Items From the Garden Make Nice Indoor Displays

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I like to bring garden items inside to enjoy. That way, no matter what the temps are like outside, you can enjoy the garden feeling all year round! I’ve paired up a vintage watering can ($1 at yard sale), a cast iron bunny ($4), and some clay pots (a few cents each at the end of the year sale in the garden centers!)

What do you have in the garden that you could bring inside to add some “life” to your winter decor? Plants, clay pots, watering cans, benches, bird bath, fountain, topiary, or grapevine wreaths are all good examples of things that you could bring in.

A simple decorating idea that goes a long way is…

Take one of your clay pots where the flowers have finished blooming & the plant is gone. Remove the spent stems, add a nice piece of moss from the woods to the top of the pot. You can display several of these (could choose different sizes if you wish) along a window sill or down the center of the table just as they are, or you could add different things to jazz them up a little. Here are a few examples of some things that you could add on top of the moss; a piece of fruit, a candle, ribbon, pine cone, acorn, small twig with lots of branches to hang things on, a single rosebud, a small vegetable, etc.

Just a few ideas for no cost seasonal decorating – my favorite kind 🙂

Sitting Area With Grapevine Garland

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I Love this sitting area in the dining room – lots of light & big windows! When trying to decide what to do about the window coverings, I decided to leave them open. At the end of the season, I went outside & gathered some vines from the cottage garden. Then, I simply took some small gage wire & hung the garland up on some small nails that were placed every few feet near the ceiling. You can see the little white birds that I added. They clip on & add a nice natural feel. During the Christmas season, I hang our Christmas cards along the garland using an opened paperclip place in a hole in the corner of each card.

Here’s a picture of one of the birds close up, although this one is on the primitive Christmas tree on the side of the room.
It’s so easy to add a natural feel to a room. Here, I’ve used a harvest basket, plants, vintage watering can, clay pots, birds, and a cast iron bunny.

Black wrought Iron Curtain Rods – Cheap!

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Run – do not walk – to your nearest “Big Lots”! I found these Levolor rods for only $7.95! They are black wrought iron with a very nice weight to them. A very nice change to the ordinary plastic rods that you see at most places! Because we need to hang curtains on all of the windows in our home, I know how costly curtain rods can be! I was so happy to find these, as they are cheaper than the smallest rods at the nearest “big mart”! I took the picture with the rod ends in front of a darker fabric (the front of my organizer) so that you could see how beautiful they are close up.

Here is what they look like in the package.



I am getting ready to make new curtains to hang on these lovely rods & I will post the progress of those very soon!

Home Decor – Vintage, Shabby Chic, Primitive Wall Hanging

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Home Decor – Vintage, Shabby Chic, Primitive Wall Hanging

I really enjoy this new wall hanging, and although I use it with my cottage style, it could also be used in primitive, shabby chic, or country home decor. I especially love the black iron hanger, as well as the vintage crackle finish of the swan.

Recently, while visiting one of my favorite shops, I picked up this piece for a very nice “sale” price 🙂 Needless to say, it was my find of the day!

Not only do I really enjoy the color and the lines just the way it is, but, should you decide to find (or make) something like this it could be used in many different ways.

I’ve chosen to hang this piece right up against a wall in my family room, because I like the way the deep reds of the wallpaper in the background make the black & off white vintage crackle finish really stand out. In your home, you could use this type of piece in many different ways.

– In the opening of a doorway
– On the side of a cabinet
– In the top of a hallway
– At your front door
– On your mailbox

If you look closely at the picture, you can see that the swan is connected by a chain & hooks. You could have several different pieces to hang from these hooks. A few ideas could be; snowman, scarecrow, Christmas tree, flag, flower, etc. You could have something different for every season, or something as simple as your favorite sign text.

Here are a few examples;

– Home is Where the Heart is
– It’s a wonderful Life
– Welcome
– Believe
– Merry Christmas
– Laundry
– Always Kiss me Goodnight
– Come Gather at our Table

Cactus – Pink Flowers of the Thanksgiving Cactus

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cactus - pink flowers

Pink Flowers to brighten your day!

When all the leaves have fallen, and you know that snow is around the corner, there’s nothing better than beautiful blooms to give you a quick pick-me-up!

I have several different cactus (or cacti) around my home, and even though most of the year they just sit there with their normal looking green leaves, there are those special times when they put on their best & give us a spectacular show that lasts for several weeks!

Here is a picture of one of the flowers from a Thanksgiving cactus that sits on my kitchen window sill.

It still amazes me to know that these little “plain jane” house plants have this big beautiful show inside – just waiting to burst forth at just the right time 🙂

This reminds me of many people that I know. So many are full of so much potential, but need the right conditions before they can release the best that’s still waiting on the inside to come out. This plant will only bloom under particular conditions;
* Sunshine – I think this represents the joy in your life, are you lacking this essential element? When was the last time that you felt joy – just by the fact that you have been given another day to live?
* Water – Water represents life – refreshment for our soul
* Food – Just the right kind & not to much or the plant will die – what are you feeding yourself? What are you allowing to “fill” your time, thoughts, and energy?

Maybe today you could take moment to evaluate what you allow to fill your life, maybe you need some different conditions, so that you can burst forth into beauty, not only for yourself, but for all of those around you to enjoy!


I have 3 different colors of Thanksgiving cactus sitting on my window sill. Here you can see the pink flowers, as well as the yellow flowers of the cactus.

Pottery Barn Candle Display

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Pottery Barn had a great sale recently, and I picked up several of these beautiful glass jars. Hopefully you can see how “vintage” they look – with the thick bubbled glass. When I saw the jars, I knew I’d find lots of great uses for them! Here is my first use 🙂

This is a seasonal display that I put together on our harvest table. (I love the table! Even though it’s brand new, it looks like a vintage piece taken right from the family farm!)

The pumpkins were .50 cents, the candle is from “W-Mart” – they have several nice scents & colors for $5.50 & they are huge 4 wick candles! The glass jars, as I already mentioned, are from Pottery Barn. They were on sale for $7. I also added some rose hips & orange peel fixins.

We so enjoy the sight & scents from this display as we enjoy our family dinners!

Fall displays don’t have to be expensive! Check your local Pottery Barn for sales they may be having!