~IT CHANGED OKLAHOMA...and Her People~

~OKLAHOMA CITY MEMORIAL~

Dear Peeps...

Fifteen years ago today Oklahoma City was attacked by a crazy man and our State, as we know it, was changed forever.  It's hard for me to believe so many years have passed since that terrible day.  It  altered the lives of our people and put the Heartland of America on the map in an unprecedented way.

Last year I showed you pictures of the destruction and shots of the beautiful Memorial than now stands where the Murrah Building once stood proud.  This year I'm skipping the graphic photos, opting instead to just show our Flag.  I'm proud to be an American...and even though I'm not a native, I'm more proud than I can say to be called an Oklahoman.

May God have mercy on the souls of angry men and women who seek to destroy the very country that was built on freedom.

Blessings to each of you as you remember the fallen...and those who survived.

Love,

~VINTAGE JAMES REILLY CHAIRS - Shabby Cottage Chic Reveal~

OLDER THAN I THOUGHT

I'm a die-hard junkin' fan! You should ALL know that by now! Whoot!  Whoot!  Tag Sale Shopping in my blood... I tell you IT JUST IS!!!!  And...I've decided that except for my Mr. AGPMan (he's got the mullah and the brawn) there is no one I'd rather go a slummin' with more than my sister, Linda!  She knows the BEST places to shop in her neck of the woods just like I know the best places to junk in Oklahoma.  Together we are a tad bit lethal...boy did we have tons of fun!

 

SIMPLY TO-DIE-FOR

A couple of days ago I showed you the photo of three chairs I hauled back home from Tennessee!  I promised to show you pictures of the two I finished and here they are!  Now...let me share with you what I found out about them...

As I was priming the first chair my guy asked me if I'd found a Maker's Mark.  I shook my head no just as he pointed one out under the front band of the first chair!  He grabbed a magnifying glass so we could read the hard to make out name!  Between the two of us were able to determine the first word was the name "JAMES" and part of the second world was the name of "REILLY".  Underneath that we could read  only the letters "M-A-N".  I immediately Googled what I had and discovered the chairs were from approximately 1877 and were made by James Reilly, Manchester, England.

What I wouldn't give to know just HOW they made it to America...and even more so how they landed in a junkie little antique shoppe outside of Nashville...

LAURA ASHELY PINK ROSES

Now...I'm quite sure the purest of antique dealers would faint over me painting the chairs.  If they had been in pristine (or even premium) condition I probably wouldn't have.  But...you know me...I just LOVE painted furniture!  So, I tossed caution to the wind and kept painting.  Shabby Chic Rules! 

I absolutely LOVE the final result!  I used a long retired Laura Ashley soft pink and creamy white toile fabric for the cushion covers (which were completely replaced) and that was pretty much it!  I actually wanted to place a tiny ruffle around the bottom edge but it would have made the cushions an even tighter fit so I opted to leave them plain!

Hope you love the transformation as much as I do!

Now...just want until you see the pink chair!  It's fabulous, too!  All three will be on my website AND offered for sale in my Oklahoma City Antique Booth Space! 

Thanks for stopping in...more transformations coming up soon...

Blessings for a beautiful week!

~IT'S ONLY A PAPER ROSE - Heads-Up for Connie~

A couple of days ago I received an email from my sweet girl-buddy, Connie, from LIVING BEAUTIFULLY.  In it she shared with me a few of the pictures she snapped of some of her hand made rose creations!  Connie is truly the sweetest  of souls! Not only does she have a wicked sense of humor but she is one of the most creative women I've ever NOT had the pleasure of meeting in person!  Maybe someday!

Anyway, this past week Connie did a post on her BLOG about the flowers she makes using coffee filters.  She asked if I would give you all a HEADS-UP about them.  She has started selling them on another one of her Blogs and you can find all the information about them HERE!

 Happy selling, Connie, on this new venture.  May God bless your hands and your heart!

 I hope you'll peek back in later today...I'll be showing pictures of a couple of those sweet chairs from my Friday Post...the came out FAB!

Love,