Tag Archives: Christmas

Simple Faux Floral Arrangements

I don’t know about you but once I take down the Christmas decorations I’m ready for spring. The house just looks and feels dreary without the twinkling lights and sparkling balls. And since it will be a few months until spring comes I like to incorporate a few dried and faux floral arrangements back into my décor.

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I try to hold back a little and not go full on floral but I don’t like to wait until spring to add some color.

Do you?

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This tiny fern was gifted to me by a sweet friend and the old, framed floral needlework is a piece I found last fall at the flea market for one dollar. I love it with all its imperfections.

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These little touches remind me that spring is coming.

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And that once the cold and snow has gone there will be lush greens and vibrant color to enjoy again.

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Until then, I’m content with my simple faux floral arrangements, a good book, a scented candle and if it decides to snow, a picturesque view from inside my warm home.

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Holiday Dressed Doors

I hope you all had a joyful Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior. Ours was very different this year but keeping the focus on the true meaning gave us a reason to celebrate. I was looking through my photos of doors gone by and decided to show you what my Christmas door has looked like over the years.

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2006, before we had new stucco put on the house. Gray door, gray stucco. I liked the weathered look but the insurance company did not (there were chunks of it missing, showing brick underneath, considered a hazard.)

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2009, same stucco, different door color, different wreath.

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2014, new stucco, teal door, tweaked wreath.

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2016, black door, same wreath. I wanted to re-do the wreath with red, green and plaid so it would pop against the black door but didn’t get it done. There’s always next year if we have a black door wherever we end up. Or maybe…it will be…a red door? And that would be okay too.

The house hasn’t sold and we took it off the market over the holidays. We’ll relist it some time in the next few months. Here’s to finding the beauty in 2017.

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A Little Christmas Tour

Here we are less than a week before Christmas. Not sure how we got here already. The sights and sounds are bringing me joy once again, even when my world is topsy turvy. I draw nearer to Christ and think more on the reason for the season. Just wanted to pop in and share a bit of Christmas cheer from my house to yours with a mini Christmas tour.

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I made this plaid garland by tearing up one of my son’s old shirts.

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Last year I showed you a different display on my buffet using these same black iron lantern frames and told you there was an interesting story behind them but I never told you what it was!

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Well, a few years ago my husband was putting Christmas trees in the urns on the concrete columns that flank our front steps. He noticed the top of the column was crooked and straightened it. This led to him lifting it all the way off the column and looking down inside. Guess what he discovered? Yep, the black iron lantern frames, one placed inside each column. We had lived here for almost twenty years when he made the discovery. Of course we speculated that they must have been used there at one time, lighting the path. And I of course was thrilled to put them to an entirely new use as rustic indoor décor.

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I tore one more strip from the old plaid shirt to give my woodland reindeer a scarf. Doesn’t he look dashing?

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I took these two pictures last year and never posted them.

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I would like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas filled with joy and good will. Gary and I are doing well and I will give an update very soon.

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Rustic Twiggy Tablescape

With Thanksgiving upon us I would like to share a unique way to incorporate natural elements into your tablescape. There’s something romantic about bringing nature indoors. And the fact that it
costs next to nothing is a bonus.

I shared these pearly twiggy napkin rings a few years ago during my Girls Want Pearls series.

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Very little is needed to make these:

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Just gather some twigs and be sure to find some that are super skinny for threading pearls onto. If you can’t find any skinny enough, you can cheat and use brown wire for the ones that have pearls. Make five bundles of twigs and wrap with wire. Tie your twine around each bundle, spacing them approx. 1/2 inch apart. I found it easier to prepare the knots in advance and then slide the bundles in. Form the finished twine around a napkin and tie the ends together. Thread your pearls on and add a dot of glue if needed.

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For your Christmas table you could mix in some sparkly beads in your color choice.

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Add a natural-elements centerpiece, maybe vases full of twigs or a tray of hedge apples, pumpkins or artichokes for a cohesive look.

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Happy decorating!
Happy Thanksgiving!

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This Christmas I Choose Joy

Hello Friends. I know I have been MIA and have not posted or visited other blogs for quite some time. My heart is heavy with some changes going on in my world. The changes are of a very personal nature and I’m not ready to divulge all the information. I would just ask that if you believe in the power of prayer, please keep my husband Gary in your prayers.

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I took these pictures in November. One day I pulled in the driveway as he was leaf blowing. When he saw me he began to play the blower like a guitar. I couldn’t resist grabbing my camera and getting some shots of him. He humored me happily. That’s the kind of guy he is.

My comfort comes from the Lord and I choose joy during this holiday season. Here is a shot of the dining room buffet decorated for Christmas.

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I used greenery that I cut from one of the trees on our property. The branches were covered in these cute mini pinecones.

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There’s a very interesting story behind this pair of lanterns. I will share it in a future post.

I don’t know when I’ll post again, so for now I wish you a Merry Christmas
filled with joy, peace and wonder.

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Vintage Christmas Décor

The day after Thanksgiving I like to start slowly pulling out my Christmas décor. Although I have been gradually introducing more natural elements into my décor there are some old favorites that I wouldn’t dream of leaving out each year.

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These vintage bottle brush wreaths are a perfect example. Each of the wreaths on this stack was gathered from a different place over the past 20+ years and each has a story.

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Three of them were picked up at yard sales, the one on the bottom was found in my mother’s attic among some forgotten Christmas items and my favorite, the one in the middle is one I picked up for 10 cents at a church rummage sale.

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The back of the wreath is a darker pink than the front which has faded to a soft peachy pink. The faded colors and crumpled bow just make me love it more.

Yep, I’m a sucker for vintage Christmas. I think it brings out the kid in me. How about you? Do you have any treasured old decorations or ornaments?

Now that the temps are dropping, I have a good cold weather tip for you.

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