Taking down the Christmas decorations is usually something that I'm happy to do, but this year it was difficult to pack it all up. Our first Christmas in the new house was special, filled with laughter and noise. In a ten day period we sat down at our dinner table with 51 guests at three separate events. The new kitchen got a full workout.
Although it pained me to pack up the decorations, the house seems fresher and more open without the tree's and garland. I loved having wreaths adorning several spots and the hunt was on to find something classic to use all year long.
This classic large preserved boxwood wreath is from Target. One of my garden Angels was moved from the holiday wreath to the boxwood and green satin ribbon added.
One of the rewards of packing up the holiday decor is playing with new vignettes and adding new pieces to the space. Here an empty picture frame provides a backdrop to a Pino painting in the living room.
A local nursery has a large stock of preserved hydrangea - perfect, since I didn't cut enough in the fall. The small citrus tree was removed from the foyer table and the hydrangea added.
The large cross is a family treasure and just recently came to my home. It was made by my mother's brother, as an engagement gift to my parents back in 1954. The cross was always on the dresser in my parents bedroom. My sister had been the keeper of the cross over the last few years, but she gave it to me and I'm happy to be able to add it to our home. But my sister and I have a deal - the heirloom stays with one of us until a time that it will go to one of our children.
The hydrangea picked from my neighbours garden this fall are the perfect touch to the kitchen sideboard and give me hope that I'll be playing in the garden within a few months. I've started gathering idea's for the garden and will share the plans here shortly.
With a gift card in hand I headed off to Home Sense after Christmas in search of a copper pot. The card and then some was used to bring these new toys home to the kitchen. And wow - I could have used these over the holidays with the amount of cooking that was going on. Beyond the need for more pots, I love the way the copper looks. I know that copper is more work to clean, but I'm a keep-the-silver-out-and-polish-it-up kind of girl.
My sister and I have been transforming her dining room. The before, during and brand new look are coming soon. Stay tuned.
Although it pained me to pack up the decorations, the house seems fresher and more open without the tree's and garland. I loved having wreaths adorning several spots and the hunt was on to find something classic to use all year long.
This classic large preserved boxwood wreath is from Target. One of my garden Angels was moved from the holiday wreath to the boxwood and green satin ribbon added.
One of the rewards of packing up the holiday decor is playing with new vignettes and adding new pieces to the space. Here an empty picture frame provides a backdrop to a Pino painting in the living room.
A local nursery has a large stock of preserved hydrangea - perfect, since I didn't cut enough in the fall. The small citrus tree was removed from the foyer table and the hydrangea added.
The large cross is a family treasure and just recently came to my home. It was made by my mother's brother, as an engagement gift to my parents back in 1954. The cross was always on the dresser in my parents bedroom. My sister had been the keeper of the cross over the last few years, but she gave it to me and I'm happy to be able to add it to our home. But my sister and I have a deal - the heirloom stays with one of us until a time that it will go to one of our children.
The hydrangea picked from my neighbours garden this fall are the perfect touch to the kitchen sideboard and give me hope that I'll be playing in the garden within a few months. I've started gathering idea's for the garden and will share the plans here shortly.
With a gift card in hand I headed off to Home Sense after Christmas in search of a copper pot. The card and then some was used to bring these new toys home to the kitchen. And wow - I could have used these over the holidays with the amount of cooking that was going on. Beyond the need for more pots, I love the way the copper looks. I know that copper is more work to clean, but I'm a keep-the-silver-out-and-polish-it-up kind of girl.
My sister and I have been transforming her dining room. The before, during and brand new look are coming soon. Stay tuned.
