winter love...

"Winter Love"...

This morning I entered Jeanne d'Arc Living's photo contest to win a copy of their brand new Easter book "Fairytale Easter"...

photo from Jeanne d'Arc Living website

The contest is on Facebook and by voting (hopefully for me) you get a chance to win a copy too!

You can vote/enter here, only one vote per FB account.

Thank you!!

Joining today over at

Be Inspired

Feathered Nest Friday

wish I entered this one instead!

Have a great weekend!

inspired...

In the middle of spring cleaning my nest, I started playing around and made some new vignettes here and there.

I started with my mantel.

Here is what it has looked like for a few years...

I am not kidding when I say a few years (this photo is from 2010!).

When the seasons changed and for holidays I would add a few treasures, but the mirror and the vignettes on each side stayed the same.

I was inspired by the zinc pots I picked up in Brimfield, as well as all the beauty I see in the Jeanne d'Arc Living magazines.

This is what I put together...

I love the vignette on the left...

I love the mirror in the middle...

I love the vignette on the right...

I love it all!!

Besides the zinc pots and the container (from Decor Steals) holding my last bloom from Mother's Day (which should dry perfectly), I used pieces I already had!

I have more new vignettes to show you (and I have some empty spaces too) but I will save those for another post.

I am sharing with Kathleen for White Wednesday, where I am always inspired!

Thank you for stopping by!

joyeux noel...

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend!  Mine was spent making my nest merry and bright for the holidays!  As I opened each tote full of decorations I realized how much my style has changed in the last year.  I also realized that I can not and do not want to keep everything that is not me any more.  I am not going to save it either just in case the kids might want it.  A few of their favorites have already been saved for their first nest so I did a major purge.  Less is more.  Of course after looking through the Jeanne d'Arc Living Christmas special edition over and over again and not wanting to spend a lot of money at this time of the year I think I did pretty good.  So today I am going to share with you my Paris Hotel Suite.  I started by going outside and gathering some pine branches and making a few small vignettes...

I simply put a few sprigs in this sweet little shoe and added one of my Nana's vintage pins.  For the table next to my big comfy white chair I went through a few tries before I ended up with this...

I picked up a couple of these petite baskets at the shop.  I keep the heart ornament on the lamp year round so I just added a little pine sprig...

This next vignette holds a little something special...

Remember my Dad's certificat de bapteme that I shared with you?  Well I found another special piece with it...

My Nana's rosary beads which I thought would be perfect with my little french catechism book.  It is so pretty ~ just look at the detail...

I also filled my little french etched glass with some petite sparkly ornaments...

This next vignette holds two little wrapped balsam sachets that were my Mom's.  You know, they still smell wonderful...

A few years ago I bought some teal bottle brush wreaths that I put on my mirrors.  I would prefer the vintage white ones but these are fine for now...

I also have a sparkly "Noel" from Wendy Addison...

The patina gets better every year with age.  I also have a pre-lit tree that I do not decorate.  I love sitting in my big comfy white chair at night, relaxing with a book and just enjoy the glowing lights...

Now I am sure there will be a few small changes here and there.  I need to find a little skirt for my tree (hopefully burlap) and I would like to fill the little basket next to it with some brown paper packages tied up with string as well as a bit more greenery.  I hope you enjoyed this first peek at the holidays in my home (as well as the song I just left in your head for the day)!!  It was during the holiday season last year, looking at every one's beautiful photos they were sharing of their homes that sealed the deal for me to start blogging myself.  I know my photography skills need....who am I kidding I don't have any photography skills...I hope to work on taking better photos this year.  Thanks so much for visiting today!  I will be sharing more of my holiday nest all week and hope you can come again!!  Joyeux Noel!!

P.S.  I forgot to mention that I am having a little sale in my Etsy shop today and tomorrow ~ 15% off everything!  

have to wait...

Well I am heading into the shop this morning to get my booth ready for our open house this weekend.  A few of the other shop girls have been busy and have some beautiful Christmas items already in their booths.  (Yes, I broke the rule and bought a few things ~ but when you see them you will understand!)  It has been so inspiring looking at blogs showing the beautiful holiday open houses they have been attending as well as some of you who are already decking the halls in your homes.  Here in my nest I have to wait.  I like to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday without having my house decorated for Christmas.  While tv land has been showing Christmas commercials for a few weeks and while a local radio station is already playing Christmas music I have to wait.  Tradition here is the weekend after Thanksgiving all the boxes come down from the attic and I spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday mixing old decorations with some new and setting the stage for my favorite time of the year.  However, for the few weeks between putting my Halloween stuff away and turkey day I warm up my neutral nest with some hints of what is yet to come...

I just add a few books with a hint of some colors of the season and added this lovely doily that my Mom would place under a petite tree she would display...

I know I have showed you this before but I just love this old lamp, especially the etched shade...

I know you have seen this rose painting too but it has never nested in my den...

I had it in my living room but put it away in the spring.  Love the shades of red...

And of course some pink.  I was happy with my new vignette but it needed a little bit more so I snuck up to the attic and grabbed a holiday pillow...

Of course while I was up in the attic the other day, after my daughter called to say she had snow where she was I grabbed this...

My wonderful old chippy white sled!  It too will have to wait for it's holiday feathering.  I know, not a real exciting post today but want to see something exciting?  Last night I relaxed in my big comfy white chair...

With this...

My very own, first ever copy of Jeanne D'Arc Living ~ the Christmas special edition!!  I ordered it from Carole and look how pretty she wrapped it for me (thank you Carole!).  It is full of beauty and enough inspiration that it made me think of breaking tradition (but I won't).  It made me happy that I have a few things that will work with my vision for my home this year like this mercury glass heart ornament I leave out all year...

I am joining Kathleen today over at Faded Charm for White Wednesday.  I am sure there will be lots of inspiring whites for the holiday there too.  Just in case you are wondering where I will be again tonight...

Yes, back in my comfy white chair with my new treasure.  I would love to look at it now but duty calls and I guess I have to wait!