Memorial Day Mantel

I seem to be a week late on everything these days!

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!!

Mantel and Living Room

January is always a great time to do something new in the living room!

Once all the Christmas decorations and wrappings

are put away, and the room is cleaned,

I seem to want to move the furniture around!

With a new couch in the family room,

the old one moved in here right before the holidays.

I didn't have any time to play with arrangements then,

so now was my chance!

For Christmas, I put the couch facing the fireplace,

with the back facing the entry. This was so the Christmas tree

could still be in the window.

 It worked okay, but it really closed off the living room,

so I tried a new spot after the holidays.

I moved it under the front window and started moving

around the rest of the furniture that I was determined

would stay.

It was a little better, but still feeling pretty crowded,

and the two wing chairs were giving it that closed-off feeling again.

I knew something was going to have to go, whether I liked it or not!

As soon as I moved the table out of the corner by the bookcase,

the room made sense again!

It opened up and felt more spacious.

(I moved the table to the family room, which meant

something had to go in there, too, but that's another story!)

Once I had the furniture figured out, I was able to move on to the mantle,

which is where I usually like to start!

 I loved this new chalkboard so much, I brought it out again!

 This time, I paired it with the usual white pitchers,

as well as silver candlesticks and an ivy wreath.

The final product makes me happy!

"Summerizing the House"

I don't know if "summerize" is a word, but every year, when the weather takes a turn towards summer, and you know this time it's going to stick, usually sometime around Memorial Day, I get an urge to clear out all the heavy, dark accessories that are still left after the Spring purge.

Things like quilts and dark pillows and too many chotchkies.

 In the dining room, I went all white with just a little color.

 I brought in 6 white chairs and 2 turquoise chairs for the ends.

A white cloth on the table with white candles and a 

white pitcher filled with lavender keeps it simple and fresh.

In the guest room, I replaced the pink quilt with one that feels like summer:

Grandmother's Flower Garden in reds and yellows and blues.

 The mantle felt too heavy, so I lightened it up by 

removing some of the stuff.

Much more "summery"!

Pillows and quilts were removed or changed out

in the family room as well.

Maybe it only makes a little difference,

but to me it feels lighter and less cluttered and ready for summer!

Fall Decorating From September to November

When I am decorating for Fall in September, I don't like to overdo it. The weather is still warm here and it seems a long time 'till Thanksgiving, so I just do a little, a base, if you will, for what will come later.

(See Early Fall Mantel)

The mantel was pretty well set, I just added a banner.

"Bountiful"

That is how I think about God's provision for us: more than we need or can even imagine!

I also added a blue bowl full of small pumpkins, dried artichokes and pomegranates.

( Really, it's full of newspaper, topped with moss and then filled with the "pretties"!)

Behind is a grain scoop and dried corn.

Here you can see the room in full, with candles and berries added to the coffee table.

Moving into the dining room, I punched up the centerpiece.

I left the burlap table runner, but added the tall pear candlesticks.

I used an old toolbox I picked up this summer, and filled it with the usual suspects: small pumpkins, dried artichokes, dried pomegranates, acorns and berries.

It looks beautiful!

And don't forget the little details:

Rustic touches: candle holder made from wooden sap holder, berries and

 linen embroidered with "Count your blessings".

Stories about our Pilgrim founders.

 Speaking of Pilgrims: these little silver ones came from Plymouth Plantation.

This angel's sign says to "Give Thanks".

And, of course, lots of pillows

 that remind us to give thanks in all things

 with a grateful heart!

Happy Thanksgiving!

And always, lots of pillows!

Christmas!

There was a time when I decorated every square inch of my home for Christmas. Every single room had to reflect the holiday... bedrooms, bathrooms, everywhere.

Over the years, as my life got busier, and I was still trying to do it all, I finally decided to pare down the craziness. However, even though it's nothing like the good old days, there are still an awful lot of decorations all over the house!

In fact, I will have to show you the holiday decor in 2 or 3 different posts so as not to make you too crazy with all the photos!

We can start in the living room.

I try to do things a little differently each year while still keeping some basics, like the lighted garland on the mantel.

The burlap stockings were new last year.

What's new on the mantel this year are the Nutcrackers. They usually live on a lower surface so the grandkids can play with them, but I like them here with the red mantel clock I got last year from Smith Hotel and my red and green Lily quilt in the background.

This is another new arrangement this year. The quilt usually sits on the coffee table and the nativity also sits on a lower table for easy accessibility.

  The "O Holy Night" banner is the only new item.

It all sits above the entrance table where my ensemble of candles and garland has sat many a year before (but not every year!)

This is where the tree would normally go, but since we won't be celebrating at home this year,

I decided to decorate these three little trees with my very favorite tiny ornaments instead of getting out all the lights and so very many boxes of bigger ornaments! 

I also thought my lighted village would look nice under the trees, forgetting I had given most of the pieces to my daughters a couple years ago. All I kept were the church, covered bridge and 1 house (hiding behind the trees).

 Some of the Santas made it onto the living room shelves.

I have had this Santa pillow since the '70s! He makes an appearance every year.

This is a little nook in the hallway off the living room.

All the little folk-art critters get red ribbons for the season!

Seasonal Decorating is in the Details: A Fall Mantle

The first day of fall came and went with temperatures in the 90's, even creeping up to 100. Needless to say, I had no inclination to start my fall decorating. But with the first of October, it is finally starting to feel like cooler weather is on the way, so I went for a hunt for my fall decor.

I say hunt because that is exactly what I had to do. Some family members moved over the summer and stored some of their things in my shed. I had the foresight to move the Christmas things to the front, but I thought the fall boxes were in the garage. I was wrong.

I am still missing a box, but I gave up and decided to use what I found, plus what I had from my garden.

First, the mantle:

My print from Plymouth, Massachusetts always takes center stage, 

especially in the fall.

The missing box has sprays of leaves and fall flowers, so I gathered what I had that would be the right color for my cream pitcher. Behind it is a birdhouse with apples on it. In front is a garland with pheasant feathers.

In the middle is a beautiful orange and bluish-green pumpkin on a small cake stand.

On the left is a red clock and rustic pitcher; you can see a bit of a birdhouse gourd on the far right. The garland of fall leaves and acorns tie it all together.

A new banner says "thankful"

Tomorrow, the dining room.