Maaaaavelous Mirror Makeover #2

Hello, friends!  Thank you so much for stopping by!  I hope this post finds you with warmth wherever you may be.

Several months ago (or longer), a bit after I first began blogging, I purchased four mirrors from my local Salvation Army with the intent of refinishing them.  Here is a snap of two of the mirrors.  There was a pair of each of these very heavy mirrors.  

I refinished the more ornate of the mirrors right away.  You may visit that post in the archives here.

After some time, I refinished the other two, but never actually posted pictures of the result.  Although not as elaborate as the other two mirrors, nothing special, they still turned out pretty well.  Here is my process.

I began by lightly sanding the mirrors.  I used frog tape to protect the mirrors as I went to work.  I chose to paint the mirrors a dark espresso color, and I love that you can still see the grain of the wood.  Here is a look at the detail.  I just love these fleur-de-lis carvings at the top of each mirror as well as the delicate curves. The espresso color made the mirror look a little richer than the original walnut color.

After the work was done, I decided to hang one in the hallway, and the other in the living area.  

The mirrors now play nicely with my dark floors and darker wrought iron pieces in the house, and are much more dramatic.

Are you keeping warm?

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

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Thank you for stopping by! ❤

Happy Valentine's Day 2015

Hello, friends!  I hope everyone had a lovely day and evening filled with romance,  

love,

tenderness,

and special magic moments with the one you love.

We are winding down, and what better way than with dessert and coffee or tea?

Sweet little cakes,

on delicate plates

are the perfect way to end a lovely evening.

Have a wonderful evening!

To view the recipe for these simple and sweet little cakes, visit the post on my blog Parsimonious Pabulum here. 

From my collection:

Antique silver finger bowl used as vase, Wallace Silversmiths, Baroque Collection

Teacups and saucers, Princess House Hammersley for Spode 

Teaspoons, Grace Teaware

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 

Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub. 

Follow me on Pinterest!!  Please be sure to kindly follow the board guidelines, as it takes time and effort to find fabulous pins across the Internet and Pinterest!  Thank you!  

Thank you for stopping by! ❤

Set Your Table With Flair--Valentine's Day with the Queen

Hello, friends!  Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by my blog!  It has been a trying time the last couple of weeks to say the least.  The sporadic weather in California can be so frustrating!  You'd think I'd be used to it by now, having been born here; however, every now and again when there is a swift change in temperature, I am susceptible to catching cold. This time unfortunately, it was a terrible and unrelenting flu...including joint aches, chills, and light-headedness, and I am still recovering!  Nevertheless, I digress.  I'm just thankful I have the strength to post today!   

I am sure I have mentioned in a past posts how much I loved the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll when I was a child.  I loved books that provoked imagination, and this wonderful tale is certainly no exception.  One of my favorite films as a child also was Disney's animated adaptation.  As we know,  All ways are The Queen's Way, and I will be using this as an inspiration for today's post.  If you are planning a fun party for friends this Valentine's Day, or any day, I hope you enjoy!!

I began this tablescape with a black tablecloth.

 

Red foil placemats in the shape of hearts,

were followed by gold and silver chargers.

My premade clock plates were placed next.

Closer look.

If you would like to view the tutorial to make these plates, you may visit the post on my other blog The Crafting Table by clicking here.

Finally, jeweled heart-shaped plates were set to complete the stack.

Detail.

Painting the Roses Red

Tiny premade topiary trees were placed at each setting, and in each tree, I placed tiny roses.  I simply deconstructed this heart,

and placed the roses into the branches of the trees.  There are no white roses at this setting, we don't want to upset the queen!  ;)

If you would like to view the tutorial to make these trees, you may visit the post on my blog The Crafting Table here.

Tea, Anyone?

Tea and teatime is a recurring theme in both the book and film adaptation.  I wanted to include it as well, and also add some fun and whimsy.  Each setting was set with a very large teacup perfect for tea with the queen.  There are three patterns, and on the opposite of each pattern, three quotes:  "Silence!" "All ways are my ways!" and of course, "Off with your head!"  You may also note, they are not particularly placed correctly.  All can be attributed to this wonderful world where nothing quite makes sense.  :0)

If you would like to view the tutorial to make these, please visit the post on The Crafting Table here.

To designate the place settings, I placed simple handwritten paper card nameplates on place cards made of playing cards.

Here is my process:

You will need two cards for each place setting.  Begin by choosing which cards you want to be the face of your place cards (In my case, hearts!).  Set aside.

Next, fold a coordinating amount of cards in half, one for each place card you intend to make.

On one of the folded sides, bead hot glue,

and glue onto the back of your "face" card.

You should now have a standing card.

Finally, I glued red cards to each and wrote the names in gold sharpie pen.

 


A red vase full of red roses and hearts centerpiece completes the table.

Completed tablescape.

A few more shots:

Closeup shots:

From my collection:
Gold chargers, generic
Silver chargers, generic
Clock plates, yours truly
Coffee mugs, yours truly
Jeweled heart-shaped dishes, The Dollar Tree
Foil heart placemats, Steinmart
Centerpiece; vase floral stems, hearts and all, The Dollar Tree

If you are looking to add another element, you may consider my giant playing card tutorial.  I made these cards a couple of years ago for a little girls' birthday party, but they also would work for this theme!  To see the tutorial, you may visit the post on The Crafting Table here.

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 

Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub. 

Follow me on Pinterest!!  Please be sure to kindly follow the board guidelines, as it takes time and effort to find fabulous pins across the Internet and Pinterest!  Thank you!  

Thank you for stopping by! ❤