You're Invited...

Please consider yourself personally invited to 

two of the most amazing Christmas Events of the Season.

Brian and Meloney Russell, aka

  The Seed Box Antiques

will be at Back Country Christmas in Branson

this weekend.

And also Robin Gilmore of

  Robin's Vintage Suitcase

will be opening for the Season at her wonderful Carriage House.

(Scroll down for Information on both shows)

The Seed Box Christmas Open House 2010

And...

Photos from Robin's Fall Open House 2011

Hope you can make these

 wonderful Christmas events!

It's in the Details

I guess you'd have to say I was a detail oriented person;

 but not to be confused with "perfectionist",

'cause that, I am not...

I really admire the people that can put out a vase of flowers 

or one or two items and call it a day with their decor.

I just can't...I enjoy that look, I just can't get there.

I like "things"... and I like having them around where I can enjoy them.

Hopefully, not to be confused with "materialistic".

Just because I enjoy them doesn't mean

 that I count them as Most Important. 

I think you know what I mean.

One thing I really love are old religious prints,

I'm getting a nice collection,

 not to worry if they are water stained or crumbling,

that just makes them all the more precious to me.

A couple of them are hanging in the Dining Room,

more come out at Christmas.

I'm particularly fond of this next one,

with all the pen scrolls and flourishes.

If anyone out there knows the technical name

 for these type of pieces, I'd love to hear from you. 

It's very old and in it's original frame.

A few other vintage pieces are here too,

the frame on this one (the Gleaners)

is very worn and there is a prominent water stain,

but it's very dear to me.

I collect sheep and lambs and I do move them around,

but they mostly live on the buffet.

This is my  new baby from St. Louis.

And I showed you my new tablerunner that I made, 

I'm seriously in love with it and don't know if I can 

change it out for Christmas.

I have two of these plates with the crown.

I assume they must have been from a restaurant, 

because of the heaviness of the plates.

This French metal basket is something I always keep on the table,

I just change out the flowers, 

but usually it has faux hydrangeas of some sort in there.

I consider William Bouguereau to be my favorite artist.

 His paintings of Madonnas are so ethereal.

A vintage floral print

OK, this is just packed, but I can't help it...

So many of you mentioned my church pew yesterday.

Honestly, it must have ten layers of ugly paint on it, and it's pretty rough,

but I had a church pew about twenty years ago that  I parted with

due to downsizing,

and I've kicked myself a million times!!

a very old doll trunk is underneath.

Thanks for letting me share my things.

Playing in the dining room is my therapy.

I'm linking with these parties.

Very Merry Vintage Style

A Stroll Thru Life

Coastal Charm

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Faded Charm

Primp

No Minimalist Here

DIY by Design

Hope you're having a great week,

be sure and click here to join in for the Give Away

 if you haven't entered.

Oh, and I just loaded up the Etsy Shop 

with some new necklaces!

xoxo,

Autumnal tones in the Dining Room

I always look forward to each new season;

Fall is winding down and winter is almost here.

Having a neutral backdrop has made my seasonal decorating 

so much more enjoyable.

Subtleties of color and texture can be felt more easily.

and one small change can make such a difference.

These brown transfer plates hanging below the sconces

 have been up since I repainted the dining room last year.

I've kept things mostly earthy tones, using "nature" as my teacher.

I remember when I was newly married, a magazine article

which featured the elements of Country French style.

Funny, I don't know where that article is now,

but I remember the jest of it.

It was how Country French married the rustic

and utilitarian of the countryside with the elegance of the Court.

I've always loved "elegant" tempered with "farmhouse".

I like Old World baskets tucked underneath and on top, 

holding essentials like linens and pottery;

The feel of antiquity being at home with the practical.

I wanted a new tablerunner, 

or something to change out my late Fall table.

I had it in my mind, trying a dozen different things in here.

Then I dug through my material bin

 and found this elegant piece of muted floral silk.

I didn't have enough, so my elegant silk

paired up with a utilitarian drop cloth for the ruffle.

And a chenille tapestry pillow tops an old crazy quilt 

with a velvet border on my old church pew.

I painted this church pew white last Spring;

Before, it had been black.

...love the white.

As you can see a small tree is up waiting for it's decorating.

(right after Thanksgiving)

I love layering vintage mirrors; multifaceted reflections.

My sheep and lambs are always here on the buffet

 in their special place.

Tomorrow I'm showing "the details" of this room.

Hope you'll come back.

And if you haven't joined in for the 

All Things French Give Away

then click here to enter!

I'm joining in with the parties this week,

Between Naps on the Porch

Cottage and Vine

The Tablescaper

Tomorrow, It's in the Details...

xoxo,