Feeling the Christmas spirit

I must say there is something where after you've had that delicious Thanksgiving dinner, that good old fashioned Christmas spirit feeling comes in full force. I started my decorating on the outdoors first. I have three urns outside that I already knew what I was going to do with them. I envisioned them filled with various fresh greens that offered their beauty through their different textures and scents. Here are the end results

 

 

 I mixed some weather-proof red berry garland to give them a subtle pop of color. Usually you can tell when you squeeze the berry, if they are soft to the touch when you squeeze them then I wouldn't recommend them for the outdoors. I would assume that if you live in a warmer climate, where you do not experience freezing temperatures then you can dis-regard this tip.

 

 

 

I love having some kind of cascading effect in my plantings on the base. I always wondered how I can obtain that look in the winter months when everything that cascades would freeze. I was so glad to be able to do this with my winter greens.

 

 

 I purchased a wreath for half off at Hobby Lobby that I was okay with, but knew that I could definitely spruce things up a bit in it with extra greens to add fullness and texture, and of course some burlap ribbon intertwined with some sparkly thin ribbon to add some glisten when the lights hit it.

 

 I purchased these vintage looking ice skates from where I work and wasn't sure if I should incorporate them into the wreath. I put them up to it, and fell in love, it added a little touch of character to the wreath. What do you think?

 

 

I hung the fresh cedar greens around the entryway and added lights to give a welcoming holiday feel even before guests walk through the doors. I also added cinnamon scented pinecones into the wreath and urn arrangement.

 

 

 

I definitely completed my outdoor decorating just in time. North Dakota is definitely going to be experiencing some chilly temps and nasty weather in the next few days. Highs is the negatives! Yikes!

I really hope you found some inspiration and got some holiday cheer from this post. I love decorating for the holidays, and there is nothing more satisfying than being able to show some of my hard work to others. Right now I'm getting to completing my Christmas tree inside, and will begin a post on that.

 

Big Hugs,

Melissa :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overdue

Okay, it has been way too long of a hiatus for me from my blogging activity, and I truly need to apologize. So much has been happening, I moved from a small little town to Bismarck, where things have been crazy busy since then. I began working full time interior designing, and my husband just began his own business, and my sweet little girl is growing up too quickly. It's been pretty difficult moving from Connecticut to North Dakota away from family and friends, but it has probably been one of the best decisions my husband and I made for our family. I have been busy decorating Christmas, my favorite:), and the weather has been getting pretty cold here. Here are just a tid bits of some decorating I did.

 

 

 

 

 I took pieces of artificial white pine and cascaded it on each end of this buffet with ornament garland to make the ornaments look as if they're floating.

 

 

 

 

 

 The entire look was supposed to be fun and whimsical, with bright festive colors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Sparkles and little elves here and there add to the charm and unpredictability.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have I mentioned I love decorating for Christmas. It only comes once a year and I feel is the only way we can warm things up during those long, cold winter days. Right now I am working on my outdoor urns with fresh greens and cannot wait to complete them and show you all what I came up with.

 

 

Melissa XOXOXO

 

 

 

  

 

 

Tulips

Every time my mother-in-law comes over she always greets me with beautiful flowers. Whether they're roses, delphinium, or tulips, each one is sure enough to make me smile. Today she brought these beautiful pink tulips that I just couldn't resist taking photos of.

Although peonies are my favorite flowers, and roses of course come in second on my list, tulips are definitely on my list of being a "fun" flower. I love how they have the habit of arching around the vase. So beautiful.

 I hope you enjoyed viewing these beauties. I can't wait to share with you my upcoming completed floral arrangements and wreaths. For now I am off to my 13 month old Sarah who seems to be crawling a little too quickly these days.



Bathroom Finds

I went to Marshalls this past weekend and found some beautiful bath rugs. They are so shabby chic. One is very similar to one that Rachel Ashwell has at Target. I was thrilled to find these pieces, and did not hesitate at all to put them in my shopping cart.

I love the crochet edging. It's little details like this that make me fall in love. Plus this rug came in a sage color as well, I think I may have to stop there and snatch it, if nobody has already.

I also had this beautiful planter just sitting around in my apartment and I didn't want to hide it because it is quite lovely. So this is what I did with it.

I have so many towels, and some of them have the prettiest of details, like these with the ruffles. I didn't want to hide them, it would be a shame to.

It's funny how when you begin to rearrange things in your home how you can conjure up so many ideas on how to re-use items in different ways. This urn was just sitting around waiting for spring, but now it doesn't have to because it's gotten a new use.

Hope you all have a great day!



Missing my garden

Lately we have been encountering some above normal temperatures for February here in Connecticut. These warmer temps are making me feel anxious to get digging in the dirt. But for now all I can do is just look at the pictures I took from my garden.

I hope you can find some inspiration from these photos, so let's take a walk through my garden.

I love mixing catmint with my roses, I think it compliments them very well.

The climbing rose "America", even more beautiful in person. Such a great rose, train it as a climber or keep pruning it and keep it as a large shrub, you choose.

I purchased this basket at a tag sale for only $3.00! You never know what you can find at these things.

Oh foxglove, how I love you.

One of the most popular climbers, "Blaze"

More foxglove paired with catmint, just dreamy.

This small hedge of roses is of "Bonica" in the pink, and the red are "Red Meidilland" not sure if I spelled it correctly. Bonica is such a fruity smelling rose that is just so pretty and feminine, great for making quick dainty fresh arrangement for your bedside table, or bathroom. I just love it.

I hope you enjoyed your stroll through my garden.

Have a great day everyone! Muah!