Easy and Instant Patriotic Decor

Today I realized if I didn't make a little effort to put together some decor for the 4th, it would really be too late. I've been enjoying decorating with a Patriotic theme for my whole life, and I didn't want this to be the year to not continue. The 4th of July holiday epitomizes the feel for summer fun... trips to the lake, cookouts, family get-togethers. When I was a kid that meant that there were always family gatherings with fireworks, a grill, and several buckets of homemade ice cream. 

Life can change in an instant...

Sometimes life can change within a matter of minutes... that's what happened to me last Friday at 5:00 in the afternoon. I had just published a post here on the blog about the heart procedure that I had had earlier in the week. Things had gone pretty well and I was home and feeling better. I had a few minutes to reply to a few of you that had left a comment.  If you haven't read that post from Friday afternoon, you can find it here.

Summertime Views

(Sharing some photos from last Summer's Home Tour.)

Low Thyroid: Sharing a post on Hair Loss and Thinning

I'm working on my post about the breadcrumb trail with Autoimmune Disease linking to Heart Disease that I've been following this last few months, and I've been checking back on some web articles and research. Today, I was looking back through the Blog Links List I have in my blog Footer toward the end with links to Autoimmune Illness and Gluten-Free Recipes. You'll see it on the left-hand side after the post.

Still here...

Hi Friends...
still here.
still waiting.

This afternoon I was updating my Series on "Regaining Your Health". I've had a lot of moving parts to rearrange and add, but unbeknownst to me, one part updated on today's date. Sorry for the confusion, BUT that does give me a chance to let you know what I'm doing and where I am in all the latest.

Happy Mother's Day and a note

Just wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to everyone, and I hope you're having a beautiful day. April was a record cold month, but now all of a sudden when May got here it's turned into a heavy muggy 85, seemingly over night. 

a little personal update...

Hi Friends, just wanted to do a quick "hello" and let you know I'm taking a few days or so off, to have some heart tests. My health has been fairly unpredictable for awhile with the Gluten Ataxia and the Autoimmune revelations. 

(photos from 2014)

Birds and Branches

This has been such a cold Spring... very few warm days with a lot of cold and dreary ones. The flowering trees and growing things got a late start. Then just when they thought it was safe, we had nights of temps in the 20's. So the peach tree, plum tree, and cherry tree have had their bloom time disturbed and cut short. 

Spring Market and Vintage Ivy Dishes

Spring Open Houses seem to be a little late this year, but since our weather has been on the cold side, I think we're all running a little behind schedule. We (my sis and I) only made it a couple of places, but we got our fix for all things Spring.

What Everyone Needs to Know about Autoimmune Disease

What I knew about Autoimmune Disease up till about 18 months ago was basically very little. I knew that Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and what I deal with, Hashimoto's Disease of the Thyroid, (low or hypothyroid) were autoimmune, but that was about it. My information and opinions were ambiguous and uninformed at best. I'm writing this post to share with you my experiences and the information I've gathered in hopes that you or someone you know might be made more aware of the subject of Autoimmune Disease.

www.sjogrens.org

Seed Box Vignette on the China Cupboard

Since Easter, I've been puttering around here bringing in some vintage pieces that are seasonally "Spring". I just removed the "bunnies" on top of the china cupboard, and replaced them with a  vignette using an old wooden box decoupaged with seed graphics. It was a "make-do" attempt, but with that wonderful original green paint, it makes a perfect display piece for Spring.

Easy Repairs to a Vintage Oil Painting

I'm always on the hunt for vintage or antique watercolor and oil paintings when I'm out at the vintage markets or fleas. Pastorals or landscapes are my favorites, but are getting hard to find. Not to mention, the prices can be pretty steep. So when I happened to spot this canvas a few weeks ago, I grabbed it up.

Easter Inspiration with a few of our Friends

Happy Easter, Friends

I hope you're having a wonderful Easter Weekend, full of friends and family. Somehow our weather didn't get the memo for a Beautiful Spring Day. Oh well, we have joy and sunshine on the inside! Have you had a chance to visit and link up your Spring and Easter posts at the Spring and Easter Joy Link Party? well, come on over and share your Spring Inspiration with the rest of us. Here are a few fun links from our friends... take a peek and enjoy!

Easter Table Inspiration at 

Hyacinths For the Soul

Spring and Easter Joys Blogger Link Party

Happy Good Friday, Friends. I hope you've been able to "Hop" through our Vintage Easter Joys Blog Hop this week. If you haven't had a chance, I have the list of bloggers sharing their wonderful inspiration for Easter at the end of this post. Today we're inviting you all to share your Spring and Easter posts with all of us. Each of the twelve bloggers participating in the Hop are also hosting the Linky Party, so your linked posts will be seen on 12 different blogs!

Vintage Easter Joys Blog Hop

Hello Everyone, Happy Easter Week! We've gathered 12 Vintage Lovin' Bloggers together to Celebrate Easter and Spring this week. No matter what the weather, we're all decorated and ready to share the fun of Easter, with a vintage twist.

Vintage Easter Inspiration on Palm Sunday

Hello Friends, I hope this Palm Sunday is a beautiful day for you all. I'm sharing some pics from a Vintage Easter Vignette I put together a few years ago, inspired by the book "Fairytale Easter" from Jeanne d'Arc Living. I also want to let you know that a group of us who love Vintage, will be sharing our Vintage Easter items and decor this week, Tuesday March 27 and Wednesday March 28. Then on Friday we will all be hosting a Link Party for you all, Spring and Easter Joys Bloggers Link Party, Starting at 8 AM Central. We're hoping you will all join us to share your Spring and Easter Vignettes and Decor.

(This is not a sponsored post)

Spring Home Tour 2018

Hi Everyone, and welcome to the 2018 Spring Home Tours hosted by our friend Marty from A Stroll Thru Life. Marty herself is putting the finishing touches on her lovely home and has taken us on her remodeling and decorating journey this last year. Thanks so much for including me in the tour, Marty. If you're here from Far Above Rubies, I know you enjoyed Anita's amazing one-of-a-kind vintage eclectic home filled with wonderful color and pattern. If you've missed part of the Home Tour, I have a list of participants at the end of the post.

Easter Mantel with a Vintage Touch

Since changing up my fireplace mantel is like climbing Mt. Everest, I try to keep things a little easier to decorate. If I find a piece that works well up here, it tends to stick around for awhile. The mirror, wreath and Monogram are staples here, keeping those in place, I can more easily find elements that fit the season or holiday.

Sharin' O' the Green

Happy St. Patty's Day to all of you! I imagine that many of us here in the U.S. have a smidge of Irish in us. I like to think so, maybe for just today. I have always enjoyed pulling a few green things together to celebrate the Holiday. So I thought I'd share these images with you for a wee bit of Irish fun and hopefully a proper Irish Blessing!

Hop Into Spring Blog Hop

Hi Everyone, I'm so glad you're here today to celebrate Spring and join us with our "Hop Into Spring" Home Tour. My good friend Amber from Follow the Yellow Brick Home has brought together a group of Bloggers who love to decorate their homes with the colors and warmth of the Spring Season. If you've come from Stacey at Poofing the Pillows, Hello and Welcome to Common Ground. I'm so glad you are here and following the Hop.

Moss Covered Cross for Easter

This last week I've been bringing out "Spring" around the house. There still aren't many signs outside except for some Daffodils and the buds growing on the trees. It's been fairly bleak around here weather wise. Typical March weather, windy and on the cool side. Did I mention "windy"? Enough to blow you away.  

How to know when it's almost Spring...

Of course the weather will be on a gradual warming curve; more days of 60 than of 30. I can see little bits of green popping up, previously hidden in the "monkey grass" along the courtyard sidewalk. The buds on the Peach tree are swelling up, just waiting to explode in a gorgeous pink bloom. But there's one sure way to tell Spring is almost here...

Weathered Gray Finish for the Spring Cart Refresh

Last post I shared my inspiration pics on giving my black goat cart a freshen-up for Spring. I had a plan to use Chalk Paint as I had a few colors on hand from previous paint projects. There are a few go-to colors that I have used in combo for most all my furniture painting. What is that old saying about plans?

Spring Paint Refresh for the Goat Cart

After Valentine's Day is here and gone, we can legitimately begin to think about Spring. Around here in the southern Mid-West, February is still considered Winter. Cold temps, freezing rain and snow are the norm. Once and awhile we'll have a surprise day or two of 65. There may be a few little Daffodils pushing up through the snow, and we know the worst of Winter is usually over. We can now start dreaming about gardens, flowers, and all things "green", without judgement. (insert happy face and a wink)

source

A Little Cottage Romance

Hi Friends, I challenged my decorating "self" this month to do some Valentine's Day vignettes with pinks and soft pastels instead of a lot of red. No sooner do I put away the reds from Christmas than they're back again for February and Valentine's Day. I wanted to keep the Baker's Rack romantic and feminine, so I used my antique china teapots and some of my English Cottages to keep things sweet and homey.

How to Make a Moss-Covered Heart

I love organic decor accessories and using nature to guide and enhance the Seasons and Holidays. I'm  also a fan of layering those natural organic pieces with mirrors and walls, doors and vignettes. Wreaths, faux flowers, branches, and natural elements can come together to create a one-of-a-kind Holiday Centerpiece for your room.

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.

What to Wear... on Valentine's Day

Today I was thinking back to the late 80's and 90's when we had a sweater or sweatshirt for every holiday and theme. If the sweatshirts were hand painted then even better. Every store at the mall had their signature styles for the Holiday, and of course Valentine's Day attire needed to be in some hot shade of red or pink. That trend may not be in style this year, decade or even millennium, but we can still pull out some trendy fashion that celebrates this special day! Here are just a few that I thought would be fun, and guess what... some of them are even PINK!

Burberry Pink Trench

A Very Vintage Valentine Blog Hop and Link Party

Hi Friends, so glad you're here today, as I'm joining in with a group of like minded, vintage-loving blogger friends to share our ideas for Valentine's Day. Whether you decorate your whole house, scatter a few hearts around, or just do a simple vignette, you're in for some fun and inspiration with our 

Very Vintage Valentine Blog Hop and Party

Vintage Finds for Valentine's Decor

The last few days I've been hunting down my boxes of Valentine's Day things and I've located one tub, but the other is somewhere in the vast nether regions of the Arctic Storage; AKA, the garage. Since I'm not into freezing, I'm having to try to rethink some other vintage items that can become stand-ins for my usual Valentine goodies.

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.

Kitchen Sitting Area with a Cottage Feel

I've always loved the quaint tradition of tucking in photos and postcards around the edges of a mirror; like a little memo board of sorts. It reminds me of my childhood and the vanity and hall mirrors of my aunts and grandmothers.

Vintage Elements on the January Baker's Rack

Before the calendar changes over to February and we find ourselves indulging in all shades of pink and rosebuds and hearts and Valentines, I'm finally able to share some of the vintage goods that I've brought together here in the Kitchen Sitting Area.

Neutral Winter Home Decor Link Party

Neutral Winter Home Decor Blog Hop

Hello Everyone, and welcome to Day 3 of the Neutral Winter Home Decor Blog Hop! If you're coming from Jaclyn's blog, Fancy Pants Mommy Company I'm so glad you're here! With all the weeks of Christmas decorating we all did, I know I was really ready for a different look around the house on January 1. I always look forward to putting all the Christmas decor snug in their tubs waiting for next season. A little space to breath and a fresh clean look is a positive way for me to start the New Year.

A January Re-Set for Winter Decor

How do you like to decorate when all the Christmas decor is packed away? Maybe it's just something that doesn't include glitter. Do you like to do something fresh and new? I know I love to start a clean slate in January with the brand new year, and that usually means minimizing "color" and using a more neutral lens with my decor.

A Look at Winter Neutrals

Hi Friends, I'll be sharing how I do Neutral Winter Decor along with a great group of bloggers in a Hop next week. (my post is on Wednesday) But today I'm going to give you a little taste of what's going on here, with a few ideas and details.

Wooden Crate Refresh and an Ironstone "Candleholder"

Before I say anything else, I want to say thank you to everyone who read my previous post on my health update and family "goings on". Those are hard posts to write, but I feel like I need to be open and honest in my blogging, just as I try to be in my everyday life. It's difficult for me to share a minor little DIY or decor update when there are things going on in life that are important. Having said that, I also don't want to be burdening you all with personal stuff constantly. So thank you for your comments and prayers, and for sending good thoughts my way. I want to share things with you all in case something I'm dealing with can maybe help one of you or someone you know.

It's Personal...

All the Christmas decor is pretty much put away by today. I packed things up in temporary plastic tubs because it's just too cold to go out and rummage around in the garage (my seasonal decor boxes are in one area) I replaced the Christmas things with "winter" things, because, well, it's winter, and I like winter when it's not 0 degrees outside. We're having an early burst of super cold, and I'm wandering around the house with multiple layers of long underwear and thermal/fleece things. Warmth and comfort, I'm all about that right now.

My Year in Pictures...

Hi Friends, I hope you had a Wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a Happy New Year. Last year I started what I think will be a new tradition. Instead of having multiple posts about the most viewed posts or whatever, from the last year of blogging, I just decided to share some of my favorite pics and ideas from the year. Some may seem random, but they have stuck in my memory. There are links to the particular post, but you can see much more by just following my journey in my Archives which are on the sidebar.

Christmas By Candlelight

To Each and All, 

Have a Lovely Christmas,

full of friends, family, and Good Cheer. 

We thank our Heavenly Father,

for the most Wonderful Gift of All,

His Son.

"All Together Now" Christmas Home Tour 2017

Welcome Friends...

It's become a little of a tradition to put together a post of all our rooms decorated for the Holidays. I've shared bits and pieces of our 2017 Christmas Home over these last several weeks, and I know this is a little late, but I realized I hadn't shown pictures of the Living Room. So this is the "Official Tour" that includes it all...  yes, even the Kitchen Sink.

Merry Christmas to Each and Everyone;

all my friends and readers here at Common Ground.

A Mixed-Up Christmas Brunch

Last year I put together a fun little Christmas Brunch Tablescape here in the kitchen. Of course, it featured Plaid and my Red Transferware, but this year I thought I'd mix it up a bit. I have a few place settings of Green Transferware that I usually keep in the cupboard that only come out in Spring or at Easter.