Mantel with my Favorite Fall Wreath

Hi Friends, I always look forward to fall and decorating the mantel to create a cozy comfortable space in the hearth room. I'm all about autumn hues and changing leaves, pumpkins, pears, and dried hydrangeas. Quilts and pillows and cozy throws make the seating area a great place to cuddle up, have a cup of tea and read. 

Nature's Wild Victorian Springtime Wreath

Hi Friends, today I'm sharing a wonderful wreath that's a bit of a different take on a natural look for Spring. This is the perfect time of year to look to nature and the outdoors for our decor inspiration. What we might see in a leisurely country walk; bird nests, vines, wildflowers, and moss all come together here with an antique wooden frame for a wild and beautiful Victorian look.

Vintage Cottage Weekend: Flower Pot Wreath with a Garden Update

What do you get when you combine vintage French seed packet labels and whitewashed clay flower pots on a grapevine wreath?  Well, you get a wonderfully unique Spring wreath full of vintage garden-y goodness! Over the years there have been so many beautiful renditions of flower pot wreaths; each one slightly different as they take on the decor personality of the creator. 

Vintage Cottage Weekend: Wild Victorian Wreath

Hi Friends, today I'm sharing a wonderful wreath that's a bit of a different take on a natural look for Spring. This is the perfect time of year to look to nature and the outdoors for our decor inspiration. What we might see in a leisurely country walk; bird nests, vines, wildflowers, and moss all come together here with an antique wooden frame for a wild and beautiful Victorian look.

Cozying Up the Back Porch for Fall

November is here and it's time to bring out the warm snuggly blankets, long underwear, and cups of yummy hot cider. My wish for cooler, sweater weather has arrived and plunked itself down right here in Southern Missouri. It seems like each year the summers get longer, but then poof... overnight we plunge from the upper 80's into the 50's with an overnight jet stream.

Fall Leaf Wreath on the Mantel

We finally made it to Fall and I'm so excited! I've been looking forward to this season for a while now. I love each season, but decorating for Fall is just my favorite time of year!

Restyling an Early Fall Premade Wreath

Hello to all my Fall lovin' Friends!!!

A few weeks ago my hubby took me to Hobby Lobby to look at Fall goodies. He was a trooper and trudged all over the store with me. I had it in my head to find a wreath for the front door during this early Fall season. I found a twiggy wreath and several floral items to use, but it was still going to cost a fortune. Even with 40% off, the total price of the individual pieces were starting to make me cringe. 

Seed Packet Garden Wreath on the Sideboard

Back in 2013 after seeing a few versions of flower pot garden wreaths, I put together my own take using a grapevine wreath as the base with small whitewashed flower pots and French seed labels attached to paper tags. Since I'm such a fan of vintage garden goods and ephemera, I've loved using this each year during the Spring and Summer seasons. I just needed to figure out a place to put it here at this house.

Transitional Late Summer Mantel

Time to bring out the wreath for this small sliver of time known as Late Summer. Nature doesn't just wake up one morning and say, "OK everyone, it's Fall!" Trees, weather, the light, and all the growing things are reaching that extended moment where they begin to wane. Summer is winding down. All you have to do is look at my yard, scattered with green walnuts and yellow leaves to know it's that time of year. (I was going to take a pic, but it's so dry and looks too sad)

Porch Decor while in Transition

Hi Friends and welcome to the Spring Into Summer Porch and Outdoor Spaces Hop 

hosted by my talented, good friend Amber of  Follow the Yellow Brick Home. 

Are you needing some ideas to help spiff up your outdoor spaces? Put together something different? I know I am! We are in the middle of a facelift for our front porch and landscaping and sometimes it seems easier to just opt out of decorating an incomplete project. But I'm here to give it a try so I don't feel like it's a lost cause living with an outdated front porch.

If you're coming from Marty's at A Stroll Thru Life, I'm so glad you're here! I know the title to this post might seem a little strange, but it's an honest look at sharing the ups and downs during house renovations. 

How to Make a Moss-Covered Heart

I love organic decor accessories and using nature to guide and enhance the Seasons and Holidays. I'm  also a fan of layering those natural organic pieces with mirrors and walls, doors and vignettes. Wreaths, faux flowers, branches, and natural elements can come together to create a one-of-a-kind Holiday Centerpiece for your room.

Valentine's Day Makes an Entrance

I'm going to admit right up front that this is one of those "photo shoots" that continued over the course of a day or two. I've been know to start taking pictures, then add or subtract items from the vignette. Instead of completely starting over, I just incorporate all the photos and we can do one of those "Highlights" photo puzzles along the lines of, "what's different in these photos?"

I was busy taking pictures of the Entry when I thought it would be fun to do a small Valentine's Day Cloche with one of my antique Valentines and some of the little pink mini carnations that I used earlier in the week. That's the nice thing about carnations, they stay pretty for days.

ReStyled Fall Wreath and Black Botanicals

As much as I love Fall you'd think I would have a huge stash of wreaths to choose from here at the Midwest Headquarters of Hoarder's Anonymous, but no, I only had one decent wreath up till last year. I'm not sure why, other than I'm really picky when it comes to wreaths, or that I've tried NOT to overdo it with the "Faux Fall Foliage", which can at times be a little overwhelming around here.

A January Entry

I always tend to lean toward a more neutral and white color palette during the month of January. Whether it's due to the oversaturation of color during Fall and Christmas, or because it's bleak and snowy outside, I seem to crave a clean look after the new year. Clean and fresh feeling whites and neutrals are what I need, because once Spring starts to creep up out of the landscape the rest of the year means "color".

Painted Leaf Fall Wreath

Hi Everyone, I know you all are probably getting some Fall decor out of storage, and searching Pinterest for some fresh ideas and inspiration. I knew I wanted to try to create a new wreath for the Kitchen Sitting Area, but I also knew I wanted it to be neutral. I love the colors of Autumn, but wanted to try using something that was in shades of white, cream, grays, and tans....

Garden Flower Pot Wreath for Spring

I made this fun Springtime wreath a few years ago after I'd found these old French seed packet labels on Etsy. I added them to some tags and then tied whitewashed flowerpots on the grapevine wreath. Last year I didn't get to use it because it was hidden among a ton of other tubs and boxes in the garage, but this year it's hanging on the mirror on the old door in the Kitchen Sitting Area.

Entry Dressed for Valentine's Day

I'm so glad it's February! January felt long and cold and boring. To me, January feels like trudging through mud, creatively speaking. I'm ready for some hearts and flowers, chocolate, and little cupids flying around. So...I'm glad it's time that we can do a little fun decorating for Valentine's Day.

Seed Packet Garden Wreath makes a come back...

I learned within the first week or two of living here at the lease house that there were just a few things that try as I might, I would not be able to "change". Not only can I not change them, I can't focus on them... I just need to try to cover them up, and disguise them as much as possible. One such area is the big flat screen TV in the Living Room, that is the first thing you see when you walk in the front door. Actually, it's not the TV itself, but all the wires at the back of it, because the Entry Hall gives full view of all the technical disadvantages I look at every day. But in reality, not too many people have to see it, and if it weren't for that big ol' honkin' TV, hubby and I would probably go bonkers, cause we park our tired behinds there every night for some escapism.

One thing I brought over early on was this vintage folding screen that I made over a few years ago. It hides a multitude of sins...namely the TV, VCR, tevo, sound system etc.

And this iron garden trellis and urn help anchor it and offer some diversion.

I had my fun little garden/flowerpot wreath up there for Easter, and today I took some more photos minus the green wool felted flying bunny, but here are the ones I snapped before Easter, when a plethora of bun buns were roaming the house.

I put this wreath together last year and it was on my old window above the sideboard in the Kitchen Hallway.

These are French Seed Packet Labels attached to tags.

(don't you love his bow tie?)

...and whitewashed flowerpots with gardener's twine tied to the grapevine wreath.

Actually, I have bunnies running around here till summer, 

when I look at them I cannot help but smile.

I have "garden fever" right now, but nowhere to "play". But I do hope to bring over a few of my potted geraniums to make it feel more homey outside over here. I "winter" my many pots of geraniums each year, but hubbs is working on packing the John Deere room, so I have orders that they've gotta go.

I've lost several big shrubs from the harsh winter, and my knock-out rose bush will have to be "amputated" to the nubbs, most of it is dead too. How about you all...did most of your flowers and plants survive? Here's to the warmer weather...70's all week, yay! 

I'll be joining in on these great weekly parties:

Share Your Style Spring Blog Hop

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Swing into Spring at DIY by Design

Blissful Whites at Timewashed

Treasure Hunt at From My Front Porch to Yours

Share Your Cup at Mrs. Olson's

Inspiration Gallery at Craftberry Bush

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home

Fabulously Creative Friday at Jennifer Rizzo

Today's Sponsor

Seaside Rose Creations

When will it be Spring?

This last snow and ice storm threw a lot of us off kilter. Just when we had been teased with some warm days and sightings of crocus and daffodils pushing up, we got hit hard. But they, (the powers that be in the weather world) say we'll be back in the 50's by the weekend. So many people south of us had ice instead of sleet, so I'm grateful for just the cold and snow, not loosing power. Missouri is notorious for March snowstorms, heck, it snowed in May last year!

This week is my Birthday Week. Yes, I celebrate all week, especially when it's so yucky outside that no restaurants are even open! My Birthdays have been "low key" for awhile, just the way I like them. A certain sweet hubby brought me home an armful of tulips in lovely Spring colors, but I didn't even have an ironstone pitcher here to put them in, so they found their way to my little galvanized bucket. 

This was the first time I have used a flower frog. I have several vintage ones, but only one with the metal grid design. It made for a much prettier arrangement, instead of all of them falling over the sides.

I have this little journal in precious pinks and lavender.

"Very beautiful flowers".

This is a little wreath I found last year,

and a few of my old garden tools.

My tiny friend is joining us.

She thinks she's hidden in the twigs.

 I love collecting vintage embroidered tea towels. Now, in the times of disposable "everything", I admire the time and creativity that went in to decorating them.

The light here in the sitting room is northern, 

but in the morning it's just perfect.

I hope "Spring" is closeby, wherever you are...

Oh so tweet!

You can check out more wonderful tulip ideas, 

on my Pinterest Board, HERE

A Big Thank You to everyone who took the time to enter the Give Away last week. The winner of the $35.00 gift certificate to French Bleu Vintage is Cathy from My 1929 Charmer. Have fun Cathy!

I'll be joining in on these wonderful parties:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Inspiration Exchange at City Farmhouse
Treasure Hunt From My Front Porch to Yours
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Sweet and Simple Fridays at Rooted in Thyme
Fabulously Creative Friday at Jennifer Rizzo
Inspiration Gallery at Craftberry Bush
Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Hope you're having a great week,