IF THERE EVER WAS A "RUST BUCKET", THIS WAS IT! A FILING CABINET SAVED WITH SOME PAINT TREATMENTS

Hi there and welcome to Sweet tea N' Salty Air! I sure had my work cut out for me yesterday. I rescued this very rusty filing cabinet and had to do allot of sanding. I guess I would be the only one crazy enough to deal with this item. What I liked about this piece is that it is super lightweight and the interior of the drawers were in A-1 condition!  I used Olympic One from Lowes, paint and primer in one. After sanding I treated it with Rust Lock.

OOOOCH!!!! 




The entire piece was painted with a very light grey, once dried I used a wood grain rocker. The process was painting the entire front, I used white, then take the rocker and just glide it from top to bottom. You must work quickly before the paint dries. I did just the fronts of the drawers to give it some look of texture.

DO YOU HAVE AN UGLY PLAIN WHITE CEILING FAN? GIVE IT A LITTLE MAKEOVER!

Hi there, welcome to Sweet Tea N' Salty Air. If your like me you have a great working white ceiling fan , only problem it is just plain ugly. As I was shopping Home Depot and Lowes I noticed that many of the fans were brown or black. So I got this idea that I would paint the white ones a bit.

So you start off with a plain Jane such as this. This is the living room fan.


After giving it 2 coats of brown paint some sanding and stenciling you end up with this. This is the kitchen fan.

SOME GREAT THRIFT STORE FINDS ! WELCOME TO SWEET TEA N' SALTY AIR!

Hi there, nice of you to stop by. Have you been thrifting lately?   I have come across some really neat stuff that fits perfect with my vintage/cottage/farm house décor. This rooster that does his job by holding the kitchen dishtowel was a mere 2.99.


He is attached to the shelf at the kitchen sink. He does his job well don't you think?




This very cute dress form is about 31/2 ft tall. That was at 4.99 but I am not sure how old it is it does look somewhat old. I may add a pretty dress or maybe a plant. It will take some time to figure this one out.


I was lucky to find this old glass milk bottle from Rodgers dairy in NY . It still has the original paper pull lid. I cant help to think about where this milk bottle first sat and who's table it was on. I can almost vision the mom dressed up with her pretty apron serving breakfast on the family table where their were piled scrambled eggs made from gathered eggs from that morning, maybe some Hoe cakes hot off the pan slathered with mounds of real butter. Hoe cakes are an old time favorite something like a pancake but made with cornmeal. The very first ones were made by the slaves on hot farm hoes, that's actually how they cooked them. Things seem so much simpler in the life that many of us bloggers mimic daily with our vintage décor etc. It makes me so happy to hap upon something like this for only 1.99. It tells me a larger story than any book could.


The fine china piece placed in the middle is my new find , @ 1$ it's wearing some pretty blue roses. Perhaps this was part of a new entire set that a bride received many decades ago. This again can tell such an amazing story, was this once part of an entire set, was it a wedding gift of a bride from long ago? If these items could only talk. Hope you enjoyed this little thrift tour, All of these items were purchased at Good-Will of South west Florida. By shopping at Good-Will it helps the community in many ways such as jobs, housing etc. We get a great deal and they get money they so desperately need. I also donate at least once a month shoes, clothes, housewares etc. any little bit helps out that great organization.


Thanks for stopping by! I enjoy the company!

HAVE YOU EVER PLANTED COSMOS IN YOUR GARDEN? IF YOU HAVEN"T YOUR SO MISSING OUT!

Hi there, feeling that Spring fever here in Southwest Florida. I have started several plantings of flowers. A recent trip to Home depot introduced me to "Cosmos", such a pretty flower and also easy for first time gardeners. I have been told that Cosmos traditionally are started by gardeners with seeds and that finding these treasures at Home Depot is rare. I am so lucky to be able to get them as plants. They came two colors to a pot.




The name Cosmo means "Balanced Universe".  Rumor on the internet says that these gems should not be fertilized, that's always a good thing. They grow tall between 3- 6' tall and about 12-18 inches in width.


There are 20-26 different species of these beauties. Cosmos are annuals except for the Chocolate Cosmo, that's the one I am about to order online they are considered perenials, they have a sweet vanilla fragrance and are native to Mexico.




They are similar to marigolds when the flowers wilt you just pinch them off .




While butterflies and humming birds may flock to your Cosmos Deer will keep away which is a good thing seeing that we border the thick woods of the everglades where all animals roam. Since Monday the day I planted them they have already grown a couple of inches, I have them in a full sun bed that gets watered about every other day. I am also interested in the "candy Stripe" Cosmo but that and the Chocolate I will order online. Hope I have inspired you to fill your flower garden with these pretty Cosmos! Thanks for joining me in the garden!

FROM OLD TO BLUE! AN EASY LIVING ROOM MAKEOVER

Hi there, so happy you could stop by! I had my sewing machine hard at work once again . Saturday's thrift adventure scored some beautiful new pieces of material and lucky for me they coordinated together so I used one for the curtain and one for some pillow "covers". By covers I mean I really didn't want to discard my present pillows so I merely made covers that tie pretty with cording so when I tire of them I can just toss and wash and store away or reuse. Just straight line sewing is all it is so even if your a beginner at sewing this is a super easy project.

I kept the khaki pillows as is seeing that is my send color in the room.
I always have a full curtain on this window it looks out to my neighbors side who is a diver and we see boats but its not pretty , they are not in the water if you know what I mean.


 I used black wrought iron curtain hooks to hang the curtain. Country Door has a similar panel in their new spring catalogue. Also pulled in some plates with blue to hang alongside the shutter.






I love this wire basket I also bought this glass teapot which has legs along with these 2 pottery barn cups. Just for some whimsy I tied them with cording onto the rim of the basket.









Just tie ! I sewed three ties on each side.


I shopped the  china cabinets and closets for all things blue and decked out all the shelves and mantle with different hues of blue.








Blue pottery bowls and caramel colored glass ware.





Blue adapts well with copper as well ,especially with "Girlee" sitting in it.

Some spring blooms,cherries and pretty material make an easy as pie wreath!

Hi there,Thanks so much for coming by. I just noticed something and maybe you can or cannot relate to this, when we arrived home we sat and watched a movie, well Mr. Sweet was watching the movie but I was watching the décor in the homes instead. They had the cutest tea set and many vintage things that I would buy. So in all actuality I realty was not watching the movie, Any of you do this??


I crafted a super easy wreath that anyone could make all I used was a spring bloom garland, some pretty Faux cherries and some coordinating material.

WELCOME TO MY VALENTINE LUNCH!

Happy valentines Day to you! So happy to share this Valentine lunch with you. Todays lunch is going to be delicious , quick and fun! The fun part is we are going to make it tableside. Todays menu is fajitas made from Chicken and cold and refreshing Sangria.  Lets get that table set,

 simple and fun! I have cut the tortillas into heart shapes, Lime is a staple for this dish and it just so happens that my good friends are growing these beauties in their yard!
These tortillas will soon be wrapped around chicken and vegetables.


A chalk painted charger displays the luncheon menu, yum!
The table is set So now we can begin to cook! And that box of candy is for the person with the sweet tooth, won't mention any names though!


It is so simple and the best part is your guests can watch it cook right near the table. The guest or guests will all want to get involved as they sip their Sangria which will be  loaded with sliced fruit! Just sliver up your white chicken and onion, peppers and toss up on the hot griddle with some olive oil and plenty of seasonings , my favorite is Adobe w/ pepper along with Sason and paprika.Keep your griddle on pretty high heat and just keep tossing , it will cook very quickly. Fill a bowl place tongs around the table and every one will be happy to fill their own heart shaped tortillas. This is also a healthy meal if your looking for healthy.
 You will want to have lots of fresh Lime to spritz on your Fajitas .
A cute way to add some festivity to your pitchers is to add some pretty flowers to the handle. The center doily was crocheted by my great gram, about 40 years ago. Thanks so much for visiting Sweet tea N' Salty Air and I wish you and your family a lovely Valentines  Day!




 I am sharing with these fun linky parties!

A CRAFTED DECORATIVE OUTDOOR FLAG

Welcome, We have had a huge storm so I spent most of the morning picking up palm debris. Many lost power ,we were lucky to still have ours.


I had been looking for a pretty outdoor flag and have not found one that I really like so I decided to sew my own. I used the old one as a pattern so to speak so that I could get the size perfect. I took out all my scraps of material and some cording, my glue guns, and of course my worthy sewing machine, I have had it for 13 years it was a gift when my youngest boy was born. But....I have a brand new sewing machine just waiting to get out of the box...soon. 


The first step was to prepare the base, I then cut out the petals, leaves and center. I first hot glued everything just a bit to keep it in place then I sewed everything down.

The base is a very stiff fabric so it would be better out in the partial elements. When I say partial I mean it is not all the way out in the open.





The petals were cut out all the same size, I crinkled them a bit in the middle, the center is a scrap of heavy material that I fringed around the edges.  The best part is you can make your own design what ever it may be, it was fun crafting this flag not really knowing what the finished product would look like. Hope you'll give it a try and have fun with it!  Thanks so much for letting me share my crafted flag with you.... bye for now friends!
I will be sharing at the following fun linky parties!

WELCOME TO SWEET TEA N' SALTY AIR, REMEMBER THE 1.99 FLOUR SACK ?

You remember our Saturday thrift store adventure, well I decided to cut the 1.99 flour sack in half. I have crafted a cute farmhouse towel out of one half the other half I will share later so I am going to call this the 1.00 kitchen towel seeing that it is only half. I simply sewed some ruffle on and did some stenciling.

A real simple sewing project. It is always wise to save all your material scraps no matter how little they may be, you never know when you can use them.


Biscuits & Honey! Yummy, thanks for coming by so I could share one of Saturdays thrift find!

VALANTINE PILLOWTALK FOR MR. SWEET TEA!!

Welcome, so happy you stopped by! You must be getting ready for Valentines day!  I have a surprise for Mr. Sweet Tea to see on Valentines day, I rummaged through my old gently used clothing and scraps of material and made some special pillows, a chalkboard and a big chocolate bar !

The heart pillows I made from an old never worn Christmas sweat shirt! Just sewed them up stuffed them added some material on the front with You, & Me! The little chalkboard was a small picture in a cute frame so I applied some chalkboard paint and painted the frame and then distressed it a bit.
Just a little something, something to make sure he knows he is so appreciated and loved!
So what are you planning for Valentines?  Thanks so much for stopping in at Sweet Tea N' Salty Air!

COME SEE WHAT I DID WITH THAT THRIFTED TEA POT WIRE BASKET, ALMOST ANYTHING CAN HOLD PRETTY FLOWERS OR PLANTS!

Hi there, the weather is "springy" today, Well you know those pretty petunias that were left all in a row soaking the sun up ? I finally got them planted. This weather just screams "Stay outdoors" to me I could dig in the dirt all day and not have another care in the world! I always say that the dirtier that someone gets is the result of how hard they have been working. Trust me you don't want to see my hands and nails they been doing some heavy duty digging in dirt!  


So I had the idea of turning that wire basket tea pot into a place for a pretty petunia!  So I lined well with coconut husk that keeps the soil from leaving the basket, added some good soil and then the Pink petunia, set it on top of the table which I covered with that spring tablecloth from Saturdays thrift store adventure, I even used the spring colored rug in that covered outdoor area .

I added some decorative moss to cover the top and a checkered bow.
You can turn any type vessel into a plant/ flower holder. Drainage is essential so if you cannot put holes in the bottom of the container add some rocks at the bottom of the soil. Also be careful not to overwater a good rule of thumb is about once a week. Coconut husk can be bought at most garden departments and come in all sizes. I had a huge piece so I was able to do the teapot and wire holder.
This wire flower holder also in the covered area was lined with coconut husk ,  then toped with some decorative moss. The Petunias will be happy here , they don't seem to like the Florida direct sunshine.
The carpet completed the theme of Spring. Although the wrought Iron could use a garland! Thanks for joining me outdoors here at Sweet Tea N' Salty Air! It's been fun! I bet if you scan your shed and closets you have lots of potential flower planters!
I am sharing at the following fun parties!

ANOTHER SATURDAY THRIFT STORE ADVENTURE, THIS TIME 3 HOURS& 20$!!!!

Hi there, ready to go? Lets go thrifting, you all know that I love the challenge of the hunt as well as the challenge of what I could turn these thrift items into. Soooo...this week we have 20$ and a few hours. The most important part of going is to make a mental list of some areas in your home that you would like to fill with some special finds. Today I have the covered outdoor space where you want it to look pretty but on the other hand you never know when someone will bring in some fresh caught fish and want to clean them in that area.  I am always scanning the thrift stores for vintage dishware that seems to be my #1. Along with shelves and anything crafted of real wood. Vintage and wire baskets are great to. Where in heavens name does she put all this you ask???? Simple , I hate cluttered so when I am not using something it sits idle in a cabinet till it's there turn . I am always switching things out and redoing them.




In this area there is about 5 thrift stores so lets go on in to this Good Will! Wow! Look at this....

A cute wire basket tea pot! 2.99 ,we'll take it. That would be cute on the outdoor table. Lets go this way---------->  Oh a colorful spring table cloth that appears to be in new condition.

And it's round to great deal @3.99   Wow we are finding some great stuff. Today the color at Good Will is clear, which means anything with a clear or white sticker is half price. Lets check the dishes and glassware.


I spyed this right away a piece of Spode which is highly collectable and a white sticker 1.99 so it will be just 1$. not bad for such a pretty dish made in 1926.





OK now as we move along ,ohh check this out a decorative piece of tin  only 6.99




Its about 21/2 ft. X 1 ft. Pretty as it is but I have plans for this pretty!
It may be a custom made piece, filled with beauty and detail!


Lets take a look at the textiles, I would love a bright spring rug........and right here this one will do and in perfect condition and washable. Did I mention I wash just about everything, last week I broke my washer by washing a rubber back carpet that shredded to bits, boy did I get in trouble seeing that I go through washing machines really fast. 
A nice woven spring colored carpet for 2.99 right in our budget. 
A huge white cotton kitchen towel, this would be cute done over !Well we are right on budget. It is important that you construct a good budget for thrifting. So for 20$ we did get some wonderful things. Please come back tomorrow so I can share what I have done with some of these thrift finds. Thanks for coming along!  It's always fun having you!