Autumn has unofficially arrived! Each morning I get up in the dark and sit with my chair facing the window to the East, drinking my Chai, and drinking in the quiet and HIS "still small voice." The nearby fields are coloring golden and heavy with dew as that first light magnifies in each tiny droplet. What a contrast from last Fall in the mountains of Pennsylvania where the day begins shrouded in fog. I am seizing the beauty around me in this new season of my life....and the year. One of the things about Fall Nesting is the aromas. I love it when my husband comes home and says, … [Read more...]
I have one of those rooms that many just dream about. A Studio. That's what I call it. Most would call it a craft room. A tiny 9x9 room in my house that is totally dedicated to my love of papercrafting. I have dropped hints that I might show it to you. Some time. And all these months later...I'm pretty certain that you wondered if I even had a craft room. Um. Studio. So without further ado.... Welcome to my Studio! Ahem. Craft Room. May I offer you a glass of ice water, lemonade, or lightly sweetened tea? Let's begin our tour of this modest … [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...]
It's hard to believe. Memorial Day celebrations begin in just a few days. It's the official weekend to kick off everything summer. One thing is for sure, many families and friends will be gathering to enjoy delicious food. With that in mind, today I wanted to share with you a few... Patriotic Tablescape Ideas It's easy for me to set a patriotic table because I have dinnerware in red, ivory, and blue. Red and white is great for Christmas and Valentine's Day. Blue and white is terrific for the snowy days of January and Hanukkah and Thanksgiving. And then, I … [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...]
I did it again! Seriously I am having too much fun playing in my sun room. Since we painted the trim white, I have so enjoyed dressing the sun room for the seasons! And now that it's warming up I'll enjoy spending lots of time out there too. Here's my latest iteration... A Sunny Yellow Table Setting for Two Do you recognize the cheerful vintage yellow crocus pot? It's a 1940's piece of pottery that looks amazingly contemporary. Gotta love that! For Easter I had blue and white eggs in each of the surrounding planting holes with the same daffodils in the middle. This time … [Read more...]
Cloches. I love the look of a cloche in a vignette. You too? But, cloches can be expensive. What do you do if you love the look but don't have one in your stash? Choose any tapered cylindrical container... invert it over your object and voila! you have a cloche! Isn't that easy? How many glass containers can your repurpose for a cloche? This vignette on my sideboard may look a wee bit familiar to you. That's because I recently shared about it here. Marty from a Stroll Through Life also enjoys cloches in her decorating. So much so, that she decided to turn her regular … [Read more...]
~~ An Extraordinary Day now has its own Facebook page! ~~ ~~ Please take a second now to click the icon on the right and “Like” our page! ~~ Did I ever tell you that I used to weave baskets? What a great art to learn. I pretty much gave away every basket I crafted for gifts, I might have three or four left. During that time I was introduced to Longaberger....a basket woven of hardwood maple, unlike mine that were made of reed. I was smitten. My creations were beautiful, but they were not capable of the abuse, nor of holding all the weight a Longaberger basket can hold. This … [Read more...]
Recently we painted the trim in our great room and sun room. That was quite a project!! Have you ever noticed that when a room undergoes a dramatic transformation, everything in the room also undergoes a bit of a transformation? What is it with us? For the past year I've been living large in a 1,000 square foot home. My piano...which my parents purchased for me when I was just 4 years old...is a major player in the great room. (Haha...I love it when I'm accidentally funny!) It has a wonderful mantel-like top which allows for some fun displays or vignettes. Although I was a … [Read more...]
Yesterday I left you hanging... just like the little guy dangling from a thread on my dinner napkins! If you missed it...you might want to read it first. Here's how my tablescaping plan unfolded... In 2006, Longaberger came out with some fun Wrought Iron Spider Legs that held a small or a large Autumn Treats Basket. I have both baskets and with the Spider Legs, they have been a fun decorating option for me the past several falls. Whenever I went to my Longaberger (affiliate link) storage area those Spider Legs called out to me. Maybe that was in the back of my mind … [Read more...]
Fresh-Picked Pumpkins in our Home Decor What did you do today? Me? I had one of those very fun girlfriend kind of days. The kind where you both pick up pumpkins, go back to her house and create a magical moment with your stash? Yes, one splendid day. And what a nice afternoon it was. The temperature was perfect. To take advantage of the sunshine, we flew out to her patio and engaged in the grown-up version of playing Barbies. Only we used fresh-picked pumpkins in our home decor. Did I tell you we had fun? We arranged a little sitting area and filled it in with all kinds of fall … [Read more...]
One of my favorite baskets is the Longaberger Picnic Basket. I ordered mine way back in 1992. I know because the weaver signed and dated the bottom of the basket. Let me be right up front with you. I'm going to tell you all the reasons I'm in love with this basket. And the reason I'm doing it, because it's a retired basket and not in the regular Longaberger line. However, it is being offered as an ONLINE EXCLUSIVE from Noon EDT to Midnight - Wednesday, September 5th. Also, I am not planning to be all selly on this blog. occasionally I will let you know about something Longaberger that I … [Read more...]
A few weeks ago I did a bit of entertaining. As I was preparing my home I looked around and thought, "That 4th of July decor has got to go!" I had been noticing it. It was sort of sticking out like a sore thumb. But, if no one was coming over, I could put it off. And I did. It's not like I didn't have a plan up my sleeve. For nearly two months I've been wanting to get out my old blue canning jars and play around with them. Finally I did. My guests came. My guests left. And the clouds came and I didn't take any pictures. I need a sunny day in order to make pretty photographs for you with my pocket … [Read more...]
Earlier this summer, as the ferns were pushing up their lovely fiddleheads I was smitten. When the trees filled out, I discovered that my yard was enveloped in shade. Mostly. Cool, peaceful shade. As I came to realize that flowers were not to be major players in my gardens, my eye was continually drawn to ferns. Especially the giant Ostrich Ferns. When you walk a woodland path, do you find a swath of ferns cool and restful? Is there something about them that rejuvenates your spirit? Don't you wish that you could have that feeling every day? Here are some … [Read more...]
Are you getting excited for the 4th of July? Yes, I am. This week I plan to do a little flag waving. At this point, I still can't find my small American Flags (Which box from the move are they still hiding in?). But we do have Old Glory flying on the front of our house. Today I discovered an old bolt of American Flag ribbon. (A garage sale cast-off!) After staring at it for a few minutes, there were fireworks. Haha, just a little creative thinking going on in my heard. I started playing around with the ribbon and came up with not just one wreath, but TWO!! After all the fun of making the … [Read more...]
When you have a busy day of projects around the house and you don't want to fuss in the kitchen...what do you cook? My favorite go-to meal is Ridiculously Easy Roasted Chicken! Served up with yams or sweet potatoes and a veggie....nothing could be simpler and more perfect for a hearty appetite. Longaberger Woven Traditions Pottery is the key ingredient for a sumptuous yet easy meal. Longaberger has been an important part of my life for a long time. I love the baskets and pottery so much that I became a Longaberger Consultant. But, don't worry...I'm not pushy, or selly, or annoying. At least … [Read more...]
