Hobnail Milk Glass

Hope everyone enjoyed their Valentine's Day. Personally, I received such a nice present yesterday and it wasn't from my valentine of over twenty five years (okay, I did get a very nice poem, he writes me one every year, and I do love them and him!) but this is about the blog! Desire to Inspire, a very popular blog whose "Monday's Pets on Furniture" post was just mentioned in ElleDecor's magazine, mentioned me AND posted three of my pet portraits! Thank you Desire To Inspire!!! 

Now that I'm done boasting, remember yesterday I told you that I was going to be working on a little project with my son. We got it done and, as I mentioned, it's remarkably chic for a kids project. A tutorial is at the end of this post.
What do you think of the vintage glassware known as Milk Glass? Milk Glass is gaining popularity again, especially for weddings for obvious reasons.  Mostly, the images that I've chosen are a hobnail pattern (our project was inspired by this pattern). 

There are several brands of milk glass. Fenton, Anchor Hocking, Brody, Westmoreland, Imperial and Fire 

King are all popular.

Apartment Therapy
(Images: Susie Nadler; Lydia Daniller)

Apartment Therapy, in a recent post, suggested a tip if you want to make sure that you are buying the "real deal" meaning the glassware that is collectible. When you hold the piece up to light, you should be able to see the outline of your fingers through the glass. Real milk glass is somewhat translucent, light and more fragile versus floral grade milk glass which is heavier, opaque and essentially white glass.

Hobnail glass is available in a variety of colors. I favor the white but I think any color can look great in the right setting. 

This is actually amethyst. How lovely! 

I thought these were interesting with their simplified hobnail design. They are new and are available through Home Decorators catalog. 

A good source for vintage milk glass and hobnail glass is eBay, flea markets, antique shows and Etsy.

That brings us to our hobnail, milk glass inspired project:

Aren't they hobnail glassware-ish?! Maybe not as elegant but they are bottles covered with split peas for Pete's sake! I will be honest with you, they took about an hour. I did the larger one and my seven year old did the other. I intended to do at least three but you know how that goes! I think a group of three or five would be super chic.  I wrapped twine around the top to cover the threads (they had screw on caps) and I think it makes them look a little beachy. I can imagine using them this summer, each with a single flower, like Queen Anne's Lace. Here's how we did it:

Supplies needed:

Various condiment bottles

Mod Podge or other white glue

Split Peas

Paint brush

Spray paint

Simply paint on a little glue and start adding the peas flat-side down. Its easier to start from the bottom and then slide the individual peas down as you go.

Every now and then, paint over the top of the peas to seal them into place.

The bottles before they are painted. They look very organic, don't they?

After painting, twine something around the top to cover the ridges.

I know I will be trying these around the house, creating different tablescapes for the next couple of days and when I find one I like, (it will probably come to me in a dream or on a run!) I will post it.

Hope you enjoyed your visit,

Michelle

http://www.myconfinedspace.com/

Happy Valentines Day! It's above freezing, finally! I'm looking forward to trading a heart like the one above for one like the one below. 

Photographer: Jerry Harpur; Design: Ron Simple

Today is the one month anniversary for my blog (when I actually made it public) and I want to thank everyone for your support, encouraging comments and feedback thus far. I have so thoroughly enjoyed every step of this new journey! I have so many projects that I can't wait to share. I'm still just trying to get caught up with all of the "setting up" of the blog, my Etsy shop, Facebook pages, twitter, a new line of Pet Inspired gifts, and oh yeah -my HOME! (so many projects!). I'm loving it, life is good! 

Thank you again and enjoy your Valentine's Day,

Michelle

PS. Today I am going to do a project with my little guy, whose still home recovering from his tonsillectomy. It's a cute gift that kids can do pretty much on their own and it's remarkably chic! Check back tomorrow to have a look!

Two Cocktail Tables Instead Of One

I was looking through Horchow's upcoming catalog this morning online and one thing that struck me is how many rooms had a pair of tables in front of the sofa instead of the usual one. I like it. It opens up the space and makes the room a little more flexible.

PARIS METRO
 Chic seating, A grand Baroque mirror, and a fanciful floral rug create an ambiance of romance and sophistication.

MULTICULTURAL MIX
 African, Far Eastern, and European influences merge in a cozy retreat of neutral colors and complementary textures.

ZINGING THE BLUES
Creamy neutrals emphasize shades of blue, and an ikat-patterned outdoor rug comes inside.

MODERN BAROQUE
Balance traditional formal seating and vintage map with ice-blue accents and a modern rug.

WORLD VIEW
Exotic art and carved panels, ethnic drum tables, and a traditional rug give this room international style.

FEMME FATALE
Regal crimson walls enhance a palette of black, gray, silver and white in a room fit for a diva.

Would you use or have you used this arrangement? If you have limited space, a small, single table may be useful but out of proportion in front of the sofa- try using a pair to beef-up the look visually.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend,

Michelle

All photos and captions from Horchow

Fun Friday Find: The Art of Carl Warner

You never know what you are going to get on Fun Friday. Today I am bringing you Carl Warner's Food Landscapes. These prints are so fun to look at. Everything in the photograph is food! He puts together these elaborate, edible dioramas and then photographs them. Now that's fun art!

I think I'll play a little I Spy with the kids! (Do you think they will know what prosciutto is?) If you would like to see more of Carl Warner's work and a behind the scenes view of the process, follow this link: http://www.carlwarner.com/warner.html.

Have a great weekend!

Michelle

Topiaries

Hello friends,
Sorry I've not posted in a bit but my little guy had his tonsils out on Tuesday and I wanted to give him my undivided attention. I've also had topiaries on my mind because I've been wanting to make one for a Valentine's Day gift. I'll show you how I did it at the end of this post. Anyone who knows me, knows I am a bit competitive but that has nothing to do with my love of topiaries. I get that topiaries originated as a display of mans dominance over nature, but for me,  I really just like the way they look! Inside and outside, flanking an entrance or mantle or on the kitchen counter...they look so elegant and they are so easy to do. A topiary will take a bit of patience and a little more attention than other houseplants but they are worth it don't you think?

http://www.srgambrel.com/portfolio/town/tenth-street/

Dutch magazine, VT Wonen 

Dutch magazine, VT Wonen

These are actually preserved boxwood and not live plants. http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1678008

From interior designer, Shannon Bowers- her restored two-story Georgian home.
 www.veranda.com

Also from interior designer, Shannon Bowers' restored two-story Georgian home.
 www.veranda.com

Source Unknown

Vivamore

Here is a simple tutorial for making a heart shaped topiary. {On a side note, I want to do more instructional type posts. If you have something in mind that you would like to see, just ask!}

To make this heart shaped, ivy topiary you will need:

Ivy plant (during the winter months they are available at Walmart, Home Depot or the grocery store)
Wire coat hanger
Decorative pot or container
Potting soil

Because I have many topiaries, I am often pruning them and rooting the slips that I trim off. This will be the case for you as well. At first, you want to let the ivy grow and continue twining it around the form so that you will have a nicely shaped and full topiary but after a while just snip off the wayward shoots and put them in water. In a  couple of weeks they will start to get roots and will be ready for another topiary...maybe an egg shape for Easter. It's a slippery slope -you will have a collection in no time and some for giving!

Bend this part of the coat hanger as shown. It will help hold the form in place.

Shape the hanger into a circle first to get the "bends" out and then shape it into a heart (or four leaf clover or any other shape your heart desires).

Plant your form and ivy together in the container. Twine the ivy around the form. It's that simple. If you would like, tie a ribbon around it or hang an ornament from the center and if you really are into it, use two forms to make a three dimensional heart. (Would you like to see what that looks like?) In the background, is a circle topiary that I made last year and as you can see it is quite full. It doesn't take long!

Have fun and if you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Michelle

Real Man Caves

I hope you forgive me for this. I thought it might be fun to tie in the big game this weekend with my Fun Friday post . In my quest to find something football related and fun and design-y I thought of man caves. I have to tell you, I've never seen so many rooms that I hate. Why is it that man cave is practically synonymous with tacky. I'm sure there are some very cool masculine rooms out there that happen to have a large TV, recliners, a pool table and/or a poker table, a dart board and sports memorabilia...maybe they are just considered masculine family rooms or dens and not the proverbial "man cave". I found a lot of this:

I did find a clever way to utilize a stairwell - kind of like a man-tunnel.

 Finally, after exhausting my usual means, I found these  man-caves (that are actually in homes that are for sale) in a recently published article on Zillow.

Understated... don't you think?
Cambridge, MD

An "antler themed" man cave.
Camdentown, MO

Larry the Cable Guy's very own man cave.
Sanford, FL

What you don't see in the picture are the two theater rooms, the arcade/dance club, and the bowling alley.
Washington, UT

Notice the glass encased wine cellar in the corner. Nice touch!
Laguna Beach, CA. 

My favorite! Of course it's part of a plus ten million dollar estate! A boat house converted into a tavern-like man cave.
Nautilus Island, Brooksville, ME

With or without a man cave, enjoy the game! My Colts aren't in it so to steal a line from my daughter- Go Commercials!

Michelle

Rooms to Hibernate In

via The Old Painted Cottage

Happy Groundhog Day! Did you know that "the Groundhog Day celebration is rooted in a German superstition that says if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2, the Christian holiday of Candlemas, winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow was seen, legend said spring would come early".  As I read that this morning, on Yahoo, the word that stuck in my head is "hibernating". It's soo cold outside, the kids have a snow day today and hubby is working from home this morning -so, we are kind of hibernating. While I'm trying to work up some motivation to not hibernate and get out and run, my mind keeps going back to a bed I saw recently with luxurious bedding, voluptuous pillows, and a fireplace nearby.... ahhhh, I want that! I'm not one to lounge but this morning (while I am running) I will be thinking about lounging in one of these rooms:

Unfortunately, I cannot find the picture I was telling you about (I could have just imagined it) but this room has it all- reading chair by the fireplace, tons of books, and a cozy looking bed. That works for me!

Is there anything more inviting than a built-in bed?

How about this one?
(via www.weheartit.com)

An upholstered headboard and warm, neutral tones and textures are a recipe for relaxation.

Very neoclassic, so of course this is my favorite!
(www.tracymurdock.com)

...another view

Just makes me sigh, ahhh
www.twolia.com

Silvery gray with mahogany has always been a favorite and that floor lamp...just gorgeous!
(Glenn Gissler Design) 

A sweet ending to my round up of rooms conducive to hibernation.
(Gibbons, Fortman & Associates)

I hope you enjoyed your visit today and btw, did you know that, including today, that the groundhog has only not seen his shadow sixteen times since 1887. Spring is right around the corner!

Michelle