Late Fall Lookback...

Last day of October, so I start thinking about tweaking my Fall things to head toward Thanksgiving. I got to looking back at my pics from last year at this time and I realized I didn't have everything "Thanksgiving" together in one blog post. So, to get things rolling and before I let all the turkeys out of the gate, I thought I'd share a post with the highlights from last year.

Silhouette Script Chalkboard

I think most of us love a good chalkboard.

Big, small, simple or ornate;

vintage or new,

embellished script or childlike letters

...decorated for the Season.

But I'm not so good when it comes to hand lettering,

so I asked my Sis to help me out with a short message 

using her Silhouette machine.

What's Your Chippy Factor?

Those of us who are vintage furniture lovers,

and that still swoon over a flea space filled with white chippy pieces,

have all asked ourselves some variation of this question...

How much "Chippy" is too chippy?

Summer Seed Box

...and the Decorating Domino Effect

A few weeks ago, I brought in a small white antique desk/table to the kitchen sitting area. I knew it would be crowded, but I was needing a change up in here and thought that would do the trick. I had it right where this chair is now sitting and it was so fresh and cute, not to mention another flat surface to decorate. I had fun with it for about a week, but then I realized that it was way too crowded in here, and the door to the deck bumped it each time we went out.

Patriotic Sitting Room

One of my favorite times to really go over the top in my sitting area decor is for the 4th of July. Patriotic decor is a natural when you have white or neutrals as a backdrop. I love layering on the old quilts and pillows in some red/white/blue. I've been trying to give this kitchen room sitting space the feel of my old sunporch, since I don't have one at this house.

Potting Bench Progress

Hi Everyone, hope you all had a great weekend...

I've spent most of my time outside this last week. First, working on getting the container planters filled with flowers for the deck, patio and front yard, then coming up with more things for the potting bench area. 

Styling a DIY Seedbox for St. Patty's Day

All it takes is a few sunny days where the temps are 50 and above and you'll find me puttering around with seed boxes, seed packets, and some old gardening tools. This week will be the "official" start of Spring so I'm having fun bringing a little green for St. Patrick's Day onto the Baker's Rack in the kitchen sitting area.

A bag, a visit, and some ribbon for the tree...

I have to admit that I've been so busy and concentrating on getting moved into the new house, that the idea of Christmas just hadn't really sunk in. This last week we've been hustling to get the house in order and a place for the kids to sleep this week. So we've had a bit of a "deadline" with Thanksgiving and that has caused us to get in gear.

Over the weekend we ran out to get a few things like towels for guests and a doggy gate for the grandpuppy, and while we were out I dragged Hubbs into TJ Maxx for a quick run through. Of course there were tons of goodies to check out, but I just happened to find these adorable burlap tote bags for an extra large "gift wrap". When you have to spend several dollars on a gift bag for those extra large items, why not spend a few more and get a bag that's reusable and decorative. Dolly is being a helper with her big toes to hold the bag so you can see it!

Friday after my rehab appointment I headed over to The Vintage Suitcase to hopefully find some Christmas ribbon. Robin always has the most gorgeous decorative wire ribbon, and my little Christmas tree needed something new. So here are a few pics of the store. It's always overflowing with beautiful things, and lot's of inspiration.

I wanted some beige checked, and so here's a peek at my start of putting the tree together. It's going to be a pretty simple tree, but I wanted something to dress up the burlap that I've had on it for a few years.

I still have lot's left to do before Thanksgiving,

 but I have to say that I'm looking forward

 to Christmas now that a little of the stress of the move is off.

 I'll check back in before Thursday.

Have a great week,

xoxo,

Joining in at 

Cedar Hill Farmhouse

A Stroll Through Life

Coastal Charm

Savvy Southern Style

Finding the Old Door and a Lesson for Blogging

When I was placing furniture here in the kitchen sitting area I knew I wanted it to have the "feel" of my previous sunporch. The old sunporch was full of vintage pieces, each of them with aged and chippy white paint. Anything vintage felt at home out there, and it was one of my favorite places to decorate and photograph.

An old white paneled wood door that was angled in the corner sort of grounded the settee, and gave me a place for a mirror and seasonal wreath. I have sold so many of my favorite white chippy pieces, but I saved the door and wanted to use it again, and so after a week of searching the storage units, I found it in the back corner with my white metal gate and gray shutters. (Hmmmm...was Hubbs subconsciously hoping I'd forget about them?) That wasn't going to happen. Anyway, the new sitting room felt off balance and odd with that corner hanging out all bare behind the wicker settee. I just had to try that door. 

We brought it in to the kitchen and for a moment the "new" of the new house tried to tell me that it was too chippy and banged up and that it's old hinges would damage the walls and that it would scratch the hardwood floor. The "new" house said "it will look out of place and everyone will think you're nuts for having some old crummy door in your kitchen". But once it was in place, I knew it was back home where it should be.

My clay sheep's head and the old vintage oval frame are here for now. Maybe this will be a place that I can change things out seasonally. I'm still looking for the mirror and wreaths...

Now my settee has it's old partner again, and I can sit here and enjoy a cup of tea in the afternoon, or read through a magazine while dinner is on the stove. My quilts, coverlets, plaid blankets, and pillows all have their old spot back.

Just a little more time to enjoy the hooked pillows and warm Fall blankets. And then it will be Christmas time, and I'll get to change it all up again.

I'm learning that there can be a balance of the things we love. That living with and decorating with "vintage" things is my first love. Capturing a feeling or essence of what makes a home comfortable, enjoyed, and reminiscent of our past is what's more important to me. I've realized this last year how much I've missed documenting the Seasons and Holidays the way I used to. While I admire all the bloggers that can give you 6 ways to do this, or 5 ways to do that, I know that that's not the real me. Finding the right light to show a flame of a candle, a delicate flower of a paperwhite, or an old religious print, is what I'm more about.

Oh, I'll always have a project to share, a painted something or other, and my latest decor idea, but this last year having had most of my things packed away, I've learned where my heart really is in blogging... and that's right where I started. Be yourself, and blog about what you love. Don't cave to the pressure to turn yourself into something you're not comfortable with. Take a rest and find your joy in life. It will show.

I'll be joining these get togethers this week:

Dwellings
Coastal Charm
Cozy Little House
A Stroll Thru Life
Cedar Hill Farmhouse
Savvy Southern Style
Mrs. Olson's
From My Front Porch to Yours

xoxo,

Buggy Wheel Door Decor and more...

What kind of fun are all of you up to this weekend?

I have a couple of little tidbits to share with you that were happening this last week. First off, I've had this old baby buggy wheel for years, but haven't done anything with it. I think it was the Junk Market gals, Ki and Sue that first had pics of these used as door decor. Of course I'm usually a day late and a dollar short, so I'm just now slapping some preserved leaves and a burlap ribbon on it and calling it "done".

My old picket fence gate with the great natural chippy white paint 

always seems to be the perfect spot to show something off. 

And my dear friend Becky from Timewashed sent me a couple of adorable fat pumpkins a few weeks ago, and I'm just now getting pics. Isn't that ticking stripe just the cutest? It matches my ticking pillows out here on the sunporch. She still has some cuties in her Etsy Shop and is starting on Christmas items. Can't wait to see what kind of goodies she will have.

thank you Becky, you're such a sweetheart!

and just a "Blogger" question...

anyone else out there having problems with it being slow?

takes forever to download photos...

doesn't read color or white correctly on photos...

Doesn't like "saving" the post...

acts like it's possessed?

I'm on Google Chrome,

any thoughts?

I've been pulling my hair out trying to do posts and get a new Fall header up.

If it's not "Blogger" then I'm skeert to think what it might be.

I don't like computer goblins.

(see what I mean, the background below is supposed to be white)

So, if you have this problem of your images turning grainy, mine were especially after saving them back to my file from PicMonkey, please read the comments below from Nita Stacy. She has the answer. Change the jpeg to png when you save it back to your file.

after changing it over to png.

YAY NITA!!!!

joining in at these great parties:

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Knick of Time

Savvy Southern Style

I Love Junk Party at Thistlewood Farms

xoxo,

Early Fall Changes on the Sunporch

Happy Fall...for reals!

OK, it just hit me that we are coming in to the last full week of September, I can hardly believe it. And if I want to show you any changes that I made for an "Early Fall" sunporch vs. the "Late Summer" Sunporch of August, it had better be now.

Because things will change again in October and I'll bring out a few of my vintage Halloween things. I don't "do" Halloween up big like I did when my kids were little. Now, I just like to have a few little things that remind me of all the fun Halloween was when I was a kid. 

One of the changes was this old straggly suitcase here on my glass nesting tables in place of the Linen Picnic Hamper for Summer. I brought out my big orange Butterscotch Wafers tin and snuggled an ivy inside. I also found the O'Cedar tin awhile back. It's pretty rough, but then I just love the color.

One of my little birdies found a spot to perch.

It's pretty bright out here, you may need to put on your sunglasses.

But that's what I love about my sunporch, I can go color crazy!

I made a few Fall changes out here on the Baker's Rack too. My black kitchen scales are back, I added an old open garden book, there's an orange pottery tea pot and tray, an orange plaid Thermos, and then my "Make Your Own Seedbox" that I made with Fall colors has shown up. I'd been saving it for this month.

Then, one of my little owl friends wanted to come out to play.

He's hanging out with another little friend in the birdcage.

and speaking of owls, did you catch my last post about "owls"?

The settee will get a change up for October too, 

I'm planning it right now...

hmmm...

This may happen this afternoon.

an antique sign I found a few years ago

 gets the "Bittersweet" treatment

on the chippy picket fence gate.

The black tole tray is still here holding some brown transferware, and I had to add a yummy candle to the mix. I have a candle burning most days from here on out. This one is Leaves, but good grief, the one in the kitchen is Pumpkin Pecan Waffle. That smell can make you go nuts...pun intended.

sitting in a cute wire pumpkin

I found a few sunflowers last weekend while I was out , but their little heads are now hanging, and they are dropping their petals. I'll be saving the heads to dry for next year.

Hope you're having a wonderful 1st day of Autumn!

I just put together a link on the sidebar and a new "page" on the header of my past "Autumn Projects and Inspiration". Hope you enjoy a look at some of the fun from the last 4 years.

If you have an Etsy Shop or Online Boutique,

 hope you'll join in tomorrow for 

I also have a new post out on my Spiritual Journey blog about "Being Available". My posts have been few and far between this last year, but I'm hoping to do better. Sometimes "life" gets a little overwhelming...

Joining in on these great parties:

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings
Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House
The Scoop at Cedar Hill Ranch

Have a wonderful Sunday!

xoxo,