Valentine's Decor and a Plate Wall

Before I get to the Valentine's Day decor, I have to post about the plate wall I designed. This is the first project I undertook this year and I think it was a pretty good way to start the New Year.

I have a dear family friend, Lori, who had been collecting plates for probably 25 years now. Most are from thrift stores, some from Mexico, and others are special family heirlooms. They are all fantastic! And, as you can see, they all coordinate beautifully. 

I wanted to fill the space but with a completely asymmetrical design that crept over the door to the pantry. The result is a moving creature crawling up and over the wall and I DIG THAT!! Feel free to pin to pinterest as lost as you link it from here.

Now for Valentine's... 

One of the fond memories I have of my late grandpa is going to Bob's Big Boy when we lived in Fresno, California. I would often get the fried chicken, occasionally mixing things up with a cheeseburger, fries, and ALWAYS a chocolate milkshake. Every time we went, it was tradition for my grandpa to allow the rest of the adults to finish their meals in peace while taking my siblings and I to see the life-size statue of the Big Boy in the front of the restaurant. We would climb on him, tell him we loved him, and give him pats on his brown head. We would also do this to the statue. ;-)

  

So when these guys started popping up in antique stores, I had to snatch one. And he kind of has that old fashioned Valentine boy feel to him, doesn't he? Now he sits on our kitchen table and stares at the kids and I while we eat cheeseburgers and chocolate milk.

And please ignore the scratch in my table...

And the bad lighting in this picture.....

I swear the one thing that keeps me from being more professional is the crappy lighting in my apartment! I'm convinced my stuff would look cuter with more natural light. Urg...someday.

Valentine Table. Less is more this year. 

And how could I resist? Some of you know I am OBSESSED with all things Black Apple. This is a recent print I was blessed with by Emily called In the Spring, She Married a Bear. You can purchase it here. 

Isn't it perfect for Valentine's?

Valentine's cards old and new. Some by the lovely Emily Martin, which are a free download on her blog.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Simple Vintage Christmas

I was too busy with school projects, papers, and finals to pull out the many bins-full of Christmas goodies this year. So, I only decorated small spots and cubbies in the house. Plus, Grandma and Grandpa will have a big tree up for us this year so the kids are all good with that.

I always like to change things up a little each year using decor I already have but in a new way with a few extra finishing touches I pick up in local shops for inspiration and motivation.

The woodland theme with mushrooms and snow and branches was inspired by a display at Gatehouse this year. Those stripey mittens were my grandmother's when she was a teenager and bring a warm feeling to the snowy table. I dig the addition of my gnome Santas this year to my winter wonderland icy, blue and white theme I usually put out for January. The neighborhood kids that come over especially appreciate that my lamps are wearing hats. 

Yeah, being the stiff and steady sentinels they are, once a year even lamps have to get their crazy on.

Merry Christmas!

Amy's Christmas

Since I wasn't doing my own Christmas tree this year, it was a nice treat to be able to do someone else's. Amy has great taste in color. She bought a ton of new embellishments such as jeweled ornaments, butterflies, dragonflies, flowers, giant ribbon and toile  for her tree this year all in gold, brown, purple, green, and persimmon. It turned out lovely. It might be one of my favorite trees I've ever done.

Halloween 2013

It absolutely kills me that my apartment doesn't have better natural lighting. The light over my kitchen table tints the most decorated part of the house (this sofa table) a gold-ish yellow. That's one certain thing about sharing a big building with other folks - only one side of your dwelling has windows. I apologize to your eyes now.

This year's Halloween theme was "heads". I always try to create a different look with the things I already have plus a few new treasures. It's not as gruesome as a head-inspired theme might suggest but decorating with a more apothecary/thriller theme scares the crap out of my kids. So we can call this "Happy Halloween Heads" and feel safe as we walk past this to go down the darkened hallway to the toilet.

Here we have a collection of faces, masks, busts, pumpkin heads and silly bobbley heads hanging from a tree. Some fall favorites, a parachuting faerie, and the Black Pumpkin herself in the center of the kitchen table. Happy Halloween!