Wordless Wednesday - Fall Decorating

Thursday Thoughts - Unfinished Projects

My many unfinished projects have been on my mind recently.  I'm not even talking about projects that are in the works, but needlework projects that were completely stitched... and then put in a drawer.  I have an antique 2-drawer dresser and both drawers are full of those pieces.

I probably talked about this before because they've been stacking up for years.  However, I've decided to make a real effort to finish them so they can be displayed.  There are at least 25 of them, and probably even more than that.

So, plans for the next several months are to begin pulling them out and either framing them (I do my own framing and collect frames from different places, including sales at the crafts stores), or finishing them as pillows, ornaments, wall hangings, banners, etc.  It's a shame that they've been sitting there for so long when they could be decorating some walls.  I plan on also using a few as Christmas gifts :)

Joanne

Autumn Greetings

It's been a busy autumn so far and I've been spending long days here at the computer working, while enjoying the cool breezes coming in from the front door.  We've been having some lovely fall days here in south central Texas with days in the lower to mid 80s, and nights in the lower 50s.  Colors on the large trees at the golf course in our neighborhood have been changing to golden the last couple of weeks and when you walk or drive past in the mornings you see lots of leaves on the ground. 

Most of our color changes occur later in October and continue throughout November and even into December.  Thanksgiving time is when they seem to be at their brightest colors of orange and red. When I went to the mailbox this morning I noticed 2 red leaves on the walkway - the first I've seen from the two large trees we have in the front of the house.  You don't notice them changing color as much because they start from the very top of the tree and work their way down, so the first signs are the few leaves you spot on the ground. 

I started doing a little of my fall decorating and hope to have that finished this weekend.  Tomorrow would be a good day while I watch football games all day :)  I'll also be stitching on a few models I'm trying to finish up for the Online Needlework Show.  That will take place October 21st through 26th and my company, Of Generations Past, will be one of the vendors this year.  I'm also happy to report that I'm now with Hoffman Distributing Company, and many of my charts can be purchased through them, as well as through my webshop.  You can read more about these business items on my Of Generations Past blog, so I won't repeat it all here.

This year seems to be flying by way too quickly, but it's been a great one.  I've loved working on my business, even though with deadlines I'm often sitting here working 12 to 14 hours a day.  I've always thrived on deadlines and the more pressure, the more I seem to accomplish.  It works well for me.  One negative aspect of having my own business is being responsible for all the tasks I don't like to do, and would normally delegate.  I'm great at procrastinating on some of these things!  However, it's always great to see a finished product and to share good news with friends.

Speaking of friends, I've been blessed in that area, too.  I have a few good online friends I've known for years who I've been working with - one on a few needlework projects, one on a large book project, and another (as well as the other two) who is always there to encourage and celebrate (both business and family things).

Circumstances have also worked out in strange and roundabout ways that have led me to old friends that I worked with over 25 years ago in my magazine/newspaper publishing career.  Strange the way things work out, isn't it??   Actually, I guess it's not so strange.  When I worked at our Lutheran church in Tucson, Arizona, several years ago, one of the pastors I worked with always said that there were no coincidences - that everything happens in time for God's reasons and His purposes.  I like that, and think that's why these people are back in my life now :)

I guess you can tell that autumn time is also nostalgia time for me.  It seems to be that way each year and I've had long talks about that with my friend Linda.  This year it seems to be even stronger.  And on a silly note, it also makes me very homesick for the apple cider donuts I used to be able to get back east!!  Gosh, I miss those this time each year!!  A favorite thing my husband and I always did was to go to our favorite nursery to look at their fall plants, and they'd always offer free hot apple cider and apple cider donuts while you browsed.  I have the apple cider... just miss the donuts!!

I hope you're all having a wonderful autumn, too!

Joanne

Autumn Projects - Week 3

Here we are at Week 3 of our September craft/decorate-along. How did you do last week? I hope you got something accomplished towards the Halloween or Autumn season.

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"The lands are lit
With all the autumn blaze of Golden Rod;
And everywhere the Purple Asters nod
And bend and wave and flit."
~ Helen Hunt

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PORCH SIDE ENTERTAINING

~ Use bales of hay for seats for guests and toss fall-patterned tablecloths over them.
~ Sprinkle cinnamon inside a jack o' lantern for a delicious fragrance on the front porch.
~ For porch lighting in the evening, use apples and small pumpkins as votive holders.
~ Prepare your favorite chili recipe and serve it outside with an assortment of toppings!
~ Serve Hot Mulled Cider for a crowd ~ made in an automatic coffee maker right on the front porch. Here's a recipe:

HOT MULLED CIDER

1 gallon apple cider
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup red hot cinnamon candies
4 three-inch cinnamon sticks, broken
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Prepare cider using a large automatic coffee maker. Substitute the cider for the water. Place the rest of the ingredients in the coffee basket and brew. Serve hot in tin or enamel mugs topped with orange slices. The fragrant aroma of this cider is sure to keep everyone gathered on the front porch.


(From one of my favorite books, 'My Front Porch... An Invitation to the Charm and Tradition', by Alda Ellis, with paintings by Sandy Lynam Clough. The copyright is 1999 by Harvest House Publishing. I highly recommend it!! If you can find it, it's worth owning.)

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"September: it was the most beautiful of words,
he’d always felt,
evoking orange-flowers, swallows, and regret."
- Alexander Theroux, 1981

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ANNIE'S OCTOBER HOLIDAYS LINK

I've always loved Annie's Christmas pages, as well as all the other great things she offers. Here's a link for her October Holiday pages. You'll find all sorts of information, puzzles, quotes and activities for TONS of holidays in the month of October. Enjoy!

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"There were three ravens sat on a tree,
They were as black as they might be.
The one of them said to his mate,
'Where shall we our breakfast take?' "
~ Anonymous

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This is one of my favorite muffins that my daughter, Jacquelyn likes to bake. I hope you like them as much as we do!!

JACQUELYN'S MAPLE MUFFINS
(Yield: 12 muffins)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

~ Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

~ In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl combine milk, butter, syrup, sour cream, egg and vanilla. Stir into the dry ingredients until moistened.

~ Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees for 16-20 minutes. Test with toothpick to make sure muffins are done. Cool for 5 minutes before removing them from pans, and finish cooling on wire racks.

My Weekly Project Update

A few posts ago I shared the information for the first week of our autumn projects craft-along on my Holiday group. I feel great that I accomplished a few things by pulling out projects that were done, but never finished. It made things easy for me to complete this first assignment. I thought I'd share some photos before I post this current week's information.



This little scarecrow was stitched over 10 years ago, but never got any further than the dresser drawer. I pulled it out the other day, added a backing fabric, stuffed it, added the two pumpkin buttons and the raffia. As you can see, it still has the pin in the bottom, but that will disappear later today when I stitch up the bottom opening.







This is the Prairie Schooler Autumn Leaves design that I stitched two years ago. I wish the picture were brighter so you could see the beautiful fabric that I used for the borders. It's deep shades of autumn colors with a design of leaves, with gold accents. Hopefully once it's ironed, the bottom opening stitched, and hanging on the wall, I can get a better photo where you can actually see the pretty fabric.














I didn't have enough of the one fabric for the backing, so I used another pretty piece I had that features autumn leaves :)











Here are my autumn yo-yos, which I sewed in August. I'm going to sew them into a table runner in the next couple of weeks.









And here are some more yo-yos. They're not autumn, but since they're made from patriotic fabrics, I think it's perfect to share today since tomorrow, 9/11, is now known as Patriot Day here in the United States. For these I decided to do very small yo-yos and used a juice glass as my template. When stitched the yo-yos are about 1 inch in diameter and very cute! I like having the bag of circles all cut because it makes it easy to just pick it up and stitch a few whenever I'm in the mood. I plan to use them for a few different projects like table runners or candle mats.

Weekly Projects for Autumn

I know it's only September 2nd, but I'm thinking of autumn and the upcoming holidays. On one of my groups, Homespun Holidays, we've started a weekly prompt to remind us all to work on some crafts projects and decorating for autumn or Halloween. With weekly reminders during the month of September, we should be all finished (hopefully!!) with our project and will be ready to decorate when October rolls around. I thought it might be fun to share with you what we'll be receiving each week in those email notices. This one is for the first week of September. Do you have any fall or Halloween projects planned?

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"The breezes taste
Of apple peel.
The air is full
Of smells to feel-
Ripe fruit, old footballs,
Burning brush,
New books, erasers,
Chalk, and such.
The bee, his hive,
Well-honeyed hum,
And Mother cuts
Chrysanthemums.
Like plates washed clean
With suds, the days
Are polished with
A morning haze."

- John Updike, September

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A LINK FOR AUTUMN CRAFTS AND FUN

Here's a link with some wonderful crafts for the fall season. There are printables for puzzles to do yourself (or for your kids or grandkids), fall leaf template cutouts for crafts and cards, ideas for decorating for the fall holidays, suggested fall activities, and even the answers to some questions (like why do leaves change color). Check it out... there's plenty to see and do!!
http://www.creativity-portal.com/howto/artscrafts/crafts_autumn.html

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"By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer's best of weather
And autumn's best of cheer."

- Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885

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DECORATING THE FRONT PORCH FOR AUTUMN

~ Use bales of hay to hold seasonal decorations. Pots of mums, pumpkins, gourds, and a scarecrow can sit on top.
~ Keep a basket filled with a variety of pumpkins, gourds and Indian corn on the porch steps.

An Old Work in Progress

I was recently organizing my crafts closet and had to keep moving this project from place to place. I finally took the hint and decided to finish it. I can't remember when I first started this but it was about 7 or 8 years ago. I got all the cross stitch done first, and then sandwiched it and began quilting by hand. Actually, that's almost finished, too. There really isn't that much more work to do to get the quilting finished, then bind it, and it's all set for the holidays.




My plan was to use this on one of the many tables we have scattered around the house. Now I'm thinking I might use it as a tree skirt for a small tree I put in the front window (which sits on a large cedar chest). As you can tell, I'm in a "Christmas in July" mood :)

(And I really should have taken the hoop off before I took the picture...)

A Bit More Southwest

I was recently talking with a friend about some of the southwest things I have here at home. The style doesn't go with the rest of the house, but we decided to use the office/computer room/library as a place for the southwest items I've kept since we lived in Arizona. The floor is ceramic tile and the walls are painted a color called Desert Sand. I painted a large cabinet a very pale light blue which looks good against the tan walls. And, here are a few of the items...






This is a painting on blue-grey suede. I loved the pueblo design (reminds me of Taos Pueblo, which I love to visit), and the colors in the women's clothing is so pretty. There are feathers around the top, and a chunk of turqoise in the center. I bought this from the artist at a crafts fair.














I found this poster on one of my trips to Santa Fe in the last few years. It came out a little dark in this photo so the pretty flowers are a bit difficult to see. My favorite scene is the bottom one, the turquoise gate with the snow :)













Here's a cross stitch table topper I stitched years ago when we were living in Arizona. It's on top of one of the bookcases where I keep a basket for the mail. The mug with the rabbit and cactus holds pens and pencils.









This is another table topper I stitched in Arizona. It's on top of the light blue cabinet. (I didn't realize how wrinkly these two pieces were until I saw the photos!)








Here's the cabinet with the items sitting on top. I use the set of canisters and the mug to hold pens, pencils, colored markers, etc. The canisters were hand made and purchased at a shop in Tucson called Old Town Artisans many years ago. The angel was a gift from a friend, and the mug is from a favorite shop in Tubac.





These three pieces are from a pottery shop in Taos, New Mexico, and unfortunately, I can't remember the name. (I have it here somewhere and when I find it, I'll edit this.) The woman who owns the shop makes the pottery and it's all so pretty. She has many different styles, but I've loved the colors in these designs. I keep the oval dish and the round dish/bowl in the guest/crafts room on the dresser. The oval dish holds little items while working (or is good for guests to use for holding rings, earrings, etc.). The other dish with the attached small bowl holds a candle.




Even though I don't remember the name of the shop, I can show you a picture. This was taken in January and shows Kit Carson Road off the main street in Taos. You'll see a few stairs along the sidewalk on the left that goes up to a little "boardwalk" walkway. That's where the pottery shop is located (just in case you visit there and want to stop in). :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Things have been busy since our spring semester of school started back on January 21st, and I just haven't had too much extra time to update my blogs. My needlework has suffered, too. So, I thought I'd stop in today to wish you all a happy Valentine's day, and to share some pictures with you.



First of all, on a homemaking list we had a Valentine's Day swap, and I received a box filled with fun things from my friend, Susan. Aren't the fabric scrap ornaments she made wonderful? I'm going to put them in a glass bowl on the coffee table. The colors are so cheerful and bright and will add a nice touch of color! (There were also some heart lollipops which weren't added to this photo, but you can seem them in the next one.)











We had a card exchange on both my homemaking list and my holiday list. It was so much fun to open all the envelopes and find such cute cards and great handcrafted gifts. It's fun to be in groups with such talented friends.







Back in January I was so sad to see that one of my favorite shops was closing after being there for eleven years. I loved visiting this shop whenever I needed gifts and was so sad to say goodbye. I went to their shop for the "going out of business" sale and planned to buy lots of goodies to put aside for gifts later in the year. Instead, I bought myself a gift. I spotted this handmade antique cabinet with nine deep drawers, and knew instantly that it would be perfect for all my floss. I spent much more than I had planned, even with the great discount, but it's well built and sturdy, and looks good sitting at the foot of the bed in my crafts room (which is also the guest room).



(I moved it to the side of the bed for photo purposes, since I couldn't get a good angle to take the picture with it resting at the foot.)



I'm so happy that I can fit all my floss in this cabinet ~ DMC, Anchor, and all the specialty threads ~ since it's so nice and large. Now I can empty the two large plastic containers that are sitting on one of the shelves in the closet and give those away. I'm sure I'll have no trouble filling up that empty space, especially the way I keep visiting the quilt shop and buying their beautiful bundles of fat quarters.

Our cat, Dinsdale, decided he wanted to be in the picture. Or maybe he just wanted to show the perspective of how much bigger the cabinet is compared to him :)













As you can see, the people at the shop painted the inside of the drawers, but left the outside "as is". I think I'll leave it, too, since I like the distressed and used look.














Finally, here are two of my current WIPs. I started Christmas Tea back in December and made great progress. Unfortunately, I had to set it aside because I've been having lots of trouble seeing in the evenings due to allergy problems (I'm not a fan of Mountain Cedar, and I'll leave it at that!). I hope to get back to this soon so I can finish up the design. I changed colors a bit and am using a pretty overdye blue for the bird on the left. The one on the right will be in red.








Since I missed stitching, I decided to try something different that I thought I could see in the evenings. I bought 10-count Tula fabric and started stitching one of the Prairie Schooler Santas. I'm going to use some leftovers of different fibers I have here from previous needlepoint projects, along with the DMC and overdyes. My local cross stitch shop had models of a few Christmas projects done on the large count fabric with silks, wools, DMC, ribbons, charms and buttons, and they looked like fun. When I'm finished, I'm going to stuff it, weight the bottom, and use it as a stand-up decoration.

December 1st

Happy December 1st! We've pulled out our favorite Advent calendars and enjoyed looking at the pictures for the day. Over the years we've saved some special ones, and have added two new ones this year.

We're having a grey, damp day, but my husband is outside getting the outdoor Christmas decorations from the storage shed. He'll be checking lights and then start hanging the garlands and bows along the fence, hanging wreaths on the side of the house and on the garage doors, and then adding the swags along the front porch area.

He already brought the empty "Autumn" box in from the garage for me. As soon as I finish my coffee and chatting with you, I'll pack the autumn decorations away until next year, and do some dusting. This evening I can begin setting up Christmas decorations. Maybe tomorrow we'll set up the tree...

Yesterday I took a few packages to the post office to mail, and I have a few more ready to go this week. Today I'll spend some time getting other things wrapped and put in boxes, and then just need to finish a few stitching projects to add before those are mailed.

My other tasks for today will be to start on the Christmas cards and to work on a few of my lists, making sure everything is listed that needs to be done.

I wish you all a wonderful and blessed Advent season! This is the time of year I really love adding to my Christmas blog, The Keeping of Christmas, and I decided to spend this month on my Authors' Ridge blog talking about Christmas books. What could be better??

A Little Fall Decorating

Welcome to my home!

This is the fall banner that greets you by the front entrance. I bought it several years ago at a small shop in Lancaster County, PA, and just love it.













I managed to get some autumn decorating done inside today ~ at least in the living room.


My first place to decorate (no matter what season!) is always the fireplace and mantel area.

These items have come from different places throughout the years. Some were gifts, like the old pewter pitcher where I placed the flowers... the flower arrangement on the mantel... the two pillows resting on the floor... and the Lang box on the hearth. Other items I found at crafts fairs or local shops.








I always change the painting on this wall to go with the seasons. This is one of my favorites, a water color painted by my first husband. (I apologize for the flash!)

I love it because it always reminds me of an autumn walk in the woods :) (Oh, he made the frame, too.)
















Here's a closer photo of the items on the little wicker table. The colored leaves are sitting in an old small milk can I bought at an antique shop a few years ago.















I love this metal sculpture of leaves. This was purchased when my cousin and I vacationed in Maine about five years ago. I found it in a shop in Camden, Maine, on a cold, cold, rainy day. It was a perfect day to roam through the shops, and make frequent stops for some hot cocoa and homemade blueberry pie!









Here's a small display of items on the coffee table. I'm still moving things around, so they might not all remain here, but they're fine for now. I just love that little ceramic squirrel I found in a small shop near here a few weeks ago! And please ignore the box of tissues in the upper left corner :)

I wish you could smell the wonderful aroma in this room from all the fall scented candles!!




And finally, this is one of my favorite items in my home. It's an antique cider press that was found in an old barn from the 1700s-1800s in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. All parts are wood, except for the tiny spout which you can just see in the front under the leaves. That's pewter. For years I've kept it filled with pine cones (something I collect!) and add some sprays of seasonal flowers or leaves. This year I decided to move the pine cones to a red basket, and I filled the press with artificial apples. I like the way it turned out :)

Above the press you can just see a bit of the window frame which looks into the kitchen from the living room. There's a nice area on each side to hang seasonal items, and I hope to share a few more photos in the days ahead ~ when I hang my Prairie Schooler banners there!

Projects to Enjoy!

I love Debbie Mumm designs and have a few of her quilting books. I also love the desktop designs she has available for the different seasons. I was just looking at her website and found these wonderful "freebies". You'll find different autumn ideas for scrapbooking, quilts, decorating and other projects, and there's also a great archive for various projects for different seasons.

So, if you have some spare time at the computer, and you love to craft, you might want to spend some time at her site and have your printer ready :) Lots of great ideas for Christmas gifts!!

I think I'm going to spend a little time looking at the shopping section. I just noticed there were some really cute fabrics, as well as stationery items (something else I can't resist!).

A New Finish and An Old One

It's been a busy week working on lesson plans and homekeeping tasks, but I managed to finally finish a cute freebie from Waxing Moon Designs called Autumn Blackbird.



A few days ago I pulled out a box of "almost finished" projects. Some of them were cross stitch, some crochet, some sewing, some quilting, and all need just a teensy bit of work to complete them. This cute little scarecrow is from Cedar Hill and was stitched in the 90s. I made a few of them and one or two made their way to friends. I kept this little guy. I think I'll finish this and the blackbird tomorrow, probably as little pillow ornaments to hang on a doorknob.

The Blessing of Herbs

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace,
As I have seen in one autumnal face.
~ John Donne

I had a huge herb garden years ago when we lived in New Jersey. I loved harvesting the plants and would hang the cuttings from the wooden chandelier in the dining room. It was a perfect place because I always had the windows open in that room in the autumn, as well as the top of the Dutch-style front door in the living room entry. There was a constant breeze between those two rooms, and as the herbs dried the entire house took on the wonderful aromas.

I've never had as much success with gardening as I did then, but I still like to make herbal gifts. Here are some ideas from one of my notebooks. Many of them would make lovely Christmas gifts!

~ Fill antique bottles with white vinegar and insert a sprig of your favorite herb into each one. Place them in a row on a windowsill for a country decoration until they're ready to use.

~ Line baskets with a homespun cloth and fill with your favorite mixture of potpourri... and place them throughout your house.

~ Make up lots of herb sachets and place them in your dresser drawers.

~ Layer different herbs and dried flowers in old canning jars and display them on windowsills, tables, or the fireplace mantel.

~ Place a spoonful of crushed herbs into a piece of Christmas homespun or calico, and tie with a red ribbon... use them as package decorations, or tie to the tree as ornaments.

A Friday Finish ~ Cappuccino

I just put the last few stitches in Cappuccino by Little House Needleworks, so I can officially declare a Friday Finish :)

This was my first time stitching with silks, and I really enjoyed it. I stitched the design on 28 count fabric (the 32 count which was recommended is too difficult for me to see), but I was fortunate that there was enough floss included that I was able to stitch the design using two strands.

I plan on hanging this and some other coffee and tea themed designs on a narrow wall in the kitchen (which is currently empty). There's a cart there that holds our coffee-espresso maker, as well as other beverage items.

Sunflowers and Planning

"The sunflowers hung their banners out in the sweet September weather;
A stately company they stood by the garden fence together,
And looked out on the shining sea that bright and brighter grew
And slowly bowed their golden heads to every wind that blew."

~ Celia Thaxter

This morning I've been going through some pages I printed out several years ago for a literature class, and thought I'd share the above quote. As you can probably tell, it was a collection of autumn quotes and poems :)

I have most of today free, so I decided to do a little lesson planning this morning for my literature class next week. I have that completed, and now I'm trying to catch up on some emails and blogs while I have another mug of hazelnut coffee. I'm hoping to catch up on laundry today and a little straightening that's much needed, and then I can have tomorrow free to work on some Christmas gifts. I think I'll also pull down the summer sea-theme decorations and begin decorating for autumn.

Last evening I was bringing my calendar up-to-date and realized how little time there is until the holidays arrive! I always think of the holiday season beginning in October with Halloween, and then there's Thanksgiving, and then Christmas. It always goes much too quickly for me. So, I'm hoping to get my time planned out so I can get things done that need to be done, and still have lots of time to enjoy my favorite time of year.

All the holiday catalogues are beginning to arrive and I just love looking through them. I do shopping online throughout the year, so I've also started receiving emails from a few companies with special offers. It's always so much fun to sit in front of the computer late at night in pajamas, having a mug of cocoa, and doing Christmas shopping :) This afternoon I'll be looking through the latest catalogues that came in ~ Gooseberry Patch, Current and Lang. One of my all-time favorites should be here in another few days ~ the one from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I already have a good portion of our gift giving taken care of, but it's always fun to find little items to go along with themes.

Time is passing quickly as I sit here, so I think I should finish up my computer "work" and start some of those homekeeping tasks I mentioned earlier!

Decorating Thoughts of the Sea

"Ah! What pleasant visions haunt me As I gaze upon the sea! All the old romantic legends, All my dreams, come back to me... Like the long waves on a sea-beach, Where the sand and silver shines, With a soft, monotonous cadence, Flow its unrhymed lyric lines ... " ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, from 'The Secret of the Sea'









"Cheerful voices by the sea-side
Echoed through the summer air,
Happy children, fresh and rosy,
Sang and sported freely there... "

~ Louisa May Alcott, from 'Little Paul'






I'm always trying to decide just what to do in the master bedroom when it comes to decorating. This is the one room in the house that's never come together ~ in the 7 years we've lived here. I think it's because I could never make up my mind. I went from one idea to another.

When we were on our recent vacation and visiting the gift shop at Mystic Seaport, I saw a pretty handpainted wooden picture of a sea gull in flight and I mentioned to my husband that it would look nice in the bedroom with the colors (the bedroom is painted blue... at least we got that far all those years ago, lol). We talked about the decorating a bit and decided that a seaside theme would be perfect in there, since we both grew up near, and love, the ocean. This was, of course, one of the ideas I've been toying with over the last several years, but then other thoughts popped up, and I couldn't decide.

I have a huge amount of decorating items for a sea theme that I pull out each summer and use in the living room. (That room changes theme from season to season.) There are some charming wooden lighthouses and sailboats, some large shells, sea glass, and many other items. Some things I've picked up on vacations in New England, like a pretty blue bottle I filled with some ocean water from Maine, and a cute jar I filled with sand from the same beach. Some things were gifts, like a huge shell that we received as a wedding gift from my step-daughter from my first marriage. Then there's a sculpture of three sailboats in the wind, and another sculpture of an anchor with a gull sitting on top.

So, I definitely have everything I need. I just have to decide where to place everything and what else I might want to do in there. The walls are light blue, the trim is white, and the curtains on the large windows are white and gauzy ~ all perfect items for a sea theme. I think this will be a project I'll work on over the next month or two. I also have quite a bit of blue and white fabric, and it might be fun to make a patchwork quilt or duvet cover to go along with this idea.

In the meantime, I decided to look in my summer notebook to see if I had anything written for ideas on decorating, and I found these. I thought I'd share them with all of you :)

SEASIDE COTTAGE DECORATING IDEAS

~ Decorate with shades of blue, white and green.

~ Look for summer items that are now on sale... old-fashioned metal pails with sea scenes make wonderful containers for a silk flower arrangement... or fill it with specialty bath items in a sea theme for the guest room or bathroom. Crabtree & Evelyn and Caswell-Massey have some of my favorite products along this line, and they can often be found in sample sizes.

~ White wicker gives the feel of summer by the sea, and you can decorate the cushions with pretty summery fabrics and pillows.

~ A large shell looks lovely with some small items inside... try sea glass or colored glass marbles, an assortment of smaller shells, silk flowers, or fill it with small soaps in the shape of shells as a bathroom accent.

~ Look for candles in shades of blue and green, and in the seaside or ocean breezes scents.

~ Use lots of little lighthouses as accents.

~ Brass lantern lights give a nautical look and would be pretty with candles inside.

~ If you have a writing or desk area, look for stationery items with a sea theme. Lang Company items are a favorite and they have beautiful stacking boxes in different shapes, as well as artwork of ships, lighthouses, and seaside themes. Place the stacks in different places in the room ~ a night table, shelf, dresser, or in a special corner. There are also note cards that are in pretty boxes, mugs (which make nice pen or pencil holders), and coasters.

~ Decorate with books ~ look for those coffee table books featuring lighthouses or the beach... novels about the sea... and don't forget some of the children's books that feature a sea theme. Spend an afternoon wandering around quaint used bookstores for your selections.

(Photos taken in July 2007 at a beach near Newport, Rhode Island.)

From My Summer Notebook

I spent a bit of time this morning looking through my summer notebook, and found these ideas I had written down a few years ago. I thought I'd share them with you :)

Summer Outdoor Entertaining

~ Place votives set in terra-cotta saucers along your front-porch or deck railing.
~ Set votives or citronella candles in flowerpots filled with sand to burn in the evenings.
~ Decorate trees, bushes, or a fence with tiny white Christmas lights.
~ Use a plastic tablecloth to line a child's wagon, and fill it with ice and cold beverages.
~ Use flowerpots or crocks to hold utensils for an outdoor picnic.
~ Tie pretty helium balloons to your fence or gate.
~ Hang mobiles, or tie long streams of colorful satin ribbons to tree branches.
~ Cut a watermelon into a pretty basket for serving fresh fruits.

For the kids ~
~ Set up a sandbox with extra pails and shovels.
~ If you have the space, set up an area for croquet, badminton, or volleyball.
~ Have lots of "bubbles" and wands on hand for easy entertainment.
~ Have sidewalk chalk ready for an art contest in the driveway (be sure to rope off an area to keep the cars away, and the children safe).
~ Make a tent for the kids to play in by hanging an old tablecloth or sheet over a portable table, a few saw-horses, or a clothes line.

Welcoming Touches

I'm always looking for new ways to add welcoming touches to the front entryway and porch. Here are some wonderful ideas from an old favorite book, "Country Living and Country Lifestyles", 1992 (published as a weekly series of "cards" to go in a loose leaf notebook by Time Life books). Happy decorating!!

~ Clay pots of flowers on the steps, or marching up the rungs of a stepladder
~ A whimsical mailbox, or mailbox decoration
~ A slate and chalk near the door for messages
~ A tiny statue of bunnies nestled in the greenery by your front door
~ A newly planted tree
~ Seasonal pleasures: flowers in summer; cornstalks, gourds and Indian corn in fall; holly and pincones in windowboxes for winter; and tulips and crocuses in spring
~ A huge clay pot of daisies
~ An attractive lantern lighting the doorway
~ Rag rugs or braided rugs as doormats

Suggestions for a back door entrance:

~ Line the path with pots of flowers or windchimes
~ Hang freshly starched curtains, lace or a frilly valance on the back door window
~ Mount a woodpecker door knocker or an amusing plaque or a slate and chalkboard bearing a message of welcome

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Sights of Spring ~ Bunnies & Tulips

Yesterday afternoon I did some shopping at my favorite "gourmet" market. They have the best specialty departments so I love to visit there each payday. Today I couldn't resist the tulips in their floral department. I bought my favorites ~ the purple ones ~ and then found some pretty ones in the palest of pinks. I made sure to buy ones that were not quite open yet, so I can enjoy them a little longer.

Tulips and another spring favorite, hyacinths, just don't do well in our climate and I miss them so much. It was fun to add the two vases of tulips to our living room. They need to be arranged a little better, but I was in a rush to make dinner and just added the flowers to the vases. As they begin to open today I'll do a better job of floral arranging :)

I never managed to get my decorating done this spring, but did put my bunny collection on the fireplace and mantel :) They'll rest there a couple of more weeks before they're moved back into my crafts room. There they have a special resting spot on the top of the bookcase.

Don't you just love the face on the larger bunny sitting next to the vase with purple tulips? I found him two years ago in my favorite Christmas store in Flagstaff, Arizona. I was there during Spring Break week (so I could enjoy cold weather and snow!!). They had a small little display table in the front of the store that had spring decorations. I spotted him right away and loved the face. I walked around the store and chatted with the woman working there for quite awhile, and kept going back to the table to look at the bunny. He finally hopped into my hands :) I just couldn't resist him. He's soft and cuddly, too.