PresentPast Collection

Christmas Colors

This year as I was pulling out all my Christmas decorations, I was feeling like I needed a change from the traditional red that normally festoons the house. It might be because I have a smaller scaled "extreme home makeover" planned for after the holidays. So, with that on my mind I used more subdued colors in my holiday decorations.  Simple greenery, softer reds such as the pomegranates and lots of mercury glass.

The mix of the natural wood and ironstone could be displayed year round. These will probably stay after the renovations.

In the dining room I added small bits of Christmas cheer among my ironstone collection. Nothing too over the top here. In fact, I'm finding myself toning it down to just what I really love.

And just in the nick of time for my gift packaging, I finished my Christmas Vignettes from the class I took from Rebecca Sower. These will be used as gift cards to dress up my holiday packages. Rebecca has a fantastic blog and she's sharing with us some very inspiring holiday ideas of using what you have on hand. Her style is amazing and I know you will be motivated to try some for yourself.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like.....

Christmas! Our home is starting to look and feel more festive. I've been burning an Evergreen candle from Williams-Sonoma practically non-stop. It makes the entire place smell like an evergreen forest, which is nice since we have an artificial pre-lit tree. This week I plan on buying some fresh evergreen garland to add to the tops of my mirrors and pictures. Here is a little cathedral church I purchased at Homegoods and embellished with a few of my vintage baubles.

It's such a quick way to spruce up a store bought item and make it more personal. I used a vintage French postage stamp as the doormat and a few earrings as a wreath and bell tower topper. And lastly, I added a pair of miniature bird ornaments to the trees, simple and very inexpensive.

I thought I'd have a little Parade of Ornaments and show you some of the hundreds I've collected over the years. I love the hand blown glass ornaments and enjoy finding new ones each year to add to the tree.

Sugar topped ginger bread houses are always a sweet treat!

And a pair of fur lined ice skates, wish I had a pair that looked like these.

This large snow covered village ornament is one of my favorites and in the background is one of Sweet Girls snow angels.

Over the years I've been given many garden themed ornaments from friends and family. This tradition started back when I owned a home & garden boutique. There are watering cans, wheel barrows, picket fences, birds, roses and sunflowers, just to name a few.

I'm very partial to my rose ornaments, and this little basket is a charming favorite.

And every year since she was born, I've given Sweet Girl a special ornament to commemorate the year, isn't this one adorable! We write the year on the bottom of each one and when she gets married I plan to give her the collection as a gift. Now I'm thinking I should have bought 2 of the same each year, just so I wouldn't have to part with them!

Well, I'm off to do some wrapping and I've got my trimmings ready to top the gifts. It's my favorite Christmas chore.

I'll be posting some of my holiday gift wrapping ideas with you as I finish. And also on the To-Do list this week is making my annual Peppermint Bark to give to friends and family, recipe and photos to follow. Wishing you all a wonderful week filled with holiday memories!

Christmas Cheer

Boy oh Boy! Creating holiday magic around the house sure is a lot more work than I remembered. There are still boxes spread out all over the floors but I took a few "selective" shots to share with you. After my clutter is cleaned up, I'll share some finished photos. This is a vignette on the family room sideboard, an antique wooden scoop filled with pinecones and mercury glass ornaments.

On the coffee table in the family room I added a silver bowl piled with a collection of vintage ornaments. The candle pedestal is a salvaged architectural column base that The Man glued back together for me so I could use it as a unique candle holder.

A small tabletop display in the living room is a snow covered mirror and a few chosen treasures. I bought the itty bitty ornaments from a vendor at Silver Bella, but for the life of me, I can't remember who!

The breakfast nook chandelier got a glittery star treatment, courtesy of Pottery Barn. And set on the table underneath it:

is an antique wood mixing bowl filled with huge oversized mercury glass ornaments. I absolutely love looking at this everyday! Wish I could keep them out year round.

This is one of my favorite ornaments. A sweet bisque rabbit that you nestle on top of a light. I've had it for so many years, and when Sweet Girl pulled it out of the box this year we both went, "Oooohhhh, love that one"!

The Man purchased this nativity set about 8 or 9 years ago all by himself. The figurines are so realistic and full of gorgeous color, he couldn't have picked a better one.

Well, I'm off to try and finish up my festive chores. Along with decorating, I've been working on a few Christmas crafts and I hope to share them with you soon. And if I could just get my loved ones to give me their Wish Lists, I'd work on that too!  Tis the season!

The Christmas Spirit

With such a busy week behind me, I'm now in full swing of my holiday decorating. The Man has pulled out all the boxes, which now flood the living and dining rooms in a sea of festive color. All I can think is, where do I begin?

It's raining and cold outside, perfect weather for lighting the fireplace and decorating the tree. But this morning before Sweet Girl left for school, she said, "Do not decorate the tree without me!" So, while I wait for her to get home I will work on the rest of the house, which should be plenty of work for this elf. If all goes as planned I hope to have a Holiday Open House on Monday for everyone. Perhaps some of you will want to show us your decor as well? Have a great weekend everyone, see you Monday!

Thanksgiving Preparations

With the holiday fast approaching, I'm sure we are all making our menu plans and choosing our table settings. We host Thanksgiving every year in our home and I truly enjoy preparing for the day. This year I'm going with a cream and silver theme. I'm bringing out my well aged ironstone and tarnished silver.

I've inherited 2 sets of antique flatware from two different sides of my family tree and I love mixing them together. Blended, just like families.

Most of my silver has tarnished from lack of attention. When I was younger I used to be concerned that it wasn't polished, but now I enjoy the patina of the pieces. Hmmm, or maybe I'm tired of cleaning it.

We have several family traditions during the holidays and one I thought I'd share is our "I'm Thankful For" tradition. When each person arrives, they are given a card and have to write something or someone they are especially Thankful for during the previous year. Sometimes they are funny, other times so poignant that it brings us to tears. All the cards are then put into a bowl which is then passed around the table. Each person will read a card out loud and then we all guess who wrote the note. It is so wonderful to focus on how we are all so blessed by the people who love us but sometimes don't take the time to say.

I'd love it if we all play along today. Please leave a comment stating something or someone you are Thankful for and let's all be blessed by what we are most grateful for!

I'm Thankful For.....

The End of My Toile Era

I've been feeling it for a while. Thinking about it, mulling it over in my mind and the time has finally come. My black and white toile kitchen has reached it's final days. It's served me well for the last 5 years and that's a very, very long time in designer years!

I remember the newlywed stage of my relationship with toile. The first time we met I was so sure it was the perfect match for me. I thought we would have a long and happy life together, and we have. There were good times, like the time it looked so perfect with my Christmas decor, and the time I added the coordinating drapery treatments over the kitchen windows. Yes, those were good times.

But you know what they say? All good things must come to an end. And now I must move on. And my toile must move on. It deserves someone that loves and adores it, just the way it is. Perhaps we will meet again, on an accent pillow or the occasional soup bowl and we can reminisce about what a fun life we shared together. Oh, my little toile, you will always be remembered with fond admiration and I wish you nothing but the best! And know, that we will always be friends!

Home Comfort

The fires that are raging all across Southern California are utterly devastating. The news channels are on 24/7 with evacuation plans, State of Emergency announcements, tragedies all around us. This morning at 6 am the smoke was so powerful when I let Bella outside for her morning break that I had to shut the door. There is ash and soot all over cars, houses and patios covering like a blanket of dirt. My home backs up to a very large canyon with no homes behind me and I worry that the gusty winds might spark something up in my neighborhood.

The last time this happened I spent days and days at the American Red Cross helping out families that had been displaced with food and medical attention. It is such a humbling experience. Basic human need. I pray that today they will be able to get a handle on some of these fires in hopes that remaining homes and lives will be spared. And today, I cherish my home. My little comfortable place that makes my family feel safe and loved. And I hope that everyone reading this will feel the same. Blessed.

Drop Cloth Drapes

This is one of my recently finished projects I've been wanting to share with you. It's a very simple way to add style to your outdoor living space. They are painters drop cloths made into patio drapes! I used a standard 6x9 canvas drop cloth available at Lowe's for each panel.

The seams were already finished, so I just added a loose rod pocket and small ruffle at the top. Thanks to Mom, actually! We made 6 panels, to flank all the brick columns on my back patio and used 1/2" galvanized plumbling pipe for the rods.

The Man cut the top part off of the elbow so I could easily slip them on and off for washing without having to unscrew all the pipes, GENIUS!

I tied them loosely with garden twine so they would have a billowy look to them. I'll probably change out the ties, maybe ribbons in the Spring or strips of fabric to match a party theme, who knows? I'm sure I'll have fun thinking of new ways to tie them!

To keep them secured to the brick, The Man added eye hooks and an S hook and the extra bonus?.....

He added another small hook to the top rods so I could easily put them up when the lawn guy comes or if the sprinklers are on!

I'm so happy with how these turned out and hope you'll try them for yourself. They are very easy to make and create a cozy outdoor room that I'm sure you will want to spend more time in!

I've also been working on spiffing up the Blog a little. With the first year under my belt, I thought it as time for a new look. I shot a new banner photo and Sara helped me with the digital stuff. She's another one of those great computer gals! She also made the new sidebar tags for me, aren't they cute? I've got a few other things I want to do to give this place a face lift, so please bear with me on any kinks while I finish it up. In the meantime, if you're in need of some design assistance, stop on over to Sadie Olive Design. You will love working with her!

Picture This

It was time to spiff up the front door wreath and add a fall touch. For a new twist I thought I'd use an old picture frame that had been embellished with wood rose appliques for the backdrop.

The frame is from Shabby Miss Jenn on eBay. She may have similar ones available but I'm sure all you crafty divas could come up with something clever too.

I wired a small grapevine wreath to the center and added a strand of silk ivy and several different ribbons for the bow. Some of the ribbons were new and the lace is from my flea market stash. I love the splash of cream against the deep red door and vines. The gold rose swag is a vintage furniture applique from a salvaged dresser. I used fishing line to hang it from the wreath.

And lastly, for a bit of nature, I added a birds nest set among some raffia. I think this front door welcome will last until the Christmas season rolls in, which I know will be here quicker than a blink of an eye!

The La Maison Rustique Barn Sale is September 21st through the 23rd.  Hours will be 9:30am until 6:00pm on Friday and Saturday and from 11:00am until 5:00pm on Sunday.

The address is 39195 Avenida Antonovich, Temecula Wine Country. Phone number is 951-699-9609 for questions. Please be sure to stop by if you have the time! I promise you will enjoy your visit. Be sure to tell them that Heather sent you and I hope to you there!

On The Homefront

Boy have I missed saying Hello to everyone! I'm looking forward to being able to catch up with all my blog friends. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for all the well wishes and kind comments on my last post. I've been a busy little nester this week and things are starting to come together. Thought I'd show you a couple peeks into my home. I'm not sure what shots the magazine photographer will be taking so I've tried to take a few photos of the bits and pieces. This is part of an entry table. The wall behind it is HUGE, probably over 18 feet so I needed something very BIG.

  This photo does not show the scale very well but trust me, those branches are very tall! I added a wire basket filled with old seltzer bottles and used an old shutter door as a serving tray. The frame for the artwork is old and worn but has an elegant feel with it's scroll details. Here's a closeup of the sweet bird.

I don't remember if I told you that we had to replace all our wood flooring due to the air conditioning unit flooding the downstairs, but anyway, here's a shot of the new stone floors. LOVE them so much more!

And this is a mohair throw that I bought here. It was $49.99 but lucky for me it was on sale for $12.49. The best deal that I've found this week!

And for anyone who might be interested, Sweet Girl loves eggs!

The 6 Days is the countdown for my little family, so they will know when all the projects around the house have to be finished. I think they love watching that number diminish!

Well, off to do more work. I promise a very large store update soon and don't forget to mark your calendars for the Maison Rustique Barn Sale happening September 21st through the 23rd. You are guaranteed to find treasures you can't resist! I've never come home empty handed. I'll update you in a few days the hours and location and hopefully a few sneak peeks!