Out-of-the-Box Vintage Christmas Tree and "The Mystery Box"

One of the first things I do as I start thinking about an upcoming season or holiday is to start with Pinterest and spend time reviewing past posts and photos. We all have pics from Pinterest that we consider our favorites; those that come to mind each season. For me they are in the "vintage" category and I revisit them each year for a fresh new look and take on décor themes and ideas that I can include in my own seasonal décor.

Christmas Centerpiece Basket with Greenery and Guest

I'm sure most of you are doing what I'm doing this weekend...

Recovering from Thanksgiving and getting started on Christmas décor. I have to admit, I did get started bringing in a few Christmas things and brainstorming last week. I did my Thanksgiving decorating early this year so I was able to transition to Christmas without feeling like I was giving it short shrift. I thoroughly enjoyed it by starting early.

French Country Christmas in the Dining Room

Hello, dear friends. 
I hope you're all well and keeping your Holiday spirits high.

In the Fall I knew I wanted to do something different here in the Dining Room. I didn't really realize how I'd been using the same tabletop decor year after year until I did the "Lookback" post on the dining room last week. So this year after decorating the table with something new for Fall, I decided to keep the basket, tapestry and demi-johns to see what I could come up with for a new look for Christmas. I ended up with a bit of a French Country feel to the tabletop.

A Season of Thanks Blog Hop

Hello Friends, Welcome to 

"A Season of Thanks" Blog Hop!

We all have our favorite Holidays, and for most people it's usually Christmas. But for me it's always been Thanksgiving. With Fall being my favorite season, it's just natural that the warmth and love of family and friends lends itself to the this wonderful Holiday celebration. Our favorite Hop Hostess,  Amber from Follow the Yellow Brick Home has gathered a group of us to share our love of Thanksgiving with all of you. If you're coming from Marty's place at A Stroll Thru Life, Hello, I'm so glad you're here! If you haven't visited Amber and Marty, please be sure and catch them during the Hop.

Vintage Basket Refresh for Fall

Last week I shared an old basket that I found on my latest vintage market shopping excursion, but I wasn't sure what I would do with the sad state of the finish on it. I thought about just painting it with a gray wash of chalk paint, but I really didn't want to mess with the original patina too much. 

Christmas Dining Room

I love this time of year, 

but getting dark around 4:30 can be frustrating,

especially when you're editing photos and realize

that you need just one extra shot.

I tried to make use of the lower light 

and just add a little twinkle.

So, let's take a peek at the Dining Room,

all dressed up for Christmas.

Decor Philosophy for Cupboards, and Life

It's been said, more than once, that I can't leave a flat surface alone. Meaning that I have to "decorate" every square inch, and it wasn't often said with an affirmative attitude. I think I may be a little better than I used to be. When you have goodies you love, they just cry out to be used and appreciated!

Vintage Metal Bench on the Fall Porch

I finally have some pics of the front porch and the "new/old" bench dressed for Fall.

It's taken me long enough, if I'd waited much longer we could go straight to Christmas!

Rolling Market Basket and Sunflowers...

Hi Everyone, Happy Weekend!

I've had Sunflowers on the brain for several weeks,

and have made a few faux arrangements for the house

 in vintage watering cans, baskets, 

and now this old rolling French Market Basket

that I keep in the Dining Room.

Centerpiece Basket with Vintage Flags

This last year I've been all about "decorating" the easiest way possible;

How to give a little flavor of the Holiday or Season without going over the top.

Grapevine Bunny Basket

Last week I was wanting something new and fresh for Easter and Spring; something that made a bit of a statement and that was fun and colorful. I was hoping (hopping) for a moss covered rabbit or something organic, so I headed to my favorite local wholesale-type floral shop to see what they had. I found this adorable black/white rabbit (made from some kind of grassy material) with a basket on his back. He was one of three styles of these cuties. Then I browsed their previously made floral arrangements and found an idea that I thought would work... 

First Fall Tablescape

I'm not even going to try and name this "Early Fall Tablescape", because I'm sure I'll change this up in a few weeks for something a little more "Fallish" with some colorful leaves and berries. So let me be honest here and just call it, "First" Fall Tablescape. te he. I've already turned my calendar page over to September. I did mark a "31" on today's date, but I am ready to move into one of my favorite months and seasons. yep, more than ready. Last week I painted a French-y metal basket for the Dining Room table, and put together an arrangement that whispered the first nuances of Autumn. Here are some pics of the rest of the table.

Painting a French Metal Basket with Chalk Paint

Today, I wanted to share a little project of mine "in process";

transitioning from Summer into Fall.

And since this is a French-y iron basket I will say, "En cours".

See, you get your French "phrase" for the day, 

and a little view of what I'm up to.

More from the Patriotic Sitting Room

Here's the rest of the pics from my little Kitchen Sitting Room, 

all dressed up for the

  July 4th Holiday.

Gotta have some red geraniums and a flag.

On top of the Cupboard...

We've been working hard lately to get more boxes opened and unpacked, so we'll have space to bring more over from storage. It's a domino effect, with storage shelving going into the basement storage room first, then organizing the garage and getting Holiday tubs and decor stacked up and out of the way. I'm finding things that honestly I didn't remember I had... and probably don't need. But that's beside the point, because I'm now having to go through box after box of "stuff".

I am finding some of my favorite little things, though.

Christmas Entry

Hi Everyone! I know most of us are having a busy weekend, between last minute shopping, runs to the grocery, and baking up a storm...but I wanted to share a few pics from my Entry, inside and out.

Looks pretty familiar right?

I'm using a lot of the same elements here, as I did at the old house.

Oustside, we just kept it simple this year, as I haven't been able to decide how to decorate the narrow front porch. It's not big enough for much of a bench, but I have a few things in mind for this Spring. I'm just using my Christmas topiaries that are lit up at night and I kept my basket on the door; just added in some evergreens and used some of the plaid ribbon, that I've used inside.

A family vintage sled decorated, at least gives a little bit of Christmas.

With this ribbon, 

I'll be able to keep this basket arrangement for a little while.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

I'm still waiting for Santa to deliver a few presents,

and then I need to get busy wrapping.

Even the fur girls send out a 

Merry Christmas!

joining in on these Christmas parties:

A Stroll Thru Life
Stone Gable
Coastal Charm
Cozy Little House

xoxo,

Kitchen China Cabinet with a New Look

You've heard the old saying "It's got to get worse before it gets better." That's exactly what happened here at the new house this weekend. We rented a U-Haul trailer and made several trips from the 3 storage units back to the house with all kinds of boxes...kitchen dishes, decor, china, crystal, pillows...etc. Hubbs brought some of his fun stuff, and it all ended up opened and stacked on every flat surface available. After 6 loads of china and crystal going through the dishwasher, we started putting it all away.

Of course it took longer because I decided that I wanted to put my transferware into the kitchen china cabinet instead of my French Faience. (You can see this cabinet at the old house decorated for Christmas).That meant having some kind of a plan. I'm still missing some of my Old British Castles in Brown, but when they show up I'll just rearrange a little. Decorating can slow you down, you know...

And this morning before taking pics,

 I knew I needed something on top of the cabinet

So I added a few pumpkins to the mix and some bittersweet.

This cupboard has glass doors that stay closed, but I opened them up so you could see inside without at bunch of glare. I'm having to figure out the best time of day for photos at this new house, because this room has south facing windows and the blinds cause a lot of issues for photographing.

This is a newer cabinet that we purchased when we moved into the other house 12 years ago. I went back and forth on this one or a hutch and top cupboard, but in the end I chose this one. It matches the kitchen table and chairs with a somewhat creamy distressed finish.

I really enjoyed putting this all together, it's just a mix of my brown and red random pieces. I'd had the Faience in it for a long time, so I wanted to change things up a little. In the Spring I may go back to the florals and pastel dishes, but for the Holidays I wanted to stick with predominately brown.

A few of my old friends are here too, like the cows and cottage ware teapots and sugar and creamers. I have more of these...somewhere. Oh, and good news...Hubbs found the Dining Room chair slips (YAY!!) and they are now waiting to be washed and ironed. We literally looked for that specific box for hours, and of course it was hiding at the very back behind my outdoor garden goodies. He had packed that last storage unit with all kinds of various random boxes, and he knew not to come back home without it.

If you noticed, a few pieces of wicker found a spot here in the kitchen dining area. It makes me feel a little better for not having a sunporch at this house. Now, if I can just not "over-decorate"...I don't know if that's possible.

I'll be a part of Sherry's (No Minimalist Here) Thanksgiving Vignette Blog Hop this week, starting Wednesday November 12 through Friday November 14. Please come visit us for some Thanksgiving fun and inspiration. 

I'll see you again on Thursday for my Thanksgiving Vignette

 with the rest of the gals.

I'm linking up here this week:

Dwellings

Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Coastal Charm

A Stroll Through Life

Cozy Little House

Stone Gable

Have a great week!

xoxo,

Violet Vignette

Just wanted to share a little Spring Happiness with you this Sunday.

I was going through some of my old Easter and Spring postcards and found a few that had Violets and Pansies; some favorite lavender Spring flowers. I had a few silk violets in a peat pot so I put together a little Easter vignette on top of my armoire in my studio.

Moss bunny in a wicker basket, a vintage fern mister, and a white matte vase with angel vine.

Last week I received a precious soldered necklace from my sweet friend Rita of Mammabellarte. It was one of those "just because" little gifts that make it especially endearing. Little Bluebirds are happily perched among roses. Rita knows how much I love Bluebirds. 

Someday I hope I can tell you how much you all mean to me,

your friendships are such a blessing.

Hope this put a little smile on your face today...

Happy Sunday, Happy Spring!

Joining in on these lovely gatherings:

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings

Sunday at Home with Thoughts From Alice

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday from Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Kitchen Sitting Room

I was ready to show you a new tabletop vignette I had put together when I realized that I hadn't shown the rest of the Kitchen Sitting Room pics. This space is such a departure from what I had at the other house, but still "my style". I had been concentrating on just whites in the small kitchen eating area, so it was fun to bring in some "woods" over here. I like a mix of the woody tones and whites and neutrals, and having this unexpected space off the kitchen, I have been able to use some pieces I never thought I'd be able to.

This big armoire was in the basement holding quilts and pillows, but since I needed extra storage for pantry items in here, I brought this with us. I had originally hoped to put the tv in here but it took up valuable shelf space, so it's on a separate wicker table.

Yes, it's black on the sides. The girls that had this piece in their shop were spray paint "happy" back before chalk paint came along. They just painted the two sides, (glad they didn't mess with the front of it) but when we get settled, it probably will get a paint makeover...not sure what color.

The two large breadboards are from Antique Farmhouse,

 and the laundry basket is filled with extra linens.

I found the French Cheese sign at Robin's Vintage Suitcase.

This little shepherdess is one of my all-time favorite prints,

it was in the powder room right off the kitchen in the old house.

I love this dark comb painted frame.

I told you about this antique table and chairs here.

It still has initials carved in the top from one of the kiddo's guy friend's.

When I found out, I thought of man-handling him...

good thing he could run really fast.

sorry, sort of blurry

The kitty girls had to find new napping spots here, 

so this is now a fave.

Bonus is that the grain sack replica is burlap,

 so when she's not napping she can chew on it.

(Madonna Pillow from Elliot-Heath Designs)

One of my milkmaid prints is hanging here, 

 the other one had such a heavy frame 

I didn't want to put in the wall anchor for it.

I'm so glad I was able to use this wicker settee that had been on the sunporch.

 It's my new coffee drinking spot first thing in the morning.

An old bench is doubling for a small coffee table.

Just big enough for one of my black tole trays.

Toffee Check Chair Pads from Ballard Designs.

I don't think I've ever shared this old ironstone hexagon shaped tureen bottom;

another basement decor piece.

(I had all kinds of things hidden down there!)

Cute little English Cottage Salt and Pepper.
(you all know I have a little English Cottage thang going on)

Don't forget to enter the Give Away with 
French Bleu Vintage HERE

Joining these Party Places:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
Inspiration Exchange at City Farmhouse
From My Front Porch to Yours
French Country Cottage
Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed
Jennifer Rizzo
Sundays at Home with Alice
Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life
Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings
The Scoop at White Lace Cottage
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life
Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Hope you're having a great week, 

March cannot get here fast enough!