Christmas looked a lot different this year. Due to the pandemic, we didn’t have our traditional Christmas Eve and Christmas Day family get togethers. Instead I celebrated Christmas with my quarantine crew, my parents, at their house on Christmas Day. The three of us had a delicious ham feast my mom prepared, opened presents and ate dessert, and were very thankful for our health and that we could celebrate safely with each other. I missed attending our favorite Christmas events like the Festival of Trees, Christkindlmarkt and the Old World Village and Christmas Market, and did all of…
The days leading up to Christmas this year were a blur. They seemed to go by faster than ever and there were several things I did not get done in time that were on my to do list. In case you were feeling the holiday stress too, there was good reason this season was more rushed than ever. There were only 26 days (!!) between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, six fewer days than last year and also the smallest number of days mathematically possible between the two holidays! I always wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate, but with so few…
Happy Halloween! It’s a spooky weather day here in central Indiana, where we’ve had fog, blustery winds, rain, and blowing snow at various times throughout the day. There must be a LOT of little girls dressed like Elsa this Halloween, because we’re absolutely Frozen! I’ve had a very busy month so my fall and Halloween decorations went up late this year, and I didn’t decorate a ton, but I wanted to share some of my Halloween displays. My biggest decorating effort once again was my black cat mantel, which I debuted last…
A few weeks ago I decided I needed a system to tame all my purchases, paper piles, and other assorted items I drag home and unceremoniously dump on the floor before I put them away – often much later. I also needed a way to handle my incoming mail in an efficient way. I started browsing online for inspiration and learned what I was in search of was a command center. I ran across this photo which sparked the whole idea to create a command center of my own, since I had a similar amount of space available along one…
Christmas may be over but I always like to keep my decorations up for a few weeks afterwards. The twelve days of Christmas start on December 25 and run through January 5, so it just makes sense to me to leave my decorations up through then anyway. I start decorating after Thanksgiving, and this year I finished decorating pretty late (mid-December), so I’m not tired of looking at my Christmas décor yet. I usually start taking my decorations down in mid-January, beginning with the tree, with the goal of getting everything put away by the…
Today I’m sharing some feline flair that’s got me in the Howl-oween spirit. The last several fall seasons I’ve decorated my mantel for autumn or Thanksgiving, but this fall I really wanted to have a Halloween themed mantel. I was going for a retro vibe, but I don’t have any truly vintage Halloween decorations. I was inspired by the vintage Halloween décor I saw in an article featuring this home last year. (Check out photos 3, 8, 11, 12 and 26 especially; I love how she decorated her shelves.) I noticed black cats are…
October is in full swing and it will be Halloween before we know it! I’m running behind on my Halloween decorating, and I’m determined to get it finished by next week before it’s too late. But today I’m sharing one Halloween décor project I finished early back in August. Last fall I made a Halloween indoor fairy garden which was inspired by a pumpkin shaped base my mom gave me. I enjoyed it so much that I’m displaying it again this year, and adding a Halloween indoor gnome garden to…
Last October I shared with you my Halloween fairy garden, a fun artificial garden display that I set up indoors shortly before my outdoor fairy gardens succumbed to the first frost. Well now we’ve made it through winter and I’m thinking Spring! I can’t wait for flowers and warm weather! Already the snow and bitter chill are gone, daffodil shoots are starting to come up, and the days are getting brighter and longer. To tide me over to Spring planting time, I set up a cheerful little indoor Easter fairy garden. I saw the Easter fairy garden…
Today I’m sharing some last-minute quick & easy fall decorating ideas that you can enjoy now before it’s time to put up the Christmas tree. Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving, or just prefer waiting until after that last fall holiday is over to decorate for Christmas, here are quick ways to incorporate some fall touches into your décor now. November tends to be overlooked for seasonal decorating. Halloween is over and Christmas decorating hasn’t yet begun, although many people do start on their Christmas displays in November. My tradition is to start decorating for Christmas…
Artificial fairy gardens can be just as fun as fairy gardens made with real plants and flowers. They’re a fun accent for your home all year round. And during the colder months, you’re limited to indoor fairy gardens or artificial gardens anyway (fauxry gardens?), so that’s the perfect time to try one. In past years, I’ve enjoyed making fairy gardens for Christmas and Valentine’s Day using artificial snow. This is my first year bringing my Halloween fairy garden indoors. The last couple of years, I’ve had one outside. As long as they’re…
It’s hard to believe I’m celebrating five years in my house this month. I’ve accomplished no more than 2% of the things I thought I would have on my home to do list by now. Luckily my house was move-in ready and I didn’t have to worry about things like painting or investing a lot of money up front. Still, it’s amazing how much can happen in five years. The water softener has been repaired twice, the gutters are constantly needing to be cleaned because of nearby trees, the new built-in microwave has…