Thoughts from Alice

Gold Light Fixtures in the Kitchen

2018-05-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

I have partnered with Bellacor.com for this post. All expressed opinions are 100% my own. Full disclosure.

Well, hello there! It's been a few months since I have popped in over here with an update, but I am excited to be back with you today. Life with the little ones and working on our new home has kept me busy as of late. I am definitely enjoying watching Hazel, Owen and Violet grow and don't want to miss a moment of it.

We have been working on making the home we purchased last summer into our own. The biggest transformation, so far, has definitely taken place in the kitchen. The most recent addition: new, gold light fixtures!

The kitchen light fixture that was here when we moved in was this ugly, large box with awful fluorescent bulbs. It was likely original when the house was built back in 1971 and it was not doing this kitchen any favors. Seriously....it was terrible.

Here is a look back at what this kitchen looked like when we moved in:

The light fixture in the breakfast nook wasn't terrible, but it wasn't my taste.

I knew exactly what style I wanted to replace the overhead kitchen light and was delighted to find the Minka Lavery Harbour Point Semi-Flush Mount in Liberty Gold available from Bellacor.com. It matched the kitchen handles I chose and I love how the gold tone warms up the space.

As I looked around for a fixture to coordinate for the breakfast nook, I fell in love with the Minka Lavery Atrio Three Light Pendant. It is the same shade of "liberty gold."

We still have some work to do to finish our kitchen redo, including attaching the rest of the hardware, painting the walls, adding a backsplash, installing recessed lighting and finding a new breakfast nook table that works well for the whole family. One step at a time, am I right?

I hope to share more details of the progress thus far soon with details on all of the sources.

Till next time...

~Alice W.

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Christmas in the Dollhouse

2018-02-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's never too late for a holiday home tour in miniature is it? I spent a lot of time getting our dollhouse "just right" for the holidays, but never got around to photographing it till now. I hope you enjoy the tour even though it comes a bit after the holiday season!

Our dollhouse has been a work in progress for a couple of years, and still has some rooms that aren't finished, but I hope to get to work on those as soon as time allows. And we have fun playing with and decorating it no matter how far along we are in the miniature renovation!

This post contains some affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them.

We will start this dollhouse holiday home tour in the farmhouse kitchen. Everything stayed pretty much the same in here, as when I first revealed it, with a few festive touches added (although we sadly lost our pendant lights due to some rough handling by children who shall remain nameless).

I really wanted a miniature gingerbread house, so I found this one that I could print online, and then just printed it very small.

The exterior of our dollhouse is not finished and faces towards the wall most of the time, so I decided to set up some little scenes out of the windows for Christmas.

Out of the kitchen window, you catch a glimpse of some children playing in the snow.

Now, we will move to the dining room and entry way of the dollhouse. This is one of the unfinished rooms, but I went ahead and decorated it anyway.

There is an eclectic, vintage vibe going on in here with some mismatched chairs, farmhouse table, rustic bench with a textured pillow, artwork, an old grandfather clock and a brass coat rack.

The table is set with rustic wood slice "chargers" and plates we made by covering buttons in patterned pages from Anthropologie catalogs. A small metal pitcher filled with berries and greenery sits on top of a crocheted doily.

A horse drawn carriage ride awaits them out the front door. The sled is even decked out with a faux fur throw blanket to keep the riders cozy and warm.

Now, we will go into my favorite room: the living room. I definitely wanted to keep the whole eclectic, global, boho vibe that this room already had, but also wanted it to be festive. Sort of an Anthropologie Christmas if you will.

Santa is peeking in the window to make sure not a creature is stirring. Oh, but there is a mouse...

I think the tree is my favorite part of the whole house done for the holidays. I used lots of beads and old charms for ornaments, pipe cleaners for garland, and a vintage clip on earring for the star topper. I removed the back and glued it in place, then stuck in some gold metal leaves around it. The tree was glued to a small copper pipe piece for the base.

I wrapped up some presents from papers cut from Anthro catalogs, then did them up with various trimmings from my craft stash. I used objects like dice, legos and flat earrings to wrap. Some even got handwritten "To" and "From" notes on them.

The mantel is my next favorite part. Some plastic angels are on either side with a delicate beaded garland (really an old necklace), a very tiny gold baby Jesus in a manger is in the center with brass candlesticks on either side. I made the candles with scrapes of white paper rolled up very tightly and then colored the tops with a yellow marker for the flames.

There is that mouse...

The coffee table has a silver tea set and Holy Bible (from this set), both of which I have had since I was a kid. And a miniature cup of coffee.

It wouldn't be Christmas without the mistletoe! I put together some tiny red berries with a small piece of greenery.

Next, we will go upstairs to the girl's room decorated for Christmas.

Another diy Christmas tree in this room and some wrapped up gifts.

Finally, the baby's room. This is another unfinished room, but we gave it lots of Christmas charm.

Outside of the dollhouse, we made an ice skating pond with aluminum foil surrounded by some white rocks. The rocks originally belonged to my grandmother and she would use them in her nativity scenes. We added a fairy garden bridge, some trees and a lamp post. More kids playing on the ice and snow.

I hope you enjoyed the holiday home tour from our dollhouse (even if it is almost the end of February!). If you can't tell, I really love working on this little house...maybe even as much as our real house!

Till next time...

~Alice W.

You might also enjoy:

Dollhouse Therapy Challenge

Dollhouse Before

Dollhouse Living Room Reveal

14 Romantic Movies to Watch on Valentine's Day

2018-02-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love a good romantic movie? I'll admit, I'm a sucker for them. Today, in honor of Valentine's Day, I put together a list of 14 of my all time favorite romantic movies!

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them.

1. Sleepless in Seattle
Basically a classic from the 90's, Tom Hanks + Meg Ryan, and it has Valentine's Day in it: Perfection.

2. Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken
A story about a girl's perseverance and triumph over adversity, but the best part is the unconditional love she finds along the way.

3. Untamed Heart
Underrated but one of my absolute favorites. A tearjerker but totally worth it.

2. The Notebook
Okay, seriously. It doesn't get more romantic than this one does it? It never gets old.

4. Benny & Joon
It's quirky and sweet and shows that love is never impossible even when it feels that way.

5. The Magic of Ordinary Days
This is a Hallmark movie that I fell instantly for as soon as I saw it. I've always been a Keri Russell fan and I love this story line about finding unconditional love and forgiveness for oneself.

7. Brooklyn
My most recent favorite romantic movie. The main character has a difficult decision to make between two men who truly love her.

8. You've Got Mail
Another Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan classic.

9. While You Were Sleeping
I tend to watch this one at Christmas time, but it's a great romantic comedy for any time of year.

10. Splash
A favorite since I was five years old! I still love this movie, mermaid plot line and all.

11. Sense & Sensibility
Gotta love this Jane Austen classic!

12. When Harry Met Sally
They start out annoyed by each other, become friends and eventually realize they are soul mates. Doesn't get better than that.

13. Shopgirl
I've loved Claire Danes since her My So-Called Life days and I love her in this quirky romantic movie where two very different men have caught her attention.

14. Pride & Prejudice
Another Jane Austen classic with declarations of love to melt your heart.

So, those are my favorites. Would love to hear some of yours! I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day that is filled with love no matter who you spend it with!

Till next time...

~Alice W.

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Romantic Valentine's Day Table

2018-02-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is almost here! My kids have been having so much fun counting down the days with the goodie bags on our Valentine's tree, and we have already been enjoying some fun and "romantic" dinners in our dining room which is all decked out for the big day.

Today, I am going to show you how I quickly pulled together an eclectic, romantic Valentine's table for minimal cost.

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them.

I decided to purchase a sequinned table runner in rose gold that I have had my eye on for over a year. It's beautiful and will be great for all sorts of occasions, but especially for Valentine's Day.

Then, I gathered up almost my entire collection of vintage brass candlesticks and placed those down the center of the runner. I didn't have enough candles to fill all of these, so I decided to purchase some red taper candles from Amazon. That was all!

I already had the red heart doilies from the Dollar Tree, so we placed one at each place to enjoy some Valentine's cookies that my mom brought us.

Hazel really wanted to make each family member a special Valentine, so she cut out hearts from a sheet of red foam and glued them to white paper doilies. Then wrote "I love Dad, Mom, etc." on each one with a gold Sharpie marker. We put those at each person's spot at the table.

This was pretty simple to pull together and everyone has been enjoying it as the time winds down to Valentine's Day. We have yet to light any of the candles, but may do so on Valentine's Day. Obviously, be extra careful if you do that and never leave any candles left unattended. Safety first people! Or if you want to go flameless, opt for these glittered candles instead and use them year after year!

Be sure to check out my 'Love Potion' vignette on the buffet if you missed it!

I hope you enjoyed this post and that you have a beautiful week ahead!

Till next time...

~Alice W.

You might also enjoy:

Click here for all Valentine's Day related posts!

DIY Hand Drawn Valentine Notes

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'Love Potion' Valentine's Day Vignette

Favorite Decorating from Our Previous Home

2018-02-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that we have lived in our new home for over six months now. I am loving all of the extra space and conveniences nearby, not to mention the opportunity to decorate with a completely new palette. We have met and even begun to build friendships with wonderful neighbors in our cul-de-sac, and it really does feel like home.

I have to admit though, I still have moments where I miss our old house, the small country town we lived in, and the amazing neighbors we left behind. I still get a twinge of sadness when I think of that first home we lived in for seven years. A lot of memories were made there. Even if the lack of space and older home quirks drove me crazy most days.

As much as I often complained about it, I sincerely did enjoy decorating that little place. So, today I thought I would take you on a look back at some of my personal favorites. I'm sorry that this post is a bit self serving...allow me a brief moment to reminisce if you will :)

We will start on the porch...

I always loved decorating our simple front porch. It had had its challenges without a roof to cover it. Nothing could last too long out there with the weather here in western New York, but I still had fun arranging it every season. My favorite comes from my 2015 Fall Home Tour.

Our living room, that I always found a huge decorating challenge, went through so many changes. I often complained about its awkward layout and how I could never quite figure out the best arrangement for it. I tried many different furniture layouts and changed out sofas and rugs more times than I would like to admit.

Here is one of my personal favorite designs from November 2015:

Another favorite was the arrangement below also from the fall of 2015. I love the mix of textures and colors and the little area set up for my kids. I love displaying their artwork any chance I get and making it work with our home decor.

Below was the last look before staging it to sell. The sectional was much more functional for our family and is what we currently have in our main living room.

Our kitchen didn't get showcased too much on this blog. It was a work in progress most of the time. But I did give a few glimpses into it here and there. Here it was finally completed and staged to sell, which is when I finally fell in love with it...(sadly, right before it was time to go).

Source: Listing photo by GENRIS

Our dining room went through many transformations through the years as well. Here are a few favorite photos of it.

Fall 2016:

Fall 2014:

This home didn't have any fireplaces, which I always wanted, so fairly soon after moving in back in 2010, we went to a local architectural salvage shop and bought an antique mantel. I LOVED decorating that for every season. Here is one of my favorites, also from Fall 2014:

This home was only a two bedroom, so we started out in the larger one for our master when we moved in and when the first two were toddlers, but eventually, we decided to switch and took the smaller of the two bedrooms. I absolutely loved this space when we got it all done, and I loved it even more when we made room for Violet in here as well!

I love Christmas so much and had the best time decorating for the holidays every single year that we lived in this home. Here were some of my favorites from Christmases past.

Our first Christmas here:

Christmas 2014

Christmas 2015:

Living Room - Christmas 2015:

Well, if you stuck around for this whole entire post, thank you for indulging me and allowing me to reflect on our first home!

Till next time...

~Alice W.

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Packing Up a House Full of Memories

Settling into Our New Home

Living Room to Family Room

Minimalist Master Bedroom Staged to Sell

2018-02-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

Today, I'm excited to pick back up on a series I started over the summer, showing how we staged our previous house to sell. It was a major undertaking with three small children and having to live in it at the same time, but we did it on our own and for minimal cost.

Once we got the house listed, we had six showings the first day and were able to sell it for above list price in less than 24 hours. It really came down to decluttering and staging to make that possible, since we did not live in a particularly "hot" market area.

I started this series with our home office, and have several more rooms I can't wait to share! Today, is all about our tiny master bedroom.

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them. The cost to you does not change.

We lived in this 1300 square foot, two bedroom home for seven years but outgrew it with the birth of our third child. It was built in the 1930's and had many quirks to it. These things could have been major detractors for some buyers, so we worked hard to bring out the best in our little place. I wanted to accentuate its character and charm.

Before getting our house on the market, we secured a storage garage to keep a lot of our belongings in until it was time to move. This was key! Having a cluttered home would have only shown buyers what the house lacked instead of all of the potential it had.

Here is how this room looked when we first moved in during the fall of 2010:

The upstairs floors were one of our first projects when we moved in. They were covered in old, dingy carpet that we removed immediately. Then we discovered the pine floors underneath were in rough shape, so we painted them a pale gray.

Bedroom floors BEFORE:

When it was time to sell, I cleaned them with Mop n' Glow till they were as sparkling as possible. That also gave the whole house a fresh clean smell which buyers definitely love.

Here is how the room looked BEFORE decluttering and staging (see more in this post):

We took out all of the items that were not major essentials, donated a lot of belongings and cleaned like crazy. Ever window, every door, the baseboards, the floors, the walls, everything was thoroughly cleaned.

Then I went back through and staged each space. For the bedroom I removed as much of our clothes as I could and replaced a large dresser for a smaller one that we had stored in the basement. It wasn't in perfect shape, but it worked, and made the room feel less cramped.

I kept the decor simple with a batik table runner, vase of dried flowers, some baskets (that held more essentials and jewelry that I wore often). I knew from reading various articles about staging a house to sell, that things shouldn't be personal. I removed those items, so buyers could picture their own belongings in the space.

Violet had outgrown her rattan bassinet at that point, so I bought a travel sized Pack n' Play that worked out well. It was just the right size for the space. I kept with the baby theme near the bassinet with her baby book propped up and a mother and child statue.

The bedding was also kept simple with a white chenille bedspread and one kilim lumbar accent pillow. The matching lamps were the only items on the nightstands when the house was shown and all essentials were tucked inside the drawers.

Since one of the major problems with our home was the amount of closet space and storage, I combated that by cleaning out my closet of clothes that I no longer wore or no longer wanted. All of those items were donated or thrown away and then I packed up all out of season clothes and ones that I knew I was not likely to need while we had the house for sale. They were packed up and put away in our storage garage.

I reduced the amount of clothes in my closet by more than half and then organized them by color, with neutrals in the front. The closet definitely looked larger after wards and showed off the charm of the old wallpaper inside.

I didn't buy anything new to stage this room other than the crib which we needed anyways. The majority of the staging for this space was done simply by removing as much as we possibly could to show off the room at its best. A few simple decorative touches, freshly laundered bedding and a thorough cleaning from top to bottom was all the space required to get it show ready!

I hope you enjoyed this post and will come back for more in this series. Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a post!

Source List:

Breely Crystal Light Fixture // Lowe's
Angelo Queen Headboard - Pearl // Raymour & Flanigan
Honeycomb Dreams Table Lamps // Raymour & Flanigan
Savannah White Chenille Bedspread - (king size on a queen size bed) // Amazon
Lumbar Kilim Pillow // Kilim Pillow Store
Threshold Sheet Set & Pillowcases - Pattern: Neutral // Target
Hampton Baby Bamboo Shades // Home Depot
Batik Indigo Table Runner // LuvTextiles | Etsy

Till next time...

~Alice W.

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DIY Hand Drawn Valentine's Notes

2018-02-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, I showed the Valentine's vignette I set up on our vintage buffet in the dining room. One of the elements of the vignette, were some simple hand drawn Valentine notes that I made. I had a lot of fun making these and wanted to share them with you today!

This post contains some affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them. The cost to you does not change.

I started by purchasing some red and pink paper doilies from the Dollar Tree. I didn't have a set plan for them at the time, but knew they would come in handy for some last minute Valentine's decorating.

I love skinny font styles (similar to Rae Dunn pottery even though I don't own any), so I used that as my inspiration for writing romantic phrases on several of these hearts. I looked at this font for reference as I was writing each phrase. Then added some arrows, hearts and other romantic images. On one I wrote Je t'aime, drew a small Eiffel tower and some fireworks.

If you want to get creative and make some of these yourself all you need is:

Red Heart Doilies
Pink Heart Doilies
Ultra Fine Point Black Sharpie Marker

and love. (haha I had to!)

When I was finished, I simply taped them up around our Love You More wooden sign. Did you see the full vignette? You can see all the details in that post if you missed it!

I hope you enjoyed this post...and as always...thanks for stopping by!

Till next time...

~Alice W.

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Boho Eclectic Valentine's Decor

2018-02-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I have a collection of eclectic bohemian inspired décor to add to your home for the day of love. I always like to think a little outside of the box and find things in my own style that fit the theme.

I hope you enjoy these!

LOVE Pillow Covers // Amazon

Heart Shaped Macramé Wall Hanging // Noa and Neta Art Studio | Etsy

Metal Arrow Wall Décor // Amazon

Red Arrow Garland // Elisabeth Nicole | Etsy

Set of 12 Red Taper Candles // Amazon

Rose Gold Sequin Table Runner // Amazon

Rose Gold Love Balloon and Banner // Pomtree | Etsy

Romantic Mug // Anthropologie

Bee Mine Tea Towel // Sweet Old Soul | Etsy

Pink Faux Fur Heart Pillow // Target

Later this week, I will show you how I dressed up our dining room table in red, pink and vintage brass. I think the dull, gray days of winter get me itching to change things up around our home. And all of these holidays since Halloween have been a first in our new home, so that makes them even more exciting. My kids love helping and always come up with their own ideas, which makes it extra special. So many memories being made!

Till next time...

~Alice W.

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"Love Potion" Valentine's Vignette

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Love Potion Valentine's Day Vignette

2018-02-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

February is here and it's the season of love! I am joining several talented blogging friends today to bring you another installment of Town and Country Living's Cozy Living Series. I'm excited to share with you how I've brought some cozy romance into our home this month.

This post contains some affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them. The cost to you does not change.

We love holidays around here, so I couldn't resist bringing some Valentine's decorating into our dining room with what I have coined as a love potion vignette. The perfect recipe for romance: soft music, chocolates and a whole lotta love.

The starting point for this vignette was my grandparents records that I inherited after they passed away. When I listen to their music, I am immediately transported to another era, a simpler time. My grandparents were married for 70 years...a testament of true love. They died within just a couple of months of each other. Their love story is an inspiration.

I also inherited their Hi-Fi record player, but sadly it needs some work to be usable, so my husband bought me a Crosley portable record player for my birthday last month. This one is nice because it has bluetooth, so I can even play music from my phone on it.

But nothing beats playing those vintage records.

I still hope to get the Hi-Fi repaired at some point to play my grandparents records on it. I love all of the nostalgia it holds.

These days life can be so busy and hectic and filled with screens in our faces, so taking the time to pull out a record and listen to the sweet sounds with the crackle of imperfections has been very relaxing and a way to feel connected to my grandparents whom I still miss immensely.

As I was setting this vignette up in our dining room, I had their music playing.

My kids love when I do up our home for any holiday, and since Hazel is a girly girl who loves all things pink, hearts, flowers, pretty, etc., Valentine's Day is extra special. And even though Owen isn't a big fan of all the mushy gushy stuff...he is a fan of the color red so he loves seeing that around the house.

I basically just searched the house for elements to include. A few months ago, I bought a wooden sign that says, "Love You More" from the Goodwill. It has floated around the house as I try to figure out where it should stay, so that went in the center of the wall.

Then, I worked on some handmade Valentine's to put around it. I will share more details about those soon, but basically I just used a Sharpie marker on some heart shaped doilies and then taped them to the wall. Super easy and fun.

The pink bottle brush trees (a Target find) were in Hazel's room at Christmas time. I thought they would be a perfect fit, as well as some faux pink peonies also from Target.

On the other side of the buffet, I created the little "Love Potion" vignette using some vintage science beakers and flasks I found at an estate sale several years ago. I filled them with things like Hershey's Kisses, little wooden hearts, handmade arrows and pink glitter. One even got a pair of wings.

Romance abounds around our home this month! I have a few more Valentine's posts to share with you next week, so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a thing.

Now, I hope you will pay a visit to the other participants in this month's Cozy Living series to see what inspiration they have to offer!

Till next time...

~Alice W.

Finding Silver Pennies | Making It In The Mountains | Thoughts from Alice | Town and Country Living

VinYet Etc. | AKA Design | Duke Manor Farm

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DIY Countdown to Valentine's Day

2018-02-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

For the past few years, I have made an advent calendar for my children for Christmas. Each year, it has been a little bit different than the one before. They love it so much, that this year, I decided to do one for Valentine's Day as well.

I know I am a bit late in getting this post out there, but I wanted to share it with you anyways in case it might spark some last minute inspiration!

This post contains some affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them.

For this project, I decided to make handmade paper ornaments to celebrate the holiday and write activities on the back to do each day.

The ornaments were fairly simple using scrapbook paper and cut outs from scrapbook kits, stickers, wooden hearts, heart shaped doilies, and other random bits I found in my craft supplies. I added hemp cord to each one so that we could hang them on a white tree we still have in the entryway. It's been there since Halloween and has now basically become our all holiday tree.

I wanted the majority of the activities to be acts of kindness and love, to get them focused on what they could do for others. The ideas include things like "Clean up after someone else," "Make a handmade Valentine and mail it to someone special," and "Give a compliment to someone at school today."

As well as some just for fun ones like, "Wear something Pink or Red today." and "Read a book with 'Love' or 'Valentine' in the title."

And because I couldn't resist, I threw in a couple of chocolates for each day as well. I found some in the bulk candy section and got a bag with Valentine's candies in it.

Each ornament went inside a small paper bag with pink and white stripes and then I put red number stickers for each day from 1 to 14. Fairly simple to pull together (I literally started it the day before I put it out for them!).

I placed all of the bags on the little tree and Hazel and Owen were very excited when they woke up on February 1st. I must admit I love that too...watching their excitement and remembering how fun it is to be a kid.

As each day passes, we will take out the ornaments and hang them on the tree and eventually have it filled up with several handmade Valentine's. I know it will be a special memory for them and fills in a bit of this long stretch of winter with a little more wonder, whimsy and excitement. Couldn't we all use a little bit of that?

You can get a little peek, at the Valentine's Day vignette I set up on our buffet in the dining room, which I will be revealing tomorrow. I hope you will come back for that and have a very loving month of February ahead!

Here is a supply list to get you started if you want to make a similar version of this countdown:
Scrapbook papers:
-American Craft Flea Market
-Maggie Holmes Open Book

Pink Striped Bags
Number Stickers
Paper Heart Doilies

Candy:
-Emoji foil wrapped chocolates
-Mars Valentine's Chocolates Minis

Till next time...

~Alice W.

You might also enjoy:

14 Non-Candy Valentine Gift Ideas for Kids

Four Free Printables for Valentine's Day

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A Trip to Anthropologie

2018-01-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

Now that we have moved from a rural small town to a large suburb, I am close to all sorts of conveniences that I wasn't before. Shopping centers galore, every kind of restaurant you could imagine, and a huge mall.

One place in the mall, that I have waited years to visit, is a brick and mortar Anthropologie. I certainly could have gotten myself there sooner (it was about 45 minutes away before), but I only made my first visit after moving to our new home. It's now only about 10 minutes away. Josh and I had a little date night last weekend, and he took me there again where I snapped some photos with my phone to share with you.

This post contains some affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them, but the cost to you does not change. Full disclosure.

All of the textural bedding and throw pillows lured me right in. (Until I saw the price tags, of course.) But seriously, I was oohing and ahhing and dreaming of bringing some of those pillows home.

Then I was drawn into the ceramics and kitchenware. I had seen some of these in the latest catalog and was loving the muted colors, gold details and imperfect shapes.

I was seriously swooning over that Corgi mug...

When I saw a vignette in the bath and body section, I was instantly inspired by the mix of rustic nature, candlesticks and glass domes. It had a summery feel to me with seashells, corral and driftwood. I know how I will be decorating when the weather warms up...

I actually skipped right past all the jewelry...my weakness. Instead, I admired the little trinket trays and gift items, books, day planners and office supplies they had.

My favorite section was filled with funky planters and ceramics, a light fixture a bit like the one we had in our previous dining room, and more rustic, natural touches mixed in.

I spotted Justina Blakeney's book The New Bohemians Handbook, that I don't yet have. I stopped to peek through it for a few minutes and plan to add that to my home library soon.

And finally, I went to my new favorite little area...the clearance closet! I didn't pick up anything that day, but I am sure at some point it will be my first in store purchase. I was seriously tempted by those colorful, tassel throw pillows!

So many little trinkets and treasures to look through in there. It was a bit disheveled and got crowded fairly quickly, so my hope is to go back sometime on a week day and *hopefully* have it all to myself to search through.

Here are some of the beautiful finds I saw in person that day (or very similar). Click on the links to check them out:

Till next time...

~Alice W.

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Bohemian Bedroom Ideas

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2018-01-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them. Full disclosure.

Have you checked out the new Hearth and Hand with Magnolia line at Target? Last month, while Christmas shopping alone (a mom's dream), I happened upon it and was instantly smitten. I love that it's simple, yet modern and has some eclectic elements in it.

My birthday was on December 15th, and one of my gifts from my husband, was the Hearth and Hand Galvanized Metal and Wood Shelving Set. We hung it up a couple of weeks ago in the dining room. It's one of the first things we decided to make permanent in our new home! If you have been following our journey, you may know how hesitant I have been to hang anything on the walls yet. I don't know why really, but once we put these up, it got me motivated to do more. It really made the room start to come alive.
I kept them fairly simple with just a candle and faux succulent plant (also from Target), some vintage art books and handmade ceramic pieces. I know I will change these shelves out often, but for now, I am enjoying the simplicity.

I am so glad I finally got the courage to make a decision on hanging something on the walls. It feels like a great start and I know each time, it will feel more and more like home.

I put together a collection of my favorite finds from the Hearth and Hand line available at Target for you to check out. I am sure I'll add more to our own home in the future!

Top left to bottom right: House Bud Vase (Cream) // Galvanized Metal and Wood Wall Shelves // Flat Rattan Wall Art // Stoneware Radial Salad Plate (Yellow) // Canvas and Leather Tote Bag // Wooden Dollhouse with Furniture

Till next time...

~Alice W.

You might also enjoy:

Minimalist Fall Dining Room

Spring "Some Bunny Loves You" Free Printable

Eclectic Spring Dining Room & Mantel

5 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues (at Home)

2018-01-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Does the time after the holiday season ever get you feeling blue? It does for me. It's like the bottom falls out after New Year's and I just don't know what to do with myself. I miss the music on the radio, the movies on TV, the lights around town. All of the decorations, the magic, the wonder of Christmas is suddenly gone.

And we are stuck knee deep in the thick of winter and the long, gray days of............blah. Well, maybe it's just because I live outside of Rochester, NY where the sky doesn't turn blue again until late spring and the snow has been known to stick around through April.

But either way, this year, I am determined to keep myself busy and not let the bleak winter days rule my mood. Which can be tricky for a homebody and introvert like myself. When it is cold, windy and snowy out, the last thing I want to do is step outside in it. So I like to find ways to beat the winter blues indoors.

This post contains some affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them. Full disclosure.

So today, as the next installment of Town and Country Living's Cozy Living series, I am going to share some of these ideas with you! If you struggle with the winter blues or figuring out what to do with yourself when the Christmas magic rides off on Santa's sleigh, I hope you find something on this list to perk up your spirits.

And the best part? They can all be done inside...where it is cozy and warm!

1. Color!

When my sister sent me my first adult coloring book, my honest thought was, "who has time for this?" I let it sit on my shelf for over a year without even opening it. One day, I got the urge, though, after coloring with my kids. I have been hooked ever since.

It reminds me of my days in high school and college when art was my life, and I could get completely lost in my work. Your focus is off of all the blah and you get to make the picture in front of you as colorful as you want. Even if it's just for five minutes, the time spent can help you relax and feel good about tapping into your creative side.

It might feel silly at first, but once you start it is quite enjoyable and even a bit addictive!

Here are a couple that I am currently enjoying. I use both colored pencils and Sharpie markers in them. The markers do bleed through, but I love how vibrant they are in comparison and you can work faster. Now, my kids and I will sit side by side coloring together. They join me in my adult books and we have a lot of fun relaxing and brightening up our day with color.

And here a few that recently caught my eye. There are SO many options for adult coloring books. Snarky and funny ones, pretty and ornate ones, inspirational, whatever you can imagine you can probably find in the adult coloring book world.

This one would be perfect to keep the Christmas cheer long after it's over. I think I need it in my life...

2. A Stack of Good Books

No matter the weather outside, I always have a book on my bedside table that I read nightly. I am a regular at our local library and love finding something new to perk my interest. This time of year, when all of the gatherings and busy shopping days and holiday prep are over, is the perfect time to sink into a good book.

If you find yourself not in the mood to head out to the library or a book store, you could always order books online or read on the various apps and devices available. Although, I must say, I love having an actual book in my hand when I read. And I still go to the library all winter. It's one of the few places I don't mind battling the cold for.

(Like my new fox mug? The kids got it for me for my birthday. You can find it here.)

Here are a few of the books that I have recently finished and the one I am currently reading. I love fictional novels, especially if they have a bit of a mystery. Life is busy with three little ones, so most of my reading time is done in bed at night. When you're feeling blah or the weather is getting you down, it's another way to get out of your own head for a bit and get lost in another world.

3. Finish a Neglected Project

One way to keep yourself busy and not let the cold weather make you feel like you can't do anything, is to focus on a project you have ignored or abandoned. I have a list about a mile long so this one is actually tricky for me: which one to choose??? But, to not overwhelm myself and bring me in the deep abyss of blah, I try to choose just one and dive into it.

This winter, I am working more on our fixer upper dollhouse. It's a project, I started all gung-ho and then stopped for quite awhile. I am excited to get back into it.

(Click here to see more from our dollhouse renovation.)

4. Declutter & Get Organized

If there is one thing that probably everyone could do after Christmas and all of the new gifts have been brought in, is declutter. I am always trying to declutter our home even now that we moved into a bigger one just over six months ago. It's amazing how quickly it gets filled up! There are always piles of papers to recycle, clothes that don't fit, and toys that are no longer used. I fill up boxes and send them off to donate all year.

After, I have decluttered an area, such as a closet or section of the playroom, it's time to get it reorganized! There are several helpful books and articles to get you started if you don't know where to begin. Some even start fresh in January and you can follow along month by month so as not to overwhelm yourself. This one helped me.

It can be so refreshing to clean up and organize your home after the holiday season. A couple of years ago I spent some time organizing our winter gear. We had no coat closet in that home, so I had to get creative!

5. Try Something New

Even though, I am a self-professed homebody, I still like to learn new things and am always picking up new hobbies. These days it's actually amazing how many things you can learn right at home just by watching a video or reading a tutorial online. I remember the days when I just wished that was a possibility.

Anything you ever wanted to get into, I am sure you can open up YouTube or Pinterest and find detailed instructions. It's perfect if you are an introvert or just aren't the "go getter" type who wants to join a local club or group.

I have learned so much about photography and Photoshop just by taking online classes and watching video tutorials. Currently, I would love to learn how to weave and make macrame so those are on my list of new things to try. I will definitely be scouring the internet for the best tutorials!

If you really find yourself down this time of year, more than just "the blues" from being stuck inside, and can't find your way out of it on your own, please don't hold back on getting help. SAD is real and many people struggle with it.

I have a history of depression and have had my share of rough winter months feeling more than just blah. One January a couple of years ago, I was at a very low point, and sought out treatment to help me through.

Be sure to visit your doctor and express your concerns if you think you might be struggling with depression. No amount of will power can change brain chemistry. It's not worth the time lost to depression when there is so much joy to be had once the right treatment plan is found. I know from personal experience!

I hope you enjoyed these ideas and are having a wonderful start to the new year!

Till next time...

~Alice W.

Be sure to visit all of the other Cozy Living contributors to see what inspiration they have to share today! Here is a sneak peek...

Duke Manor Farm | Finding Silver Pennies | Making It In The Mountains

Sincerely Marie Designs | Thoughts from Alice | Town and Country Living

VinYet Etc. | AKA Design | Bless'er House

You might also enjoy:

When Hope Can't Be Found (my personal story)

10 Creative Ideas for Valentine's Day

Holiday Home 2017

2018-01-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's a little late to share a holiday home tour, I know, but better late than never right? My focus the past few Christmases has been on making our home cozy, inviting and festive to create lasting memories for my little ones. Which meant this year, I was going to take the pressure off getting the house camera ready for a holiday home tour post. I signed up for one, but ended up backing out when I knew it was just going to add stress.

So here we are...the first week of January and you get to see how I did up our home for the holidays! Haha. I can't even say it will be worth the wait...since I kept it fairly simple and traditional. Nothing crazy or to die for here, but I do hope you enjoy it.

I sincerely would love to be a person who has all of their inspiration hit them in November and get every last detail put into place by December 1st, but that's just not me. Perhaps the procrastinator in me, but I usually take my time and the real inspiration comes much closer to the actual holiday. I am still tweaking things on Christmas Eve!

If you are new here, let me preface this by saying we just moved into this home over the summer, and I am literally still emptying boxes every weekend, so our home is not all the way there yet. We have a ways to go to make it home (we haven't even painted one room yet!), but here is how we made it work for Christmas.

Let's start with the dining room, which is just off the entryway. It's one of the first impressions visitors have when they come inside. I love that in this home I am able to keep the dining room fairly decluttered and clean unlike our last home where it was basically the drop off station for everything.

This post contains some affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them. The cost to you does not change. Full disclosure.

When I finally found the boxes of Christmas decor, I was able to hang our faux greenery garland around the entry to the dining room. To make it not so fake, I took several real pine branches from a tree in the yard to fill it in.

My favorite part of our holiday home, was the Dept. 56 Christmas village that we set up on our vintage buffet. I shared the full "tour" and story of how I acquired it a couple of weeks back. Click here if you missed that! It's down and packed away now, and I have to say I really miss it. I know it will be a tradition we will enjoy year after year.

I made sure we had some "mistletoe" hanging up this year, since the kids learned about it and thought it was the funniest thing. It was really just a faux greenery pick that I found at a thrift store, but it got the job done.

Why yes, that is carpet on the stairs and the original 1970's stair railing.

Both are staying for now. The carpet has been professionally cleaned and is great for little Violet who is just about to turn 14 months old. She can crawl up the stairs now and is on the verge of learning to walk. My main goal is just to keep the little ones safe, so the carpet stays for now.

Our vintage Santa mugs always reappear every holiday season and stay out all winter! We love having hot chocolate with whipped cream on top in them.

For my birthday, on December 15th, Josh gave me a set of galvanized metal and wood shelves from the Hearth and Hand line at Target by Magnolia. I really love them and know I will enjoy changing out the decor on them often. Here is how I set them up for now:

Our main living room is still a major work in progress as far as decorating goes. We haven't changed anything in here and even have the old curtains from the previous owners hung up and the broken curtain rod hardware coming out of the wall. Changing that out is next on our list! I have the curtains and new hardware, we just need to take down the old stuff and patch the damage.

The rest of our Christmas village is on the cabinet as you enter the living room including Butter Tub Farm and Browning Cottage. Along with a maid-a-milking and the Thatchers.

I am still waiting to get the nerve to hang things on the wall in here, like the rattan mirror from Target. It's just propped up for now in the background until I can pull the trigger and put a nail hole in the wall.

We had a new tree topper this year: a vintage mercury glass one (similar to this one) that I found at a thrift store for $3.50! The color was perfect and if I didn't have kids who cared about decorating the tree so much, I was imagining how awesome it would look filled with wooden bead garlands (like this!) and loads of macrame ornaments (like these!).

But, I have kids who definitely DO care about helping decorate the tree and have a lot of their own ideas and favorite ornaments, so we filled it up with those. As well as several that belonged to my grandparents and those that have special meaning for our family.

Everyone has Yoda on their tree right? And sock monkeys...can't forget the sock monkeys.

This year, I made another advent calendar for Hazel and Owen to open every day through Christmas. It was a little more elaborate this year with 25 cardboard jewelry boxes that each had a small shadow box scene inside. I made them from old Christmas cards and small ornaments. Each day also had a small candy or gift inside for them, so it was very exciting to wake up every morning!

Sadly, I only got one grainy cellphone pic of it before the days were opened. The kids got stamps for one of the days and then decided to stamp several snowmen and "I ❤ Santa" on every remaining day...ugh.

All in all it was another memorable and fun holiday season, that we are all a bit sad to have to say goodbye to.

I hope you enjoyed the tour even though I am sure most people are all Christmased out by now! Thanks for obliging me if you stuck around till the end :)

Stay warm wherever you are! It's a snow day for us here with the crazy low wind chills so we will be staying cozy indoors for quite awhile.

Till next time...

~Alice W.

You might also enjoy:

DIY Winter Woodland Scene

Rustic Tray Styling

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Christmas Village Display

2017-12-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas! This month has flown by hasn't it? I have been busy making our home festive and filled with wonder and excitement. We are keeping things relaxed around here this year for the holidays, so I didn't share a big "holiday home tour" post earlier in the month. I might share some snippets of how we decorated after the rush has passed, but today, I have one vignette that I really wanted to share with you.

I have always loved Christmas villages ever since I was little. The individual pieces are often quite pricey, so it always seemed out of the realm of possibility for my holiday décor.

I tried for years, to create a similar feel as one through different displays like a small collection of putz houses together, mason jars filled with "snow" and figures, and even going so far as to draw out my own Christmas village that I could print and display (you can too if you want!).

When we moved into our new home over the summer, the house across the cul-de-sac had just sold and was having an estate sale. The owner of the home, who had lived there many years, had the entire collection of Dept. 56's Dicken's Village Heritage Collection. She also had the coordinating 12 Days of Christmas figures. All in the original boxes and in perfect shape. They truly must have been something very special to her. Many had gift notes from her children and husband that said "Merry Christmas" so perhaps they gave her a new one every year.

The sale was two days and the first day each piece was marked fairly high. I was on the fence about them that day, but when I went back the next day each of the larger pieces were $10 and the smaller $5. I snapped up as many as I could!

I set up the village on our midcentury buffet in the dining room. I covered it in a scrap piece of faux fur fabric that I bought a few years ago at Jo-Ann's.

I set up most of the pieces on my own, but let Hazel and Owen help me decide on placement. Hazel decided the church should be center of town. Once it was all in place, when I came back awhile later, I found a few "additions" that I hadn't included. Hazel and Owen had taken some liberties to make it even more fun and personal. They put an (albeit overscale) owl on The Mermaid Fish Shoppe.

Owen made sure Santa found his way into our little village by putting one on the chimney of the Watchmaker's shop.

Even though I acquired almost all of these from the same collection at the estate sale, there is one stray piece I have had for about ten years that is very sentimental to me. I still remember the day my grandpa brought over some things that he was clearing out of his house and gave me the church. The kids and I decided it should go in the center of the village.

I have put it out every Christmas on its own, but I am glad it can belong to this little village now. I don't know what brand it is and don't believe it holds the same monetary value as some of the other pieces, but it doesn't matter much to me. It's the memory that makes this one so special.

We finished up making the village personal by adding our own diy skating and ice fishing pond with some aluminum foil and a vintage plastic beaded necklace.

Hazel though it was the perfect place for my Jeremy Fisher ornament to go. I couldn't have agreed more. I also put the Seven Swans a Swimming on there and since I took this photo we added a small wooden ice skater.

Hazel also thought Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim belonged in the village (the Mickey's Christmas Carol version).

And finally, we added a couple of deer and a little horse. I filled in with a variety of trees including bottle brush and birch trees.

I hope you enjoyed "the tour" of our little Christmas village! I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and remainder of this holiday season. It truly is the best time of the year!

Till next time...

~Alice W.

White Farmhouse Christmas Dining Room

2017-12-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

Today, I am taking you back in time again to Christmas 2010. I shared the photographs in this post on my former Typepad blog but never ended up transferring several of those posts here when I moved back to Blogger in 2013.

This year for Christmas, I am not looking to make things "picture perfect" but rather to make memories for my little ones, so I am taking my time getting our house done for the holidays. It is all a work in progress with fun vignettes here and there and will probably be rearranged by little hands several times over before Christmas.

As I focus on making our new home cozy and comfortable (and NOT perfect) for our family, I thought I would spend some time going through my archives to share with you over the next few weeks.

On Saturday, I shared the living room and Christmas tree from the same post. Today, I am showing how I decorated the dining room that year. At the time, I loved all things white, farmhouse, cottage, French, rustic, etc. My style has evolved since then to no longer be as monochromatic, but it's still fun to look back. I hope you enjoy it even though this styling is now several years old!

Like I mentioned in my last post, that year we had just moved into the first home we purchased and had no children yet. Although, I was hoping to become pregnant at the time and found out just a few days before Christmas that I was. It was an extremely happy time.

I wanted all of my holiday décor to be in shades of white with greenery and silver ornaments.

The hutch we had at the time was originally a dark stain. I found it at a thrift store and painted it white then sanded the edges to get the aged look I desired. We had that hutch for many years until it no longer fit with my style. I especially loved filling it up with my ironstone and white china collection.

I filled in the background with real greenery taken from the bottom of our Christmas tree.

I was in love with French Nordic style, mostly inspired by the magazine Jeanne d'Arc Living and interior bloggers that I followed at the time.

I have always loved adding pieces with special meaning, like family heirlooms as well as vintage and antique finds. This has never changed no matter what style I am drawn to.

Our chandelier was an antique that we found for sale on Craigslist. And our entire dining set was found at an antique mall. I kept everything fairly simple on the table for Christmas that year, with some frosted branches in mason jars and lots of tea light candles in small silver tins.

My favorite thrift store Santa makes an appearance in our holiday décor every year. That may have been the first one I had him.

Even the gifts we exchanged that year were rustic, antique finds. I got my husband an old printer press drawer to store his jewelry making supplies in and he got me an old clothes wringer from a local antique store.

I hope to have some time to share some snippets of our holiday home from this year, but it will likely be a little while yet. I am still recovering from bronchitis and everyone in our home has been taken down by some kind of illness over the past couple of weeks. Now, baby Violet has a cold. It's always so hard when the little ones get sick.

Hopefully the rest of the month we will stay healthy and well and will be able to enjoy the holiday season! It is definitely feeling magical around our house in spite of everything!

Till next time...

~Alice W.

You might also enjoy:

Christmas Past: a look back at Christmas 2010

Three Christmas Styles to Inspire: Rustic, Whimsical & Traditional

Christmas Dining Room

Christmas Past

2017-12-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the second month of Town and Country Living's Cozy Living Series! I am excited to have the opportunity to join these talented bloggers and share our personal versions of how we do cozy throughout the year.

And what is a cozier time than this? This is my favorite time of year! It has changed a lot around our house with three little ones and become much more colorful, fun, and I'll admit it: even a bit cheesy. Not even kidding...we have a huge inflatable elf in our yard as I type. The kids love it.

I am still working on getting our house decked out for this Christmas season with Hazel and Owen (who really want to have their say in where EVERYTHING goes), so today, I wanted to bring you back to a Christmas from the past. The last one before we had any children, and I actually had free reign with decorating. The year was 2010, and my husband and I had just purchased our first home.

I had one Christmas wish that year and it was to find out I was pregnant. I ended up taking a test on the 23rd, and realized my wish came true. I will never forget that. The following summer our sweet daughter Hazel was born.

That year, I knew exactly how I wanted to decorate our home for the holidays. I have always had a love for vintage and rustic décor and at the time really embraced neutral colors and farmhouse style. Looking back on these photos reminds me of how much I loved this style and how cozy it truly made our new home.

We headed out one foggy afternoon to get our Christmas tree and found it at a local farm market only a few miles away.

I still remember, how excited I was to decorate the tree in all silver and cream, with natural touches and little bits of sparkle. I had a burlap garland and lots of handmade ornaments from friends and online shops.

Some of the vintage ornaments were found at thrift stores, antique malls and yard sales. I still have all of these ornaments and continue to use them year after year.

I also remember how eager I was to have a "flocked" Christmas tree. I ordered an online flocking kit and my husband who obliges my whims, flocked that whole tree for me. It didn't look as snowy as I had hoped, but it did lighten the color of the green and give it more of a blue spruce hue which I really loved.

A few years later we bought a flocked artificial tree, but I do miss having a real one so much that we might get one this year!

We didn't have a fireplace in that home, so we went to a well known salvage store in our area and found an old mantel. It was painted brown and very chippy and was perfect to me. If you have followed me for a long time, you know how much I loved that mantel, but you may have never seen it before I painted it white. The brown fit really well that Christmas, but when we had children, I was concerned about lead paint, so my husband sanded it down and painted it later on.

I was also excited to put our flat screen TV inside of the mantel which also only lasted pre-children. It was perfect with putting the yule log on television to give the cozy ambiance of a crackling fire even if we didn't have a real one :)

Our house is much more colorful right now, and filled with lots of traditional red and green, and decorations made by Hazel and Owen, but I love it.

I also love looking back on these simpler Christmases. When it was just Josh and me and our dog Renoir and our little house where I had free reign to decorate as I pleased and loved welcoming guests in to see how I had done it all up.

It was a sweet time in life that I will always treasure. That is one reason why I enjoy blogging so much...to be able to look back on these memories written down, photographed, frozen in time. It has the amazing ability to take me right back there.

If you want to see more from our home that Christmas you can check out the full post on my former typepad blog.

Be sure to visit all of the inspiring bloggers joining in the Cozy Living Series!

Bless'er House | Duke Manor Farm | Finding Silver Pennies | Flat Creek Farmhouse | Making It in the Mountains

Sincerely Marie Designs | Thoughts from Alice | Town and Country Living | Vinyet Etc. | AKA Design

Happy December! I hope it's a cozy one wherever you are...

Till next time...

~Alice W.

You might also enjoy:

Vintage Christmas Decorations

Three Christmas Styles to Inspire

How We Gave Thanks

2017-11-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving last week had a wonderful time with family and friends! We hosted for the first time in our new home with my mom, step-dad and aunt and uncle. It was a small gathering compared to what we are used to, but it was a great time overall. Not stressful or hurried. Just peaceful and filled with good food, kindness, laughter and joy.

The kids were very excited to wake up and watch the parade. A tradition I have always enjoyed. Even if I don't fully watch it, I like it on in the background. Hazel and Owen love the balloons. So much so that the night before we decided to make a parade banner with photographic images from parades past. We found our favorites online and put them together to display on our fireplace.

I decorated the fireplace mantel in our back room, which I shared a couple of weeks ago, and then added a folding table set up for the appetizers.

My mom made so many fun Thanksgiving themed foods that I couldn't resist photographing them all. She found most of the ideas through Pinterest and Facebook.

I decorated, all around the house, with artwork Hazel and Owen made at school and home from the past few years.

My mom made a beautiful bread cornucopia filled with fruits like grapes, pomegranates and blackberries. She also made a vegetable platter with French onion dip in the shape of a turkey. And the kids' favorite: "kettle corn on the cob."

Hazel was very eager to help make Thanksgiving decorations this year. She was busy making them all by herself...like this paper plate turkey. She came up with it all on her own and even wrote "Gobl, Gobl" on it. So cute.

She also collected oak leaves one day after school and then displayed them all over the house.

My mom made some spice cake bars with frosting on top, then had the kids decorate them with candy. I think they were supposed to end up looking like turkeys but the kids had other plans. I think they were stuck on Halloween after we made similar monster cupcakes. I heard them discussing "turkey graveyards" and "turkey zombies" as they were making these. Interesting.

Our actual Thanksgiving table setting was fairly simple. Hazel wrote everyone's names on oak leaves, we had plain white plates mixed with polkadot ones, wine glasses (the kids were so excited to drink egg nog out of these), our every day silverware and paper napkins. Not fancy by any means, but family friendly and fun.

At the last minute, I decided to put up a large sheet of newsprint where we could all write what we were thankful for. The kids loved it and insisted everyone participate!

I'm definitely thankful for those cuties, who bring so much joy into my life everyday!

The house never got perfectly cleaned or organized before guests arrived. Kid and baby toys were everywhere. Blankets and throw pillows weren't "just so" on the couches and chairs. The floors were sticky where messes had been made the day before. Books and papers were strewn about as they typically are.

Our home was lived in...and I welcomed my guests in with open arms, unashamed. Something that I often struggle with.

But that day, I was actually able to focus on what really mattered: the people who gathered around the table. The faces of those we love who were with us to celebrate, laugh, tell stories.

The younger generation teaching the older generation what they know about "old school" Nintendo.

The older generation teaching the younger what they remembered from Thanksgiving parades past.

Baby Violet being passed from relative to relative bringing a smile to each one's face.

Even though they may not be able to remember the details years from now, I hope the traditions stay in my children's hearts forever. And I know the memories will stay in mine.

I hope you were blessed the same!

Till next time...

~Alice W.

You might also enjoy:

DIY Feather Garland

Vintage Christmas Decorations

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Vintage Camera Fall Tablescape

2017-11-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

Back in October of 2010, I shared a post about a table setting that I did for our 4th wedding anniversary. Since, we are hosting Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, I am busy getting my house cleaned up, so I don't have any new content to share just yet. I thought it would be fun to pull these photos from the archives to share with you today.

I can't believe this post is now seven years old. Or that I have been blogging since 2006. Crazy! It never transferred when I made the switch from Typepad to Blogger so many of my new followers probably haven't seen it.

I reedited the photos a little bit too, just for fun. I like them better here than in the previous post. I don't even remember how I used to edit photos back then! You can read the original post over there...it was pretty sappy so I decided to leave that part in the past! Haha.

I do remember doing this though. We had just moved into our first home and had few boxes opened. I had to scrounge up what I could find to surprise my husband with the anniversary dinner that I made. We were on a tight budget, so I decided we should stay home instead of go out to a restaurant. I gathered up what I could find and made it as creative and romantic as I could.

First, I draped a lace runner on the table and then put a tray filled with old bottles in the center. I remember going out into our new yard and finding tons of Black Eyed Susans and other wildflowers to bring inside. I also collected fallen leaves to spread around the table.

I found a couple of my vintage cameras, a pair of antique opera glasses, and silver candlesticks.

I always thought the photograph below was fun...like "I spy"...a little bug on the table. I remember a few of those followed me in with the bouquet and leaves so I had to carefully examine the table before dinner to make sure they were all gone!

I hand wrote "love" on a leaf that I put near my husband's spot.

Simple. Sweet. Romantic.

I remember he was pleasantly surprised and we enjoyed that dinner. The next year, we had our baby Hazel with us and life was so different.

We celebrated our 11th anniversary on the 1st of October of this year, and are still working on settling into this home (that we purchased over the summer). We added two more babies in the past 6 years, and are working on the happily ever after part of our adventure. Life is good and we have so much to be grateful for, not only tomorrow, but every day of the year.

I pray that your Thanksgiving is blessed with good food, good time with family and friends and hearts filled with love.

Till next time...

~Alice W.

You might also enjoy:

Vintage Bohemian Fall Decor Ideas

Rustic Christmas Holiday Home Tour

Farmhouse Touches in the Dining Room

Thanksgiving Mantel + Free Printables

2017-11-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them. Full disclosure.

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching! We are hosting dinner for the first time in our new home this year, so I have been busy getting the house ready. I set up a vintage boho mantel vignette, that I wanted to share with you today, along with some free printables I made for you! I actually made these last year right before Violet was born but, then never had time to share them here. Worth the wait I hope.

I've mentioned a few times, how I plan to paint the brick of the fireplace in our den at some point, but it hasn't happened yet. We are remodeling our kitchen and removing a wall to our living room, so that is a lot to take on right before the holidays. I am still hopeful that I can get it done before I set up our Christmas mantel, but we shall see.

The focal point of this vignette, is the "Give Thanks" printable that I made. I framed it in a large white frame I found at Target, and propped it on the center. I really wanted some kind of lace shawl to drape on the mantel itself, but wasn't able to find one at any thrift stores I checked out. I opted for a winter scarf my mom gave me last year. Then added my diy feather garland that I showed you guys on Wednesday, some vintage brass pieces (all found at thrift stores), old books, a cornucopia and a stack of old books.

I love adding natural items to all of my mantel vignettes, so I cut some branches from our tree outback to fill the brass vase, added more feathers, an antler and a small white pumpkin. A faux squash, a golden pear, and a floral pick of colorful faux fruit finish it off.

At the base of the fireplace, I put my entire collection of brass candlesticks, more pumpkins, stacked wood and an African basket.

The other free printable I have for you today, is a list where you can right your blessings come Thanksgiving. I plan on printing them off and having one at each place setting for our guests.

I printed them, two to a sheet and cut them out with my paper cutter, then used my corner punch to give them a little something extra.

The table setting here was very simple, plastic rose gold chargers from Target, plain white dishes, gray linen napkins in vintage brass holders and some pheasant feathers tucked in behind.

Next to each 'Blessings' card I put a twig pencil that I found on Amazon. These are perfect for that rustic touch.

The center is filled with faux copper and brown sequin pumpkins.

If you want to print these off, simply click on the images or links below to be taken to the download page. Click the arrow down to download them to your own device, print and enjoy! I hope you like these! Please remember free printables are offered for PERSONAL USE ONLY.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD "GIVE THANKS" 8X10 PRINTABLE

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD "BLESSINGS LIST" PRINTABLE

Shop this post through my affiliate links below:

| Mantel Decor |

Vintage Wicker Cornucopia

Hammered Brass Vase

Vintage Brass Grape Candleholders

| Table Decor |

Vintage Brass Napkin Rings

Gray Linen Napkins

Have a great weekend!

Till next time...
~Alice W.

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DIY Thanksgiving Feather Garland

DIY Printable Christmas Village

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Vintage Christmas Decorations

2017-11-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them, but the cost to you does not change. Full disclosure.

I love vintage Christmas decorations. They are my favorite no matter what trend is circulating for the holiday season. I suppose it's because they remind me of my own childhood Christmases and bring back all of those warm fuzzy feelings. You know from when Christmas truly felt magical?

I remember pulling out all the ornaments my mom had collected through the years and decorating our trees with them. I like to keep that tradition alive by continuing to have vintage ornaments and decorations throughout our home for the holiday season. I even have a collection that belonged to my grandparents that are extra special to me.

Today, I have put together a nostalgic source list for vintage and vintage inspired decorations, from Etsy and Amazon, to get you inspired and maybe bring back some of your own childhood memories.

I could probably browse vintage Christmas decorations online for hours, but narrowed it down to these to share with you today. Click on the links to be taken to the item to purchase if you find something that strikes your fancy!

I have quite a few vintage elves, some that also belonged to my grandparents. Even our own "Elf on the Shelf" is a retro version. I love these bendable ornaments.

Retro Pixie Elves

I have this same exact vintage truck (although mine has more paint worn and is missing a wheel). It is perfectly set up in this photograph and creates that warm and cozy Christmas feeling! Be sure to browse this Etsy shop for even more vintage Christmas finds.

Vintage Red Metal Truck

I just recently purchased a vintage glass tree topper similar to this one and can't wait to put it on one of our trees this year! This one is absolutely beautiful.

Vintage Glass Tree Topper

In my mom's Etsy shop she has a collection of vintage Lefton Holly Berry Christmas dinnerware and this cute creamer and sugar bowl. So festive!

Vintage Christmas Holly Berry Creamer & Sugar Bowl

(check out the rest of the set here)

My grandparents had one of these light up trees and I always enjoyed it as a kid. It definitely gives me that nostalgic feeling!

Ceramic Tabletop Christmas Tree

This vintage inspired tree skirt is perfect for adding retro Christmas style. Check out the matching stockings here!

Vintage Inspired Tree Skirt

My favorite ornaments from my own childhood were just like this. I have a few now, but am always on the hunt for more.

Vintage Glass Christmas Ornaments

And who doesn't love drinking hot cocoa from a Santa mug? My kids love the ones we have and have already had it a couple of times this season on the extra cold days. The paint is worn on ours too be we love them just the same.

Set of Vintage Santa Claus Mugs

I've never actually purchased a holiday pillow, but if I were going to, it would definitely be one with vintage whimsy like this one. With my kids ages 6, 5 and 1 maybe it's time I get us a few to add to our sectional sofa this holiday.

Vintage Inspired Holiday Throw Pillow

I have a set of vintage Elves like this that spell out the word "NOEL." They were a gift from a blogging friend years ago because she said she knew I would appreciate them. I certainly do! This set is new, but has the exact same vintage style.

Retro Style Elf Figurines

And swoon....look at these gorgeous vintage ornaments! I know I would ooh and ahh at each one! A gorgeous collection of colors.

Vintage Christmas Ornaments

Vintage holiday dioramas are always very nostalgic and this one looks adorable. I need to add some more like this to our collection for sure.

Vintage Christmas Diorama Decoration

Here is a look back at some of my favorites vintage Christmas decorations from previous years. I can't wait to get the boxes out, after Thanksgiving, and go through all of these again. It's always a fun time filled with memories and making of new ones with my little family.

Do any of these remind you of your childhood and bring back that nostalgic feeling? It is one of my favorite things about the holiday season and I love sharing it with my own little ones. It's definitely a magical time of year and made all the more special reflecting on Christmases of the past.

Till next time...

~Alice W.

You might also enjoy:

Nostalgic Christmas Tree & Making Memories

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Holiday Home Tour 2015

DIY Thanksgiving Feather Garland

2017-11-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Are feathers still in? I don't even know, but I will tell you...I still like them. This kind of decoration may be so three years ago, but I decided it was the perfect thing for our Thanksgiving mantel this year.

It seems trends come and go so quickly these days, who could keep up with them all? Is social media to blame? Too much Pinterest, Facebook and Instragram in our faces, that nothing has time to linger?Ahh well. Such is the world these days, I suppose? That is why I have been making a pointed effort recently, to just do what I love and stop fretting over what's still in and what's out.

If it makes you happy or your family happy it's definitely in.

Last year, my Uncle Chris gave me several turkey and pheasant feathers along with some deer antlers and other interesting finds from nature. He knows that I like them and it makes me happy that he thinks of me. It was past Thanksgiving when he gave them to me, but I knew just what I would do with them. Today, I am sharing it with you: an easy feather garland for the mantel.

This tutorial is likely not something you haven't already seen from a plethora of other bloggers and crafty sites, but I decided to share it anyways just in case it might inspire someone else. Plus, this was an easy dive back into the crafting/diy world that I have felt a bit out of the loop of since having our baby Violet. Other than random projects with the little ones! Those seem to never stop around here. We are always making something crafty.

This one was for me though.

It was a quiet afternoon, while Hazel and Owen were at school and Violet was taking an extra long nap. I sat in our cozy chair, watched holiday movies on TV and put together this simple garland.

Here is what you will need (this post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them. Full disclosure.)

Supplies:
Large Feathers - mine are natural turkey feathers similar to these ones
Sturdy string or hemp cording - cut longer than width required for wrapping around feathers (a kind that does not easily fray or break)

Time:
About 15 - 20 minutes - depending on the number of feathers to be tied

I knew that I wanted to make this for our mantel, so I started by laying them out in front of our fireplace to see about how far they should be and what arrangement I wanted them in. I varied them with the largest near the center. It definitely doesn't have to be perfect, just what looks good to your eye as you lay them out.

I kept them in this order as I tied them. Beginning at one end, I wrapped the string around the end of the feather several times and then double knotted it.

Then, I left a few inches of string in between and tied the next feather, again looping it around several times and then double knotting it. I continued this for each one down the row. This part can get tricky if the string gets tangled, so be careful to keep it neat as you go along.

Once each feather has been added to the string, I cut off the end pieces of string to be the same length (about 12 inches) and then put it up on the mantel. I simply put the string from each end under heavy objects to keep it in place: heavy books on one side and a brass vase of branches on the other. So easy!

Once the garland was in place, I was able to adjust any of the feathers that had turned backwards or sideways during the tying phase and have them all hang straight.

I finished decorating our mantel for Thanksgiving and framed a printable I made last year, that I will be sharing with you later this week. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and will consider sharing on social media if so! Also, be sure to subscribe above so you never miss out on a new post!

Till next time...

~Alice W.

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Rustic Boho Twig Ornaments

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and just like that, Violet turned one

2017-11-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, our sweet little baby Violet turned one year old! This past year seems to have flown by, and we couldn't imagine life without her. She has brought so much happiness and laughter to our family.

Her older siblings are smitten with her and dote on her constantly. It is the sweetest to watch. Even Owen, who was sure he wasn't ever going to like her and "didn't even know why we were having a baby since he didn't want one."

He is over the moon for this little girl now. As we all are...

Seems like just yesterday, that I was driving out to Buffalo to pick up a bassinet for the little girl we were expecting and making room for her in our tiny master bedroom.

Unfortunately, that super cool bassinet didn't work out for too long...only the first few months and I think I only got one or two photos of her actually in it! The newborn phase is so different than preparing for a baby. You have so many hopes and plans and ideas and pretty much they all go out the window and you just go into survival mode when the baby finally arrives.

Thankfully, Violet has been a relatively easy baby and I was able to "survive" a lot better than after the other two. If you don't know my story, I had terrible PPD after Hazel was born and then again only not as extreme after we had Owen. I had maybe a few days of weepiness after Violet was born, but bounced back to my old self much better. I visit my doctor twice a year and continue the same treatment as I have and things are good. I don't like to get into the details of all of that, but encourage anyone struggling with PPD or any type of depression to seek help immediately. Don't wait. It is not worth the lost days and there really can be joy on the other side. I am living proof.

I won't say this year has been easy by any means. Having three kids, is a lot of work I have found and I am more tired than ever, but I also find myself a lot more calm, relaxed and able to enjoy life than I did when Hazel and Owen were babies. Everything seemed so high stress then, but not so anymore.

Part of the relief has been in purchasing our second home and moving out of our very cramped quarters back in Mumford. I do miss the town and community immensely but would never be able to go back to such a small amount of space for the five of us. It is so nice to have room to spread out and arrange things as I want and have kids toys in places where everyone is not constantly tripping over them. Trivial things like closets and a garage really make a big difference when you have lots of people in your home!

So life is very good these days and I have honestly enjoyed every minute of having this precious new life with us this past year. She fills my days with light and love and laughter and I am so happy and proud to be her mom.

When she looks up at me with those blue eyes and reaches her hands for me, there is nothing sweeter. My heart melts every single time.

I love spending my days caring for her and waiting for my other two to get home from school. We walk together to the bus stop every day and Violet's eyes light up when she sees them hop off. As do theirs when they see her.

They have cute nicknames for her like "Vi" and "ViVi" and some odd ones like "Babes" and "Bebsin" (Owen came up with both of those...pretty sure the second is some kind of longer variation of the first. Somehow it caught on and we have all called her that from time to time.)

She has been crawling for awhile and is now standing up along the ottomans and the sofa.

She can climb up a few stairs on her own and says words like "Mama" "Dada" "Boo" and just recently "Hi!"

She makes the silliest faces, upon request, and gets us all cracking up with laughter at the dinner table.

Her first tooth just popped up a couple of weeks ago and her hair is just starting to get more noticeable after many months of being "balbed" as Owen called.

We celebrated with our immediate family at home...a small intimate party with homemade decorations and a store bought carrot cake. It was simple, but enjoyable for everyone, especially Violet who enjoyed looking at the decorations (we had lots of purple streamers and balloons at Hazel's request), being passed from grandma to grandma and aunt to aunt, and eating her first bites of carrot cake. Which she loved.

Hazel and Owen drew characters she likes (based on smiles she gives when she hears the theme songs on PBS)...Curious George and Daniel Tiger. Hazel drew a "Happe Birthday" sign with a row of Violet flowers and Grandma made a fun jute banner (that I plan on using to decorate with in her bedroom).

It was the simplest birthday party I have ever done, and almost made me feel bad that I didn't put as much "effort" into it, as I did with the other two on their first birthday's. But, honestly, I was able to be with her on her birthday and not running about playing hostess, stressing over this or that or the other thing.

So I think it was the best gift I could give her: me.

I am a bit sad that her first year has come and gone, especially looking back at those newborn photos. How quickly they change. A blink. Another one and she'll be two and then three and then....sigh.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to raise these beautiful children and watch all of their milestones. I know I am right where God has put me, so I also rest in that fact even though the years are fleeting. I am so thankful for each day! I pray the same for you whatever season of life you find yourself in.

Till next time...

~Alice W.

Life with Violet

Making Room for Baby in a Small Space

Wildflower Bohemian Baby Inspiration

Bohemian Bedroom Ideas

2017-11-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

This post contains some affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them, but the cost to you does not change. Full disclosure.

Today, I have lots of bohemian bedroom ideas to share with you! I am constantly scouring Pinterest, blogs and retail sites for bedroom inspiration, so today, I put together a collection of various styles all with a boho vibe. My personal style aligns with spaces that are neutral, vintage, midcentury, and eclectic. But whenever I see the use of bold colors or sparkles of glam, I am immediately drawn in. I have included some of those here as well.

I just recently got our new master bedroom settled, which really started to make this new house feel like home. I still have work to do to finish the space, but I love walking in here now. If you missed it, you can check it out here.

For this room, I chose to go with family heirlooms, vintage finds mixed with new decor and an array of textures like chenille, faux fur and kilim pillows and rug. The colors are neutral with muted shades of pink and beige. The light colors are off set by the dark furniture. I have pieces in here that belonged to my mother and grandmother, family photos, plants and my ever growing collection of jewelry (I might be a jewelry hoarder). I love how it is coming together!

| Neutral Boho Bedroom Inspiration |

This space above is our bedroom in our previous home. You can see many of the same elements in our new room, but we have a lot more space now.

Now for more bedroom inspiration found across the web. I will let the photos speak for themselves to inspire you! Click on the links below each photo to be taken to the original source.

via Bigger Than the Three of Us

via Cassie Bustamante

via Anthropologie

via Urban Outfitters

| Colorful Boho Bedroom Inspiration |

via Far Above Rubies

via Target

via A Designer at Home

via Cassie Bustamante

via Anthropologie

| Boho Glam Bedroom Inspiration |

via Swoon Worthy

via Bed Bath & Beyond

via Suburban Faux Pas | Wayfair

I hope you enjoyed this collection of bohemian bedroom inspiration. I can't wait to share more from my own space as we make further progress. Click here to see more bedrooms that are inspiring me on Pinterest! Have a great weekend!

Till next time...

~Alice W.

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Creative Gifts for Little Ones: to spark their imagination

2017-11-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

I have partnered with UncommonGoods for this post. All expressed opinions are 100% my own. Full disclosure.

Several years ago I received an UncommonGoods catalog in the mail and loved the quirky, creative and different offerings they had. I had never seen anything like it at the time. Even though this was probably more than 15 years ago, they are still an awesome source for creative gifts for family and friends. I especially love their gifts for babies and children, which is where you can find all of the gifts featured here.

This year, I want to get back to a simpler idea of gift giving: handmade, thoughtful, creative. And especially for my children, find gifts that spark their imagination. I also love giving gifts that not everyone else will have and buying from companies that support independent artists, as opposed to one stop shopping at a big box store.

(Shown above: Loog Guitar//Yarn Unicorn Kit//Log Cabin Construction Kit//Space Pod Playhouse//Fairy Kit//WatchamaDRAWit Game)

Both of my older children are very creative and have wild imaginations. I love that. It makes me so happy to see their creative ideas whether it be drawing out a story that popped into their heads, playing in a rock band making up their own songs, pretending to fly with Martians through outer space, or making tiny little dwellings and clothing for fairies. Our house is chock full of creativity, so this Christmas, I want only to add gifts that inspire and ignite that passion in them even further.

UncommonGoods has something for everyone...even those hard to please teenagers. I'm glad mine are still little and I don't have to cross that bridge yet. Although, they do tell me everyday how much older and taller they are getting...sniff sniff. So true. But they are still only five and six so I am gonna soak up every second I have this holiday season. And it's technically Baby Violet's second Christmas but she was only a month old last year. With her turning one next week, it is sure to be full of wonder and awe for her!

So, how about you? Have you started holiday shopping yet? I am determined to not wait too long this year and have it become a sense of anxiety and pressure. I want to be free to enjoy the season with family...especially my husband and little ones free from the stress and full of the love and spirit of giving.

Till next time...

~Alice W.

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tis' the season for holiday card prep