Vintage Cottage Weekend: Dining Room French Country Easter

Hi there Friends, thanks so much for coming by our Vintage Cottage Weekend. I've been working in the Dining Room the last few days to bring out some Easter decor. I found a new piece of fabric for a tablerunner that I'm so excited about. I love a brown and pastel floral for Spring, so it's a fresh new subtle look for my table. But before I shared this year's look, I wanted to take a look back at last year's Dining Room with French country vibes for the Easter season. 

Valentine's Day on a Tray

Hello Everyone, today I'm excited to be part of a fun Valentine's Day Tray Tour hosted by our sweet friend, Katherine from Katherine's Corner. Katherine has had the wonderful idea to share ideas for decorating "trays" for the holidays. And part of the fun is seeing what kind of trays can be used. If you're following the Tour and came by from Laura's blog at Everyday Edits , welcome, I'm so glad you're here. Let's find some great Valentine's Day inspiration and have some fun!

Are you ready to celebrate Valentine's Day? ...a quiet dinner at home? ...a family gathering with kiddos and cookie making? There are so many fun ways to put a little love and romance in the Day that everyone can enjoy. Most people don't go crazy for Valentine's Day decor, but like to have a little nod to the holiday with some sweet red and pink Valentine items. 

Fresh Look for January in the Dining Room

I'm one of those people that start putting Christmas decor away the day after. Not all of it, but mostly the obvious bits and pieces with Santas and anything red plaid. I get itchy if I have holiday decor out after said holiday. I've tried to train myself to not do this, but it's something that I've done forever, even pre-blogging. I'm always ready for a fresh new look for the New Year and new season.

Elegant Gold Gilt Pears

A few years ago I found myself getting into a bit of a rut in my Dining Room with Christmas decor. If I find pieces that I like, it's easy for me to rely on the same look from one year to the next. I have a lot of vintage "kitch-y" fun stuff that I use in the Garden Room, but in the Dining Room I like to do something a little more French Country. Tartan plaid can still be found in here, but I've wanted to try some new/different ideas with a more elegant country vibe.

French Country Thanksgiving in the Dining Room

Hi Friends, I hope you're having a lovely weekend, wherever you may be. 

I'm still sharing Thanksgiving Decor here,

because well, it's still the first week of November

and we haven't even had Thanksgiving yet.

So... I'm still enjoying all the vintage goodness

that late Fall brings.

French Country Corner in the Dining Room

Hello Friends, well, it's the end of October, and "Fall" has finally "fallen" 

here in SW Missouri.  We didn't have what I call a normal fall transition 

in the weather. There really haven't been but a few days that were 

bright and sunny and in the 60's. We went from upper 80's to cold and rainy

 and 50's in just a matter of a week. I guess many of you are dealing 

with the same strange weather systems. 

Flea Market Finds in the Dining Room

I've not been out to the fleas or antique malls for quite a while. Between the back problems and Covid and my autoimmune issues, I've had to put a lot of shopping on hold. I've really missed having the chance to get out and enjoy the fun of vintage and antique shopping. Let's just say it's always been a highlight of my week/month/year to get out and browse around. The added perk is that I always came home with not only fun finds, but also filled up with new creative ideas.

A Touch of Easter in the Dining Room

I did a light touch of Easter decorating in the Dining Room this year. I wanted to bring in more "Spring" decor than all out Easter decor. My sheep and lambs were let loose to roam in here in late February after I put away all the winter elements. I've mentioned before that much of the time I don't really take it all in until after I've taken photos and I'm sitting down to edit them.

French Country Spring Dining Room

Hi Friends, how's your March coming along? 

It's my Birthday month and a transitional time for spring inspiration.

I'm slowly but surely getting some spring things out

and it's lifting my spirits after a long winter.

Vintage Valentine Postcard Vignette

I've had a love for antique and vintage paper goods and ephemera for many years; old post cards are a favorite. Photos, cards and personal notes, botanical specimens, book illustrations and so many other bits of odds and ends have found their way into my possession. Often old books are literally falling apart or have suffered some sort of damage to the point they cannot be kept, but let me look through them first to remove any pages of art or illustration that I can hang onto.

Winter Lambs in the Dining Room

Hello Everyone, 

Winter is showing up here with snow and cold temps for sure.

Not only cold temps but lots of wind that makes it chilly and shivery even indoors 

as you look out and see the little birds on the feeder trying to grab a tiny bite

before heading back to their evergreen shelters.

French Country Christmas in the Dining Room

Hello, dear friends. 
I hope you're all well and keeping your Holiday spirits high.

In the Fall I knew I wanted to do something different here in the Dining Room. I didn't really realize how I'd been using the same tabletop decor year after year until I did the "Lookback" post on the dining room last week. So this year after decorating the table with something new for Fall, I decided to keep the basket, tapestry and demi-johns to see what I could come up with for a new look for Christmas. I ended up with a bit of a French Country feel to the tabletop.

Christmas Lookback in the Dining Room(s)

I've been busy decorating for Christmas, but the weather hasn't been cooperating for photos. It's been gloomy and rainy around here, which is typical for this time of year, so I thought for now I'd share a few pics from past posts of my Dining Room/s.

This is just a peek at what I've been up to in here.

 My mantra this year for seasonal decor has been "don't get stuck in a rut!"

So I made a point to do something different from past Christmas centerpieces.

A Season of Thanks Blog Hop

Hello Friends, Welcome to 

"A Season of Thanks" Blog Hop!

We all have our favorite Holidays, and for most people it's usually Christmas. But for me it's always been Thanksgiving. With Fall being my favorite season, it's just natural that the warmth and love of family and friends lends itself to the this wonderful Holiday celebration. Our favorite Hop Hostess,  Amber from Follow the Yellow Brick Home has gathered a group of us to share our love of Thanksgiving with all of you. If you're coming from Marty's place at A Stroll Thru Life, Hello, I'm so glad you're here! If you haven't visited Amber and Marty, please be sure and catch them during the Hop.

Scenes from the Late October Dining Room

Hi Friends, I need to share the rest of my Dining Room, 

before it's time to change things up for Thanksgiving...

For me, decorating is a "process". Even the seasonal decorating. I have certain pieces I like to use and keep them as a basic part of the landscape. The large metal Italian basket is one of those basic pieces on the Dining Room table. The basket is big and makes a statement. The heavy chairs are also big, so whatever is on the table has to be bigger. It's also easy to add and subtract floral elements to keep the basket seasonal.

October on the Washstand

I've been having  a little problem keeping myself focused on accomplishing decor tasks lately. I've called it DADD before, but I don't want to be callous or offend anyone who genuinely deals with ADD. I'm dealing with (Decorating) ADD. I just have more space to play in than I've had before, and a lot of fun Fall stuff to use.

Dining Room with Late-Summer Sunflowers

I'm here in the Dining Room today,
adding a few late-summer sunflowers 

to the table and buffet bringing a little pre-harvest color.

Vintage Paper Heart Garland with Love

A few weeks ago I was admiring a post from Angie at Postcards from the Ridge and fell in love with a vintage paper garland she had purchased from Etsy a few years ago. Now, I don't want to be labeled a "copy cat", but I went right to the Etsy Shop, LaCasaMia, and ordered one for myself. I DO love vintage ephemera and paper collage pieces, so I was so excited to see it arrive a few days ago all the way from Belgium.

Hello February at All About Home #25

Hi Friends, so glad you're here!
Everyone glad we're on to February? January is always a hard month because we have the anticlimax of "after Christmas" and things just seem sort of blah to a lot of us. I'm ready for all the fun of Valentine's Day and some "sweet" inspiration.  You too? so you've come to the right place. Let's have some fun this month!

French Farmhouse Table in the Dining Room

My last post I was telling you all about my after Christmas need for a more neutral palette. I always love a lot of color at the Holidays and I sort of overdid it this year here at the new place. I'm kinda over red/green for now. I'll be ready for some red again next month for Valentine's Day, but for now, my eyeballs need a break.