Hickory dickory dock

. . . the mouse ran up the clock.

It was time for an update in the guest room even though there have been no guests for months.

Mainly I was ready for a different quote on the typewriter.

 I have lots of clock faces and mice so I decided to use them together.

Rather than a quote, I printed out some images of vintage post cards for the typewriter and added dried flowers.

The mouse door stop was a gift from my daughter, the pocket watch was found at a Paris flea market  and sadly the clock face sits in back because I broke a favorite clock while gathering items for the vignette.

I do like decorating with quotes so I wrote one on a little clipboard.

I googled quotes about time and saw one where a clock face made the O and knew that had to be my choice.

I know all the clocks and mice are a bit silly, but I like silly.

With a goose and a horse thrown in for good measure, I really should call this the animal room.

The guest room is all decorated, but we will be having guests in a few weeks

and I will have to remove a lot of stuff around the house.

My tchotchkes and creatures will be too tempting for these little boys.

Easter Eggs and Bunny Rabbits

I know it's early for Easter decorating, 

but I was prepping for company over the weekend.

Sadly we all agreed that it wasn't the best move for Andy and his mama to be flying right now.

So it's just Steve and me enjoying the Easter eggs and bunny rabbits.

I am really trying to decorate with what I have on hand so these flowers

and the little Maileg rabbit I showed in my last post are the only purchases this Easter.

There is just one little bunny in the dining room.

On the other hand, the entry got a fair share of Easter decor.

I bought the chicken basket in 1976 and it's always nice to fill it with old chalk eggs at Easter time.

The paper mache bunny is from last Easter and I wish I could leave him out all year long.

Mr. Goose is standing guard over the guest room.

The formally dressed rabbit was purchased last year and I was happy to see him once again.

 I'm sorry that Andy won't see the house decorated for Easter,

but in reality, 

Mr. Goose and Mr. Rabbit would probably not impress him.

Lulu's Christmas

I have Jann of Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson to thank for my relaxing week.

She put me first on the schedule for the Creating Christmas Link Party

which meant I had to be finished decorating by Sunday.

That left me free to simply enjoy Christmas.

Lulu has been enjoying Christmas

 and she particularly likes my Maileg pixies.

This is Lulu last Christmas with Henry.

She and Olaf are great friends

and Lulu enjoys rearranging Olaf on the sofa.

All the decorating tires her out

and she needs to take frequent breaks.

My Maileg Santa sits on a bench in the guest room and Lulu has never shown any interest in him.

This is the scene that greeted me when I came home this afternoon -

Obviously Steve had replaced Santa in his spot hoping that I might not notice his beard.

I actually think the new look is kind of fun, but I did move Santa off the bench.

Lulu definitely loves this time of year and wishes you a Merry Christmas.

Cozy At Christmas

Welcome to the Cozy at Christmas blog tour

hosted by Katie of Let's Add Sprinkles.

Thanks for dropping by our little beach cottage.

It's a beautiful day in Southern California, the Dutch door is open so come on in.

Our cottage is small and our entry is the perfect spot to add a tree without feeling overwhelmed.

Of course, that tree needs to be tall & skinny so a pencil tree works best.

Weeds from the garden look festive adorned with berries and ribbon.

I'm using red all through the house this Christmas.

The clocks have been on the shelf in the dining room for months, but they look Christmasy with the simple addition of greenery and gingham.

One of the few purchases I made for Christmas decorating this year was the green metal basket on the table.

I spotted it in a favorite shop and knew it would be perfect for holding my glass ornaments.

I warned you that there would be a lot of red!

I went through my cupboards to find anything red & white

and discovered many long forgotten items.

White slipcovers make holiday decorating easy - I just swapped the white pillows on the sofa with red pillows that used to be on the dining room window seat.

Adding greenery and a few ornaments quickly gives an existing vignette holiday flair.

And Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without my first Maileg pixie Olaf -he's the one who started my Maileg addiction.

As you can see,

my childish side comes out at Christmas

and fortunately Steve puts up with my silliness.

The mint green of my old pie safe is perfect for Christmas decor

and I had spent way too much time styling it with a spool of cloth ribbon I found the other day.

I replaced an aqua bench with a bright green one for Christmas in the guest room.

and added the polka dot quilt.

It's amazing the difference in the room just by changing the accents from aqua to red.

I have always used this metal Christmas tree outside, but this year it's in the guest room.

I had no idea where I was going with my decorations on the old door in the guest room, but I love how it turned out.

I had a lot fun and used my creativity in decorating the guest room.

  I printed sheet music from the internet and attached it to an old clipboard.

I found a roll of narrow butcher paper (left over from my mother in-law's art supplies) in the garage and used it to create a banner for an old wooden spool.

After painting a yellow metal pitcher white, I realized I was all out of greenery so I cut branches from a neighbor's tree that hangs over into our yard.

I got creative with our bedroom as well.

Last night I gathered together all the little bells I could find and watched a movie while I strung them to make a garland.

The boss has already spoken to me about how impractical it is to have the garland across the doors, but who needs to be practical!

When Steve made me the headboard a few months ago, my first thought was how fun it would be to decorate for Christmas.

 I wonder what his reaction would be if I hung the bells on the headboard.

Stars and hearts made last Christmas out of drop cloth are quiet and don't bother anyone sleeping.

You would think that after 12 days of decorating, I would be finished, but I still have to decorate the garden.

 I guess you'll have to come back next week when I am joining Jann of Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson for the Creating Christmas Link Party - start working on your post so you can join in.

But first, you need to visit the other homes on the tour.

Let's Add Sprinkles

Hyacinths for the Soul

Southern Daydreams

White Spray Paint

Garden Up Green

Have a Daily Cup

Ellie & Elizabeth

Brookhollow Lane

At Home With Jemma

My Heart Lives Here

The B Farm

Botanic Bleu

Kitty's Kozy Kitchen

Ashtree Cottage

Sweet Nothings

At Rivercrest Cottage

Opulent Cottage

Decor to Adore
The Dedicated House

Bluesky Kitchen

Fern Creek Cottage

Blue Sky Kitchen - Your Inspired Design Link Party