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

A pensive looking Samantha curls up on the bed for a nap.

Little Annie in her favorite spot.

Simple ironstone basin set on top of a fresh greenery wreath.

Vintage, hand blown ornaments in a wire basket, setting softly on a wreath on my coffee table.

A lovely mid century lamp on an antique textile with a lovely holiday candle for aroma and ambiance.

Keeping it simple with a wreath hung above the bed.

A little nook in my apartment with a simple wreath, some candles and a lovely quilt with lovely festive colors for some contrast.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, My Home, Uncategorized Tagged With: antiques, christmas, cottage, country, decorations, fresh, greens, holiday, white, wreath

Transitional Vignettes

March 4, 2014 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

An old lab beaker with thick glass that diffuses the candle light.

Spring can’t get here soon enough. This weekend, Saturday was a lovely 78 degrees and the next day, Sunday it didn’t get above freezing. Since hunkering down and staying in was the best option, I refreshed some of my interior vignettes. If you look closely, you will see a number of antiques and vintage items that used for my holiday decorations. Change the context a bit and it looks more winter-into-spring than Home for the Holidays.

One more thing. My followers and regulars have probably noticed I haven’t posted a lot of blogs that feature crafting projects, which tend to be my more viewed postings. It’s because my crafting supplies have been packed away in anticipation of my renovation. Instead you’ll see a lot of features about cooking, antique finds and when my renovation gets started, I’ll copiously document the process and share it with you.

Speaking of which, I am waiting on drawings for the renovations as we speak. If I had to guess, the renovation will get started late next month or early May. While I am anxious to get started, it is more important when I finish. I want the work to be complete for the holidays, so there is time. Mostly, I want to enjoy the process and not be so anxious about it which is how I feel about most projects. I’ll keep you posted.

In the mean time, I hope you find some inspiration with the latest pictures from my home.

Always,

Cindy

xoxo

Textural elements with a tarnished tin vessel and a vintage paper accordion vase cozy

a variety of neutral toned items arranged on a shelf.

Starfish on a bed of moss that is the color of driftwood.

An old column base, alabaster lamp and a German glass glitter starfish

Mercury glass globes in an old ironstone bowl with linen slipcovers in the background.

Mercury glass globes on a bed of packing hay in an old ironstone bowl with linen slipcovers in the background.

An old lab beaker with thick glass that diffuses the candle light.

Old tin forms in the form of circus clowns in pointy hat that are treasured items passed to me by my mother.

Filed Under: My Home, Uncategorized Tagged With: alabaster, antique, cottage, country, glass, lamp, mercury, neutrals, spring, tarnished, tin, white, winter

It’s All About the Front Door

February 3, 2014 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

My renovation has got me thinking I want to change the entrance to my home. Right now, I have two French doors for my front entrance and I think I would like to have a single door point of entry. I intend to set the tone with the curb view of my house. My dream cottage would be on Nantucket, so it seems that would be a good place to start. Looking at these pictures, there is definitely a theme emerging. I am leaning toward removing the planking just on the front porch and replacing it with cedar shingling. Coupled with the bright white trim and some old lanterns flanking the door. I would love to find a really old plank door that originated on a house in the North East. It all depends on budget and availability. To that end, here are some of the options I have found:

I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,

Cindy

xoxo.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: antiques, cedar, coastal, cottage, country, door, front, lanterns, nantucket, porch, renovation, shingles

The Christmas Bedroom

December 2, 2013 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

Comfy and cozy and all snuggled in on a cold winter’s day.

I try to put a little Christmas in every room and my master bedroom is no exception. I also try to make Christmas decorating simple. That means less stress putting it up and less stress dismantling it when the holiday season is over.

Some fresh greens and a lovely Pottery Barn velvet quilt found online for next to nothing as well as PB’s flax colored solid quilt. Together, both are very subtle but still give you the feeling of the season.

My dear sweet Annie has fallen in love with the quilt and photo shoot or not, she wasn’t moving.

I’d like to give a nod to Annie’s foster mother, Silvana. Compassionate souls run deep and carry heavy hearts, sometimes. I am grateful you went to such great lengths to rescue Annie from the streets and became her caretaker along with the many other dogs you foster. Annie fills my heart and my soul and I simply couldn’t love her any more than I already do. Thank you for that, Silvana.

I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,

Cindy

xoxo

Red, flax and with fresh greens in the background. Perfect holiday cheer and coziness.

Simple mini wreaths hung with a neutral velvet ribbon. White sheets with a flax colored quilt make the perfect pair.

Battery operated candles offer a great flicker from the outside looking in.

Very old antique cabinet with fresh greens. The green against the fresh white reminds me of evergreen trees and fresh snow.

The lovely faux red berries pick up the color of the red velvet quilt and keep that holiday pop of color near.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, My Home Tagged With: antique, barn, christmas, cottage, country, dog, fresh, greens, holiday, merry, pottery, pottery barn, quilt, rescue, velvet, white

The Stars Come Out at Christmas

November 29, 2013 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

Distressed red is right at home for the holidays.

Stars are apparently my shape this year for Christmas. I found some furring strip stars at a local antique shop for my holiday kitchen. (see post here). I found some wood stars on my trip to the Round Top Antique show (see post here) that I will use to decorate. Lastly, I found some wood star shaped trays in graduated sizes that I thought would be great for a Christmas project.

My project for this week is a tiered, star shaped tray. I imagine using it for every day display of seasonal fruits in my holiday kitchen or holding sweet treats and cookies for entertaining or perhaps holding silverware and napkin roll ups for a Christmas buffet. At any rate, a number of uses for the holiday and incredibly easy to make. It took less than fifteen minutes to make and that included the time needed for the epoxy to cure.

What you need:

medium and large star shaped trays from Joann.com

red, wood candle stick from Joann.com

five vintage glass knobs (optional)

epoxy

From Joanns.com

The assembly is pretty straight forward. I attached the candlestick to the smaller tray first and once the epoxy set, I attached the other end of the candlestick to the bottom, (or larger) tray and the vintage knobs for legs. I found that weighting everything down with a brick helps created a strong seal with the adhesive.

A vintage glass container helps top of the display with cheery candy canes.

Sweets are a natural choice to fill the Christmas Star Tiered tray.

Although optional, the vintage glass knobs are a great way to finish and refine the project.

This easy project can be used a number of ways while entertaining for Christmas.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, Projects Tagged With: antique, candies, candle, christmas, cookies, cottage, country, lights, project, red, snow, stars, stick, tray, tree, wood

The Change of Seasons

November 11, 2013 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

Garden evergreens, fresh red berries and a mirror star tree topper for the transitional vignette.

Not quite Christmas and not quite Thanksgiving. My fresh Christmas greens don’t ship for another two weeks, but the white pumpkins I bought for Halloween are still fresh so I put together a transitional mantle that includes the white pumpkins, fresh evergreens from the garden and bright red berries.

I hope you find some inspiration.

xoxo.

Cindy

Distressed mirror star tree topper offers a vintage touch.

Vibrant reds against fresh garden evergreens.

The white pumpkins signal fall and winter along with a distressed star shaped mirror and winter arrangment

The white pumpkins signal fall and winter along with a distressed star shaped mirror and winter arrangement

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, Uncategorized Tagged With: berries, christmas, cottage, country, evergreens, fireplace, holiday, mantel, mantle, mirror, pumpkins, star, white

Horse & Carriage During the Holidays

November 4, 2013 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

Vintage pieces round out the presentation and are quick to set up.

It isn’t unusual for me to answer the door with my old french apron on and dusted in flour during the Christmas Holidays. I am usually baking either for guests that sporadically drop by, preparing the food gifts I give to neighbors or if I time it just right, I bake for the throngs of visitors to our little town that ride by the house in the horse and carriage. I had to come up with a way to send people on their merry way with a pocket full of goodies on a chilly night.

Paper pouches using leftover Christmas wrapping paper seemed to be a good solution. You start with an 8″ by 8″ piece of paper. I mentioned that I am using leftover Christmas paper but it helps if it is a kraft paper base. It just seems to hold treats better than typical wrapping paper.

Horse & Carriage rides that pass the house enjoy this little hand out as do visiting friends.

A simple holiday punch as a sweet accompaniment to home made toll house cookies.

Vintage linens for the Christmas Holidays.

Nothing sets the mood for Christmas like tea lights flickering through mercury glass votive holders.

An antique candle holder adds to the ambiance.

This one-of-a-kind piece was a wonderful find at a local antique store.

Vintage glass punch bowl acquired at the Round Top Antique show comes in really handy.

Fresh squeezed fruit juice with floating slices is the key to Holiday punch.

In the kitchen, baking by candle light with Christmas music playing feels very old fashioned.

The kitchen gets the Christmas touch with a furring strip rustic star and Christmas stockings made from vintage grain sacks.

Vintage European towel with lovely embroidery.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, Projects, Uncategorized Tagged With: antiques, christmas, cookies, cottage, country, entertaining, holiday, kraft, paper, pouch, treats

Boo-ti-ful Fall

October 7, 2013 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

The white linen pillows from summer still work with a slight change. This fall throw from Home Goods is a simple change with a lot of impact.

Finally. It feels like Fall this weekend. Halloween decorations have been up for a couple of weeks…but it is kinda hard to get excited about it when we were still pushing in the upper 90’s temperature wise.

I wanted my fall décor to be a bit more refined this year. I am not sure I achieved that…but maybe next year. My favorite element are the brown, black and grey paisley pillows with the ivory throw blanket with grey, black and brown accents. Not a set, they contrast beautifully to reflect the change of the season without being too obvious.

My second favorite element are the vintage enamel buckets with the twig arrangements. Naturals such as twigs and cotton branches against glittered black bats and black feathers with a flickering candle in the center flank the porch nicely. My old fall back favorite of pairing the rustic with the refined.

I hope you see something that inspires you. Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

Cindy

The perfect place for holiday candy on the spookiest of nights!

Old vines from summer still there.

A comfortable corner to sit and read a book or watch the world go by as Summer transitions to Fall.

The white linen pillows from summer still work with a slight change. This fall throw from Home Goods is a simple change with a lot of impact.

The other crow sits atop the sea grass pouf and keeps another creepy light company.

More tolerable weather brings people out after the August hibernation. So comfortable seating with seasonal colors is still a must.

He keeps an eye on us….

Sitting atop an old cast iron urn with some gauze and purple holiday lights.

Just a little something to get everyone in the mood.

An old vintage, enamel bucket with window clings topped off with a flickering candle in the middle of this holiday centerpiece.

Natural and artificial embellishments feature in this outdoor centerpiece.

Some small white pumpkins act as filler to hide power cords and white gauze mutes the bright orange holiday string lights.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, My Home, Projects Tagged With: bat, black, cottage, country, decor, fall, ghost, halloween, orange, vintage, witch

The Renewed Home

August 9, 2013 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

A reproduction vintage alarm clock perched on my coastal design books make for great bedside reading!

Post before last, I blogged about having to re-design my downstairs in order to accommodate being able to care for my special needs dog. I had to move the master bedroom downstairs so that I wouldn’t have to physically carry her up and down stairs during the night as she weighs 47 pounds. The truth is that I love the new downstairs. Creating a bedroom that has adequate clothing storage on any day is a good day in an old house. After living out of plastic storage containers in a small guest room, the day I completed the re-design was an over-the-top good day. It is the little things, some times, that mean the most.

True to my word, here are the “after” photos. What used to be a television room, is now my master bedroom. All-in-all, a great improvement. If I were forced to critique one thing, it would be that this room is a pass through to two other parts of the house. But, we who love old houses, learn to accept the quirks in exchange for a time worn interior. A more than fair trade in my book.

I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,

xoxo

Cindy

Before

You will see a number of navigational markers with the decorative items that are given new life in the new Master Bedroom.

Den.

Den.

Den.

AFTER

A reading nook with a comfortable old wicker chair and lamp is perfect for curling up with a good book.

An old quilt, pillows made from vintage fabric and a ambient lighting make this one cozy bedroom.

This, believe it or not…is the only closet in the house and I don’t even use it for storing clothing!

A basket in the corner with a vintage basket cover is a great place to keep extra blankets and quilts.

I formerly used this cabinet to house a television, it now is used for clothing storage in lieu of a dresser.

This lovely white, weathered armoire doubles as my closet.

Can you pick out the two Pottery Barn market items? The poet’s lantern on the left is vintage PB and the mercury glass task lamp is a new item.

A small table is the perfect fit for this little space.

Filed Under: Before 'n After, My Home, Projects, Uncategorized Tagged With: antique, antique wicker, barn, bed, bedroom, chair, cottage, country, french, master, master bedroom, pottery, pottery barn, redesign, wicker, wicker chair

Things as they ought to be…

July 28, 2013 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

A vintage enamel bucket next to my garden hydrangeas in a milk glass vase. Classic combo.

I try to make life a little easier these days. Without time enough in the day to do all the things I want to do requires me to prioritize that which is most important.

As such, I try to find furnishings for my home that need not be changed in order for me to like it. I want things that I love in their “as found” condition. I’d be a happy girl if I never picked up a block sander and paintbrush again. I’d rather spend time admiring something’s prettiness than trying to cajole it into something else.

A couple of months ago, I found a rusty, vintage nine piece wrought iron patio set. My first order of business was to get it powder coated to pretty up the finish. But then I thought “no”…let’s not worry about perfection. Let’s just let it be.

A new outdoor rug, some custom cushions, a few market items from Pottery Barn and we are good to go.

So here you have it. A summer porch with rusty furniture. And frankly, I couldn’t be happier.

I hope you find some inspiration.

xoxo.

Always,

Cindy

Rusty and the refined. Linen pillows, custom cushion make these some very comfortable vintage rocking chairs.

Big blue striped pillows, a lantern filled with sand, shells and citronella and an antique pewter mailbox all feel very coastal.

The stripes in the rug play against the flag stripes, the blue in the pillows play against the blue in the flag.

An vintage camp chair covered with a vintage grain sack that can be used for extra seating and folded up when not in use.

Filed Under: Antique Finds, My Home, Projects, Uncategorized Tagged With: barn, blur, cottage, country, cushions, independence day, july 4th, patriotic, porch, pottery, pottery barn, red, seagrass, summer, vintage, white, woodward patio furniture, wrought iron

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