Martha For Hire...

Ok, so apparently my decorative skill is in high demand here, because Helen has been waiting 2 years on me to come back, for me to help her decorate, only she just told me about 2 months ago. She's been in her new, might I add, GORGEOUS house for 2 years, and she's decided it needs my Martha touch, so we started. I know 'yall are sick to death of seeing my house, so why not someone elses? We hung curtains last week in one bedroom, but no pictures of those. Lastnight we decorated cabinet tops. Here are the before pictures:

People sometimes forget about the cabinet tops, especially in houses with high ceilings, like you find here in Oklahoma. The ceilings are high, so the eye goes up...so splurge on light fixtures(or at least globes for the light fixtures) , crown moulding,  and ceiling treatments, and CABINET TOPS.

Cabinet tops are like all this extra wall space for all the cute clutter and whimsy stuff that you wouldn't or shouldn't or couldn't put anywhere else. You can put just about anything on your cabinet tops. Anything from Garden decor to cookware, to crocs and pictures.

Helen spent about $150 (I think) on stuff for the tops of the cabinets, including greenery, (because Michael's currently has Buy One Get One free on their greenery) plus we brought 1/3 of the stuff from other places in the house. Just like on that decorating show on TV where they get stuff from all over the house you know?

Ta-Da! My favorite and Helen's too in this corner is the feed bucket with the fern in it. Love that. Blends in perfect with her Traditional/Western decor.

The wrought iron cat was a patio decoration I think that held a flower pot and was rusty, so I pulled some artificial flowers from another arrangement, twisted them on with some wire and greenery and stacked some wood underneath to lift it up and I loved the fella'. I coveted it. This space still needs some junk leaning around it...some rusty kitchen utensils...a rusty colander...some old horseshoes...some leather something perhaps...hmmmm

Distressed wooden Star plate, on clearance for $2 at Gordmans. Love it.

No decor is complete without a bunch of birch sticks tied together and stuffed in a pot. Learned that on HGTV yall.

So as I was saying "we need baskets, bring me baskets!", Helen brings me 6 or 7 various baskets from all over her 3000 sq foot house, scurrying about like a mouse and good assistant, all the while I'm eyeing this beauty of a picnic basket on the hearth and just waiting for her to grab it, but SHE DOESN'T...finally, she says "i have that picnic basket over there"...whew...yes, that's it. "bring it" i say.

I love to turn a basket on it's side and have ivy or grape vine spilling out. I have a picnic basket that belonged to my grandmother and I use it on every cabinet top, just like the one above.

The windmill was Nelson's grandfather's, and the first time they give me key's and go out of town, it's going on my cabinet tops. I covet it.

What I want to point out in this picture is the discipline tools on top of the refrigerator. 1 paint stick and two fly swatters...go Helen.

I googled "decorating cabinet tops" to see what the professionals say and this is a "professional do over". Ew. I guess if minimalist and glassware is your thing, this would definitely do.

While we shopped, Hannah was our resident babysitter in Gordmans. Petyton was good...

Lauren, trying to think up some reason to not be good...

Lauren getting hauled off for a beating...no, not really, but she looks like she got away with something for sure.

"I didn't do it"

The Babysitter....