Spring Mantle Display

One of the requests from Candice was to work on a mantle display for Spring. We bought some moss, eggs, seed pods, and candles, but almost everything else Candice already had. She did buy the "trophy" cup at Marburger along with the decoration on the left side of the mantle. We also bought some little birds that we glittered with Martha Stewart glitter. I was trying to think of something cool to do in the glass apothecary jars. I was just going to hang the birds on fishing line inside the jar and then thought of adding a branch. We found a great one in the brush pile in the backyard. The birds were easy to paint with glue and cover with glitter. We used 3 different colors of glitter.
Candice's mantle ledge is very small. It's probably about 5 inches deep so the arrangement is a little more aligned/flat than I would like. At some point we will probably redo that whole crown but it will do for now. (I don't think you can tell by the picture but the rock sticks out farther than the mantle does so it just doesn't look right.)

I love to add varying heights to my arrangements in this case books helped to do that. The different mosses and seed pods add texture and interest. Beige potpourri with little blue stones in it are in the other jar.

You can read Candice's take on things here.
We have a great time together working on projects. I love spending time with my children working on things for their homes. Steph and Larry just bought a home so I'm sure we will be working on projects together soon. Although I will have to stretch myself to do retro style. (I've seen the outside of her house but have yet to get inside and start the possibilities rolling in my head.) In the meantime, I'm working on possibilities for my husband's home office. There is a lot to be done before the furniture arrives.

Candice had a great book club party at her house right after I left. I would have loved to have been there but we had fun planning it together and it looked magical. I wish she would have had the time to take more pictures. It's hard to be the decorator, hostess, cook, and photographer. Check it out. I think you will be inspired. (If only the weather would warm up a little here so I could do something like that here. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather will be good Friday night for my adult flashlight easter egg hunt.)

The Most Recent Project At Candice's House

This is the kid's home work computer area (along with the kitchen table). Candice wanted to come up with something interesting to use and create interest above the desk. We bought this desk at Round Top 6 months ago. (We love that place in case you haven't noticed.)

We looked for wooden crates to create a grid but never found what we were looking for or if we did, it was too expensive. So, Candice found some locker baskets at Marburger that were flat enough to create a shelf. (Some locker baskets have very slanted sides. Candice has a collection of "S" letters and we found another great one at the Bar "W" field that we added to this wall.

I laid out the arrangement on the floor and took a picture with my phone to remember how everything was supposed to go. I'm a wing it kind of girl and didn't want to bother with putting it on newspaper tracing the outlines of each object and then putting the paper on the wall as a pattern. Mark and I hung everything after getting Candice's approval.

We filled the locker baskets with: 1) rolls of tickets with 3 printers blocks with each of the kids first initials. (There is even an "S" in there for the latest Stingham due in July.) The "5" stands for the # of people they will have in their family soon. 2) has a red polka dot tea pot being used as a pencil holder. 3) has a clock face, a gumball machine, and a carnival type mask. 4) has some Hardy Boy vintage books with Grant's pinewood derby car on top. Simple but fun and it will be easy to change the whole look by changing what is in the locker baskets.
The other project was to decorate the mantel for Spring. No easter rabbits were used so it could stay up longer. I'll post pictures soon.

Round Top 2011 #2

This is one of the camera's I didn't buy. I now glad I didn't too because Brett had some that he found after I came home and I also found some that were a lot less expensive at Wimberly. (A monthly flea market they have the first Saturday of every month in Wimberly. I don't have any pictures but it was very fun.)
An industrial table I bought to use as my husband's desk. (I took this picture on my phone so it isn't great.)
A large camera I did buy. I will use these as display pieces on top of the book cases, I think. My husband does photography.
And two of these bookcases are coming home too. The shelves are recycled 100 year old oak. I also bought one of those antique glass candy jars, some small gears, some locker baskets (1 old and 3 reproductions from Pottery Barn outlet), an old tray used for collecting maple sap in the 1800's (I want to use it as a magnet board), some more piano player music rolls (too inexpensive to pass up), a big printers block with the #6, a pillow made out of an old bus sign (think subway sign), and a few other odds and ends. Candice and I had lots of fun. The hard part is trying to check everything out before buying. We are always afraid we will buy something and then find something we like better or less expense somewhere down the line.

I went prepared with inspiration pictures, a diagram of room layout and room measurements, my tape measure in hand, and then tried to stay open to possibilities and stay within my budget. We took pictures and emailed them back to my husband getting his input as well.

I want to take out the chair rail, paint the room, change the lighting and window treatments, and maybe take up the carpet and put in hardwood floor to match the rest of our house. I'm not sure that is in the budget but would hate to get the room all done and the bookcases filled and arranged and then decide to redo the floors. I want to do some kind of unusual treatment on a focal wall. I have a list of possibilities. Since this room is our old dining room just off my living room space, I will probably repaint that room too. I like change.

Round Top 2011

Isn't the quilting in this quilt amazing? I just had to get permission to take pictures. One of these days I'm going to make something similar. I doubt if I can get my stitches as perfect but I can make a quilt with lots of quilting. (It just might take my whole lifetime to finish.) It was $800. I wish I would have been able to buy it but it wasn't in my budget.
I'm still drooling.

I did go to Marburger and Round Top with Candice again this year. I was looking for industrial furniture for my husband's home office. I think I bought some pieces that will work well. A Restoration Hardware feel without the price. We have lots to do to prepare the room before the furniture arrives. Woody, the shipper, promised to have it here, along with my bookcase from 6 months ago, before Mother's day. I have my fingers crossed.

In the meantime, my life has been out of control. As soon as I got back, I tried to catch up at my job, get my house ready for company, unpack, do laundry, make beds, etc. My parents hit town soon after my arrival, and Marissa was already here with her family from Canada. They have been staying at Mike's parents house until last night. Now it is our turn. Yeah! They have been in and out all week though. We had a birthday party for Campbell with 10 little ones and parents. It was wild. It's so much work but so much fun to have everyone together. (Except for Candice's family in Texas. We are missing you guys.)

Steph and family have purchased a house about a mile from us. We are keeping our fingers crossed that they will be able to work out all the details and close soon. Larry starts work here the end of May. It will be nice to not have to drive an hour to see them. It's exciting really.

I'm not keeping up with life but am having lots of fun. How about all of you? How do you do it all?