April 14, 2016

Spring Cleaning


This post really should be called: That Time Spring Cleaning My Dining Room Snowballed into Buying New Dishes because there is apparently nothing like cleaning your baseboards to make you want to change things up! You see I've been having a bit of a decorating crisis lately. That is, if you can call something so trivial a crisis. And I believe you can.


While I love color and pattern, sometimes it makes me a little crazy to be surrounded by it all at once all the time. The problem is that I have virtually no hidden storage in my kitchen and dining room. My kitchen cabinets are not usable. That will not always be the case but for now it is my reality. This means that most every thing I need handy is in plain view. Go ahead and imagine having to put all of the stuff hiding in your cabinets out on a shelf or behind a glass door. Not. Good. Right?


I combatted this problem by finding all the pretty stuff. As you can imagine, I had no difficulty finding pretty things to use in my kitchen and dining room but for about the past year, all of that cobbled together color and pattern was just feeling too much for me.


I had originally bought these plates to hang with a vintage plate on the wall before realizing it may be possible for one to have too many plates hanging on one's walls and since I am already in possession of a set of plates decorating my front porch and a set of plates decorating the wall above my tv, quite possibly one more collection of plates might qualify me for some sort of 12 step program. So instead of hanging them up, I ordered several more of each and now I am excited to set a table like a grown woman.


During the process of cleaning up and organizing I became acutely aware that all of that visible color, pattern and general higgledy piggledy-ness of my belongings was starting to get on my nerves. So the paring down began and while it is quite possible I could never be one of those people who has all white dishes, this feels so much better to me. It is exactly how I want it. Until I next change my mind.


Did I mention that I have my own personal chalkboard artist on the payroll now? Yes. And by payroll,  I mean we let her stay the night occasionally and eat our food. It works out very well for both of us I think.


During my cleaning fit I also managed to contain the chaos that had become my cookbook shelf. Every day of my life the two sides of my brain are at war. It can be hard work to make them both happy.


Am I the only one who gains a sense of peace from the use of baskets? These hold paper napkins, straws, coasters and napkin rings.


Not even my cookbook collection escaped unscathed. Although, I must confess, I have an inordinate number of baking cookbooks that I can't seem to part with. It's a wonder I get a real meal on the table ever.


Being organized just makes my life better. It's a sanity saver for me and since we just started a bathroom renovation and there is currently a bathroom vanity in my bedroom, I'm taking my peace wherever I can find it!


Now that everything is happily tucked into it's rightful place I feel compelled to grab a couple of cookbooks off the shelf and explore the possibilities.


 And this? This is just because I have no manners and I wanted to a.) torture you with the yumminess and b.) show you just how versatile my new canapé/dessert plates are.

20 comments:

  1. Oh wow -- everything looks so pretty! Gorgeous plates and gorgeous everything!!!

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  2. Absolutely serene. We, and by "we", I mean the "I" part of we have been cleaning, re-examining, and purging our home too this spring. I get a sense of peace from doing so and knowing that every thing I do have has "earned" its place in our home (even if it's just because it looks pretty ;-)

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  3. Mmmmm....I'll take one of whatever is in the last photo :)

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  4. Hi, I hopped over from Mountain Mama's. Happy to be a new follower. Love your new dishes! I have such a dish fetish and my cupboards are overflowing with them. It would be a hoarders sight if they were all out in the open. I have dishes for every holiday and season. Rotation is an every day word here. I love your pretty pots of succulents. Your home looks warm and inviting!
    hugs,
    Jann

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  5. Beautiful plates! Spring seems to bring out the "cleaning and sprucing up" bug in us all. Yours looks great.

    Judy

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  6. We are two peas in a pod. I love organization, it grounds me. I have open shelves and we do have to be picky about what we have, not only for how it looks but for keeping it clean. My love for cookbooks is endless!

    You did a wonderful job! :)

    Jane

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  7. Everything looks beautiful!

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  8. I don't usually comment, too busy breezing through blogs, but I just have to for this post. I love what you've done here, and I totally get the battle between the two sides of the brain. I especially like the succulent in that sweet little baby cup, as I'm always looking for ways to use things rather than store them in boxes.

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  9. My two sides of the brain are always at war with each other, too! I actually took one of those tests recently that supposedly tell what percentage right and left-brained you are, and mine were almost equal. Yep, that's why they're always at war with each other...my right, logical organized side and then my creative, little bit zany left side. Anyhoo...your place always looks beautiful and organized (from what I can see). I love cookbooks, too and have some of the same ones you do. Love the "Back in the Day" cookbook. :-)

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  10. Your nest fluffin' always makes me smile.:)
    How are the wedding plans going?
    Happy Spring!

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  11. I love your canapé/dessert dishes! And everything looks beautiful. My pottery dishes that we received for our wedding are slowly but surely dwindling, which has made me wonder how I want to replace them. I'm thinking of finding pretty white dinner plates and then having fun with salad/dessert plates to use with them for color. Because I'm with you. I love serving food on white dishes but don't think I could only have white. :) Also if we were neighbors, we could swap our cookbooks every couple weeks. That would be fun. Mine are right above my computer, and I just counted: 12 that are entirely for baking. And I love that you have rings on your ring holder! :)

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  12. Jen, I so get your meaning sometimes it can all get a little to much pattern & colour hence me adding plenty of white into my everyday. I have to smile every time you talk about your kitchen as I wish my kitchen was as pretty as yours, mine is a horrendous brown 80's mess, unfortunately I will have to live with it for a little longer.
    I'm defiantly with you on the use of baskets I have them in every room.
    Have a beautiful weekend in your spring cleaned kitchen!
    Anna xx

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  13. Everything, and I mean everything, looks wonderful!

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  14. Moving.
    In.
    Immediately.
    Please have bleu cheese soup waiting.

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  15. You inspire me. I really need to find a pretty hutch for my dining room so I can start finding pretty little dishes to show off on it. Soon I hope! : )

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  16. Your colors are very soft and gentle and I like that, Jen. I can't have 'all white' of anything, I think it can get boring. Primary colors jar me so I like your middle of the road take on dishes. I have open shelved in the kitchen at our lakehouse, it does sort of leave everything exposed. Good excuse to buy and have pretty things!!!

    Read about Emma's party. What a success! Love her sense of fun.

    Jane

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  17. You know I go through phases where the higgledy piggledy-ness drives me crazy too. Seems like in the spring and summer less feels really nice. Then when the nesting phase of fall hits, I might bring more out again. Love the soft blue on your mantel. Your cottage is so pretty.

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  18. I'm not sure what this comment has to do with spring cleaning, but here it goes anyway. Your blog is a top (very top) favorite of mine. The word that always comes to mind through your photos and words is "nurture". I just wish I could pop in for an afternoon and let your sweet grace keep me company. :) Keep up the blogging, you are a calm in the midst of the sometimes crazy internet world.

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  19. You have a way of expressing exactly what I'm feeling. I was just going through my plates! Everything is so pretty Jen!

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  20. You have a way of expressing exactly what I'm feeling. I was just going through my plates! Everything is so pretty Jen!

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