Thankful

The older I get, the easier it seems like it would be to just skip over this Thanksgiving time of year and move right into Christmas.  I love Christmas!  And every year, the time left until Christmas seems to get shorter and shorter.

But, then I see a thankful display like this, and I am once again so glad we have Thanksgiving - especially right before Christmas! 

What a perfect time of year to remember all that we have been blessed with!

I decided to have a go at a thankful banner like this one I saw on Pinterest.

It turned out to be pretty easy!  We cut 8" x 4" pieces out of burlap, folded them in half and cut an inch high triangle notch out of the bottom, then zigzaged the edges.

And I ended up just sewing the flags to the ribbon so they wouldn't slide around - they're about 1/2" apart.

After that, we just cut out "thankful" on a cricut using glitter paper - "anu" were 2.5" tall and "thkfl" were 3.5" tall.

I glued them to the flags using a no sew fabric glue, but at our Super Saturday (craft day for tons of women) we realized that hot glue was just as effective and dried a lot faster! 

And I'm just loving the way it looks on my mantle this year!  What a great reminder it is every day.

After all,

This is the perfect time of year to focus on what we've been given, and all that we have.  As we move into Christmas, which can often be all about the things we want, it's nice to have a reminder of what really makes us happy in life.

Be Thankful!

Light Living Room

This time of year, I'm always in the mood for something light.

Maybe it's the winter colors outside getting to me.

Maybe it's the need for something clean looking after all the holidays.

Maybe it's the dream of Spring.

 

Whatever it is, these light colored living rooms are just what I want right now.

Joy

Rarely do I want to keep an order from my {Little Craft Shoppe} for myself instead of sending it to the customer. 

That was not the case this time.

I am completely in love with these letters.  With the color - her idea, not mine - with the pattern, with the message.

Aren't they just so pretty!?  I hope the recipient of this gift loves them as much as I do.

Don't they just complete my Christmas mantle?  I may have to make a few of these for myself!!

 

Joy to You

Nautical

I just love this style this time of year.  Love the subtle nautical hints on this table.  Cute idea to put rope in vases. 

My favorite style of home.  American as it gets.  I love this beachy look. 

Love the navy stripes all over anything right now.  It makes an especially cute bathroom, though.  Love that starfish hangin out, too.  Fun idea for a towel rack: a ladder. 

Love the framed sun dials.  Simple and yet so stylish. 

Sea shells make such good shelf fillers. 

I really love the use of lanterns on this wall.  Also the beach sign.  That combined with all the baskets and urns is just terrific!  Especially the basket full of straw hats down there. 

This might be the exact same bathroom at a different angle.  I love the starfish on the walls!  I even like the wall paneling in this room.  I guess this is a great decorating scheme for a room with paneling.  If you don't like the color you can always paint it white and get an instant beachy feel. 

Love the huge rope hangin out up there.

Happy Spring!

Button Monogram

I LOVE THIS! 

 It's so cute!  Great thing is, you can buy one at {Letter Perfect Designs}

So many different applications are popping into my head right now.

Ceiling Medallion Wall Art

Isn't this a pretty piece of wall art?  Can you tell what it is?  A ceiling medallion!  Pretty huh?  I think it would look really cool with a mirror in the middle, too.  Check out {Sand & Sisal} for more info.

Deck the Halls

Here are some fun ways to deck out your entire home for Christmas.

Love this pretty garland running up the stairs!

But I think I love the wreaths hanging from these stairs even more!  It's adorable!  I also love how they added a garland to a really remote area of the home - it almost looks like a back entry - but it deserves to look like Christmas, too, right?

Look close at the pictures above the bed.  There is mistletoe hanging from them!  Pictures above a bed are a really cute idea, and the mistletoe is adorable for Christmas time.

Love the garlands on the windows in this room, and the presents on the shelf.

My favorite evergreen is definitely a boxwood.  I LOVE them!  The leaves are just so much prettier than needles, in my opinion.  And this wreath hanging by the kitchen sink is perfect.  I want a wreath hanging in front of my sink!  The ornaments are adorable as well.  What a great idea!

Merry Christmas!

Sitting Rooms

Here's a collection of sitting rooms I've gathered over the years.  I use them to give me decorating inspiration from time to time.

I love the window treatments in this room.  I love Roman shades so much better than miniblinds.  And I love this relaxed style of Roman shade.  Also loving that huge vase full of lilys.

This room just seems amazingly calming to me.  It must be all the white.  I love how simple everything is.

Love this room!  Those twin chases are adorable!  What a great place to cuddle up and read a book!  I imagine that they face a wall full of windows with a beautiful view.  I also love that art on the wall!  It almost looks like fabric with embellishments on it.  Loving the ruffle pillows as well.

The French pieces in this room are really sweet to me.  I love how cushy those couches seem!  Also loving the many flower arrangements.  I really like how this room feels really comfortable and cozy, but has that touch of sparkle and glamour to dress things up a bit.

Obviously, I love the chandelier!  And that mirror is stunning, right?

Another super cozy sitting room.  I love the touches of antiques in here.  And I also love the window treatments.  The flower arrangements on the coffee table are pretty, too.

Very symmetrical - but I love how that birdcage is off center.  It gives the room some interest.  Loving the calming colors in this space as well.

I especially love what they've filled the fireplace with.  What a great idea when it's not in use!  Other than that, everything in this room just seems really comfortable - the pillows, the throws...love it.

I kinda just love this room because it's so girly!  What a pretty parlor!  I'm especially loving that tufted ottoman and the tray sitting on it is adorable!  Love those flowers!

Pretty little sunroom, eh?  I love how it's so tropical feeling.  Love the furniture, and the shutter window coverings.  All the plants are a great touch too.

Love the mirror in this one!!!  Seriously, love it~  Those candlesticks are gorgeous as well.  Also, the cream color scheme is great in this room as well.  I love the use of different patterns in the accessories.  They all tie together really well without being matchy.

I mostly love this room because of the way they decorated those shelves.  Turning those books around so the pages are all you see makes things a lot more uniform, I think.  I love the way they look!  I also love the accessories they threw into those shelves.

Another view of the same room...  Loving the cream colors.  Looks so inviting!

I really love the pale blues and greens in this room.  Very calming.  I also think that pillow ladder in the back corner is adorable!  Lovc the coffee table.   It's very unique.  And I love what they've put on it.  The lantern, the flower arrangement...

This is probably a nursery, but I think it would work anywhere.  And I also think it's a great idea to have baskets like that in rooms throughout the house to put toys in, because they inevitably end up throughout the house.  LOVE what they've done with the window treatments in here!  I think the knots are adorable!  What a great bay window!  Perfect little sitting area.

This room just reminds me of a beach house.  Loving the whitewashed paneled walls.  I also really like the flower arrangements in here.  And the furniture is just really great.

This Room Is Beautiful!!  I love it!  I love that it opens up to a patio - with not one, but two sets of french doors!  I love that the flooring is tile.  I love the beamed ceiling.  I love all the natural light in here!  And I love the furniture.  Those window treatments are great - casual and nice at the same time.  It just seems so inviting.

I am in love with the window treatments in this room as well!!  There are so many things you can do besides put blinds in windows!!  Sheers and curtains are my favorite.  Cute lamp, too.  It's filled with seashells.  Love the dark wood flooring.

And there you have it: My current sitting room inspiration.