Vintage Cottage Weekend: Spring to Summer Birds in the Garden Room

Hello, my friends. Here we are with Memorial Day this weekend. (so hard to believe) At Vintage Cottage Weekend we share how we use vintage cottage elements in our decorating. Starting in June I'll be decorating with a patriotic summer theme, but for this last week of May I wanted to share a few pics from the Garden Room with one of my favorite late Spring themes. Birds!

Spring Themed Prints in the Hearth Room

I gave my hearth room a mini refresh for spring this last week with a couple of spring themed prints, and moved a few pieces around on the mantel. I usually keep one of my lamb canvas prints on the mantel but thought I'd try out this framed bird poster as something a bit different.

The Holiday Cupboard is for the Birds

Hello there, Friends! I hope you're having a wonderful week and that you're enjoying warm pleasant late spring weather. We all seem to have some outdoor projects we're trying to get to, but golly, it's been chilly and rainy around here... again. I'm not sure why this surprises me because it's often cool and rainy in early to mid May, but I'm sorta over it.  You can remind me of this when I'm complaining in September that it's too hot and dry. I've been wanting to get my outside containers put together and it's been too cool to get out and do much. I did finally get to the nursery over Mother's Day weekend to pick out some flowers so maybe I can get those finished up by this weekend.

Farmtable Vintage Bucket with Tulips

Do you have a spot that causes you to be continually thinking about the next fun change-up? The farm table in the Garden Room is one of those spots for me. After all the Easter bunnies and forsythia were put away, I wanted to use this big bundle of white faux tulips before (real tulips) were a thing of the past. Spring flowers and shrubs just don't last long enough!

Birds and Branches

This has been such a cold Spring... very few warm days with a lot of cold and dreary ones. The flowering trees and growing things got a late start. Then just when they thought it was safe, we had nights of temps in the 20's. So the peach tree, plum tree, and cherry tree have had their bloom time disturbed and cut short. 

Nesting Birds and Slinky Cats

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter Weekend. Our kiddos were out of town, so we had a really quiet, low-key weekend. We did go out Saturday night to our fave Italian spot, but that was about the size of it. About the most exciting thing going on around here at the moment is out on the back upper deck. There are a couple of noisy house wren's and they've been busy putting together an intricate little nest inside one of my derelict birdhouses. A while back I was trying to shift some vintage garden things around and a couple of these handmade birdhouses wound up right outside the kitchen window on one of my vintage wrought iron Etergeres. (don't ask me why it's now a shelf for birdhouses and not in the house)

Nature Inspired Autumn Urn

I've had this Nature Inspired Autumn Urn in my head since last Spring, when I picked up a Victoria Magazine Special Edition, called Victoria Classic French Cottage . I'm hoping it will become a yearly publication, because it was filled with wonderful features of French and French Inspired Cottages. There was one particular image that completely captured my imagination, from an article called Living With The Past.

Kitchen China Cupboard for Fall

Before we moved to this house, my kitchen china cupboard, had always been just that... a china cupboard. It held china, and some colored crystal and a few antique floral teapots. It never changed, no matter what the Season or Holiday. I had lots of other places to "play" and decorate, so this one I left alone...

Snippets from the China Cabinet

I hope you're having a wonderful Fall Day.

The treetops are changing to various hues of red, orange, and yellows.

It's warm, but you can feel the Fall changes.

I've been adding Autumn to my Kitchen China Cabinet...

The mismatched plates, cups, saucers, and tureens each become a work of art

...when Bittersweet and Leaves nestle around them.

Both the bovine and the birds...

are celebrating the wild garden within the walls of glass.

xoxo,

Kitchen Sitting Area Dressed for Fall

When I shared the Blogger Fall Home Tour put together by Brenda last week, one room didn't make the cut... that was the Kitchen Sitting Area. I had a few things left to get done. So, I have a few of those things done, but it's still not finished. I'm sure I'll have that done by the time to decorate for Christmas.

Fall Birdies

Does that title sound like I've lost my marbles?

Like a crazy cat lady that spends all her time bird watching with her felines?

don't answer that...

Hope you all are having a great Labor Day Weekend. We stuck close to home except for a fun trip on Saturday to a new winery in the area. I'll show you a few pics and share a link with you soon. They also have a sheep farm, so that was the real draw for me. We've had a heat wave this last week, and it's supposed to break in the next few days. We had such a wonderful taste of cooler weather earlier. Hopefully, that will bring us back to the 70's. gosh, I'm more than ready. 

Fall's First Glimpse

I've been thinking about Fall...

no surprise, huh?

I know some of you enjoy Fall, 

but you want to squeeze every ounce out of Summer.

When our kiddos are young and at home,

summer is a special time of adventure and relaxation.

But, I've always been the type of person that comes alive 

in the crisp air of Autumn.

The blue of the sky is different,

the angle of the light has changed.

The trees get ready to put on a show, 

that thrills my soul to experience.

Autumn rejuvenates me;

it gives me back the energy that the heat of Summer drains away

I'm ready...

Entry with a Vintage Sunflower Print

I hadn't done much if anything, different with my Entry Area since I received the wonderful Sheep Print from Canvas Pop, earlier in the year. But now it's time for a little more "Late Summer" sprinkled around in here. 

Canvas Pop Print

In Harmony with Nature...

...or, what to do if you're easily bored while camping.

Just wanted to check in with you on our/my "camping" progress. We've had a couple of weekend trips; one to the river,(Southern Missouri trout fishing river) the other to a lake (NW Arkansas in the mountains). Both were good, relaxing, and I really enjoyed my time with Hubbs. We grilled steaks and pork chops and had smores (which I thought he'd complain about, but actually he was a trooper. And even though we forgot the long fork, we improvised with small kitchen forks, and it ended up being one of the more memorable moments of the trip)

(we didn't actually go to Lake of the Ozarks, but I love these vintage fold out postcards, 

so I thought I'd share that bit of vintage lake goodness)

Table top Conservatory

Little by little I'm making headway with some of my display pieces. This table top conservatory made of old windows and siding sat empty in the corner of the basement living area for months. I'm hoping, now that I have a few more decorative pieces unboxed, that I can keep it up to date with the seasons. So far I've only made one attempt, and that was in May, so it's still dressed for Spring... or late Spring... or early Summer. 

A little Birdie told me...

That it will be Spring in just one week!

I had to share this adorable little pillow from Judy.

It makes me want to chirp...

The kitchen sitting area is getting Spring-ified,

and some St. Patty's Green is coming out.

What are you up to this weekend?

Hope it has some green in it!

I've opened a FaceBook page

for the Blog,

CLICK HERE for some behind the scenes fun.

Maybe Instagram will be next,

who knows, I'm feeling crazy...

joining in at:

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse

xoxo,

Valentine Birdies, a Photo Bomb, and a Winner

For me, Valentines Day signals the end of winter and the start of all things Spring in my decorating. Even though the weather sometimes doesn't agree, I put away all my evergreens and snowy winter-y things and concentrate on bringing in a few flowering faux branches, some lighter colors, and start thinking garden and seeds.

It's the little things that make Christmas memories...

Wishing you all Happiness and Joy

 this Christmas!

xoxo,

A "New" French Mirror for the Dining Room

As I was taking pics for the upcoming

  Christmas Open House Blog Hop

that will be starting on Wednesday, I realized that I haven't shown much of my Dining Room, and hadn't shared my buffet and "new" antique mirror at all. what's wrong with me? My big boy white turkey had been here on the buffet at Thanksgiving, but I never got around to letting him strut his stuff. So now it's Christmas and I finally finished the upstairs decorating, so here goes...

I'm just going to give you a little tease, 

since I'll be showing much more at the Blog Hop on Thursday.

I tried to keep things a little more subdued in here, 

so I thought I'd just use one of my ironstone tureens 

with some vintage Shiney Brites.

I'd been looking for a new antique mirror for the buffet for quite awhile.

When I saw the French plume design on top, I knew this was the one.

I'll be sharing a few more snippets this week,

so hope you'll come back.

All my birdies say "come see us Thursday"!

Joining in with these wonderful Christmas Parties:

The Scoop at Stonegable

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

xoxo,

Daisy Botanical in the Entry

Just checking in to say Hello, as this may possibly be my last post for awhile. We leave early next week for my appointment with my new cardiologist. After all this waiting, I'm starting to feel a little anxious about it all. I've spent all week checking to make sure all my records have been transferred from three different sources, and it doesn't help the situation for calm when one of them keeps giving me the run around and putting me off... not surprised, it's their usual.

Getting the house listed and all the little details have about done me in. We've been trying to finish up, but now that Summer is here the garage has turned into an oven. My poor hubby tries to do things after work, but it's still too hot. Honestly, we're too old for this...word to the wise, downsize and get your junk dealt with before you are too sick or tired to mess with it. You AND your kids will be thankful. Do I sound tired and grumpy?

Time for a change in the Entry this week. I had a couple of raw canvases that I'd brought home with me from the other house. I love their natural oatmeal-y linen look with tattered edges and nails. I thought a botanical of daisies looked perfect attached to the front. 

Speaking of daisies, I had planted Becky Shasta Daisies and Black Eyed Susans several years ago and have babied and babied them, but they've been slow to get growing...until now. Now there is a profusion of them, just getting ready to bloom. Hope I can enjoy them just a little.

Google Images

We've had quite a few house lookers, so hope good news will be soon.

We're ready to move on to the next chapter in life.

Feels like we've been stuck in this one for a little too long.

My little heart topiary needs to be trimmed up,

 but I'm enjoying the wild look.

Little birdie is back on his bookstack.

 Yep, definitely needs a trim.

That's some good ol natural patina there on this clay pot.

just can't replicate that.

I'll try to check back in next week and let you all know what's going on. This has been a hard week, as I'm having some fun new heart related symptoms that have kept me in bed most of the week. I know this is just a "season" that God is allowing me to walk through, but it's hard nonetheless. I've missed the last year of my life feeling like doggy doo, (see...I still have a sense of humor) and I'm ready for whatever it takes to get well and get this behind me. 

Thank God for a husband that is my best friend.

He has a lot on his plate right now.

Almost forgot...this week is my 5 year blogging anniversary.

Here's my first post.

Keep up the good thoughts and prayers, I wish I could get back with each of you individually, and give you a big hug and squeeze. You all mean so much to me, and I'm super grateful for you all being there. I've been trying to keep up with your blogs, even though I haven't left comments...I've still been there. OK, this is sounding pretty pitiful, so I'll say...love you guys, talk soon.