Here it is, Christmas Eve and I am finally getting around to sharing my Christmas decor. Get ready for picture overload. I haven't crammed like this since the night before a big exam in college!

This is my kitchen window, the focal point of the room. Can you believe that doll house?! While I was visiting my Great Aunt Sarah this past spring I went on a treasure hunt in her attic. My cousin Cynthia and I found her doll house from the 1940's and she gave it to Lilly! I also came across a box of felt sequin and embroidered ornaments and light switch covers Cynthia had handmade in the 70's. I fell in love with them. I hung them on the garland all around the window. (Cynthia, if you are reading this, thank you for all of your pretties, love you) The large bottle brush candy canes are from Marshalls this year.

A favorite corner in my kitchen

This wreath was my grandmothers and means so much to me. She hung it in her home every Christmas that I can remember. The fruit was originally on a foam wreath form but through the years so much of the fruit had crumbled that this year I finally carefully removed all of the fruit and attached it to a green wreath. I hope this will help preserve it for many more years to come. I love this guy vintage handmade frosty found at a thrift store years ago Anthropologie cupcake ornaments backed with a vintage tin plate my vintage Christmas apron collection makes me smile :) vintage Christmas pin cushions even my terrarium is decked out with a cute little vintage deer and pine trees This little tree sits by my side of the couch where I read and watch television. I love the little stockings crocheted by my husband's grandmother! I made the little skiers a couple of years ago based on these. you can find the tutorial for the aged chenille stem candy canes here some of my favorite vintage Christmas cards I adore this onewould you believe I bought this awesome Santa at Walmart 4 years ago! I love how he looks framed by my book page wreath. This is definitely one of my favorite spots in the house right now. I made the "Merry Christmas" garland years ago. I modeled it after one I saw at Anthropologie but put my own twist on it. Those cute pink mittens were a recent garage sale find. My vintage nativity looks so pretty with candles lit in mercury glass votives at night. Perhaps my all time favorite Anthropologie ornament a winter wonderland on my vintage plant stand This is such a cozy spot and look at these two faces!! LOVEI think I could leave these decorations up all year and never tire of them. I'm sad I have to pack them all away soon :( Tomorrow I will reveal our tree. We put up a real tree this year and I have enjoyed it so much! There is nothing like a live tree at Christmas.

I hope you all enjoy your Christmas Eve! May it be a magical one. xoxo, Molly

Ung Drill Frame Update

Last year I posted my Ung Drill Frame "Initial Art". Well, I loved how it came out but I decided that I was ready to move on from the bright pink and green shortly after I hung it in our guest room bed. I LOVE bright pink and green but I couldn't really "live" with it in my house, sooo I decided to give the frame a new look. Last summer I appliqued and embroidered a "shabby chic ship". This afternoon I painted the frame in Krylon "ballet slipper pink" and framed my ship. I hung it over the bed in the guest bedrrom/craft room (which I have been working on for a couple of weeks now, will show you the rest of the room soon) and I am soooooooooooo happy with it. I don't think I'll be changing it any time soon :)

Dreamy Bed

Lilly saw a bed with a net over it in one of my decorating magazine and said she wanted one over her bed. We headed to Ikea and picked one up a couple of weeks ago. I made a banner to hang over it. I think her bed looks like a sweet dream!

Spring Sideboard and A New Fashion Obsession

I dressed up my sideboard this morning and thought I would share. I got that lace tablecloth at an antique shop in Mt Dora. I love it! The china is my grandmother's wedding china she just it handed down to me. It is so lovely. I am using it for Easter dinner this year.

I also wanted to share my latest clothing obsession. I found this beautiful top yesterday at Forever 21 for only $19.80! It is one of my all time favorite shirts. I don't usually buy multiples of clothes, but I think I have to buy another one just to have a backup replacement in case one gets a hole or stain. The picture below doesn't give it justice. It really looks like a vintage blouse. I can't wait to wear it to church with some of my favorite floral skirts and some pearls. Have a great weekend! Love, Molly

Thrift Store Vase Revamp

I have been wanting something on my dining room table for months. I think it has been bare since Easter. I went scavenging in the garage and found a vase my Mom had given me a while back. She picked it up at a thrift store. I transformed it this morning and now my dining table is finally dressed for summer.

This was the vase before the make-over...

I spray painted it cream... Then I used an antiquing medium and rubbed it on the vase with a soft cloth to give it an aged look. It took me less than an hour to do and I am so happy with the results...and don't the hydrangeas look real? I bought them at Michael's a couple of weeks ago 70% off!

Inspiring Coastal Spaces

Here are some beautiful spaces I found over at Coastal Living Magazine's website. They took my breath away. I was gasping and shrieking when I saw them. I want to live in all of them...NOW!

Initial Art

A few posts ago I mentioned that I have been working on giving my guest room/sewing room an update. The inspiration for the room came from my love of Lilly Pulitzer and my love of pink and green. My starting point was a pair of vintage pillow cases I picked up a few years ago at a thrift store (you can see part of them in the photo above). I finished the art over the bed last week and I wanted to show you. I bought the Ung Drill frame from Ikea. It was originally black but I used Krylon white spray primer to cover it and then I painted it with Krylon indoor/outdoor spray paint in "watermelon". I love that pink! Next, I removed the glass, and covered the cardboard frame backing with an adorable Amy Butler fabric. I picked up a wooden initial from Hobby Lobby and used more spray adhesive to cover it with pink card stock (I sprayed the letter, laid it onto the pink paper then used an exacto knife to trim around the letter (you could also paint it, I just liked the look of the paper). Finally, I affixed the letter to the frame with hot glue.

I can't wait to finish the room and share the results.

I hope you all are having a wonderful week. ~Molly

The "Goldilocks" Bed

Lilly has a new big girl bed! She picked it out herself at Ikea last week (I was so happy that she picked my favorite bed there...whew!) As soon as she saw it she jumped in it and said "Mommy, it's Goldilocks's bed!" While she was away at Maw Maw's house for a couple of days last weekend, Daddy and I decided to get it for her and put it together as a surprise. When she came home we took her to her room and she had this huge smile on her face and she ran and cuddled in it. It was priceless. She said "Thank you so much. I appreciate it." Of course later that night when it was time to go to sleep she tried to rebel and said "You and Daddy did a bad job putting this together. I want to sleep in your bed." Happy to report though she did sleep in her new bed after all :) Another new addition to her room is this Cinderella garland I made and hung above her bed. I found a vintage Disney Cinderella book at a thrift store a while ago and had been wanting do make her something with it. If you are a Disney memorabilia fan and you are cringing that I cut up an old book, don't worry the cover was ripped off and some of the pages had writing on them so I didn't have any guilt hacking into it. I picked illustrations that show main parts of the story and I mounted them onto card stock to give them durability. Then I punched two holes in the top and strung them up with pink velvet ribbon. Lilly loves it. For the last year we have had to read Cinderella to Lilly every night before bed so it is really special to her. She sits in her bed and points to each picture and retells the story. I love when she loves something I make for her.

Besides Lilly's room, I have been doing some redecorating projects in my guest/sewing/craft room. Can't wait to share soon. ~Molly

A Look Back

I went back and looked at some pictures from Easter at our house last year. I wasn't blogging then so I thought I would post some pictures to share with you. This is the centerpiece I did for our dining room table. We had the whole family here for lunch after church. Doug and I love hosting the holidays at our home. I love this topiary. I grew it and formed it and kept it for a couple of years but it died this year :( I have to start another one. This picture makes me miss it. The pansy table cloth was my Granny Dot's from the 1950's. She used it for her bridge table I'm sure. I picked up the flowers from Micheal's last year. They are silk but they look SO real! I made these little chenille stem baskets for each place setting. The tutorial is from Martha of course. Easter wouldn't be complete without an Easter Bonnet! I made the one below for Lilly. I bought the hat for $1 at Target in the dollar spot and added some ribbon and silk flowers to embellish. She wore it for like 2 seconds so I don't have any great shots or her modeling it, but it looked cute hanging on her little chair.

I hope ya'll are having as much fun as I am fluffing your nests for Easter.

Have a blessed weekend~Molly

Our Easter Tree

Our Easter tree is up in all its spring finery...

The delicious glittered eggs below were my Mimi's. She was a lovely and special lady with some lovely and special holiday treasures. I love looking at her beautiful decorations and remembering them in her home when I was growing up. She really fostered my love of holiday decorating. I miss her dearly but cherish the memories I have of us decorating for all of the holidays together.

Our Kitchen Decked out for Easter

This weekend I searched the depths of the garage for my Easter decorations. I love uncovering the bright and cheerful spring colors. It is like opening a box of saltwater taffy. All of the pastels, glitter, chicks and eggs make me a happy girl. One of my favorite treasures are a set of vintage chicks in their original package that I found in my Mimi's Easter stash (pictured at left). Aren't they so much fun? Below is a picture of my kitchen ready for spring! I thrifted the vintage table cloth a couple of weeks ago.

The centerpiece is comprised of a metal tray I picked up while thrifting with my mom a few weeks ago, a candle holder/hurricane from Michael's new Paris collection, a vintage tole candlestick, vintage crochet napkin holder, a bunny and chicks from Home Goods, and a thrifted metal basket with blue robins eggs I made using this tutorial. The birdcage in my kitchen window with more of my robins eggs in a nest I made from grapevine with wire and long dead grass from the empty lot behind my house :)

Bunnies I made using this tutorial over at Martha's. I made them 3 years ago for Lilly's 1st Easter. The juice glasses are Martha Stewart from Macy's last spring. The candy egg holders and chicks were my Mimi's.

I thrifted this beauty years ago. This momma bird has to be one of my favorite thrifting finds ever. I also thrifted the vintage doily with yellow roses and all of the vintage glasses.

My lily chandelier dressed for spring in vintage paper lanterns I won on ebay. Aren't the roses on the bottom sweet? I want to leave them up all year!

I'm signing off now. I've gotta go do my lesson plans for the week. I'll be back soon to share more thrifty goodness and Easter in my Dining room! Love and Blessings~Molly