Christmas Magic on the Porch

Welcome to Christmas Porches and Holiday Decor Blog Hop hosted by Amber of Follow the Yellow Brick Home.

If you are following the blog hop in order then you just visited Shannon of Belle Bleu Interiors - I love her gorgeous style.

And now I welcome you to our humble little cottage.

In 1928, when our house was built, this was the front of our house and the view people saw as they strolled down the sidewalk to the beach.

When the sidewalks were fenced off in the '60's, the back porch became the front of our house.

I love the details of the true front porch and have fun decorating it throughout the year.

The bells are one of the few items I bought for Christmas decor this year yet I struggled to find a place for them to hang.

It's one of my favorite vignettes I created this holiday season.

I am looking out the door at this view as I sit on the window seat writing my post and it makes me smile.

I have had fun dressing up junk as Christmas decor

like this old lantern.

It's amazing what a little greenery and ribbon can do to everyday objects.

I buy holiday tea towels yet never let anyone use them so this year I turned a few of the towels into pillows- I'm big on using what I already have in new ways to get a different look.

Some of you might question leaving all of this out on the porch, but we live in Southern California where sadly it rarely rains- I did have to bring everything in the other night when rain was in the forecast and it sounds like I'll have to do the same this week.

All the decor on the covered porch just stays right where it is.

For any of you "eagle eyes" out there, this is the photo in the collage for the hop, but one of the good things about taking pics for my blog is that I can redo things that I don't think are quite right.


I "liked" the original design, but the version on the right is just a notch better.

And now, 'tis the season of Christmas porches and time for you to visit Katherine of Katherine's Corner- you're in for a treat!

 Have fun with the rest of the tour.

An InLinkz Link-up

Gather 'Round the Table

Welcome to the Gather 'Round the Table blog hop hosted by Amber of Follow the Yellow Brick Home.

If you're following the tour in order, then you were just at Belle Bleu Interiors -

 Shannon's home is beautiful and her style is impeccable.

As I was setting up to take my pics for "An Al Fresco Thanksgiving" last week, the sky began to rapidly change color - all due to the fires in Ventura County.

I moved inside and went ahead with my photos despite the sky turning darker by the minute so please bear with the editing - it was difficult to get the colors and clarity right with dark photos. 

We'll be away for Thanksgiving, but my cousin is coming the day after and I'm planning a festive brunch for her visit using my Pfaltzgraff Pistoulet dishes

based on the drawings from the book, The Secrets of Pistoulet, by Jana Fayne Kolpen.

The flowers in my garden are limited, but I found exactly what I need - fortunately I only needed yellow flowers for 3 vases!

The "vases" are pottery yogurt containers my sister saved each morning and brought home from her frequent London business trips.

The green plates are not part of the Pistoulet collection, but I like pairing the green with the yellow.

I embroidered the napkins in the summer when we moved out for our bathroom remodel - I kept my fingers busy at night while we watched television.

The center piece called for something more and I found this narrow roll of butcher paper in the garage.

 I'm told Steve's mom used it somehow on the backing of her oil paintings, but it works perfectly with rosemary from the garden to add interest on the table.

The pitcher of flowers has been on the dining room table for weeks - dried roses and fresh eucalyptus branches.

When I bought the yellow handled flatware I had no idea how well it would match the dishes.

I love how this table setting turned out and when we get back in town from Thanksgiving with our daughter,

I just need to look at my post as a reminder on how to set the table.

I'll let Steve worry about what to serve 

while I hunt in the garden for more yellow flowers for the vases.

And now, it's time for you to head over to visit Paula at Virginia Sweet Pea - you will love her style.

And be sure to visit all the different blogs for loads of Thanksgiving inspiration.

An InLinkz Link-up

I'm thankful for . . .

I know it's a little early for this post, but two people on Instagram got me thinking about thankfulness.

Yesterday one person asked, "what are you thankful for today?" and my reply was "nothing". 

I went on to explain that by nothing I meant that I had absolutely nothing I had to do and after a busy week I was thankful for no commitments.

The second person, Rhiann of @starry_sky_farm posted this picture and I responded.

It got me thinking of all I am thankful for . . .

Mexican sunflowers in the garden - at least one blooms each day.

Walks on the beach with friends - do you see that little guy in the wet sand?

Blogging friends like Connie of Crafty Home Cottage who just sent me the cutest Christmas banner

and Cindy of Cloches and Lavender who sent me this wonderful book I won in her giveaway.

Finding the perfect little flowers in the garden for a table setting I'm

 working on for the "Gather 'Round the Table" blog hop.

And I'm especially thankful for this little guy we'll see in just 10 days - I'm definitely missing the curls after his first haircut.

What are you thankful for this month?