. 

I have one more 2023 house project left to tell you about. Unlike the library refresh and the bookcase in the bedroom, this one was not already in the works before our challenging year began. And unlike the library refresh and the blinds, it was not mostly handled by Ron. 

It was conceived and completed during the year and it was our biggest project by far!

Stay tuned . . . 

Pineapple House | Christmas Tour 2022

It has seemed like such a short time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year! Much remains on the to-do list, but I wanted to pop in long enough to share our Christmas house. It has become a tradition, I suppose, considering that this is the fourteenth year that I have invited you in!

(Our other Christmas home tours can be found ~ here ~ .)

This year, there is a mix of

the tried-and-true, where we just repeat things that we have done before,

and the brand new,  because we have new pieces or even brand new spaces to decorate!

In the dining room, there is a good deal of the tried-and-true . . .  

. . . although I do have a new redware platter that I am using as a base for my table centerpiece. 

I am still enamored with Sara Hicks' desk (you can read the full story ~ here ~) and I wanted to add a bit of Christmas to it. 

For the first time in I-don't-even-know-how-many years (20-ish?), I did not make a Della Robbia arrangement for the mantel.

della Robbia mantel ~ 2016

I got out the garland that I normally use and it looked so tired. (Maybe it was me who was tired.) What I ended up with is not stellar and I will surely come up with something else for next year, but this view in the late afternoon light made me smile. 

Here are some Christmas touches in the kitchen. 

The little gnome on the windowsill was made by our granddaughter Alaine (12) and he joins the pair of wooden trees made by her cousin, our grandson Peter (also 12, although he made them a couple of years ago). 

It was exciting to decorate the guest room this year! If you've been reading here a while, then you may remember that we redecorated Kati's room and created a guest room when she got married. I've only shown you one side of that room because the other side was not finished. 

I'll tell you more details in a future blog post, but we recently had a chair reupholstered and then I hung this shelf that my sister gave me, so of course, I needed to add a few pinecones and bits of greenery to make it festive! 

This time last year, the sunroom was a screened-in porch! I had thought about putting a Christmas tree in our new room, but this was not the year. Maybe next year. But the room feels Christmasy with a few extra touches . . . 

. . . the nativity plaque that our granddaughter Nora (13) made

. . . some greenery in the antique basket on the table

. . . a little tree in the crock 

. . . and plaid! 

Last weekend, we added the Moravian star. 

Thank you for visiting our Christmas home today! 

We pray that whatever your circumstances are this year, that you are able to find JOY. As the angel of the Lord told the shepherds, 

I bring you good tidings of great joy!

Not the joy of warm fuzzies or perfect holiday celebrations. Not the joy of an untroubled life.

But the joy of a Savior who came to save His people from their sins! 

The joy of   Emmanuel - "God With Us."