Simple Stockings

How thrifty is this?  Using old sweaters and flannel shirts to make stockings.  When I originally saw this image on Pinterest, I was instantly sold on the recycled, hand made holiday aesthetic.  But being the purger that I am, I didn’t have any old sweaters or flannel shirts sitting around in storage.  Several trips to Goodwill later, I was able to successfully stock up on a pile of cable knit.  The problem?  It’s still in a pile.  I never got around to the project.  Sigh. 

But thanks to my friendly neighborhood Target, I got off the hook.   So much for the “recycled” aspect.  But it still looks “homemade holiday”, especially  mixed with our unfinished staircase.  ;) 

The stockings were around $12 a piece.  The monograms add a personal touch, and each letter is on sale for $2.50 in the ornament section… thrifty! 

I simply tied the pompom strings around the ornament string.

If you ever get around to the recycled stocking project, I have some old sweaters you can use.  :)  

Girl’s Day Out

I was so excited to have the opportunity to meet fellow bloggers today in my neck of the woods.  It was my first ever blogger meet-up.  Technically, we were all strangers, but it didn’t feel like it.  A few of them I felt like I already knew through reading their blogs.  Funny, but true. 

It was the magnificent Marian (Miss Mustard Seed) who sent the invite for Raleigh locals to meet for a day of fleamarketing.  Not only were there decorating bloggers, but also some Miss Mustard Seed fans as well.  I qualify for both.  :) I should have gotten Marian’s autograph as I’m certain it will be worth gold one day.  Big things are happening for her, and I’m so thrilled to witness her journey.

So… I didn’t bring any cash, since I was only there for the social aspect.  Ahem.  What do you know?  They take checks.  I was forced to bring home a few treasures…a vintage hamper (the coolest one I’ve ever seen), a wicker night table (fabulous lines), and some old Victorian shutters.  I would have brought home more loot had the other ladies not been the first to spot it!  :)  I’m not bitter.  Nope.  

Here were the blogger stragglers left over at the end of the day… taken at SuzAnna’s Antiques:

From the left to the right:  me (hi!), Marian (Miss Mustard Seed), Tammy (Tattered and Timeless), Fiquet (Farmhouse to  Home), Brittany (Pretty Handy Girl), and Kristen (Sophia’s Décor).  Click on ‘em and visit.  So happy to have met these talented and creative chickies today!  Thanks Marian for the girl’s day out… a rare but fun treat for me.  :)

By the way, our floors are in!  I must say, I’m enjoying our improved living conditions.  Although, I miss the crickets. 

Late to the Party

I’m always late to the party when it comes to things like this.  But here I finally am… a newbie on Pinterest. 

If you’re on Pinterest and want to follow along as I pin, click here or click the Pinterest link on my side bar. 

What a clever idea… organizing all things that inspire in one spot.  I’m digging it! 

I’ve been collecting images of kitchens with subway tiles, as I think we’re headed in that direction with our new kitchen.  Late to the party on that one too! 

Hopefully not too late that it will look outdated in a few years.  To me, subway tile is classic.  I  suppose time will tell!  What do you think?  Is it timeless or a trend already on the way out?

On a different note, I want to give a big shout-out to Rebecca Razo for including some of our bedroom and bath images in the Fall issue of Bedrooms and Baths.  Thank you Rebecca!

Transition

image: Atlanta Bartlett

Closing is today… one week later than anticipated thanks to paperwork snafus.  We’ve been in strange limbo, staring at packed boxes lining our hallways and crowding our living space.  We’ll be renting out our current home until the housing market recovers (it will, it will!).  We have a couple weeks to transition our stuff over to the new place, which I’m counting as a major blessing.  I have lists upon lists which I can start crossing off now.  When those have dwindled down a bit, I’ll be back with some before shots of the interior of the fixer farmhouse.  I’m telling you, it’s bad.  But could be worse.  That’s my perspective anyway!  Here we go…

Ikea Family Live

Have you heard about Ikea Family Live?  It’s sort of like Houzz, but with a personal twist. 

First spotted via Vintage Simple after she posted this homey image: 

I’ve been quite smitten since. 

Instead of “Idea Books”, they have “Home Stories”, where people take you into their own homes and share the process of designing them. 

Like the family above, who converted an old school into their house.  Read their “Home Story” here.

I’ve always had a thing for European design sensibilities. 

Mixed with the fact that I’ve been in love with Ikea forever…

Ikea Family Live is a smorgasbord of inspiration for me. 

And now maybe for you too.

How not to whitewash a floor

1. Remove lid to a gallon sized can of white stain

2. Balance lidless can of white stain on the edge of the bathtub

3. Knock over can of white stain onto freshly laid wood flooring

4. Use spackle knife to scrape puddles of white stain back into can

5. Vigorously rub paper towels over entire area

6. Think positive thoughts.  Perhaps you have just discovered a new inventive whitewash application.  

7. Realize that no, you have not.

8. Retrieve the belt sander.

Spring wrapped up in a room.

image courtesy: House Beautiful

I’m introducing some color of my own into the house today (via scrumptious lilacs).  Is Spring blooming yet by you?  I just adore this time of year!

Friday Special

Who knew that opening an egg carton…

could provide not only nourishment for the body…

but also for the soul.

Eggs by Aldi. 

But then I woke up.

Just poking my head in to tell you about a dream I had last night.  I’m sure it wasn’t the first time I’ve dreamt about home décor, and I’m certain it won’t be the last.  (pathetic, but true)

Last night’s thrilling dream… Cottage Living magazine came back!!!  It felt so real.  *sigh* 

my only collection

I’ve never been a collector.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  I’m more inclined to purge items rather than hold onto them (which I sometimes regret later). 

But I do have one collection of sorts:

Growing up, I admired the pages of the decorating magazines my mom would bring into the house from time to time.  I remember when Country Living magazine was all about “homespun”, and I watched their progression throughout the years with anticipation and delight.   Right out of highschool, I paid for my first subscription of House Beautiful.  Little did I know, that would be just the beginning of a burgeoning collection.

I owe a lot of my decorating ideas to the plethora of design magazines out there.  They all feed me a monthly diet of inspiration, which contributes heavily to “my disease”. 

I was crushed when some of my favorites closed down.  Sniff.  I still miss them so.  It makes me treasure the back issues I’ve kept, and makes me all the more grateful for the magazines still up an running. 

Never would I have dreamed that my own home would ever be highlighted in one of these.  

So imagine my surprise when Romantic Homes featured my blog in their January issue!  Best of all, I’m surrounded by some of my favorite bloggy friends. I’m downright giddy about the whole ordeal and will likely stay beaming for quite a while.  

What a way to add to my collection!  Thank you Romantic Homes.

Votives, Simple & Sweet

Have you discovered these adorable canning jars?

They are made by Better Homes and Gardens, and sold in Walmart stores.

I love their chunky shape and quilted pattern.

So much so, that I plopped in candles and hung them with jute (unraveling the ends for texture).

 
Added a sprig of green and a trio of berries to each…
 
 
for a simple and sweet addition, inside the front door.

Wedding in a Barn

Ya’ll know by now that I’m already thinking up wedding ideas for the future.  Having four daughters will do that to you.  

The daughter of Judy (from the Remnants of the Past blog) recently got married, and her wedding is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.

The ceremony was outside…

And the reception was held in a rustic barn…

Of which I got to play a very small part, as they used my Mr. and Mrs. burlap tags on the bride and groom’s chairs:

I love how they draped them in front with the dark ribbon.  The attention to detail of every aspect amazes me…

But the loveliest thing amidst all the pretty décor was their acknowledgement of what the celebration was all about…

For more details and pictures, visit Style Me Pretty.