Uncategorized

WAITING FOR SUPERMAN!

If you were in dire trouble and needed to be saved by a superhero who would you pick to come to the rescue? I would pick Superman! Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound……

ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS

Art is one of the most subjective and interesting things we can put in our homes. If you are like me, art can also be daunting! Art can be very expensive and I tend to grow tired of it after awhile! Recently, I have been drawn to architectural elements. I love old chippy pieces! On a trip to Washington DC I picked up 8 chippy, wonderfully dirty pieces of molding from houses that must be over 100 years old! I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them… but I knew they were coming home with me!…

THE SCOOP #132

Hi Friends! Hope you are having a wonderful beginning of the week! And I hope we make it even better now that you are joining us at THE SCOOP! Last week there were so many fabulous links… my must-make list is huge!!!! I love so many projects and recipes! You are such a talented group! Did you see my post on FARMHOUSE VINTAGE. If you want to add a couple of fun farmhouse touches you’ll want to read this post!…

FARMHOUSE VINTAGE

There is something so comfortable about farmhouse style. It reminds me of an easier, slower time… of home cooked meals and lots of family and hard work and making our own good fun! It’s nothing fussy and everything welcoming! There is a charm to farmhouse style, that’s for sure! Here’s a little farmhouse vintage inspiration….

BREAKFAST PIZZA

It’s back to school time and I’m thinking there are a whole lot of kiddos and parents going from summer mode to school routine! As a former 1st grade teacher, I have seen first hand the value of a good breakfast. And as a mom, I know how rushed some mornings were getting my children out and onto the school bus! One of my go-to breakfasts during those wonderful and frantic years was a healthy breakfast pizza. So easy to whip up… and my kids LOVED them!…

PAINTED HUTCH REVEAL

There’s nothing like a few coats of paint and a little wax to breathe life into an old piece of furniture! A paintbrush is like a magic wand… turning something we would never think of putting in our home into a grand piece of furniture that becomes the centerpiece of a room! I found this very ugly old hutch with marvelous arched glass doors. It was a solid wood piece so heavy with dirt and cobwebs… but there was something I immediately fell in love with! So with a little paint I coaxed the true beauty out of this ugly……

HOW TO HANG AN “AS YOU GO” WALL ART GALLERY

Maybe It’s because I’m not super organized… or maybe I’m just too impatient… or maybe I’m slow. It’s probably all three! When it comes to hanging a gallery on my walls, I just don’t have it together enough to gather up ALL the art to hang at one time and systematically arrange them before hanging them up! If you are like me, then this is a post custom made for you! Today I’m going to show you how to create “hang as you go” a wall art gallery. This is not rocket science, but there are a few tips and……

THE SCOOP # 131

WELCOME TO THE SCOOP#131! Last week I shared 10 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU BUY ANY HOME DECOR. Wow, did you respond! I love lots of reader interaction!!! If you love home decor this is a good post to read!…

ON THE MENU WEEK OF AUGUST 11, 2O14

The August garden at StoneGable is still filled with lots of fresh veggies! Now the peppers, tomatoes and eggplants shine! We are picking 6 different varieties of tomatoes and I’m starting to think about canning sauce! YUMMY! Bobby just built a border around the veggie garden from the old patio pavers. I’ll be sharing that project with you on Instagram. If you make one thing this week you should try the BBQ Chicken Thighs With Magic Rub! That rub is so good that once you try it I know it will be a staple in your pantry! If you try……

GIVING THANKS AT MEALTIME

This past week our family went out to dinner at a local steakhouse chain. You know the one that has free peanuts and two-steppin’ servers and plays country music’s top 40 and embarrasses birthday folk by making them sit on a big saddle! YEE-HAA! Yes, that’s the one! I love this restaurant! Kevin, one of the cooks, can make me the most perfect “Pittsburgh seared medium” ribeye EVER! It’s so good it could make you cry! YUMMY! As is our habit, we all quietly held hands and prayed before we ate. We thanked God and asked Him to bless the……

TOP 10 FAVORITE TABLESCAPING ITEMS

This post was born out of a readers question. Tami asked, “Your tablescapes are SO BEAUTIFUL and INSPIRING! I have one question though, if you could only pick ten items, or even five, that you use over and over again, what would they be? I’m on a limited budget and need to choose carefully. Would love to hear your thoughts. Beautiful job! Thanks.” Thanks Tami… your answer is in this post! Here are ten items that I use over and over and over again to set a many of my tables… and I did not spend a lot of money……

EASY PUFF PASTRY HAM CHEESE AND BROCCOLI HAND PIES

Hand pies… little packets of flaky crust and yummy insides! These are perfect for a quick-to-make back to school dinner! The secret is all store-bought, easy to prepare ingredients! These little golden clouds can be frozen ahead and popped into the oven. They go from freezer to table in about 30 minutes! Once you have the basic recipe down… the ingredients can be switched up and the options are only limited by your culinary imagination!…

THE SCOOP #130

Welcome Friends! It’s time for another SCOOP! As many of you know, I have recently switched my blog to wordpress. There have been a few glitches this week and lots of learning! Thanks so much for being patient with me as we all go through some growing pains!!! Look for StoneGable to improve with lots of reader friendly new features over this month! I also hope you like the new look! Did you see my recent post LATE SUMMER FARMHOUSE VIGNETTE? I was inspired by all the flowers growing like weeds in my garden……

ON THE MENU MONDAY WEEK OF AUGUST 4, 2014

Happy August! Where did the bulk of this summer go!!! The garden has stopped producing zucchini and I just pulled up the onions and beets. The eggplant, peppers and tomatoes are filling the garden stalks and vines right now! August is the time to eat tomatoes right out of the garden for breakfast, lunch and dinner! YUMMY! If you make one thing this week… a hard decision… you might want to try the Roasted Tomato Mini Pies! They are made with cherry tomatoes and puff pastry. Easy and so delicious! Now here’s what’s ON THE MENU……

GLAZED LEMON ZUCCHINI BREAD

Zucchini are one of the most underrated vegetables in the garden. They are huge producers and only get a nod or recognition for it!!! But, I’ve found a recipe that does what Marinara Sauce did for the tomato and what Buffalo Wings and Bleu Cheese did for celery! Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread is THE BEST loaf bread I have ever eaten! It is super moist and delicate and lemony! It elevated the humble zucchini to super star status… a position long overdue! If you make one thing with a zucchini this summer, this has to be it……

STONEGABLE IS BACK AND IN A MAGAZINE

Hi, Friends! I’m finally back… with a new blog and a fun announcement. Did you miss me? I very much missed you!!! First, how to do like my new blog design? It still has lots of pictures and lots of the same StoneGable style, but it’s a little more updated, fresher and hopefully will be easier for you to read and search for posts!…

BIG CHANGES AT STONEGABLE… COMING SOON!

I have been keeping a secret for a few months… and it has been hard not to give it away! Thank goodness I can finally tell you today!!!After 4 1/2 year of blogging and 1,457 posts I am finally moving to WORDPRESS…. and my blog is being totally redesigned!I have been working with Julie at BLOGGER BOUTIQUE for months to make StoneGable even better and more user friendly! AND StoneGable will have a new, fresh look without loosing my signature style (lots of big images).The day has finally come!!!! It is moving day!So what does that mean for my readers?It means no……

ON THE MENU WEEK OF MAY 19, 2014

Every Wednesday is “Wednesday’s With GiGi” at StoneGable. My son and daughter-in-law’s dog Beau comes and spends the day with me! I love this dog and look forward to a day of going to the dog park, having him tag along right beside me and playing in the backyard! By the end of the day I have “Beau Glow”. That’s what I call the happiness he spreads! He is just the most fun, aim-to-please dog there is!Because of Beau we have started to have family dinner night every Wednesday. My kids, and now mom and step-father join us for the evening.……

SHARING “WISDOM” BECAUSE I AM A WOMAN OF A CERTAIN AGE!

What does it mean to be a woman of a “certain age”?Mature, seasoned, settled, mellowed by decades… maybe. But I have my own take on age and aging!Today I am over at AROUND THE TABLE for a very saucy interview!Most of you have never seen me in this light… very personal… even discussing what sexy means to me… SHOCK!Stop over and visit LESLIE as she asks me some very interesting questions about being a woman and being of a “certain age”!…

LAMPS.COM DIY LAMPSHADE CHALLENGE~ I NEED YOUR VOTE!

I love a good challenge! How about you?LAMPS.COM asked me to participate in theirDIY LAMPSHADE CHALLENGE!Whoo Hoo!They gave me a white drum lampshade and asked me to do something with it. So I did…And now I need your vote!!!I hand painted our monogram on a plain white drum shade and then painted sassy horizontal stripes… with a little bit of gold bling!And to finish it off I added burlap ribbon to the top and bottom of the shade.The white monogrammed circle was not painted so when the lamp is turned on the monogram circle lights up!It’s sorta like a glow in……

THE SCOOP #116

I’m in the mood to party and get lots and lots of inspiration!!! How about you?Before we begin this weeks Scoop, did you see how I decorated those chippy frames in the dining room?Here’s a look…ART TILESStop back later this week for an Art Tile DIY!To see what’s planned this week at StoneGable see the title page!Welcome back to The Scoop The weekly linky party featuring the scoop on the best posts from around the web! More exposure + less time = win win! We are Anita from Cedar Hill FarmhouseDebbie from Confessions of a Plate AddictBarb from The Everyday……

SPRING KITCHEN VIGNETTE

Creating a seasonal vignettes is my favorite way to decorate the kitchen table! It’s so much fun to play with my dishes and fun elements to make a vignette that brings the outdoor season inside! This spring vignette is all about tulips and stock and eggs and bunnies and that beautiful spring green that all of nature turns after a long winter’s nap… You can see all the talented bloggers who are participating at the end of this post. This vignette started with a big round basket that I use for most vignettes……

THE WHITE CUPBOARD

Each season I like to change up the little cupboard in the dining room.I was going to add spring things… but instead I just kept adding more and more white dishes. I love white dishes. They are like little pieces of art to me.So, I’m holding off on the Spring nest and eggs and fluff and flowers for a couple of weeks to enjoy an all white cupboard with a few new Spring inspired soup tureens and bowls and such…Most of my dishes and other tableware in the cupboard are not old. I’ve picked up many pieces at my favorite……

ON THE MENU MONDAY~ WEEK OF FEB 24, 2014

March 1st is Saturday… I can’t ever remember wanting Spring to come so badly! What a long long winter it has been!Here are some wonderful things to look forward to in March…I usually see my first Robin in March. I bet many of my southern friends have seen one already! They are such harbingers of Spring. Daylight savings time begins Sunday, March 8th and the official 1st day of Spring is March 20th.Yea for March and warmer weather!Now, here’s what’s ON THE MENU this week…MONDAYASPARAGUS GRUYERE TARTField Greens and Strawberries in Champagne VinaigretteTUESDAYBALSAMIC QUICK BRAISED PORK CHOPSPolentaBRUSSELS SPROUTS SLAWWEDNESDAYPASTA CARBONARACAPRESE……

THE SCOOP #103

I look so forward to “SCOOP” days! I find tons of inspiration, great ideas and lots and lots of projects and recipes I want to try!This week at StoneGable I”ll be sharing the love with some fun Valentine posts. Check out the Upcoming Posts for a daily rundown!Did you catch the post earlier today…10 GREAT TIPS ABOUT WHITE DISHESI love white dishes and have lots of tips and ideas for using them!Hope you will stop back and check out what is going on here at StoneGable!Now here’s Anita, our host for this week…Seriously is it time for the scoop again?Hi,……

STONEGABLE READER’S SURVEY…AGAIN!

Let’s try this again. Something happened to Monday’s post and it got all garbled up. I think it’s fixed now….THANK YOU StoneGable Readers!Almost 1,000 people took the StoneGable Reader’s Survey and gave me some great feedback!I found out so much from all of you! You really spoke your mind! Some good… some not so good, but constructive! And all the info will help me build a better blog.Here’s what I found out and some new plans for the New Year…All information based on the survey WHAT I LEARNED FROM THE STATS…*66% of you read StoneGable on a daily basis. 27% read……

THE SCOOP #100!

Welcome to THE SCOOP… MILESTONE EDITION!We are celebrating our 100TH LINKY PARTY!Before, we begin the party I just want to remind you of some of StoneGable’s upcoming posts (See above)!And remember to read about all RESULTS of the StoneGable Reader’s Survey by clicking HERE.Welcome back to The ScoopThe weekly linky party featuring the scoop on the best posts from around the web! More exposure + less time = win win!We are: Anita from Cedar Hill Farmhouse Debbie from Confessions Of A Plate Addict Barb from The Everyday HomeYvonne from Stone GableSuzy from Worthing Court Happy New Year, everyone!It’s my pleasure to be your host for The Scoop Link Party #100! How appropriate that this 100th……

HAPPY NEW YEAR~ 2014

Love and best wishes for a BLESSED and FABULOUS 2014!!!!Yvonne xxoo…

PARIS GREY BUFFET TUTORIAL

There are just some jobs that I love to do!!! We were in DC for a work weekend at my daughter home. They live in a 90 year old town home on Capitol Hill… the house has such great bones, and they have been breathing new life into it for the last 3 years. This weekend Bobby helped Jonathan install real wainscoting in their dining room and I helped Jacqueline transform an old buffet into a beautiful “grey lady”… This is how the buffet looked before we let the paint and brushes do their magic… Great……

Search

Uncategorized