Press : Country Living Magazine | Our Dining Room

Press : Country Living Magazine | Our Dining Room

I love real magazines.  In fact, while the rest of the world relies on blogs, pinterest and insta for inspiration, I still love magazines.  Every weekend I get up early, make a cup of coffee and go outside to read a stack of magazines all by myself.  For me, it is a source of inspiration and a feel-good routine that can't be replaced by an ipad.  It may seem a little strange for me to say this because, I am after all, a blogger... most of the time ; )

This month, you'll find my dining room featured in Country Living Magazine.  They selected 50 rooms across the country and mine is found under "Kansas."

Here is a link to the article. 

Did you notice a new blue and white napkin in the photo above?  They will be a part of a new collection in just a couple of weeks.  Be sure to signup for my newsletter emails to be updated when new products are added or restocked.


Here is a link to more details and photos of this table setting.  It was part of the spring collection with these fabulous block print tablecloths. Please send me an email if you would like to special order this lilac table cloth.  I have similar versions in stock right now that are part of my current Linen Collection.

This "Cherry Pickin'" article inspired my post on Easy Petite Cherry Pies (photo above).

I love these hand pies.  They are the next thing on my to-make list... sweet and savory.

Cape Cod Co. Lantern & Dining Room Update

Finally, there is light in the dining room!  

More specifically, a light.  Or should I say, a lantern.  The lantern. 

After chatting with Mike's mom, Joy, about my vision for the fixture, I told her that I wanted something that felt authentic for a "Cape Cod" style house.  Being Joy and an expert in all things unique and special, "Have you looked at Cape Cod Lantern Company?  They are in Chatham.  I believe they make all of the lanterns at Chatham Bars Inn."  Only Joy would know great things like that sitting in KC!

  Do you remember my post about our stay at the Chatham Bars Inn?  I oogled over the authentic fixtures and lanterns that hung seemingly everywhere on the property.  The photo above (no, that is not my family room...) is of the sitting room at the Inn.

So, I immediately searched their site and found the "5652 Concord" Lantern.  Not only did I love the style but I loved that this particular style was a nod to our New England home, Concord.  Perfect.

I love it.  It is simple, yet very striking.  The scale is lovely, which I was a little concerned about before it arrived... would it be too big?  Not big enough?  But, alas, it is just right.

I love that it is an authentic, handmade representation of our time in New England that hangs in the center of our home.  I imagine that we will take it with us to all of our future homes.  As Mike and I drove through Mission Hills on our way to dinner last weekend, I noticed all of the graceful lanterns that hung in front of the front doors of the large stately homes... maybe someday...

I'm not big on souveneirs, I mostly rely on photos instead of sweatshirts, but I have to say... This is one great souvenir!

I had it made (all of their fixtures are handmade to order) in Antique Brass finish with clear glass to compliment the original brass fixtures in our house.   The un-laqured finish will weather and age with time. 

 You may also notice a peek at our Christmas decorations that are beginning to take their places.  In our windows, I've hung fresh bay leaf wreaths.  They smell soooo good.

Here is another look at the room - a couple of stacks of plates, compote of tangerines, etc., piled in the center of the table from my holiday header shoot for the blog.

Another "authentic" decision for the room was to feature photos from our travels.  As I was getting ready to order some random prints of botanicals and birds, I decided to take a more authentic approach to the artwork that hung in our home.  I decided to have 11x14 photos from our favorite experiences displayed in the room.  

They are framed in frames that are painted the same color as our trim, Navajo White in Satin.  The walls are painted navajo white in flat.

Above : Stowe, Vermont and Martha's Vineyard

I included a caption of the place and date of each photo.

We plan to keep adding to our collection... maybe someday we'll have an entire wall gallery devoted to it... I imagine it in a long hallway - in the same stately home in which the lantern hangs in our entryway. 

Home | DIY | Wooden Hutch for our Dining Room

Not ones to be reluctant to try something new, Mike and I tried our first (and successful) attempt at making furniture. We made a huge wood hutch for our dining room to hold all of our new wedding presents.

Materials = $250

14 pieces of 1 x 12 x 8 oak

4 pieces of 1 x 4 x 8 oak

1 piece of chunky crown molding (9.5 linear feet)

finish nails

wood screws

screw driver

table saw

miter saw

1 pint of walnut stain

1 pint of hand rubbing polyurethane

We started by cutting the back pieces (6 - 1 x 12's side-by-side) to be 7 1/2 feet long (height of the hutch). To age the wood, we used a hammer, rocks, nails, etc. to create divots in the wood. we sanded all of the edges of each piece, weathering the wood. After distressing, we stained the wood with a walnut stain and applied a coat of polyurethane.

To assemble the stained and distressed wood we created a box on our garage floor consisting of the sides, top and bottom of the hutch. We placed the planks that would to make up the back on the wood box and attached it with screws. Then, we stood it up and installed the shelves, screwing them in from the sides and back to add stability. We attached the 1 x 4 pieces to the front of the cabinet with finish nails.

We cut the crown molding to fit the top of the cabinet and stained and distressed it separately. We had to install it once it was in the dining room or it would not have fit.