Category Archives: decorating

Mar9

Just a little tease

Posted on Sunday, March 9, 2008 by Dianne

It’s been a long day. We didn’t get moving until 1 to get my mom and grab the 2:17 train to the city. I know, it’s a late start. Daylight savings messed with our sleep a bit. The flower show was on until 6 anyway. I think if the four of us go on a Sunday again, we should eat a big lunch and then go. We ate a big breakfast, grabbed a pretzel and nachos at the adjoining mall as a snack and then walked the walk, though mom was in a rented wheelchair. We always manage to miss something. I heard a woman say she loved the bayou with the steam. Well, we didn’t see that, yet Brian saw a photo of the exhibit on flickr. I shouldn’t complain as I took over 100 photos and did a video too! I haven’t uploaded or edited the video yet, but will tomorrow. However, here are some of my favorite people and some broad in beat up pink sneakers. : )

It was nice to have my guys along. Here’s the inside of the train on the 35 minute trip to the city. It takes us 45-55 minutes just to get to mom’s house first.

The guys took turns pushing mom around and helping her take photos. At the end, she ditched the wheelchair and walked around to see if she got to see everything!

Did I mention the theme was New Orleans?

I don’t wear sneaks a lot, but I had to today with all the walking we did. I know my ankle boots would look so much better, but it was comfort over looks here! I saw a young woman go in the show in about 3″ spike heels-she’s crazy! I am at least wearing my new glasses. This exhibit had lights pointing down (see the foot marks) so you could stand under the exhibit. Bri didn’t get he was suppose to take a shot of what was over my head along with me! But I am standing in the wrong direction too!

And for Zoey, our friendly blogger tablescaper:

This was a hot pink mylar like rug!

and this too:

Plastic or paper lights and tons of orchids. The other tablescape will be on my slideshow that I’ll put together later.

We went to Carrabbas Italian restaurant when we got back to mom’s area and enjoyed a nice dinner there. I guess I’m glad I went. I just love using that camera so much, but I like spending time with my family the best!

Mar2

Snaps around the house

Posted on Sunday, March 2, 2008 by Dianne

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I call this the candy cane Amaryllis. I received it for Christmas from Brian and it finally bloomed! It has two stalks and 6 flowers each, though only one stalk just started to bloom.

This is a cute little ceramic piece-birds sitting along a dish which looks vintage, but it’s not (Big Lots). I just but these pretty eggs in the dish part for the time being.

Brian gave me this cloche for Christmas plus the crystal egg underneath another time!

I was browsing some old photos online and loved this one. The phrase ‘don’t throw the baby out with the bath water‘ came to mind, so I used it! (most of the words)

An ATC I made for my friend’s dad featuring a Red-breasted Nuthatch. It’s from a 62 year old Audubon bird book.

I thank another friend for sending some awesome papers which have truly inspired me! (background below). Thanks J!

Feb28

It’s too darn cold!

Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 by Dianne

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I was just telling Barbara on her blog that I faced the cold today-26 degrees and colder with the windchill factored in. Carole in Ontario probably thinks that’s balmy. I had to get some groceries in here and take a blouse back. And mail bills off. It’s hard buying food for two instead of three. I make too much and it’s not a pleasant task unless I’m going to Trader Joe’s, but that’s not often. Too far away. We have an empty grocery store here now as the Acme closed down the road. They built a new one near the hub of my town. Come on Trader Joe’s!

Brian just got his blood test results back and his cholesterol is high. His blood sugar was 106. He immediately says he’s not taking meds for it. The doctor didn’t call him or anything. The first thing he needs to do is some kind of exercise. He has a few pieces of equipment in the basement to use, but they are gathering dust. He has bad knees, but his extra weight isn’t helping. I have extra weight too, so now I’m nervous to get bloodwork checked out. I cook with olive oil, we eat a lot of ground turkey, hardly any red meat. Today my back is bothering me from sitting on the living room floor and bending down to put the snowbaby decorations away. I am pleased to say that nests and eggs, and a paper mache bunny or two are making there way into the living room to welcome spring!
I got a used electronic postage scale for a good price from eBay and it’s not working. Won’t weigh a darn thing! The seller is going to see if the part she thinks she needs (called company) is cheaper than what I paid for it. If I had known it was 4 years old, I would have passed on it, good price and all. She’s telling me I should have purchased insurance, but in the paypal check out, she didn’t have it as an add on-option. The box she used barely fit the postal scale box! That surely didn’t help. Hope I’m not out almost $20. : (

Off to watch my Thursday shows and do a little stitching on-you guessed it-the zebra!

Dec18

Christmas 1984

Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 by Dianne

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This was our first Christmas tree as a married couple 23 years ago. We lived in a second floor apartment and didn’t have any ornaments or that many decorations. I bought this little Norfolk pine and made the best of it. The teak tea cart was a wedding gift from my cousin who owned ‘Dane Decor’ (her children still do) and we still have it in our dining room. We also still have the framed house blessing (also a gift).I have little red hearts as some of the ornaments. Below is my grandfather’s creche. I see I have some Holly Hobbie paper ornaments strung under the window. I crocheted the little stocking when I was about 19 and it’s in a middle of a garland this year! I believe my in-laws gave me the nutcrackers. I haven’t had them out for a while. By the way, I made those iris curtains which went well with our cinnamon color sofa (that was one of the best sofas to nap on unlike the red monster we have now).

Dec17

Christmas Tour of Homes 2007

Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 by Dianne

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Merry Christmas and welcome to my little corner of Pennsylvania! All the photos are ‘labeled’ so enjoy a peek around my home. My husband and I both took the photos here. I may add more! Thanks Boo Mama for hosting this again! Check out the post under this one for some free stuff!

A late add, but here’s a yummy bar cookie!
Rum Raisin Cheesecake squares
(I can’t find the book I used, so copied it from a group I’m in-from a post from last year!)
1/3 cup butter or margarine softened
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 Tablespoons rum (or extract)
1/2 cup raisins (I used golden raisins)
To make th crust-cream together the butter and brown sugar, stir in the flour, and add the nuts. Press into an 8-or 9-inch square pan., reserving some of the crumbs to use as a topping. Bake in 350 deg oven for 10-12 minutes. Cool.
With a mixer beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the sugar, egg and rum, beat well. Then stir in the raisins. Spread the mixture over the cooked crust, then sprinkle with the remaining crumbs. Bake in a 350 oven for 20-25 minutes.
Makes 9-12 servings.

Dec16

Lights at night

Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 by Dianne

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After doing some carpet deep cleaning (not finished) the family room yet), I almost fell asleep watching a paranormal show on A&E that Sean told us about. It’s called ‘Paranormal State‘ and the main guy and his team are from PSU where Sean attends. I’ll have to read up more about it. Then the repeat of the Longwood Gardens special came on and I had to see that. The local news people have a yearly show there now and I wanted to see the new children’s garden which looks so cute-jumping water, steam, etc. I have until the 27th to go for free and I wonder who will want to go this year?

I added both multi-colored lights and white lights to the hedges that run along the front of out house. The colors are like the icing on a white cake. Bri thinks my window box needs lights too-since he cut the greens for me he wants it fixed up better.

We hit the grocery store and I bought the rest of my cookie baking supplies. I also bought some pot roasts for Christmas dinner. Everyone loves my pot roast and it’s easy to make. I like spiral cut ham, but Sean doesn’t.

We ran in Big Lots to look around and I found a nice size gold wicker sleigh! My pal Zoey (Perennial Passion) has a green one with a Christmas tree in it and I liked the idea. I’ll get that together tomorrow. I can’t believe I’m still decorating (and cleaning). I hope the weather isn’t too bad tomorrow as we still have tons to do. I hope my doctor wouldn’t be mad that I am doing all this extra curricular activity as I’m still healing and I am of course, a left sided person (not just left handed).

Carole, I’ll try and do that meme soon, hope I can think of 12 things. : )

Have a great Sunday!

Dec12

Internet shopping

Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 by Dianne

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Today I decided to place orders at only two different places. I logged on about 11:30 and just got off (over 4 hours)! The first one had free shipping and I really looked around the site a while. Bri came home and I minimized my order so he could look online for a half hour or so. I would get up, do things and come back. The second place was Walmart. I had trouble with my order and had to call up. I waited close to 20 minutes and then the man on the other end said I should call back, but after 20 minutes of waiting already, I told him to give my order a try and it went through. I can’t say what I got, but they are two surprises. I am laid up a bit today as mother nature or hormones played a nasty trick on me with something what was suppose arrive a week later than today. Oy! I was glad to sit, but the waiting was ridiculous!

Now I haven’t seen my mom in over 3 weeks. I hope Friday will be a good day to go down. She is having car issues, so can’t come out here.

I am still decorating and making things in spurts. My calendar is laying on the dining room table to try to get finished tonight. I want to display it. I also glitter sprayed the poinsettias for my mom and uncle and they look pretty!
I was roaming around really lovely blogs last night, one of which was Artsy Mama in my blog roll. She was in an open house and showed her own holiday creative touches in her sweet home. I think she is the one with the printer’s shelf that she is putting tiny Christmas things into it’s compartments. I have one and I should do the same thing. What a cute idea. I love my vintage stuff too.

Still need to do a little sewing before I start baking. I hope I won’t be burning the midnight oil too many times next week.

The Oprah show with her favorite things is one right now. I hope everyone has a strong heart they are carrying on so much-lucky them!

Dec11

Lots of red and Cardinals

Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 by Dianne

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I was looking through a catalog and saw a Cardinal tree wreath and decided to copy it the best I could. I’m sure there is grapevine that is shaped like a tree somewhere, but I bought artificial garland greens and shaped it myself. I just don’t know what to use for the base of the tree. I think mine is smaller, but for $10-12 instead of $40, I think it looks pretty. I even added ‘something else’ that I will show you on the 17th!

My inspiration:

Here’s the tree! I am saving the one that shows the lights better for the blogger tour of homes on the 17th. Mind you, I am still cleaning as I go. I think there are always books in any of my room shots lately. The golds beads in a few areas are antique.

Here is a close up of a swirly ornament.

I went shopping by myself today and got Bri’s big gift. I had a 20% off coupon for Bed, Bath and Beyond. I also got something my mom asked for and got Sean one too. I then went to Michaels and bought the things for the wreath and some more items my mom needed for her decorating. They had gorgeous artificial poinsettias for only $5 (see above). I thought they had glitter on them, so called mom and she said to get them for her and my uncle. The only thing is, the glitter was from other greenery. I did buy a can of glitter to give them a spray before I give them to her.
My last stop was World Market for stocking goodies. I got some more Christmas crackers, but smaller ones like I gave my niece and nephew last year. They were fun to pull and hear pop-and you get a prize! So I had a busy afternoon. I cashed in coins to the tune of $64-so I got two gifts with that! Gotta love that spare change at this time of year!
I’m finding it a little difficult on my sore spot with the seatbelt across that area-it’s tender.
And Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law Mary Anne! I called to wish her a good one and she had her mom making dinner for her while they waited on my nephew and her niece.

Dec11

Just a few retro Christmas shots

Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 by Dianne

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Of some celebrities-these can be found on Corbis.com

1929-Buddy Rogers (married to Mary Pickford) and Mary Brian, well known in the 30s-40s. I love her gown!

The Dionne Quints from the 193os

One of my mom’s favorites, Robert Sterling and his wife Anne Jeffries. Mom learned that he passed on a few years ago from shingles complications. She had shingles, so she knew somewhat of how it would bother an elderly man.

The tree decorations are up! I used ornaments I haven’t used for a few years. I also got my feather tree up and have mostly handmade ornaments on it. Still not ready for photos yet and I’ll probably go shopping tomorrow. I will probably participant in Boo Mama’s web house tour on the 17th. I can do a lot in a week!

Oct10

Some autumnal decor

Posted on Wednesday, October 10, 2007 by Dianne

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I had to take a lot of stuff off here to add a lot of stuff!That’s a mirror I have had there for ages. I like the look of mirrors over fireplaces. I took down the mantel clock. I didn’t want to have any blue glass at all, it just didn’t look right. I keep the little lanterns up all the time, but added the floral garland. I decided to break up the trio of mosaics I had on the dining room table, just too big. So, two went on the mantel with the cornucopia and some Halloween decor. For Thankgiving, I’ll take down the Haunted house and pumpkin guys.