Sunroom Mantel

 

 

How to decorate a mantel for Winter?  I don’t know but the mantel in the sunroom is really not a Winter mantel.  Maybe you could call it a religious mantel?

 

 

The main piece here is the vintage embroidered Psalms art.

 

 

and my King James Study Bible.

 

 

Or it could just be called a collection mantel since there is a collection of oil lamps.

 

Or how about just a vintage mantel since all of the pieces with the exception of my Bible are old pieces?  I think I like that better!

Sharing with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

The Scoop Link Party @ Confessions of a Plate Addict

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Save on Shipping at Ikea

Ikea’s Ektorp Sofa

 

I really wanted a white slipcovered sofa and Pottery Barn was out of our price range so I kept searching for alternatives.  Locally, I found one at Rooms to Go for $900 but when I found Ikea’s Ektorp sofa, I knew I had to figure out a way to get one!  Buying it online was too expensive due to Ikea’s shipping.  I think it was like $330 for shipping alone which was almost the same price as the sofa!

 

Ikea

 

Apartment Therapy had a great post on where to shop for Ikea when you don’t have one close to you.  To see that post, click here.  They mentioned a Blue Bag in Kansas City but a reader commented about one in New Orleans.  Since that is closer to me than the Houston store, I checked out their website.

 

 

 

The process was very easy!  I went online to Ikea’s website and put the sofa on a wishlist.  I then emailed the wishlist to Blue Bag.  They sent me an invoice which included the price of the sofa, tax and their shipping price.  I paid the invoice on Monday and by Thursday, I had an email stating that my order was ready for pick up!  Their shipping was $100 versus Ikea’s $330!

 

 

I am very satisfied with my purchase!  It’s comfortable and the size is perfect for the narrow sunroom.  If it holds up good, I’m thinking about purchasing the matching chair.  To read more about the assembly, click here.

 

Sharing with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

The Scoop Link Party @ Confessions of a Plate Addict

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

New Ikea Sofa

 

 

Ikea’s Ektorp sofa is the newest addition to the sunroom!  Since we live 5 hours from the closest Ikea, I ordered though Blue Bag in New Orleans.  They charged $100 for shipping versus $330 that Ikea was going to charge.  We still have a 2 hour drive to New Orleans but we just made a day of it and enjoyed ourselves!

 

 

It came in two boxes and fit in the back of our extended Trailblazer.

 

 

The sofa itself came in one big box.  You can see the seat cushions above and the cushions for the back were vacuum packed.  The slipcover came in a small box.  We had to assemble the sofa but it was super easy.  It took us about 20-30 minutes from start to finish including the slipcover.  I had read about others having a hard time getting them on but we didn’t have a problem at all.

 

 

On the way home, we stopped at Pottery Barn and cashed in my gift cards from Christmas!  I chose the ticking stripe and Inspire pillows.

 

 

A couple of months I found this knitted throw at Dirt Cheap.  Instead of paying about $80 at Pottery Barn, I paid $5!

 

 

The Inspire pillow is prettier that it looks on the website.  The website picture didn’t clearly show the different blues used in the writing.

 

 

Did I mention that I LOVE my new sofa?  I do and the price was fantastic!  I’m just hoping that it holds up well.  I’ll keep you posted!

 

Sharing with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

The Scoop Link Party @ Confessions of a Plate Addict

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Top Post of 2013

 

This is a list of my top posts for 2013 in no particular order.

 

 

The DIY oyster mirror has received quite a few compliments from guests!  This project was very inexpensive and easy but makes quite an impact.  To read more about how I made this mirror, click here.

 

 

I must say that this cleaner and polish has saved quite a few vintage finds for me this year!  It also works great on our white kitchen sink!  To see the amazing transformation of the Fiesta plate, click here.

This was something I threw together using what I had on hand and, boy, did it get attention out there in blog land!  Simple, rustic and sweet….perfect for Easter!  To see that post, click here.

This post featured the work from Charles Faudree!  He has designed some spectacular rooms!  To see more of his French Flair, click here.

 

The kitchen was painted a pretty gray with year with an emphasis on sprucing up the banquette area.  It’s amazing what a big difference a little paint can make!  To see the makeover, click here.

 

I have used this super easy technique on several projects around the house.  I love the texture that the shades bring to the room.  To see more, click here.

 

I love a bargain, but I don’t like to dig for it!  Once I realized that Dirt Cheap sold linens at “dirt cheap” prices, I was sold!  When a new shipment comes in, you can find me there, digging away!  Click here for some more information on the store and some great deals that I found!

Pottery Barn

 

In this post, I shared a great tip for pillow lovers like me!

 

I created this little vignette using Goodwill finds.  The mirror leaning behind the canvas is the before of the oyster mirror I shared at the top of the post.  To see more of the vignette, click here.

 

 

I am not a  fancy cook by any means!  I basically cook comfort foods and when I come across a recipe that is enjoyed by me and my family, I stick with it!  I have also found that some of the most searched for recipes are actually basic dishes.  There is a little more to cooking vegetables that just opening a can of heating it up!  This recipe is my family’s favorite way to prepare green beans.

 

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy New Year!

 

Sharing with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

The Scoop Link Party @ Confessions of a Plate Addict

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Top Projects of 2013 @ Southern Hospitality
January Before and After @ Thrifty Décor Chick 

 

Christmas Snow Decor

 

Initially, I planned on using a more nature inspired theme though out the house, like I did in the sunroom.  To see that room, click here.  But after unpacking the Christmas décor, I found an entire set of new ornaments that I had purchased last year after Christmas.  The box was big enough to decorate a 7 feet three plus I had purchased some individual boxes to match as well.

 

 

After seeing them, I did remember that I wanted to add a little more blue to the decorations since my curtains and accents are blue in the living room.  The set has polar bears and snowflakes, so I decided to use this theme in the living room, foyer and kitchen.

 

 

My old one was huge and took us so much space and it took almost all day to get it up!  This one is a 7 1/2 slim tree that is prelit and is easy set up!  Wow, I can’t believe how much timed I saved!  It was so easy!  I plan on trying to get another 1/2 price after Christmas.

 

 

To go with the snow theme, I purchased some glitter felt from Hobby Lobby and several packs of felt snowflakes from the dollar tree.  It was so easy to make!  I cut out a large circle, cut one slit to the center and hot glued the snowflakes to the edges!  You can’t get any easier that that!

 

 

The theme is continued on the mantel.  The old stocking holders didn’t match and I found the snowflake holders that the dollar tree.  Faux snow was used as a filler in the glass cylinders and well as being sprinkled over the garland.

 

 

It looks like little snowdrifts!

 

 

I also used the spray snow in the can.  It was so much cheaper than buying a lot of floral sprays.

 

 

Instead of running garland down the top of the cabinets in the kitchen, I randomly inserted faux branches.  I mixed in live cedar and magnolia leaves and spray them with the faux snow.  The branches were actually from the bottom of the Christmas tree that I used in the sunroom.  Since I put that tree in a galvanized tub, I didn’t use the last row of branches.  To see the sunroom, click here.

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

 

Sharing with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

The Scoop Link Party @ Confessions of a Plate Addict

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Fabulously Creative Party @ Jennifer Rizzo

Christmas Tree Party 2013 @ Thrifty Décor Chick

 

Christmas Open House 2013

 

 

The Christmas Open House was a success!  There were only a few bumps in the road, like a bag was left at the grocery store that I didn’t discover until I started cooking.  The menu was changed slightly but no worries!  Then I accidentally put 7-Up in one punch when it was meant for the other.  Oh well, I didn’t let it get to me.

 

 

I made myself a promise this year that I wasn’t going to get overwhelmed and stressed out.  That is not the purpose of having this little get together.  It is to celebrate the season with our friends and family.

 

 

I told myself that instead of stressing to look at all the blessings that we have and just enjoy the Christmas season!  It’s a time for celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

 

 

It is a time to reflect back on the past year and acknowledge the blessings the He gave us!

 

 

It is a time to fellowship with family and friends!  To have a good time and a few laughs!

 

 

I think that was accomplished with this year’s Open House!  To see last year’s Open House, click here.

 

Wishing everyone a joyous and blessed Holiday Season!

Sharing with:

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Thrifty Things Friday @ The Thrifty Groove

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours

Let’s Dish @ Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Seasonal Sundays @ The Tablescaper

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

A Rustic Woodland Christmas

 

Remember the inspiration post that I shared with the nature inspired Christmas trees?  I took that inspiration and decorated the sunroom!  Since this room overlooks a wooded area, I wanted the décor to flow with that theme.  To see the inspiration post, click here.

 

 

Both trees were installed in galvanized containers, one being a vintage olive bucket and the other an old wash tub.

 

 

I’m glad I kept all the red wooden beads that I purchased many years ago.  They look perfect with the woodland theme that I was going for.

 

 

The hutch has it’s festive touches as well!

 

 

I purchased the terrier plates at Dirt Cheap last month for $1.50 each!  The vintage ruby red glasses were used in this Halloween tablescape which you can see here.  The green stemmed glasses were used in this Christmas tablescape.  Click here to see that one.

 

 

My mom gave me the vintage Tom & Jerry egg nog set a couple of years ago.  The vintage print is actually a reproduction that I purchased from Zazzle.

 

 

In keeping with the plaid accents, I set out the vintage thermoses and radio.

 

 

I left the window frame over the mantel that I used for Halloween.  You can see that mantel here.

 

 

I loved the owls on the mantel for Thanksgiving and was so happy to find this large one at Hobby Lobby this year!  To see the Thanksgiving mantel, click here.

 

 

To balance it out, I used this birdhouse that was on the front porch.  The red burlap ribbon bow ties it all together.  To see the front porch, click here.

 

 

Be sure to stop back by in a few days, I’ll be posting the Christmas Open House!

 

Sharing with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

The Scoop Link Party @ Confessions of a Plate Addict

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Fabulously Creative Party @ Jennifer Rizzo

Christmas Tree Party 2013 @ Thrifty Décor Chick