One Year Later...Open for Business

It has been over a year since my last post.  I'd be surprised if any of my readers are still out there.  If so, hello again.

So much has changed over the past year.  Good changes.  Life altering changes.  Such changes that turned my world upside down, I set aside the blog without warning.

The dust is starting to settle, and I'm ready to blog again, but what do I talk about now?

We've moved to a different home, and honestly, posting photos of our home on-line doesn't seem so appealing any more.  Privacy is more important to us now.

When we moved, the spousal unit declared war on vignettes and knick-knacks.  After packing up countless books, vases, bowls, and trays, I can't say that I blame him.  Three months after we'd moved in, I opened one box filled with little bird figurines.  I unwrapped one after another after another after another.  It was rather embarrassing. Enough!

So where does that leave you and me?  Honestly, I'm trying to decide.  My craft room was the last room to be packed because it was such a mess.  Organization was finally heaved aside as moving day approached.  I marked one box "Essentials" and one box "Etsy." The rest was just tossed in boxes simply labeled "Craft Room." I can hardly find anything now.

The good news is that I have Christmas pillows this year!

Truthfully, I've been so dismayed to see Etsy become filled with mass produced stuff.  What happened to it being a market place for vintage and handmade items?

I've looked into alternatives, but for now Etsy makes the most sense for me and my little shop currently operating from the dining room table until my craft studio is finished which may be years from now.

Be advised that I am running low on everyone's favorite damask, so this might be its last year.

I do have pillows with green bows available, but I still need to take new pictures of them.

I've added a teal bow this year.  Isn't it cute?

Visit my Etsy shop here to see more.

This and That Before Christmas

Christmas is really sneaking up on me this year.  Thankfully, I finished the shopping last weekend.

 

Last night we had a thunderstorm with a little hail.  The wind began to howl this morning around 4:00 am, and by dawn there was a fluffy layer of snow on the ground.

 

Random...

 

This year I put my vintage-style teddy bear next to the fireplace with the little sled I scored dumpster diving after a garage sale a few years ago.  The homeowner said his wife was having a hard time parting with it. 

 

He said this as he was pushing it into my hands.

 

 

I made Teddy's little black and white vest last year.  No pattern, just a lot of pinning.  Let me tell you, it's a very custom fit.  The little vest helped me discover how much I like using black and white with my holiday decorating. 

 

 

I scored a complete nativity scene at a Goodwill two years ago.  I mean complete.  Holy family, angel, wise men, shepherds, sheep, camels, you name it.  Needless to say, it's huge.  This year, I just displayed Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  Originally, they were cream-colored with antiquing in all the crevices.  It wasn't a flattering finish, so I spray painted them Heirloom White.

 

Notice the black and white again?

 

 

I kept things pretty simple in the dining room this year.

 

 

I just tucked wintery things here and there.

 

 

I bet I overlook something when I put everything away in a couple of weeks.

 

Powder Room Reveal

I kid you not, as soon as I hit "post" on the ruffled tea towel mini-tutorial, my husband called up the stairs, "I see we now have a guest towel."

Uh-oh.

If you've been following me since the beginning, you may recall that I re-did our powder room a few years ago. It even was featured on Better After, and Lindsey mocked the sunflower border.  Here was the before-before.

Yikes! That was some really awful wallpaper!  It had to go, but I had a pretty small budget for a re-do.

 

I spray-painted the 90s light fixture ORB, switched the light shades to something more contemporary, and spruced up the dated oak mirror. The walls were painted SW Meditation, and it was supposed to be soothing, but with no windows, it was pretty dark in there.  Taking pictures with my trusty old point and shoot camera I was using back then didn't help matters either.

 

The moody blue was an improvement over all that green, but a couple of years later, I was getting restless.  And I kind of missed the green, just not that early 90s green.

 

It's a small space, a five-foot square with nine foot ceilings and no windows.  I felt I could afford to be a little bold with the wall color, so I tried SW Canary this time.

 

 

I scored a new mirror at ReStore, and glued scroll brackets that I stained to match the floating shelf over the toilet.  I think the brackets make the shelf look more substantial without adding too much heaviness.  The lantern is a Nell Hills find from months ago.  It was one of those things that I had to have, but then I didn't know what to do with it once I got it home.

 

 

This is a twenty-five square foot room with two doors since the laundry is just off the room.  Floor space is precious, but I found this darling étagère at Goodwill to tuck in the corner.

 

 

I repainted in August, but I decided to wait until Christmastime for the reveal.  It's just so cheerful in there now.  I love this darling miniature winking Santa mug.  He's so tiny that he gets lost in other rooms, but he fits right in here.

 

 

I think it qualifies as vintage since my grandmother painted it about 50 years ago.  She signed it, but it's not dated.  I should ask her if she remembers making it.

 

 

The ceramic pinch pot on the left isn't quite vintage yet.  I made it about 25 years ago when I was a kid in school.  Another quarter of a century won't make it as darling as little winky Santa!

 

 

 

I'm linking up...

Savvy Southern Style

Handy Man, Crafty Woman

The Shabby Creek Cottage

 

Nell Hills Knock-Off

As soon as I saw this on display at Mary Carol Garrity's open house, I knew I could replicate it.

And here's mine:

Lucky for me, I found a decent wreath at my favorite thrift store.  Otherwise I tried to use what I had on hand.  However, I wish I had some of those long pine needles.  I'm on the look out for those.

See those moss balls?  You can see how I made them here.

 

I'm happy to be able to enjoy my little statue during Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm linking up...

Between Naps on the Porch

Savvy Southern Style

At the Picket Fence

Le Chateau des Fleurs

Imperfection

The hearth room is one of my favorite rooms.  Too small to be a family room, it's really a waste of space, but it's a cozy waste of space.

Mornings and evenings are my favorite times of day in here. 

It's the perfect place to enjoy a cup of coffee.  Since the room is small, I keep decorating to a minimum.  I gave up on keeping the silver compote dish polished and just enjoy its dull patina.

I think I prefer its tarnished imperfection over shiny elegance.

Another Christmas Vignette

Do you have your Christmas decorating finished?

 

I have most of the house decorated for Christmas.  I'm still tweaking here and there.  Now, don't ask me about Christmas shopping because I haven't even started yet!

 

When it comes to holiday decorating, I like to focus on winter rather than Christmas so I don't feel pressure to take it all down immediately after Christmas Day.  The trees, garland, and lights come down by New Years Day, but I'll enjoy the vignettes for a little longer.

 

I fashioned a tray table out of a cabinet door last winter.  Being near the front door, it's great for creating seasonal vignettes.

One of the things I purchased at the Nell Hills open house last month was this deer.  I loved his patina, and he is heavy!

Isn't he a regal fellow?

As I was driving back home after the open house, I stopped at my favorite local antique store where I found this great copper vessel.

 

It's not really an antique.  How do I know?  It's stamped Pottery Barn at the bottom. 

 

I'm really loving this lantern I fashioned out of an old light fixture.  If you wonder if you can mix metals, the answer is yes.  Bronze deer, copper bucket, soft gold lantern get along nicely here.

 

 

I had promised myself last Christmas that I wasn't going to spend another year with those dark green walls. It really limits the palatte at Christmas. Maybe in 2013 I'll get around to re-doing this room.


I'm linking up...
Savvy Southern Style
Funky Junk Interiors

Christmas Vignette

I love putting together seasonal vignettes.  There's something satisfying about taking what I already have and rearranging them in new places.

As I mentioned in the last post, I found a fabulous chest of drawers at ReStore. The price was right, probably because the top was cracked.   For now, I'm hiding the crack with a large tray.

I always manage to buy too many floral picks, so I always have leftovers from my projects, so I tucked a few spares in a jade plant.

Some of our solar lights stopped working this summer, but the crackle glass globes make pretty decorations.

I'm really in no hurry to make the repair to the cracked top now.

Do you love creating tabletop vignettes too?




I'm linking up...
Savvy Southern Style
Handy Man, Crafty Woman

Mary Carol Garrity Holiday Home Tour 2012

I'm going to depart from my tour of France series because Mary Carol Garrity's Holiday Home Tour was today.

For those of you not familiar with Kansas's decorating darling, Mary Carol Garrity is the founder of several home decorating stores in Atchison, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri, including Nell Hills, plus the author of several books.  She lives in a historic Greek Revival home in Atchison, and she opens her home a few times a year for tours.

And after the tour, we go shopping at her two Atchison stores.  I almost bought this lantern, but I decided I have enough lanterns to decorate.

I think Mary Carol was a little under the weather, but she kept smiling and played the gracious hostess like a champ.

 

I loved this statue in the urn next to the door.  I'm planning on copying this look!

 

 

Let's go inside!

 

 

Imagine a holiday party here.  Oh, that red against the buttery yellow walls!  This statue is available in her stores.  Someday, I'll probably regret not buying her, like those orbs from the fall open house.

 

 

I asked Mary Carol about decorating trends this Christmas, and she said that anything goes, but understated elegance was popular.  I love how she layers on vertical surfaces, like this wreath over the mirror in the foyer.  Understated yet elegant indeed.

 

 

Mary Carol's style is very busy with lots of books, artwork, and knicknacks.  I like how she uses a more monochromatic color scheme for her holiday decorating.

 

 

The pretty mantel sings "holidays" without screaming "Christmas."

 

 

Let's get a closer look.

 

 

The dining room was more understated this year.  It was set up to serve a buffet rather than a formal meal, which was clever.  My side of the family sits around the table for holiday meals, but my in-laws serve them buffet-style.  Neither family is as fancy as this!

 

 

Shall we go outside to look at the garden?

 



Today's weather was clear with temperatures in the low 60s.  I doubt she keeps those ginger jars outside all winter! 

 

I always admire how she uses basic foundation pieces, like these iron posts, to decorate for each season. 

 

 

It isn't Christmas quite yet, so if you would like to see the fall home tour, click here for the home tour and here for the garden tour.  If you pin, please be sure to give Mary Carol credit for her work.



 

 

 

I'm linking up...

Between Naps on the Porch

Savvy Southern Style

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

At the Picket Fence

 



A Long Weekend Treat

After an insanely busy week and looking ahead to Christmas next weekend (yikes!), I'm taking a few days off, so my Etsy shops will be on vacation until December 20.

The cherub again.  A pumpkin for autumn.  Christmas ornament for winter.  Easy choices.  (See his before here.)

Now what should he hold in January???

Under the Mistletoe

Mistletoe hanging in the foyer.  There's no getting past it!  :)

Comfort and Joy

During garage sale season, I'll scour Craigslist for the free leftovers people put at the curb after the sale has ended.  One summer I found a darling vintage sleigh.  The homeowner said his wife was debating whether or not to part with it, but it was clear he wanted it GONE.

I wasn't going question his judgment.

A few weeks ago at the holiday open house held at a local antique store I found a sweet teddy bear.  He's not really an antique, but he's jointed and his fur shows that he's been well loved.  And he was only seven dollars.

(I only felt slightly foolish carrying him around the store while I continued to shop.)

I could see him dressed in a fancy vest with holiday trimmings and sitting on the sleigh under the tree.  So I fashioned a vest from some scrap fabric.

His jointed arms made it easier to tailor the vest for a close fit.  I used some spare buttons I had on hand.  I purposely designed his vest to be open at the bottom so his tummy would show.  The bead-and-berry pick came from a box of chocolate from a past Christmas.

Isn't he darling?