What's better than getting together with a long-time friend and catching up? Have you noticed that you can be so in the moment that time totally stands still? That's the way brunch was with my good friend when I visited her. We've been neighbors...bicycling partners...walking partners...decorating partners...and she even reminded me of our brief stint as catering partners. We even dreamed of being partners in a B&B. On this particular morning, after spending so many years and miles and miles apart, time seemed to stand still while we enjoyed this delicious brunch she prepared. Oh … [Read more...]
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Thanks for stopping by to join this summer's extraordinary behind the scenes blogland tour. It's been fun to jump on the tour 'bus' throughout the summer and get a behind the scenes view of all the wonderful home and DIY blogs on the tour. My friend Mary Beth from Cupcakes and Crinoline invited me to join in this extraordinary Blogland Tour. Earlier in the summer I had other invites, but I just wasn't able to join in the fun. Her invite came at the perfect moment and I'm so glad to be joining the tour. Thanks Mary Beth! One of the things that we may or may not grasp when we read a blog is … [Read more...]
Live An Extraordinary Life Are you really living? Download your 8x10 Free Printable here. If you're reading this I'm sure you're living. [wink] However, I'm not talking about whether you're breathing, though I must say, I am grateful for every breath I take. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that all we have is this present moment. Yes, we have hope for the next moment, day, week, month, year. But, in actuality, all we have is this present moment. Are you in the moment? Or, are you living in the past? ....recalling missed moments, relational regrets, and a host … [Read more...]
Have you ever wanted to bring someone a bouquet of flowers, or have a beautiful vase of fresh flowers in your home, but didn't have the extra money to pick up something from the grocery or florist? Unless you live in a concrete jungle, I have a great tip for you.... Look along the roadways as you travel and start to notice all the wildflowers growing along the byways. That is where I found the flowers to create this arrangement for my friend who just had knee surgery. Over the years, I've noticed that when I gather these bouquets, the flowers just naturally complement each other. … [Read more...]
Are you one of those blessed few to have you own creative space? Here's me, hair pulled back, no makeup, with my one and only selfie from my favorite camera, giving you just a peek into my favorite space through a vintage looking-glass. That's the way we bloggers roll. The before photos don't do the color justice. [wink] Here it looks like light greige, but in reality, it was much darker beige that turned to an odd reddish pink when the sun reflected off the dark brick-red siding into the room. I couldn't wait to repaint. With new paint, the room came … [Read more...]
What goes through your mind when you think of summer? For me...it's a few hours at the beach. Today I'm over at Homework sharing how you can enjoy time some beach time, even if you're many miles away. Please stop by Carolyn's and check out my post. And check out her extraordinarily creative blog. Speaking of summer... Over the weekend I shared a round-up of some amazing looking Fruity Summer Treats linked up at last week's Project Inspire{d} link party. Click here if you missed it! Are you drooling? Everything looks absolutely … [Read more...]
Getting together with friends is one of the most challenging things about long distance moves. Living five to nine hours away from each other means we stay connected via Facebook, email, and of course, by phone. But, there's nothing better than being face-to-face, is there? Recently I was able to spend some time with a dear long-time friend. After getting into town, I joined her and her family for breakfast. After a delicious breakfast of baked stuffed raisin bread french toast, we covered three coastal towns and visited some of her favorite thrift shops, enjoyed … [Read more...]
The 4th of July weekend is over and I hope you had a great one. The weather was perfect here and we indulged in some delectable delights. This delicious Fresh Watermelon Salsa is so good. With watermelon season upon us, I thought I'd pull it up from the archives so you can add it to your summer supper and entertaining menu. Enjoy! Before the big holiday weekend I put together a round-up of Last Minute 4th of July Ideas from last week's link party!! Click here if you missed it! This is one fun party with four extraordinary hostesses. Mary Beth … [Read more...]
It's just mid June and already things are heating up. Usually when it starts to warm up outside, we want to keep the house cool inside. We can do things like close the windows and curtains to keep out the heat from the sun, strategically use fans, and if we're blessed to have air conditioning, set the thermostat to a comfortable temperature. All those things are great. But, in the summer we can also turn the temp down and cool off with blue and white in our homes. And to keep things fresh and simple for summer, I've also found that it also helps to make sure our horizontal surfaces are … [Read more...]
We all have favorite moments, favorite things, and favorite people. This book page tablescape is my favorite tablescape, and I've create a few. I created it last year with what was around my house....books, mason jars, and crabapple blossoms. It came about because of some lovely limitations and forced me to be super creative. I'd love to hear about your most creative moment and how it came to be. And now...on to our party! Mary Beth from Cupcakes and Crinoline ~ Malia from Yesterday on Tuesday Stephanie Chan from The Silly … [Read more...]
Camera in one hand and dog leash in the other, I went for a walk hoping to see some woodland flowers along the roadside. At first all I saw were mats and mats of decomposing leaves. After this past winter...that was no surprise. But...remember I wanted very much to see some sweet woodland flowers proclaiming, "It's spring!" As we walked along, squinting into the sunshine, hope ran high in my heart. I was not disappointed. Click here to download this quote as 5x7 free printable. I doubt that most people would see anything besides the twenty shades of … [Read more...]
What are your favorite spring flowers? I confess that I'm a traditionalist. I love forsythia and tulips and daffodils and hyacinths and anemones and hellebores. Yeah. Pretty much everything. [wink] Which pretty much explains why I created this spring tulip wreath with forsythia. Although I made this wreath a while back, it's still perfectly in style today. All the details on how it all came together are here. Just in case you want to try your hand at making a spring tulip wreath. And if you missed seeing my crisp white spring mantel...click … [Read more...]
In a few days the calendar will turn to the 14th. Valentine's Day. The day when the florists' couriers have the best job in the world. The day when we all have an excuse to do something amazingly kind and loving for our co-worker, our neighbor, our parent, our spouse, our child, our significant other, the person in line before or after us, almost everyone with whom we brush shoulders. Or not. It's a day that makes it abundantly clear that how we live our lives is all about choices. On this day, we can choose to receive the love of God and in turn, demonstrate it to others. Especially … [Read more...]
We are just a month away from Valentine's Day. Are you looking for a little Valentine's Day decor inspiration? Here's a post from the archives for a super simple Valentine Vintage Window. I love simple and easy projects and this Valentine vintage window certainly was all that and delivered a huge bang too. Plus it's been pinned nearly a thousand times. Click here to pin-it. And now on to our Extraordinary Link Party.... Mary Beth from Cupcakes and Crinoline ~ Malia from Yesterday on Tuesday Stephanie Chan from The Silly Pearl ~ Diane from An … [Read more...]
It's been an extraordinary year here at An Extraordinary Day! It's been a year where I've been forced to dig deep and get creative. It's been a year of discovery as my eyes have undergone a sort of training to see life and things in a whole new way. It's been a year where I've learned that we really can have beautiful homes and decorate with a zero dollar budget. It's been a year of discovering the most amazing elements in nature for decorating our homes. And...It's been fun. Truly. But most of all, I've discovered that An Extraordinary Day! has the most encouraging and supportive readers. I try … [Read more...]
Grapevine wreaths can be so very easy to decorate with for most holidays. You might remember my Easter Egg Wreath or my Natural Fall Wreath. Both were quick and simple to make. This Grapevine and Winterberry Noel Wreath was also easy to put together. Early this fall I created a few grapevine wreaths from those growing up in the trees nearby. They're easy to make and they're free. Yay! I've been having lots of fun decorating with Winterberry or Michigan Holly which grows in wetlands. I love their vivid red color. They really add a colorful pop to all the … [Read more...]
Do you love attending home tours? When you go on a holiday home tour, what are you hoping to see? Have you attended any holiday home tours this year? I bet you'd love to take a tour of my home. We can't do that this year since everything I own is packed up in storage, but how about we push the button on the time machine and go back in time? Are you ready? Here's a link to some holiday fun at my last house. Be sure to 'sign the guest book' and let me know if you picked up any ideas or what you most liked. Oh...you're wondering about the 12 Days of Christmas? We're … [Read more...]
