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A time to Blog and a time to Blog. . .

Well, so much for my resolution to Blog.  So, Keep Calm and Blog! It is September--barely still September.  So here is a short blog.

I am amazed by the great ideas you can find on the net.  There are so many creative people who are willing to share their ideas with us.  Here are a few of my favorite inspiration locations:

Homemaking Style~

Savvy Southern Style ~ this blog is remarkable.  She makes homemaking a pleasure. She posts everyday and includes wonderful pictures of her home.

Hymns and Verses ~ love, love, love this site. Homekeeping is here.

There are several others I read regularly too, but these are the two that I read daily.

Scrapbooking Style~

Heidi Swapp ~ this lady is amazing.  She has a papercrafting style I love. Layers, pretty colors, and banners--what is not to love.

Janna Werner ~ found her on youtube ~ on the Two Peas in a Bucket site.  She is one talented girl.  Some of her videos are recorded in German--yes, I even watched them and learned some awesome techniques.

Craft Style ~

Creative Breathing ~ love this site.  Such cute crafts--"mintage" stuff!

Everything Style ~

Jones Design Company ~ one of the sites that I ran across and had to watch every post before I was content.  This girl is a graphic artist and she posts home decor too. My favorite things on this site are the four seasons wreaths--they are shown in my Wreath Junkie post.

Just a few of my favorites.  More from me soon.

May all the seasons be sweet to you!

Mary

More Easter Decorations

A time to Embrace and a time to Throw Away. . .

Went through the Easter totes in my treasure trove.  I am so excited when I see all of the cherished decorations I have collected over the years.  Yes, next year Little Miss will have a good time decorating with all of these treasures.

I stayed with the yellow and white theme and here is what I have so far.  Of course I hung the yellow Peeps wreath on the laundry room door...

Cute Peeps Wreath

Can't believe that this wreath is holding up so well.  Still looks good! Goes with the yellow theme too.

Now to the table--simple center decor with basic place settings.  Here we go...

The setting--simple and classic.

Here are descriptions of the individual pieces...

Yellow Eggs

The planter is a flea market find for $3 and the eggs are blown and died confetti eggs.  The eggs are from WalMart--they are old and I am so glad I bought two dozen when I saw them.  Have not seen any since.  There are blue, green, pink, and yellow--of course, I used the yellow.  The cake plate is Martha Stewart.

The birds are from Michael's--white ceramic with bling.  The stand and dome are Martha Stewart.

Birds

The rabbit is from TJMaxx--I think it was in the Pottery Barn catalog earlier in the year. It is paper mache and has a sweet expression.  The dome and plate are Martha Stewart.

Rabbit

The runner and napkins are Home Goods linens--new last week.  The place settings are Ralph Lauren from Home Goods.  The glasses are vintage flea market finds.  The egg cups are Hallmark from years ago--there are pink, blue, and green cups too.  The mini cake stands are Martha Stewart.  The bunny salt shaker and chick pepper shaker sets are Hallmark.

Place Setting

So, there we have it.  Just table decorations for this Easter.  Of course, Little Miss will get her Easter basket from the Easter Bunny.  It is already pretty full--so fun.

Have a great day and week.

May all the seasons be sweet to you!

Mary

A Time to Plant and A Time to Harvest...

Spring is on its way---we are seeing signs of it every day.  The robins are chirping, the trees are budding, and the plants and flowers are peeking through the ground.  Oh yes, we are "springing forward" tonight.

Spring is full of pleasant surprises. Last year I bought four white hyacinths for my Easter/Spring decor.  I love the beauty and smell of these hardy yet delicate flowers.  My plan of course was to plant them around my front door as soon as Fall dawned, but the best plans of Mary. Instead, I plopped them on the copper boot tray under the bench in the laundry room.  Forgot all about them really.  

When I saw hyacinths in the stores this year, I bought two--white of course.  I put them in my white ceramic pots and placed them in my kitchen window.

White Hyacinth

About a week ago, I was cleaning in the laundry room and much to my delight, there they were--four hyacinths peeking out of the soil in their crude black plastic pots.  I could not believe it--those sweet smelling flowers survived! I brought them into the light and started to water them--they are growing every day. 

My Surprise White Hyacinths

Such a sweet Spring surprise! 

Getting ready for Easter one decoration at a time. Thinking I should keep it simple and classic this year since next year Little Miss will want to help and we will need to put out every egg, chick, bunny, and basket packed away in my Easter treasure trove. Here is a start--yellow and white runner and white cake stands and planters. These sweet white birds are new. 

First Easter Decoration

Thinking yellow--need some inspiration and some treasures!

Happy Spring!!!! 

May all the seasons be sweet to you. . .

Mary

A Time to Embrace. . .

So much to say and a place to say it. . .yes my blog.  I made a resolution to blog more this year and I am off to a slow start--must get with it for sure.

Some things I like. . .

There are several blogs I read regularly.  So much time can be spent engrossed while reading unique and helpful information, delighting over remarkable inspiration, and planning what to do with the information overload you have just enjoyed.  I love looking at blogs and implementing some of the best ideas.  I sometimes wonder if I ever have a new idea--are all of my plans based on projects others think up and complete? Oh well, it is fun!

1.  Ceiling Fan Fun--The Best Ceiling Fan Update.  This idea is splendid!  Here are my two projects.

Our Bedroom

You know how one thing leads to another--now our fan needs to be painted.  I am in the process of painting our bedroom and onsuite.  Now I want to paint the fan the same color as the walls--conundrum!

Our Kitchen

This fan had a single schoolhouse type light.  It needed a bulb clip-on attachment.  Works like a dream.  I know that most if not all of the decorating gurus say that ceiling fans are "out", but they do not live in Kansas where the hot wind comes sweeping down the plain!

2.  At Christmas time I always want to add new bric-a-brac to my collection.  Many blogs feature projects that change regular dollar store treasures into spectacular upscale treasures.  This is a $3 nativity--I think it looks much more expensive than that.

White Nativity

Just the three pieces and a can of white spray paint and you have this upscale nativity.  Friends saw it and commented--perfect gift for friends.  Also, it is just the right size for tucking in with other special decorations. My own idea! Yay!

3.  Valentine's decorations mean hearts and red--right.  

You have my heart!

This is a cute table decoration that is inexpensive and takes a couple of minutes to put together.  The carrier was free from my sister, the "vases" are condiment bottles, and the velvet hearts are from the dollar bins at Target.  Just cute! My own idea.

Three little things that make my world better.  Just fun!

May all the seasons be sweet to you!

Mary