Friday, November 28, 2014

Simplistic Style In Mind. . .

Simplistic Style In Mind. . .

With a simplistic style in mind for hosting Christmas On Crooked Creektt,
I began to set the design for the Dining Room built~in china cabinet
during a rearrange in August.

Simply shuffling a few vignettes behind the glass doors
 and adding a delicate touch of Christmas décor
brought about the symmetrical design that keeps me grounded
within my Traditional Style.







The use of a simplistic color palette
gives a cohesive appeal throughout each vignette display.
Choosing creamy ivory, tan and white
with a mix of Seasonal greenery soothes the visual senses
and allows one to enjoy the accents of Traditional Christmas red.


A frosted pine needle with red berry candle ring
rest atop the creamy ivory urn and dons a mocha hued spiral ornament.
A vintage scalloped creamy ivory plate and a white ironstone platter
serve as a backdrop for this ethereal vignette.



Tucked neatly within the vignette
 is my newest addition to my growing tureen collection.
The detail on the handles and lid are reminiscent of the wings of a Swan.



From a Christmas Past. . .
this precious Holly Hobby Commemorative Plate
is a treasured accent to our Christmas decorating year~after~year.




Surrounding the plate is a white vintage creamer with a lidded sugar bowl
and a pitcher filled with frosted holly and ivy.



Seasonal changes to this vignette include 
candy canes inserted within the tan pitcher and the addition 
of vintage miniature red glass ornaments inside the gravy boat.



An heirloom creamy ivory McCoy bowl filled with tan shredded gift packing paper
support the  vintage glass red stars adorned with tan satin bows.
The divided embossed pine cone serving platter holds homemade fudge, 
 white and milk chocolate pretzels on our dessert table 
for Christmas On Crooked Creektt.








A Christmas Present. . .
The Joy plate was a recent gift from a member of my Women’s Joy Circle.
I adore the simplistic style of this 8~inch holly and ivy decorative plate.
It is a perfect backdrop for the urn filled with the same seasonal greenery.






Nestled neatly in front,
the first of my tureen collection.
I was quite smitten with the bow detail in the lid and handles of this tureen.



 A close duplicate to our beginning, is the final vignette within the cabinet.
Similar objects of interest and scale complete the simplistic style.



Arranging this cabinet in Traditional Style during August
gave me the simplistic style I had in mind for Christmas On Crooked Creektt.



Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Pinecone Planters. . .

Although I don't remember the year,
these two pinecone planters were purchased 
shortly after arriving On Crooked Creektt.



As we began to look for a new home,
"Mr. Ed" requested a home with a fireplace.
I knew that the lower level living area 
would one day be our Family Room, our gathering place, 
our place for celebrations and joyous occasions.



I chose a Lodge decor with a bit of a contemporary vibe 
for our Family Room and often use Pottery Barn catalogs for inspiration.



It is on the hearth of the fireplace 
that "Mr. Ed's" prized "racks" from his largest scoring deer trophies rest.
These planters are filled with various greenery throughout the year
to camouflage those trophies!

The inspiration for the arrangement within the pinecone planters 
came from a Face Book post from a dear blog friend 
Liz @ Infuse With Liz.




* * * * * * * Tutorial * * * * * * *
After removing the greenery bush previously accessorizing the pinecone planters,
"Mr. Ed" filled them with styrofoam.


Front. . .

. . .Back!

I began with the smaller of the two pinecone planters.
The detail alone on these planters is amazing!







Next,
I took faux branches from my Spring collection 
and removed all the silk budding leaves until all that was left were bare branches.


From this. . .

. . .to this!

Then,
using scissors, I cut the branches to a better overall height,
rounding and straightening the design as I went.





I gathered some very stiff faux evergreen bushes with pinecones attached,
from my Christmas bins, and cut away each individual branch.






Rotating the planter,
I stuffed the evergreen branches close to the base of the bare tree branches 
until I was pleased with the overall arrangement.






I just repeated the process in the larger pinecone planter.



These two pinecone planter arrangements were a "no cost" project.
The only investment was my time.






Finally,
I placed the planters back on the hearth to disguise the deer trophies. 



Real pinecones were added around the base of the planters
to fill in the void spaces.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 



"Mr. Ed" and I will be hosting Christmas On Crooked Creektt this year.
Seeing the hearth completed for the upcoming Holiday Season
fills my heart with good cheer.



Until next time. . .


On Crooked Creektt will be joining


Susan @ Between Naps On The Porch for Metamorphosis Monday!

And. . .


Marty @ A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday!

And. . .


Jody and Stan @ Rooted In Thyme for Simple and Sweet Fridays!


Be sure to join these amazing host and  hostesses
for inspiring home decor ideas for use within your own home.