Beautiful Flowers 

and 

An Early Christmas Present 

White poinsettias in a stunning glass navy wine bucket make a beautiful arrangement to greet guests in an entry during the Christmas season. 

Decorating for Christmas is extra special when you are hosting a party for friends or for family. And, welcoming guests with a large flower arrangement in the entry sets a festive mood for the whole party. 

Blue Christmas Laundry Room

Do you decorate your laundry room for Christmas? Here it is, not even the end of November, and I couldn't wait to decorate my newly renovated laundry room for Christmas... with BLUE! 

I didn't go overboard with Christmas decorations, but there is no mistake the laundry room is spruced up for Christmas. 

After finishing the laundry room makeover as part of the One Room Challenge™ this Fall, my brother-in-law, ever the skeptic, casually commented about now having another space to decorate. And, was I going to decorate it for Christmas? 

Thanksgiving Natural Centerpiece

What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than with a natural centerpiece that reflects the season of the year? While fruits and vegetables harvested in the Fall make beautiful centerpieces, don't overlook colorful trees and natural foliage as options for an inexpensive alternative. 

With a handful of leaves, twigs, and acorns, you can create an arrangement for your holiday table... even for a small table.

How Do You Add French Country Style?

How do you add French Country style to a room? Two pieces of furniture that add immediate French Country style to a room are a toile chair and a Provence style wood chest. Cover the chair in a blue and white toile print and paint the cabinet in navy to use a classic French color combination. 

Yes, even a laundry room becomes French Country style with those two pieces of furniture. 

Fall Foyer | Gourds, Hydrangea, Ivy

This Fall I had so many ideas about how to style my small entry foyer ... cottage, French Country, traditional... that I did all three styles, one at a time, over the last six weeks. Here is a look at the final style where I used gourds, hydrangeas, and ivy to create a traditional styled entry. 

Did I mention I did all three of these different styles using green, white, and blue instead of the usual yellows, rusts, and oranges for Fall? 

Gold Berry Leaves Ornament Makeover

See how to transform a ho-hum metal cluster of leaves into a beautiful gold berry leaves cluster Christmas ornament you can use all over the house for the holiday season. 

You probably are not ready to start decorating your house for Christmas right now, but for all of us who like to do DIY projects, you can never start those projects too early. I finished transforming these gold berry leave cluster ornaments in late September, and still have more DIY projects in process.  

If you wait until December for DIY projects, you may find yourself in a time crunch like my sister-in-law one year. You may find yourself in the bedroom wrapping presents on Christmas Day and handing them out through a partially opened door... one at a time... to give to the recipient to open while she wrapped the next person's present. True story... 

ornament after makeover 

I love how the makeover for a ho-hum ornament turned out. Bright gold berries, white over-sprayed gold leaves, and Noel ribbon turned the ornament into one of my favorites for this coming Christmas. 

French Country Laundry | ORC™ Reveal Week 6

Welcome to the final reveal of the French Country Laundry with new insulation, washer/dryer connections, cabinets, tongue and groove walls, and white washed tongue and groove ceiling as part of the One Room Challenge™. 

Is a project ever really finished or do you just get to a stopping point? 

Whichever is the answer, here is the final reveal of my first One Room Challenge™.  Thank you, Linda of Calling It Home, for the creative vision to challenge designers and guest participants to complete a makeover of one room within a six-week period and to share our progress in weekly updates. 

Thank you, also, Better Homes and Gardens for sponsoring the Fall 2019 challenge. 

Fall Front Entry Garden

White chrysanthemums brighten the front entry garden this fall. Boxwood shrubs and trailing ivy are the foundation of the tiny garden, and seasonal flowers add the bright spots during the year. 

Fall arrived late and is leaving early at my house this year.