Maybe you've seen it as you've cruised around blogland. Jennifer Rizzo hosted a blogger party where seven gals each took a room in their home and over three days, made over one room, decorating it three ways. There have been some amazing transformations! The series concludes with an invitation to all who wish to link up their transformed rooms. As you can no doubt imagine. I was pretty much inspired to jump on this bandwagon. My sunroom was languishing. The weather has been really warm, and the only frequenters of said room are the cats. The temperature in the sunroom might have been pushing 80 … [Read more...]
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Are smitten with creating book page crafts, or is it just me? I was going through some old photos and discovered my first effort in book page crafting. A Book Page Medallion Wreath When I decided to make this wreath I watched videos and read all kinds of how-to's. It seemed pretty complicated to me. And really, it was a piece of cake. Kind of. Don't laugh, but rolling the pages into mini horns was not as easy as it looked. I think I needed a third hand. You know how it is....some things come very easily for a few and the rest of us we have to work it. The wreath looks … [Read more...]
Whenever I see my blue Mason jars I think of... sparkling blue waters of the Big Lake, summertime, and sea glass from the Mediterranean*. Decorating Mason jars can be one of the easiest ways to add a bit of summer to a corner that needs brightening, or even the table. Recently I created an extraordinary tablescape with my vintage Mason jars and book pages. That got me thinking that most of you didn't see this post of decorating Mason jars with burlap that I wrote late last summer. If you're looking for a splash of coastal color in your decor, you'll enjoy a few of these ideas. Be … [Read more...]
Lovely pink peonies were blooming in my back yard. Their heads were heavy. Rain was in the forecast. What a beautiful excuse to pick these ruffled lovelies and enjoy them indoors. Once inside, they beckoned me to play with my camera and a few antique pretties. Pink is not one of my favorite colors. But, I do adore pink flowers in the garden....along with shades of blues and purples and white and everything in between. Together they all make my heart sing. As does this love quote by Browning: Who so loves believes the impossible. Elizabeth Barrett Browning If you are … [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...]
Lovely Lunaria as a Cut Flower A corner of our backyard has the popular dried flower, Honesty. Sometimes it is also referred to as the Money Plant. It often has a weedy appearance in the garden. But, this year the color was especially stunning. You might describe it as a deep magenta purple. On a whim I decided to cut two stems and bring them inside. A small cut-crystal vintage bud vase was the chosen vessel for this loveliness. There are lots of side stems on this regal-colored plant. I cut the side shoots off the main stem and had many pretty … [Read more...]
Hope is the word which God has written on the brow of every man. Victor Hugo I am so grateful that these words are true. Despite my circumstances...I have hope. And more importantly, I know the HOPE giver. Victor Hugo had a way with words. His hope quote was a gentle reminder for me today. And hopefully for you too! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Do you ever find yourself thinking that you want to order a book for your Kindle or maybe a book that has real pages? … [Read more...]
It's been really windy around here lately. I even have to wear a cute ball cap so that I don't end up eating my hair while I take my daily constitutional. Doesn't that sound so important....daily constitutional? The wind was so strong that it kept blowing my cap off my head. My ponytail fed through the expansion hole in the back didn't even help to keep it on. My dad used to say, "The wind doesn't blow for nothing." It's a funny remark. But...whenever the wind kicks up, I'm reminded of his phrase. The wind didn't cease through the night. The next morning I woke … [Read more...]
Our first Blogiversary Celebration! Whew!! What a week! Happy Blogiversary An Extraordinary Day! All week long we've been partying to the hilt. And boy, has it been fun! Just to add to the fun and my appreciation of you. I'm finishing the week with this lovely photo of apple blossoms. And... The fun part is that you can click here for an 8x10 to print, or here for a free desktop background. I hope you enjoy either or both. What day was my actual blogiversary? Though my first published post was April 29, 2012...technically Sunday was my … [Read more...]
Thanks for coming by today to help me celebrate this momentous occasion! I hope you were blessed yesterday by our special guest, Melissa from The Inspired Room. What a treat! We've been talking about extraordinary friendship and friends the past few days... One of my favorite things to do is to gather my friends, set a pretty table, and enjoy light refreshments and good conversation. So if you will indulge me today, I've set the small sideboard in the sun room for an intimate gathering of four. The perfect size for chatting. Friendship & Tea. I've brought out the cocoa set … [Read more...]
Do you have a framed print that you like, but the mat needs to be refreshed? Several people have commented about this wall art which makes an appearance whenever I share a new vignette on my piano. This is the latest iteration. Today I'm going to show you an Easy DIY Book Page Mat Tutorial. Last year I picked up a typical pink floral print with a mauve mat in a gold frame from the thrift store. It screamed early 90's and I had no idea what I was going to do with it. So it sat in my studio whispering my name. By now, you must know that I am smitten with book pages. Is it because … [Read more...]
Do you have a mantel? Though I snapped my fingers, for some reason, a lovely fireplace and mantel fail to appear in my great room. So what's a gal supposed to do? Improvise. You might remember last fall I wanted to decorate a mantel for...um... Fall! What did I do? Decorated my sideboard. It worked. Now that Spring is on the horizon, and no fireplace or mantel is gracing my home, I picked the top of the piano to be my imitation mantel. I think it works. I know that most people choose to decorate for Spring with daffodil yellow, springy green, and just … [Read more...]
Do you take pictures of your Christmas decor? Every year I do. If you were to observe me, you might think I was photographing for a magazine. It really could be a bit amusing, I guess. I did not scrapbook, I didn't have a blog. Yet, I took lots of pictures. It was simply a photo record that stayed in the digital abyss of my laptop. Pretty funny, huh? This year...I do have a blog....and some photos from the past that no one has ever seen. It's really a miracle that I have these. For some reason they ended up in my husband's photo files. … [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...]
Day 9 Wow! I can't believe that I am already nine whole days into 31 Extraordinary Days! Are you having fun wondering what I'll have up my sleeve every day? Me too. :D Whatever in the world is Fall Fluffing? It's my term for taking what we have and making it a bit more, well....extraordinary. Kind of like when you walk over to the sofa after guests leave and pick up the pillows and fluff them....nestle them against the sofa back...just right...and smile. Fluffing. Recently I acquired a buffet or sideboard. Is it the same thing? Does anyone know? Anyhow....I've … [Read more...]
This morning, after watering and fertilizing my porch pots, window boxes, and hanging baskets, I took a stroll around my "garden." Really all I have is a rolling, bumpy, rough-around-the-edges yard. It isn't really a garden, yet. Though I do have a small but lovely island of various Sedums, Euphorbia, Goat's Beard, Iris, and Geranium in the middle of my backyard. In the back corner, someone, long ago, had a garden. I've pulled multitudes of weeds from that corner, leaving behind strawberry plants which I had hoped would bear lots of fat juice red berries. Ha! Unfortunately they are not that kind of … [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...]
