Reality -vs- Fantasy

In my reality, 

I look at blogs...or decorating magazines...or Pinterest

and I come across an image that makes me happy.

It's usually some space that looks like perfection to me. 

Every piece in the space appears to be carefully selected
just to make me swoon. 

The space always has such style and flair and

 there is often some great handbag,
or even better, a pair of perfect shoes, 

styled into the room to grab my attention.

 Kind of like this:

Ethan Allen

Do you see those well placed shoes on the right hand side? 

In  my fantasy, 

I wonder how it would feel to have a room in my home

look perfectly put together like that.

I wonder how it would feel to walk into a room and sigh

with contentment, seeing those shoes thrown off to the side,

luring me in.  

Well my friends, 
I am here to say,
 my fantasy has become my reality!

I walked into my sitting room and chanced upon this image:

LOL!  

 Something tells me my son's LeBron James sneakers are not going 

to help me achieve that image of perfection, no matter how

well placed they may appear! 

I really hate it when the lines of reality & fantasy get blurred.  :)

Happy Memorial Day weekend, my friends!

Spring Flowers Tablescape

Hello all my dear sweet friends! 

I was away from blogging much longer than I intended.  

Since Easter, it's been one thing after another 

and unfortunately, not all has been good.  

May's calendar is chock full...I'm exhausted just thinking about it.  

I won't bore you with all the details, 

so let's get a little Spring tablescape going instead......

I haven't tablescaped in some time, so

this one is simple & sweet. 

We are finally seeing signs of Spring!

Don't get me wrong, it's been chilly and rainy,

but at least the daffodils have bloomed!

(the tulips are holding out on me though)

I love this tablecloth from Kohls.  When I started this tablescape,

I drove myself nuts playing with dishes of all the colors in the tablecloth.

Finally, I managed to narrow it down by removing the majority of them.

Pink cabbage plate & bowl:  Bordallo Pinheiro (Tuesday Morning)

White chargers:  Oneida Outlet

Place mats:  Home Goods

Green flatware:  Home Goods

Napkins:  Bed, Bath & Beyond

Goblets:  Dollar Store

I used a small basket filled with assorted flowers for the centerpiece,

a couple of small crystal candlestick holders,

and that's pretty much it!

See?

I told you it was simple & sweet!

I really look forward to getting around & visiting all of you soon.

I've missed you all so much!  

 

Easter Vignettes and A Short Break

Just wanted to let you know that I'll be taking a blogging break this week. 

There's just so much going on...too much actually.

My kids are on Spring Break, 

there's softball & baseball practices,

I've got to work Monday through Thursday, 

lots of cooking, baking and preparing for Easter,

dinner with a high school friend,

 and on top of all that, a trip to NYC!

All within the next 7 days.  

I did want to leave you with a little

something to look at though.  Who wants to read a

post of all the things a person has to do 

without a little something to look at?  

So, 

here's my coffee table vignette:

and the blue dresser vignette:

Take care everyone.

See you soon!

Linking to:

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Spring/Easter Decorating

I wanted to share a little Spring/Easter decor today.

I feel like I am always sharing my dining room hutch with you.
I hope I'm not boring you with it.

Well, here goes anyway:

I didn't use anything new here at all.

I just put a lot of what I had together, but in a different way.

Which I guess really is the fun part of decorating...

seeing what you can do differently with what you already have.

I just kept everything to a soft Spring-like palette.

How I love those pink Mercury glass hurricanes!

I do think that Spring may finally have made its arrival

around here.

Happy Spring to you!

When You Can't Find It, Make It! (Bunny Pillow)

I don't know about you, 

but sometimes, 

make that all the time,

I struggle to find what I'm looking for.

No matter what it is that I'm wishing

to buy for this room or that room,

it's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Take for instance, my desire to have
a Spring pillow for my sitting room sofa.

Yes, as simple as a Spring pillow.

I couldn't find a single one in the area!

How could that be, you ask?

I wish I knew the answer.  

It's a conspiracy, I tell you.

I had to take matters into my own hands.

I bought a ready made pillow cover in Hobby Lobby

in a nice neutral color.

Then I found a bunny template online

and traced him onto cream colored fleece.

 I pinned my cutout to the front of the pillow

and then I hand stitched the bunny to the front of it.

(I'm no sewing goddess, I just took my time

and did the best I could.)

Here he is!

Like I said, sometimes you just have to take 

matters into your own hands.  

He may not be perfect,

but he's cute & just what I was looking for.  

Sweet 16

Sometimes it amazes me how quickly time goes by. 

I can remember being in the hospital the day Olivia was born. 

Every nurse, 

every visitor, 

every person I encountered that day

 who was ever a parent gave these wise words:

  "Enjoy every minute with her because they grow too fast." 

 At that point, I was thinking, "Sure, sure, of course." 

 Well, I can now officially say that even though I may have thought 

I was enjoying every minute of her,

somehow, someway, 16 years have gone by in the blink of an eye.

I'm left, scratching my head, thinking,

"Why didn't anyone warn me this would happen?"

Ahh, but yes they did warn me.

And I don't think it matters one bit.

Time just moves too quickly regardless.

Happy 16th Birthday, Olivia!  

You are a ray of bright sunshine in our lives 

and we couldn't love you more!

And also, since you're kind of a genius,

can you figure out a way to slow time?

Thanks.

 

Spring Mantel 2014

I'm not going to complain.

No, I'm not going to say it. 

 I won't. 

I'm just going to share my SPRING Mantel with you. 

Emphasis on the word SPRING. 

If you've been reading here awhile, if you know

anything about me or where I live,

I think that alone should tell you what I'm not going to say today.

This mantel is a simple one.

It all started with the burlap bunny banner on the mirror.

Here's a close up:

About a month ago, I was shopping at Target

and I came across this banner.

It was quite inexpensive ($5.99?),

I ogled it a bit,  then walked away.

But...

I later came back to it.

My daughter commented,

"You can make that yourself."

(Oh, that kid is well trained.)

But...

for the price, I couldn't resist the lure of not

having to do anything but hang the darn thing.

So I bought it.

I then added some vases full of dogwood blooms to each end.

I added a burlap strip across the vases so

that they would coordinate with my burlap bunny banner.

I also added my wooden candle holders.

 I remembered we have a supply of old windows

in the garage, just waiting for inspiration to strike me.

This window was an old one from our dining room.

It made its way to the mantel, in its original paint condition,

along with a grapevine wreath that I threw together with moss and robin's eggs.

I found the cute white bunnies at Hobby Lobby

and added them as well.

It later hit me that I bought a burlap banner,

already made, at Hobby Lobby just

before Christmas.

(I was saving it, too, for inspiration to strike me.)

I pulled that out, simply tied on some colored ribbons

and called it done.

I really do love it when something

comes together easily.

I hope you are enjoying a beautiful

SPRING day today!

Emphasis on the word SPRING.

See you soon!

Linking to:

Tuesdays @ Our Home at Our Home Away From Home

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson