Silhouettes on the shade...

When I walked into the family room the other day, everything was silhouetted against the bright afternoon sun.

(click any photos to enlarge)

The robin's egg blue pumpkin in the white 50's parakeet cage...

... looked quite dramatic in shades of gray and black.

Yet another birdcage, sitting on the table lamp that we just put into the family room, houses Mr. Rat during the Halloween season.

"Say cheese!" Just look at that toothy grin sticking out between the cage bars!


And since we're also in the middle of moving more of Amanda's bedroom furniture to her new apartment, her tall dresser and mirror are temporarily sitting in the family room while we get things organized. It looked so pretty with the diamond-paned window and fall foliage reflected in the mirror.

Please stop by to visit Cindy at My Romantic Home where you'll find a list of bloggers participating in this week's Show & Tell Friday!

Donna

Cottage Halloween Decor, minimalist style

We awoke to a beautiful day here in New England and, although not entirely sunny, the rain was at least a thing of the past.


I want to thank all of you for your heartfelt comments on my last post about stress. It seems that so many of you are, or have been, in similar situations with aging parents, etc. Carol, you were the only one I was not able to personally respond to. Thank you so much for your sweet comment on this topic as well...


Today I decided to put out a few decorations, and I do mean a few. Unlike other years, where I've had tons of pumpkins, fall leaves, and a wicked Witchy Woman, this year I'm going the minimalist route.


One lone pumpkin sits in a birdcage in the familyroom...

... but oh, what a pumpkin! Robin's egg blue with pink roses... be still my heart.

And at the risk of sounding like a well known political candidate in her new commercial, no, I am not a witch...

...but I do have a soft spot in my heart for black cats! This little cast iron sweetie has taken up residence in a bird cage...

...while this little beauty has nestled up against one of my all time favorite chenille pillows.

So that's it for this year's decorations. Don't blink or you'll miss them!

Now the outside is another story! Lots of little ghosts and goblins will be descending on our home this Halloween, and I love to decorate the yard for them. My girls always enjoyed trick-or-treating so much, and it's still such a fun part of the holiday for us, giving out the treats to all the kids who visit! So I'll share the yard in an upcoming post...

And thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for all your kind comments, thoughts, and prayers...

Now be sure to pop over to Cindy's Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home! There are loads of links to beautiful blogs! Grab a cup of tea or coffee, sit back and enjoy!

Donna

Bird Cage Love #3... Chippy Cottage Green!

Continuing with my bird cage collection....

(click any photos to enlarge)

Last week you met Pete, who lives in this little footed cage on our kitchen counter.

And yesterday I showed you this white wire bird cage that is currently housing my philodendron plant...

Today I'd like to share a favorite old bird cage that makes its home next to one of the family room windows (all the better for the birds to see out!)...

I purchased this vintage bird cage from eBay years ago. I absolutely flipped for the chippy, cottage green color. It was also the perfect size for this old black bird cage stand...

I love the domed top, the deep base, and the scrollwork on the front.

And this is sweet Pete, a beautiful blue-green celluloid parakeet who spends his days swinging back and forth...

... while his friend, Miss Canary, spends her days eating! They are the best of friends and share the cage together... (just look at those perfectly chippy cottage green bars!!!!)

The scrollwork on the cage shows up better in these night-time photos...

I don't know if I'll ever get another live bird. I haven't had one since I was a teenager. But if I were to get one, I think I'd have to purchase a larger cage than what we used in the 50's... Looking at some of my old photographs, the cages seem so small. With all my talking about wanting a parakeet lately, the girls suggested we transform the windowseat area of our family room into a big cage and get a couple of parakeets! Wouldn't Spotty and Tiger love that!

Did you know that you can adopt birds from Petfinder.com? I think that's so great because if what I've read is true regarding most pet store birds (bird smuggling and bird breeding - think puppy mills, but for birds), I'm afraid it's not a very pleasant existence for these beautiful little creatures. I've added a link to Petfinder on my sidebar (just click on the parakeet photo), where every possible species of birds can be adopted. As a matter of fact, through the Petfinder website, you can rescue/adopt a wide variety of animals, from cats and dogs to birds, lizards, and farm animals... It's definitely a website worth checking out if you are looking for a non-human companion!!!

And I couldn't end this post without sharing another old famly photo of Pete... (Note: All our parakeets were named Pete)... Here, my sister and Pete are enjoying a warm summer day out in the yard. (I wonder if my sister was trying to capture a playmate for Pete??)

More cages to come in future posts...

Donna

Vintage Reindeer Barn

The pink sugarplum reindeer I painted last week asked if I could find them a nice cozy home for the Christmas season...


So I looked around, and what did I spy with my little eye?


A vintage birdcage on a stand - perfect for these sweet little deer...


I tried to make it cozy for them by covering the floor tray with pretty scrapbook paper and 'planting' some sparkly bottlebrush trees...

They even have a sweet little feathered dove to sing Christmas carols to them...

They said they're very happy with their new home and that they're hoping to stay here every Christmas! I'm sure that won't be a problem. They will most certainly have a standing reservation every December at the Vintage Reindeer Barn...

Now be sure to visit Beverly at How Sweet The Sound to see her Pink Saturday item and to find a list of all the other bloggers participating in today's Pink Saturday!!!

Donna (in snowy New England!)