Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Laundry Anyone?

We all have them, the "dreaded" laundry room. I for one love doing laundry, no, no don't beat me up! Just one of those quirky little things about my fun personality. lol



I've decorated the laundry room to make it more pleasant and have shared many parts of it with you before. I'm fortunate to have the front loading machines so the top is another one of those great decorating areas. Each fall I cover it with leaves and lights and some great faux gourds I've had for years. I've decorated it this way for a few years now, so next year I'm going to change it up a bit! Yes, I'm already planning for next years Fall season. lol

My love for roosters has spilled out from the kitchen into this room. I purchased this lamp many years ago and remains "one" of my favorites. :-)) I think he loves being all nestled among all the leaves, what do you think?

I tried to get a decent picture of the "orange" lights,(purchased at the Dollar General Store) but to no avail. :-(







If you're lucky enough to decorate your washer and dryer I say go for it. Bringing the fall into our homes with faux leaves, pumpkins and gourds can warm the soul on those cloudy rainy days. So... until next time

BLOGGING UPDATE!!! Pat of BACK PORCH MUSINGS has changed her her blog address to
http://backporchmusings.typepad.com

hugs ~lynne~





Friday, September 10, 2010

Over the Top!

My dining room table has become more of a staging area for fun things rather than sitting down to dine. You certainly couldn't use this centerpiece at a dinner party. Although I chose to go over the top you could scale this version down for a great centerpiece for your dinner party.
With the rough texture of the grapevine wreath I wove some faux fall leaves before adding these wonderful pumpkins.


With each twig I added I discovered the more whimsical it became.









This year I hope when you put together your centerpiece, you'll think outside the box. Go outside and bring one of your urns in and start building. I had the best time putting this together. Until next time..

hugs ~lynne~





Wednesday, September 8, 2010

~~ A Tray Full ~~

Like the weather changing outside, the inside of our home is also changing. What a gorgeous fall day we're having, temperatures are letter perfect. Wow!! What a change from a couple of weeks ago when we hit triple digits.
A few years back I purchased a fabric ottoman with piano legs to use as my coffee table. I have to say it's one of my better purchases over the years. The versatility is incredible, the covering is a deep chocolate velvet fabric, easily cleaned with the vacuum. On top sits a tray, one of many that I have. Trays are used in many different ways. Some use them for serving, others in displays on the wall, yet again others use them in an easel as a backdrop in a vignette, this one I chose to decorate and use on top of the ottoman. :-))
I carried these beautiful pumpkins in the shop last year, unfortunately they weren't available for reorder this year.
I love all the curly detail ! The rich patina of burnished gold on creamy white flows well with any home decor.
Family pictures are a treasure to all of us. Although, I don't have a lot of them this is one of my favorites.
Mother and Daddy looked so young. They certainly had their hands full, I come from a family of 7 children. One passed shortly after birth with 2 more to come after this picture was taken. Can you guess which of them is me???
Yes... that's me. Wow!! So many years ago. I'm not sure of my age, I'm guessing 3 possibly 4. I'm sure Mother struggled to get me in a dress, I was such a tomboy. lol.


Many of you know I have "many" collections. I'm not sure I've shared my collection of magnifying glasses, I fell in love with them many years ago. I love the unique texture and beauty of their handles. I'll share in another post the ones I have around here and how I use them in my decor.

My love for books shows with the many you'll find around my home. I'm proud to say I've read everyone of them, most more than once. Naturally, you'll find them in most vignettes I put together.
This was a birthday gift last year from my best friend. Many of you know my love for Mary Carol Garrity's shops in Briarcliff and Atchison. Next week, my girlfriend and I are taking off for a girl's day out to Mary Carol's Fall Open house in Atchison. I'm as a giddy as a little girl on Christmas morning. A while back we went to Briarcliff during her tent sale. The feeling you get seeing all of her beautiful items is incredible. I'm hoping to take my camera and share a few pictures with you..


Do you have trays around your home? Are they stored away? Pull them out and use them in your everyday decorating, I'll be looking forward to seeing how you use your trays. I just received a new one for my birthday, you'll get to see that in a future post.. As always thanks for swinging by to say hello. Until next time....
hugs ~lynne~



Friday, September 3, 2010

~~ Reflections~~

Last evening I found myself going for a walk, a bit of time just for me; a time to reflect. Walking off frustrations, disappointments and anger is a great stress relief for me, it's good for the soul. As I took off I had my dandy companion Murphy and the 'ole camera. I want to share some of the things I noticed, some for the first time in a long time. lol

The first thing I noticed were the Crepe Myrtle bushes. They finally started blooming last week, fortunately the heavy winds and rains we had the other night didn't wash these blooms away.




On the north side of the house is a small pond of sorts. The bright yellow caught my eye and drew me in that direction.


You can see these blooms are incredible. Notice the little visitor?
The gentle breeze blew the cattails back and forth with an eerie feel.


I also noticed the concrete post from an old house Mr. P tore down a few years ago. The crusty concrete and small cracks starting seem to tell a story.

Each spring I splurge on Boston Ferns to go in several areas around our home. One of those places is at the back door. We're back door people, so this one greets you each time you come and go. I've had one hear each year for 14 years. It loves this little corner, almost touching the ground, it seems to shield the hosta. Creeping Jenny is also taking over this corner, I love the iridescent green shades she throws off. I've had the old concrete shoe for almost 26 years. The only thing I've been able to grow in it is hens and chickens. The Boston fern has grown so much those little beauties are hidden. :-))
To the right peeking out from the fern prongs is a concrete ball.

If I hadn't gone on this walk I wouldn't have noticed the chipping and cracking that seems to be occurring.

You didn't think I wouldn't show at least 1 bunny did you? lol I got this beauty about 30 years ago at a friends estate sale, it belonged to her mother. Made of some sort of heavy weight plastic, I filled it with sand and it's been out in our yard in each of our homes ever since.
His little eyes are just darling. :-))
I had forgotten how tattered his little ears were. A few years ago we had a lab Mr. P named Lady. Lady was not a dog to stay at home, she wandered the area at night and ended up gracing our home with 5 puppies. Now, 2 dogs wouldn't have been bad, but 5 puppies at once was a night mare, especially since they chewed up and on everything, my bunny is one of those things. I recall them dragging it from the back of the house to the front of the house out to the middle of the yard where the flag pole stood. Now, these puppies were determined little things, this bunny weighs a ton. Guess you can say it has some extra character now. lol

I love old boulders , Mr. P brought several home for me, this is just a couple of them. The ground cover creeping out between the layers is an extra bonus.


As I walked along the wind whistling drew my attention to the small windmill, a gift from my daughter many years ago. Although you could hear the wind whistling through the blades, they weren't turning.
I didn't realize until after I took the picture you could see the half moon lawn ornament peeking through the blades.




Notice the great finial?
After all these years I had no idea the finial was actually a fleur-di-lis! Isn't it amazing the things you notice when you actually take the time to look?
The old hand pump reminds me of the one I use to play with each weekend I was at Grandma's house. Those memories are some of the sweetest ones I have growing up.
I also noticed the beauty of the hosta's still blooming.

Reflection is a wonderful thing. I hope you take time this weekend to reflect upon your surroundings and enjoy the little things. Have a safe and happy weekend.

hugs ~lynne~