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Showing posts with label welcome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label welcome. Show all posts

A Christmas Welcome


Nothing says Christmas like a well decorated front porch (or stoop or door or whatever you may have).


That's why I've done it up this year.

From garland to wreaths to pots to planters - I've got a little bit of everything. 


Throw in a reindeer and a vintage sled and I really have covered it all!


My planter is a combination of greens, both cedar and fraiser fur, eucalyptus, red dogwood twigs and pinecones. 


Keeping with my rustic elegance theme, I kept the bows and bling to a minimum this year - opting to leave the bows off the garland and decking the wreath with only a bit of ribbon and raffia.


The wicker planter costs were kept to a minimum by working with what I had on hand, namely: vinca vine, coral bells, decorative kale, eucalyptus, red boxwood twigs and faux greenery.


In fact, the only thing I purchased for this planter were two bundles of greenery trimmings, which were actually split between four planters. 

Moving on to the back door...


In the winter, our screened-in porch doubles as a makeshift mudroom. So this year, I decided to give it a little Christmas cheer as well. 


Remember those four planters I mentioned earlier - here's number 3. Just a combination of greens dressed with a simple bow. Perfectly paired with another vintage sled and a trio of lanterns.


The utilitarian side of the porch is accented with a vintage water bottle stuffed full of greenery.

This is the door that I frequent the most and now I smile every time I use it!
Happy Holidays!

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It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas


In our entryway! 

You know how I feel about a welcoming entryway...so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I've started my holiday decorating in our front hall. 

Earlier, I shared some inspirational images with a rustic elegant feel, which is what I am trying to achieve this year. So let's see what we've got...



Natural elements:  check
Woodlawn creatures:  check
Golden tones: check
Deep red tones: check

And now a closer look at some of these fun elements...


Meet two of my favorite wooden reindeer, who have been moved out of the cold this year into the warmth of the front hall. Ready and eager to greet all who come by.



And yet another, this time golden, reindeer graces the entryway.



Paired with both fresh and faux greenery, natural and golden pinecones and a simple pine tree - this could be my favorite part of the whole vignette. 


And, of course, what Christmas display would be complete without a Santa! This is one of my favorites with his birch bird house and red cardinals - so festive!



I've also hung a faux greenery wreath coupled with a red berry and grapevine wreath - hung with golden and raffia ribbon. 


The golden, shimmery candle is simply wrapped in burlap and tied with raffia then placed in a hurricane atop more faux greenery.


And finally a sneak peek into the living room and the beginning of the mantel decorating.

Stay tuned as more of my Christmas decorating unfolds.

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Welcome Home: Fall Front Porch

It's that time of year again - time to Fall-ify the front porch! 

I've already got my theme started with my ReStyled Harvest Fall Wreath, showcasing Autumn's rich purples and plums.


I've chosen to go with a single pot on the front steps. Surrounded, of course, by our family of three (soon to be four!) classic orange pumpkins.

The pot is planted with a Whiskey Barrel Millet, two decorative Kales, a purple Mum and three Vinca vines (borrowed from my summer pots).




Here's my rule of thumb for potting planters, you want something: tall (millet), something trailing (vinca vine), something colorful and blooming (mum), and some filler (kale). 

The light green and white of the vinca vine keep the whole planter from feeling too dark and heavy. 

Now, moving on up the stairs, welcome to the front porch.


You'll notice that I've kept my Mother's Day pineapple and lantern and thrown in yet another large purple mum in an orchard basket.  

It all coordinates so nicely with my fall wreath!


But my favorite part of the whole front porch has to be the white wicker planter. I've mimicked the front step planter by using similar plants. I chose another whiskey barrel millet, flanked by purple mums, english ivy (again borrowed from my summer planters) and purple hued coral bells.


I'm always using the back door, but I love this planter so much that I've been known to stop the car while driving down the driveway just to enjoy the view!

Ah, Fall is my favorite time of year!

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Restyled Fall Wreath

It's a fall themed week - next up, my restyled wreath!

You know I try to create a warm welcome any time of year, but especially in the fall. To me, fall is all about warmth, coziness, and welcoming all. 

And where better to start this theme than at the front door?


This is last year's wreath, which I still like, but thought maybe this year it needed a bit more umph!
By umph I mean: color, texture, and balance (obviously).

Let's see what we come up with...



First, I added a couple of sprigs of dried wheat. Using the 'place and tuck' method, I fit it in and amongst the other pieces. I worked in groups of 3 pieces of wheat, and added 5 clumps in total. The contrasting color of the wheat really pops against the faux lavender and purple eucalyptus bring the whole arrangement to life.




Now that I have more color, it's time to work on the balance issue. 
I picked up another faux sprig of lavender and added it to the other side. I didn't use glue or floral wire this time, I just tucked it in the amongst the grapevines. 


Much easier to add and remove items at whim this way! Perfect for a girl like me.




Next up, more eucalyptus. Fortunately, I had a bunch left over from last year's front porch pots. Again, just place and tuck trying to keep it as uniform to the other side as possible.



More wheat and it's really starting to come together!
I'm already liking it so much more than last year's.

In case you are curious, the wheat came from a bunch I picked up at our local grocery. I just removed a couple pieces at a time, and I still have the original bunch that I am currently using in the kitchen. Two for one - gotta love that!


The center needed a little something, so I pulled out my burlap garland and tied a big bow. 

I went a little crazy with the burlap last year, so I am trying to use it sparingly this year - I guess I am a bit of an addict. 

Who knew there was such a thing as a burlap addict, but unfortunately there is, and I am a full fledged member!


I added back the same seed pods from last year - one is looking a bit worse for the wear, but I did say I wanted texture, right? 
Waste not want not!


And now, finally, hanging on the front door. 
Color, texture, balance - I'd say I achieved all my goals! 

And at minimal cost too: $4.99 for the lavender and $12.99 for the wheat ( remember, it went double duty - so the full cost shouldn't even really be counted!)


My front door is certainly feeling more fall-ish now, next up - the front porch decor. I feel a trip to Home Depot (by far the best and most affordable source for plants in our area) coming my way in the very near future.

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Summer Front Porch Pots

Well, hello there!

Sorry to have missed you for my regular Monday post. 

We had a great weekend visiting family, but a hectic return and a busy Monday. Crucial design decisions had to be made, appointments couldn't be missed and long awaited birthday presents finally arrived and just HAD to be set up today!


No matter how crazy it's been lately, I love to stop and enjoy our front porch pots.

Come on by and take a look!


I went with a white and green theme again this year - some people love blue and white - me, I'm a sucker for green and white. Every time! 


The big change this summer is the addition of a third pot, complete with topiary.
English ivy, white impatiens, white petunias, and climbing white clematis.


The two smaller pots hold a variety of white petunias, vinca vine, white geraniums, and white impatiens.


You know what they say, you've got to make time to stop and smell the flowers! 
And this evening, I did just that. 

Hope you have made time in your day to enjoy all that summer has to offer.

Until next time, 
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Porch Planter Updated

Last year I inherited this wicker plant stand, which had been my grandmother's and had lived in my childhood bedroom for years.


Ah, memories! 

I was so excited to receive it that I immediately set it on the front porch and promptly forgot about it.

Needless to say, this year, it was looking a little worse for the wear.

Time to make use of my favorite methods of transformation - spray paint!

A couple of coats of white paint followed by a clear top coat to protect against the elements...


And she's back to her former beauty! 

Paired with one of my pineapple finials and a lantern, she is now ready to welcome all who enter through our front door.


What about you - transform anything with spray paint lately?

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Update Your Front Door - on the cheap

Last week, when I arrived in Florida, I was surprised to find a new door on my parents' house!


Here's what it looked like before, well kind of, this is actually the inside of the door as I don't have an original before picture.


As you can see it's your standard door with an aluminum screen insert. 


Truth be told, it's just been painted. Then she added shutters to cover the old aluminum screen. Genius!


A complete makeover for under $20. 
Wish I had thought of that!

Until next time,



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New Spring Welcome Basket

Yesterday I shared the secrets of my homemade moss decor balls - check it out here - today I'll share where they ended up!

A new spring welcome basket in my foyer.


I also added the little pillow to the chair - what do you think, too much?
I kinda like it.

Anyway, back to the basket - it features all three variations of the moss decor balls, a lovely purple African violet, and a simple candle.


Surprisingly, this little violet doesn't seem to mind the dark and coziness of our front hall.
He seems quite happy to be warmed by the light of the lamp...who knew?!?


So, there you have it - my new spring welcome basket. I hope you like it!

Thursday is the last day to enter my giveaway, don't miss out!
Click here to enter.


Until next time, 
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Creating a Welcoming Entry Piece

As you probably know by now, we are hosting our annual cocktail party this weekend, so I have been on the lookout for a special welcoming piece for our foyer.

I've scoured magazines, blogs, houzz, etc all in an attempt to get a bit of inspiration.



Unfortunately, it was all for not - as true inspiration struck while out shopping over the last two days.

Wanna see how it all came together?



I started with my basic materials - basket, bird, bird nest, moss, and hyacinthia.

I knew I wanted to incorporate a bird and my bird nest as they symbolize the coming of Spring and I settled on hyacinthia because they have the most amazing scent! And the purple works well with my outside planters and wreath.



I had a general layout in my mind, but it really only came together when I started placing the individual pieces in the basket. Dealing with all the various heights was the trickiest part - here you can see how I propped things up.



After fooling around with it for a bit, I realized the basket wasn't feeling full enough so I decided to incorporate a couple of moss balls I had. That's looking better.

I stuffed the remaining holes with burlap.



And finished off my adding moss to cover any remaining holes and the soil from the potted plants.



Now it's time for the glamour shots...



So, what do you think - is this little touch of Spring a welcoming addition to our foyer?




Until next time,
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