Category Archives: decorating

Oct20

Fall clean-up

Posted on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 by Dianne

Milkweed seeds, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

Today I decided to dig up the Ornamental grass that had taken over my Lily garden. I ‘dislike’ forgetting to do things. I don’t know what happened last fall, but the one plant I had kept didn’t get it’s seed heads snipped and there were at least a dozen or more grasses everywhere in this bed. I still did keep one plant, but off came the seed heads!

Since I was all ‘worked up’, I went around back and tackled the Butterfly bush. Another shrub which was either not cut back enough or ignored. This was a job and a half! It took me a good 45 minutes to trim. I left an almost full garden cart for Brian who needs to empty it as I can’t lift it (with the grasses). I just left the big pile of branches from the Butterfly bush.

I also planted two pinkish-purple mums and 6 yellow pansies and dug up a Flowering maple plant. I am still packing up stuff to store-now I know why it takes me weeks to get it right as I have so much put out. I am sore, but glad I got done more in the yard.
Isn’t that a neat photo of the Milkweed above? I should cut most of those seed heads off too. Nature sure knows how to regenerate well!

Burning bush

Down the front path

Behind the house

Witchy pal from the Christmas Tree Shops.

Sep29

Flower head and fun finds

Posted on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 by Dianne

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Flower head 4" x 4" collage, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

I told Bri I was going to find my collage piece out of my box of scraps. I had scanned the perfume ad from an advertising book of my mom’s. Someone made me the paper on her right. I just filled in the rest with similar colors and interesting shapes.

Today I ran some errands and also gave the van a little workout to see how the transmission is holding up. My mechanic brother told me it had a leak way underneath. I drove about 30 miles today and it was ok, though runs a bit rough. I went to the TD Bank and cashed in coins. I guessed within a $1.99 and won a small prize of chapstick. I know that our little can in the kitchen holds between $50-55 and I took out $5 for the kitty. Then I dropped off stuff at the Goodwill. I just can’t seem to get up energy for a yard sale this year. Maybe in the spring. I drove to the thrift store about 10 miles away and found some goodies!
Here are two:

The mushrooms flanking the fabric pumpkin (which I found in a bag in the basement!).
This pretty light aqua candy dish (guess I have a collection now!)

These itty bitty Salt and Pepper shakers:

And these awesome shot glasses and I think highball glasses for 33 cents each.

I need to tidy up my table again and add these! I plan to use the shot glasses for soup or dessert which seems to be all the vogue now.
Tomorrow it is going to rain like crazy-I canceled my dental appointment. I want to start to switch my summer clothes out as I am running out of clothes to wear and I won’t be doing tank tops anymore.
Hoping to stay safe and dry and wish my guys could too.
And how cute is this collage of my Sean at 7 months?

I remember he had just started to sit up and was so proud of himself. He had the biggest toothless smile. : )

Sep20

Great buys

Posted on Monday, September 20, 2010 by Dianne

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New wreath in the family room, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

Here is the wreath I got in Lancaster-it fit perfectly in that spot next to the handmade wooden flowers my brother gave me. This is behind my red sofa.

This is the little S’mores house, tree and ornaments. I have a few bigger ones too!
That’s my niece there and some snowglobes-I didn’t arrange things before I took the photo.

Sep14

Keep Life Simple and some Autumnal decor

Posted on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 by Dianne

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Keep Life Simple 4" x 4" Collage, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

As usual, when I tidy up my papers, I get some ideas for my collages. I had recently clipped a tourist guide for Ireland and saved the awesome cliff and ocean photo. Not knowing what to do next, I happened upon a postcard booklet of Gustav Dore and chose this lady who looked like she was looking over the cliff. I picked ‘Keep Life Simple’ as she was enjoying the view over the cliff. I found out I used an engraving with ‘purgatory’ in the name! No, this doesn’t now change the meaning of the card!
Also, here is my dining room table with some new things added. I got out my table cloth with the autumn colors. I had bought the new cloth napkins from a flea market and they are from Anthropolgie, as are the mushroom s&p that Brian gave me a few years ago. The sandwich plates and pine cone bowls are from The Christmas Tree Shoppe-$1.99 each and they are nicely made. Bri gave me some flowers yesterday and I added them to an acorn lidded piece. The fireplace has some sunflowers across it, but I’m still working on it. Please ignore the messiness in the sofa area, things are being sorted out to put away. I’ll miss the summer seashells and things.

Sean and I will hopefully take my mom somewhere for an early birthday gift, though he is having a lot to say about the place in Lancaster with the craft warehouse. He took off from work as he thought we were headed to the beach, but that’s a long drive. Hope he thinks about what his grandmom would like first and not himself.

Jul19

Ruby Daylily

Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 by Dianne

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Ruby Daylily, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

I only have about 4 different Daylilies left in this area. After they stop blooming there are only a few things of interest in this massive bed-some ornamental grass, a few plants I added on the perimeter and a big pot of annuals.
Just Saturday night I added about a dozen nasturtium seeds in a few places in other gardens. The ones I planted earlier aren’t doing that great. It’s interesting to see what flowers like this kind of weather. The roses loved it and are just getting black spot from too much humidity.
Speaking of humidity, you could cut the air with a knife. You go outside for 5 minutes and your skin is glistening with sweat. I don’t sweat a lot, but I sure have this summer! It runs straight down the back of my head. I have taken to wearing little pig tails and a headband.
Still gathering stuff from the basement. I still think the dust is getting to me. I forget even though I have my nose covered, my eyes aren’t (I don’t wear my glasses much around the house) and the dust gets on my clothes.
We just got new hall runners from K*mart. They are by Jaclyn Smith and are brown and blue with brown swirls. I haven’t had new rugs there for many years.
I’m also doing some art projects in between.

Dec11

More Decor

Posted on Friday, December 11, 2009 by Dianne

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Mantel in low light, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

I decorated the mantel and front window. I only got around to taking a few photos of what is on the mantel. I’m not quite finished my sofa table. The tree in up but not decorated.
The manger scene was my grandfather’s and I haven’t put it up for a while. Thought I would as I’m more into vintage pieces and it’s safe up there on the mantel. I repaired and painted this before I was married, so it’s still holding up after I did that about 26 or so years later.

Dec9

A little decorating underway

Posted on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 by Dianne

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Feather tree in family room, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

Wow-I haven’t blogged since last Friday?!
Well I’ve busy! My brother moved on Saturday-in the rain and then snow. We were asked to finish cleaning out one bedroom. Bri and Sean moved an entertainment center, an end table and the top of a hutch (yep in a small bedroom) while I gathered up what was left. I wiped down the windowsills, helped mom clean the floors and moved what wasn’t too heavy. My brother wasn’t finally all moved in until Sunday night. He brought a Dalmation and a tuxedo kitty with him. Now there are 3 pets in the house. Mom’s been cooking a bit again too. The kitty went missing for a day and he was under a bed in a room next to my mom’s. They have a lot to go through and some appliances need fixing too.
Sean and I have been shopping too. I do most of my shopping online, but go to the nearby store to pick out clothes for my niece and nephew. I got some great prices! Also got myself two pairs of corduroys for $8.40 each and they fit perfectly!
We went to Delaware yesterday for the boring gifts-lol. Today the oven got fixed. We are questioning why they stuck $20 to the bill when they were getting like $144 for the labor. They guy was here 10 minutes. Same place that I had bank issues with as the tech ran my debit card through 3 times. Today I wrote a check! Hope we get that back.
I’m cleaning up the area for the tree that we will put up on Friday. The little feather tree is the same on I have put in our family room for a few years. Hope to make at least one ornament to add. I have one I started last year. I know stitchers who have enough ornaments for a big tree! I am decorating the fireplace mantel with my grandfather Alan’s manger set. I think it’s at least 60 years old. On the other side is my collection of nutcrackers. I just added a new small one to the collection. A few of the older ones needed a little gluing! Brian’s late mom gave most of them to us. I’ll be doing more decorating tomorrow-stay tuned!
And good luck to Sean on his interview tomorrow. It may be an internship, but let’s hope it pays.

Oct7

Doing some spooky decorating

Posted on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 by Dianne

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Other paper mache Halloween things of mantel, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

Here’s a peek at my mantel-not sure if everything is where I want it. I have a nice collection of ‘new’ paper mache figures that are so neat to look at-lots of black cats! I have Halloween lights strung on the mantel in shades of orange, green and purple.

I just found this owl trio at Tuesday Morning. There are mirrored mosaics all over them that catch the light.

Here’s a link to last year’s decorating. I’m not quite there yet!
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Quick question-anyone ever have a mouth ulcer or lesion on the underside of your tongue? I kinda remember biting it, but now I have a 1/4″ oval lesion that looks like a sore that lost it’s scab-white around the edge. It bothered me last Friday, but I’ve been using either peroxide or a mouth rinse, so it’s not painful. I think I’ll have to get medicine for it meaning I have to go to the dentist. They need to make sure my teeth on the bottom left aren’t hitting my tongue there. It is having a hard time healing.
Update-Thanks to Julia for your suggestion. I do eat a lot of yogurt and take Acidophilus frequently. I just never had a sore under my tongue which concerns me. I found some Peroxdyl (sp), so I will rinse with that. It does look somewhat better today.

Sep22

Down my garden path

Posted on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 by Dianne

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It’s a tight squeeze-

(ironically, this is the last photo I took today! You are seeing mums and hearty begonias that come up every year).
Watch your step through the bombardment of Chestnut burrs (quite sticky-ouch) and see the little sprouts of arugula, spinach, radishes and lettuce. The beets seem to be taking their time, but the rest were up in less than a week!

The nasturtiums are all over the various gardens providing a nice show and bow out for the end of the season:

I’ve seen many more bees than butterflies this year

I always plant Zinnias in memory of my Grandmom Ruth. Here is a pretty peach:

Some house painting is going on-just the overhangs. It’s a bit lighter, so that may be incentive to paint the rest of it in the future!

The Gnomes have plenty of hiding places:

Always remember to have a happy

And back inside-starting to decorate for the Autumn and then I’ll add some Halloween decor to that (not all the summer stuff is off the window area. The hydrangeas are from outside):

Happy Fall, y’all!

Sep12

Photo Hunt-Electric

Posted on Saturday, September 12, 2009 by Dianne

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Landscape with changing lights-purple, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

There are so many neat ways to use lights and of course you need ELECTRIC to run them all. This display of trees went from about 4-5 different colors-purple, green, blue….can you just imagine having that in your own yard? This was the 2009 Philly Flower Show-no tripod, but I like these.