Holiday and Seasonal

Christmas Haus 2016

December 21, 2016 by Cynthia 2 Comments

Vintage, hand blown ornaments.

It’s been a busy year. That is the introduction to my apology for not posting more frequently. I vow to rectify that in the new year.

Although this is my second Christmas, post renovation, I felt more settled in the home this year. More relaxed.

But I digress. I have some holiday pictures to share. Plus, let you know that I am posting on Instagram. As of this moment, I have 13 organic followers. And I am proud of each one of those.

So finally, thank you for continuing to follow my blog and continuing to check back for new posts. I hope the holiday and the new year are good to you and your family. As for me, I am optimistic and have nothing but good, sweet thoughts.

I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,

Cindy

Clustered with fresh greens, these vintage ornaments look like holly berries.

Old linens.

Tin containers from Round Top filled with fresh garland, pine cones and mason jars with battery operated flickering candles.

The exterior. White picket fences are meant for red bows and fresh garland.

An old bench, a Round Top find with a vintage watering can and some fresh greens.

A Christmas Farmhouse Kitchen.

Fresh greens, a holiday red velvet quilt and a lovely tasseled throw for a lovely Scandinavian style Christmas.

A little cheer for the holiday guest…

Sparkly pine cones on some wire for a festive garland.

Dried hydrangeas with fresh greens make a lovely arrangement.

Fresh greenery arrangement.

Christmas red tucked in many corners.

The master bedroom.

A nook for settling in for a winter’s nap or reading a good book.

A guest room with some holiday cheer.

Handmade stockings from Round Top, many, many years ago.

A stately pose.

Fresh greens against white walls.

Old ironstone and fresh greens.

An Ikea lantern with a battery operated candle for each fence post.

Using old, white chippy cast iron finials to hang grain sack stockings.

A easy chair with a bit of red for the holidays.

A touch of Christmas that is as easy as a white pointsettia

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, Uncategorized Tagged With: antiques, christmas, cottage, country, farmhouse, greenery, greens, holiday, shipslap, white

The Simple, Intimate New Year’s Eve

December 28, 2015 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

Prosecco in non traditional goblets that are less formal than champagne flutes.

Here’s to the bright New Year
And a fond farewell to the old;
Here’s to the things that are yet to come
And to the memories that we hold.

With a few rare examples, life should be easy. New Year’s Eve is no exception. I envision an intimate setting with Champagne (or Prosecco as a nod to my Italian roots) and a simple set up . This food board offers taste, variety and texture and will see you and your guest (s) through until midnight without being heavy or overbearing.

Everything was store bought with the exception of the croutons (directions follow) and was assembled in less than 10 minutes:

Rosemary ham, hand shredded and piled directly on bread board
Candied walnuts
Home made croutons*
Shaved parmesan
Baguette bread
Dijon mustard
Sliced green apples
Crème Fraiche

*cubed baguette bread, tossed with olive oil to coat, salt and pepper to taste, mix in a palm full of grated parmesan cheese, baked at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until browned and crispy.

If the host or hostess isn’t stressed, that seems to me a win for everyone.

I hope that 2016 brings each of you what your heart desires. May your troubles be as short as your New Year’s resolutions.;)

God’s speed and safe travels.

All the best,

Cindy

A simple set up using some rosemary sprigs throughout.

A simple raspberry garnish for the beverage.

The home made croutons stand on their own as a savory offering and provide a counterpoint to the sweet Prosecco.

Hotel silver bowls make a lovely addition to the food board.

Antique 19th century French mustard pot along with mother of pearl spreaders at an interesting visual note to the presentation.

Filed Under: Favorite Shops 'n Blogs, Holiday and Seasonal, Uncategorized Tagged With: champagn, cheese, cottage, country, eve, midnight, new, prosessi, year's

(Holiday) Guest Amenities

December 18, 2015 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

The holiday bed.

I am always looking for simple ways to make guest feel special, but simplicity is a must. In my holiday guest room this year, I have a quilt fold that yields a special surprise and an amenities kit using a simple lunch sack. Both can be easily done on the fly, without too much effort.

I hope you find inspiration.

All the best,

Cindy

Holiday greens, dressed bed and some special surprises…

A gift on the bed side table.

A simple lunch sack folded over, left plain or using holiday stamps and embellishments as I have done.

Bottled water, simple snacks and personal care items.

Travel sizes all wrapped in a muslin bag decorated with simple holiday stamps.

Simple folds create a place to tuck in a little gift.

A special gift for guests. Nothing fancy. It could be a favorite candy bar, event tickets or even a lottery scratcher. Anything to bring a smile to the face of visitors.

The holiday bed.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, My Home, Uncategorized Tagged With: amenities, antique, bedroom, bedside, christmas, cottage, gift, guest, holiday, surprises, table

Holiday Birch Logs with German Glass Glitter

December 7, 2015 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

A random smattering of German glass glitter. A little like moss growing on a tree.

My house is by no means opulent, but every now and again, I can’t resist a little sparkle when the holidays arrive. While spending some time with family in Dahlonega, Georgia in October, my cousin helped me find the perfect birch tree on my uncle’s property to harvest for this project. It had been broken off by storms and we felt it would be okay to chop what was left into a few pieces.

I got home and randomly dabbed watered down glue in various areas and added some coarse silver German glass glitter. I can’t really say the pictures do it justice, but it looks lovely. Place them in an old tub found at the Round Top Antiques show, along with fresh greens and smattering of artificial embellishments and it makes for a lovely arrangement throughout the holidays.

I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,

Cindy

A warm welcome in front of the fire.

Nature’s finest. Birch logs and Christmas greens.

The additions of scented pine cones.

Arrangements aren’t just for flowers.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, Projects, Uncategorized Tagged With: antique, arrangment, birch, birch logs, christmas, cottage, country, german glass glitter, holiday, logs

Quick Christmas Candle Lantern

November 30, 2015 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

Leftover wrapping paper from last year, a simple ribbon and some live mistletoe.

I love burning candles. Especially at Christmas. I needed a quick way to make a plain looking candle fit in with the festive décor. I just grabbed what I had at hand to make a simple paper sleeve for candles around the home. I was partly inspired by the live mistletoe that I bought from some very resourceful boy scouts outside of the local Lowe’s. They picked it from a local park and were selling small bunches to support their troop. Smart thinking and well done.

I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,

Cindy

Paper, ribbon, a way to create a decorative edge and some live or artificial embellishments. Simple as that. My one tip would be to make sure the paper you use has some transparency to it in order to diffuse the light and create a warm glow.

A simple lunch sack worked for this sleeve. The seaming inadvertently became part of the design, highlighting the scalloped edges.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, Projects, Uncategorized Tagged With: candle, christmas, craft, decorations, festive, holiday, kraft, paper, ribbon, velvet

Because Christmas is here again…

November 29, 2015 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

Sprigs of fresh greens, vintage glass ornaments in a simple ironstone bowl.

All my decorating is done. I started earlier than normal this year and now that I am done, it mostly means I can coast for the rest of the year and devote my weekends to baking. Indeed.

Here are a few snippets of the inside of the house. You may notice there aren’t a lot of long shots. It’s mostly because I am holding back on wide shots so when the feature in Country Living comes out, you won’t already be bored with it. 😉

I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,

Cindy

A simple fresh green wreath flanked by antique mercury glass beaded garland. The bed is simply dressed with vintage linens and ruby red washed velvet pillows and a quilted velvet blanket at the end of the bed in a subdued neutral color. It all makes for a cozy place to be.

An old sap bucket is a terrific alternative to more expensive vessels to house a holiday arrangement.

A papier mache Santa boot that I painted then adorned with German Glitter Glass and a holiday embellishment, topped off with a fresh sprig of greens.

A stair landing arrangement.

Trying to tuck in a little Christmas in each room, both great and small.

A simple Home Goods pom pom wreath hung with sweet cotton red and white striped ribbon.

Who says wreaths are only for doors?

Another Sulphur Springs, Texas find. This lovely blue antique cupboard is a great way to store and display my vintage textile collection and ironstone pitcher collection.

My antique chandelier with a crown of fresh Christmas greens.

An old print befitting of such attention.

Sprigs of fresh greens, vintage glass ornaments in a simple ironstone bowl.

Etched footed bowls found on walmart.com

Simple fresh greens, footed mercury glass bowls and my vintage, hand blown ornaments.

The use of NOEL is apropos of the French farmhouse window above the kitchen sink.

Beautiful old silver footed bowl I found I an antique shop in Sulphur Springs, Texas.

Beautiful old silver footed bowl I found in an antique shop in Sulphur Springs, Texas.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, My Home, Uncategorized Tagged With: antiques, christmas, cottage, country, decorations, greens, historic, holiday, home, house, mckinney, merry, santa, texas

The Pumpkin Conundrum…

November 16, 2015 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

Out with Halloween naturals and in with Christmas décor. The leftover green pumpkins were too pretty not to find a way to use for the Christmas Holiday, so I created this transitional arrangement to greet friends and family. It could easily adorn a kitchen island or fireplace mantle, too.

I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,

Cindy

Fall pumpkins, stacked and tucked with moss, followed by a Christmas garland presented in an old cast iron urn. It’s one way to transition from fall to Christmas, using what you already have.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, My Home Tagged With: anique, christmas, cottage, garland, historic, holiday, home, mckinney, porch, pumpkin, texas, urn

Jingle All the Way…

November 9, 2015 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

Time is clicking by and it’s time to get decorating for Christmas. This year is special because it is post renovation and I’m really excited to decorate. Roughly this time last year, my stress level was off the charts because I was packing up and temporarily relocating. So glad that is behind me.

I am sincerely happy to be back in my home.

That said, my mandate is to do as much as possible with what I have on hand or can acquire on a budget. It starts with the porch. I am actually trying to break old habits and not hang a wreath on the front doors as I usually do. So far, that means a simply crafted jingle bell garland using vintage jingle bells and seasonal arrangement in an old sap bucket.

I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,

Cindy

Red Velvet Ribbon, vintage bells and craft store millinery make a fine welcome.

A sap bucket, artificial greens missed with seasonal greens and an old galvanized tub filled with logs.

A sap bucket, artificial greens mixed with seasonal greens and an old galvanized tub filled with logs.

A happy welcome. Merry Christmas!

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, Uncategorized Tagged With: antique, bells, bucket, christmas, cottage, front, holiday, jingle, mckinney, porch, sap, texas, white, wreath

The Autumnal Porch

October 19, 2015 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

It’s been a while since I have posted anything not related to the renovation. I am still settling into the house and figuring out how I want to live within my walls. I have a ton of pictures, but I have to show some restraint in sharing them because there has been some interest in featuring the house in national publications and/or books, so I don’t want to flood the market with more pictures.

In the mean time, I have been trying to get back in the groove of design, crafting and creating projects to publish on the blog. For the first time in a while, I have actually completed a project: my fall porch. Trying to create a hybrid between all out Halloween décor and something more subtle, my mandate was to work with what I had on hand with the exception of purchasing pumpkins.

Forgive the graininess of the pictures. I misplaced my battery charger for my good camera and the battery ran out. I have a new one coming so that I can offer you better quality pictures. (Thank God for Amazon Prime :))

I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,

Cindy

xoxo

An arrangement of silk hydrangeas, bittersweet berries and ethereal looking paper wisps compliment the Halloween picks found at the local hobby store.

Gauze and lights give a nice, eerie affect.

A pile of pumpkins and gourds round out the overall design.

Inexpensive tea lights provide a sweet, nightly glow.

Vintage light globes with Halloween embellishments.

Not too much, just enough to make me feel that fall is in the air.

A fall arrangement in a galvanized tub that I purchased at Round Top.

Drop cloths provide a nice treatment for the windows.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, My Home, Projects Tagged With: autumn, boo, cottage, country, fall, halloween, mckinney, porch, spooky, texas

I needed a little Christmas…

December 15, 2014 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

Glittery little wreath ornaments on an old, mottled mirror.

Getting in the Christmas spirit has been a little hard this year. I am firmly ensconced in what I affectionately refer to as the size 7 shoe box apartment while the renovation is going on.

About the only thing I could think of to make me feel a little better about it was to do some nominal decorating for the holidays. Something that was enough to make me smile, but didn’t require a lot of effort and could be accomplished on a small budget.

I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,
Cindy