The Cabbage In Early Spring

I heard the gossip among the daffodils.  They said that Spring was on its way.

And then some little birds told me it was true.

It arrived slowly and tentatively, as if it was waking from a dream.

Then suddenly it was everywhere.

And I wondered if I was dreaming.

Of course, I wasn't dreaming.  I was just remembering what a wonderful world this is.

The Cabbage Gallery Refresh

View Of The Cabbage Dining Room From The Cabbage Gallery

When I finished The Cabbage Gallery project back in the Summer of 2013, I knew I was going to have to redecorate the adjacent dining room.  What I didn't know was that would take over two years!

So, as I was completing the dining room, I realized that a few changes in The Gallery could be made as well.  Nothing drastic.  Just a few touches to freshen it up a little.

Here's what The Cabbage Gallery looked like before:

The Cabbage Gallery in August 2013

And here's what it looks like today:

The Cabbage Gallery 2016

One of the main differences is the fabulous new Nuloom rug which matches the runner in the dining room.  I also found a new office chair while I was searching in vain for dining room chairs at one of my favorite flea market shops.

The gold nail head trim on my new, vintage desk chair inspired me to
brighten up the hardware on the desk.

Another change is the lamps on my desk.  The task lamp is brand new but the other one just got a makeover.  Here's the before and after photo:

Before And After Lamp Makeover

Again, not a big change but it was a fun project and I love how it turned out.

I also painted an old table that I bought for $5 at a thrift store years ago so I could have a place to put my record player.

A New Place To Play Our Old Records

And yes, I did decorate the record player too, because why not?

You may also notice that my growing collection of vintage photographs now takes up the shelves on both sides of the desk. Actually, I am constantly rearranging stuff on all of the shelves but the back wall is still dedicated to my artwork.

The Cabbage Gallery Art Wall

And of course, no room refresh is complete without switching out some throw pillows.

A Room With Some Lace And Paper Flowers...And Throw Pillows!

As you can see, I'm very content in the newly refreshed Cabbage Gallery.  In fact, next to my art studio, I think it is my favorite space in The Cabbage.

Speaking of my art studio, I gave that room a refresh as well.  Click here to pop on over to the I Believe In Art Blog to check it out.

Have you ever made a small change to a room that made a big difference?  Please feel free to share your experience in the comments below.

Dining Room Evolution

Like all the rooms here at The Cabbage, our dining room has gone through a lot of changes in the last ten years.  However, the big changes started happening after we transformed the adjacent room into our home gallery (click here for that story).

Before that, this is how our dining room looked:

The Cabbage Dining Room in 2012

I had painted the walls in The Cabbage Gallery a creamy white but I wanted to do something different in the dining room so I experimented with a green ombre treatment.  I wasn't entirely happy with it but I decided to live with it for awhile while I formulated a better plan.  Here's how the dining room looked during the holidays in 2014:

The Cabbage Dining Room 2014

Finally, just before Thanksgiving last year, I decided on a pale blue-green color for the walls and things started to evolve from there.  This is how the dining room looks now:

The Cabbage Dining Room 2016

Once the walls were painted I knew I wanted to add more orange accents to balance out the orange curtains above the window seat.  I did this by painting the inside of the built in wall cabinet and the primitive cabinet I use as a buffet.

Newly Orange Interior Of Our Built In China Cabinet

My "Canyon Queen" Painting Over A Primitive Buffet Cabinet

Once I hung my "Canyon Queen" painting on the wall, I realized I wanted to add some more purple to the room.  My plan was to find some secondhand dining chairs and paint them purple but that search proved to be more difficult than I thought it would be. Eventually I wound up splurging on a new set of upholstered chairs that I am just crazy about. 

Dining Room With "Purple Passion" Chairs And Accessories

The chairs inspired me to design my own table runner, paper plates and throw pillow (available at The Cabagelow Creations Shop).

To spruce up the window seat, I reupholstered the bench and switched out some throw pillows.  I also added a bunch of throw rugs to the floor, mostly for our cats.

Our Cat Bart Enjoying One Of The New Rugs

I won't say this room is "done" now because no room ever truly is but I'm really happy with where it is right now and definitely don't plan on painting it again any time soon!

Has your decorating style evolved over the years like mine has? I would love to hear how you have incorporated your changing tastes into your home.  Please feel free to leave a comment below. 

Christmas Time At The Cabbage 2015

The holidays kind of snuck up on me this season.  I started everything later than I usually do but this actually turned out to be a good thing.  It was a good thing because it required me to give myself two gifts that I hope to give myself a lot more of in 2016: Simplicity and Time.

Christmas ornaments in the dining room and on the tree,

So I didn't go all out with the holiday decorations this year.  Instead I edited my ideas down to what I could comfortably manage and then I took my time and enjoyed the process of implementing them as well as the results.

The Cabbage Christmas Tree 2015

Simplicity and Time, how nicely each of them makes room for the other.

I painted new wings for this year's mantel decorations

So, from our home to yours, Hippie and I wish you all the simple pleasures of this season and an abundance of time to enjoy them.

Just a little bit of holiday sparkle in my art studio.

Peace, Love, Art & Happy Holidays,

Victoria

This year's simple chalkboard mural.

Click here if you missed my Christmas Time At The Cabbage post in 2014.

Bathroom Closet Makeover

I don't know if I've mentioned this before but home improvement projects kind of suck sometimes.  I mean sure, they're fine in the beginning when I am planning and picking out paint colors and they are great at the end when all the hard work is done and I get to add all of the finishing touches.  However, in the middle of these projects I often find myself questioning my sanity and wanting to pull my hair out in frustration.  

This was  definitely the case with my bathroom closet project.  It was supposed to be a simple weekend project but then real life, mercury retrograde, the laws of physics and my lack of math skills got in the way and it ended up taking five weeks!  However, now that it is done, I choose to tell myself that it was all worth it.

So here's what I started with all those weeks ago:

Before: Messy Curtain Covering Messy Closet

Unlike the other closets I've tackled in this house, this closet never had a door.  Hippie and I tried to come up with one back when we renovated the bathroom (click here if you missed that post) but soon realized the location of the closet made a door unfeasible. So I just threw up a curtain instead.  This allowed me to hide all kinds of things I didn't really need behind there and didn't look all that great, which got on my nerves.  So finally I just decided I needed to make it pretty and organized enough that it didn't need a door or a curtain.

The first step was cleaning out the closet (which took forever), then Hippie and I removed the shelves (easier said than done) and I got to work painting and (drum roll please) wallpapering!

Closet In Progress

Now, normally I am afraid of wallpaper but then I saw this Devine Peel And Stick Wallpaper at Target (affiliate link) and decided this would be the perfect place to try it out.  The most challenging part about putting it up was figuring out how to get the pattern to line up but once I did, it went fairly quickly.  I did have to peel it off and back on a few times to get it just right but that was the beauty of this stuff.  I can see myself using it again on other small projects.

That done, it was time to put the newly painted shelves back in, which proved to be even more problematic than getting them out.  Finally I just bought some pre-finished shelves and they went right in and looked so much better (lesson learned).

Then I got to do the fun part of organizing and decorating.  I put everything I didn't want to see in pretty storage bins and containers but was able to leave out many of the things I use the most.

Storage Bins and Decorative Containers Keep Shelves Pretty

Cotton Balls and Swabs Never Looked So Fancy. ;)

And then finally I was done!  Woo-hoo!

After: Open and Organized Closet

Of course the big challenge will be keeping it this way.  I'm sure some adjustments will be made as I go along but I think this will help me keep the clutter from building up like it did before.

Do you have any home improvement challenges or tips you'd like to share with me?  Please feel free to leave a comment below.

Cabagelow Creations

It's a busy week here at The Cabbage with Fall coming soon and football season starting but I wanted to take this opportunity to officially introduce you to my newest shop on Zazzle.com - Cabagelow Creations.

Purple Patina Plate Collection - Available Here

I have been offering my art, graphic designs and photographs for sale on Zazzle products for over 10 years now.  In the beginning the amount of products was limited and I sold mostly art prints, greeting cards and t-shirts.  Then a few years ago Zazzle started making home accessories available and I got really excited.  Not only did this increase the possibilities for my business but I could now design custom items for my own home!

Fly Me To The Moon / Reach For The Stars Throw Pillow - Available Here

I created my Cabagelow Creations shop as a place to showcase the designs that are inspired by The Cabbage and our life here.  I have purchased many of the products with these designs and use them throughout my own home and garden, so I feel confident in the quality and value that Zazzle offers.

Samples Of The Purple Patina Fabric Collection - Available Here

I hope you will visit my Cabagelow Creations shop at CabagelowCreations.com often as it continues to evolve daily.  For new design and product alerts as well as special offers, follow @VLHproducts on Twitter.

As always, thank you for your support and encouragement.

5 Favorite Thrift Store Finds + 3 Things I Still Buy At Thrift Stores

When we moved into The Cabbage several years ago, I had big dreams of how I wanted to furnish it but a very small budget.  Lucky for me, at that time my local thrift stores were full of treasures.  Below are a few of my favorite finds.

1. This Lovely China Cabinet:

Thrift Store China Cabinet To Hold More Treasures
(Plates and Drinkware available at the Cabagelow Creations Shop)

I really wanted a china cabinet for my dining room but didn't think I could afford one until I came across this beauty.  I couldn't believe there was something this nice at a thrift store and I really couldn't believe the price.  Score!

2. This Gorgeous Vanity:

This Vanity Resides In "The Fairy Nook " Of Our Guest Room

This vanity was another unbelievable thrift store find.  We were expecting guests in just a couple of days and had nothing in our guest room but a bed.  I was looking for a small dresser but when I saw this I had to have it.  It turned out to be the perfect solution, providing storage as well as surface space for our guests.

3. This Comfy Wing Chair:

A Favorite Corner For Me and My Cat Poe, The Table and Lamp Are Also From Thrift Stores

Underneath my drop cloth "slipcover" and the fabric covering the cushion and ottoman of this thrift store find is the ugliest plaid fabric that ever existed.  However, it is one of the most comfortable chairs I have ever sat in.  Sometimes I think I should replace this chair with something a little more put together or stylish but then I sit down in it and think, "Nah".

4. This Old Workhorse Of A Desk:

The Perfect Desk For My Art Studio

This amazing thrift store bargain was a little beat up when I found it which made it perfect for my art studio.  It is solid and sturdy with a ton of work space and even more storage.  I have been using the bottom right drawer as a junk drawer for 8 or 9 years now and have only had to clean it out once.  I seriously love this desk.

5. These Cool Retro Bar Stools:

Cell Phone Photo Of My Thrift Store Bar Stools

I ducked in to one of my favorite thrift stores on a whim a little over a year ago and these cool swiveling bar stools were waiting for me to take them home.  I was really excited because I knew Hippie was going to love them and he does.  We ended up splitting up the set, putting one in my art studio for me and one in the kitchen for Hippie.  However, it is our cat Motley that gets the most use out of that one.

Our Kitchen Supervisor

That was actually a pretty rare find, as the last few years it seems like thrift stores have less and less true treasures to offer.  However thrift stores are still the first place I look for certain items.  Here are 3 types of items I still buy at thrift stores:

1. Vases

One Of My Favorite Thrift Store Vases

I like to have a variety of different vases around for flower arrangements from my garden.  Almost all of my most favorite ones have come from thrift stores.  I like the quirky ones the best but there are usually some more classic ones to choose from as well. 

2. Lamps

This Charming Little Lamp Cost Me Less Than 3 Dollars

I don't really try to find unusual lamps at thrift stores but they seem to have a way of finding me.  When buying lamps secondhand I always try to find a place to plug them in to make sure they work.  If the cord is damaged at all, I will make sure that the lamp can easily be taken apart for rewiring before I purchase it.

3. Picture Frames

My Collection Of Vintage and Antique (Some Reproduction) Photos
See Cards Made From Some Of These At My VictoriaVintage Shop

It takes some digging sometimes, but if I need picture frames for a home decor or art project I usually check the thrift stores first.  As long as the price is right, I also don't mind doing a little painting or other work to upcycle frames with potential.

Do you have a favorite thrift store find or tips for finding vintage treasures?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.