Anyone who has followed me here at all (but not sure that anyone still does LOL) knows I've mentioned we live in my grandparent's remodeled 1930's farmhouse. This is the house where my daddy was raised, and where I spent MANY happy hours with my grandma. My grandpa died when I was three, but I remember him too. I grew up right next door, and I was in and out of this house all the time. My mama jokes and says that my sister and I would find out what she was cooking for supper, then ask my grandma what SHE was cooking for supper. If we didn't like the supper at our house, we just made ourselves at home out here! LOL
Anyway, I have a personal 'relationship' with my house. You can see other posts and pictures here, here, and here showing special things about it. But I love using old things to decorate, and things that have a special significance to my past and heritage are even better. So when we gutted and remodeled the house back in 1999 and had to replace all the old windows, we kept all of them out at the barn. My mama and daddy had plans for some of them too. Below are a few pics of some of the things that we've done with them.
First of all, a preacher friend of my mama and daddy's used some of the windows to build this conservatory. Now I WANT one too!
Now, here's another idea that I got from Angie over at The Happy Homebody.
After scraping off excess peeling paint, I stained one of the windows with a nice Italian sage green, backed it with burlap, and propped it over my mantel. Then I used some ribbon to coordinate with my living room colors and hung a nice 'Home Is Where Our Story Begins' sign in front. When I decorate for Christmas, I plan on changing the sign out with a wreath.
One last photo. I propped one of the old windows (peeling paint and all) up on a small entry table beside my front door. I also have plans to hang something 'Christmas-y' from it during the holidays too.
We also have some old outbuildings from when this house was constructed. One is a pump house, and I have plans to repaint it, and hang one of the windows complete with window box underneath on one side. That project is right up there with repainting the picket fence! Sigh.....
Little Leland....Yes, my children named our tree. It's a little Leland Cypress! And please remember that our 2yo and 4yo have undecorated and redecorated this tree many times. At least it started out looking pretty good! LOL I think most of the ornaments are UNDER the tree!
My Hallmark 'Sarah Plain and Tall' Village
Decorated mantel...the angel was a gift from my husband for our first Christmas together after we were married!
Rudolph and the Gingerbread Houses Atop the Piano
"Sugar Cookie" Potpourri and Snowman Candle
Gooseberry Patch Calendar....It's almost time for the new one!
Favorite Red "You Are Special" Plate and a new Santa Ornament
I just love decorating for the holidays!!! How about you???
Yes. I am guilty of revisiting past holiday posts quite often, but I wanted to share my Christmas centerpiece. Last year, I simply inverted my cake dome into its base and filled it with silver and blue balls, iridescent garland, a white candle, etc. But alas, my eldest son (who shall remain nameless) dropped my dome and broke it a few days ago. Chad and I got it for a wedding gift, so it lasted ALMOST twenty years. I guess that's a pretty good record in a household of six children! LOL
Anyway, I still liked my centerpiece idea, so I scrounged around until I found a large scalloped-edged bowl in one of our storage buildings. I'm not even sure where it came from. But...I put it atop cake plate base and filled it with last year's blue/silver goodies. Because I had more of a 'rim' around the bowl to work with this year, I wound some clear iridescent beading around the bottom. Here's the result:
I also found these cute little snowmen salt and pepper shakers at Dollar General yesterday for $1.75. I just love snowmen, so I bought them and brought them home with me!
Here's a reference photo from last year.
Not A LOT of difference, but I think I like it even better. In fact, I might not be QUITE so upset with my 'nameless' child.
Remember...pretty centerpieces don't have to be fancy or expensive. They can truly be easy as a....cake plate!
I wish the wind would have cooperated just a little so I could snap a picture of my new Thomas Kinkade Valentine's Day flag actually hanging on the pole from my front porch! But since it didn't, I just propped the flag against my porch railing so I could share my 'find' with you!
Isn't it lovely? I enjoy changing out decorative flags with the seasons, but quite a few of my flags have just gotten ratty looking, to be blunt. So when I found this flag on Ebay, I was 'tickled pink'! LOL I love the peacefulness and serenity of Thomas Kinkade's artwork, and I love hanging out seasonal flags...so it's a good combination!
Now that I've discovered Kinkade's holiday flag line, I hope I can gradually add to my collection (not at retail price, of course). LOL This isn't the type of thing I normally spend much money on, so I try to use birthday/Christmas gift money for such purchases. And when I can find a good deal online or at a thrift store, that's even better!
If any of you visited with me back in September and October, you might remember this photo:
And actually, this was my solution when the globe to my first centerpiece was accidentally broken. I simply inverted my heavy cake dome into the inverted base and filled the bowl with a candle, pinecones, and harvest vegetables.
I liked this arrangement so much, that I decided to stick with it for the Christmas season. I simply changed the candles, replaced the harvest items with blue and silver balls, ribbon, irridescent bead garland, just a touch of greenery, and silver pinecones, and voila....
I like it! And the best part...I had much of this already on hand.
Hopefully, I will be able to post photos of the rest of our decorations later soon. Have a blessed day!
A few weeks ago, I posted photos of my autumn decor, including a centerpiece made with a hurricane globe and faux fall vegetables, nuts, and pine cones.
Before
But due to a 'grocery unloading' incident, the globe was broken. Uh oh! When trying to decide what to use in its place without spending any money, I had an idea. I remembered a glass dome cake plate I had in storage that can be inverted to make a 'bowl'. I turned the base upside down, then placed the lid on top of it...also upside down. Next, I placed a small drinking glass upside down in the bottom and placed a candle on top. I picked up some more pine cones from the yard and added them to the mix along with some silk autumn leaves I already had. The result...a new and improved (and hopefully sturdier) fall centerpiece!
I'm a very happily married pastor's wife, former schoolteacher-turned-homeschool mom of six wonderful blessings, and freelance writer--and we live in the great state of Georgia! I'm a southern girl through and through...but most importantly, I'm a child of the King! We have just finished up our twelfth year of homeschooling, and our two oldest have now graduated! This is my place to record thoughts about homemaking, Classical-Charlotte Mason based homeschooling, writing around the fringes of family life, and more...so welcome to my little corner of the world!
Welcome!
Little Leland....Yes, my children named our tree. It's a little Leland Cypress! And please remember that our 2yo and 4yo have undecorated and redecorated this tree many times. At least it started out looking pretty good! LOL I think most of the ornaments are UNDER the tree!
My Hallmark 'Sarah Plain and Tall' Village
Decorated mantel...the angel was a gift from my husband for our first Christmas together after we were married!
Rudolph and the Gingerbread Houses Atop the Piano
"Sugar Cookie" Potpourri and Snowman Candle
Gooseberry Patch Calendar....It's almost time for the new one!
Favorite Red "You Are Special" Plate and a new Santa Ornament
Before
After
