Spring China Cabinet and Other High Hopes

This week alone we’ve had temperatures in the 30s and temperatures hitting 70º… “I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain” the James Taylor song goes. “I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end…” Nope…scratch the part about seeing so many sunny days that I thought they’d never end…when we have sunny days around here we’re a little skeptical…what’s coming next?! Last Saturday was a perfect example: I woke up to a cloudy day, and later I looked out and it was drizzling! Yuck! I see a weather alert on my phone! A what?! What could be happening?!I Yep, a winter storm watch with rain turning to freezing rain, turning to snow, and at one point later in the day we had almost a complete white out—oh, and high, very high winds. We were thankful for no meaningful accumulation.

But a couple of weeks ago I decided it was TIME…even if the weather wasn’t cooperating completely, it was time for spring, because again, my “gears” where not in sync—the calendar, the sunny days/rainy days, the cold temperatures/the glimpses of hope—not even a crocus out there that I’ve seen!

First thing to do: The china cabinet. Our home is so open that the china cabinet can set the tone for the rest of the house—as the china cabinet goes, so goes our decor (and my mood, one could add).

You might recall I had already de-winterized the china cabinet to this:

The intense colors were starting to bother me, so before I knew it I was taking the reds and purples and teal out and replacing it with a softer, twiggier, birdier design~

Ahhhh…so much better for this time of year!

Our DIL has offered to make bird nest cupcakes for our Easter brunch, so that will be the “theme” of our table—birds and nests and twigs and eggs. Probably not feathers, unless I get some that are natural in color (and not cardinals’! LOL). Anticipating that tablescape, I wanted to bring out the Pottery Barn bird-on-a-branch salad plates, because I will surely use them on our table and I wanted to enjoy them.

Since at the time Easter was a good month away, I didn’t want to go Easter-y; just spring-y, with soft, muted colors.

Some of the details~

The top of the cabinet is always fun to decorate, but the cathedral ceiling presents a bit of a challenge, because there’s an awful lot of space to fill, and you have to make sure the objects there aren’t miniaturized because of the open space. The vintage silver cruet set and birdcage help fill the space.

Would you believe these are the white roses from the Three Kings Celebration (January 6, 2014 – you can see that post here )? They dried so beautifully. They almost look like they’re vintage papers instead. The vessel next to them was an awesome find at GW not too long ago. I know I’ll be using it a lot. And the pinecone roses? Those are new—a new love. You’ll see more of them later (and in many future posts, I’m sure)

You knew our little chickadee had to be here somewhere! This time she’s snuggled in her cage amidst hydrangeas and pinecone roses and moss on top of the china cabinet.

The top shelf in the cabinet is quite simple: A soft blue vase (also a GW find), filled with my dried hydrangeas, and a sweet found nest whose creator did not weave it very well; it’s rather fragile. Those babies must’ve been coming sooner that she thought and they were in a hurry to get that nest done! (I wouldn’t know about that; my chickadees were both late!) A PB bird-on-a-branch salad plate, and three ceramic pitchers that I’ve had for years. So glad I bought them when I did!

I’ve had this frosted pedestal dish with a lovely floral design for many, many years, and I’ve always been able to use it somewhere; it’s a versatile piece.

The second shelf is a “birdie” vignette, complete with a faux nest and faux eggs. The three look-alike birds are actual candle holders from Crate and Barrel, and of course, my chubby Nicodemus robin whom I know you’ve seen—he’s always around, just like the chickadee.

The decorations on the bottom shelf offer the visual foundation for the cabinet, with more of the PB plates and yet another faux nest and faux eggs.

  Three nests down the center of the china cabinet to offer continuity and rhythm.

The serving level holds a Crate and Barrel oblong wood dish filled with more pinecone roses, the Bombay Company chicken-wire cloche filled with hydrangeas, and my husband’s grandparents’ milk glass salt and pepper set, which we use as our everyday shakers because they’re so special.

 

So, “rain and severe storms for the weekend,” the TV just announced. Hmmm, what’s happening in YOUR world? Have you moved into spring in spite of the weather? What have you done? Or are you way ahead of me and into full Easter swing?

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back), and please—Pin away and follow me on Pinterest too! Thank you!!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Fabulously Creative Fridays at http://www.jenniferrizzo.com/

Design it Friday at http://www.findingfabulousblog.com/

Friday Party Junk at http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/

Friday at Redoux Interiors at http://www.redouxinteriors.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Simply Sweet Fridays at http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

Fridays at Imparting Grace at http://www.impartinggrace.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Saturdays at http://piecedpastimes.blogspot.com/

Spotlight Saturdays at http://www.classyclutter.net/

Saturdays at Be Different, Act Normal at http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/

Sunday Showcase at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

Sunday at It’s Overflowing at http://www.itsoverflowing.com/

Sunday Creative Home and Garden Hop at http://creativehomeexpressions.blogspot.com/

Sundays at The Tablescaper: http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tuesdays at The Scoop at http://www.stonegableblog.com

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Inspire Me Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Wednesday DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Thursdays at http://www.impartinggrace.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Our Halloween Home Tour

Last week I shared our fall and Halloween decorations on the front porch and the screened porch (you can see them HERE). Today, I’m sharing what we did inside, when Baby Love came to “help” me. :) She’s almost six, so as she opened each bin we brought up from the basement she was delighted to find decorations that she now remembers.

First we worked on the buffet, where we used our terra cotta Jack-o’-lanterns ~

Now, of course I couldn’t just plop them on the bare furniture, right?~~ I had to have my decorating fun too, so the layering started early. Do you see that there’s someone or something inside the big Jack-o’-lantern???

Yep! Shadow, her and her little brothers’ black-and-white kitty cat, and Shadow’s baby peeking out. In years past we’ve had the “Jacks’” hats off and the kitty cats climbing out of them, but this year she wanted to hide them in there.

For the more grown-up touches I added a sterling footed compote with tiny gourds, buckeyes, and other fall touches, as well as a beautiful tan paperweight that was a gift from our DIL’s uncle—he MADE it, and I LOVE it! A crystal candleholder serves as a pedestal for a small pumpkin.

These rusty pumpkin candleholders are special…they’re from our son, and I bring them out every single fall, but I don’t think I’ve ever coupled them with the Jacks. Nice filler for the vignette.

We also worked on the china cabinet, leaving the blue-and-white color scheme I’ve had there for several months, since I’m not ready to move that out yet. After Halloween, we’ll move to more fall colors there as well. For now, we added touches of Halloween, and that was fine with her.

Her decor on the bottom shelf was a bit more…shall we say age-appropriate for her? I wanted to honor her efforts and taste, so I tweaked it just a bit after she went home, but quickly put it back to her liking before she and her little brothers came back. I’m glad, because as soon as she walked in she brought the older one over to show off her decorations!

A more subdued look :) with touches of fall.

This is one piece I couldn’t wait to fill with fall flowers, so I managed to get it done as she found more treasures!

And of course, hydrangeas. Some dried, some fresh off the Endless Summer bush I bought this summer. The variations are so beautiful. And the “vessel”? A recent GW find!

I’ve had this little witch vignette for many years. She stands on a log that’s decorated with bittersweet flowers/berries, and twigs and moss, and a cute ghost, so I put her out for them too—on a silver tray, of course! :)

The final fall touch for this decorating event was the Southern Living Ballard Designs tiered basket on our table ~

This basket is so versatile, that I always have an idea of what I want to do next, but the center basket has become our real fruit basket—it’s perfect! It saves counter space and yet keeps the fruit handy.

Remember the geraniums I was rooting out on the screened porch toward the end of summer? I put more cuttings in these little apothecary bottles I got from my compounding pharmacist, and look at their roots now! They’re very happy with the amount of light they get at the table, and their leaves add nice texture and color to our fruit.

These pumpkins and awesome leaves are also from years ago, when I was doing holiday boutiques. Do you recognize the Pottery Barn lantern as one of my auction box lot finds? Love it! Wonder what I’ll do with it for our Christmas decorations??

Well, that’s the fall and Halloween tour of our home! I hope you enjoyed the tour. Do you do Halloween AND fall decorating, or just one or the other? I try to not buy too many new things and to use what we’ve had for years but in different ways. This year I bought the small pumpkins for $1 each…just six or seven of them. What about you? Do you get your head turned when you walk into stores? :) (Pssst….I try to not go to stores…that’s how I keep from buying more; it’s not will power. It’s lack of. LOL)

I wish you a fun and safe Halloween.

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to Google+ this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Sunday Showcase at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

Sunday Creative Home and Garden Hop at http://creativehomeexpressions.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Inspire Me Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Fresh-Cut Fridays at http://rosevignettes.blogspot.com

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Furniture Rearranging

Several months ago we thought it was time for Baby Love to start piano lessons, so of course it was a package deal—the piano had to go along with the lessons, so our piano now lives at her house. It’s the piano her Papá and uncle used to learn practice ummmmm spend our money—that’s what it was!—so it seemed only right that she have it now. It didn’t get played much at our house, and when we had it tuned recently we were pleasantly surprised to learn that it’s in very good condition!

Once the piano was gone, it gave me the opportunity to re-think our furniture arrangement. It had been a focal point in our home, and I had loved using it for vignettes (if not for playing, LOL). Here’s where it was~

We played musical furniture (thank heavens for those slider-disk things!), and our vintage buffet came to the former piano spot…that was it! Loved it! That’s where it needed to live! ~~

And guess what’s gracing the sterling punch bowl my MIL gifted us many years ago?! Hydrangeas, of course! Today was a perfectly beautiful day, so I took advantage of the beautiful weather to harvest more of them for future use—I’m thinking Christmas, but my ideas are still a secret (to me too!—I’m thinking…I’m thinking…).

I thought you might be curious about the three pictures to the left of the buffet. The top picture is of my parents happily walking down the aisle after their wedding. The second is a portrait of my mother and me, taken in our home in Havana, and the last is of me with my father at the beach—in perfectly clear water (also in Cuba).

~~~~~~~

The move of the buffet created a void, of course, and after more musical furniture we settled on my MIL’s writing desk. It had been living in our bedroom (it’s the surface you see in The Nook and Old Ladder post {HERE}). Now it provides me with the opportunity to gather some blue and white~~

The vase on the desk is another perfect vessel for drying more hydrangeas. The black-and-white pictures are a collection my husband and I put together at our other house and repeated it in this home. It’s a collection of pictures of us and the generations before us. (Some adjustments need to be made to the collage, since I had to take some of them down with the new furniture piece.) Sometimes we talk about taking them down and doing something different there…we’ll see, but it’s interesting to me that after so many years of having them up I still enjoy looking at them. For example, there’s a picture of my beloved grandmother holding my baby brother and I’m sitting real close, right next to her. There’s one of my husband eating an ice cream cone that’s almost as big as he is, and an 8x10 of him deep-sea fishing with his parents in Mexico. Lots of good memories.

The sunlight was playing its lovely games when I walked in the room, and I quickly grabbed my camera.

Aren’t they drying beautifully? I know many of you dry your hydrangeas—how have you used them? Have you used them for any Christmas decorations?

I’ve been on the hunt for blue-and-white bowls, and recently I found this beauty at the antique shop where my SIL has a booth. Guess how much?? I HAVE to share the price because it’s so pretty and it was such a buy--$6.00!! It has no flaws, and the gold rim and base are perfect. See the reflection on the desk?

The rest of the vignette—blue and white plates on brass plate racks/candleholders. I got these candleholders years and years ago, I think from the Pier 1 catalog, because I wanted to display not only our boys’ Bunnykins plates, but also their mugs, and I was able to hang the mugs from the arms. It was a precious vignette in our other dining room. (Hmmmm…I wonder if I have a picture of them? They wouldn’t be digital, that’s for sure.)

I’m looking forward to your ideas on how to use dried hydrangeas, so please share them with me, and if you have pictures, please share those too! I can’t wait!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to Google+ this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Sunday Showcase at http://www.bystephanielynn.com

Sunday Creative Home Expressions at http://creativehomeexpressions.blogspot.com

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Tuesdays at http://www.astrollthrulife.net/

Tuesdays at http://hickorytrailblog.blogspot.com

Wednesdays at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

Wednesdays at Wow Us: http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Wednesdays at Ivy and Elephants: http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com

Thursdays at No Minimalist Here: http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Be Inspired Friday at http://www.Commonground-do.com/

Fridays at Feathered Nest: http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Fridays at http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

Fridays at Home Sweet Home: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Fresh-Cut Fridays at http://rosevignettes.blogspot.com

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Spring, Are You There???

After Valentine’s Day I was ready to move to blue and white.  Last week’s post was of the old/new china cabinet, filled with blue and white and very few contrasting touches (HERE).  It’s not spring here in central Ohio—in fact, we’re expecting up to SIX INCHES of snow tonight!  So to add splashes of yellows, or oranges, or purple would wreak havoc with my senses!

It took me several days and a few hours of bliss on Pinterest and in blogland to figure out what to do with the dining room table.  No bare tables around here!!  It had to be CALM…preferably blue and white…interesting (not just one thing on it)…. Besides spending happy hours admiring others’ creativity on Pinterest or blogs, those visits help me to remember things I have that I could use.  Do you do that?  Do you forget you have something until you see something similar out there?  That’s a great plus for me!

So, following my home-shopping list I’d made from my virtual trips I settled on a vintage linen runner and a vintage silver tray as the foundation ~

I love how decorating develops and evolves!  I remembered this blue and white tureen that usually sits in the secretary, and the blue and white embroidered bun cozy that I had just put in a “to sell” stack…I think I’ll keep it!  It’s more versatile than I’d thought.  Rather than set the tureen directly on the cozy, I layered the look with a cobalt blue dish and added a sprig of dried blue hydrangea.  It was coming together!

Peaceful.

If you’ve been visiting Chickadee Home Nest for any time at all you know of my weakness for vintage linens.  This piece is actually an oval doily that I added for softness and romance.  And did you notice the rope/nautical detail on the tureen handles?  I love that juxtaposition on it—soft, dainty blue and white, with light orange “rope”!  I bought it at a garage sale years and years ago, with a chip on the edge of the lid, but that’s okay with me—it’s vintage!  Of course it’s going to show some evidence of having been used!

I have the full tea service of this blue and white Bombay Company pattern, but I always forget about it.  The sugar bowl, because of the silver trim on the lid, seemed just right, and rather than pair it with its matching creamer, I used this darling, long-handled silver “server” for the cream.  Dried hydrangeas the color of the pears on the china cabinet continue to coordinate the look between the china cabinet and the table.

Do you know what this “server” is/what it would’ve been used for?  I’m nuts about it, but have never seen one before.  I keep thinking drawn butter, and that it probably had its own heating stand.  What do you think it is?

Notice how worn the finish on the handle is…this sweet thing was actually used in a home!  I thought about “fixing” it for about 15 seconds.

Blue and white candlesticks, to s-t-r-e-t-c-h the vignette beyond the silver tray, coupled with…

…tea bag holders from Bombay.

This precious hydrangea bloom just happened to fall and grace my vignette.  It’s still there!

And then, before my post was up (I’ve had a few problems with Google 2-step verification and Live Writer not liking each other)…spring began its annual tease – a warm, sunny day and Whole Foods’ fabulous Friday sale of 30 tulips for $10!!! 

Tell me, who could resist that?!  I’ve never had 30 tulips around the house at one time!

Tulips and a sunny day in early March gives us hope that SPRING will come.

Hope SPRINGs Eternal. 

(My Lenox Eternal coffee server.)

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to +1 this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

I’m joining these fun parties this week:

Sundays at The Tablescaper: http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Tuesdays at http://www.astrollthrulife.net/

Wednesdays at Let’s Dish: http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wednesdays at Wow Us: http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Thursdays at Tabletop Thursday: http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Thursdays at Home Sweet Home: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thursdays at No Minimalist Here: http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Be Inspired Friday at http://www.Commonground-do.com/

Fridays at Feathered Nest: http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

From my nest to yours~

Zuni