Happy New Year, and Thank-you!

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for reading my blog in 2013, and send you best wishes for the New Year!

 

2014 looks like it will be a year of major changes for us.  My husband has decided to retire, which means downsizing, selling the house and moving to a different part of Virginia--or maybe even out of state.  While I wasn't really ready for this yet, change is exciting, and it will mean a new place to decorate and make our own.  I'm guessing plenty of  DIY "before" and "after" photos will be in the blog's future!

January is my month to get the house in order and try to get the hoard of furniture in the basement painted and out of here.  Hopefully that means I'll have lots of painting projects to show you! 

I'll be keeping Mr.P's Emporium's booth open in it's current location as long as possible. Between the pieces stacked in the garage and in the basement, I'm set for a bit and have plenty to keep Mr. P's stocked.  Of course, looking for the next big find is an addiction for me, so I can't guarantee I won't be searching for treasures--I just want to get the treasures I already have painted first! Stay tuned.

Whatever the new year holds for you, I hope you're happy and successful in all your endeavors!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all the joy of the season!

 

 

 

 

- Deborah

Christmas Vignettes

Twas just days before Christmas, and all through the house ... are holiday vignettes!  I thought I'd better show them to you before Christmas comes and goes! 

I kept things very simple this year, mainly because I was thinking of the work taking everything down, and I have a lot on my plate next month.  Not that I was bah humbugging or anything, because I love to decorate for the season.  I just didn't do as much as I usually do.

Here's what I do have.  When you come in the door you're greeted with this display.

I got the "Merry Christmas" sign at the Lucketts Design House this year. 

I love the combo of burlap and glitter!

On the other side of the foyer is this little vignette under the mirror.  Dollar Tree trees from last year.

A grouping on the buffet table in the dining room.

I spray painted the reindeer silver last year.

Some fresh greenery.

In the living room I have a display of ornaments on the coffee table.

And big and little ornaments, pine cones and greenery scattered elsewhere in the room.

 

 

I love this sweet vintage ornament I got as a gift many years back.

And here is the Christmas Tree, done up in blues, greens and silver and white.

The family room has the mantel, which you can see here.


I hope you're all ready for the holiday, and can enjoy these last few days stress-free!

Christmas Mantel

   

I've decked the halls, so today I'm sharing our Christmas mantel. 

I kept all of the decorations fairly simple this year.  For the mantel I hung a fresh wreath over two stacked mirrors ...

And positioned a silver pitcher with boxwood at each end.

My colors for the mantel this year were white, silver and green. 

I used some faux garland and silver votives, plus my "Noel" stocking hangers with new white stockings.

I got this little guy at Lucketts during their holiday open house.

A white (fake because of our animals) poinsettia in an silver urn is flanked by two little white lanterns from Ikea.

It's the first Christmas since I painted the mantel white, so I'm really happy with how it turned out!

Sharing at:

Coastal Charm: Christmas Home Tour Party 

Elizabeth & Co: Be Inspired

From Our Front Porch to Yours: Christmas Mantel Party

Adorned from Above: Link Party

Green Willow Pond: What We Accomplished Wednesday

No Minimalist Here: Open House

Statement Chair

I'm in the process of decorating the house for the holidays, which I'll show you soon.  In the meantime, I was asked by One King's Lane to do a post on a "statement" chair. 

I knew immediately which one I would feature.  This chair sits in my living room and best embodies the style I love.

It's a Miss Mustard Seed chair I bought at Lucketts a few years back.  She painted it in Paris Grey and recovered it with a drop cloth.  The simplicity of the drop cloth combined with the carved and fairly ornate detailing is what makes my heart go pitter pat. 

Yet while I knew the chair had the French look I gravitate toward, I really didn't know much about the style.  One King's Lane has an online Home Décor Resource Guide to help people like me define the style of their furniture,  so I checked it out.

Turns out my chair is based on the Neo-classical style, circa 1765-1790.  Around that time there was a renaissance of the clean lines and design of Greece and Rome. (Of course it is a reproduction and not originally from the 18th century! It's just based on that style.)

You can define this style of furniture by the straight, tapered legs.

Fluted legs and arms to imitate columns.

A round or square upholstered back.

And delicate carving and molding with emphasis on geometry and symmetry.

So now I can proudly say that not only is my chair a Miss Mustard Seed "original,"  it's based on the Neo-Classical design popular during Louis XVI's reign.

And that's quite a statement!


Sharing at:

I Should be Mopping the Floor: Inspiration Monday
Elizabeth & Co.: Be Inspired

Christmas Tree Ideas

Typically, the day after Thanksgiving I take down the fall décor (I like to leave it up for Thanksgiving Day) and start in on the Christmas decorations.  This year however I got blindsided by a bad cold and spent Friday in bed.  Since I'm not quite up to decorating yet, I spent this morning looking at some Christmas Tree ideas and sipping hot tea. Now I'm really in the mood to decorate!

I thought I'd share some that caught my eye, in case you're looking for some inspiration too.

BHG

I love the green, brown and neutral colors in this room.

HotStyleDesign.com

 

And the gold and green touches in this one.

HotStyleDesign.com

Here's another neutral room.  I like the idea of elevating a small tree if you have a small space.

BHG

 

But in case you're thinking I'm just going for neutral rooms, the bright happy colors in this tree grabbed me too.

RazDecorations.com



 

And this one with the giant snowflakes.

 

 

 

 



BHG

 

My favorite though, is this one in blues, greens and silver.  This will be the color scheme I'm doing on our tree this year.

 

 

 

 

 



modernhomeinteriordesign.com

 

And lastly, I had to show this bookcase tree because I think it's so clever!

 

Hope you all are getting into the holiday spirit!  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sending you all wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Hope it's filled with good food, family and friends. 

I'm not cooking this year -- yay!  But that means no leftovers. :-(

I'm grateful to each and every one of you who stop by this blog!

Deborah

Just a Little Something

Have you ever seen something, and just had to have it?

It just calls to you?

You don't know why, but you know it when you see it.

I came across one of those pieces recently during an antiquing expedition.

It's really not much of anything.  What could it possibly be for?  It's too small to use as an actual piece of furniture.  

But it's just the right size to grab me and say, "Look at this wonderful color of green.  And these lovely painted flowers."

So it came home with me.

Wherever it goes it will call to me to rest my eyes on it's peaceful color combination and sigh at its cuteness.

It's just a little something that makes me happy when I look at it. I love it when I find pieces like that!

Hope you all have a great weekend, full of happy finds!