Decorating for Spring - Indoors

Bringing the Garden & Spring Inside

As we are working away outside, I see that this is exactly where we were last year, and most likely the year before. Trying to get some gardening done before the real heat hits, like 90's heat!
And this is about the same thing I wanted to do inside as well. 

The urn above is painted with Old White Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, Dry Brushed with Pure White, and Glazed with a Brown - Gray Paint Mix for a little aging. 

The large Moss Ball is a styrofoam ball from the craft store purchased with coupon of course,
and covered with Bright Green Reindeer Moss.

The moss is hot glued and adhered to the ball with metal florist picks. 

Come back soon for another look at some of 

The Decorated House Readers' Favorite Posts.
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Wondering how to bring a little Spring inside, but without buying anything new? There are so many ways! The entry table is dressed with a few old favorites, this lovely white painted urn with a large reindeer moss ball, a beautiful antique vellum book from the 1600's, and a mercury glass crown. The urn is a perfect contrast to the black marble top. I'm not sure that these 3 items have ever been used together before. New fresh spring look, nothing new purchased! Perfect.

I was spying the antique blue bottles that I used last year holding a single flower or two on the mantel. But at the moment we are spending days outside redoing planting beds. Trying to get more done before the temps hit the 90's. We made great progress but there is much more to do yet. The kitchen courtyard needed very little work. It is such a wonder micro-environment. It was time to add some seasonal flowers, but all the shrubs are now established and look wonderful.

See Y'All Soon~

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Decorating for Fall - Autumn with Vintage

No the Keno brothers from Antique Road Show are not looking for this little boot; this is a different kind of treasure. Family "treasure" might be a stretch, but this little copper plated boot - shoe was Sweet Hubby's so it  makes it a little family treasure. His mom kept long after he was grown, and gave it to him several years ago. Most of the time it has been on my desk being used to hold trinkets, paper clips and who knows what since then. At least it has been out and not stuffed in a closet. Since this Fall the decorating is copper and lime green, the search was on for copper. And this little "treasure" was perfect for holding a special pumpkin.

There is always a place in our Fall Decorating for this beautiful hand painted ceramic pumpkin. It has been a part of Fall for so many years, and it is always fun to bring it out.  The copper coffee pot also has been around here for at least 20 plus years. It has been hiding in the garage as I contemplated how much of the old copper stuff to give away. I actually forgot it was still here. Filled with late sumer flowers it adds a nice extra touch of copper. 

Sitting in the little round glass area of the copper shoe  is the smallest of the velvet pumpkins that I made. You can see how I made the pumpkins HERE.  If you are thinking that you would like to make some of these but you just can find any dried real pumpkins stems, then why not make your own? 

I had one pumpkin stem that was my favorite, but it was too large for this little velvet pumpkin, so I made a new stem for it. This one is made of air dry clay. I don't have the package so I'm not sure if it is paper clay. The air dry comes in different types, but I think this kind is the paper. It is very easy to use, and you can keep it from drying out by keeping a damp paper towel in a plastic bag with it.

 

I haven't used it in almost a year and it was not dried out at all inside the plastic bag. I laid a damp paper towel over it for a few minutes before I began sculpting with it, and if a spot seemed to dry I just dipped my fingers in a little water and applied it to that area. Very easy and fun to play with. 

~ See Y'All Soon ~

The Decorated House - Easter Mantel 2015

There was a time when there were a lot of bunnies around here. None of them were real rabbits; those do not come to play in my garden. Which is probably a good thing since I've heard they like to eat a lot of plants and flowers that you did not intend growing for them.

But when Easter and Spring come along each year, it seems that the my bunnies have multiplied even though  I haven't bought one in years. And I swear I gave a bunch away. None the less, this time of year, I'm usually surprised and delighted to see them and quite happy some have stayed around.

The mantel is dressed this year with an Art Print from my Shop, The Bunny Chandelier. Printed in gray, it looks really wonderful in that old gray painted frame that I used the chalk paint on. The altered - decorated peat pots and the paper and fabric covered eggs with the leaping bunnies are also being used again this year. Along with the vintage style bunnies, I've added a couple of hand made clay mushroom houses that I  have had for 30 years. They stay in a cupboard with glass doors so dust doesn't settle on all that intricately made elements.

The Bunny Chandelier is available in 8 x 10 in or 5 x 7 inch in my shop

by clicking on this word link.

The Decorated House Bunny Chandelier on Etsy
It is available in Tiffany Blue, Pink, Black and Gray.  

You can click on the picture link below for last Easter's decorations and

some directions on how to make you own pretty peat pots.

This little Easter bunny is my favorite. The plastic gray egg next to him is painted with Paris gray ASCP. From the closeup of the mushroom house you can see how fantastic details the artist gave to each of her magical creations. Perfect for welcoming the magic of Spring!

See Y'All Soon~

~ Oh ... Christmas Tree ~ The Decorated House 2014

For the last few years I've wondered if I can do without the big Christmas tree. You know, maybe a small one on a table so something like that. I've watch how the Christmas tree trimming story played out with the older women in my neighborhood as their kids grew up, or even the grandkids grew up .... and maybe even some moved away. I think by the time I met them only one still had a larger, real Christmas tree that her daughter used to pull in the house on Christmas eve.  Another lady would still put a small artificial tree on a table in her front window and red bows on her outdoor lights, even though she lived alone.  I miss her, and that silly little tree and the red bows.

For this year, there is still a big tree in the living room. Right where it has been for the last 30 years. I like to think my little family would miss seeing one there, but I'll most likely rethink the whole thing once the needles start falling, or I am wrangling the lights off the tree. Sometimes I forget to just let that be a part of the fun as well. 

But I never forget to enjoy the dance of the lights in the evening when all is quiet after a long or busy day. Somehow it brings you back to a peaceful moment and makes it seem worth the work it takes to put it all together. 

I hope your Christmas Season is going well and that you are creating beauty and joy all around you. 

~ See Y'All Soon ~

~ The Decorated House - Christmas 2014

It's that holly jolly time of the year again when you most likely get bitten by a bug ... the Humbug or more hopefully the Christmas Merry Bug! And yes, there seems to be some in between states of mind as well. Or you might flip from one to the other one day to the next. That's OK, just try to take a little time to breath in the beauty of the season and shake off the stress that sometimes comes with it.

Black and white at Christmas? It might seem like an odd color combo for Christmas decorating. But we have been using it for a while, and I still love it! I think it started for us several years ago when we got a Bambi, Radko ornament set with Flower and Thumper being the cutest of the lot. Flower of course is black and white/silver so that one has been displayed the most over the years. But it was the star that came later that really moved the color scheme to black and white.

 

Then a couple of years after Flower came to Christmas,  I found a pretty MacKenzie Childs star to add to the decorating mix. A few more, including one more star, came along in the next few Christmases. After a couple of tree crashes that destroyed a lot of the overpriced ornaments, I vowed not to get anymore. Out of all those glass ornaments, the stars are the only ones on the tree every year and I still love them!  The amount of lime green varies a bit year to year sometime a little more and sometimes a little less.  Still the Christmas decorating for me is white and silver with touches of black and remains my favorite combination with a touch of lime green.

Amazing to me, the presents are getting wrapped a bit early this year! Between procrastinating and trying to hide the gifts from my daughter, over the years I always seemed to be playing catch in on Christmas Eve, often everyone was in bed. This year I have a very good start on the packages which are going to be wrapped in white and silver, with black and lime green accents.

~ See Y'All Soon ~

~ Christmas Mantel 2014 - The Decorated House - White and Silver

How is your Christmas decoration coming along? Here is a quick peek at the mantel this year, and I'll post some more pictures when they are downloaded and ready.  I hope you are enjoying this part of Christmas ....  decorating, visiting and sharing your own.

After doing the mantel I remembered telling myself not to use fresh greens because it is such a mess to clean up afterwards. It was too late by then of course.  In this case I don't mind using the faux because I keep it and use it for many years,  and the snow capped greens on the mantel ledge are faux with some real added here and there. But around the frame, real look best right now.

I took fresh greens and wired them together to form a garland around the frame of the Madonna picture. It's such a beautiful painting isn't it? I printed it out on antique paper from the late 1800's which gives it a wonderful aged look.  Although I used the same picture last year, I changed the frame to add some aged gold to decorating this year. 

~ See Y'All Soon ~

~ White Christmas Time

It was Christmas tree shopping time this weekend for us,  and this year's tree is awaiting its adornments. The next couple of days will be happily spent listening to Christmas music and deciding what do this year. My guess it will still be the same neutrals of lots of white with silver and Mercury glass with a dash of color. Time to get the boxes in and see what surprises I'll find that I completely forgot about having stored away.  Hope your week is going wonderfully, too!

If you would like to see how the finish was created on this 

vintage frame with the Madonna, click HERE.

~ See Y'All Soon ~

~ Christmas ~ Bless The Animals and The Ones Who Love Them

 

We were blessed a few years ago with a rescue puppy who found us right after 

Christmas as many of you know. Probably because he came to us so close to this 

beautiful holiday, it is easy to remember to help out some incredible 

dog rescue people this time of year. The work they do day in and day out is amazing.

The world is certainly a better place for them.

Please consider making a donation to one of your local dog or 

animal rescue people, or organizations this time of year. 

You can save a life!

The cute bottle brush - sisal dog came from Pottery Barn last year. Since they are 

wire and sisal, it was easy for me to curl his tail a bit like our Cody Bear's tail is. 

He also got  some dry brushing of white paint to make him a little whiter.

Our lab mix puppy grew up to keep his pretty white color and the 

white paint made this one look more like our pup. 

And he goes perfectly with the bleached bottle brush trees. 

I hope you are enjoying this wonderful holiday

season. Slow down and eat the cookies and 

kiss your loved ones!

~ See Y'All Soon ~

~ How To Bleach Bottle Brush Trees for Christmas Decorating

Have you fallen in love with these wonderful little bottle brush trees? I haven't seen them in their natural state of creamy off-white in stores, although they can be ordered on-line. However for just a few cents, you can create your own because you can change them very easily. 

The first ones I saw a couple of years ago were vintage, but today you can find them new as well.

The trees on the left are how I found them. They are sold for using in those little villages people put up especially during Christmas time. Look in the area  where you can buy the miniature houses and furnishings and that's where you find those strangely colored blue green trees.

I started bleaching them a couple of years ago, and I haven't seen anyone coming up with a newer idea.  It's all the same very simple process. After they are bleached you can use any kind of dye to make them another color like pink or aqua if you wanted to. Or just leave them pretty and natural.

HOW TO: This is all you need to know! 

CONTINUE READING

~ How to Make a Pottery Barn Style Pillow with Christmas Wreath - DIY

Handcrafted Christmas Decorating Ideas:

When I first saw the Pottery Barn Pillow, I was smitten. There had been a few copycats and knock-offs but none where quite what I was looking for. Even the Pottery Barn version was the reverse of the colors of what I wanted. So of course, it's time to make your own!

Click HERE For Directions: 

How to Make a Pottery Barn Inspired Wreath Pillow

See Y'All Soon~

~ Celebrating Fall ~ Autumn - Inside Your Home

Fall is loved for its beautiful colors and it is just as wonderful to enjoy those same colors inside your home as well. You can use real and fresh leaves (as in the vase above) or dried magnolia leaves, with their rich color combination of copper and green for the perfect look and colors of Fall. If you use the preserved leaves, you can carry that element into the next season too. Almost everything in the vase is from nature - dried flowers, leaves and feathers along with only a few faux leaves here and there to fill it out. So depending on where you live, you might find everything you need for a pretty arrangement right outside your door!

Previously I have shown you the magnolia leaf candle wrapped with the leaves all facing on the copper side, and also with the with the copper alternating with green. You gather from Nature and your garden to create a simple, or even more elaborate arrangement than this one. Here I used the candle in a white concrete garden container. It was filled with a floral foam so I could easily stick the leaves, berries and picks into it. It was covered with moss so you can't see the foam. The pumpkins can be painted with either flat white paint, or chalk paint.

The candle arrangement  is on the dining table, but it can easily be moved to your coffee table when it's time to get the table ready for a dinner.

For the entry table it was simple to remove all the Halloween related elements and keep everything that felt like Fall. The antique books and rusty lock are a wonderful balance of autumn colors against the shiny silver and the white pumpkins. The pumpkins are a mixed of painted ones, mercury glass, and velvet giving you a nice range of textures to add more interest.

Click the links below to view

How to Make Candle Wrapped in Magnolia Leaves

and

The Candle with Magnolia Leaves - The Decorated House

See Y'All Soon~

~ 50 + Fabulous Fall - Autumn - ThanksGiving Decor Ideas

Fall and ThanksGiving Decorating Pins

I hope you enjoy some of the wonderful things I have pinned 

for Fall and ThanksGiving Decorating.

Click on the picture above and you will usually go to 

the source of each picture for more pictures 

and sometimes tutorials and downloads.

Happy Weekend ~ See Y'All Soon

~ Slipcovers - Lots of Ideas!

Let's explore slipcovers again. 

I've added more ideas to my pinterest slipcovers board. Hope you find something 

of interest if you are looking for some slipcover ideas. 

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Although it would have been much easier to just reupholster the dining room chairs, I wondered if sometime in the future I would really want the pretty green fabric back again. Also since they were going to be white, there was a good chance there would be some spills along the way with this being a dining room. So that's why the decision was made to make slipcovers

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~ Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween

from our home to yours.

See Y'all Soon ~

~ Halloween Mantel 2014 -The Decorated House - Elegant Black and White Decorating

Instead of all the spooky stuff, you can choose to enchant with a more elegant style when decorating for this fun packed holiday! It's almost Halloween time again, and that means it is a perfect time for adding some elegant black back into the decorating mix. Black and white has always been such a classic combination. I like to add Vintage Silver and Mercury glass, and Old Books ... along with a tiny bit of spookiness. The only really spooky thing is those spiders! Spiders are not one of my favorite guys outside, but

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~ Halloween Decor in Black and White - Entry Table

Halloween may be the time of joy for children, but it is also a wonderful time to bring a little different twist to your own decor. This is one of the times of year when black and white is so perfect for changing the look of your home and celebrating this fun holiday as well, although it may not be the wise choice to get your own favorite candy to give out. 

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~ Halloween Decor Elegant in Black and White - The Decorated House

As the weather cools a bit, it is the perfect time for a little Halloween Decorating.

The entry table is dressed in Black and White with Silver and

Mercury Glass. Antique Books are so pretty as they mirror the colors 

of the fall leaves just beginning to turn their Fall colors.  

Keeping things on the lighter side, you see faux Pumpkins painted 

Old White and Pure White with Chalk Paints 

and a lovely Velvet Pumpkin. 

The glittered spiders run havoc over webs and pumpkins, enjoying

the only time of year the are indeed free to roam inside. 

Welcoming all from the entry table this year is Abigail Bunny. 

You can see Abigail and other Halloween Art Prints are in the shop.

See Y'All Soon~

~ Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Pumpkins - Black & White with Silver Halloween Decorating!

Halloween Decorating at The Decorated House
Halloween 2012:
Come take a look at how I used some decorative goodies to decorate
our entry table for Halloween with elements
 that you probably already have!

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~ Velvet Pumpkins for Fall Decorating

It's beginning to feel like Fall in many parts of the country, and it sure seems to bring out

that desire to fluff the nest and make a few pretty things to decorate our homes with.
One of those absolutely lovely things is plush velvet pumpkins. Of course
 you can purchase some pretty ones if you are short on time,
but you can also make one, or a few, with some simple instructions. 

Click this link for full directions on how to make beautiful plush pumpkins

 to add to your home this year.

How to Make Plush Velvet Pumpkins 

See Y'all Soon~

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Click on any of the pictures below to shop  art from The Decorated House 

~ How to Make Velvet Pumpkins Plush & Pretty - DIY - Tutorial

 How to Make Plush and Pretty Velvet Pumpkins:

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