Vintage Linens in an Easter Vignette

Hello dear Friends, I'm so glad you came by today because I'm sharing a few ideas about using and displaying vintage linens in our decor. If you love "vintage", then you probably have at least a few pieces of old linens in your cupboard or cabinets. Old tablecloths, napkins, lace and embroidered pillow cases, quilts and tea towels are easy to find at flea markets and estate sales. Often after many years they are still in good shape, but may not be practical for daily use. So many are still pretty and can be used for a fun vintage vignette or display.

Cottage Garden Easter in the Holiday Cupboard

Hi Friends, Springtime is non-stop fun in the Holiday Cupboard. First comes Valentine's Day... then St. Patrick's Day ...and now Easter. The green transferware and Ivy dishes are still here from St. Patty's, so they make a pretty "garden-y" base, dish display for the pastels of early Spring and Easter. I added a few pieces of my French faience to bring in some florals along with a gorgeous tulip pitcher, my vintage cauliflower teapot, cabbage veggie tureen, and a majolica rabbit themed pitcher. 

Easter Picket Fence Centerpiece

Monday I looked out my kitchen window and oh my gosh, there were little yellow blooms on one of my forsythia bushes. Now there were only a few, but how fitting that they show up in time for the official start of Spring! So today, all four of the bushes have blooms and I'm hoping to get out this weekend to snip a few branches to bring indoors.

Coffee Table Garden Room Vignette

Hello Friends, Happy St. Patty's Day! Are you wearing green today and preparing your slow cooker dinner of corned beef and cabbage? I am wearing green, and I do love corned beef, but I can't get there with the cooked cabbage... Anyway, I'm celebrating today that I'm a teensy bit Irish. I thought I'd share a little bit of St. Patrick's Day out here in the Garden Room with a new Shamrock plant and an old pink/green quilt on the wicker settee.

Flowering Bulbs Spring Vignette

I mentioned last week how we didn't have any flowering bulbs planted at this house. (insert sad face) This last 2 years after 2 spine surgeries, I just wasn't up to a plan for bulb planting in the Fall, but I'm hoping this year I can get a few out. (optimistic face!) A mental plan is the first step to getting something accomplished!

St. Patrick's Day in the Holiday Cupboard

Here in the lower Midwest, March is coming in like a lamb, and what a wonderful way to start my birthday month. We have a week of upper 60's and low 70's. It won't last of course, but it's a lovely, optimistic way to bring on thoughts of Spring. I'm just hoping that buds won't pop out and then we have a freezing spree.

Early Spring Faux Daffodil Centerpiece

It's cold, snowy, sleet-y, and generally yucky outside but there's a little bit of Spring in the Garden Room. I really like to keep my floral arrangements and decorating "seasonal", with what is happening outside be what is happening indoors. It's about time for the Daffodils to show up; their happy little faces peeking up through the cold garden soil and even snow. 

Using Vintage Chairs for Decorating in the Garden Room

Hi Friends! Today I'm part of a great group of vintage loving gals who get together every other month and share some fun themed vintage and antique items that we use in our decor. The Lifestyle of Love Blog Hop, is hosted by our wonderful friend, Cindy of County Road 407, so if you're coming from Cindy's, thanks so much for following the Hop. These gatherings showcase our vintage pieces that we often consider "out of the box" ways to use. This month our theme is Vintage Chairs and Stools. It just so happens that of all the junk that I do have, I'm short on old chairs... 

Romantic French Couples in the Holiday Cupboard

Love is in the air in the Holiday Cupboard!

In my meager quest for a bit of organization after Christmas, I went through a few more unopened  boxes in my storage room in the basement. One of them has been in plain view but haunting me for the last 3 years because I just didn't have a place for the contents. Two houses ago I had a curio cabinet in the dining room where I kept a few of my more delicate pieces of porcelain and china. During my "shabby" French-y phase I collected a few porcelain couple figurines... but they've been packed away for the last 9 years. It was time to open the box and enjoy them again. 

Valentine Vignettes in the Garden Room

Hi Friends, are you all digging out of the latest snow and ice storm like we are?

We had a big blast of ol' man winter come through last Wednesday and Thursday with a layer of ice and then about 8-9 inches of snow on top. We stayed in and I had to postpone a doctor's appointment, but other than that we managed to keep our power and no ice damage (that we know of). Valentine's Day is definitely "winter" around here so in my Valentine decor I still have out some evergreen and bottle brush trees mixed in.

Easy Ivy Topiary for Valentine's Day

Hi Friends, hope you all are well and staying warm. And I'm hoping all our friends on the East Coast are safe and staying home somewhere away from the blizzardy snow and winds. Although we're having a sunny day here in the lower Midwest it's still cold and shivery. Anytime I can sit still for awhile you'll find me wrapped up in an electric blanket or throw. It's days like today that make me want to play with some plants and then put out a few vintage Valentine's to brighten up the house and shelves.

A Winter's Walk in the Holiday Cupboard

Hello friends, since Valentine's Day will be here in a few weeks, I knew I needed to share my January edition of the Holiday Cupboard. January has been cold and often dreary here, but I'm trying to be present and look for the good to enjoy each season... including winter. One of the fun ways I celebrate each month and season is to refresh my old pie safe, aka "The Holiday Cupboard". 

The Baker's Rack with a Woodsy Theme

It seems I have an abundance of shelving pieces. Yes, I've been blessed with the space at this house to have a few extra pieces to display all my vintage goodies. And then there's the fact that I love decorating with the seasons, so there are always fun ways to mix it up every month or so. Since the new year I've been leaning toward decorating with neutrals with a woodsy theme.

Nature's Neutrals for a Winter Farmtable

One trend I've seen in the bloggyworld this last few weeks is that so many of us are leaning into January and winter weather using nature's cue with more neutral colors. Whatever our basic "style" might be, doing it in neutral colors, is a clean feeling way to start the new year.

The Snowy Day

When we bought this house three years ago we got an added bonus with a finished basement. It's a 1964 brick rancher that had all we needed on one level, which was the requirement. So the basement became my husband's domain with his office, a storage room for him and one for me. It also has a large living space for a big screen TV and fireplace, bath and exercise area. The stairs are easy to navigate, unlike what we had before which were terribly steep and daunting. I was thrilled to have a lower level and the storage; even better because I didn't have to visit it each and every day. 

New and Old Finds for Christmas in the Garden Room

I just had to share a couple of sweet new finds for Christmas. Once I saw them they pestered me until I said yes and found them in my online "cart". I rarely buy on impulse (unless I'm at the vintage market); I take time to think on things and roll them around in my head for awhile. I hate to pay full price for something, and usually wait for a good sale. But, I just happened to be Christmas shopping, when I found something adorable (and on sale) that really needed to come live in my Cookbook Cupboard.

A Very Merry Christmas in the Holiday Cupboard

Hello there friends. I know you all are feeling it too, just one week till Christmas and it seems I don't have everything accomplished that I've wanted to do. I still have a few pics to share from around the house. Here we are in the Garden Room where the Holiday Cupboard is my fun spot to decorate. So I'm squeezing it in with a few more posts around the house next week. 

Christmas Cheer with Father Christmas and Friends

Hello Everyone, can you even believe we're heading into December and the official start to the Christmas Season? I've been busy for a couple of weeks making the changeover from Thanksgiving to Christmas and I'm so excited to be a part of a fun holiday gathering today,

Farmhouse Thanksgiving in the Garden Room

Hello Friends, even though many of us have moved on to Christmas decor and posts, I still have several photos of this year's Thanksgiving decor that I want to share. I like to keep a visual diary of my holiday decor here on the blog. That way I can look back next year for some inspiration, and maybe some of you might like to take a peek, too. I've tried to condense a lot of photos so that I can cover the whole Thanksgiving Garden Room into one bigger post. 

Celebrating Thanksgiving in the Holiday Cupboard

Hi there Friends, I'm feeling a bit behind on getting all my Thanksgiving posts out in a timely manner. In truth, this season rolls by way too fast for me. I love Thanksgiving and love to savor this time of year, when the temps are finally cooling off and a warm woolen blanket is welcome in the evening and when enjoying a cup of something hot on the back porch.