Woodsy Christmas Mantel in the Hearth Room

I love a cozy, vintage, "woodsy" look in decor, and Christmas seems as good a time as any to make that happen. I'm a person who loves to snuggle up by the fire with a hot cup of something and relax. Lots of blankets and pillows, cushy furniture; basically a place where you feel comfortable putting your feet up and watching a movie or reading a book... not to mention finding a cat crawl up in your lap to enjoy it all with you.

Christmas Plaid in the Garden Room

Hey Everyone, I'm sharing part of the Garden Room today,

and will probably need another post to cover it all.

What can I say... it's a big room and I have lots of junk  vintage goodies.

A Scottish Christmas in the Holiday Cupboard

Hi Friends, it's always fun when it's time to share the Holiday Cupboard! Whatever the season, I look forward to creating a new display filled with vintage goodness and a bit of a theme going on. This Christmas it has a dotting of little ceramic white houses along with some of my vintage Tartan Scottish Biscuit and candy tins.

All About Christmas at All About Home #70

Hi Friends, welcome to All About Home.

I hope you're having a wonderful Christmas Season!

I so appreciate you taking the time to come by 

and join in on the fun and festivities of this

 wonderful time of the year.

Cottage Kitchen Christmas

The kitchen at our home was renovated back in 2015, which consisted of a complete gutting and opening up the kitchen to the "family room". We of course didn't own the house at that time and the homeowners did a great job with an up-to-date remodel. They had a large TV and sound system located in this niche shelf above the bank of cabinets and counter. We didn't want a large TV there, as I prefer a smaller one on the counter that I could see when seated at the bar. So... what to do with that open shelving that left a big vacant space between the cabinets?

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.

Happy Holidays at All About Home #69

Hi Friends, welcome to All About Home!

I hope you're having a wonderful start to the 

Christmas Season, and that even though this Christmas 

may be different, that we're still able to celebrate

the "Reason for the Season".

I so appreciate you taking the time to come by 

and join in on the fun and festivities of this

 wonderful time of the year.

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.

Christmas Mix on the Front Porch

Happy December, Everyone!

Hi Friends, are you having fun transforming your home to Christmas?

We had a couple of nice days over last weekend, so I wanted to get the outside decorating done while we wouldn't be freezing. Missouri weather is notoriously crazy at best, but after Thanksgiving it's just as easy to be a snowy wintry mix as anything above 50. So Thanksgiving weekend is when we all shoot for porch and outside decorating. 

Heading Into Christmas at All About Home #68

Hi Friends, welcome to All About Home!

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving, 

and that you're now ready to head

 into all the fun and festivities of Christmas. 

I'm so glad you're stopping by and I hope you'll link up
and share what you all have been up to

 as you celebrate and enjoy this wonderful time of year.

Christmas Farm Table Vignette

Hey Friends, I hope you're having a great Thanksgiving weekend and maybe getting a chance to do some Christmas decorating. I wanted to share a few snaps of what I've been up to this last week putting together the Garden Room farm table. It seems like my priority this year was just to make things "different" than last Christmas season.

Thanksgiving to Christmas in the Hearth Room

Seems like the last 10 years or so, I've been putting up the Christmas trees a few weeks before Thanksgiving to get a little jump on decorating for Christmas; at least since I've been blogging. Once they're up then it's much easier for me to get some inspiration on how I want to decorate, whether that's colors, or theme, or to try something new. By blogging standards, I'm late to the game, but behind the scenes I've secretly been thinking "Christmas!". 

Thanksgiving into Christmas at All About Home #67

Hi Friends, welcome to All About Home.

I hope you're having a great Thanksgiving week! Take care of yourselves and Blessings to all of you!

I'm so glad you're stopping by and I hope you'll link up
and share what you all have been up to

 as you celebrate and enjoy this wonderful time of year.

Warm Woolens in the Garden Room

It's November; mostly cold and rainy, with gray days and a multitude of Brown. Most of the leaves have come down and been mulched by our trusty yard guy with his mower. The beautiful Maple trees with their oranges and reds are long gone, as are the lovely golds of the Hickories that cover our front yard. It seems like overnight we are on the road to winter. 

Christmas Trees and Pumpkins: Can They Be Friends?

I'm sure a lot of us are trying to get started on our Christmas decorating even though it's the week before Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving and don't want to skip it, but at the same time I want to start bringing in some Christmas decor. I found this little tree at Target and ordered a "two pack" online. It came early last week and I was absolutely ready to find a spot for it. I'm hoping the second one will work on the front porch.

It's Thanksgiving in the Holiday Cupboard

Hello Everyone, One week till Thanksgiving!

Do you have it all planned out?

I guess it will just be the two of us for the holiday.

That's what is best for us this year,

but I'm sure missing my family and kiddos.

All About Home #66

Hi Friends, welcome to All About Home.

Thanksgiving is almost here.

Are you all getting excited about Christmas?

I'm so glad you're stopping by and I hope you'll link up
and share what you all have been up to

 as you celebrate and enjoy this wonderful time of year.

Using Vintage Frames for a Thanksgiving Mantel

Hello everyone! Hallelujah, it's November and so close to Thanksgiving! And we're all looking forward to celebrating, then moving in to the long awaited Christmas Season. Today I'm joining in with a great group of vintage-loving friends who are sharing some ideas and inspiration on how we use Vintage Frames in our home and seasonal decor.  Since it's mid-November I'm going to share my Thanksgiving mantel and show how I've used vintage frames for a fun seasonal mantel.

Oh the little junky vintage frame... 

how many ways to use and love you?

Transitioning a Fall Entry to Thanksgiving

Have you ever finished up a vignette or decorated an area for a seasonal look, that appealed to you at the time, only to come back the next day, scratch your head and take it all apart and start over? Well, this happens with me, and that's not a good sign. During the early Fall I shared a post using this vase filled with hydrangeas, fall flowers, and sunflowers, but the very next day when I looked at it, I was over it... Got rid of the sunflowers and fall flowers then added colorful leaves instead.

All About Home Link Party #65

Hi Friends, welcome to All About Home.

Are you all getting excited about Christmas?

The start of the Holiday Season is here!

I'm so glad you're stopping by and I hope you'll link up
and share what you all have been up to

 as you celebrate and enjoy this cozy time of year.

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.

Thanksgiving Seed Box on the Baker's Rack

Hey Friends,  Happy November!

I think most of us who blog do so partly as a photo "diary" of sorts. As much as to share with you all what and how we're decorating our homes and what we're up to in life, we do blog as a way to remind our own selves about what our life looks and feels like through the seasons and the years.

Welcome November at All About Home #64

Hi Friends, welcome to All About Home

Can you believe it's actually November?

The start of the Holiday Season is here!

I'm so glad you're stopping by and I hope you'll link up
and share what you all have been up to

 as you celebrate and enjoy this cozy time of year.

Antique Rocking Horse and Last Minute Fall

Today is the end of October, and tomorrow is my unofficial start for Thanksgiving. Do you ever get to the end of October and then wrestle with the idea of just ignoring moving past Thanksgiving and starting on Christmas? I imagine many of you do, (think about it and bring on out the Christmas tree) But I've always just loved Thanksgiving so I don't linger on that thought long. I try to make it a little easier by considering Thanksgiving a transition from "Fall" to "Christmas".

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.

Autumn Inspiration at All About Home Link Party #63

Hi Friends, welcome to All About Home

where we're celebrating the brilliance of late October.

I'm so glad you're stopping by and I hope you'll link up
and share what you all have been up to

 as you celebrate and enjoy this cozy time of year.

October Whimsy in the Holiday Cupboard

I knew I wanted to do something fun and whimsical for October here in the Holiday Cupboard. I wasn't sure what, but I started removing things from the shelves and started looking through my "Fall stash" of goodies. Guys, I've got more "little goodies" than you can shake a big stick at. I used my squirrels and chipmunks last year in here, so I wanted  to do something different. I gathered a few little pieces that were full of nostalgia and whimsy. I chose a bad day to try to take pics because it's cold and rainy today so the light in the Garden Room was not the best. But I lit a few votive candles, then tried a bunch of micro lights; not much help. I hope it brings a little smile to your face, as it did mine.

A Vintage Tote and Views of the Fall Kitchen

I think I've only shared my kitchen twice before... ok maybe just once, here at the "new" house. I love this kitchen, but it's usually in the process of being busy, and I tend to be a little messy and disorganized in here. But I wanted to share a fall look for my vintage tote here on the island, so I thought I'd just go crazy and take pics of the rest of the kitchen.

October Fun at All About Home #62

Hi Friends, welcome to All About Home

where we're celebrating the brilliance of late October.

I'm so glad you're stopping by and I hope you'll link up
and share what you all have been up to

 as you celebrate and enjoy this cozy time of year.

Fall Vignettes in the Garden Room

Hi Friends, I hope you're off to a great start on the weekend. I'm really trying to savor these wonderful weeks of October. It's my favorite month of the year and it's been a joy bringing Fall into the rooms of this house this season. I had a bright sunny day last week, so I spent some time taking pics around the house. Today I'm sharing some scenes from the Garden Room, as I always enjoy changing up the quilts and pillows on the wicker settee and putting together a vignette on the coffee table/bench. 

Backyard Naturals Bouquet

One of the reasons I love Fall so very much is the change in the coloring of leaves, flowers, and shrubbery. Where Spring is full of greens and lovely pastel shades of flowers and buds, Fall can be just as amazing visually with all the glorious brilliant color. 

Celebrating Autumn at All About Home #61

Hi Friends, welcome to All About Home

where we're celebrating the joys of Autumn.

I'm so glad you're stopping by and I hope you'll link up
and share what you all have been up to

 as you celebrate and enjoy this cozy time of year.

Woodsy China Cupboard for Fall

Hi Friends...

I'm getting ready to tweak my "Early Fall" Holiday Cupboard, to an October version that has more current seasonal color and vibe to it. When we were living at our last home I didn't have a spot for the Holiday Cupboard, so I focused with seasonal dishes on my Kitchen China Cupboard. I used more dishes than odds and ends, but it was still fun to "decorate" with natural and seasonal bits of bittersweet and leaves. 

Vintage Fall Front Porch

Well, I finally got my front porch put together for Fall a few weeks ago. This year's version is much more enjoyable than last, since last year we were in the middle of a big landscape ordeal. Which means even though my front porch was intact, the rest of the yard was a disaster. Well hey, the front porch wasn't even that great because the workmen would tromp all over things, leave their fast-food drink and lunch debris and generally thought of it as their "personal closet" for all their junk. That meant daily clean up, but it was worth it.

this year

(no overgrown and claustrophobic shrubbery)

It's October at All About Home Link Party #60

Hi Friends, welcome to All About Home

where we're all having fun jumping in the middle of Fall!

I'm so glad you're stopping by and I hope you'll link up
and share what you all have been up to

 as you celebrate and enjoy this cozy time of year.

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.

Fall Fun at All About Home #59

Hi Everyone! 

We're having our first real taste of Fall and it's really wonderful.  

Rain and cooler temps are getting me totally in the mood.

I'm so glad you're stopping by and I hope you'll link up
and share what you all have been up to now that the

calendar officially says Fall.

Say Hello to Fall...

Back years ago when I had a few vintage market spaces, I loved decorating with seasonal colors, textures, and items. I also would put together small nosegays and tussy mussies tied with a seasonal ribbon and used them for decorating and sold quite a few each season. I love playing with faux flowers and since I rarely throw away any blooms or branches, they are perfect to bunch together a few odds and ends for a small arrangement. It's even more fun if you can find a vintage container for your posies.

All About Home #58

Hi Everyone, are we all having fun getting our "Fall On"?

I know I am thoroughly enjoying bringing out

 touches of Autumn around the house and porch. 

I'm so glad you're stopping by and I hope you'll link up
and share what you all have been up to. 

September in the Holiday Cupboard

Hi Friends, we're really sliding toward Fall since it's the middle of September now. The days are cooling off here and it's getting dark much earlier... time to restyle the Holiday Cupboard for Early Fall. Just give me any excuse to restyle the HC and I'll jump on it. 

Loving September at All About Home #57

Hi Everyone, I hope you're having a great September!

I look forward to it all year because Fall is my favorite season.
(you all probably know that)
I try to slow down and be more purposeful in Fall.
We're having some cooler temps and working outside this last weekend
we even felt a little chill in the wind.
It was wonderful!

I'm so glad you're stopping by and I hope you'll link up
and share what you all have been up to. 

Mason Jar Candy Corn Votives

Hi Friends, are you ready for some Fall Fun? Today I'm joining in with a great group of vintage-loving friends to share how we use Mason Jars. We all love the humble Mason/Ball jar, created in the mid 1800's, and many of us collect the vintage and antique variety. They are still being made today, and while I don't "can" with them I do use them for so many things, from a sturdy little drinking glass (perfect for a lemonade on the porch) to an easy to put together candle holder.

Early Fall Color in the Entry

When the calendar flipped to September I knew it was time to change out my all white flower arrangement on the entry console. I had left the white flowers there all summer; (usually I'm not that lazy...) But changing up arrangements was on my to-do list and I thought I'd try a little more color for this early part of the month.