2013 January

A New Macro Lens

January 28, 2013 By Shirley

I got a new macro lens for Christmas..

Typical me….it stayed in the box until recently..

Always busy doing something (like trying to finish taking down the Christmas decor)..

…..and travels and community functions.

But I did take some time this morning to take a few pics….

…..I am sure I am not using it to the best of it’s ability.

I need to take some time soon and read the manual (hate reading manuals!)

So here are a few that I took this morning…

I came home from being away for a couple of days…

…..having fun with Kim and Laura…(and Bailey too!)..

……….and seeing Rhoda’s gorgeous home!

There was a dead leaf on the table…

and this sprig of an evergreen…

I think I may need to do something with the aperture…Right Pat?

Now this is a shot of an arrangement that I use for Christmas…

It came from this arrangement..

And then I took a close up of a topiary….

My hubby asked me why in the heck am I taking a picture of “sticks”??

For texture!!!

and a bird’s eye view!

And I took this one from a bit farther way…,,

…..you can see that I am breaking down the winter mantel…stuff all over the hearth…

and this was taken from a farther distance too…

And believe it or not, this is the bottom of a small votive candle…

I am slowly re-arranging and adding accessories as the Christmas decs “go away”…

…..like this beautiful watercolor that I received for Christmas…

……….from my friend Martha…I was just “blown away”…

……………see how it beautifully matches my canisters.

and practicing macro shots of signatures…:)

Then back to the regular lens…

…..a pic of some items I am adding to the living room…

……….adding more blues.

Bought this faux large topiary boxwood ball on super clearance after Christmas.

One of the projects is adding furniture to my craft area…

…..stay tuned!

It’s a mess in there now!

And after being away for a couple of days…

…..having fun with the girls..

This is what I came home to….

…..say ahhhhh…

Who knew that the guy who sat behind me in the second grade….

…..who was always pulling at my hair….

……….would be my true soul mate and do things like this!

So I took my macro and took these too…

I told him that he needed to keep buying me flowers…..

…..so that I would have lots of “practice material” !!!

I wish you all a most wonderful week!!!

I am joining:

Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home

Yvonne at Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Macro lens

A New Table Vignette

January 23, 2013 By Shirley

Well, the table is not new…

…..but there’s a new vignette in town….with new “sticks”

The Pottery Barn Gift Card from my niece was burning a hole in my wallet…

…..so Merry and I did our trek to Pottery Barn.

They set aside a our “personal register” when they see us coming through the door!

…..Seriously!!

Now…pay no attention to the silhouette…

…..of the reflection of the Christmas tree in the mirror!

These candlesticks have been around for a while….

…..and I took advantage of their sale!

I placed a faux boxwood topiary ball on the top…

…..but it looked too small.

So I placed another on top…and made it larger…more to scale.

I twisted the wired handle into a heart shape…

…..my very first Valentine decor of this year.

And you know how much I love birds…

…..they have made an encore from Christmas.

A empty bird nest is cradled below the candlesticks…

…..waiting for Spring.

I love “shopping the house”…

…..relocating the accessories…

The only “new kids in town” are the candlesticks.

In keeping with the post Christmas/Winter theme…

…..I kept the “magnetic snowflake” on the lamp shade.

I love these magnetic accessories…will have to create some of these!

So here is another area finally cleared of the Christmas decorations…

…..working on adding Valentine decor to the front of the baskets.

More “undecorating” and “redecorating” today.

Thanks for visiting me today…!!…I so appreciate your company!!

Have a wonderful day!!

I am joining:

Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

Common Ground Be Inspired

DIY by Design Winter Blues Wednesday

From My Front Porch to Yours Treasure Hunt Thursdays

No Minimalist Here Open House Party

Stone Gable for Tutorials Tips and Tidbits

The Charm of Home Home Sweet Home

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: birds, Pottery Barn candlesticks, Pottery Barn hurricane, table vignette

There is just something special about that Mary!

January 18, 2013 By Shirley

Mary…the beautiful blogger…from Home is Where the Boat Is…

…..She lives on this gorgeous lake.

A background that she uses many times for her magnificent tablescapes…

And have you seen her “Garden Cottage”….

…..I swear I could live in that cottage…it is so beautiful!!

Can you see the lake by the Garden Cottage…?

Love those burlap valances…

And she is a wonderful cook…and food stylist…and overall stylist for that matter!!

And love seeing her posts about Gracie and Chloe…they are so cute!!

So other than talking about Mary and her beautiful blog…

…..you must be wondering why I am featuring her today….

She posted about making this beautiful wreath for her Garden Cottage…

…..a wreath that was inspired by Marian, “Miss Mustard Seed”.

Mary was one of my winners of Marian’s book…

When she was creating her wreath with pages from a seed catalog…

…..she came across “Shirley’s Poppies”!!!…

And stated in the post here that she is sending me some Shirley Poppy Seeds!

You must go and visit this post as you can see the things she has done in her Garden Cottage!

What a sweet and thoughtful thing to do!!!…

The other day…a package arrived…

The outside of the package is even decorated!!…No plain brown box!!

Images of seed catalog pages grace the outside of the box…

And when I opened the box….

…..there were those beautiful images on the inside of the box too!!

There is just something special about that Mary!

I was expecting seed packets….

…..when the box arrived it was rather large for seed packets…

And to my surprise…she also included this gorgeous watering can and plant marker!!

The seed packets are so pretty!!

So thank you Mary from the bottom of my heart….

…..I am so overwhelmed by your thoughtfulness and generosity…

I am truly blessed to have come to know so many bloggers who are truly kind and wonderful people!!

I was adjusting my camera the day that I took pictures of Mary’s gift…it was a gloomy day..

…..but today, the sky is the beautiful Carolina Blue…

……….dusted with the first snowfall of the year.

And also on that gloomy day…the painters were here…

…..here is a snippet of what they were doing…

Stay tuned!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: burlap valance, garden cottage, garden shed, seed packets, tablescapes, watering can

Birds in the Foyer

January 15, 2013 By Shirley

I think I am in the minority….

…..of people who are still taking down the Christmas decorations.

Seriously, I really need to ramp it up….stay up late and get it done…

I did clear the foyer table and foyer of all things Christmas.

Using some “Wintery Christmas items” and accessories on hand…

…..I set out to create a winter vignette on the foyer table.

And of course, the day that I finish this vignette…is a rainy, gloomy day!

So the pics are a bit darker than I planned on…

I placed some faux birch branches in the demijohn..

…..along with a moss covered branch with bird nests.

These birds obviously did not fly “South” for the winter….

But then again…This Florida girl keeps forgetting that NC is part of the South!

I thought that since cotton also reminds me of “balls of snow”…

…..I incorporated it into the evergreen.

I purchased the container of moss from Kristen of Sophia’s Decor…

…..she has a booth at SuzAnna’s in Raleigh.

As I clear tables, etc of Christmas decor…

…..I am rearranging accessories…many times from one room to another…

I think that is keeping my “sanity” … a nice break from boxing up the decorations.

I am off to put away more Christmas decorations…

…..so I can move forward on to many projects ahead…

……….like this one that just arrived.

8 boxes of “happy”…

I say happy, as “hubby” is putting it all together…

But first….the room needs to be painted too!

So I and my feathered friends thank you for stopping by….

Have a wonderful day!!!

I am joining:

Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

DIY by Designs Wintery Blues Wednesday

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

Stone Gable for Tutorials Tips and Tidbits

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: bird nest, Faux birch branch, Foyer, moss covered branch, Winter birds

A “Wintery” Mantel

January 9, 2013 By Shirley

I have been waiting for a friend to arrive before I take down my decorations….

She is special….so worth the wait!

…..but I went ahead and “dismantled” the living room mantel yesterday.

I hope that a picture of the Christmas Mantel will be OK for my guests…

It is amazing that it takes me more than a day to create the Christmas Mantel…

…..and less than an hour to take it all down!

I wanted a “wintery” look…

I was able to purchase these pretty faux branches with icicles at an after Christmas 75% off sale…:)

I added resin trees, two candlesticks with pinecone ornaments, and my Pottery Barn deer…

…..the Pottery Barn deer were last year’s items…and then added an evergreen garland.

I added some berries for a pop of color…

I love these trees….especially when they were $7.00 !!

And here is another tree that I purchased at a cute shop while in Franklin, NC..

…..we were there taking our granddaughter to ride the Polar Express Train….

……….the entire store was on sale!

Hey Kim…save those topiary forms..I figured out how we can make those trees!!

So thank you all for your visit…as you can see…

…..I still have my Christmas decorations up..they go down this weekend…

And pardon the different fonts on the pics…I am experimenting with the fonts…

…..as Flickr (Aviary) is now offering the new fonts…FINALLY!

And all the while I was taking these pics….

…..my granddaughter was playing the with new puppy and his brother …

……….our “neighbor dogs”…my hubby takes them out during the day for our neighbors…

He is the “Pied Piper” of kids and dogs…Aren’t they cute?..All of them!!..Especially the human!

Have a wonderful day!!!

I am joining:

Debbiedoos’s Blogging and Blabbing Newbie With a Twist Party

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

Katherine’s Corner for Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: evergreen garland, faux icicle branches, Iron and Wood Shutters, mantel, pine cone ornament, Pottery Barn Deer, Winter Mantel

A Laundry Room “Addition” and A Visit From A Special Blogger…

January 2, 2013 By Shirley

I guess I have to count my blessings….

…..that my hubby does not like to “sit”.

He is in constant motion…

…..you rarely see him sitting in front of the TV…

……….well unless it is an important Yankee game or the upcoming Gator game…

So one evening this week…he asked…is there a small project I have for him?

……Ah, yes..plenty!!..

………….. but I had one in mind…something that has been in the closet for months!

Yes honey…the laundry room….

…..you want me to do laundry?….oh no silly…this…

I do not know about you…but I always seem to have lots of laundry….

…..even though it is just the two of us!!

I came across this decal at Lacy Bella Designs…I saw it on a blog…cannot remember whose blog…

…..but I thought it was perfect!!

So when I feel that drudgery of laundry…

The constant wonder of how in the heck does two people create so much laundry…

And loose socks….where do they go?…to the sock abyss?…

But then I think…I should not complain..as I could be doing laundry….

…..with a contraption like this:

And using products such as these:

I thank goodness for the inventions of modern man…

and…

I AM THANKFUL FOR PILES OF LAUNDRY…

…..IT MEANS THAT MY LOVED ONES ARE NEARBY.

In addition to the decal…I also had the laundry room repainted..

…..from SW Blonde…to SW Silvermist…

And now to that very sweet blogger friend who recently paid me a visit!

She and her husband were visiting his aunt and uncle who live in my neighborhood….

We had been reading each others blogs for a while…..

…..her hubby said that my house looked as if it belongs in North Carolina….

She emailed me about John’s comment… I said that I did live in NC.!!..

…..one thing led to another and we discovered that their aunt and uncle lived down the street…

SMALL WORLD!!!….

She brought me this beautiful basket of citrus..from her trees..

…..as she lives in Florida…not too far from where I used to live!

She has been on a “blog break”…she and her hubby are working on a big project…

So without further ado….here is Whitney!!…of Drab to Fab Design…alongside her hubby John.

She is beautiful inside and out…we had a short but very nice visit…

I am hoping that Whitney will be able to attend Haven…..

…..so that many others could meet her too!!…

I am joining:

Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

Common Ground for Be Inspired Friday

DIY by Designs Winter Blues Wednesday

Katherine’s Corner Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

Jen Rizzo for Fabulously Creative Friday Linky Party

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits

Thistlewood Farm for Cowgirl Up!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Laundry room, laundry room decal, vintage laundry

2012…My very first “Year in Review”

January 1, 2013 By Shirley

A year ago….

I never would have thought that I would be doing a post..“A Year In Review”

…..I never would have thought I would be sharing projects with you…

…..and you all being so wonderfully supportive…encouraging…

So I thank all of you…

…..I thank you for your precious friendship…that I will treasure forever!

You have no idea what it means to me…“So I thank you from the bottom of my heart”

I received an email from WordPress…

…..telling me what were the most popular posts and my top referrers..

So without further ado…here they are:

My top post was my Home Tour…

I first shared it at Debbie Doo’s…

…..and then on a Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern…

And speaking of Savvy Southern…according to WordPress…

Kim was my top referrer…a great blogger..

…..that I can call my friend.

Then second was Susan at Between Naps on the Porch..

…..I had the great pleasure of finally meeting & spending time with her at Haven!

Another top post was my sunroom reveal…

…..I received many, many page views from both Savvy Southern and Hometalk…

Hometalk…what a great place…to share and receive fantastic home and garden ideas!

The monogrammed burlap wreaths was also a top post….

And then there were the “makeovers”…like my foyer…twice!!

Before…the foyer makeover with my first ASCP major project..

To this:

and now to this..another foyer makeover…

And sharing my porches and yard…

Like my upper porch…with the furniture I bought after seeing Kelly’s at Eclectically Vintage:

and my front porch with my garden hose wreaths:

and my lower back porch where I set many tablescapes…

Then there are tablescapes in my dining room too….

This one with an astro turf tablecloth!

We can’t forget the “holiday” tablescapes..

and a table with a french apple box filled with my hydrangeas…

Attending fantastic events such as Haven and being a part of the Southern Bloggers conference…

…..were definitely highlights…of meeting so many wonderful fellow bloggers.

Haven…

Southern Bloggers..

And ending up the year with Christmas decorating…

And being with family…

Happy New Year Everyone!!!….

As I look back at 2012 and feel wonderfully blessed….

…..I look forward to 2013 of making more beautiful memories to treasure for a lifetime!!

I am joining:

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

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