~ Peace On Earth ~ Merry Christmas

~Let there be Peace on Earth~

From our home
to yours,
Merry Christmas
Donna

~ Christmas Tree Sparkle

The lights dance so lovely at night.
Lots of tiny lights on the Christmas tree,
and they spill over to the shimmering mantel
that shines with its own glow
of lights with silver and Mercury glass.

Even during the day time
when the sun shines
through the windows
creating light and shadows
across the walls and fireplace too,

the lights of the Christmas tree
are always magical.

See Y'All Soon~
Donna

~ Christmas Mantel Decorations 2011

It's been several Christmases since the beauty of Mercury glass caught my eye. I don't think I'll get tired of it anytime soon. It's wonderful to use all year round, but it really is beautiful at Christmas with all the lights shimmering off of it.

I wanted to keep it as simple as possible this year. In the past we have enjoyed different traditional Christmas colors in this room and on the mantel, but it is mostly white and silver this time. And lots of tiny lights.

Sometime during the past year I found the Mercury glass crown and the decanter knowing that they would be a welcome addition to the other decorations at Christmas. Still everything else was from years past. Using not only what we had, but using a lot less.

I've found many ways to decorate with the large Mercury glass tree each holiday season. I've seen some smaller ones being displayed this year and it's difficult not to look a few of those to go with the big one. So far so good.....

If you have been by previously, you probably know this is a faux fireplace with an antique fire insert that we created several years ago. I always love it, but at Christmas maybe just a little bit more. Thanks for stopping by and sharing Christmas.

See Y'All Soon~
Donna

~ Christmas Beads & Baubles

I have been quite determined to do the Christmas decorating slowly this year and enjoy the process and each day. So instead of waiting and posting lots of pictures all at once, I'm showing little bits at a time. We bought the tree

~ Celebrating the Days of Christmas

At first I thought there might be more color in the Christmas decorating this year. But even after opening the boxes of goodies, it was still the beauty of simple white and silver that was chosen again this year. I tried to make no new purchases, but I did find this pretty greenery with a little faux snow that is the perfect complement to the mercury glass and baubles.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... fa la la la la.

See Y'All Soon~
Donna

~ Shiny & Brite - White Christmas Decorating

The box says shiny and brite, but it is the dulled and aged patina that makes these old ornaments so interesting. The silver bell in the corner is from another treasure hunt, and it's the only one I've ever found. They all seem kind of special all mixed in with the other ornaments.

~ Give Thanks

A very Happy Day of ThanksGiving
to You and Your Families!

See Y'All Soon~
Donna

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~ Antiqued Old White Chalk Paint With Paris Grey Accents

Antiqued Old White Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

with Paris Gray, and Raw Umber.

This is either the 4th or 5th incarnation for this wood frame. I'm not sure if it was just a frame or a mirror originally. It is solid wood, heavy and ready for a whole new decorating direction.

In the picture above you saw it in its last redo. It had been black and gold before this and was then repainted to go nicely with the turquoise French dresser that was in the same room holding art supplies. I kept the toile cover in the middle which went with both the previous decorating.

This is how it looks today. Newly painted, on freshly painted walls in a different room to be used for more creating and art.

For this project I used the Annie Sloan chalk paints again, for a couple of reasons. First of all I had the paints, and I knew they were the right colors to complement the wall color I had just painted in here. I also painted a small French style china cupboard - hutch, and the frame was painted to go well with it.

Secondly, the chalk paint covers very well, and there were different kinds of paints on the frame including some metallic. The chalk paint covered it all without much fuss. A big plus not to have to prime.

I began with the white paint which is mostly Old White chalk paint. Everything was painted white to cover all the old color.

The inset area is Paris Gray, which has been lightly antiqued.

Antiquing was done with a combination of raw umber and a little Paris Gray added to it to soften the dark color.

At the end, I did some dry brushing as the last step with a mix of flat white and the Old White.

It hasn't had any wax applied yet, but it will later.

See Y'all Soon~

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~ Happy Halloween

This year some of my own art found its way to the mantel for Halloween decorating. Beau Bunny Rabbit the Bandito is waiting for the Snickers. They are hidden so he doesn't eat them all before the kids come trick or treating. He is also a bit scared of spiders, and these are big enough to scare anybody. He is however being brave with the promise of chocolate soon to be consumed.

On the other side is my sweet little Izabella dressed as a little witch. I love the face of this little Victorian girl so much. It would be so interesting to know if she was always able to keep her wonderful spunky personality as she grew up in a time so difficult to be a strong woman.

Hope you have a wonderful Halloween~
See Y'all Soon~

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~ Halloween Decorating ~ Vintage Jack O' Lantern

This wonderful Jack O Lantern was created by an artist about 1980 or so. I love it because it is a fun handmade pottery piece, and it always makes me smile. It's a special treat to set it out each year and enjoy it again and again.

One of the ravens met an untimely end to his decorating career. Cody Bear found one and thought it looked like a good chew toy. The other ravens and crows will have to sing Halloween songs without him this year.

See Y'all Soon~

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~ Halloween Decorating ~ Mini Pumpkin Topiary

There were about a dozen pumpkins of various sizes that were very close to on their way out the door to Goodwill or some other place. At first there didn't seem to be much to do with them since they were in colors not likely to used by me again. They haven't even been unpacked in while since the last few years most of the pumpkins inside were white.

When I brought my favorite peachy colored pumpkin out to display for the season, I was wishing I had a couple of others that were the same color. And I was really longing for one of those beautiful gray blue ones. So out came the paint!

This little topiary was just perfect for Halloween when I wanted a little color beyond the black and white. The top pumpkin and bottom one are painted faux pumpkins. The middle one is a real one that I got to compare the look and color of the white ones that I painted too.

This is what some of the pumpkins looked like before. The yellow and green ones are now painted either white or that wonderful blue color that I added to the mix this year. They are the ceramic type and they paint really well. I used chalk paint on them and it adhered well. Fusion paint would work, too. The little ones are foam, and they can be painted with either kind of paint, and some craft paints will cover them.

The Halloween mantel is dressed with books from the 1800's, with little glitter spiders exploring their covers. They are topped with another painted ceramic gourd that was once green.

See Y'all Soon~

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~ Halloween Decorating in Black & White with Mercury Glass

The Mercury glass pumpkins are going to get plenty of use this season. The last couple of years I had meant to get them, but they were sold out by the time I got by PB. This year I found them at Wisteria and they are the perfect addition to the other Mercury glass pieces around here.



The small white pumpkin was a ceramic one which originally was green & yellow. It was painted with a combo of Chalk Paint and some flat white paint, so that it was a bit whiter in the end, but still aged and chalky looking.

The books are quite old and the top one being so tattered adds fun to the mix. The vellum one on the bottom is Italian from the 1600's and came from 3 Fine Grains. She has beautiful books and other goodies!

The dish the big pumpkin is sitting on is a silver type serving platter with inlaid of white mother of pearl and black that echos the same colors as the black marble table top.

The monogram I created on the computer and then printed it out on paper, sealed it and adhered it to the pumpkin.

The little black pumpkin got a fresh coat of paint as well. It is the kind that probably came in a whole bag of little foam pumpkins that you can find at the craft store. At first it was painted with Fusion black flat paint. I still like how well that paint covers and seals. But for a fresh coat, I used Patio Paints flat black which is a great paint for coverage as well, and the black is quite flat.

This seemed the perfect time to add a touch of burlap. The contrast of burlap with marble, white, and mercury glass is such a fun twist to Halloween decorating!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing this fun season with me.
See Y'all Soon~

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~ Halloween Decorating

The entry table is decked out in pumpkins and Mercury glass. The glass ones from Wisteria that I showed in the last post have moved to the entry table. Not sure where they might go when Halloween is done and a little more fall decorating is in order.

I snapped one quick picture so I could feel like progress was going on. I love seeing how people decorate for such a fun holiday. Stop by this week and catch more of Halloween here. Just for the kid in all of us. Especially those who are waiting (im)patiently for the Snickers to arrive.

See Y'all Soon~

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~ Fall Mantel Decorating at The Decorated House

Even way down south, we will soon be thinking about cooler weather and enjoying time inside. Not quite yet, it's still very warm. So decorating for Fall helps get you in the mood for when the sweaters are needed.

The Mercury glass pumpkins reflect light and add a delightful sparkle to the Fall mantel. I also added some vintage silver pieces and one real mini white pumpkin along with two lightly colored gourds. The shapes of the gourds mimic the tall Mercury glass one that is part of the pumpkin trio.

One vintage sliver tray, one real mini white pumpkin/gourd, an almost rusty Fleur De Lis, and a wonderful rustic fall colored gourd. Shapes, colors and textures all playing so nicely together.

The Mercury glass also is the perfect complement to the silver and glass vase, now topped with another Fall colored gourd.

I am eager to get around and see all the Fall decorating in BlogLand.

See Y'All Soon
~ Donna

~ Sunday ~

~ Sunday, September 11, 2011 ~


~ Peace ~

~ Vintage Blue Bottles - White Mantel

These blue bottles were mostly found during a few different antique hunting adventures. I think I originally got them with the intention of creating some altered art bottles, and then to adding them the shop. None have left the house so far.

Most of them have some kind of embossed writing on them so you can tell what they were used for when they were new. And it can be any number of things.

Each time I have gone to make something out of them, I just wasn't in the mood to cover up one bit of the beautiful blue color. So all of them are as I found them, just a little cleaner.

I just wanted to bring a few springs of summer in the house, and was longing for the color that just happens to be in the blue bottles. So they were adorned in a very simple way.

Projects are moving right along. Someday I'll have the discipline to finish one thing before starting 10 other things. Really? I'm not betting on that though.

See Y'All Soon~
Donna

~ Ranch Style House Remodel, Before & After

This house was very lucky to have a new owner who could see
all the really good things that were possible for it.

And obviously, so very talented people who did the work!

Could anyone "save" this house?
It sure needed some love, vision and a whole lot of work.

There are several contractors in our area who specialize in renovations and remodeling. One of these sometimes tackles ranch style homes. They are often found in older established neighborhoods with magnificent trees and no stairs to climb. but short on curb appeal after a half century of living. 

At the time, this particular contractor used to do smaller jobs on homes that were probably about 1600 to 2000 sq. feet. It's a real challenge and one that was handled smashingly well here!

This is the after shot. I think there was quite a bit of space added to the backside as well as this fabulous revamp to the front. There are so many great features to love about living in a ranch style house. And I often hear people wondering if they can improve the facade. This one certainly says yes!

~ See Y'All Soon ~

~ French Chair, Chalk Paint Distressed and...

and then painted again.

In the quest of simplification, I've added a new option to the old, whatever you touch you must put it where it belongs, or give it away. The new option is if you are going to keep it, then do whatever refinishing it needs for you to keep it. Now! I have a large stash of things that I'm so sure I will redo. Now when I find something or move it around, if it is waiting for some work, I am trying to get it done. Wish me luck. :)


I still love these simple French style chairs. They have been here for many years, and have been utilized in different rooms. One is actually at Sweet Daughter's house right now. No memory of doing so, but I must have taken it over there.

I was intending to give you a nice little tutorial for achieving the look. Although I did it the mostly the same way I have for years, there are a few things including the choice of paints that were influenced by others. You can see a really good tutorial at Miss Mustard Seed's blog in her sidebar to give you a similar, or better finish. Look in her sidebar for the blue chair tutorial.

My chair went through this:

1. Painted very blue, Provence chalk paint with Turquoise added.
2. Painted dry brush to medium dry brush with ASCP Paris Grey mixed Provence.
3. Rubbed with a damp cloth.
4. Dry brushed with Old White chalk paint and some light waxing.
5. Sanded to distress

(The pictures show it without a final waxing, with the dark or clear that you would probably choose for longer wear.)

When that was all done....
it was too much shabby for me.
Now it is painted with Old White.
Yes, after all that work, I painted over it.

It's only paint!

See Y'all Soon~

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