always a project or two around here!

Happy Sunday!

It’s been so nice here in Newport, and the mornings and most of the day have been actually quite cool and it’s really starting to feel like fall.

I’m just waiting for that “Indian Summer” weather to kick in one of these days, but in the meantime, it’s been extremely pleasant here, and perfect for working on some things around the house.

I kind of just wanted to show you what I've been up to this week...

Please excuse these pictures I took with my phone. They’re a little flat and just were intended to show my mom the progress on the dresser in my dining room that I painted with milk paint last week.

But things are finally coming together in this funny little dining room of ours. It actually only has one wall, and this is it. The rest of the perimeter of this room opens up to the living room, kitchen nook and hallway.  

So while my husband was out of town last week, I spent three whole days sanding, painting and waxing this piece [e]. It was originally part of a “suite” of furniture from my husband’s nana and it works perfectly in this room.  

I found the mirror [a] a few months ago at my favorite local thrift store. At first, I thought I scored a cool antique, but when I was loading it in my car, I noticed it was marked Pier One! I balanced each side of the mirror with a pair of vintage majolica lamps [d], also from nana. All they needed where some new oval lampshades.

A few of my favorite black and white plates [b] balance out the look on each side. These are just a collection of some of my favorites that I pick up here and there. And a grouping of white books [c] acts as a centerpiece, for now.

Here’s me just snapping a little pic to show my mom this cute wire basket [c] I had just scored at an estate sale a few minutes before! Only six bucks, and I just quickly filled it with a few velvet pumpkins [d]. I actually found these at Home Goods, and guess what? I pulled off the plastic stems and hot glued some real ones on!

Ssshhh… don’t tell anyone! Did you know they actually sell real pumpkin stems on ebay? Yah, well now we all know!  

Reflected in the mirror, you can see another one of my favorite collectibles, round convex mirrors [a]. If they’re brown when I find them, I usually paint them white with gold accents, but if they’re already black or crème colored, I usually let them be.

The oval mirror [b] is a family heirloom, probably French. 

This little vase of blush colored roses is a sneak peek at one of the exclusive tablescapes I put together this week. I’ll fill you in on it soon!

I’m currently working on an amazing Halloween tablescape in my dining room that’s filled with lots of spooky vintage accents. 

When I saw this blue and white entry on Instagram, I “instantly” fell in love with it and thought this look would be perfect for my front entry, since I already have similar wainscoting.

I’m on my way to Farrow and Ball this morning to look at their wallpapers…

I recently found out through Ancestry that I’m not only 68% Italian, but I’m also 19% French! Ooh la la ! News to me! (They recently updated their DNA data.)

So when I spotted this cute French inspired side door in the neighborhood, it just spoke my language, and I couldn’t resist taking a quick pic. Those French doors, shutters and the little iron gate are just darling!   

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I also wanted to share my most popular post on Instagram this week, and I was thrilled when Roger’s Gardens reposted it!

If you don’t already follow me [here],

I’d love it if you did. 💝

I share lots of extra stuff there that

you won’t see on the blog!

Thanks!!

 ciao! fabiana

P.S. Don't forget to follow me on instagram for all the latest!