I love wildflowers! One of my favorite things to do is to walk the roadside and pick bouquets for decorating the table(s) for the Fourth of July. Earlier this week it rained quite heavily for a few days, so the wildflowers were pretty beat up. But, Wednesday, I went for a very long walk and discovered just what I wanted. Happy Day! The next morning I went for another walk scissors in hand. To my dismay, the massive scissors of the local road crew had come through and leveled my wildflower garden. You should have seen my face. I think it fell to my knees. Why, at … [Read more...]
This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated through your purchase at these links. Raise your hand if you're a huge fan of red, white, and blue, and all things patriotic. Image From Memorial Day through the Fourth of July, I love accenting my home with stars and stripes. This sweet kitchen sets the stage beautifully for Christmas decorating, fall decor, or yes....a spectacular Fourth of July. It's so easy to do with the addition of a mason jar filled with American flags, a collection of bowls or containers in any combination of reds, whites, and blues. And of course table runners, … [Read more...]
Take your cues from Mother Nature and set a bird's nest themed Easter table with these simple ideas. By now you all know that I'm a big time nature lover. I truly enjoy creating with the beauties of nature...like I did here and here and here. So when my friend enlisted my help in creating a tablescape for Easter I just had to add an extra touch or two from Mother Nature. Creating A Bird's Nest Themed Easter Table This springy bird's nest themed Easter table all started when my friend picked up a variety of ceramic birds in white, yellow, and blue earlier this … [Read more...]
Happy First Day of Spring! With all the snow we've had this year, you would think that I'd steer far away from white for spring. Nope! I went for brightness by creating a simple, dramatic white mantel for spring. Spring has more than her fair share of cloudy days. And there's nothing like a background of white with color pops for a dramatic look to brighten the spirits on a gray gloomy rainy day. I'm excited that spring has officially arrived. You too? There is still a bit of snow in the forecast. But, the reality of spring's appearance is seeing larger and larger … [Read more...]
St. Patrick's Day. It's all about the green....and this saint that seems to have spoken out against slavery, valued women, and influenced Ireland with Christianity. All good things, wouldn't you say? So why not splash a few shamrocks around the house. Flash some green. And listen to some toe-tappin' music. When it comes to seasonal home decor, I'm all about simple and using what you have on hand. And...because I love all things book page, I decided to use book pages and hand-cut shamrocks in decorating the mantel for St. Patrick's Day. This little project was … [Read more...]
If you've been hanging out here for any amount of time, you've come to know that I believe that it's the little things that make life extraordinary. There is absolutely no need to have pretty embellished valentine towels in your powder room or bath. Truly, we don't need fancy towels. What if your friend gives you a bit of fabric? What if ivory hand towels the precise color of the fabric are discontinued and on sale for just $2.09 each? What would you do? Get out the scissors and sewing machine and embellish a few towels for Valentine's Day? Seems like a good plan … [Read more...]
Raise your hand if you have decorated your valentine mantel or some area of your house only to have members of your household tell you it's pretty ordinary? Did you see my hand go up? Yup. It did. That's what they said in not so many words. It's not a good thing when your blog name includes the word, "extraordinary." Remember my winter birch branch mantel with the hand cut book page snowflakes? I liked that "mantelscape." It was different. And it seems that since it's being featured a few places, some of you like it too. Why not tweak it just a bit for Valentine's … [Read more...]
I've been hearing this question a lot lately, "Is there enough snow for you?" Having lived in West Michigan and in the Buffalo area, I am familiar with snow. Lots of it. Record snowfalls. This year, it snows or seems to snow every day. Regardless of the amount, it's enough! Prior to this year's white avalanche, I shared my winter mantel and asked if anyone wanted me to create a tutorial for making pretty snowflakes. It seems that I am not the only one who did not know that there was a paper-folding technique that would make all the difference in the world. So, today, just in case … [Read more...]
Birch is such a fun wood to decorate with in the winter. It gives a space a certain brightness and the bark almost seems reflective. Both of which brighten corners and more during the dark gray days of winter. If you've been following along, you may remember the birch wreath for Christmas. Shhh...don't tell anyone...but it's still up and it has a few cardinals residing in it's quickly drying greenery. [wink] We also used it to decorate the front of the house, which for some reason none of my photos turned out, and we used it to decorate the fireplace and mantel area for Christmas as well. After … [Read more...]
It's cold here in the Great Lakes. I woke up to a fresh blanket of sparkly snow and a big fat zero on the thermometer this morning. It was a gloriously beautiful morning with deep blue skies and sunshine casting dark purple shadows between the rows of trees. As I ate my blueberry banana pancakes this morning, I noticed a large flock of birds flying around the backyard. When I got up and went to the slider, I looked up to see a host of Cedar Wax Wings* flitting around in the tops of the maple tree, their breasts a gorgeous gold, illuminated by the rising … [Read more...]
This birch branch winter woodland tablescape just might be my most favorite table setting ever. What is it about natural elements that make my heart sing? This winter we've been having fun decorating with birch branches. You may have seen some of it here and here and here. We had a few longer birch branches that hadn't been used over Christmas, so I thought creating a birch branch winter woodland tablescape would be fun. Actually, creating a centerpiece of the branches for the table would set the stage and theme. Birch branches are perfect for winter … [Read more...]
Since it's Christmas Eve and you don't have lots of time to read.... Just for fun....Let's take a look at some sweet red and white Christmas kitchen vignettes. My friend and I had a bit of fun arranging items in her lovely red and white kitchen for Christmas. It would be so fun to have you over for some Christmas cookies and a cup of Christmas tea.... I love this old hutch combo. The upper cabinet originally came from an old New York post office and the bottom is a garage sale chest of drawers which my friend painted in just the sweetest … [Read more...]
I played with power tools this weekend. Just two. But, one, in particular, got me totally excited. I may or may not have posted something about it on Facebook. One tool was a power miter saw. That wasn't a big deal. I used to own one until I allowed some other people to use it and it came back to me in pieces. That's a story for another day. Maybe. I've always wanted to use a nail gun. I can't tell you how fun it was. It made quick work of assembling the birch branches. But, you can make a wreath like this without power tools. So just for fun, I put together a simple … [Read more...]
Are you a fan of gold or silver or some other metal in home decor? If I choose to decorate with metallic elements at Christmas, I usually choose gold. Last year I stepped out of my 'gold box' and dipped my toe in some silver spray paint. The results were quite pleasing. To see more of this silver table setting, click here. Are you enjoying our 12 Days of Christmas series? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Catch up on all that's … [Read more...]
I confess I enjoy decorating my whole house for Christmas. Nothing elaborate, just a small woodland touch here and there. Do you decorate your whole house for Christmas? For quite a few years I hosted a Longaberger open house the first Saturday of December. Because I was a crazy lady and because I wanted customers to see my baskets and pottery in use around the house, I decorated every room of my home. I will confess...it was fun. And a lot of work. In addition to that we used to host either a dinner or an open house or both for volunteers from church as well. Our … [Read more...]
One late fall, my aunt and uncle invited us to their home in Flint, Michigan. They insisted that we go with them to the quaint town of Frankenmuth for a German chicken dinner and a stroll through the world's largest Christmas store, Bronner's Christmas Wonderland. Bronner's truly had more Christmas decorations in one place than I could have imagined. But, what most amazed me were all the different nativities and sizes, some but an inch tall to larger than life. And of course, I came home with a small piece, the holy family and a star and an angel, to begin my tradition of … [Read more...]
This year I have enjoyed playing with nature's elements. You might remember my pampas grass wreath here, my grapevine wreath decorated with privet berries and colorful leaves here, or my oak leaf branches here. These are all items that get pruned, raked up, composted, or burned. But for me, they have been a treasure for creating woodland home decor. Winterberry is my new favorite for Christmas decor. Actually it isn't a new favorite, it's just that Michigan has more wetlands than either New York or Pennsylvania where I lived for the past 13 years, and it's been that long since … [Read more...]
