Monday, November 30, 2009

White Flower Farmhouse Christmas Decor - Part 2



When the weather started to get cold, I thought I better bring my ferns inside. I put one in the fireplace. I love how its leaves simulate "fresh flames"!



I stuck the spiky picks Lori and Megan sent us into it, to add a little razzle dazzle...




Do you like my rolling mop bucket planter? :-) I told you I was a sucker for all things galvanized!

I used the small, glitter-filled glass apothecary bottle they sent inside one of the shelves on our entertainment unit...



I like how the color of the glitter speaks to the color of the lid on the jar next to it. And it does a nice little job of bridging the gap between the big, pebble-filled jar on the right, and the mirrored frame on the left...



I never got around to buying candles for the chunky white candle holders I picked up for $5.00 on the Endless Yard Sale. So I decided to use the bell-shaped ornaments Megan and Lori sent us, along with some of my own Christmas ornaments, on and around them instead...



Do you see the green and gold, glass platter propped up behind the candle holders? I got that the other day for $2.80! It was originally marked $27.99, but thanks to a "90% Off All Fall Items" sale at Hobby Lobby, it's now acting as a lovely backdrop for our green-accented, wire bells.

I nestled the little bird they sent us into some faux snow we picked up while we were at Hobby Lobby...



I love the layer of softness it adds around all of the other contrasting textures. And seeing a bit of "snow" up there reminds me of being a kid in "Minne-snow-ta".

The tiny sunburst ornaments I stuck on top of each giant pine cone also came from Hobby Lobby...





I thought they were the perfect mini counterparts to our big, silver sunburst mirror.

It's been so fun sprinkling our space with seasonal sparkle.
I hope you're having fun decking your halls too! Even if it is just a little faux snow here and a few old ornaments there. Even the smallest actions have magic, grace and power in them!

Layla


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Sunday, November 29, 2009

White Flower Farmhouse Christmas Decor



We hadn't planned on doing much decorating this Christmas because we'll be gone for a large portion of the month. We're leaving this week to head to Virginia Beach, and then we're looking forward to spending a few days in North Carolina with our nephew, Gavin, on the way back home. But thanks to a gift box full of goodies from Lori and Megan of White Flower Farmhouse, and a few other items we had packed away in our attic, we got to decorate our mantle just in the (saint) nick of time! :-)



Warning: The White Flower Farmhouse items in the images you are about to see will make your heart skip several beats and are guaranteed to thrill you to the edge of your seat. Hang on!



If you haven't visited WhiteFlowerFarmhouse.com, I'm about to turn you on to one of the most amazing stores on the planet. I'm not even slightly kidding. From the minute I stumbled upon their website last year, I was hooked. Sometimes, I foolishly attempt to visit their site simply for inspiration, but that proves to be completely impossible every time. They've always listed something new (which is usually actually very, very old) that I just have to have.

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The day we found their package sitting on our front porch we couldn't get it into the house fast enough!
Megan and Lori's attention to detail is incredible. Each item they sent us was individually wrapped in brown kraft paper, secured by soft, basil green-colored ribbons. Here is the first bunch of items we excitedly discovered...



Of course I couldn't resist taking lots of pretty photos of all this great stuff within minutes of unwrapping them...

8 oz candle: $16
2 oz candle: $4


German bird candy container: $5


Large French wire bell: $15
Small French wire bell: $12


Apothecary jar: $15
Glitter: $4




Christmas picks: $3 each


The contents of the next few packages we unwrapped resulted in excessive cheering and a two minute happy dance around our coffee table. Max was terrified by our sudden burst of excitement, and immediately escaped underneath a blanket bundled up on the couch. :-)

The packages contained three of the most beautiful stockings we had ever seen.
I love how the little brass touches and bark-colored rope pair perfectly with the vintage Army fabric on Kevin's stocking...



Brass letter stockings: $35 each


The nubby texture of the wool stocking seems like the perfect choice for our cat, "Bean". And the way the shiny silver bells contrast with the old brass letters on the stockings on either side of it makes me giddy! :-)



Wool stocking with bells: $20


The bottom part of my stocking is made of a heavy-weight, cream-colored fabric, and the cuff is a very light, soft pistachio-green color. The tiny pearl-esque Christmas ornament is the perfect finishing touch.





We got Max's stocking from Pottery Barn last year for $4.99. I was ecstatic to discover that its green ticking stripes, and coordinating velvet, blended perfectly with the stockings Megan and Lori sent us...



Behind the stockings, we draped a single strand of apple green, bead garland that was also enclosed in our package from White Flower Farmhouse...

Bead garland: $8


Each "bead" is actually hollow, and they are very delicate (like teeny-tiny ornaments) so we simply hung it up using clear shipping tape because it's so light-weight.



And speaking of tiny ornaments, we were also delighted to find a small box of vintage, German Christmas ornaments nestled inside the box they sent as well. I piled them up in a bowl on top of our mantle...

German glitter ornaments: $6


The bowl was left to us by The Nest crew when they came to shoot our house. It's from Anthropolgie in case you're as in love with it as I am! :-) I used some leftover reindeer moss I had from another project inside the bowl, to act as a soft and fresh backdrop to the crunchy surface of the antique brass-colored, glitter-covered ornaments.

The giant pinecones, and the urns they sit in, were the perfect "endcaps" to our extra-wide mantle...

Pair of urns: $36
Jumbo pine cones: $5 each


I topped them off with a couple of sparkly, gold, mini tree toppers I got at Hobby Lobby.

I have more photos to post, but that's all I have time to blog about today- so this post will have to be continued tomorrow.
:-)

'Til then, happy decorating!

Layla

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Our Merry Mantle

After a supper of delicious Thanksgiving leftovers, and a warm nights rest thanks to three layers of blankets and the living heating pad I call "Max", I woke up anxious to add some Christmas cheer to our mantle this morning...



I paired some things we already had, with some pretty pieces the ladies at White Flower Farmhouse sent us. My goal was to create a merry medley of earthy colors and textures, punctuated by sparkly silvers and glittery golds.



I'm excited to blog about all the individual bits and pieces over the next few days.
I'm also looking forward to sharing a few other holiday decorating ideas I used in other areas of our living room too. I really had to get creative this year, but that's okay- I love thinking outside the box! Or should I say outside the "giftbox"? :-)

Happy Holidays!

Layla

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Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Guest Bathroom Reno - Day 25



Yesterday morning we woke up bright and early, jumped in our car, and headed north on I-85 towards Atlanta. It's exactly three hours from our front door to Ikea's front door, and we enjoy making a couple of trips there each year for various things we want/need for our house. This time, however, we actually went to shop for a client- but that didn't stop us from taking advantage of our time there to look for a couple of things for our guest bathroom. :-)
We had an absolute ball strolling around the giant store. It's such an inspiring place!

Here is some footage Kevin put together to document our trip and to show the low-dough/high-impact items we brought home to use in our guest bathroom...



So...it doesn't look like we'll be finished with the bathroom by the 30th, but we're excited about the new additions and look forward to finishing sometime in December.
What's one more month, right? :-)

Happy Thanksgiving y'all!

Layla

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"It's not just like going into a store with aisles of just bowls and flowers and stuff"

- Kevin, on why he prefers shopping at Ikea over most other home stores


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This post brought to you by...


The Paper Cafe Giveaway Winner



Congratulations to Megan of Megity's Handmade!



You're the winner of the custom stamp from The Paper Cafe!

Hope you don't mind Megan, but I had to post some photos of your DELICIOUS creations in this post...







Aren't they fantastic!? :-)
You can get to Megan's blog by clicking on any of the photos, and I highly recommend you pay her a visit. She's one talented lady!

(Megan, drop me a line at LaylaPalmer@aol.com to claim your prize)
:-)

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Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway, and to everyone who ordered custom stampers from The Paper Cafe! (Don't forget- the 15% sale for TLC readers runs through tomorrow!)

We hope you're having a wonderful Wednesday!

Layla

PS...Kevin is editing our latest webisode as I type, so if you're curious about our guest bathroom sink, faucet and light fixture-
visit us tonight for another update!

We took a 3 hour road trip to a certain spectacular home superstore, and the plot of our guest bathroom saga has definitely thickened!
:-)


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

The Paper Cafe Giveaway Reminder


Just a quick post to remind you that Random.org will be choosing a winner for The Paper Cafe custom stamper today at noon (Central Time) so if you haven't already done so, make sure you sign up HERE. And if you're thinking of buying one of Mollie's "Three Designing Women" stampers, take note of the special 15% off discount code she's offering to TLC readers at the bottom of the post. Also, Mollie wanted me to let everyone know that she will also be including a surprise gift with each order.

That Mollie sure is a sweet one!

Layla


PS...More "Behind the Bathroom Door" to come, later today!

Monday, November 23, 2009

Guest Bathroom Reno - Day 23


Dear 75-year-old Kevin,

Today you painted the guest bathroom a color called "Sea Salt"...



Layla likes it because it reminds her of sea glass...



You like it because it makes her smile every time she looks at it.
:-)

Sincerely,

35-year-old Kevin




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Sunday, November 22, 2009

Guest Bathroom Reno - Day 22



"As the Guest Bathroom Turns"

Starring...


Rocky Tile



and...

Ima Basketcase



with appearances by...

Kevin "These Guns Are Awesome" Palmer



and...

Layla "This Tile Looks Good Enough To Eat" Palmer








Even though the farm table is still sitting in our living room...



It won't be long before the checkers are painted on the floor and we can roll that baby back in the room for good! Woo hoo!

Happy Monday y'all!

Kevin and Layla

:-)