Vintage Floral Painting Canvas
Although I am not done with the wall grouping, I thought I would blog about it while I wait for the last (tiny!) piece. It’s in our hallway, right outside our bedroom. I love it!

I placed the cracked painting in a shadowbox (at Michaels, 50% off) that I bought.

To secure it, I used the tiny pearl-headed pins included with it.

I find that I prefer to balance things that are a bit feminine or vintage with something more modern and contemporary. Kevin, although he hasn’t said it, seems to appreciate that kind of balance. Especially when it comes down to my love for “granny chic”.

This shadowbox has a unique feature that I love. It’s deep which allows you to display things in a new way. I brought down a few blue and white bowls, which I loved the addition of dimension to the grouping.

The tray with hand-painted dogwood blossoms on the top came from the same flea marketplace as the crackled canvas painting.

The price was reduced from $12 to TWO DOLLARS. Can you believe it? It was marked down from $12 to TWO DOLLARS (can you believe that?). I only noticed the dogwoods on both pieces a few days later. It was a great discovery! The original tray had orange-toned handles made of wood. I painted them using some of my “Rosemary Gallery”, leftover paint, so that they blended in with the rest.

The other white plate has been my forever (it was a flea market find too) and I look forward to adding a small vinyl graphic to its center when it arrives later in the week.

This grouping was fun to keep the “front porch” theme. It should have this vibe:

A while back, I came across the “Front Porch Farmer” book and an old flat-sawn porch baluster at the local flea market. I used the book as a Christmas gift and kept it on my mantel.

I love that the book pages and baluster are exactly the same color.

The vinyl graphic that I am adding to the white plates will be related to sweet tea…I’ll be back Wednesday to show you how it turned out!

Although I don’t know what my mother, a master gardener, will think about this post, I do know that I need flowers. This is an inexpensive way to get them. So I’m sharing. I don’t know how my mother, a master gardener, will feel about this post. But flowers are essential to me. This is one way that you can have them every day for a very low price. So I’m sharing.

First, you will need a realistic-looking faux stem for your faux flower. This one I bought (which I think is an apple blossom) at Michaels’ Spring Clearance aisle for 99 cents.

This stem is my favorite for several reasons.

1) The leaves’ edges are not smooth but “toothed”. It is very realistic.

2) Each leaf has a very specific vein pattern. It is very realistic.

3) The petals of the blossom are not brightly colored, but off-white. #Realistic

4) The stamen, which are located in the middle of each bloom, are made from fabric and not plastic. They are matte and not shiny.

5) The branch color is a dark brown, not a warm chocolate brown like I see often. A branch that has the texture and color of a real branch is my favorite.

Next, you will need a container to place your branches/stems. It’s possible you already have one, but if not, a friendly (non sponsored) reminder: Michaels has a lot of glass vases at 70% off right now. This cutie was mine for less than 5 dollars

It’s called Quick Water. It’s fake water, which I bought at Michaels. It will keep your arrangement in order… and looking real. It’s fake water that will keep your arrangement in place…and looking real.

After mixing it in a separate cup, I put it into a vase. I used pencils to secure my stem, which I had actually split into two.

This tip is also very useful: Regardless of what the box says on the package, you must not move or touch your arrangement during curing. Your stems will move and your water will become a million tiny bubbles. #TrustMe

These photos show that one container of Quick Water did not mix well enough to make enough “water” in my vase. This is due to the size of the bottom. If I could, I would have mixed another half of the box.

Some of the most interesting design-related items I see on Instagram are some that I have seen. I thought I’d share a few of my favorites here, in case they aren’t already on IG.

This DIY chandelier was posted on Olive and Ford’s Instagram feed.

It’s a Home Depot crystal chandelier, with an orb made from rusty barrel straps. It’s gorgeous!

I was also stunned by this photo from Kate’s Instagram feed:

This fixture is made from jute twine, hula hoops, and an Ikea $40 chandelier. HULA HOOPS This is so cool! How cool is that!

When this next picture popped up on my feed, it nearly made my head explode.

Kristine of The Painted Hive posted it. Another pic she snapped of the piece is here:

…and because you want to know how she did that, here’s the link to her how to post!

This Insta-photo Kristine took of me for quite a while, too.

It’s so sweet! And would you believe there’s a DESKLAMP on the wall! #genius

When I looked at the caption below this photo in Jess Wasserman’s feed, I discovered that these carrara-look counters had been LAMINATE. Boom! #MindBlown

The stunning “wood” floors in her entire house were also laminated, which I discovered at Lowes.

(I was on the lookout for flooring for Kevin’s parents and Jess’s glowing reviews convinced me that this is what I’m going to choose! It’s called Handscraped Hickory, and it’s manufactured by Swiftlock.

Farmhouse For Four wallpapered fridge pic

1. These Smart Tiles have you all seen?

I’m so intrigued!

Smart Tiles claims they are specifically designed for bathroom and kitchen environments (not in showers) and can withstand heat from stovetops. They are lightweight, easy to cut, handle and maintain and can be placed on walls for as long or as you like.

Cristina at Fuji Files added the subway-style tiles to her existing travertine tiles.

They are also available at Lowe’s and Home Depot. She suggested that they be tried if you’re trying to renovate your kitchen or rent a place and want to make some permanent improvements.

2. Claire Brody used window treatment to bring together the different-sized windows in her living area.

Look at what she did! It’s so smart! She raised her curtain rods near the crown molding, and placed her window shades outside her windows to make them look the same height and width. Floor-length (Ikea), drapes add the finishing touch and tie it all together.

This year, I had way too much fun decorating the tree. 2020 made me do it. I chose to be cheerful. I went with a country-style Christmas feel and used many things that felt homemade/spun. Popcorn, braided wool garland and balls of yarn (completely with knitting needles inside! Stocking, embroidery hoops and gingerbread cookies, as well as candy canes and yarn balls (complete with knitting needles inside!).

Although I don’t always follow a theme, this one brings me joy! It will likely be a work-in-progress until I take it down at the end of February. In case you were interested in something, I’ll post links (affiliate or non-affiliate).

Candy Canes

Yarn balls

• Gingerbread Truck
• Gingerbread Truck 2
• Gingerbread Car
• Red Glass Balls
• Santa Claus Heads
• Nice Embroidery Hoop

Plaid House

• Red & white Fabric Strip Balls
• Extra-large Red Matte Balls

These are the links I have for all of them, so I apologise if I didn’t include one. I can confirm that the soft snowflakes were purchased from Target, the cozy knit garland was purchased from Crate & Barrel, and the cloches came from Balsam Hill. We also bought the white paper houses, stars, and cloches at Ikea last year. Oh! And I ordered the faux popcorn garland from FactoryDirectOutlet.com and I got the gold bead garland at Ikea this year. The stuff is only $1.49 and covers 12 feet.

For gift boxes under the tree, Target, HomeGoods and Ikea are my top choices for wrapping paper. I also love Target and Ikea for their selection of wrapping paper. Michaels also has the best selections of twine, yarn and ribbon. I found all my items on their website.

Speaking of Christmas decorating, my favorite thing to do is listen to Christmas music as I trim the tree. I have a Spotify playlist that I created, which you can add to your Spotify library. It’s called The Lettered Christmas.

That collection has 44 songs. But, like the ornaments I have been adding new songs every day! Mindy Smith’s “Santa Will Find You”, my latest favorite, is it. It’s amazing! It’s so good! Steevenson’s favorite song is “Last Christmas”, by Wham. He must have played the song fifteen times in one night when we made cupcakes last night. His tiny voice, singing any chorus, is one of my most treasured sounds and I will be forever grateful for it.

I hope to share with you our Christmas mantel as well as my Christmas secretary desk later this week. These areas have been made more festive by me this month.

What about you? Did you get bitten by decorating this weird year? I understand that not everyone feels up to the task and I certainly can sympathize with that mindset. It has been a difficult year in 2020. I hope that your family is safe and well, and that you have a happy holiday season, doing whatever brings you joy and peace.