Our Laundry Room and Come Join the Cloche Party!

Hello all! Sorry for my disorganized post. I just added 2 more pictures for the Cloche party and you know that when you add pictures, they go to the top, so even though my cloche party is posted at the bottom, these 2 pictures are displaced. I just thought I would add them. It's my blog so I can do whatever I want with it, right? LOL!I passed by my bookshelves which cannot be missed cause it kinda greets me when I come out of the office, and saw my jade tea set displayed there. I thought it would make a nice display under the dome with a bird and orchid, I pulled out a cloche from a kitchen cabinet and went to work and here is the result. It is now sitting on our family room coffee table. You can click to enlarge, of course.

Kelly is hosting Show Us Where You Live Friday and today, we can show our choice, so I thought I would show our laundry room for the first time. Be sure to check out Kelly's post at http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/ and everyone else participatingOur laundry room is off of the kitchen so I use it as an extension. It is very small but very bright so I don't mind being there at all. Besides, it has a nice view that I enjoy.
It also has enough storage cabinets. The long one is where I keep our brooms, mops and vacuum cleaner. Above it, I keep serving trays. I hang my apron there, which I never use. I just pretend to be a cook, lol.
I chose a top loading window washer because it is easier for me to drop the dirty laundry in. The dryer is front loading but that's because I have not seen top loading dryers with a glass window and I like the windows.
I hung 2 white shelves above because the cabinets are high (I have to tippy toe to get anything out from the bottom shelves so you know I need a step ladder to to get to the higher ones) and I did not want to waste the space.

Here is what's responsible for making the tiny room bright.

I like looking outside when throwing clothes in the laundry or folding them. Right now, my potted plants are spread everywhere in the front yard so they can get watered by the sprinklers, that way, the one watching our house do not have to water them while we are gone . They had shut off our sprinklers in the back because of the pool being built.

More cabinets and a sink on the opposite side of the w/d. and we have a small freezer across the window. I have maximixed the small space to make it functional.

Just like I said, this functions as an extension to the kitchen since it is so accessible from there. I have Senseo coffee maker here that I only use to make capuccinos. I have a Melitta coffee maker in the kitchen to make my coffee. I also have the microwave here. Our oven in the kitchen is convertible to a microwave but this one is easier for me to use so I use this a lot.

That oil painting on the wall was one of the earliest paintings that I did. The fruits are mangoes and I love mangoes. This is where I cook rice, see the little rice cooker? I have a bigger one that I take out and use when we have company.

Thanks Kelly, for allowing us to show a room in our house.

Now, let's all join Marty! Cloche Party is finally here! The party is being hosted by someone who is so loved in Blogland, Marty of http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/. I have been so busy, cleaning up, organizing and packing for a trip, not to mention, posting and scheduling blogs in advance, so I only have a few that I will share with you. And I did not even spruce them up for the party, so please just ignore them if they are not creative enough for you. I just do not want to miss this exciting party and I am very thankful to Marty for organizing it.

I have 2 apothecary jars that are filled with shells. You will notice that the cover handles are also shells. I have them sitting in one of the guest bathrooms that I had decorated with a Florida beach in mind.

It's a little tricky taking pictures of these glass clotches. Somehow, you get some kind of reflections if the angle is not right. Can you see my reflection in the mirror? Sorry, I just do not have time to redo it. Here is one that houses my 2 wooden Asian figures.

Here's another one I just moved to the office by the window. It's a bird on a nest.

Marty have seen this when I posted a picture of it with my "3 or more" soup tureen post. She told me to include it so here it is. It is a mini Red Cliff ironstone soup tureen, an exact replica of a regularly sized one available out there. I just added 2 little birds to fill out the dome a little. I keep it on top of my kitchen cabinets but I took it down for the picture.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my little contribution. I will be away so I apologize if I am unable to comment any sooner. Thank you so much for coming and Marty, thanks for the party!

An Impromptu Tablescape & Luncheon

Susan is so gracious to host another tablescaping event. Tablescape Thurs. is a weekly meme where we can all play on our tables and dishes. Do visit http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ if you want to see an awesomely put together table and then check out the list of participants, enjoy and get ideas and tips from them.

A few days ago, my friend and I just decided to hang out at the house, sing karaoke and what not. So I told her to come and I'll throw something on the stove and just eat lunch here. Then we called another friend to join us since I was already cooking anyway. What's one more, right? She did not answer but returned my call while we were already eating. When I mentioned that I called to invite her to eat lunch here, she immediately said she is so hungry and that I am a life saver and she will be right over. LOL! And so she did!
Talk about impromptu! I just pulled out some everyday dishes and glasses, did not even put a tablecloth on the table.I immedately baked a dessert (Cassava bibingka) while I cooked kare-kare and Chicken tinola. You probably wouldn't know any of these foods if you aren't from the Philippines. Neither of my guests are from the Philippines but they loved them. We all ate so much that it made it difficult to sing, but we had a lot of fun.
These are some of my everyday dishes that I bought from Pier 1 in FL. a long time ago. I seldom use them that when I do, my husband always asks "New dishes?". LOL! They kinda have a retro design. I pulled out my leather place chargers since the luncheon was so casual and they were easily accessible.

No meal is complete for me without rice.

I cut some some long stemmed flowers from the garden and lit a few candles.

I hope you liked my impromptu really simple tablescape. I set the table in less than 10 min. since I had to get busy cooking. Thank you so much for coming. And thanks Susan, for another great tablescaping event!

The Myrtles

Go over at Susan's blog, http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/ to see who else is participating for Outdoor Wednesday. It's always fun to see plants and flowers and other outdoor pictures and today is our chance to see them.

Last Saturday, I wanted to show John a gazebo that I saw and liked so I dragged him to St. Francisville, LA. The garden shop was close to the Myrtles so we decided to eat lunch there. Oh, by the way, we bought the gazebo, an iron swing and 2 concrete carved pedestals. I'll show them to you after they are delivered and in place.

If you watch the TV show, A Haunting, you probably have seen this antebellum house featured to be one of the most haunted houses in Louisiana. We took AJ and her mom here to tour the house 2 years ago when they came for a visit. AJ was so attentive to the tour guide and she remembered everything he said, so this place always puts a smile on our faces because it always makes us remember AJ's comments after the tour. Haunted or not, you can enjoy the outdoor garden. Just look at those crape myrtles! wish mine would bloom like them.

Here, you will see the back side of the house.

Side of the house.

The restaurant is the building on the left.

I think the oak trees look kinda creepy with lots of Spanish moss hanging on them.

This is the front of the house.

Thank you, Susan, for sponsoring another Outdoor Wed. and thank you all for coming!

A Set of Crocks

It's 2nd Time Around Time, hosted by Diane of http://diane1876.blogspot.com/. Let's all visit Diane so we can see what everybody is proudly showing us today. It will be fun for sure.

I went to a local Thrift store yesterday to give a donation. But I was told to drive to the back of the building, but since I was already inside the store, I thought I would browse first, hoping to be lucky to find pretty plates like what Marty of http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ always finds at GW.

But no luck with plates but I saw this crock set and bought it. The largest jar is quite big and for $15 for the whole set, I thought it was a good deal. The set includes the big lidded jar, could be a bisquit jar, a spoon rest, a salt shaker, garlic container, a big plate (as big as a plate charger) and another lidded one with a removable strainer inside. Not sure what it is for but I am thinking, maybe to store used cooking oil? Does anybody know? Sorry I forgot to take a pic with it open.
But I think the set looks too countryish for our house so I thought I would paint them. What do you all think? Should I and if I do, what color or colors? Right now, they are sitting on our work bench in the garage, waiting for me to do something to them.

Thanks for coming!

Blue Shell Sevres With Cherubs and Plant Trellises

Monday means we have to look for anything blue so we can join Sally's Blue Monday party and find anything we had transformed so we can join Susan's Metamorphosis Monday. Let's all go visit their posts at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/ and http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/and check out what exciting things they have to show us and then check out each participant's post. It will be fun for sure.

For today, I would like to show you a pair of Sevres figures, not really sure what to call them. Anyway, they have a handpainted shell shaped top with a bronze ormolu baby sitting on top and 2 bronze baby mermaids holding them up.
Check out the details!
Thanks Sally, for taking the time to host this event. I know you are very busy with the moving.

And now, for Met Mon!

I have been in the mood for buying items that I can use to decorate the deck after the pool is done. I saw these last week while browsing through a yard and garden store. They were really rusty.

But I bought them anyway. I spray painted them black and this is how they turned out. Don't mind the mess in the yard please. It's all the pool supplies and I can't really clean or throw anything away cause I do not know what the pool men need.

Dirt all over, Ugh! But I think the trellises turned out well. Don't you?

This is how it looks now with a mandevalia inside the bigger one. I still do not have anything in the smaller one. but they will eventually move to the pool deck.

Thanks for coming over!