Christmas decorating...

Here is a spot in the eating area of my kitchen decorated for Christmas.  It is right be the front door which we never use and holds a collection of Christmas items.

 This is my little woodland tree.  I love some of the owl ornaments available.  I can just imagine in years down the road, people will think back and remember that it was around 2012 when owls were a big thing in home decorating.

A bit of sparkly woodland sits here.  And deer, especially sparkly glittered ones, will be remembered either fondly or with a head shake or perhaps deer and owls will become more of a classic.

More bits and pieces put together to create one version of Christmas at my house.

December Chalkboard Art

Just a short post to show you my chalkboard project for December.

Chalk, paper towel, and q-tips used on some chalkboard paint on the back of a door.

Do you have a spot where you do chalkboard art?  

Linens, Lace and History

These are some items that carry a bit of history as well as adding the interest of old fabrics and lace.  They hang in my guest room.

This bonnet is part of my baptism outfit.   Along with the bonnet is a sheer white cotton sleeveless dress and a smocked jacket.  Time has taken it's toll on the sheer cotton.

The scalloped edge and hand stitching are so dainty.

Here is a close up of the smocking.

Hanging next to the baptism outfit is a crinoline that belonged to my mom.

No starch and hanging softly now.

A soft contrast to my new grey walls.

 In the corner is the hem of a dress I wore as a preschooler.  Bits of the past lingering in the present and bringing smiles.

Shades of Grey (I am talking paint)

I have been loving all the shades of gray on Pinterest, (I haven't read the book, have you?) I bought paint, and it sat for about 6 months. I wasn't sure if grey paint would feel to cold or gloomy during our long North Dakota winters so I hesitated. But this past weekend I was ready to make a change.

Lots of pictures...

I painted two walls the darker shade of grey, and the other walls a lighter shade.

 The picture above and below capture the two different shades.

 I have yet to figure out what I want for a head board here.  I had a screen door above the bed before.

Those pictures provide a quick overview of a very small bedroom that serves as our guest room.

This is a lovely old dresser I found and left in all it's shabby white charm.  Some of my favorite type objects sit atop it:  candles, old silver, tin, mercury glass, vanilla candles, nature, dried roses and hydrangeas,  linens, and ephemera.    That is a lot of elements in one small space.  And the grey and white are not at all cold, as I had feared.

I love this old metal tin.  I still regret that I did not buy a second one I ran across a year later.

And yet another picture, just because.

This room holds a lot of the treasures I find.  An old tin box sits beside the dresser,  An antique circular metal piece leans against an old screen door.  Ribbons from one of my horse shows this summer add a touch of yellow to this side of the room.

Old linens add softness and warmth and further hold any coldness at bay.

This is a fairy I bought for myself many years ago and holds a lot of meaning for me.

And another collection of 'things'.  Spare and clean is evidently not my style, huh?

Do you like my shades of grey?

Witches invited...

..to park their brooms!   LOL!  Sometimes I have way too much fun doing pointless things.

We live out in the country.  Wind and rain will probably do a number on this display, so it may not last long.  But it was 70 degrees today and likely to be the last day that warm until next April.  I had to find something to do outside after work, so I decided to play.

A recent snow fall broke a lot of branches off our trees so I had a lot of choices for broomsticks.  This bright green broom is made with day lily leaves.  

This broom is made with peonies that had been trimmed back for the winter.

And this broom is made is made from dead evergreen branches.

All witches are invited to park their brooms at my house....  who knows, I may even have a roaring bonfire to sit around while enjoying the cool fall evenings before snow starts falling.

Drinks anyone?

Halloween is one of those occasions that lends itself to having fun.  A little imagination can go a long way with simple additions to vignettes.  A few leftovers, items from the dollar store, and a few moments of craftiness add a touch of the macabre.

Gotta love the dollar store!  Skeleton parts, skull, and two glass candlesticks and a candle holder for a total of $5.00 add a little Halloween fun.

I glued together two glass candlesticks and spray painted them black and then glued a candle holder on top to hold the small skeleton parts which came from a garland.

The bottle of arsenic is a label found online printed out and glued to a salsa jar painted black.

 Appetizers anyone?  I am sure they are tasty......

And you can wash them down with a nice glass of Graveyard Spirits or Embalming juice....  mwahahaha....
(Beacon 527 glue is great for gluing labels to bottles.)

Arsnic and lace perhaps?   Your welcome to come visit, if you dare.

Here the labels I found when looking for free clip art in case you would like to use them also:

Sharing this post at a few parties:

Introducing Finn

Finn is our new kitten.  I hadn't realized that when I was told he was a Snowshoe kitten that it referred to a breed and not his coloration.   His ears are smudge collored and he has a ring tail.  It will be fun to see how much the dark points darken as he gets older.  Sorta cool having a rare breed of cat.  He is such a snuggler and the only kitten we have ever had that goes to bed with us and stays curled up and sleeping until we get up in the morning.

Textures

Warm hues and rich textures resonate with the season.  Autumn leads to shifting attention and projects indoors.  Celebrating the warmth of home.

Old yellowed book pages rolled and wrapped with twine then gathered in a basket.  Simple items that bring richness.  Contrasts of paper, basket, lace and smooth metal.  Lights and darks gathered together.

 
Curves and lines reminding one of classic shapes and architecture.

Inviting one to touch the pages.  Warm colors that invite one in.

Simple and complex at the same time.