A Trip Back In Time (and My Gorgeous New Blooms)

I’m here a little late today…but I made it! I had some things to do this morning, including a trip to the upholsterer to check on some chairs for a client.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this client to you yet, mainly because her project has been delayed…and delayed…and delayed some more due to various circumstances.

Her name is Julia, and the project is a kitchen remodel along with some redecorating in the adjoining dining room and formal living room. This was probably my most challenging project to date for one reason: the whole impetus for the redesign was Julia’s acquisition of her mother’s quintessential 1960’s dining table. You know the kind, with the chrome, vinyl, and Formica. My challenge was to make that dining table work in an otherwise very traditional home.

Not easy.

There hasn’t been much progress made at all on the actual house. The kitchen remodel won’t start until next week. But we did move forward on the re-chroming of the table and chairs, and the reupholstery of the chairs.

They’re not put together yet, so I asked him to hold the back up for the picture. And the chrome on the bottom has to remain covered for transport back to Julia’s house today or tomorrow. But you get the idea. I think they turned out great!

And I’m actually shocked at how much I like the red. She really had her heart set on that red, and I wasn’t too crazy about it. But of course, it’s hers, not mine. But I’m actually excited about seeing it in the finished kitchen now.

The table should be getting its new top soon, in the same “cracked ice” red Formica that matches the vinyl. Hopefully by the time it’s finished, I can dig up my “before” pictures to show you. The chairs and table were in pretty bad shape. It’s amazing what re-chroming them to did! They look brand new.

Now onto something completely different…

As I was running my errands this morning, I couldn’t help but notice these trees blooming all over town with bright pink blooms. They’re absolutely gorgeous! So when I got home, I took my scissors and snagged a few blooms for myself.

I don’t know anything about anything when it comes to plants, trees, and flowers, so I’ll leave it up to one of you brilliant people to tell me what this is. And please don’t laugh at my lack of even the most elementary knowledge of horticulture. 🙂

Okay, I kept this picture just to show you how unbelievably humid it is here today. I mean, you could cut it with a knife! As soon as I opened my camera, the lens fogged over. You might notice that it did the same thing in the pictures of the chairs above. So here’s a better picture of the tree after I defogged my camera lens…

Can you tell me what this is? It’s gorgeous! And I saw them everywhere today! So here are the little blooms I snagged for myself…

And of course, Peeve likes them too…

…for dinner…

Don’t worry. I didn’t let her eat them. But this little monster is the very reason I didn’t allow fresh flowers in my home for about five years. She gets into everything!