I don’t know about you, but I’m always happy to get the holiday decorations back in their boxes. It’s all so pretty when you put them out but when they come down you really appreciate your home just as it was — clean, simple, uncluttered. Okay, that made it sound like I’m the queen of keeping things clean and organized which couldn’t be further from the truth. But it does feel good to get back to “normal” (whatever that is).
Of course that meant moving things around again and freshening up our space. The large glass dome (cloche) I pulled out of the attic to decorate for Christmas is definitely staying in the den. I love how pretty everything looks under it so I’m going to having fun changing up the items under it from time to time. I decided to go with a wood theme to start things off.
I can’t tell you how much fun it is to dig through the piles and piles of things we’ve picked up over the years. One day I will have to take you on a visual tour of all the weird and wonderful things we have. I never have to shop for home accessories, I just head out to the shed. Hilarious! “Honey, I’m going shopping in the shed”.
I gathered up a few really cool wood pieces and included an old banister piece, a wooden “egg”, a vintage wood croquet ball, and some kind of pick. I guess it’s an old ice pick. The wood on the handle is fabulous! Each piece is old and possesses a patina that only time will gift you.
Most of the pieces needed a base so they wouldn’t roll away and so of course I “shopped” for old parts that would make interesting stands. I used an old metal gear, a clock part, and a piece of a chandelier. I had endless options. The piece next to the cloche came off the top of an old weathervane. Collected junk. Great fun!
Freshening up also meant some pretty petals for the week. Fresh flowers this week were Alstroemeria, Gerber Daisies, and White Roses. The market definitely showed a change since the holidays. Not much to really choose from. I’m aching for some purple iris. Maybe I’m just aching for Spring. I tend to do that in January… when the new year hits. I wish for warm weather and the first sign of Spring. This is a good start, though.
Commonly called the Peruvian lily or lily of the Incas, Alstroemeria are almost always available at the market and they last a long time. I mixed in some pink Gerber daisies and dropped them in to a simple glass vase. Made me smile!!!
I’m a sucker for white ANYTHING, so white roses buds make me especially weak. I wasn’t going to ALLOW them into my basket… but they insisted!
While most of the world went back to work this week, I was home, enjoying one more week off work and a chance to just relax, refresh, and enjoy my home. I hate to see it come to an end. It’s so hard to be off for that long but I’m ready to get back to the “real world”. I did get a few home improvement projects done that I look forward to posting about in the next week. I have a few more things to wrap up before I post photos but we did make small strides.
Happy New Year to you all. Here’s to fresh starts in all ways!
omg there’s your cute self. you’re so adorable!! i LOVE the non floral arrangement. ha! it’s so great. i love all those “old parts” – so unique! and your air plant looks 4 times the size of mine. yours must actually be growing!!!
you’re so lucky to be off of work this week. this was my first week back after having 2 weeks off and it hurt! i miss the holidays so much! but i’m happy for 2014 and have high hopes for a rockin’ year. hoping the same for you. enjoy the last 2 days of vacation!!! happy new year, stacey! xo
You’re so sweet! I don’t feel so adorable… but thank you, my friend! I too love the non-floral arrangement because it allowed me to play in boxes and boxes of JUNK! My whole body was covered in rust dust. I love rust dust!
I found lots of treasures while digging so it was almost like Christmas had come again. (laughing) But I’m happy we now have 12 months to go. Oh Tamara, my plants ARE NOT growing. That’s just three of them in one lump. They’re the same damn size as when I bought them. At least they’re not dead, though. Maybe I need to start “feeding” them. I think Bromeliad food is what you give them. I need to check on that.
I haven’t even gotten back to work yet and I’m already thinking “MLK” day. Is that wrong? HA HA HA! MUST. WIN. THE. LOTTERY. (I’ll share it with you)
Happy 2014 to you too. IT WILL BE ROCKIN – CUZ WE’LL MAKE IT ROCK!
Shopping from home is the best. I love that you find the beauty in interesting bits of objects. That old piece of weathervane is great. I’m glad those roses made you take them home. Just seeing the picture brightened my day, so I’m sure you are enjoying them. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Jessica! I think we BOTH find the beauty in interesting things. I’ll forever be wondering about those lanterns and metal pitcher of yours! I’m happy they brightened your day since you brightened mine during the holidays. You’re the sweetest! I know the flower posts will eventually get old but I honestly never tire of looking at them in my home. Such a pretty and joyful touch. Have a great weekend!
I probably will not do anything with the lanterns until spring, but I hope to find a good spot for the pitcher soon. It is currently sitting on the porch very neglected and sad.
The wooden pieces under the cloche are beautiful. It’s funny how the simplest things like that are often the most striking. I also love your flowers this week. I couldn’t have passed up the white roses either. I used to keep fresh flowers in the house all the time, and Alstroemeria were my good ol’ go-to. They’re the best bargain of all the grocery store flowers, I think, because they’re inexpensive and last forever. I really need to get out and buy some flowers today. I’ve let myself get out of the habit of picking them up regularly, and that needs to change.
Hi Dana! Thanks so much for your always wonderful comments. You’re so right… the alstroemeria are always available and I usually pass them up but I’m going to stop doing that. They’re pretty and deserve to be displayed.
They make a good fill flower, too. I would love to see your modern nest with your pick of some fresh flowers. I think they make a room. I tend to always put them in my dining room because for some reason Richie and I use the dining room door as the entrance/exit to our home (we never use the actual front door). I guess that tends to happen. Anyway, every time I walk in and out of that door those flowers are there to make me smile. I enjoy that.
Enjoy your weekend!
One of my favorite things about your home is all the unique details that you put together to decorate with. It’s always interesting and displayed in a beautiful way. I’d love a tour of all the weird and wonderful. Speaking of wonderful… that top off the old weathervane is gorgeous!
Happy New Year!
Hey Danielle! So great to hear from you. Such sweet words… I blush! Thanks so much. It’s easy to be inspired when I have blogs like yours to enjoy. I have to admit, though, that I’ve enjoyed my time away from the computer. It’s been so nice to be home and enjoy the space. I’m convinced I could be really creative and have LOTS of fun without a job. I don’t think I’d EVER be bored. :-) Yes, yes, I think a tour of the weird needs to happen. Your encouragement will push me to do it. HA HA! Happy NEW YEAR to you too, Danielle. Hope you enjoyed all your family time during the holidays. xo
Love your wooden collection! It would look good on its own, but putting it under the cloche makes it extra special. I had two weeks over the holidays, and it was so hard to go back to the cube farm. The break was like practice retirement for us (which is a long way off for you), and it felt SO GOOD! We discovered that work really gets in the way of home progress! The Seattle flower and garden show is in a few weeks–can’t wait!!
Hey D’Arcy. Isn’t it great how any ‘ole thing you stick under those glass domes becomes FANTASTIC! I put a dirty sock under there and it just sparkled and took on a life of it’s own. (oh, maybe that was just the funk) LAUGHING! I totally agree. I’m thinking retirement will suit me just fine. I don’t think I’ll have any problem finding things to keep me busy. Richie will get there before me (3 years) so maybe that will feel like we’re getting there. I’ll live vicariously through him for a few years. :-) The alarm will break my heart in the morning. (sigh)
OH BOY! A FLOWER SHOW!!!! Please tell me you’re going. I get that impression and I couldn’t be more excited. I hope you take some pictures and share. I’m such a freak for the pretties.
Lovely! I love fresh flowers in the house, too. I know why you share them here- I buy flowers for myself but I prefer it if I have visitors over to share them with before they fade away.
The wood collection under the cloche and the weather vane remnants of the past are fantastic. I’m envious of your shed and all the treasures it holds.
I’m looking forward to getting my house back to normal, too. We all got the flu and recovered just before xmas- so the tree & decor wasn’t up until the 23rd. With kids in the house I couldn’t get away with taking it down too early. We had a family gathering here yesterday and I now have permission to take it down, now that we’ve shared it with our guests. It will feel good to clear it out and feel less cluttered, as you say.
Looking forward to seeing your most recent projects.
Hello lovely friend. How are you? There is something about wanting to share your flowers, isn’t there. I mean… yes, they’re for me… but it’s way more fun when additional eyes get to enjoy them. Thanks for that!
Sorry you guys have been so sick. And I’m impressed that you got it all together at the last minute. YOU ROCK! I love it for a couple weeks and then I’m ready. Enjoy that clean and cleared feeling. I’m sure the kids appreciated your hard work and loved all the decorations. Christmas really is for kids anyway. It’s so exciting. Happy 2014, Cindy. Hope you and your family have a happy and healthy year. (and no more flu!)
Stacey you look so lovely in that picture! That’s the relaxed look we get after a few weeks off work, isn’t it? You are probably back at work by the time you will read this… I am a tad behind in leaving this message… I love your post-Christmas decorating… after all the influx of colour that Christmas tends to bring, it is nice to delve into a more neutral decor.
Can’t wait to see what home reno projects you were working on! It has hit me lately that with all the sewing that I have been doing since the fall, I have done ZERO home decor projects (which as you know, I also love very very much!). That might have to change…
Natalie
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