Okay....Don't Laugh at Me!

I know some of you are going to think I'm absolutely silly, but I know I've got some kindred spirits out there that are going to completely understand.

I froofified my kitchen sink.  Yes I did.

Did it need to be done?  Did I go out and buy anything new?  Of course not.  I just grabbed some things out of cupboards and I have a pretty little "doing the dishes" spot.  (Not that I do the dishes very often - gotta' say thanks to Worker Bee and even Baby Bee.)  But shouldn't they have a sweet little spot to view while they do those dishes?  (I'm nothing if not thoughtful of the people who do my grunge work for me.)

And I'll tell you the truth, I just looked at that little spot and thought this sure could be prettier when I got home from work today.  No other reason than that.  Sudden inspiration! (or procrastination - I'll let you decide.)

Be sure to appreciate my vintage kitchen tile.  That stuff is older than me!  (Over 60 years old!)  It's such a weird pattern and yet, I kind of still like it.   Dream kitchen would be a black soapstone and then white subway tile, but that ain't happenin' any time soon!

Started with this lovely tray.....

Added this soap dish I've had for ages.  Anybody remember when Eddie Bauer had a home store?  It's been in hibernation but it's back out again.

See what it's going to be used for?  Bar soap just doesn't quite work by the sink - gotta' love the invention of liquid soap. One of my teacher buddies gave me the smiley face sponge.  It was on Shark Tank.  (Not that exact sponge my sillies!)

Yummy citrusy soaps and lotions on one end of the tray...

(Does citrus just smell super clean to you too?)

And a little vintage milk jug to hold  the veggie cleaning brush on the other end.

Now isn't that pretty?  Almost makes me want to do the dishes.  Almost.

Do you ever get that urge?  I think I'm all about dressing up the utilitarian!

Thanks for buzzing along with me.

Making a Sweet Bee family classic tonight for dinner....

Hoisin Lime Salmon with Asparagus Couscous!

YUM!

Buzzingly,

A Little Glitter, Some Ribbon, Pretty Paper, and a Cricut Machine

Oh, yes, I've been buzzing.....making a few little things for a new section on my etsy shop for Sweet Bee Cottage Crafts!

Wanna' see? 

I made some little banners/pennants/buntings!  

And really, just an aside here, what are these called?  

What's the proper name?  This is one of those things I sometimes wake up and think about.  (Okay, I don't really wake up, but I have wondered.)

A little something for Valentine's Day.....

And a couple little somethings for a tea party.....

one in scalloped circles....

and one in scalloped squares.

Available now on my etsy shop!

AND.....I'm having a 10% off sale - just use the code "happynewyear."

Can you tell I'm excited?  

Thanks for buzzing by!

A Little Fluffing (or Should I Call It Buzzing?)

I planned to start painting furniture today......

but I woke up to this......

(Baby Bee wants to invite her BFF over for some raking - I'm all for it!)

Oh dear!  So many MORE leaves to come down.

So, it's way too damp to paint, which is just as well because I haven't fully decided on which color to paint the corner cabinet.  

Still leaning towards a blue cabinet with a white interior.

This is our hallway.

See? It's foggy out of the bathroom window too.)

Don't you think we need a pop of color in there?  The walls are yellow (which they might not stay for too much longer) and I have one wall of doors and then white shelves and white framed photos along the other walls between all the doors. 

Frankly, I think it's just begging for something bright and different!

This is a sampling of the colors I'm thinking about.  The colors aren't coming out very well in my photos.  Sorry.

And now I have another project.....

This dresser is from my mom.  It's very well made and is about 40-50 years old.  We had intended to use it to replace our dresser.  But when we got it in the room, it just didn't work and didn't have more drawer space then the one we have now.  

This is the one we have now.  All black doesn't photograph that well on a foggy day.

And frankly, I really like the looks of the one we have now.  (It may not be made very well, but it looks good - how shallow am I?)

So, as we were moving my mom's back out to the garage and lamenting that it wouldn't work, I said to Worker Bee, well.......we could try it as a sofa table.  (Our current sofa table looks very nice, but it doesn't have a lot of storage room.  Okay, it's wimpy.  I said it.)

And, imagine our surprise when it fit perfectly!  And Worker Bee's and my eyes danced with the storage possibilities!
Plus, we are a family of couch floppers and every time we flopped I worried about the wimpy sofa table falling over and taking with it all the pretties I have on top of it.  This is much more sturdy!

But now, I have to paint it and definitely change the hardware.

But what color?

I love so many stinkin' colors.

Here are some pictures so you can see what our living room looks like and the colors we have.
Our wall colors are antique white.

Please ignore, no I mean it, just ignore the seat cushion sticking out on the left.  You looked didn't you! 

Definitely lots of blue and red and white.

I would definitely do blue, but it's right up against our denim loveseat.  Too much blue.  

White would be nice, but I have a lot of white already with the huge armoire and all the bookcases being white (although their backs are all painted different colors).

You know I love red, but I can't imagine the heart shaped table any other color than red and that would be too much red right next to each other.

See the heart shaped table on the left?

So.....I said green to Worker Bee.  He thinks that it is too big a piece of furniture to be painted such a whimsical color as green.  (I might have said jadeite green or apple green and I think that's what turned him off.)  But now I'm also thinking maybe turquoise (and by turquoise I really mean AQUA)?  I know it's really really  - no I mean REALLY - popular right now, but I think it might work with all the other colors we have going on.  

Mustard might be a possibility too.  

(Baby Bee flat out rejects that color, but she's not the boss of me.)

Just as well it's too damp to paint today.  I can't make any decisions.

So what pop of color do YOU think I should use?

(Just know that Worker Bee has to agree with it, but your suggestions would be greatly appreciated.)

And, diva that I am, I don't like orange or purple (although I wear those colors, I don't want them on my furniture).

Thanks for buzzing by!  I'm making homemade pumpkin spice lattes today.  It'll warm your tummy.

P.S.  Did you notice that I don't have out any Thanksgiving decorations?  Well, Halloween and Thanksgiving got short shrift at Sweet Bee Cottage this year.  But we are completely and fully ready for the onslaught of Christmas.  Hey!  Maybe that's what we can do today instead of paint.  We can start decorating for Christmas!

You Light Up My Corner

So......

my mom's recent move has prompted several changes here at Sweet Bee Cottage too.

Some furniture has gone to consignment shops and to the Fabulous Phyllis and in return something new has come to a little corner of Sweet Bee Cottage.

We have this odd corner in our hallway.  Several years ago I found the perfect table to fit there, but I always knew that there was a better solution.

Well Fabulous Phyllis and I worked out a fabulous deal and I am now the proud owner of a corner cabinet.

Please avert your eyes from the things I don't know what I'm going to do with.

I am so excited about the possibilities!  

Yes, it's black and although I do really like black furniture, I don't think black is great for this spot.

I'm thinking about white with some colorful knobs....

(Couldn't stand to leave it empty - put a few of my milkglass pieces in and I love it.)

But really, my heart is saying paint it something bright.  That silly heart of mine is also saying paint it blue......like a cornflower blue.......with white milkglass knobs......and a white interior.

Maybe the opposite of this....blue on outside, white on inside.

 This looks like the perfect shade of blue....not too dark, but bright enough to wake you up.

 Love how this looks, but it's brights at Sweet Bee Cottage.

 Again, a great color, maybe a bit too intense, but it still draws my eye.

 This one has be rethinking the blue exterior and white interior - what a great pop of color.

And here's a classic!  Looks great, but I won't make mine quite so distressed.

 More blue to consider.

Love how they painted the thrift store chairs and how it looks with everything.

And, now here's a question for you.  

Do you think I can just paint over the black and not have bleed through?  

Should I strip it?  

Should I go for the milkglass knobs

ebay

ebay

 or whimsical

hobby lobby

so many to choose from at Hobby Lobby

or something more exotic?

anthropologie

anthropologie

My mind is buzzing!  I so want to get this done NOW!  

BUT - 

I have to get through report cards and parent teacher conferences and then - if the weather holds - this cabinet will be done by Thanksgiving!  

Of course, I'll show when it's done.

Thanks for buzzing by!

Hope you're staying warm and cozy where you are.  (Or cool if you're in the Southern Hemisphere.)

Soup season has started here at Sweet Bee Cottage.

We're trying a new potato soup recipe tonight that's cooking right now in the crock pot.  Smells divine!  

______ Makes the World Go Round

So......

what........

for you?

No.....it's not honey although that was a good guess.

You are too funny......it's not coffee either!  Although it does make my world a little better.

Give up?

Why it's...............

of course!

So where did this all come from?

Well my dear Worker Bee has a globe collection (his B.A. is in geography you know) and I allow (you all know exactly what I mean) him to display his collection in our living room.  (That way I can make sure all the Green Bay Packers paraphernalia stays in the garage!)

After the sudden (BUZZ of) inspiration for the Teacher Breakfast at Baby Bee's school, those globes have been on my mind.  Then yesterday another BUZZ hit (while I was at school - one can't help when the inspiration BUZZ hits).  You see, I've been loving these mini pennant banners I have been seeing all over the place and I thought, "Sweet Bee, this is a project you can pull off in a matter of minutes and girl, you need a project!"  I borrowed an old thesaurus from Sewing Bee (I'll just tell her she must have lost it in the move when she moves to the new little house - okay - not really - she gave me the thesaurus) and I cut out some isosceles triangles (California third grade standard) from pages I folded in half.  Glued them to some baker's twine I already had and used a red sharpie to write LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND.  Easy peasy!  (yeah, I'm not sure where I dug out that old chestnut of a saying from, but I am apparently trying to revive it)

Well thanks for coming by!  

I hope you get hit by the BUZZ of inspiration soon too!

I'll bet you'll find a lot of inspiration over at 

Show and Tell Friday

 

hosted by the buzzingly creative Cindy!

I'd

for you to enter my giveaway too, since you're here.  Just click on the giveaway button  or here to leave a comment on the giveaway post.

P.S.  Only 5 more days of school!!!  Yipee!