Easter to Spring Hearth Room Mantel

Last Christmas I found a wonderful framed grainsack with a French sheep motif, and I fell in love. I knew it would be a piece I could use throughout the year, especially Christmas and Easter. As it goes, I've left it up on the mantel throughout the winter and just transitioned my mantel with changeups using topiaries, lanterns and evergreen branches.

Spring Goat Cart and Contemplating Life at This Moment

I started out wanting to share my French-y goat cart filled with tulips and forsythia, but then I started writing and this post just tumbled out. I'm just a bundle of emotions this last few weeks. It's not the staying home that is the problem because I haven't been out a lot this last 9 months, but I guess it's the idea that we can't, and all the unknowns that go with that. I want to be honest here, and not put on a happy "mask". I think the last thing we all need is being made to feel like the emotions we are dealing with are wrong or inconsequential. Some of us are doing good and handling it in stride, but if you're having a difficult time that's OK too. We shouldn't be afraid to admit it.

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.

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. 

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!

Spring Inspiration with Mossy, Woodsy Things

No matter where we live, I think we all feel like the days after Valentine's Day allow us a little shift in our thinking. We may still be in the midst of winter and cold weather, but our optimistic hearts and minds tend to want to give permission to thoughts of warmer weather and "Spring". 

Vintage Inspiration Friday #29: Going Green for St. Patty's

To celebrate

St. Patrick's Day

 I thought I'd grab a few of my favorite green things.

Watering cans come in all colors at my house.

I have plenty of the plain zinc kind,

 but I always love me some accent color for the season.

So for Spring, I snipped a few branches of my monster forsythia out back

and brought them in to force.

This little chair was one of a set of table and chairs that was

a present for my 2nd Birthday.

My brother and sister used it too,

so I only managed to get one of the chairs.

 I found this precious little book last year;

(published in 1933)

my favorite shade of green,

french gardening graphic,

and perfect for my vintage "garden book" collection.

This is one of the photos inside.

Ivy and miscellaneous Spring stuff

in one of my carriers.

Uh oh...look who's here!

Out for a tasty snack of forsythia.

The girls love Spring too!

And now for some inspiration fun from last week:

Be sure and click for some great ideas!

Primp

Freckled Laundry

Tarnished and Tattered

Mittens

Today I'm joining in on these great parties.

Hope you'll join in the

Vintage Inspiration Party!

Please grab the button for your post and sidebar

so everyone can share in the fun!

and if you've been featured then there's an ap for that!

I may not get to leave a comment with everyone this weekend

but I'll be coming by.

Thanks so much in advance for linking up for the party!

I had a washer malfunction, which led to purchasing a new washer, dryer,

and while we were at it, a new dishwasher.

(dang these things are expensive!)

I've been without a washer since Monday...eeeck!

And then...

since the appliances were out

I've been painting and redoing my laundry room!

Don't know if it will make the blog cut,

but it sure has been overdue.

So have a fun weekend;

I have my work cut out for me!

love you all,

Debra

p.s. I'll try to get out the rest of the wonderful photos from Leola's this weekend

Garden Room Vignettes and Forsythia

Hope you had a great St. Patrick's Day, friends. Starting this week we're now on the slide down to Easter. I've been posting Easter décor for the last few weeks since Easter is in March this year and I'm a little behind on sharing what normally would be until well into April. St. Paddy's Day was cut short this year, unfortunately because I really enjoy it. 

Welcoming Spring With an Antique Crockery Pitcher

Hi Friends, I'm excited today to be joining in with a group that will be starting a new bimonthly Themed Hop. Thank you Cindy from County Road 407, for creating this fun gathering for all of us that are lovers of farmhouse and vintage decor. If you came from visiting CoCo at The Crowned Goat, welcome, I'm so glad that you came by. This month we're sharing our ideas for using crockery in our decor and vignettes.

Lilac Basket Centerpiece with French Faience

I like to keep floral arrangements seasonal and updated, especially on the farmtable out in the Garden Room. Most often I use faux and silk flowers in a vintage basket or in my vintage ice cream bucket. Sometimes I create a tabletop tableau with other vintage pieces if it's a holiday or special occasion. With the change of the calendar to May and we're into late spring, lilacs have been grabbing my attention. It was time to change up the forsythia branches of last month for a late springtime mix of variegated purple lilacs and a lovely stem of yellow iris blooms. 

Bunny Silhouette Pillow and Forsythia

I've always planted a forsythia bush or two at each home we've lived in. The last home; the one we are moving from, already had been honored. Several years to be sure, as it is massive and strong. The woody limbs eventually forced over our wooden fence, so we trim the back a little more. But then more trimming means more growth.

When I see buds appear I know Spring will be here soon. I almost missed it this year. I saw buds one weekend, and by the next, they were blooming. So last week I cut a few branches to bring home and enjoy. 

My older daughter bought me my first galvanized watering can quite a few years ago. Restoration Hardware, one of her favorite places, had a line of vintage inspired sprinklers and garden goods. I was thrilled, and that started me on my quest for old ones.

So now I have to share my bunny silhouette pillow that I nabbed at Leola's Home and Garden Open House a few weeks ago. Pam had several, all uniquely different. I loved the brown vintage look floral, so I grabbed it first thing!

Looks like he's ready for a tasty nibble.

so cute!

At least with this "new" watering can I don't have to worry about leaks.

Everything is greening up, but lot's of pollen.

  I have a Bradford Pear in the back yard here.

Can't wait for it to be in full bloom.

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend. 

Joining in on these parties:

Sundays at Home with Thoughts from Alice

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Inspire Me at A Stroll Thru Life

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

It's a Party at DIY by Design

xoxo,

Bel Monili

Upcycled Vintage Jewelry and Accessories

Hop Into Easter

Hello Everyone! I have to tell you that this is a special day for me being able to join in on this fun Spring Blog Hop. This last year has been a difficult time due to health issues and a major move. So being able to participate makes me feel like life may be getting back to normal. I'm so glad you're here to help me celebrate! Amber from Follow the Yellow Brick Home is our talented hostess for this Easter Hop. Thankyou Amber for inviting me along.

Garden Room Sitting Area and Easter on a Tray

Hello Friends and Welcome to the Easter On A Tray Blog Tour, hosted by our sweet friend, Katherine, from Katherine's Corner. Are you ready for some fun and inspiration on how to do a quick nod to any holiday or season? You'll see some wonderful ideas on how to decorate a small space or add a beautiful compact decor vignette with just a few items. 

Garden Flower Pot Wreath for Spring

I made this fun Springtime wreath a few years ago after I'd found these old French seed packet labels on Etsy. I added them to some tags and then tied whitewashed flowerpots on the grapevine wreath. Last year I didn't get to use it because it was hidden among a ton of other tubs and boxes in the garage, but this year it's hanging on the mirror on the old door in the Kitchen Sitting Area.

A little touch of Spring...

Nothing like a day or two in the 50's to get me started thinking about Spring. And since Easter is a little early this year, I thought I'd try to get a few things changed up. My hallway sideboard is where most of the Valentine goodies had been displayed so naturally, it had to be first. I like to start with clean slate, so I just take everything off of it and hopefully, I come up with something different.

The outside of this wreath was the one I had up during the Holidays, just a basic organic, mossy wreath, but for Spring it needed some color, and before I knew it a moss covered bunny had nestled itself inside. A small forsythia wreath and a petite bundle of blooms filled it out. If you remember, this big gold frame held the faux chalkboard, that now I just popped out to be open against the old window.

The galvanized chalkboard drawer also stayed, and now it's holding my sweet Easter Greeting and an ironstone pitcher filled with faux mini tulips.

This is a moss covered rabbit I found at Michael's a few years ago, who fits perfectly inside the old wicker basket.

Not a good photo, 

but my rabbit casserole on an old ironstone platter.

This is as far as I've gotten with the Spring decorating, as yesterday I got knocked down with the flu. I thought that maybe I was going to escape it...but no... At least I've had my Downton Abbey Season 2 to keep me company. Between a fever and all those episodes, I've found myself  "thinking" in Mrs. Hughs voice. sad...so very sad. And I won't even start on Matthew's tragic demise.

OK, happier thoughts!!!

Have you entered the Give Away for the Gift Certificate?

It ends tonight!

just click here

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

Timewashed for Blissful Whites

No Minimalist Here for Open House Party
Stone Gable for TTT
Share Your Cup at Mrs. Olson's
From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt
The Charm of Home 
Jennifer Rizzo
French Country Cottage

xoxo,