Simple Pastel Spring Mantel Decor

Is anyone else getting a slow start on spring this year?  I am. I decided to put together a quick, pastel, spring mantel this week to add a little color to the living room. It's not just the gray of winter that is wearing on me, it's also the fact that I was afraid that if I didn't decorate the mantel this week, I'd completely miss the opportunity to do it before I tear the wall out next month.

Yes, you read that correctly. It's spring...which means that we'll finally be able to move forward with renovations here at the French farmhouse and the temporary shelf that has been acting as our mantel will be removed (along with the wood paneling that covers the wall) in preparation for the new sandstone mantel and hearth that will be installed this summer when our former living room officially becomes the dining room.

 
Which reminds me, I forgot to show you the fabulous French Casement Cabinets that I scored at the Restoration Hardware outlet in January. There are two of them. They are 42 inches wide and 92 inches tall... and they were seventy percent off!

How could I possibly resist!? There will be one on either side of the window seat in the dining room and they will be used to store china and glassware. One of them had some damage on the inside of the door which was repaired but it doesn't show and even if it did, at that price, I'm not certain that I would have minded!

I've been  so busy collecting pieces for the farmhouse that I'm going to have to do a couple of posts to catch you up on what I've found...but for now, let's get back to the mantel.

Since this mantel decor is the last one that I'll be creating for a while, I decided to incorporate some bunnies and get a "two for one" by leaving these decorations up until Easter

                                                                                  ...or until I get a dumpster...whichever comes first!

The smaller bunny above is a ceramic statue that I painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and distressed slightly so you could see the brown color that he was when I purchased him on a quick little shopping trip to Carter's Cottage in DeKalb with my friend, Mary last weekend.

Of course, a couple of pieces of my trademark ironstone made an appearance, as did a bird's nest, some faux tulips, and the vintage window panels that you've seen before in my bedroom at our last home and my Valentine's Day mantel.

The wreath is made from coffee filters which were water-colored using pink and yellow then hot glued to a form....simple...and under $3!

My Grandmother's crocheted lace table cloth, zinc letter stencils, a muslin flag banner that I made and a vintage French pastoral painting round out the rest of the look.

I added a quick spring pillow to the love seat and hung faux pastel eggs from some branches that I got when the tree trimmers were here last week which were placed in a copper lined vintage basket. I'm sure that the tree guys didn't understand why I wanted the branches but they were really nice about allowing me to choose those that I wanted to save before they put the rest in the chipper.

Other than creating a tablescape for Easter or a quick spring urn for my front entry, this is going to be the extent of my spring decor for this year. It may also be the extent of my summer decor depending upon how quickly things move for Phase 2.  I've spent the last two weeks meeting with our architect, a couple of builders and the village and things are slowly moving forward. 

I'm happy to report that the engineering survey of the property was completed yesterday and I expect that we'll have final drawings soon....I know...I keep saying this...I think that we're on round 19 of the interior floor plan drawings because I keep moving the bedrooms around.

Last week, the master bedroom moved to the other side of the house and the hearth room is now behind the kitchen. I haven't updated you because until I have something final, I don't want you to have to suffer through countless iterations as I tweak the plans....it's bad enough that I'm putting my architect through it!

So, Happy Spring, Happy Easter...Happy Mother's Day...etc. I'm enjoying my pastel spring mantel almost as much as I'm enjoying the fact that I may finally get to chainsaw out the bad bushes around my house in another week also in preparation for Phase 2!

It's been a long, boring winter and I can't wait to start on all of the new changes that are coming to Serendipity Refined and the French Farmhouse this spring and I'm thrilled to have you along!


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Jennifer Rizzo

Easy Valentine's Cupcake and Cookie Party

I love Valentine's Day!  Heck, let's be honest, I love pretty much any day that gives me a reason to bake pretty food, set a pretty table, and celebrate the people that are closest to me.  Especially when the pretty food consists only of sweets...cupcakes and cookies and, of course, chocolate.

Spring Urn Planter: Tulips, Forsythia...and Bird Houses!

Well, that's going to be a tough act to follow...

I remember those words as if it were yesterday.  Last spring, basking in the unexpected glow of several weeks in the 70's and 80's in March, I'd been inspired to create what was probably my favorite spring arrangement ever in the huge urn that sits on the stone wall in the front of my home.

This Week In My Midwest Garden - April 6, 2012

Early and Mid Season Tulips in my yard.

Okay, I'll admit it. I spent exactly 30 minutes in my yard this week. Since the last time I posted, the ONLY things that I've done that were "yard related" are:

• I mowed the grass last Sunday and put 14 bags of pruned branches, weeds, and other "non-compost" winter debris out for the trash truck which, mercifully, took away the mess that has been partially blocking the entry to the garage for almost a month, on Monday morning..
• I walked around my yard,  took a "mental inventory (and a few photos) of what still needs to be done and went back inside to work on the dining room since people will need to sit there for Easter. It's all about priorities! *smile*

Yep...that's it.So, since the weather has cooled off to the point that I had to cover my geraniums last night and it looks like the tulips and daffodils will actually make it until Easter, rather than talk about soil, I'd like to ask you to think about your "view".

• What is it that you see when you look out your window(s) and/or door(s)?
• Does it make you smile?

The photo above is the view that I have when I look out of my front door.  Since I spend a fair amount of my time inside of my house "looking out", it was far more important to me to have views that were beautiful from inside than it was to have landscaping that was prettier to the strangers driving past my home on the street than it was for me, my family, and our friends.

  Take another look at the photo of the view from my front door.  Notice how the crab apple tree almost completely blocks the view of the house across the street? That's not accidental.

This is what my front yard looks like from the "inside", standing on my neighbors' driveway, looking "up hill" across the front. I wanted to create a sense of privacy and a little bit of mystery. A garden that, while nice enough for anyone walking or driving past,  would be best viewed from the vantage of people who are "invited in".

When I stand in my kitchen, THIS is what I see:

Chair coves: Pillow shams from Target. Patio furniture and table cloth: flea markets, garage sales, and pickin.

 If you look closely, you can see that there's a house within 200 feet of my back door. However, I've landscaped so that, at least in the summer, I can barely see it.  If you look closely, you can also see that there is a hose on the patio that didn't get wound up and dirt on the table from the last time it rained that didn't get wiped off. Hey...this is "real life photography", I told you that I'd share what I see...well, this is it.

This is what I see from my family room:

Notice the huge brick two-story WALL? That's the side of my neighbors' house. No windows, no architectural detail, not pretty to look at. Now that the arborvitae that I planted to block it are 10 feet tall, and the Cercis (redbud) is filling in, it's a little less "urban" and I feel like I can sit on my patio in at least a little bit of privacy. This is the view of that same house from my lower yard.

Think about what your "view" looks like. If you spend time looking "out" like I do, putting something beautiful in a spot that you see all the time  may change how you look at everything else around it.

My Garden Angel. A birthday gift from my parents, long ago

All of the photos above were taken in my yard this week. Due to the cooler weather, nothing new is in bloom. However, the tulips are lasting longer. I PROMISE, we'll "talk dirt" next week because my SOIL SOUP supplies are here and I can't wait to show you how they work.  Happy Easter!

xo,

S

This Week In My Midwest Garden - March 30, 2012

Grape Hyacinth

I apologize in advance for the long post. There was a lot of "ground to cover" (Garden humor...sorry, couldn't resist!)

The unseasonably warm weather continues (well, except for Monday) here in the Chicago 'burbs and my early spring garden is in full bloom!  I haven't spent much time in the garden this week as I had to go out of town last weekend and have had end of quarter madness at work.

What I did in the garden this week: Primping and Planning

• Edged sidewalks (using an electric edger)  and began edging flower beds (using a sharp edging shovel).   I do this three times each year: Spring, July 4th, Fall.
• Finished 95%  of the spring clean out and spring weeding in the perennial beds.
• Moved overwintered geraniums, banana plant, ivy and strawberries out into the sunshine and gave them a nice, long, drink of water.  Once they are hardened off, I'll prune and fertilize them. 
• Started planning colors for window boxes and planters,  drawing plans for 4x4 veggie garden and drawing the plan for the makeover of the perennial bed along the driveway.

All about tools:  Having the proper tools for the job makes life easier. You can pick up basic garden tools at most estate and garage sales. I've even seen some at the Good Will.  I would recommend that you purchase a good pair of garden gloves (these cost about $8) and a sharp pair of hand pruners (anywhere from $18 to $98) when you can afford them. Other tools are fine borrowed or purchased used.

• Garden gloves - I generally keep 3 pair on hand because one gets wet, one gets full of mud and I've still got work to do. I like Atlas Nitrile Touch gloves. They cost $7.99 per pair  at most hardware and garden centers. They are nylon cloth with rubber coated fingers and palms. I wear through the fingertips of at least one pair each year but you can wash them and they are nice to wear even when it's really hot in August.

Felco No. 2 Pruners and Hand Saw

• Sawing and pruning: 
• Hand Held Pruners - I have one pair. They are   Felco, No. 2 (I yearn for a pair of No. 8 but can't really justify the expense of a second pair).  I have had my Felco's for 25 years. I got them when I first started gardening. I take care of them, sharpen them and never leave them outside. If you buy good tools and take care of them, they should last your lifetime.
• Hand Saw, Loppers, By-pass, telescoping pruner. - You should have either a small, sharp saw or a pair of Loppers to start with. Hand pruners won't do the job on anything larger around than your thumb.
• A pair of "garden scissors". I use the ones that used to be my sewing scissors which are now too dull to cut fabric. They don't have to be fancy. Just sharp enough to cut flower stems.

 

• Digging and Edging:
• Trowel: a small shovel for planting annuals and pots.
• Shovel: This is the "pointy" shovel. It is used to move earth from one place to the other or to dig holes. 
• Spade: This is the "square or flat" kind of shovel. It is used to scoop up compost, soil, mulch or to shovel snow.
• I have a transplanting shovel. It's narrow, long, and has a round point. I use it to transplant perennials. This is not a necessity.
• I have an edging shovel. It is HEAVY, sharp, and has a square, flat blade. For me, this IS a necessity. Unless you have a bunch of beds to edge and like to do it by hand, this is probably not a necessity. 
• Weed digger. I happen to like digging dandelions by hand....don't make fun of me! *wink* 

 

• Raking and cultivating:
• Spring rake: Metal tines, use for spring raking of lawn
• Bamboo or plastic "fan" rake: use for raking leaves
• Landscape rake: Heavy metal rake with short teeth. Used to spread soil and even out mulch.
• Hoe and/or cultivator: used between plants and to loosen soil
• De thatching rake: does what the name implies. Not a necessity.

I think that covers most  of the tools that I use. If I happen to think of more, I'll post them during the season. I'm not brand name loyal and I don't care whether tools are new or old. I have my grandfather's spade and shovel and a cultivator that I got at an estate sale. I try to keep them sharp and store the shovels in a bucket of sand that has a little motor oil added to it when I'm not using them. This helps keep them sharp and keeps them from rusting (at least that's what someone told me at some point).

 What's In Bloom In My Yard This Week:

The final days of bloom Cercis Canadensis - Forest Pansy

PJM Rhododendron "Alglow"

Fothergilla Gardeni

Flowering Ornamental Crab Trees: Japanese "floribunda"  and "Louisa: Weeping crab"

Carlesii Viburnum - "Koreanspice"

Old Fashioned French Blue Lilac

Dicentra Spectabilis - Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart (I also have white ones)

Early Tulips

Also in bloom (but not in my yard): flowering cherry and sand cherry trees and shrubs.

Sorry for the extended post. Let's "Talk D i r t" next week!

xo,

S