The Winter Solstice

December 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

Always wishing for a White Christmas and a Winter Wonderland.

I have posted several different projects and vignettes of our Christmas house for the 2012 season.  Haven’t posted a full view, mostly because getting the right shot at the right time of day is not as easy as it may sound.  Particularly for me, since I am not much more than an amateur’s amateur when it comes to photography.

Having taken hundreds of pictures, in four or five different sessions, I finally had to just pick one, darn it.

I want to single out and thank Brian Washburn, Manager of the local Lowe’s and Vince Maggio, local designer, merchandiser and antique dealer extraordinaire for their help.  Each and every Christmas blog article was offered in earnest and has hopefully given you even the smallest bit of inspiration to do something extraordinary for your family and friends, in your lovely home.

I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,

Cindy

Winter Wonderland.

Pretty lit garland remeniscent of a steeple.

Making good use of what nature leaves behind: lit bare hydrangea bushes.

Winter’s bare garden with some holiday twinkle.

These are our sponsors and they have made all of this creativity possible.  Thank them by stopping by.  Merry Christmas.

GOOD LOOK, Inc.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, My Home, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Pleasant Christmas Surprises…

December 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

An Old Fashioned Christmas.

What a pleasant surprise for neighborhood kidlets, visitors and maybe even the mail man if he dares!

Using an antique Victorian wire plant stand, we lined it with white burlap and added a festive red ribbon and filled it with peppermint treats.  It was placed right by the door on the old front porch and welcomes one and all.

It is an easy idea that can be accomplished with almost any vintage container and ends up being such a sweet, unexpected gift for everyone.

I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,

Cindy

A Merry Welcome Threshold.

A Sweet Holiday Treat.

These holiday ideas are supported by our sponsors.  Thank them by giving them a visit.  Merry Christmas.

 

GOOD LOOK, Inc.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, Projects, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Candy Cane Sidewalk Lanterns

December 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

Eternally Christmas.

I can never have enough twinkling light.  Period. End of story.  These Candy Cane lanterns were fun and fairly easy.  With some modification, they would be a great addition to summer outdoor decor, too.

Here is what we used:

The key to this festive project is two fold: these particular shepherds hooks were essential because of their shape, reminiscent of a candy cane and secondly, the battery operated votives with the timer option.  Since the mason jars are lidded to protect the contents from the weather, it is important to have a way for the candles to turn on/off automatically.

I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,

Cindy

Battery Operated Votives with remote control and timer option.

Assembling the lanterns.

Mica flakes added.

Hand Made Annealed Wire Harness for a rustic touch and Jar Lids

Assembled and ready to go.

Painted red, remeniscent of a Candy Cane.

Lighting the pathway in succession.

 

This project would not have been possible without the help and support of our sponsors.  Thank them by stopping by.  Merry Christmas.

GOOD LOOK, Inc.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, Projects, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A light along Winter’s path…

December 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The Midnight Rider.

With a twinkle in our eye, we set out to make lanterns to light the way to welcome one and all this holiday season.

Using vintage mason jars as a starting point, we created these maintenance free lanterns for Christmas.  Using inexpensive battery operated candles with timers, we fashioned a holder out of polymer clay to keep the candle in place and up right and tossed in mica at the bottom as snow.  These cozy lanterns become a beacon on a cold winter’s night for friends and family.

Lighting the way home.

It’s really very simple.  Here is what you need:

  1. Large, half gallon Mason Jar (best prices are online)
  2. Battery operated candles, with timer from at Lowe’s (click here)
  3. Mica Flakes
  4. Polymer Clay
  5. Hobby Store Glue Dots

Polymer Clay shaped, baked as a holder to stabalize the candle and hold it upright. Then secured with glue dots to the bottom of the mason jar:

Polymer Clay fashioned into a stabalizer/holder for the candle.

Remove the factory holder from the candle (candle is too tall for jar, otherwise):

Factory candle holder easily removes.

Insert the candle into the polymer clay that you just secured to the bottom of the mason jar:

Secure polymer clay to bottom of jar with glue dots.

Add mica flakes as snow:

Add mica flakes for snow.

 

Light a walkway, or as we did…place in multiples on the porch rail.

These projects were made possible with the support of my sponsors.  Please give them a visit.

GOOD LOOK, Inc.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, Projects, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Walking in a Winter Wonderland…

December 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Winter’s Blanket.

Do you think it is possible to have a Winter Wonderland without snow?  I hope so.  Christmas this year is a Winter Wonderland with simple touches.

Let’s start with outdoor seating.  On a limited budget, working with what he had on hand, designer, Vince Maggio made the simple decision to move my summer wicker seating from the porch to the the front lawn.  The crisp white is the perfect foil for the abundant greens and reds we used for the decor.

Seating group, vintage side table painted shiny red for contrast, vintage water can with fresh holiday greens and a sparkly ribbon were the starting points.  We then took an odd urn, added a small table top tree from Lowe’s (at a meager $12.50) randomly adding fresh winter red pepper berries (artificial natural decor works just as well) and a vintage camp blanket along with a  french grain sack pillow completes the picture.

Take a seat. Any time. Enjoy friends, family and neighbors.  Cold weather or mild temperatures…gathering together will keep you warm.

I hope you find some inspiration.

Merry Christmas.

Cindy

Decorated or Unadorned…appreciate the simplicity.

Add fresh pepper berries and it’s not too fussy.

An invitation to relax and enjoy the day.

A blanket for warmth, surrounded by loads of vintage and the natural.

Thank our sponsors by giving them a visit.  They have made these Christmas ideas possible.

GOOD LOOK, Inc.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, Projects, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

These are a few of my favorite things…

December 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

Indeed. A happy Christmas.

Antiques. Holiday Cheer. Christmas Decorations.  Old Houses. Sweater Weather. Home Made Cookies. Festive Christmas Punch.  Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Put them all together and I had a really sweet weekend last week with my good friend, Vince from GOOD LOOK, Inc.

I live in a really good walkabout neighborhood with some really great neighbors.  Even the passing through strangers are nice.

I decided to have a little antique show at my house to bring attention to our little Christmas Cottage and it was great fun.  Once all the preparations were done (which really tuckered me out), Vince and I just sat ourselves on the wicker furniture and enjoyed the great company, beautiful weather and festive mood.

Vince is closing his antique store in order to move closer to McKinney, so he had his pieces beautifully arranged and it was FUN!

Here are some pics of his vintage and antique wares.  Tomorrow, I will start posting our Christmas projects for some inspiration.

As an FYI, Vince will be in his current location for another week, until the 15th.  Great deals to be had…but they are going quick.  See him on Facebook: GOOD LOOK, Inc.

Always,

Cindy

Open is just another way of saying “Welcome.”

Tuck in a little Christmas Wreath.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that.

Zinc Bucket…this great piece went to a couple who have a Farmhouse in Melissa.

Vintage Abundance.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, My Home Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Floating Holiday Centerpiece

October 21, 2012 by 2 Comments

A recurring theme in my blog is always about making things easier.  Around the holidays, I try to work with what I have so I got the idea to hang mercury glass ornaments of varying sizes from my dining room chandelier with vintage seam binding.  Cut at different lengths, the vintage seam binding helps hold the ornaments at different heights and gives the “floating” centerpiece great visual interest.

The light itself is an oversized single burlap drum shade from Potter Barn.  It has this great fabric ledge on the inside that turned out to be a great place to tuck twinkling string lights that show through the burlap to give this great softened twinkling holiday light effect.  To make this happen, I found a screw in lightbulb socket with a plug and just screwed it into the extisting bulb socket, added the normal lightbulb and plugged in the twinkle lights.

The result is this great floating centerpiece with a soft, holiday lighting effect.  A simple project that has maximum impact to the entire room.

I hope you find some inspirtation for your house for the holidays!

Always,

xoxo

Cindy

bells,berries,celebrations,Christmas,Christmas decorations,Christmastime,cropped images,cropped pictures,decorations,holidays,hollies,holly leaves,plants,PNG,special occasions,transparent backgrounds

German Glass Glitter and Mercury Ornaments.

Pretty Twinkling Lights tucked on the fabric ledge.

Lightbulb Socket found at any home store.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, My Home, Projects, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My All Time Favorite Christmas Issue

October 16, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

A Scenic Winter View.

 

Country Living HOLIDAYS 2002.  I have read that issue literally hundreds of times and in ten years,  it continues to resonate with me, not just during the holidays, but all year long.  One particular article about a family who lived in a small barn as their main house was being re-built after a fire is the one that caught my eye.

The barn had been decorated to have all the comforts of home while the family was temporarily displaced.  I loved the worn surfaces and the light palette.  I was drawn to the antique pieces that had a European feel to them.  I admire the the utter simplicity. As a result, I have spent the last 9 years trying to emulate that style in my own little cottage.

Since this was a holiday issue, the lodging has been decorated in a really restrained way for Christmas, but feels no less festive than the most decorated homes.  As the holidays have come and gone, I find myself trying to do more with less.  Having an appreciation for simplicity and the reduction in stress that goes along with it.

Thanks for stopping by for my first Christmas post.  I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,

Cindy

celebrations,Christmas,holidays,Santa Claus,special occasions

My All Time Favorite Issue.

The Winter Barn.

 

The Cozy Cottage Kitchen.

Where we gather.

 

The Well Appointed Couch.

Lovely Old Doors.

White Painted Plank Walls.

Dormers and Angles Make Cozy Nooks.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Fallready

October 11, 2012 by 2 Comments

 

Black urn and white pumpkin dressed with gauze for an ethereal look.

My last fall post for the year…I’ll be starting on Christmas posts next week.  Can’t wait!  I took down the Halloween decorations on my mantle and simplified with a fall theme to bring me into the Thanksgiving Holidays.

I tend to fill the visual space in a plentiful way; showing restraint is not always easy for me with regard to design.  But I started with more and played and edited the props until I got to the final, simplifed version.  It was kind of liberating to keep it as simple as it ended up.

I also included some other pictures of my outdoor decor, but I am “fallready” and ready to coast for a few weeks and then start Christmas decorating.

I hope you find some inspiration!

xoxo.

Cindy

Remember to click twice to bigify!

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, Projects, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

My First Giveaway!

October 1, 2012 by 6 Comments

Update: Winner to be announced Monday, November 5th!

As a post blog article note, many people are using the “like” button posted above this article in order to be eligible for the giveaway.  The like button on this page only applies to this article, not the blog fb page.  In order to be submitted for the giveaway, please click on the Facebook icon above, which will take you to The Leaning Cottage fb page where you can hit the like button that is associated with the page.  Thank you for your patience in allowing me to clarify!

I see Giveaways on other blogs all the time, so it would seem it is time to have one of my own.  The giveaway period ends on October 31, 2012.  There are two ways to win: add yourself to my subscriber list and confirm (subscription request is on the right hand side of the screen, in the sidebar) and/or “like” my page on Facebook.  Current subscribers and current friends on The Leaning Cottage page on Facebook are automatically entered.  You’ll get one entry for a subscription to the blog and one entry for liking my blog page on Facebook which means you can have up to two chances to win.

What will you win?  You will win the following spice rack, which includes a handmade wood shelf, 24 spice jars with custom labels, two large and two small vintage style amber lab jars for extracts, also with labels and a pair of vintage Kerr Jelly Jars for salt/pepper storage.  The giveaway does  not include jar contents such as spices and extracts.  You supply those:)

The Leaning Cottage Giveaway

Please pass this information along to your friends!

Until next time,

Cindy

 

 

 

Filed Under: Giveaways, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »