To my dismay the buffet in our dining room is often piled up way too high with clutter. You know, it’s the landing spot. The place where the keys, lunchboxes, and mail all love to congregate and join us for supper—so I decided to foof it. Maybe a bit of fluffing and puffing is just what this little spot needs.
One thing you may not know about me is that I’m what they call frugal. Personally, I like to think of it as resourceful. That sounds a little more creative I’d say. Grin. I’m not resourceful with everything, but honestly with most things I am. Every now and then I’ll allow myself to buy something more expensive than normal and feel guilty about it for a week, make that a month. But when it comes to something like decorating, especially of the seasonal variety, I’m super cheap.
So I decided to get creative, which I’m finding is when things sometimes turn out even better than I had hoped. I saw something in Rachel Ashwell’s latest book that was refreshingly unexpected. Her daughter, Lily, displayed blooms in tin cans, just regular old tin cans. How nice to see something so simple, yet beautiful that one obsessed shabby chic fan can attain in one’s own home without spending a fortune or searching the world wide web into the wee hours of the morning. I thought it looked so sweet and whimsical that I decided to try something like it here.
I just washed out a couple of soup cans and peeled off the labels after supper the other night. The metal cans make small vases for short stem blooms and blend well with my silver, gold, and mercury glass. I filled mine with blush spray roses which bloom several to a stem so they make a good candidate for cutting short. They’re also less expensive than their long stem, single bloom cousin. In Lily Ashwell’s beach cottage, her tins were filled with hydrangea and looked lovely with her boho shabby palette.
I also wanted to add more candlelight in here for a soft romantic glow. Candlelight makes a beautifully romantic ambiance in the cooler months when the days begin to grow short. And as autumn nears I light more and more candles in the evening. To add to my recycled autumn vignette, I used an empty wine bottle to hold an ivory taper candle. I had to whittle down the bottom of the candle with a pocket knife so it would fit secure.
Well guys, I think I’ve started myself on a recycled goods kick. I wonder what else would make a cute vase or candle holder? The possibilities are endless.
xoxo Sally
PS Yes, those are Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic fabric swatches. No I will not be ordering any as I have ruined the chair I was hoping to slip. Apparently not all vintage chairs are wearing a pretty shade of ivory under their 70s garb. Some of them are hiding an even more original and colorful outfit I’m afraid. I ruined the chair. Sad face.
Sharing with Something To Talk About , WOW ,Share Your Style, and Shabbilicious Friday
Your buffet looks so beautiful! How funny, I noticed the bare cans in RA’s book also and did the same thing with a big can of Italian tomatoes. I just put some fresh roses in it last night so I laughed when I saw you had done the same thing:) It really is such a lovely and simple look. I also have some old can’s that I covered with vintage wallpaper, they look very pretty that way too.
Your dining looks so romantic and dreamy with the candlelight, just gorgeous!!! My blog is private but I’d love to send you an email invite if you’d like one. We live in a little rental apartment but I do my best to make it cozy:)
Yes Victoria, I would love an invite!
xo Sally
PS I’m going to make chili so I can save the big tomato can. 🙂
I sent one to the cottagefix dot com address, hope that was the right one:) You’re such an inspiration, one of my favorite bloggers now. Seeing your dark wood little buffet dresser has made me a bit sad that I’ve painted every piece of dark wood I own white:(
I love the look of recycled goods with other accessories. Those flowers look perfect in the aluminum can. I’m sorry about your chair project, but I’m sure you’ll find another one to take its place 😉
This looks so pretty…my kind of fall decorating!! Love the tin can vases. They actually blend nicely with your other silver pieces. 🙂
Mary Alice
Sally, there is not a thing you can do wrong in your sweet cottage… I have saved cans for years using them in and on our patio brunches and get togethers.
It’s the first beautiful thing I noticed is your wonderful addition in adding naked can filled with roses, it truly doesn’t get any sweeter then this.
Love your coziness here, and your landing place is now a place of beauty to land your eyes on.
I have had this queeziness for the past few days, thinking I was coming down with something so sitting around doing nothing but a bit of sewing has lead me today with gutting an office/guest/ catch all room trying to make some sense of it.
Will see what comes of it, as it is a much needed catch all room, but in need of a lift and a pick me up! So I hear you with wanting beauty in an area that catches all that tossed at it.
I would so love to live in your little cottage fix, that holds such big dreams on living well.
Xx
Dore
Thanks so much Dore! We have a room like that too, I like to think of it as “in transition.”It’s our guest room which was so cute once upon a time. Then I moved out the daybed and it’s just been waiting for something to happen, collecting stuff. I hope you are feeling better for the weekend. 🙂
xo Sally
Love the whole feel of it Sally and yes, I too love the simple cans used as vases. That’s what is so adorable about the shabby chic style… it doesn’t have to cost a lot to be fabulous. I’m delighted to be featuring your romantic autumn room at Shabbilicious Friday later this week.
Hugs ~ Kerryanne
This sweet corner is so dreamy, shabby chic romantic. I am so sorry you ruined the chair that you were excited to re-cover with RA fabric. Another one will come along just at the perfect time.