Opulent Cottage

Bunnies in the Kitchen

Happy Easter week! I did a little more Easter tweaking to our spring vignettes, to share with you all today. Of course I had to decorate my favorite shelf display in the kitchen nook.

Two more ceramic bunnies were adorned with festive bows with yet more of the thrifted ribbon. Honestly, I have used this in every room this Easter and still haven't even made a dent in the 50 yards!

 

Here again this year are the famed bunnies on a stick, from Pier One a few years back. (They still have them available! They are already on clearance on the web site for $2.21.) I plunked these into two white teapots that seem to have been used for everything but tea, lol.

This plate stand is usually filled with fruit for us to nibble on. I need to get to the store!

I grew some of the wheat grass in egg shells just so I could use the adorable chick egg cups in this display. And guess who found them the first day? This girl must have been craving her greens.

I was across the house and heard a loud thud, and ran in just in time to see my sweet egg cup rolling across the floor. I still can't believe it didn't break. The egg, however, was smashed to smithereens. The root ball must have been holding it together, so I just stuffed it back into the egg cup! 

Our forecast is for strong storms and damaging hail over the next 24 hours, so I ran outside to snap some photos of what's blooming today. Hope they make it through the storm!

Our climber has hundreds more buds, ready to burst forth, and look at it already! The 6 inches of rain that we had in March really made this one happy rose bush.

I babied these gerber daisies last winter and brought them inside during our few freezing nights. And they are rewarding us now! I think I'll bring them in tonight too, to save them from being pummeled. 

 

I have waited for three years for our snapdragons to look like this! I'm guessing that the mild winter we had really helped these along.

Have a wonderful Easter week everyone! I am hoping to be back later this week to share our Easter table. Thank you for coming by!

Today I'm joining

Marty's Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Nita's Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life

Kim's Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

 

Easter Mantel, and a Little Break

Hi everyone! Where did the last two weeks go? It sounds like almost everyone in the country is enjoying beautiful spring weather right now. We have spent a good amount of time outside lately, except for a few days of storms. Everyone in Texas is celebrating the 4 and 5 inches of rain that we all received, that's for sure. It's a little mushy in our yard right now, but it's a small price to pay when so many are getting relief from the devastating drought we have been in.

So on to the Easter mantel! We're keeping it simple here this year, and I have also discovered that I don't really have all that many Easter decorations since we moved on the from the "little kid" holiday decor. Plus there's really no time for shopping right now, and after writing a couple of really big checks lately for college - gaaahhhhhh - it's a shop the house kind of Easter this year. 

 

But really, what could ever be more perfect for Easter than the classic Bordallo cabbage plates? I never tire of these.

 

 

A couple of ceramic bunzers, Big Lots circa 2007 or so, 

 

 

some wheat grass in tiny pots,

 

 

and some ribbon from my stash, mixed together for some pretty spring brightness. Thrifted too, I might add! A 50 yard spool of that pretty plaid for $2. Yes, the red candleholders are still red. I figured that it will be Christmas before we know it, so I'll put painting these on the to-do list for 2013 :) Fixing up that tattered mantel is, too. 

 

 

And OK now, don't laugh. But we're already working on decorations for senior prom, and they're already taking over the house, so I'm using some of them in my spring decor.  

The second I saw Debbie's painted tin cans, the "free decorations!" light bulb came on, and I pinned these as an idea for our table centerpieces. Add $3 worth of Dollar Tree florals and some branches from the back yard, and voila, decor! 

I'm just hoping that we can consume enough cans of plum tomatoes between now and May 5th to decorate every table. 

 

In the coming months, my appearance here on the blog may be a little scarce. We're coming up on the last two months of high school with our daughter, and I really want to devote every moment to fully enjoying her activities. I know that once it's over, it's really over, and then we will be enjoying life as empty nesters! We are so happy that Abby will be moving on to college life at the University of Texas, and glad that it's only 3-1/2 hours away. Maurie has clients in Austin that he needs to call on occasionally, so she may be seeing more of us than she really wants to :)

 

Although I plan on cutting back on blogging time, I do have a couple more Easter posts that I'm working on to share with you all before the holiday. I'm also working on writing Part Two of the Slipcover Tutorial, and hope to have that up for you all this week. I promise to still pop in on you all whenever possible, too! 

 

Today I'm joining 

Marty's Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life 

Linda's Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Kim's Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Newbie Reunion Party at Debbiedoos

Spring and Easter Tablescapes, Revisited

I haven't pulled together my Easter tablescape elements yet this year. I don't even really have the theme quite in mind yet, other than Yellow. Yellow hasn't been done here for Easter, and it sounds so refreshing and bright!

Please come with me and revisit some tablescapes done in past years here at Opulent Cottage. We'll start with an Outdoor Easter Table. This was the first year I had acquired my parents' Metlox Pink Lady wedding china, set with silver, shabby candlesticks, and some sweet pink striped napkins.

 

 

I still swoon over these pretty coffee cups.

One of my readers' favorite tables was this pretty romantic lunch table, using the black and white toile plates from Tabletops Unlimited. The original post is found here.  

 
 

 These plates are no longer available anywhere that I have found, but they do pop up on Ebay every now and then. Just in case you're looking :)

 

This grocery-store purchased Churchill and sweet pink roses would be lovely for a spring or Easter luncheon. This tablescape was inspired by the beautiful book Tabletops. (Original post here)

 

It's hard to conjure anything prettier than a teapot and pink roses.

And always perfect for any spring gathering, the classic Bordallo cabbage plates are such a lovely compliment to yellow roses and ivy. Original post here.

 

This could be recreated with the painted pears from yesterday's post!

 

Thank you for coming by to see my past tablescapes! I may share a few more next week, also, and am hopeful that I will have our Easter table to show. Today I'm joining:

Debbie's Springtacular Tablescapes at Refresh Restyle

Susan's Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch

Shirley's Tablescape Party at Housepitality Designs

Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Courtney's Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Cindy's Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

Judy's Swing Into Spring at DIY Be Design

Valentine Touches

Valentine's Day is always extra-special for us, as it's also our wedding anniversary. But this one marks a milestone -- 25 years! With our busy lives right now it doesn't really make sense for us to get away, so we're spending the holiday together as a family. I'm looking at it as a sort of four day weekend, with some fun outings, all of our favorite recipes, and plenty of treats. 

 

In the kitchen nook I set a simple table for us to enjoy the next few days. As a base I started with this floral tablecloth, which is actually a thrifted Pottery Barn sheet! 

I added some pretty roses in a tea pot,

A few candles for an evening glow,

and some dessert dishes, awaiting one of the many treats I hope to make for my family.

Some red berries, gingham ribbon, and a sweet ceramic heart decorate a simple twig wreath over our living room mirror. I bought two more of the dollar store kalanchoes, and I think I'll paint up these clay pots with something Valentine-ey. Wouldn't red and white checks be cute?

I'm so ready to start baking some yummy treats and desserts! What are you doing for Valentine's Day?

Joining

Diann's Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove

Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Courtney's Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Sherry's Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home

Honey's Potpourri Friday at 2805

Farmhouse Friday at Laurie Anna's

Cindy's Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Laurie's Valentine Party at Bargain Hunting with Laurie

Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

Tisha's Show and Tell Party at Delectable Home

Susan's Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Nita's Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life

Valentine Party at Dear Lillie

 

Valentine's Day Heart Shaped Rag Wreath

Do you all get the Lowe's Creative Ideas flyer? I signed up for it a while back, and have really enjoyed some of the projects that have been featured. (You can sign up for it here.) The project that caught my eye this month was a Valentine heart ornament, made from shop towels. I had never heard of shop towels, but I bet you can guess what color they are!

 

So I'm at the dollar store the other day, in the candle aisle, which happens to be across from the automotive supplies, and what do I see? Yep, shop towels! I immediately loved the linen-ey, burlap-like texture, and the deep, rich red color.

 

 

Brought a couple of packs home, and decided that I would use mine to create a simple rag wreath. Using pliers, I bent a wire hanger into a heart shape, and cut off the hook. I cut the rags in 1 inch strips, then in half lengthwise. It took only 2 packs of 4 towels each to cover the form completely, and I was done in less than one hour. I really packed the strips in there tightly, also.

 

 

Gotta love those $2 projects! The frayed edges give it a homespun and vintage appeal, which I adore. I tied on two pieces of gingham ribbon, and hung it in our entryway. I think I'll head back for a few more packs of towels, and whip out a couple more wreaths while we watch the game tonight. These would make a sweet gift for favorite friends for Valentine's Day, don't you think?

 

Thanks for coming by to see my wreath! I'm joining

Tisha's Show and Tell Monday at Delectable Home

Nita's Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life

Susan's Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Sarah's Before and After Monday at Thrifty Decor Chick

Linda's Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Kristin's Tuesday Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Mary's Share the Love at Very Merry Vintage Style

Kim's Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Judy's Winter Blues Wednesday at DIY By Design

Paula and Patti's What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants

Donna's Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors

Valentine Party at Dear Lillie

 

Festive New Year's Tablescape

One of my most viewed blog posts is from New Year's 2009, when we hosted a few of Abby's friends for a seated dinner the week before the holiday. I thought I would repost a few photos here today, in the hopes of inspiring a few of you for your NYE holiday table!

 

We had such fun setting this festive table, which was inspired by these zebra plates that my contemporary teen just adored. They were simply placed over the classic Gibson white dinner plates, and flanked with some pretty lucite flatware.

It was so easy to just gather a few sparkly items from around the house to embellish our tablescape. Mercury glass candlesticks, vintage punch cups, and Mardi Gras beads made our table fun, glimmery and festive.

I was in black, glass and silver mode, but Abby wanted to infuse a little color. She picked up some Dollar Tree holiday ornaments and glass drops in a pretty turquoise color to add punch to our theme. 

Oversized glittered snowflakes were perfectly glamourous place mats. 

Mixed and matched glassware is always a favorite of ours. The girls enjoyed having a special homemade and teen-friendly punch in these vintage style champagne glasses. 

 

We're getting ready for the big countdown this year, too! The teens are excited for the clock to strike 2012, their graduating year. I'll be posting some more fun New Year's ideas this week, as well as yummy festive eats. Thanks for coming by to see our tablescape!

 

I'm joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday, Aimee's Overflowing With Creativity, and Nita's Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life.

A Little More Holiday Decor

As if every tabletop here isn't full enough, now I have moved on to the walls. I mean, we only have less than 1,200 square feet here, and this stuff has gotta go somewhere :)

 

 

My skates came in! Finally, after some kind of shipping snafu. These new/old/maybe vintage skates are the only thing that I bought this holiday season, well, other than the lanterns that I used a gift card for. I have coveted some of these forever, and the $14 price tag was too irresistible to pass up. 

 

This chippy window frame has been all over the place. I think I found it in a big trash heap, dragged it home, then to my antique booth, where it never sold, then to the attic for awhile, then to almost every room in our house. I almost made it into a screen for our fireplace. But I like it here, on the wall in our living room, the most. 

 

And remember the vintage screen grate that I used as wall decor? It was given a simple adornment of some found berries and leftover pine cones. I like to think that in its heyday, when it was on the front door of the old farmhouse, it proudly held a wreath then, too. Makes me wonder how everyone in our neighborhood decorated back in the 20s.

Thanks for looking at more of our holiday decor! I promise I'm almost done. And then, it's on to New Year's Eve!! This is a special one for us, the year for our graduate. We will have a houseful of teens, so I'll be showing lots of glittery decor and some really yummy treats.

I'm joining Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday, Cindy for Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home and Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper..

Christmas in the Foyer

The very tiniest room in our home is our itty-bitty foyer. At just 5 feet by 7 feet, I'm not sure that it can really even be called a room. But foyers are rare in these small 1920s homes, and we are lucky to have it at all. It's a sweet little place to decorate and create a welcoming spot for all who enter. 

This vintage crewel piece was a thrifting find years and years ago. I have been saving it in our attic all this time, waiting for our someday farm house to become a reality. 

 But really, when it tugged at my heart every time I saw it, why would I do that? So down it came, and now is the centerpiece of my holiday decorating in this tiny room. I topped it off with some Christmas tree trimmings, and now it just says holiday to me.

 I love to do this every Christmas -- collect the red and plaid clothing items we own and have them cheer up the coat rack. (It's actually just four wrought iron hooks placed right into the window moulding.) I unearthed this wicker trunk from the garage. It's badly in need of a fresh coat of paint! But still, it's a convenient place to pile extra blankets and a small spot to sit and pull boots off when we first come in the door.

 

 

A (formerly hot pink) letter holder became a display for some lovely vintage sheet music. A scrap of burlap and more pine trimmings became the perfect bed for another sheet music roll.

 

 

Our old chippy-peely shutters, with some transferware and vintage tole trays. I covered the lampshades with scraps of Country Life toile and finished the edges with some cheerful pom trim.

 

 

Is anyone else still decorating? Believe it or not, we just got our tree up yesterday! We are all moving at a much slower pace this year, but doing what matters most -- enjoying the season and spending time with friends and family. I hope you all are doing the same, enjoying your holiday season.

Love, Andrea

Today I'm joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday. Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday, Sherry at No Minimalist Here for Open House Party, Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground, Inspiration Friday at Heather and Vanessa's At the Picket Fence, Sherry's Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home, Potpourri Friday at Honey's 2805, Show and Tell Friday at Cindy's My Romantic Home.

Handmade Vintage Santa Plates

I have been having so much fun making handmade gifts for friends and family members this year. Remember the decoupage plates that I did for my friend Jamie at The Dallas Morning News? You can find the article here, and I posted about the plates here. I have a done a few more versions of them, for unique and special one-of-a-kind gifts.

These beautiful Santa images from The Graphics Fairy were a perfect fit for a family member who has a vast collection of vintage Santas. I'm pretty sure she doesn't have any vintage Santa plates! After applying the image with Mod Podge to the back of a clear glass plate, I backed them with some vintage sheet music, then decoupaged the plate rim with some plaid gift wrap.

Also, I'm really honored to have my Pottery Barn copycat vase featured by Beckie at KnockOffDecor.com. You can see the post here. Kim was featured too, stop by and see her!

I'm joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Karen at The Graphics Fairy for Brag Monday, and Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday. Have a good week everyone, and if you can't find the perfect gift, I hope you're inspired to make something!

xo, Andrea

Holiday Rain Boots

I know the copycat party is long over. But really, with so many great ideas bobbing around in blogland, it's hard to stop!

I had to copycat once more, with Kim's copycat from Ballard. But I didn't have riding boots that could be left outside, so I went with some well-loved rain boots. In this tiny house, it helps to have things do double-duty anyway!

This may be one of my favorite holiday decorations ever. But these vintage quilt pillows are really running a close second! I've had this cutter quilt for a while, and these pieces appealed to the homespun type of Christmas mood I have been in. 

It's raining now though, so our front patio photos will have to wait. Good thing the rain boots are waterproof :)

See y'all soon! I'm joining Kim today for Wow Us Wednesday, Claudia's Defending the Small House at Mockingbird Hill Cottage, Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground, Inspiration Friday at Vanessa and Heather's At The Picket Fence, Courtney's Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage, Cindy's Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home, Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper, and Nita's Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life.