Pre-decorating (otherwise known as the cleanup)...

A good part of today was spent cleaning the living room. Not just straightening up, but really cleaning in preparation for the Christmas decorations that will be coming up soon. As you may have noticed, our living room is teeny tiny, so the fact that the cleanup took so much time should give you a good idea as to how many dust bunnies were living in, around, and under furniture!


I changed the throw on the wing chair to a simple white king sized bedskirt, with a vintage "pink rosebud" pillowcase covering the seat cushion.


Last week when I showed you the "bargain of the century" painting, a lightweight blue floral spread was covering the wing chair and blue & white pillowcases were covering the brick hearth. They were all waaaaaaaaaay overdue for a trip through the washer.


Now that the wing chair was covered with clean, fresh linens it was time to decide what to do with the hearth. I thought this vintage sheet looked like a good choice for the holidays... a nice cottage green...


... with white polka dots, pink rosebuds and a scalloped design on one end.

When we closed in our brick fireplace a couple of years ago and painted it white, the pillowcases and/or sheets that we layed across the hearth were meant to be a temporary fix (until we decided how to finish off that area), but I've come to really like them. It's fun being able to change colors and patterns, so as far as I'm concerned, the hearth is officially done!


And I know I've mentioned this little guy before... doesn't he look like a little imp? I bought him as a Christmas decoration at TJ Maxx many years ago, but I really like him so he stays out year-round. I think he looks like he's playing Rock, Paper Scissors with someone. (I suspect he was meant to be holding something, but that during assembly that certain 'something' was omitted by mistake!)


Okay, I'm pooped after all this cleaning so I think I'm going to sit down and rest a while before starting supper... I wonder if there are any roasted vegetables left....

Donna

Simple pleasures... Lemonade award... and Tag...

I feel like I've been gone forever! Between dentist, doctor, and vet visits, it's been hectic around here. But I did get a chance to pop into TJ Maxx today to pick up my favorite foaming hand soap. I wish there was a way to send scents and aromas through the Internet because these smell sooooooo good!


I'm going to use Pineapple Violet in the kitchen and Mandarin in the bathroom... Simple 'sweet-scented' pleasures.....

Lemonade award!!!

I received this Lemonade Award from Renee at Cottage Lifestyle and from Tracey at At Home on the Ridge... Wow, thank you both so much! Please be sure to pop over to Renee's and Tracey's blogs... You will definitely enjoy your visit!

What this award is about... Bloggers who show great attitude and gratitude. (Thank you again, Renee and Tracey!!!)

What you have to do...Upon receiving The Lemonade Award, you also pass it on to other bloggers who you think show great attitude and gratitude.Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 8 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award

I'd like to extend this award to the list of bloggers who appear in my sidebar. It's always such a pleasure to visit you, to read about what's going on in your lives, and to 'ooh' and 'aaaah' over the photographs you share on your blogs... Thank you all so much!

Tag - I'm it!!!!

Stephanie at Lulu's Cottage and Jean at A Romantic Country Home have tagged me to play a little game....


I need to share 7 or 8 random or weird facts about myself... Be sure to visit their blogs to see the weird/random facts they shared!!! Okay, here goes...

1) I'm a white-knuckled flyer. I've flown quite a bit in my life, but I've never gotten comfortable with it (and I doubt I ever will).

2) On the other hand, I love driving. And ever since Delilah joined the family (our Garmin GPS unit), there's no fear of getting lost... Just give me the open roads! (Delilah was named after the Plain White T's song that was a mega-hit during the spring/summer that we bought our GPS.)

3) I am a worrier. I worry about everything. All it leads to is stress and grey hairs, so I try not to worry, but unfortunately it comes naturally.. (Not worrying is so much easier said than done)...

4) I feel like a caged tiger when winter arrives because I miss being outside so much. It gets really cold here in New England and I'm afraid I'm not much of a snow lover... I admire its beauty, but I don't like being outside in it... (So right about now, I'm anxiously awaiting spring!)

5) My favorite snack is popcorn (buttered, unfortunately); my favorite types of movies are romantic comedies, and my favorite type of books are mysteries...

6) I am really torn about painting the woodwork around the windows in our dining room and living room. I absolutely love the look of white painted wood, so I don't know what is holding me back... Will that be a 2009 project? The jury is still out...

7) I've had three distinct home decorating styles over the years -1) modern/contemporary with lots of black leather sofas, chrome/glass tables, and arc lamps ; 2) primitive with dark stained furniture, sturbridge plaid sofas, wing chairs, braided rugs and stenciled walls; and 3) my shabby/cottage style... Will there ever be a 4th? I'd have to say, "Never say never!" (But seriously, right now I can't even imagine what I would ever switch to... other than maybe introducing some brighter colors into our white-on-white color scheme!!)

8) I love McDonald's iced coffee (Newman's Own) - even in sub-zero New England temps! (Yes, it's that good!)

I know I'm supposed to tag some other blogs, but I'd like to open this up to anyone who would like to participate! It will be fun reading everyone else's random/weird facts!!

Donna

(who is waiting to see how much snow today's storm is going to dump on us!)

Christmas Dining: Some things never change...

... and some things change every year.

(click on any photos to enlarge them)

(Christmas 2008)
The centerpieces on the table never change; nor do the bay window decorations. But every year I use a different tablecloth, runner, or quilt to give the dining room a different look. This year I'm using a peachy-pink lap quilt over the girls' old repurposed canopy covers. (The quilt was purchased at TJ Maxx several years ago when I first got the cottage bug.)


(Christmas 2007)
Last year I used a vintage inspired tablecloth with cheerful green stripes and red roses.


(Christmas 2006)
In 2006 I used a lap quilt with red roses and a striped, scalloped border. (It was also bought at TJ Maxx the same day I bought the quilt I'm using this year.)


(Christmas 2005)
In 2005 I used a blue table runner (from the Martha Stewart K-Mart collection) over a white tablecloth.


What doesn't ever change are my table centerpieces. I couldn't find a nice cottage-white Christmas tree in my price range several years ago, so I bought an inexpensive grapevine tree and covered it with a satin remnant, some beaded garland, and then placed it on a silver pedestal (from Target) and topped it with a silver sputnik ornament.



These reindeer also make an appearance on the table every year. I purchased them at Target several years ago during an after Christmas sale (don't you just love that place??). I thought they were so neat (I still do!!) - especially the little prisms hanging from their antlers!



This little doll has made an appearance every Christmas since the early 90's. (Does anyone else remember how popular animated figures were back then?) I had to buy her back then because she reminded me so much of my two girls, who when they were little, also had long wavy blond hair...

(See what I mean? These are my real life dolls, now 19 and 23!)

However several years ago, I was faced with a bit of a problem... I still wanted to put the doll out each Christmas, but her little red coat and tartan plaid cap & dress just didn't blend in with our new cottage colors, so it was time for an extreme makeover!!

I found a pale pink infant sleeper at Wal Mart that was the perfect fit! A little dove in her hand, a snowflake hung from her fingertips...

... and voila! I'll be able to use her for another 15 years (or more!)

And last, but not least, this is the little white tree that sits in the dining room bay window. Over the years I've purchased these bird ornaments (mostly from Target)...I love the way they look against the white branches...

Thanks for letting me share the decorations in our little dining room with you... and guess what?

It's almost Christmas!!

Donna

I believe in angels...

"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels."

Hebrews 13:2

Although I don't have an actual collection, I have accumulated several angels over the years and I thought December was the perfect time to share some of them with you...

This beautiful angel was purchased as a Christmas decoration many years ago from TJ Maxx...


Well, he never did get put away with the Christmas decorations that year because I fell in love with him. So now we enjoy him year-round on the living room hearth next to our church birdhouse.


This cast iron cherub door knocker is sometimes used as a decoration, sometimes as a paperweight...


This is another angel that started out as a Christmas decoration. She was originally painted gold when I got her from Wal Mart but I repainted her and hung her above the family room window seat. That was years ago and she's never been taken down.

I've applied full bodied cherub appliques to my dining room hutch...


... and cherub head appliques to the jelly cupboard...


During the summer, a pair of cherub heads (actually curtain rod holders) are always nestled among the flowers on the deck... (Oh my - it's going to be a long six months before I'm able to enjoy flowers out on the deck again!!!)



Donna

Shades of pink....

Lampshades of pink that is!


I bought this cute scalloped lampshade at TJ Maxx several years ago for our living room floor lamp... A bit of pink in the living room is a must, right?


This smaller lampshade coordinated with one above and I loved the prism fringe, so it came home with me that same day. It adds a nice touch of pink to the family room.


This little lamp has been around for years! I bought it for Court's nursery (she's now in college!) She eventually outgrew it, so I'm now using it in my office (which is her old nursery... It even sits in the very same spot, next to the window... Just goes to show that sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same!!)


And last, but not least, this pair of "vintage junktique" lamps came with these beautiful pink pleated lampshades. They sit on either side of my office bookcase (there's lots of pink here in the office!).

Now if you want to feast your eyes on pink, pink, and more pink, be sure to stop by Beverly's blog, How Sweet the Sound, to see her Pink Saturday item as well as a list of all the other participating blogs!

Donna