Valentine's Day Makes an Entrance

I'm going to admit right up front that this is one of those "photo shoots" that continued over the course of a day or two. I've been know to start taking pictures, then add or subtract items from the vignette. Instead of completely starting over, I just incorporate all the photos and we can do one of those "Highlights" photo puzzles along the lines of, "what's different in these photos?"

I was busy taking pictures of the Entry when I thought it would be fun to do a small Valentine's Day Cloche with one of my antique Valentines and some of the little pink mini carnations that I used earlier in the week. That's the nice thing about carnations, they stay pretty for days.

Easy Neutral Decor in the Entry

This post is about 2 or 3 weeks behind schedule, since everyone is moving on to Valentine's Day decor. I think there are a lot of us who like to use our blog as a visual diary of our projects and decorating. So even though it's time to add in a little Valentine's this week, I want to share January's Entry and Dining Room with you all.

Paperwhites in the Christmas Entry

I have a few decorating "staples" when it comes to faux flowers; tried and true floral elements that I know I can use no matter what the Season or Holiday. Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter I can always count on slightly wild and natural grapevine twiggy wreaths, lifelike Hydrangeas, and my favorite for this time of year... Paperwhites.

Hoo's in the October Entry?

I think you all know how much I love Fall and look forward to it all year. I wait all year for the crisp air, brilliant blue skies, and kaleidoscope of Fall foliage. So many of us have fond memories of "Trick or Treating" when we were kids. Even though we might not "celebrate" Halloween, we still enjoy the fun and nostalgia of vintage ephemera, Jack-O-Lanterns, costumes, and decorations from our young years.

The Power of a Print...

Do you want to change the feel of a room or space? There are several low cost ways to get a new feeling or vibe to your space, but my favorite is to consider what you have hanging on your walls: artwork and prints in this case.

Entry Urn for Spring

Up until last week I had the urn, here in the Entry, filled with Faux Paperwhites; they are my favorite "go-to" flower year round. Paperwhites fit any season with their delicate orchid like blooms, but I was ready for something a little different so I decided to go with a natural Springtime woodsy look using faux blooming branches, sticks and pussy willows.

A Spring Entry

...and talking sheep...

You know me, during each season I usually change things up more than once. For Easter, I like things a little more pastel. Easter is about the only time you'll see "pastel" being used around here. But for earlier in the Spring Season I've used various shades of browns and greens, mostly in the Kitchen Sitting Area, since I like to use my brown and pink floral quilt. I went with the same colors here in the Entry, using a brown and green check ribbon to hang my mossy O, and then my sheep print on canvas.

A January Entry

I always tend to lean toward a more neutral and white color palette during the month of January. Whether it's due to the oversaturation of color during Fall and Christmas, or because it's bleak and snowy outside, I seem to crave a clean look after the new year. Clean and fresh feeling whites and neutrals are what I need, because once Spring starts to creep up out of the landscape the rest of the year means "color".

A Thanksgiving Entry

I'm about ready for Christmas and I know that you all are too, but because I consider this blog to be sort of a "virtual diary", I have a few more pics of Thanksgiving I'd like to share. Each year I go back through my photos to see what I did back then, and try to come up with something different. I don't want to be tempted to do the same thing each year just because it's easy.

Early Fall Entry with a new Chalkboard Print

With each new season I try to create a vignette that's something a little different than I've done before. That's not always easy because there are tried and true elements that I'm happy with and just look "right". The lamp, the clock, and the shutters and mirror; those are all part of this spot. But I love to play with faux flowers, and then add a seasonal print, painting, or needlework... and what's a Fall Entry Vignette without at least one pumpkin?

Summertime Seashell Vignette

Since it's still Summer, I wanted to try to use my antique Blue Willow Transferware Tureen here on the Entry Hall Console. I've had it out with some other "blues" for my Patriotic decor so, I hunted down some of my shells to replace the summertime potpourri.

Vintage Blooming Prints and the Consult

I don't have a lot of "blooms" around here yet. I've been putting off planting containers outside until I felt more like taking care of them. Some days I don't get much accomplished except laundry and putting something easy together for dinner. I'm really missing the color of my spring containers full of Geraniums, Million Bells and Lantana. So for now, I'm enjoying these old prints on the console in the Entry. Hopefully, I can get some plants out in a few weeks. It looks sort of bleak and forlorn around here.

A Little Valentine Chaos

Hello Friends, 

Hope you're having a "Sweet" Valentine's Weekend!

Christmas Entry, In and Out...

Hi Everyone, are you in overdrive this week, trying to get ready for Christmas? I'm making progress, but I need to start wrapping gifts. One thing I realized I needed to do was to share pics of my Entry and front porch. I've had to get them over a span of several days, and because of the blah weather they've not consistently turned out. So, again today, I gave it a try. I'm just an "accidental photographer", meaning it's an accident when I can get good photos...

Thanksgiving Table-top Vignette

Through my inevitable "process" of tweaking and changing up,

I finally decided on the tabletop vignette in the Dining Room.

Enough of you have confided to me that you're as OCD as I am, 

and cannot... will not, leave something alone.

Not until it's been done to death 

and we reach the place where it "works".

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.

An October Entry

My house tends to look a bit overdone if I'm not careful;

especially this time of year.

OK...most of the time it's a little too cluttered.

Blame it on blogging and enjoying sharing it all with you.

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