Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Color, Sparkle and a Bit of Whimsy


It took me 6 days to decorate the house for Christmas.


Much of today was spent taking photographs for the two Holiday Blog Tours am joining.


But, I don't want to share any of those photos until the parties


so I made a second tour of the house capturing portions of vignettes or rooms.


I noticed that I am drawn to sparkle and shine this year -


bright shiny ornaments


appear in at least one spot in every room.


I found a beautiful glass bulb and bead garland at a local shop that was a perfect gift for my sister


and I had to go back and buy one for myself.


In addition to sparkle,


you can see that red & white


are the dominant colors


 in the house right now.


This little display in the guest room


will easily segue into Valentines Day by simply swapping the Christmas postcard with a Valentine.


As I was shooting small details rather than the "big picture"


another thing I noticed


was the childlike nature


of Christmas at our house.


Color, sparkle and a bit of whimsy


definitely describe the decorations this year.


After a morning at the spa, Lulu thought she fit right in with the decorations.


She might even be mistaken for a stuffed bear.


Be sure to stop by next week for the Cozy at Christmas Blog Tour.

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Join me at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson for Share Your Cup

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving


Wishing all of my wonderful blogging friends a wonderful day with family, friends and food!

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Hygge


Last week I posted a picture of a plaid throw on Instagram


and I received a private message from Serendipity Loves asking if they could use my pic on a blog post titled


which I of course agreed to despite having no idea what hygge meant.


Here is my picture shared in their blog post, We Found Hygge on Instagram.


This definition came from the Oxford Dictionaries in a discussion on the 2016 Word of the Year shortlist.


The Danish blog, Skagen, with lots of easy adjectives for hygge helped me understand it best. 


Hygge descriptions talk about enjoying "life's little pleasures" - which for me is flowers in the garden


and a carefully arranged centerpiece on the table.


The words "hospitality" and "warmth" jumped out at me 


and came to mind as I created place settings for our holiday table.


Family and friends were mentioned and I think decorating using old family treasures leans toward hygge in my home.


I'm not sure if I fully understand hygge, but I think I'm on the right track.


How do you bring warmth and coziness into your home?

Thursday, November 10, 2016

In a World of Flowers


All through the month of October, I saw this L. M. Montgomery quote on Instagram


and today I thought of the quote as I did my morning chores.


But, my wording would be, "I'm so glad I live in a place where I have fresh flowers all year long."


I love having colorful flowers


to brighten up our outdoor space


and add to the view through our windows.


 I am grateful that there are always flowers 


in the garden


to use in bouquets.


When colorful flowers are sparse


there is greenery


available to liven up my vignettes.


 I can always find flowers in local shops to fill the house with lovely scents - 


roses in the dining room,


hydrangeas and freesia in the entry,


and mini roses in the guest room.


I am as content with simple baby's breath


 as I am with spectacular roses


and when roses begin to fade,


they are dried so we can continue to enjoy them.


I have only lived in spots where flowers are plentiful so I'm curious -


are you able to enjoy fresh flowers year round?