It's the day after Christmas. Our friends in Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand celebrate Boxing Day today. If you make your home in one of those beautiful places....Happy Boxing Day! I decided to look up Boxing Day to see what it was all about. It isn't about the sport of boxing, nor is it about boxing up items. Instead, this holiday goes back many years when the service of employees would be required on Christmas Day. The employer would in turn give their employee the day after Christmas off to spend with family and boxes of food and other gifts to take … [Read more...]
Christmas stockings. I've been seeing them everywhere. Maybe you have too? People of all ages are hoping Santa Claus stops by with a few treats. Although my husband and I still have our childhood Christmas stockings, I thought it would be fun to try my hand at repurposing a cable knit sweater from the thrift store... into....yes...a pair of Christmas stockings! Karin was my inspiration. She says her collection is approaching 150 and it seems that she may have made most of them. Yes, I'm impressed. And so it seems that I should be able to make at least one, … [Read more...]
Recently I opened up the holiday issue of Traditional Home Magazine. As I flipped through pages of gorgeous home decor I came across a lovely table setting. It was exquisite. Beautiful china and crystal and elaborate centerpieces. I enjoyed the eye candy that was presented on those pages. And it inspired me to look at my cupboards and see what I have in a new light. How could I creatively put together a lovely holiday table without going out and spending a lot of money? What a great challenge. Have you taken on such a challenge? It would be easy to whine and … [Read more...]
Welcome! And Merry Christmas!! I'm so pleased that you dropped by for my Christmas house tour. Can you smell the spiced cider simmering? Here, let me take your coat. Please, help yourself to some cider and sweets. Now let's get started. One thing that I always love when I take tours is getting the behind the scenes details. And yes, I have a bit of that for you too. Don't you love those pretty French provincial "screens" I found on the side of the road that grace the front windows so beautifully? Read: Roadside Find: Vintage French … [Read more...]
I've had my ear to the ground and it seems that people are saying Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday. There are no gifts involved, no fireworks - though I'm sure it's pretty deserving. It's a holiday reserved for gathering and gratitude. Really...that makes it pretty special. Unless you're spending it alone. Most years I'm too busy to do more than think about what my Thanksgiving table will look like, let alone plan what will be eaten from the plates on the table. But, not this year. I have had time to do a little tablescaping....and exercise that thankful heart muscle while doing … [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...]
Day 3 Last Friday night we were invited to the home of some new friends for dinner. We had the best time. When was the last time you asked someone over for dinner? All this month we're exploring how to live an extraordinary life. When we live life to the full we do things outside our comfort zone. We do crazy things like carve time out of our busy schedules to spend with friends. We clean the house, decide on a menu, figure out what to do with the pets, or even the kids...just so we can invite new or old friends to dinner. When was the last time you … [Read more...]
Everyone's doing it. Decorating their mantels for Fall. But, not me. Nope. In order to decorate a mantel, one must have a mantel. It's one of those details that makes all the difference. I had a mantel. Once. It was lovely. Of course, I just might be a little biased since I designed it. That was my Michigan mantel which surrounded my favorite brick, and housed a firebox where we burned cherry. Mmmm. So fragrant. I loved that fireplace. The mantel too. On a fall evening I could be found tending the fire, almost sitting in the firebox, to get … [Read more...]
Copy Cat Challenge ~ with a twist! When DebbieDoos announced the challenge and added..."With a Twist"...she had me!!!! Generally I'm not one who gets into copying something or someone. I like to take the essence and do my own thing. When I read the challenge, I immediately had something in mind. Back in May, Kristi of Addicted 2 Decorating did a series of posts about transforming her community patio into a restful and colorful place to relax. She did a great job. One of the things she did was to create her own Outdoor Rug with Painted Stripes. I'd been thinking that my porch needed a facelift. … [Read more...]
