NEW COOKWARE REVIEW

There's nothing like having two children getting married roughly three months apart to remind you how old all of your kitchen materials are. 

In the summer of 2021, both my oldest son and my daughter were married. It was hectic and wonderful all at the same time! It was a beautiful few months of parties, showers, teas, and lots of family time. I would do it all again if I had the opportunity. However, as their wedding gifts started coming in, I started making some comparisons (which is always a bad idea!) between all the shiny new kitchen gadgets they were receiving, and all the old, worn out, even some hand-me-downs I was using. So, after the money stopped dashing out the door for the weddings, I decided it was time to replace a few things in my kitchen. 

One thing I ordered and have loved is this new set of cookware. 

Rachel Ray 13-pc Non-stick Cookware

I did a good bit of reading and researching before I made my decision. I do cook, but I don't cook all the time. So, I was trying to find something that was a good value that would also last me a while without breaking the bank. This set had great reviews, and I also liked the color. (I mean that's important, too, right?)

It may be reading a bit green in this picture, but it's the perfect light gray with some blue undertones. Another great thing about this set is all the lids it comes with. That has been a problem for me in the past: not enough lids to go around when I'm using multiple pots or skillets. I have been really pleased so far. I've had my set for almost a year now, and it still looks brand new. It cooks evenly and everything washes up well. So far, not a single complaint.

If you could also use an upgrade in the cookware department, I think this set is a great option. Let me know below in the comment section if you have any questions. 

Happy cooking!

FIVE FAVORITE THRIFT STORE FINDS

I know you love a good thrift score as much as I do. I always get lively feedback when I share my second-hand treasures. I think you will feel that way again when you see the goodies that came home with me over the past few months. 

ACCENT CHAIRS

This pair of small vintage chairs is my most recent find. The cane bottom is in perfect shape on both chairs. For now they are in my bedroom. One is truly an accent chair for giving a dash of character and an added layer to the room, and for now I'm using the other one to sit in while doing my makeup. They are in really good condition and have the prettiest detailing on the backs and top. (For the pair, $40)

FOOTED GLASS BOWL

Back in October I found this dainty glass bowl. It will be perfect for holding/displaying different objects all throughout the year. Right now it's holding acorns from our yard, and pretty soon I'll swap them out for small, decorative Christmas ornaments. 

CANDLE SNUFFER

My friend Anne has two booths at the Alabama Antique Market, and that's where I found my candle snuffer. A couple of weeks before I bought this one, I saw one used in a vignette on Instagram or it may have been in a magazine, and I remember thinking I'd like to have one of those. Then on my next trip to Anne's booth, she had two. This is the one I chose. 

MILK GLASS

This small scalloped hobnail vase is my latest piece of milk glass. Some people collect things just for the sake of collecting, but I actually use my milk glass for lots of things around the house. Any time I can, I use the larger pieces in my collection to serve food or snacks or hold utensils and maybe napkins when I have guests. On my bathroom counter, I'm using five small pieces, including my new one, to hold make up, soap, and Q-tips. 

BEVERAGE CHILLER

To close out this round of thrift scores, a champagne chiller that I'm using as a planter. I have actually found two of these lately. One was $10, and I think I paid $12 for the one pictured. And does that bird's nest fern look great, or what!? 

Bonus find: That cute brass planter from the opening photo is also something I found lately!

Here are a few other posts about thrifting you may be interested in:

Five Favorite Thrift Store Finds

Thrift Scores and Coffee

Second-Hand Books

A New Look for an Antique Mirror

PEEL AND STICK WALL PAPER PROJECT

Every now and then I start a DIY project that makes me wonder what in the world I was thinking. This project most definitely fell into that category. And even though I absolutely adore the outcome, it was rough going there for a while.

I love that I have built-in book shelves in our living room. It's always fun to arrange and rearrange them through the seasons and the years. They give my creative decorating juices a place to flow. But in our home, they are in a room that doesn't get much natural light, and the room often feels dark if the blinds in the adjacent room are not opened. I don't really want to paint the wood--not now anyway--so, after seeing a many people on the Internet using peel and stick wallpaper, I thought it would be a great way to lighten up part of the room.

A few before shots:

A little about the process...

This is the paper I ordered from Amazon. It's a grass cloth look alike. It even has a slight texture.

CHAPTER ONE

This is my emptied shelf, my starting point. That support molding at the top was, let's just say, a pain in the rear! I looked at a lot shelves online during this project, and realized they almost all have something like this. 

I started on the left side of the built ins, at the tip top--over the molding. Remember, I have never done this before and have no idea what I'm doing or what I'm about to get into. (Insert crying smiley face here.) 

This first piece went up fairly easy. It was a bit cumbersome and awkward, and I did have to readjust the paper a couple of times, but I got it up. Miraculously, it was even straight. 

Now, if you are familiar with real grass cloth wall coverings, you know that the seams of the cloth do not match up like wall paper. The seams are obvious like in this beautiful example from Serena and Lily.

However, when I was measuring the paper for the next section, I found a repeat and was able to match up the seams to some degree. I trimmed the edges with a razor blade, and the left side was finished!

CHAPTER TWO

Somewhere in the midst of papering the left side, I realized there was a possibility I was going to need another roll of paper. I went back to Amazon and put a roll in my cart, and then finished up the left side. That one side was so overwhelming that I took a little break before starting the right side. 

After roll #2 was delivered, I didn't immediately start on the right side. Because (obviously) I now knew what I was getting into once I opened the roll. 

After finally deciding there was no time like the present, I went back to work. For some reason, however, I had a horrible time getting started. Nothing was lining up right, it looked crooked, and that darn molding at the top was making me crazy!! Then I got the bright idea to just do the molding by itself first. There wouldn't be an issue of matching it up under the piece; it wouldn't matter with vertical lines. Small victory! 

Now I was onto the first big piece for the shelves on the right. I measured and lined up the paper, found the match, cut the two strips for the right side, and went to work. 

I thought for sure this side would go faster. But, it was worse than the left side. I had trouble lining up the starting point. Then, once I was able to get it started, I could not get it to smooth out correctly. I pulled it up and re-positioned it so many times, that I had to discard the entire piece. Then the tears came as I realized I would now have to order another roll, or I wouldn't have enough paper to match the pattern as I had done meticulously on the other side. Back to the Amazon drawing board. 

CHAPTER 3

Roll three. 

At this point I was more determined than ever to finish this project. I took a deep breath and got to work! I watched a few tutorials to see why I was having so much trouble, changed a few things I was doing, and got it done!

It has made a huge difference in the room. It feels so much lighter! 

I began this project during the stay at home order and didn't really start writing the post until August of 2020. It has gotten longer and longer. Ha! If you are still reading, bless you for sticking it out (no pun intended).

I guess the moral of this story would be, 1) "Don't let the term 'peel and stick' fool you. It's not quite as easy as it sounds." And, 2) "Just do it. You'll love it!!" :-)

Feeling brave yourself? Here is the paper I used. I truly was pleased with the look and the quality of the wallpaper. It comes in four pretty colors from Amazon. 

cream  //  navy (steel blue)  //  wheat  //  ivory

(affiliate links)

What a difference! 

Have you used peel and stick paper anywhere in your home? Comment below and tell us about it. 

FIVE FAVORITE THRIFT STORE FINDS

After weeks and weeks of staying put, I finally ventured out some over the past couple of months--wearing a mask, of course--and scored a few really good second-hand finds. I was only keeping my eyes open for one of the items on today's list and the other four were just too good to leave behind. I get asked often about where I like to thrift shop, so for my local readers, I thought I would share a list of places at the end of the post.

DROP-LEAF TABLE

The thrift store find I'm most excited about is something I've been looking for for years. Remember this furniture post about drop-leaf, gateleg tables? I shared lots of examples of how versatile they are, and how pretty they look all over the house. Well, I'm now the proud owner of my own. I found it around the end of May and deemed it my Mother's Day gift to myself. For now I'm using mine as an end table, but with all the size options, thanks to the adjustable leaves, it could go about anywhere.

BRASS CANDLE STICKS

These candle sticks are in such great shape; there was no way I was leaving them behind. For now I'm using them on my coffee table as a stack topper. (I made that term up.) They are not light weight brass, really sturdy and heavy, and have a felt bottom. The pair is good quality, and I got them for less than $20.

ORIENTAL FISHBOWL STANDS

Of all the goodies I'm showing off today, these are probably the best deal. If you have these anywhere in your home, you know they are not cheap. I've seen them different places priced anywhere from $40 - $80 or more. Y'all, I got these for $4 each. One is a bit more sturdy than the other, but they are both in fantastic shape. Very few places where the finish has been knocked off, and I have furniture markers that will fix any bad places right up.

SILVER NAPKIN RINGS

Next up, napkin rings. They were in bad shape when I found them, but I knew my favorite silver polish would clean these right up. It took a lot of elbow grease, and I had to go over them about three times, but they looked brand new in the end. I haven't set a table with them yet, but I'm very much looking forward to using them on my fall and holiday tables.

ORIGINAL OIL PAINTING

After moving our television above the mantel, we suddenly had so much more wall space. That's when I realized I needed to start keeping an eye out for appealing wall art. I came across this small original oil at an antique mall in Birmingham called Irondale Pickers. The place was huge. I hope to go back soon, and really take my time browsing. This pretty flower picture is all I left with. For now I'm displaying the painting on an easel, but one day hope to frame it.

And those are my Five Favorite Thrift Store Finds of late.

As promised for the locals, here is the list of places where I like to relax. Not kidding. A couple of hours in a thrift store is a probably one of my favorite ways to unwind. You should try it. Sometimes I find nothing, and sometimes I hit it big. :-)

Alabama Antique Mall
Skyland Antique Mall
The Olive Tree
The Yard Sale

In Birmingham:
Irondale Pickers
The Brass Bear

A LAUNDRY ROOM SOLUTION AND A FEW UPDATES

As hard as it is to admit, I'm getting older. So to cut out some bending and lifting in the laundry room, I started looking for a laundry basket on legs. That way, instead of piling the clothes in a basket on the floor that I would then have to lift and move when I was ready to fold clothes, I could pull the clothes from the dryer and put them in a spot that wouldn't require any lifting. Our laundry room is too small for a folding table, so I usually travel to a different room to fold. But with this new basket, I can fold right from the basket and put the clothes on top of the dryer.



What I discovered in the hunt for a basket like this, is that there aren't that many good-sized (and good-looking) baskets on legs to chose from. They were either really expensive, out of stock, or they had bad reviews.

I finally settled on this one from Amazon, the Moda Home Vintage Reproduction Collapsible Rolling Metal Basket. That's some title! I didn't necessarily want it to have wheels, but that has been a nice bonus.

It was incredibly easy to assemble. It pops up, and you have to adjust a support bar that goes around the basket, and that's it. The bar did not fit perfectly (the only negative), but it doesn't matter to the security of the frame. It really couldn't be easier to set up.

The size is ideal for the two of us. Yes, just two of us now. Although I saw a meme not too long ago that said, "You're not really an empty nester until your kids get their crap out of the basement." We don't have a basement, but we do have several bedrooms and a storage room full of our kids' stuff!! Maybe one day soon we'll be official. :-)

My laundry room is actually pretty neat and organized at the moment. I cleaned it out top to bottom when we all had to come home thanks to the virus. Read a post about it here. And thanks to this new basket, I'm staying on top of the laundry way more than I ever have before. For those of you who decorate in the farmhouse style, this will fit in perfectly with your décor.

And now a few changes in the room...

Our laundry room needs to be painted and updated, but here are a few snap shots of small things I've done recently to show it some love.

I came across these two cute baskets my friend Angie was selling on a FB site. (10$ for both.) They are currently hiding socks without a mate.

My recently-found-thrifting wooden bowl now holds my dryer balls, and I brought in some cute jars for the grand puppy's snacks and the Tide Pods.

I purchased this inexpensive rug from Boutique Rugs. It's sold out now, but they have some really great rugs to chose from. This one is a 3x5.

Over on the other side of the room, I added a small lamp that I leave turned on when it's laundry day.

That's it for now in the laundry room. There is still so much more to do, but as you can see, even with just a few small changes, a room can feel fresh.

Ideas from this post

Rolling laundry basket  //  Wool dryer balls //  Glass jars  // Small storage baskets

Thanks for visiting! 

Kathryn