Maybe you've seen it as you've cruised around blogland. Jennifer Rizzo hosted a blogger party where seven gals each took a room in their home and over three days, made over one room, decorating it three ways. There have been some amazing transformations! The series concludes with an invitation to all who wish to link up their transformed rooms. As you can no doubt imagine. I was pretty much inspired to jump on this bandwagon. My sunroom was languishing. The weather has been really warm, and the only frequenters of said room are the cats. The temperature in the sunroom might have been pushing 80 … [Read more...]
You asked for it!! You got it!! A tutorial for creating your own Mason jar pleated collars from book pages. I confess to having fun dreaming up this one. You can click to see how I used these sweet pleated collars for a simple snowball viburnum table vignette and for my book page party tablescape. It all came about as I was creating the book page tablescape and though I wanted the Mason jars to hold flowers...they just looked 'naked.' The book page collars dressed them up in high fashion. And besides....I love pleats. Do you, too? Are you ready to create your own Mason Jar Pleated … [Read more...]
Are smitten with creating book page crafts, or is it just me? I was going through some old photos and discovered my first effort in book page crafting. A Book Page Medallion Wreath When I decided to make this wreath I watched videos and read all kinds of how-to's. It seemed pretty complicated to me. And really, it was a piece of cake. Kind of. Don't laugh, but rolling the pages into mini horns was not as easy as it looked. I think I needed a third hand. You know how it is....some things come very easily for a few and the rest of us we have to work it. The wreath looks … [Read more...]
Happy Summer!! Summer officially rolled in to town at 1:04 EDT Friday morning. Fortunately or unfortunately it was still dark here, so I was unable to see the sun at its most northern exposure at that hour. This First Day of Summer did not disappoint! It was bright and sunny and warm. The perfect summer day! The only thing that would make it better....an Endless Pool in my backyard. A girl can dream....right? When the weather heats up, most of us don't want to be cranking up the oven or leaning over a steaming pot on the stove. And sure...there is that thing called air conditioning. But, if … [Read more...]
Have you ever gone for a walk only to come back with a treasure from the roadside? Last spring I went for a lunchtime walk on an unseasonably warm and bright day. About a block and a half from my house I noticed a pile of disassembled furniture and other sundry items at the curb of a home that had recently been sold. Evidently the home was part of an estate and the remaining items had to be disposed. As I walked by slowly, I noticed some tall French provincial cabinet doors stacked on top of each other amidst the partially deconstructed cabinetry. As I continued my walk down that very long cul-de-sac, I … [Read more...]
Whenever I see my blue Mason jars I think of... sparkling blue waters of the Big Lake, summertime, and sea glass from the Mediterranean*. Decorating Mason jars can be one of the easiest ways to add a bit of summer to a corner that needs brightening, or even the table. Recently I created an extraordinary tablescape with my vintage Mason jars and book pages. That got me thinking that most of you didn't see this post of decorating Mason jars with burlap that I wrote late last summer. If you're looking for a splash of coastal color in your decor, you'll enjoy a few of these ideas. Be … [Read more...]
Usually, this time of year I am up to my eyeballs creating fantastic spaces for kids. I would hardly have time to notice the beauty of creation around me. But, this year....I am having so much fun picking blossoms, creating fun tablescapes, and enjoying springtime. I love how the pink detail on the plates comes alive with the pink crabapple blossoms. Just for fun, I put together a centerpiece for the table using book pages and my vintage Ball Mason jars. The jars usually take residence on the shelves in my laundry room. They are so happy in their … [Read more...]
Can you think of cleaning products in your kitchen that you can't live without? For me, I like chlorine free dishwasher detergent, absorbent dish towels, a natural and pleasant smelling dish soap, and a small pot scraper. These products may change based on their availability and my budget. But, I don't equivocate when it comes to these two things: Dobie Cleaning Pads and Bon Ami Powder Cleanser . They are in constant use in my kitchen. Honestly, I prefer these brands over other nylon scrubbies and powdered cleaners. A question I hear from my Longaberger customers is: "How do I … [Read more...]
Can you believe this.... was this? Found clam turned glam with gold! Darlene of Fieldstone Hill Design has had a weekly post where she challenges her readers to {DITTO} something in home decor or fashion. Last month, she invited a select group of bloggers to her first bloggers' {DITTO} challenge. A few of my favorite bloggers like Edie and Melissa were in the group. For June, Darlene opened the invitation to anyone who wanted to participate in each month's design challenge. You, too are invited to take the challenge and link up your … [Read more...]
Lovely pink peonies were blooming in my back yard. Their heads were heavy. Rain was in the forecast. What a beautiful excuse to pick these ruffled lovelies and enjoy them indoors. Once inside, they beckoned me to play with my camera and a few antique pretties. Pink is not one of my favorite colors. But, I do adore pink flowers in the garden....along with shades of blues and purples and white and everything in between. Together they all make my heart sing. As does this love quote by Browning: Who so loves believes the impossible. Elizabeth Barrett Browning If you are … [Read more...]
Are you waving the flag for Memorial Day? I thought it would be fun to share a super easy little project to add a little patriotism to a wall or front door. Easy Flag Ribbon Wreath & Tutorial Here's the "how to"..... One. Gather some red, white, and blue ribbon. You can see that I got mine on deep clearance a while ago. Keep your eye out for out-of-season trims for the best prices. And...really when I bought it I had no idea how I would use it. But, the colors were just right. It would be great to use three solid colors, too. Two. Use an existing wreath that is … [Read more...]
Don't you love these Snowball Viburnum blossoms? My neighbor has a huge bush of them and I was able to clip a few stems to make some floral arrangements for the house. You might remember last week I shared about Snowball blossoms in the post, Look what the wind blew in. This time, I wanted to do something that was more traditional, dressy even, for the chest in my great room. The Snowball bush's stems are not very orderly in nature and I was trying to figure out how I could arrange them in a compact, as opposed to floppy, manner. So, I went scouting through the cabinets … [Read more...]
Welcome to the final day of our fabulous celebration! All week we've been talking about friendship in some form or another. We even broke bread together the other day. And everyone wanted the recipe, so I provided the Best Banana Bread Recipe, ever. To wrap up our Five Days of Giveaways I wanted to give you something, too. Something I created special for you...and I'm giving away something from my Longaberger collection. I hope you like both. Free Friendship Printable Recently I was creating a book page runner...which you might see in upcoming posts. As I was removing … [Read more...]
Do you have a framed print that you like, but the mat needs to be refreshed? Several people have commented about this wall art which makes an appearance whenever I share a new vignette on my piano. This is the latest iteration. Today I'm going to show you an Easy DIY Book Page Mat Tutorial. Last year I picked up a typical pink floral print with a mauve mat in a gold frame from the thrift store. It screamed early 90's and I had no idea what I was going to do with it. So it sat in my studio whispering my name. By now, you must know that I am smitten with book pages. Is it because … [Read more...]
I'm loving this dramatic moment on my cabinet. It's a simple tulip wreath DIY project anyone can do. And by now, you must know I love quick and easy DIY projects. What is it about spring? Are we so staved for color after a long cold gray winter that we are more than willing to put together such a glorious mix of colors? I surely am. In my sun room, anyway. Do you gravitate towards color in the spring, too? Summer...that's a different story. Though many plant reds and yellows together in the summer garden, mine will usually be filled with white, purple, pink, blue, and a dash of soft yellow. … [Read more...]
Spring! Where art thou? How would you like to bring a bit of spring into your home without it breaking the bank? Yes, please!! Patience, please. I'll get there in a minute. If you've been a reader for a while you may remember that I stuck branches up in my sunroom this winter for Christmas and hung red snowflakes from them. It was part of transforming my sunroom into a Swedish Christmas room. I loved those snowflakes and left them up all winter. After I cut the snowflakes down I was left with these bare branches. Oh my...they couldn't stay like that. I had a choice...either take … [Read more...]
I love the word metamorphosis. You too? This weekend, I had a sun room metamorphosis of sorts, as I notched up my spring decor. You'll remember I talked about it last week here. And before that, I decorated it with red and snowflakes for winter here, and for Valentine's Day here, and for Christmas here. The biggest change is the addition of flowering branches. Do you see them? They were so. very. difficult to photograph. Seriously impossible. In my quest for decent pictures I took photos on multiple days. You'll notice that some of the … [Read more...]
