Fresh Breath of Green for Spring

Revamped the hutch with St. Patricks' Day post cards and lots of green bits of
china, buttons and books. It is so fun to have this area to change out for whatever holiday or season rolls 'round.

Understated Christmas Decorating

Simple is the word at our home this holiday season. We lead very simple lives really and the small amount of Christmas fluffing seems very much in keeping with us.

Here I show pics of the dining room hutch that I change out so often. Although pearls and whites are big this year, I bought all of these many years ago when I did a White Christmas theme. I love the white candy canes peeking out of each of my little white baby shoes. And, I have always been a Star-Girl, so Christmas is their time to shine.


















The mantel shows minimal fluffing, with 3 large dinner platters and neutral candles. I also strung some cranberries and also hung one of my woolie garlands.










The dining room table has a very simple ironstone platter with candles. I used an
idea from Martha and rolled them in Epsom Salts, after coating them with Mod Podge. They also sit in a mound of the Salts too. I dug out a remnent of lovely cream colored cloth and cut it into strips. Tied it in a knot every few inches or so and draped it around the platter with more pearls.










Each year, the grand kidlets and I do a kitchen table display of a little winter village, adding to it each year. Last year, my Riley and I made a BIG igloo from sugar cubes. This year he decided to put the Holy Family in the igloo and then he made two lines of snowman, reindeer other bits and told me they were all lining up, going to see Jesus. This year I made a little sugar cube house and a sugar cube snow fort.


















I found a great huge silver tray at a sale a few weeks ago and it works great for a table display in front of the couch with my Miniature Snow Babies. They frolic around there in Epsom Salts too.





Simple and fun. (And, not as much to put away later!)

Before and After -Decorating a Grandkids' Room

What a whirlwind, helping my friend Dianne with her room and guiding her in making decisions. We decided to go with a bright color palette of primaries in red, blue, green and yellow. As you can see from the before pics, we had some very dark blue paint on the bottom of the walls and a quirky, ugly border at top.

She wanted a reading nook like I have here I sent pics and talked with her husband John on the phone about the specs and he got started on the work before I arrived. He also did all the wall painting for us.The back wall of the nook is fabric that we tacked up.





The wall where all the kids names are done in wooden letters will be added to with each child's hand print when they visit. The white wall next to it is waiting for just the right pieces to add.

We found the darling easel chalkboard for a great price at an antique store. We also found the two sweet puzzles to hang. The vintage apron with is hanging over an ugly intercom that they do not use.

Still to come is a sweet rug that we ordered that will add more color.
Still more fluffing needed but the majority is finished. What a change! And, Dianne loves it. Lights still need to go in each end of the nook, but there should be lots of fun times in this room when the kidlets visit.

Big Trip to Land 'a Goshen (Indiana that is!)

I am busily scurrying around to make ready for a big trip. I have not been anywhere for 3 years! Well, I mean, any big trips like this. Plus, my friend Dianne and I have SO MANY plans that I am already exhausted. We are decorating a room for her grandchildren (7 and still counting!), having a tea party for a bunch of her friends, watching Anne of Green Gables together (she has NEVER seen it!), making gluebooks, and going to the fall show of the Michigan Button Society. If you live anywhere Near Big Rapids, Michigan and you LOVE buttons, you HAVE to try to come to this either Saturday or Sunday. You will see buttons like you have NEVER seen before and meet the nicest people anywhere! And, I get to see my dearest friend Sue and stay overnight at the show (can anyone say Baileys' Irish Creme?)plus a lot of other great button friends too!
So, have to get busy...........Less than two days now! (Can't you tell? I REALLY need to get away!!!)

A Few of My Favorite Things

Wanna come over and have a cup of tea and a scone and have a few peeks into my home?

Here are just 3 little views of some of my faves. Gorgeous Large PEARL BUTTONS tossed onto a large cream platter on my coffee table. Comforting fun to paw through and hold them and rearrange now and then.


Above my bed; Beautiful pieces of gingerbread from an old home and lots of White and
Cream ware. All on top of a cloth covered interior of an old rolltop desk.










My Swanky Swig collection above the kitchen sink.






Our Bathroom, done all in White and black. Love that beadboard!

Just finished this special order of a dozen Bookmarks in the Jane Austen-esque mood. I love working on them; the pictures, the paper, the song sheets, the trims; all soothing. Backs are covered in song sheets as well.

Mod Podge Rocks with ME!

Yea! Thanks to Amy at World of Mod Podge blog, I am featured on her site today! So fun to be acknowledged out there in this big world.

Keep on rockin' with Mod Podge!

Love Those Old Game Boards

Instead of just leaving all my old board games stored away, I put the boards on the wall of the basement where our grandkids play. If we want to play one of them, we just take it down. I use big push pins to secure them outside the edges of the board. Some of these are getting old. "Emergency" has been played with to pieces with both our son and grandson. And, there is a larger pic of "Mighty Mouse", one of my fave cartoon shows in the 50s.

What old board games do you have tucked away?

Down to the Bare Wood

The hutch in the dining room calls out from time to time, wanting new stuff on its' shelves. Holidays and other special times usually show up in great form there, but this time, only bare wood would do. I scouted the house for all the little things that fit. Like a treasure hunt, it kept me awake at night, thinking of one more thing yet to add.

There are wooden nickels, buttons and toothpicks. Even a "round TUIT" that a friends' father made for me.

So fun to find and arrange; a whole new look and not a penny spent. I love the spareness of it. See the two old boxes on the bottom shelf? I'll give you a look into those tomorrow.