1/7/13

New Looks from Old Stuff

Hey everyone!  Happy Monday of the first normal week of "2013!"  School starts here today, and I look forward to watching from my blogging spot as the children walk, skateboard, bike & scooter their way to school.  It's a chilly morning here in the Arizona desert, 37 degrees, so I'm glad I can watch from the cozy warmth inside my home!


I was happy to see that no one dropped me like a hot potato after I outlined my plan and guidelines for my "2013" blog in my post yesterday -- at least not yet!  So, today I will implement my plan with this week's home decor post.

I know I'm not the only one who had difficulty "re-dressing" my home after the Christmas blitz.  For me, that after-Christmas time is filled with mixed emotions -- kind of sad that Christmas is over, tired from all the Christmas activities, excited to start a new year, but extremely puzzled about what to do to make my home pretty for the next couple of months prior to Spring.  My decorating plan began with a determination to NOT buy anything new, but use what I had in different ways; and I'm happy to say that I accomplished that.  Today I'd like to share my inside entry and a couple of vignettes in my living room.

I've said it before, and I'll continue to say it "this is one of my very favorite places to decorate."  My old Singer, hiding under the skirt, is the perfect fit for this spot in my entry.  Details about the skirt can be found HERE.

It was really fun pulling things together to create an inviting and interesting vignette here.

My old dough bowl has new life with a bedding of burlap and filled with odds & ends of deco spheres & some homemade book pages tied with jute.  

Some greenery and a small bronze mercury glass tealite holder sitting on a little silver dish
balances out the vignette.

This is a cozy area of my living room.  My decorating plan is to have a more simple look, so I've tried very hard to leave some blank spaces in my vignettes this go-around.  Blank spaces give your eyes a chance to rest so you can enjoy the other items in the vignette.

I kept my old painted tri-fold fireplace screen as the backdrop here -- it feels perfect for this corner.  That would be my "Noodle Wreath" (you can see how I made it HERE) hanging in the background.  The large green bowl (that thing weighs a ton) filled with faux hydrangeas, and a decorative lantern with a battery-operated candle round out this vignette.  That little open area at the top of the armoire is always difficult to decorate because it's such a shallow space.  I decided to place a gifted bottle of wine in my Goodwill silver wine holder up there and call it good!

I also kept this vignette simple.  Anything on a tray works for me.  Here I used a black tray to hold an apothecary jar filled with wine corks, a faux Scentsy burner (from Walmart), & another battery-operated candle wrapped with some burlap ribbon.  The greenery hides the cord on the wax burner.

I told you I like anything on a tray!  Here I used an old silver tray to contain a couple of decorative pieces from Hobby Lobby last year (I bought 5 pieces that were marked down to 80% off --YAY!), and the wire cloche from a sale at Michael's a year or so ago.  Almost all of my candles are battery-operated & have timers, so they all go on around 5pm & turn off at 10pm -- I think that's so cool!

I will be sharing the details of the new look for my dining room next week.
I like pops of red this time of year, at least through Valentine's Day!

Okay, there you have it.  I do have more things to share, but will only be posting one decorative blog post per week.  If I come up with a good recipe or possibly an organizing trick, I'll add a post.  I truly appreciate all of you and love when you pop in for a visit.  I hope it's a great week for all of you!


                                                                   
I'm happily linking to these wonderful parties this week:

Dawn at Creative Cain Cabin for Decorating on a Budget
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life  for Table Top Tuesdays
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home
Jody & Stan at Rooted in Thyme for Simple and Sweet Fridays 
Amanda at Serenity Now for Weekend Bloggy Reading
Karen at Sew Many Ways for Sew Darn Crafty






16 comments:

  1. I love battery candles. I am gradually trying to switch over in all the rooms. Your vignettes look beautiful. I love that little fence.

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  2. Absolutely beautiful, Carol! Every vignette is so pretty! xo ~Liz

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  3. You are well on your way to a beautiful winter decor! I always struggle with making my home look just right during the winter, but always, lots of candles! Your vignettes are pretty. I love the wire cloche and your dough bowl looks so cute!

    XO,
    Jane

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  4. Love what you have done. I need to gather more trinkets for my vignettes. I am with you, I am not buying anything new, I will just mix up what I already have and call it good. I do love your singer table. You know what a favorite of mine it is, and it always turns out just perfect every time you give it a redo.

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  5. Looks fabulous. I was trying to be outside a bit while it isn't too cold but I don't stay out long. Hate being inside so much. Hugs.

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  6. It all looks fantastic! I've decided that I'm tired of a lot of things in my house. HA! I'll have to figure it out I guess.

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  7. Hi Carol, I am SO looking forward to getting home and getting all my Christmas away so I can play too!!!!!! All of your vignettes look terrific and I like the idea of blank spaces to allow the eye to rest. Have a great week. XO, pinky

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  8. Your room is beautiful, love all of your candles...I believe they are battery operated? Smart and they look great! Your sewing machine cover is wonderful! I have my grandmothers old machine and the wood is not much to look at. I would love to one day cover it.
    Hope you have had a wonderful Monday...
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  9. Everything looks great, Carol! This time of year does pose decorating problems , but you did an excellent job getting past them. Don't you love when you can use what you already own?

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  10. All the vignettes are so pretty and look very nice. I am with you the after Christmas decor is sometimes hard to come up with cute ideas. Yours looks great. Thanks for sharing. Karie

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  11. I love the ruffle skirt on your sewing table. Very pretty.
    Hugs, Cindy

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  12. Hi Carol,
    What a wonderful perspective you have watching the school kids go by. It's chilly there in the desert at 37 degrees.
    Thank you for your visit and kind comment. I'm so glad you stopped by.
    Blessings and a great week,
    Carolynn xx

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  13. Carol, I say you are doing a beautiful job changing your home after the holidays. I am having a very hard time figuring out what to do with my home. Love, love your vignettes, specially the one on your entrance. Very pretty!

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  14. Love your vignettes, Carol! Using what I've got is my mantra {so far} for this year, too. I'm hoping I can stick with it! : ) Love that cover you made for your sewing table. You turned that into a great piece to fit in with your decor and it serves well as an accent table.

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  15. Thanks, Carol, for stopping by my blog. I've enjoyed perusing your posts -- especially the one about your blogging plans for 2013. I really need to rethink my blog, also; and am now inspired by you to do so. Sally

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  16. Carol, Everything looks beautiful! Thanks for sharing your lovely vignettes at Simple & Sweet Fridays. Very inspiring!

    Jody

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I truly love to hear from you and try to respond to each and everyone. If you have "no reply blogger," I will respond in my comments section and then visit your blog as soon as I can.

Make this a great day!
Carol