Winter Vignettes or “How I beat the post-Christmas decorating blues.”

It is a well-documented fact that many of us dread the post-Christmas “blah” that is our home décor.  For many folks, it is the dread of the process of preparing our Christmas decorations for another 11 months of storage—that is part of my issue.  The larger dread, however, is due to the seemingly stark appearance of my house once I’ve stowed all of the greenery, lights and ornaments.

I guess that’s why my post-holiday decorations have begun multiplying and taking on a life force of their own.  I have started using many of the items I would normally display or store in our china hutch and making them a focal point.

I have also started collecting pictures with winter scenes—anything with snow will do.  This includes my every growing collection of vintage photos of children dressed in their snowsuits or finest winter coats.  (Credit for this idea goes solely to Auntie Bliss!)

My winter Santos fairy takes center stage on our living room mantel.

This year I’ve added a frosty bird’s nest or two, some pinecone candles and faux bare braches with hints of frost, as well.  as I’ve mentioned before, my velvet pumpkins are always on display, as evidenced here on the mantel . . .

. . . and here on a side table . . .

I am not a big fan of using hearts in my decorating.  {I blame this on the fact that I had started setting-up our first household  when country-style decorating was at the height of popularity, thus explaining my aversion to ducks and geese, as well.} I will, however, make the exception for vintage hearts and any hearts embellished with real glass glitter!

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I am making a concerted effort to carve out a little time in my schedule to nurture my creativity.  I’m finally acknowledging creativity takes many forms (more on that later), but the form I am referring to at the moment is that which requires the use of scissors, glue, ephemera and other bits and bots; thus, the decorative bottles seen in this vignette.

I used these great bottles, which formerly contained a very nice bourbon, and decorated them with pages of a very old music book, vintage Valentines and ribbon.  My dining room table has been a wreck for two weeks as I disassembled Christmas, sorted through end-of-year papers and periodically applied Mod Podge  and tied ribbon to these bottles.

For my final winter offering, I will leave you with this . . .

I hope you are enjoying your winter décor as much as I am enjoying mine.  I’d love to hear about the ways you beat the doldrums, so please share.

Again and always, I thank you for your indulgence.

New Year . . . changes.

Don’t worry—it’s good stuff.

After much deliberation and angst, I have made the very difficult decision to stop selling Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™.  This is purely a business decision.  I love this paint and will continue to use it for my personal and business needs and hope you will as well.

That being said, I want to let you know where you can find the worlds best paint after Jan 31st.

Please shop:

in dickson—Home Again Antiques & Gifts 

in hendersonville—Then & Again Home Marketplace

in brentwood—C’est Moi

(shopkeeping isn’t for wimps . . .)

Now moving forward . . .

We are going to shift our focus—more vintage and more workshops.

Keep an eye on facebook and your email for information about sales as we prepare to make room for the changes.  We will continue to stock many of our favorite—Archipelago Botanicals soy wax candles and milk lotions, Caldrea Home Care products, and our mini journals, just to name a few.

With regard to the workshops—just follow us on this facebook page or on this blog. 

I hope you will enjoy and appreciate the changes we have in store.  I, for one, am downright giddy!

Thanks for your indulgence,

A self check of resolutions

[This was my article for the Leaf Chronicle, published on Jan 7th.  I’ve had a few things going on, but I think I can catch-up.  (Yes—I realize I am ALWAYS saying that!)]

It’s 2012 and life is good. I’m still working on resolutions or, as I like to refer to them, “ideas that sounded good at the time.”

Every year I say, I’m not making any resolutions. Then I hear everyone ticking theirs’ off and I start feeling left out, then feel compelled to blurt-out something, which snowballs into a list of things that sound ridiculous and unachievable as I’m saying them. Then, for good measure, I go and post them on my blog! (Great idea—tell everyone how you plan to fail.)

This concept prompted me to go look at my blog post for the new year of 2011. Just to check myself. Last year, I sub-divided my list (or “goals” as I called them) into household, Hodgepodge and personal goals. Here’s how I measured up:

Household goal #1 was to finish my bedroom and I would say I’m satisfied, but there is some tweaking yet to be done.

(The mirrors and frame replaced the old doors that once served as our headboard—too much smoke damage to keep them after the fire.  New linen curtains replaced the burlap curtains I had made—burlap, by-the-by is apparently highly flammable!)

#2 was to finish claiming my creative space . . . umm , next!

#3 my goal of new appliances was admittedly lofty—I even said so in the original documentation. I have decided to let go of the marble countertops and have decided on butcher block counters, I’ve got about 10 LF already and need to acquire about 8 LF more, but that was progress. No progress on the appliance home front, unless you count the new four-slot toaster I got from the kids for Christmas. No new gas range (#6 on my list), but hope springs eternal with 2012.

(The butcher block already in my possession.)

(My kitchen as it looks now—notice how my white appliances blend seamlessly with my black cabinets . . .N O T!)

#4, Hurrah! Success! Hannah’s room is painted—she did it herself! (Cost a great deal in paint brushes and rollers, but worth it!) I even found new curtains that met with her approval and mine. (I think we get extra points for this one!)

(Hannah’s room—didn’t warn her I was taking this, so I decided not to include her unmade bed; her quilt was the inspiration for the colors.)

#5, I’ve bought the fabric for the new living room curtains AND I just found the number for a seamstress I think I’ll call (another one to migrate to the 2012 list).

Hodgepodge goal numero uno and only was to do what it takes to make my shop a success . . . a work in progress. This is a great opportunity, however, to thank my family—especially my husband—for their continued support of my dream. (Whenever I read something like that on someone else’s blog, I usually think, “Yeah, yeah—kiss up!” but I am very sincere.)

For my personal goals: 1.  see my goal for hodgepodge  ( I take it very personally.); 2.  to be the wife my husband deserves; 3.  to be the mom my kids deserve; 4.  to be the daughter my parents deserve; 5.  to be the sister my sisters deserve; 6.  to be the friend my friends deserve; 7.  to be the faithful servant my God deserves. (Not necessarily in that order.) Not really sure how to measure my success—you could check with my targets—but I’m sure they will all carry-over into 2012, too.

You’ll have to check my blog for list of ideas that sound good for 2012.

Thanks for your indulgence!

January 1, 2012

(My Leaf Chronicle article for January 1st.)
Happy New Year! I’ll tell you, I for one am happy to see 2011 in the rearview mirror. We have some great memories and I’ve had a lot of successes this year, but the bad stuff was really, really bad and it’s taking some time to work through it. Of course, we started out 2010 with a house fire, so I better go back and read my article from Jan 1, 2010—I may be asking for trouble!
I am sure many of you have already taken down your decorations and have no remnants of Christmas in your home. That is not the case at my house. I am still enjoying our decorations. Frankly, I didn’t get to see them much, so I need to leave them in place a while longer. I generally leave my staircase and mantel décor up well into January (which is why I had to replace it after the fire—hmm, you’d think I’d learn).
Each year I make an effort to weed-out some of the stuff we haven’t used in recent years to make room for the inevitable additions we’ve acquired. I always think I’ll have plenty of time, once I make it through the holidays; while January is a slower month for retailers, somehow or another, my free time is at a premium. I will get it done, though, the same way I decorated—I will un-decorate in small doses.
The challenge is keeping the house feeling cozy and inviting. It seems that once the tree and garlands are gone, it feels a little cold to me. I try to leave a few winter touches throughout the house. I leave my winter pictures propped or hung in various rooms. I leave extra blankets and throws tossed on the furniture—even in the kitchen (we’ve got an old, breezy—no I didn’t mean to say ”drafty”—house). The chairs near the fireplaces are generally the first ones claimed in any of our rooms. I also enjoy leaving snowmen, snowflakes and icicles on display through the winter months. My crystal snowflakes—an extravagant purchase during our first tour in Germany—need to be added to my kitchen window where they can catch the light of our gorgeous winter sunsets.
I generally exchange out my lush Christmas wreath for my very simple, plain grapevine wreath. This year, however I plan to add some branches which have a snowy look, as well as some silver feathers and a snowy nest. I think I’m not ready for a stark winter look just yet—heck, didn’t I just get the house decorated for Christmas? I’ll post a picture on my blog when I have it up.

(Seems I got the wreath done before I posted the article—hard to juggle it all, isn’t it?)
One of my favorite new ideas was borrowed from a friend who found my blog—then found my shop! (I am referring to Auny Bliss—find her blog here.)  She has been collecting vintage pictures of children in their snow attire. She displays them in frames, but I’m going to display mine on a garland on a fireplace, as I do not have enough surfaces to display our family photos, let alone those of children I’ve never met.

(I’ve decided to make the winter garland I’ve mentioned here during our Winter Spectacular crafting event on February 18th.  You can sign-up for a full day of crafting or choose your activity.  More info to come in a day or two—just go ahead and mark it on your calendar!)
I hope your house and heart are warm as we welcome 2012!
Thanks for your indulgence,

Arranging Furniture While Hanging Decorations

(This was my article for Dec 18th—getting there, getting there!)

Well, I’m at about 70% completion with my decorating efforts at the house. By the time you read this, I have to be done, because I will have company coming to the house in the evening. (The great motivator—company is coming!)

I have been diligently working each evening after I get home from work; trying to slip in a few minutes each morning before I leave for the shop, too. Why is it, at times like these, when there is so much to be done, do I decide to make things more complicated and confused?

“Such as . . .?” you may ask. Well, I’ll tell you. Such as reconfiguring the furniture lay-out in the living room. Not necessary, but I had a bee in my bonnet, so now the sofa is facing the fireplace, not the TV. I also put away my computer table. I had purchased one of those old typewriter tables on casters, thinking it was a great idea to use it for my laptop—I could just roll it to the side when I wasn’t using it. The problem was, I never rolled it to the side, so there it sat in the middle of the living room. Not sure I love the new layout, but I think that’s the sofa, not the arrangement. I’ll wait to make my decision after all of the Christmas storage boxes are put away—hopefully when I get home from work tonight.

So while this created a little more work when I should have been adding ornaments to our tree, I may have come up with a solution to my room feeling a little off balance for so long. The sofa was too long for the space of the wall where we’ve had it since we moved here. A portion of the back was blocking a portion of the window on that wall. Now, the chair sits squarely in front of the window, which looks better—more balanced.

(The new layout—couldn’t find a “before,” for comparison, but I believe this works better.  That’s my nephew in the chair and the cooler is a football day allowance.)

Now that I think about it, I usually try different arrangements in the house during the holidays. Usually it’s out of necessity—we have to put the tree somewhere, right? But often, it’s just to try a new look. Sometimes it returns to pre-Christmas arrangements, but there have been a few successes which we’ve permanently adopted.

Unlike me, you’ve probably already made all of your adjustments and tried the new arrangements, but if not, you might consider a different layout for the holidays. Make a cozy conversation corner with two chairs and a table. Change the “U” shape of your furniture arrangement to face the tree or the fireplace, rather than the TV. Try something new over your mantle—several vintage mirrors arranged so they’re leaning against the wall and each other. You can enlarge some family photos—perhaps taken in the snow—print them in black & white, then have them mounted to foam core for an inexpensive eye catching focal point. Either of those arrangements will carry you into the New Year, too!

If you’re looking to add a few final touches to your décor, try adding garland and bows. When in doubt, that inexpensive wired pine garland is my go-to decorative touch. It’s on top of our kitchen cabinets, intertwined in our chandeliers and draped around the tops of wardrobes. The bows add an “I thought of everything” touch to the house, as well. Tie bows—big ones, don’t skimp—around anything needing a little boost. Put them in your house plants; tie them around candles and the dog’s collar.

(This is the regular, everyday arrangement atop our German wardrobe—all I did was add some garland—tah dah . . . Christmas!)

(Same thing here in the kitchen—a little pine garland mixed with a white berry garland.)

I have one last inexpensive tip for the dining room. You can put a festive bow on your dining chairs by using 2 – 3 yards or tulle. Two yards will yield a nice square knot on the back of your chair; three yards will allow for a bow. If you don’t know how to tie a pretty, simple bow—google it. In either case, you can accent it with a sprig of holly, pine or rosemary from the garden.

I hope you’ve found enough time to do everything you wanted to do for your holiday decorating. Rest assured the day will come and all will be fine—even if you didn’t get the guest room painted.

Here are a few shots of the décor around our our house.  These were take after the fact—January 1st to be exact, so they’re looking a little rough for wear.  be kind!

One last picture, that dining room tablecloth I mentioned a while ago—the one that I was going “to make or pay someone to make it for me.”  Well, I ended up paying and it was well worth it!  Thanks to Vicki Aebischer for her skilled sewing and sense of adventure, I have my beautiful new tablecloth!

One more post before I can post the one that was published in the LC today.  The light is at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks for your indulgence!

A Time for Renewal

Are you excited? Oh my gosh--I am giddy. I'm watching the Inauguration Celebration--U2 is currently performing. How appropriate . . . In the Name of Love. I think the most astounding part of this is the enthusiam of our Nation. When is the last time we saw our President on a t-shirt worn by teenagers? How lucky are we to see this? To be part of this? Ooh, hold on, he's going to speak . . . the man can give a speech!


Okay--you don't tune in to hear/read me wax poetic (I flatter myself--poetry?) about our President Elect.

Have you guys confronted the emptiness of your house with all of the Holiday decorations put away? It's nice, isn't it? Do you enjoy the peaceful clarity of windows unobstructed by wreaths? Of mantels cleared of stockings and pine boughs? Of . . . oh me either. I miss the decorations. I miss the way my house feels when it's adorned with trees, garlands, and ornaments. I miss the cozy feeling I have when the Christmas tree provides most of the light we'll need all evening.


So, I drag it out. I put away the trees first, but I do keep up the mantel decorations and the stairwell decor for a while longer. If we had more outlets in this house, I'd leave up strings of lights all of the time. As it is, however, they're a tripping hazard and, quite likely, a fire hazard--strung through several extension cords as they are.


Yet, there is something to be said of a clutter-free, simplicity. I've recently come across some blogs that share my same propensity for furnishings that show wear and tear, but they have blended it seamlessly with such a calm color palette that it speaks of serenity and peace in a way that I'm sure I could never achieve. Here's a link to one of the sites. You'll see what I mean.


Do you decorate like Lotten (of the above-referenced blog) or do you have a little more stuff going on? What do you think about this style? Do you want to try it in your house? I think I'd like to try one room. I think, actually, if memory serves--I have tried it, but I just can't keep the color out.

Remember when "Shabby Chic" hit the scene. Rachel Ashwell's style was--still is--all the rage. I still enjoy reading her books; I reference them frequently for her guidance, but I just can't stay within that pale, pastel palette she avows. I love it--I find it very attractive and appealing, but I always end-up with more color. I believe she's expanded her perspective of late (at least in her retail line), but I'm not sure if she's mixing-it-up herself.


So, back to you. What's your style? What's your favorite color to use in your house? Do you yearn for a simple, organized decor, yet find yourself in a chaos of colors? Or do you enjoy being surrounded by your things, patterns and colors?

Or are you simply happy to not have to pull that tree skirt out of the vacuum cleaner?

Thanks for your indulgence.

Paige