Growing Paperwhites for Christmas is one of my favorite holiday traditions. There is something about their tall stems and pristine pure white blossoms that dress up a room so perfectly. Plus, with everything so bleak and barren outdoors, fresh new life and bright green stems just make me happy. If you would like to add this lovely touch to your holiday decor, you need to purchase your bulbs now. I have had Paperwhite bulbs start blooming two weeks after planting them....but some years they have taken three weeks or more to bloom. Bloom time is not an exact science. … [Read more...]
Welcome to Day 29 of 31 Extraordinary Days to Be... Or...simply: Be... Together, we will learn to Be… to live fully and beautifully in our “skin” and in our homes and beyond. If you missed The Introduction or you'd like to follow the entire series, you can find each post listed here. "To be, or not to be?" Good question! The correct answer is...to be. Hands down! The second question might be, "To do, or not to do?" What? Doing is good isn't it? Yes, it can be. During this #31Days series we've been exploring being versus doing. Often, if we … [Read more...]
Welcome to Day 24 of 31 Extraordinary Days to Be... Or...simply: Be... Together, we will learn to Be… to live fully and beautifully in our “skin” and in our homes and beyond. If you missed The Introduction or you'd like to follow the entire series, you can find each post listed here. If you've been following this blog for even a little while, you have a pretty good idea of how much I enjoy God's magnificent creation. So for fun, I thought I'd put together a little vignette. As so often happens...one thing morphed into another. It started … [Read more...]
Welcome to Day 17 of 31 Extraordinary Days to Be... Or...simply: Be... Together, we will learn to Be… to live fully and beautifully in our “skin” and in our homes and beyond. If you missed The Introduction or you'd like to follow the entire series, you can find each post listed here. My good friend often says to me, "Diane, you think too much." Have you been guilty of thinking too much? We are creative people. Yes, even you. The problem is that creativity gets hindered when we think too much. And that gives way to this exclamation, "I'm not … [Read more...]
Do you have those weeks...months...when everything seems to fly by and you feel like every day is a catch-up day? Yeah. That's me. My connection to the blogging world began in the fall several years ago. I followed all the link parties...wondered what "Mr. Linky" was...and consumed tons of #InspiringFallIdeas and drooled over all the amazing fall mantels. When I finally had my own blog, one thing I wanted to do for sure was to link up to my favorite fall link parties. Sometimes life throws curve balls and it's challenging to get back on track. (At least no one can accuse me of … [Read more...]
Almost every where we look this time of year, nature has something amazing for us to see. Our world is a tapestry of color and texture. I couldn't agree more with this quote: Of all the seasons, autumn offers the most to man and requires the least of him. ~Hal Borland What a feast for our eyes and our senses! And what a feast I had yesterday!! I know I talked about getting out in that world and bringing the outdoors in. Though I went out collecting yesterday, my next step is to assemble my finds and see if I can artfully photograph the beauties. You'll just have to wait a bit … [Read more...]
Did you enter An Extraordinary Day's giveaway to win a beautiful European house number sign? The best thing about Fall Nesting is bringing the outdoors in. It truly makes my heart sing. image: tradgardsflow So, when I came across this image on my Fabulously Fall Pinterest board I knew I had to share it with you. It is just the reminder I need to go on a scavenger hunt. Clippers in hand. Seeking out the beauties of the season to capture and enjoy. Maybe it's a bunch of leaves you can stick in a vase of water. I did that yesterday. [big cheesy grin] Maybe you … [Read more...]
Who loves to peruse the magazine section at the local Barnes & Noble? Me!!! They have such an amazing array of magazines on home decor. You'll find all kinds of decorating styles.... cottage, country, modern, traditional, romantic, and so on. What is your style? When I got married I began decorating my home in an early American style with a nod toward primitive. We even built a 1620's style New England saltbox. I started out as a purist. But, then I inherited my mother's parents' bedroom furniture. Two dressers and a sleigh bed. No...they weren't early American … [Read more...]
I'm all about creating moments. Moments? Yes...those small sweet vignettes that you create around your home to embrace the season. Recently I shared a few coastal moments with you here and here. But, now that we're moving into Fall, I wanted to create a new seasonal moment. Remember the free fall subway printable that I created for you to kick off the first day of this #InspiredFallNesting series? I printed it off on some nice photo paper and slipped it into an 11x14 photo frame that included a mat and a place for an 8x10 picture. This is one of … [Read more...]
This past weekend we went from summer to fall in just a few hours. The weather was picture perfect in every way. Sunshine, temperature, the sky was even a gorgeous fall blue. It was just what I needed to get in the mood for fall. That got me thinking about some of my favorite fall things. Actually I came up with... 20 Things I Love About Fall! Homemade Apple Crisp or Apple Pie Amazing Fall Sunsets & Clouds Hot Spiced Apple Cider Wooly Bear Caterpillars Crisp Cool Air Apple Cinnamon Donuts from the Cider Mill Colorful Gourds Bowls of Steaming … [Read more...]
It's time to display our red, white, and blue! Stars and stripes! Buntings, banners, garlands, wreaths, and.... Old Glory! It's time to get in the spirit of the holiday! Here's a simple, but festive way to.... Decorate a Vintage Window with a Patriotic Wreath and Garland for the 4th of July This garland might look a little bit familiar. I made a similar more simple star garland for my sunroom, which is all decked out for the Fourth of July! A handful of stars were left over from that project...just enough to create a garland for the vintage … [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...]
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...]
Back in my old stomping grounds, it's tulip time. It's a fabulous celebration of tulips and things Dutch. The funny thing is, usually before or after the big shin dig I'd drive over to see the tulip displays and fields of tulips. But, I never attended the parade or any of the festivities. I have a slight regret. When you live in an area most of your adult life, you think you're going to have plenty of time to 'get there.' After all, we had built our 'forever house.' We lived in one of the loveliest places in the country, a true vacation destination, of course there would be plenty of … [Read more...]
There isn't anything prettier than streets lined with Bradford Pear Trees in early spring. One of my good friends in Western New York lived on one of those streets. I would drive out of my way just to see the glory of all those flowering pear branches sporting their stunning white blossoms. Ahhhh....the beauty. My small town is not lined with them, but the few along the tree line bring brilliance to Main Street. We haven't lived in our current house very long. Last year was our first spring here and we were more about trimming the jungle in our yard than in reveling in the beauty. This … [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...]
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...]
