Thursday, March 22, 2018

Happy Spring!


Hello, Dear Friends! 
Welcome to spring! 

I know that some of you are still in the grip 
of Old Man Winter, but Spring is 
showing her frilly skirts here 
in western Washington State. 


The wild plum are waking the forests
with their lacy blooms, and the birds are singing 
once again. 

I have been very busy in the gardens, 
as we have had a week of lovely, early spring 
weather, but the temperatures are dropping
once again and we may get a flurry of snow 
by the weekend. 


I've been so busy outside, that I have neglected 
any semblance of Easter decorating 
except for this tiny ceramic basket filled with candy eggs,
 and a few fuzzy chicks. 

The truth is - my Easter decorations are buried in 
my storage unit.  I am not hosting 
an Easter dinner, so we won't mention it again......

*  *
^
(~ )


I did have a very enjoyable shopping expedition 
to Hobby Lobby recently, with my daughter, Heather, 
who's dear husband watched all three babies 
so she could get away for a bit. 


Here she is with her hands full a couple of weeks ago. 
The twins are 2 mos. old now! 


'Big brother' is now 17 mos. 
I spend two afternoons a week helping out
with this little guy. 


We also spent time with this little one - 
my son Gabe's little boy who is almost 3. 

These little ones are the sweet reward 
for putting up with our teenagers. 

*  *
^
0


I meant to buy a few Easter decorations at Hobby Lobby, 
but I spied this wonderful gate,  
which completely blew my budget. 


There was a big sale and it was 50% off, 
which helped in my decision-making :)


I just fell in love with it..........


I put together these little pots 
from faux hyacinth. 



These are terra-cotta pots that I painted with a white 
base-coat and then lightly brushed Annie Sloan 
chalk paint over all (in Duck Egg Blue).  


I found these faux grape hyacinth
 and bags of green moss at my 
local Ben Franklin Crafts store. 

I just tucked the moss firmly around the plants 
to hold them up. 


I was pleased with how they turned out 
and they were so easy. 


I found this lovely urn at Hobby Lobby, too. 
It is very heavy, which I love for stability. 

This was my first visit to Hobby Lobby, as it is 
a 45 min. drive. My daughter did the driving :)
We are expecting a new store to open soon, only 
25 min. away!
One of the drawbacks of living so far off the beaten track......... 


Because the gate was blue, I 'shopped my home'
 for a few more items in this shade. 

I took the vintage laundry basket,
 filled with my garden hydrangeas,
from the armoire in the bedroom.


Greens and blues go so well together.

I am loving white flowers right now. 


 I took the blue, knitted throw from the chair in the bedroom. 


It brings out the colors of the pillow 
that I made last year from some vintage needlework. 


Some sweet soul put a lot of love into 
this pretty crewel-work. 


I made the Irish crochet sachet recently.

The work in progress is a baby sweater. 


The sachet started out as a practice square for 
a blouse, using a vintage pattern, but the hook and the thread
were all wrong and it came out too large. 


So I sewed it to linen and made a sachet with it. 

I filled it with rose/lavender potpourri
that I made a few years ago, 
and have kept sealed in a large glass jar. 

It is still just as viable and smells divine. 

When I need to make more, I will give a tutorial.  



I added a blanket stitch to crochet a shell border around the perimeter
and a large, vintage button.




It smooshes deliciously, releasing the heavenly scent
for anyone who settles into the cushions.


Speaking of settling into the cushions.....
this is Ramblin' Man's spot and I was worried
that he would mind all the flowers,
but he has been gamely 'breaking the cushions in',
as he puts it.

I try not to mention the tortured condition
of them when he is done relaxing. : o



I couldn't resist these sweetly stitched meadow cushions
and the price was very reasonable - almost a steal.
I kept looking at the price to make sure it was right.

Despite the 'breaking in' every evening, they seem to
be holding up just fine.




The room is so tall and narrow with all that rustic woodwork
that Ramblin' Man installed himself.
(After building the whole house :)

I can't seem to have enough flowers to soften it up!

The television and stereo hide in the cabinet.



A few angels are always nice.


I admit that I torment my pillows, too.
xoxo
Comfort is what it is all about.


The vintage leaded glass window has its original
blue frame and perfectly matches the gate.

You can see that my Easter cactus is blooming in the window.



My son gifted me with the vintage seltzer bottle
a few years ago.
The fish compote was my dear Mum's.
The lid opens and there is a little glass spoon.
It's perfect for cocktail sauce.



A French pitcher and vintage books
bring more subtle blue into the room.


The blue 'car-boy' bottle belonged
to my dear Mum.

We have been using the woodstove in the evenings, still,
as you can see by the sprinkling of ashes......


I really do love a little touch of blue.


Just a touch.....
xoxo


Thank you, my dear friends for the kind condolences
on the loss of our little 'grand-pup', Weenie Baby.

xoxo

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak
but their echoes are truly endless."
-Mother Teresa-


Today I am linking with:

Cooking and Crafting with J&J

unnamed

Floral Passions - Floral Bliss




Keep In Touch Tuesday LInk Party


Won't you join the fun?

xoxo

20 comments:

  1. Karen, the gate you bought is so charming. This is a cute picture of Heather and her new babies. She certainly needs a shopping break, and what better place than Hobby Lobby? I love the Urn and white roses. They look so lovely. And I've always liked that vintage dresser. The little angel is sweet too. Your home has touches of Spring, and it's always a treat to see what you're working on, Karen.

    ~Sheri

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  2. Your spring home is so beautifully decorated - let's hope the snow stays away! And your grand children are so, so cute & dear 💕 A lot of taking care with the twins - so great you can give a helping hand!

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  3. WOW! I love your new spring look. A change that took place because you bought a sweet gate. Isn't it fun to shop your own place to redecorate? Your home is so lovely and I'm always inspired by visiting here. Thanks for sharing ~ FlowerLady

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  4. Lindos pintainhos, linda família, lindas peças vintage, lindas flores e lindas almofadas. Feliz fim de semana.

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  5. Hi Karen! Love your recent treasures and how they all turned out. ;) I LOVE HObby Lobby and frequent there and Michaels more than I care to admit. Lol

    Your family is growing so fast and is SO beautiful!! What fun it must be for you and your hubby.

    I am thinking Spring thoughts in the northwoods...and we even had a couple of nice days that melted more snow. Unfortunately it's still pretty white out there and the bay is still frozen. It'll be a while yet. I'm hosting some family here for Easter so I'm "bunnied up" all over. Lol! Lots of flowers too though.

    Have a blessed weekend ahead my Dear. xoxo

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  6. How nice to see those Easter Chicks in your photo's ... Spring is here ... well it is if the weather behaves itself!!!

    Lovely to see all of your pictures, your home looks lovely and I do like the gate.

    Adored the family photographs and your grand-kids are so lovely - I think it's great that you are able to lend a hand.

    Have a lovely weekend.

    All the best Jan

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  7. of course you got the gate, it's perfect. You should stage homes, and start with ours in MD as it's not selling. What an atmosphere. I would have paper and magazines and bits of sewing junking up the space in no time! It must bring you joy to see the beauty around you.

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  8. Lovely finds and treasures made by you, dear Karen! First I thought the grape hyacinths are real. They look very pretty.
    The landscape surrounding your home takes my breath away every time. :)
    Happy weekend... and happy spring! xx

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  9. It was so nice to see all your sweet grandbabies, Karen! Oh, how they're growing. You certainly found some wonderful new treasures at Hobby Lobby...love that blue gate, and it looks perfect on the mantle with your newly painted pots with faux hyacinths. The touches of blue just add to the charm of your room! One thing that I'm swooning over is the darling cherub
    vase...so dear. I also love your Irish crocheted sachet piece...be still my heart. Thank you for sharing with us! Happy Spring!!

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  10. Hi Karen, your home tour was wonderful. I'm sure I've said it before but it is so charming. I love the little pots of hyacinths and that last pic with the colored sky is beyond beautiful..Thanks for your visit and have a wonderful weekend..Judy

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  11. P.S. I forgot the babies. How could I do that. So sweet and such fun..J

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  12. OH MY!!!Your home is fabulous,Karen,breathtaking...What adorable Grands!Such happiness.Thank you so much for sharing your marvelous place.Blessings to you and yours.

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  13. Your gate is just beautiful, so great that you two could get away for a girls shopping trip :) I bet your kids are thrilled that you are able to watch the grandbabies for them. Lovely touches of blue you have in the room and your pillows are just beautiful, they look great with your wood background. Love your pics of the flowering trees with the sunset, such pretty colors of pinks, blues and greens! Happy Spring!

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  14. Isn't it fun when you find something new and wonderful, to make it the reason to change everything else all around in the room. I just love your new garden gate and it looks great on the mantel. You have a lot of pretty blues to compliment it. I was near a Hobby Lobby this past week (it is about 40 minutes away) but I resisted going in, knowing I would find something I don't need! I am resting now sitting at the computer awhile after rearranging bookshelves in my newly painted parlor. It has been 22 years....I think it is about time!

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  15. What a charming room. The gate is darling and goes so well with your soft blue accents.Thanks for linking up to Keep In Touch.

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  16. OMG .. What a warm and cosy home.. Your new gate must been magical .. It certainly inspired some lovely changes for you...What charming pictures of your children and grand babies...Aren’t they precious...I love your handiwork ... crewel and embroidery on pillows are so charming and endearing....The view from your balcony is amazing ...
    Have a HAPPY EASTER!!!

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  17. Karen, you and your husband are so talented and have made such a beautiful home there off the beaten track. Love your new gate! And I'm so sorry about Weenie Baby.

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  18. Oh Karen! Your new decorative gate with the potted hyacinths is just wonderful, and so are all the lovely needlework pieces. You have such a knack for decorating! You didn't even need to bring out the stored items. Everything looks so beautiful for spring and Easter! God bless Heather and hubby with those sweet little ones, and Gabe with his little guy! What an incredible blessing those grandchildren are!!!! Wish we'd been able to enjoy more than one...our grand-baby-boy is 16 now! :-) Maybe one day in the FAR future he will bless us with a few little ones of his own. Love those flowering wild plum trees. I plan to get some native trees and shrubs for our land over the next few years (a couple at a time) so we will have more spring and fall color. Have a blessed Easter! All my best to you and yours!

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  20. Oh they're so sweet little kids! Small babies are cute but tiring haha! I remember when Maja was so tiny - she was so adorable, but I have a lot of to do with her. Now she's 2,5 yo, I also have a lot of to do with her, but I enjoy it more than before. She can finally focus on something for a while, she likes craft things, she has a lot of interests! That's fun!

    Oh I really love the blanket you put on the sofa - this blue one! Did you make it? Can you share the pattern with me? It's stunning! I would love to make a blanket like this for Maja :)
    I'm not bery good at knitting, but I could return to this I think...

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Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

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