New Curtains

Ever since I changed out the rug in our dining room I've been on the look out for new curtains.  The colors in the rug are vibrant and I felt as if I should go with a more subdued look for the curtains.  While I would have loved to have been able to get a pair custom made, it was just not in the budget.
That meant I was going to have to try to find curtains that were ready made.  Have you noticed that almost all the curtains have grommets?  Truthfully....that is not the look I'm going for.  This complicated the process of curtain shopping because this was all I could seem to find!

While at work one day(at Pier 1) as I helped a customer shop for curtains, I saw some that I decided might work in the dining room. But darn it they had those grommets. After much debate with my Mother, we decided that if I bought the longer panels she could cut off  the section with grommets. Then she would sew a pleat...yippee!!!  It took her a good while to get the job accomplished but she pulled it off!  I couldn't love them more!

They really are a big improvement in the dining room and I adore how they complete the vision I had for the space.

In case you too like these curtains they are still available at Pier 1.  I'll drop the link for you here.  Be warned though, the curtains are lined and a bit on the thick side.  I'm trying to find a way to add weights to the hem so they will hang a little better.  My hope is the longer they hang they will fall a bit more into a relaxed position.

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A Tantalus for Tamyra

Have you ever heard of a tantalus?  Do you know what they are?  Don't feel bad if you don't, I'd a never heard the word tantalus until a couple years ago when my antique pal was looking for one.  A tantalus, mainly British is a rack or stand that contains decanters, liquors or wines that are secured with a lock.

I've seen them in several antique stores and Scott's Antiques, typically they have a pretty hefty price tag. If the rack contains the entire original decanter set and the key they can range over $1000. While I liked them I knew that they were a bit out of my price range so, I was more than satisfied to just admire them.

While mostly just window shopping earlier this year I literally stumbled upon a tantalus.  I picked up the price tag and it said $40....I looked at the tag again in sheer disbelief and called my much younger shopping companion over to verify the price.  Sure enough it was $40, the set of decanters were missing one of the stoppers and one of the bottles has a crack.  Those 2 factors contributed to the low price of the tantalus.

In spite of the condition of the bottle and missing stopper the set came home with me.  Every now and then you see sets of decanters that aren't in a rack for sale, I actually already own a set of 2, maybe I'll get lucky again and find one that matches either set I have or at the least a matching stopper.

It is a pretty cool piece and I'm delighted to have added this to my collection of English antiques!

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Senior Year 2017-2018

And so it begins, the year that all mother's dread....the last first day of school.  I type this with an enormous lump in my throat, tears fill my eyes, our youngest begins his senior year today.
 

His graduating class of almost 600 will be the first in the brand new Auburn High School.  The community was invited to tour the new school earlier this summer.  It is impressive to say the least.  I have a post coming later about the campus.

The year of last first began earlier this summer at band camp.

As he drove out of the driveway this morning I couldn't help but recall all those times I drove him to school and the conversations we had.  I often think that those were sometimes the best talks that I ever had with either of our sons.

 Back a few years ago I saw a hashtag on Instagram that struck a cord with me.

 #childhoodistemporary

Here is wishing everyone a great first day of school!!!

HGTV Dream Home at Sea Palms

As soon as I made reservations for vacation this year(way back in February) I knew that the HGTV Dream Home that was on SSI would be a must see!  I knew Sea Palms pretty well and had an idea as to where the Dream Home was so, Honey and I set out for a drive.

As luck would have it, these darling children had a lemonade stand that we "had" to stop at.  When I gave them the money, I asked  where the Dream Home was and the Mom told me to look to my right.  Ya'll I had seen the waterfront view so much I really never paid any attention to the street view.  I had parked right in front of it.  We asked a multitude of questions to the neighbors and they assured me many had parked in their drive way and walked around the home.
So we did too!  After all I've been wanting a house at Sea Palms for some 27 years...why not take a walk around and see if this would be the one?!

Now I do realize that you all have seen the home on HGTV but, maybe I snapped a view you haven't seen before.  The front of the home is lovely and the lot it sits on might be the best part of it all!  As pretty as the front is the lagoon view is the show stopper.

Honey's only remark was this is where the party is!  There were so many things I never noticed on their reveal show, even as many times as I watched it.  Sea Palms as a whole is a gorgeous resort.  The entire island is very lush and Sea Palms is no exception.  That is one of the many things that draws me back to SSI and Sea Palms.

Never before had I noticed the firepit.

The pool area is just incredible.  The photos simply don't do the property justice at all.

I've wanted a pergola for sometime and seeing this one makes me want to get in touch with a contractor STAT!

The lagoon for some reason was pretty murky that afternoon, might be due to the rain.

In case you guys are in the market for a lovely home on St. Simons Island, this one is for sale!    Only 1.3 million will move you right in.

Vacation Condo at St. Simons Island

For the first time in ages we did something new for vacation.  As I've shared many times on the blog we always spend sometime over on the Georgia coast in the summer and this year was no different.  What was different is where we stayed.  This year the boys asked to bring friends so this meant we needed a 3 bedroom.  We found a delightful condo via Homeaway this year that totally fit our needs.

For all of you that adore ship lap...this kitchen has it done right, they've even done the ceilings.  That  seems to be a great option to cover up those pesky pop corn ceilings.

The unit came completely stocked with everything I could have possibly needed.  But let's talk about those cabinets.  Perfection!!!  The color is flows so well with the ship lap as well as the rest of the unit.

Not seen in this photo is the large sliding glass door that leads to a private patio.  Ya'll the other side of the room along with the dining area that I KNOW I took pics of are no where on my card or phone but both are delightful.

The downstairs half bath mirrors the both upstairs baths.  Loved the bead board.

This guest room boasts a queen size bed, great wicker furniture and a large closet.

John along with his pal, Garrison enjoyed this room.

The master was more than spacious, the master bath is opposite the bed side of the room.  This room has a king size bed, 2 closets, and a tv cabinet.

The homeowners were a delight to work with, they've gone the extra mile to give this condo a great coastal feel.  The complex is Ocean Walk, it has 2 pools, a pond, ping pong table, grills and ducks!  Should you be interested in this property I'll be glad to share their info with you!  For all of you that "have" to know the paint color...cause I loved it and had to know it is Copen Blue by Sherwin Williams.
Stay tuned this week as I share more details of our vacation...here is a teaser...I totally walked all around the HGTV Dream House camera in hand!