Category Archives: Decorating

One Project Leads To Another

100_3061

Chair with new ottoman in my bedroom. I may still paint the legs of the ottoman  to match the chair.

100_3058

Chair with new ottoman in living room.

I previously posted that my husband and I spent the better part of last weekend rearranging bedroom furniture.  We had benches at the end of the beds previously but they did not work for the new arrangement.  I decided to recover one to match my wing chair more closely and the other I relocated to the living room to go with a chair in there.

I visited two stores looking for fabric.  I decided on an aqua-grey taffeta for the living room ottoman. It was on sale.  I always try to find bargains.  The chair in the bedroom was recovered by a decorator about a year ago in a rust-colored corduroy chenille.  I could not find anything to closely match it but thought perhaps that my decorator friend might still have some of the fabric.  When I spoke to her, I was surprised to learn that she was getting rid of some old inventory the same day that I phoned.  She still had some of the fabric but was about to get rid of it.  I was so glad that I caught her when I did and was prompted to give her a call.  Here are some of the finished results. I am happy how they turned out.

Leave a comment

Filed under Decorating, Uncategorized

Displaying My Old Quilt

100_3029100_3031I finally finished my quilt displaying project.  I set up the old wooden ladder against a prominent wall in our guest room.  I folded the quilt in fourths to get it to lay just right.  I like that the colors blend so nicely with my room already but I must say I am getting tired of the white walls in there and want to paint it one day. However, with 10 foot or more ceilings in places and old beam rafters it would be quite a challenge. This would not be an undertaking for an amateur like me or my husband.  Any suggestions? I have thought of painting only the two opposite eight foot high walls or putting a molding strip at the eight foot level all the way around and stopping the paint there.

1 Comment

Filed under Antiques, Decorating, Uncategorized

Meaningful Christmas Traditions

100_2942100_2945100_2950100_2955There are many traditions that we partake in during the Christmas season.  We may not always know why we include them in our festivities.  I have begun making a conscious effort in my home to continue traditions that have the most meaning and are symbolic of my Christian faith. I want to share with you a few of those meaningful traditions.

The use of candles represent the star of Bethlehem or may have been used during Advent to symbolize Jesus as the light of the world.

Candy canes are shaped like a “J” to represent the name of Jesus or the shepherd’s hook.  White represents the purity of Christ and red stripes are for his blood that was shed on the cross for our sins.

Chrismons are symbols of Christ. They are typically decorations on Christmas trees in churches. They are meant to remind us that we are celebrating Jesus’ birthday.  They usually are either white or gold.  Some examples of the chrismon symbols include crosses which symbolize his death on the cross, stars which symbolize the star of Bethlehem, crowns which symbolize that Jesus is King, keys which symbolize that He has given us the keys to the kingdom and we are to share the good news with the world, angels who told the shepherds of Jesus’ birth, or hearts which symbolize that God is love.

The decorations on my Christmas tree contain some of these symbols.

Leave a comment

Filed under Decorating, Holidays

Christmas Decorations At My House

015

My Christmas bottle collection. I bought one and decorated the other two.

038

My snowman collection. 

007

Decorating the dining room table is always fun. I try to change it a little bit each year but typically stick to the red and green color scheme.

008

It is fun to decorate the banisters of our stairway. The first year we were in our house, we put a little tree on the landing. It has become its permanent spot every Christmas since.

100_0080

Our cat Pushkin loves to sit near the tree on the landing of the stairs. He blends in with the white, red and green decorations perfectly.

100_0084

Here is a peek of our Christmas tree reflected from the mirror in our living room.

Leave a comment

Filed under Decorating, Holidays

All Things Aqua

Here is a chair I painted with chalk paint.

Here is a chair I painted with chalk paint.

The colors of nature make homes tranquil and calming. It is best to surround ourselves with colors that we love. Most often, we choose colors that we enjoy wearing as clothing. I love anything in sky blue or shades of green.  I have always loved turqoise jewelry. One of the most popular color choices for chalk painted furniture has been102_2645 (2) duck egg blue. I have begun adding touches of this color into my home.

Leave a comment

Filed under Decorating

French Country Themes Abound

102_2664102_2663 (3)I have been a subscriber to Romantic Homes Magazine for many years. I love the feminine touches with florals and soft pastels throughout the pages.  I especially enjoy the old-fashioned decor as I have always used antiques to decorate my own home.  French Country influences most often speak to me and I 102_2662 (2)find myself copying ideas with a French-inspired theme.

Leave a comment

Filed under Decorating

My Family Tree Photo Collection

042There is a stairway in my house leading upstairs into the office from the back door.  On the wall I have artistically displayed black and white photos of my family.  There are pictures of me when I was a baby, when I was growing up, and when I was a bride.  There are pictures of me with my husband and children, and pictures of my parents.  There are also pictures of my grandparents.  There are not many pictures of them because it was expensive to have a professional portrait made back then. I treasure these pictures and am comforted by their memory each time I look at them.  Of my many possessions, these are perhaps the most cherished because they link me to the past.  The smiles on the faces of my family are a constant reminder to me that I have loved ones that have passed on that are among the great crowd of witnesses that are interceding for us in heaven.

Leave a comment

Filed under Collections, Decorating