Bamboo Friday: Too Much?

This guy may have taken one of my favorite hashtags,

 #nobambooleftbehind, 

a bit too seriously.

photo by @hasan_baran

Happy Bamboo Friday!

Hope your weekend is fabulous!

Bamboo Friday- Kitchen Table Edition

Today's Bamboo Friday is about my kitchen table. 

Pretty mundane stuff, the kitchen table, except I hunted and hunted for mine.

And I love it. 

You can read the story of how I found my table at Goodwill here.

It's a good story - I really could not make this up.

Here it is the day I found it at GW.

A couple of small dings on the table. Fixable.

The leather wrappings had a bit of wear 

but I'm fine with vintage bamboo looking a bit vintage. 

And they were all original and nice and tight. No loose wrappings.

All 4 chairs were sturdy. 

But...

Changing the seat fabric was no problem.

The bottom of the chair back was worn on every single chair. 

This might prove tricky but the price was so, so low because of this. 

I thought I could figure something out. 

I bought it. 

I mean, it was exactly what I wanted.

And then I did nothing. For like a year. I know.

I couldn't quite figure out how to replace the back without possibly damaging the bamboo around it. If that happened then I would have to do some serious repairs and probably paint the whole set. Not the end of the world but still.

And then one night it came to me how to take out the old broken woven insert

 and replace it with a fabric panel!!

And then because it was just a few days before our annual Christmas Brunch

 I decided to give it a whirl!

#lastminutemuch?

It worked. My husband cut out the old woven insert very carefully. I made a pattern, cut the fabric, slid it into place and edged with blue cording I found at Wal-Mart (yep!) on a small roll for $1.00 per chair

I love it when a plan comes together. 

The fabric was supposed to be used during my Entryway makeover 

during the previous One Room Challenge but it didn't make the cut.

Lucky me.

It was perfect for the chairs and I had just enough!

Looks good with animal print too!!

Happy Bamboo Friday from my kitchen table to yours!

Easy Peasy Valentine's Day Treat for All Ages.

These are so cute and so quick. 

The picture got a lot of "play" on IG so I thought I'd share a few details.

Valentine's Day Candy Skewers!

These are quick and easy. Inexpensive even if you are making quite a few.

Easy to make ahead and transport.   

Cute, fun and pretty in pink!

I bought wooden skewers from Wal Mart. The dollar store often has them. 

One end is flat and the other is pointed. 

They were 97 cents for 50.

The cello bags are inexpensive and available at Wal Mart or Hobby Lobby. 

I had a stash from Nashville Wraps. 

They have every size and shape and I think everything looks better wrapped up in cello.

The prices are good if you need cello in bulk and they ship quickly.

The candy!!

You want any and all soft candy or candy with a hole in the center that you can find 

plus big pink and white marshmallows.

We bought ours at Wal Mart, Dollar General and Dollar Tree. 

There are tons of dollar bag choices. 

We bought fruit chew type candies in multiple shapes and flavors - anything pink, peachy pink or red. 

Gummie Lifesavers and a couple of other chewey candles are ring shaped 

so they just drop right on the skewer. 

The rest of the candy you simply slide down the skewer. 

This is why you want "soft" candy.

I also bought Little Debbie heart shaped cakes for the "topper." 

Spread out all the candy, slide it on the skewer in any order 

(I didn't even try to make them exactly the same but you could), 

pop them in the cello bag and tie them closed. 

We dropped a few Red Hots in each cello bag.

We used a twist tie to get them sealed tightly and then put pink and red grosgrain ribbon (any pink or red ribbon would be fine. I always pick up the cute rolls of "themed" ribbon at the Target Dollar Spot)

 and white curling ribbon over the twist tie to make them frilly and fun!

*Please note: One end of the skewer is pointed. You need the point in order to easily slide the candies on. If you are making these for children you can snip the pointed end of the skewer off with kitchen shears (very easy) and then add the Little Debbie Cake to the end.

Bamboo Friday

I'm not a trend follower per se, but I am intrigued by trends and predictions.

I love reading the design forecasts at the beginning of the year and I love seeing what the "color of the year" is and if I'm going to embrace it at all :) 

I also like it when I'm already "on trend."

You know- I was doing this before it was cool.

(Remember "I was country before country was cool," etc?)

Here's one I'm pretty happy about for more than one reason. 

1. I love using it in every room in the house and 

2. We sell this stuff @elizabethandpayne so this trend is good for business!!

According to more than one source Bamboo and Rattan 

are strong for 2018!!

(In my opinion they were never out but whatevs!)

This article on Quintessence Blog says we will see rattan staying strong in 2018.

And Apartment Therapy said rattan furniture is "super chic" here.

Apartment Therapy

This article talks about "why" bamboo furniture is a good choice and popular as well:
Affordability, Versatility, Durability, and Sustainability. 
Plus, it adds fabulous warmth, texture and if its older - a vintage vibe to a room.

And the trends in this article are all strong for 2018 and bamboo is at the top. 


Coastal Living

The thing about Bamboo is that whether you are just starting to use it in your decor because it's "on trend" or whether you were already embracing it in your house
 (The British have forever!!!), 
I don't think you can go wrong. 

Bamboo furniture and faux bamboo designs are classics 
and used well they will always be a wonderful, textural addition to a room.
So its a win-win. 


See this faux bamboo china cabinet turned linen closet here.


Look at all the wonderful texture subtly added to this room:


Chinoiserie Chic


Less beachy and more formal use of bamboo furniture:


One Kings Lane

I hope your Bamboo Friday includes a touch of bamboo in your own home.