tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28040037293753214392024-02-20T20:30:23.912-08:00Dragonflies and ThistlesVictoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.comBlogger195125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-77542037469668144132016-11-07T17:49:00.001-08:002016-11-07T17:49:57.449-08:00Thanksgiving is in NovemberI love November, the leaves are almost off all the trees (and my dog will stop bringing them in and depositing them all over my house) and it is Thanksgiving for us in the United States! <br />
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I really like Thanksgiving, it is an often over-looked holiday because of 'black Friday' and 'Cyber Monday' but the day itself is really cool. Almost every culture and country has a Thanksgiving Day, a specific day set aside to honor our ancestors who emigrated to the country, a time for us to think about their sacrifice and hardships and all that they endured to get a better life for themselves and ultimately for us. Pretty powerful. <br />
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I am an unusual blogger, I do one holiday at a time... I don't rush. A lot of bloggers have their Christmas décor going up right now and yes I read those blogs and get ideas and I thank them for being ahead... but that's not me... I'm all about Thanksgiving! (Insert the Friends Thanksgiving episode with Joey and his Thanksgiving pants!!!)<br />
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To start take a look at these adorable (and really well made) placemats I got at Wal-Mart! They are BH&G... embroidery here folks.<br />
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Soo cute! <br />
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I am not finished my dinning table yet, I'm in the process of painting pumpkins and I'll share the table next week.<br />
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So lets take a little tour of my house all decorated for Thanksgiving shall we...<br />
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Get your diet Pepsi/Coke or coffee or in my case tea and let us begin!!<br />
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Outside - <br />
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The Autumn sign hung on my front door in September. I've moved it to the right side front door entry wall for November. <br />
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This large 'Give Thanks' hangs to the left of the front door and overtop...<br />
(SAM's 2 years ago, sorry they don't sell it any more- the reverse side reads WELCOME)<br />
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A basket of faux fall flowers, a hay bale and some other seasonal décor. <br />
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This little beauty that I made a few years ago is hanging on the door this year. If you'd like to see how I did it check it out <a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2014/10/multidimensional-fall-wreath.html" target="_blank">here</a><br />
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Across the front of the house is a wreath I made years and years ago.. I recently painted a 'D' and added it.<br />
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Now inside....</div>
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This is my entry table that I got last year for Christmas (Kirkland's and they still sell it). </div>
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I also got this adorable Edison Lamp from Kirkland's.. they are all currently on sale!</div>
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I love, love, love the glow it gives off and it is perfect for this time of the year.</div>
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This guy hangs on my hall closet door. Did you have one of these growing up in the 70s? I've got them for all seasons... can you say, 'SO glad my Mom kept something from my childhood!'</div>
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Retro cool!</div>
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My mantle is just about done... one of the pumpkins I'm painting will go up there but otherwise I like the way it turned out this year.</div>
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We ended up having to 'recycle' my old buffet. The leg was broken and unfixable so I sold it to an antique store, she is going to use it as her register area. Glad it will get a 2nd life! So my Mom sent me this really cool gate leg table. I dressed it up a bit for Thanksgiving along with the shelf on the wall.</div>
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Like my new lamp there? Love it! My daughter bought the swing arm lamp for me for my birthday (IKEA). </div>
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Oh and here is a close up of the glass candleholder - Kirkland's last year. I didn't see any this year that are this color but they do have them in red and green for Christmas AND they are under $15.00 (I want to say $12.99)</div>
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Finally my coffee table - I got the piece at Kirkland's 2 years ago. It is plain and I just decorate it for each season. </div>
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As I said the dining table isn't quite there yet... I need these pumpkins to dry! I do have it decorated with the BH&G placemats, Pottery Barn orange table runner, table cloth is from Bed Bath &Beyond and is brown linen, the leaf plates are BH&G (sorry they don't sell them any longer) and the pumpkin bowls are from a grocery store here in Colorado (King Soopers/City Market) they were $2.99 each. </div>
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Every fall I put my Grandmothers teapot out. It helps to remind me of her and the sacrifices she made to emigrate to America to make a better life for all of us.</div>
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I'll be giving more details on my dining table next week. In the meantime follow me on Instagram - @Vicdenni I am posting almost every day. </div>
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Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back next week with painted pumpkins and a completed dining table. </div>
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Victoria </div>
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<br />Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-53267001404049355822016-10-17T18:06:00.000-07:002016-10-17T18:06:19.743-07:00Over the top Halloween Chandelier This year's Halloween tablescape is NOT over the top... but the chandelier is!!!<br />
I mean can you say over the top doesn't begin to describe this thing!<br />
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Oh yes... </div>
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AMAZING and pretty cool huh! </div>
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So how did I do this? Welllllll it involved climbing a 75 foot tree and a hacksaw. </div>
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My husband tells me if I bring in any more 'dead things' he's going to protest. Yet there he was up in our maple tree cutting me dead branches. I told him that I'd climb the tree and cut them down, possibly this is why he joyfully agreed to climb a 75 foot tree to get some dead things??? IDK.. If you follow or have read past posts you know I'm a huge klutz.. SO if I'd have climbed the tree I would have fallen or broken something - (do you see my evil genius at work here?).</div>
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But he climbed the tree and got me several dead branches then brought them all inside and helped me decide which 2 we would use for the chandelier décor. He then proceed to even decorate by standing on the wobble table while I directed him like the evil dictator I am! He did all the webbing and hung the crows, spiders and the owl. He just placed them where I told him, what a great guy! </div>
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Once he climbed off the rickety table he looked at it and agreed that I was right... spectacular and down-right cool! BUT BIG.. I mean I've got small rooms but 20 foot ceilings and this thing is big. </div>
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Since my chandelier is so out of this world I went simple on the table.<br />
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Just 2 lanterns and a beer growler filled with some Halloween foliage. I don't even have placemats. <br />
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I think that dressing a table is like putting make-up on your face - either highlight the eyes or the lips but not both. So the chandelier is my eyes and the table is my lipstick... simple yet Halloweenie. <br />
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I host a Halloween dinner party, partly because it is my birthday... (Happy Birthday to me!) and partly because I like having dinner parties. I guess hidden somewhere inside my DNA is a 1940's housewife. <br />
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I dressed the table 2 ways to show you. Now you could add a placemat for effect - a black one would be soo great!<br />
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First up a bit of a more fancy place setting. <br />
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I've got some wine glasses with purple, not black (yep they are purple) bottoms... A simple plate and themed salad plate. </div>
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I opened a paper napkin and placed it on the plate for more Halloween effect AND the napkins match my tablecloth.. how did my INSTAGRAM friend @2bluikiddos know? (must follow her on INSTAGRAM!)</div>
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Here is another idea for a table place setting.<br />
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The coffee cups make it more casual. <br />
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Thanks for stopping by! I truly appreciate it! What do you think of my table or better yet what do you think of my chandelier!!!????????? <br />
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Can you believe I got that skeleton garland at the Target dollar spot for $3.00 and they are METAL people, METAL! So cute!</div>
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So let me give you some sourcing. I'll try to do that going forward - thanks for the feedback!</div>
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Okay here we go.</div>
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Chandelier:</div>
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Chandelier - Home Depot - they don't carry it any longer, sorry. </div>
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Dead tree limbs - my maple in the back yard </div>
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Crows hanging from the dead tree limbs - dollar store</div>
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Owl hanging from the tree limbs - Michaels a few years back</div>
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Spider webs - dollar store</div>
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Spiders - dollar store</div>
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Tablescape:</div>
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Tablecloth - Target a few years ago</div>
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Dishes: </div>
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White large plate - Bed, Bath and Beyond, Thompson Pottery</div>
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Small black and white bird plate (casual setting) - Mary Carol (Mary Carol Garrity - Nell Hills)</div>
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White cup - Bed, Bath and Beyond - Thompson Pottery (I got it with the plates as a set)</div>
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Purple glass - The Pioneer Woman (Renee Drummond) Wal-Mart - seriously like $2.50 a glass and they are HEAVY! </div>
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Small black and white written plate - set of 4 (2 of each saying) - Home Goods last year</div>
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Stemmed water glass - Stein Mart</div>
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Stemmed purple base wine glass - sorry antique handed down from my Great Aunt</div>
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Silverware - Sorry I don't remember that pattern but I know they are Oneida 18/10 silverware and I got them at Macy's </div>
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Paper Halloween Napkins - TJ Maxx</div>
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Lanterns - Kirkland's last year (they still sell them)</div>
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Dark colored beer growler - Bristol Brewing Company here in Colorado Springs... Laughing Lab anyone? </div>
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Halloween 'flowers' in the growler - Michael's last year. </div>
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You know, you CAN do this in your own dining room - yes you can! I'd love to see everyone's dining or other rooms decorated for Halloween. Please drop me a note I do answer and read everything.. I even apply the feedback you give me! Thanks and keep it coming. </div>
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Next week I will share the INSTAGRAM Halloween swap 16, what I got and how I decorated with it. </div>
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Halloween is almost here!! I CAN'T WAIT</div>
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Again, thank you so, SO much for reading.</div>
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Victoria </div>
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You can follow me on INSTAGRAM - @Vicdenni</div>
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You can follow me on <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/vicdenniso/" target="_blank">Pintrest</a></div>
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I'm also on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Dragonflies-and-Thistles-491393717621010/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel" target="_blank">FB</a></div>
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And no Facebook I won't boost my post for $100.00 even though I adore Sheryl Sandberg. </div>
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<br />Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-45097316696903907192016-10-10T18:21:00.002-07:002016-10-10T18:21:58.760-07:00Halloween Mantle 2016I love Halloween.. I mean really love it. Next to Christmas it is my most decorative holiday... is that a thing?<br />
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I have lights outside and a lot of décor up outside even before the big day. I don't put my graveyard up until Halloween Day because here in Colorado the wind would take my gravestones and heck, it could snow... yes really SNOW! <br />
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But I am getting ahead of myself. <br />
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So Halloween. To quote 'The Sound of Music', "Let's start at the very beginning, a very fine place to start.. when you read you begin with A, B, C when you decorate for Halloween you begin with Man-tle"... LOL isn't that how the song goes?! (so how many of you sung that as you read? Be honest..)<br />
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I have done mantles in the past with logs and sticks and all other kinds of things. Here is the evolution of my Halloween mantles. <br />
<a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2015/10/halloween-mantle-and-tablescape.html" target="_blank">2015</a><br />
<a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2014/10/halloween-happenings.html" target="_blank">2014</a><br />
<a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2013/10/halloween-has-come-to-our-house.html" target="_blank">2013</a><br />
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Seems I've done a lot of sticks on the mantles in the past. Can anyone say obsession?<br />
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This year I was going to do black and white. I was all about the black and white on my mantle. If you read my last post you'll see I even pinned a lot of black and white inspiration. Well reality check I actually don't have a lot of black and white things for Halloween. I've got a lot of pumpkins, Jack-O-Lanterns and Orange and black. <br />
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I don't know about you but I don't have a hundred or so dollars to go out and get all new black and white décor even for my 2nd favorite holiday. So I need to work with what I have. So while I'm lovin' the black and white I need to be realistic...<br />
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SO<br />
This years mantle went a bit more relaxed, simple.<br />
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The trick with any flat surface that you want to decorate is to layer, layer, layer and vary the height to keep the eye moving. Here I overlapped the 2 upper 'pictures' and put 2 down lower. I then varied the height of my Jack-O-Lanterns. So far I like it though it still needs a bit of something... possibly a garland of some sort woven through? (I'll take suggestions!)<br />
Maybe I'm just use to seeing all the dead branches... IDK. <br />
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I usually get inspiration at 2am so we'll see if I sleep on it for a few days what comes to me. Does anyone else get that kind of midnight inspiration or is it just me? <br />
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If you looked at prior years you'll see I went through what I lovingly refer to as a 'dead branch' phase. I don't know if I'm out of it yet because Halloween just screams "Use dead branches Woman!!!" at least to me. So I think I'll bring in the dead stuff in the dinning room.. I'm thinking of hanging them from the chandelier and putting spider webs on them and hanging crows off them... I can hear my husband now, "Oh great more dead things." Though he'll go out and cut them down for me...LOL but more on that next week! <br />
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Back to the mantle...<br />
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A mantle can dictate the theme of a room, just like a front door. My theme is Jack-O-Lanterns. <br />
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Here is my coffee table - I got the silver Jack-O-Lantern at Home Goods last year. I put a plastic chain and a bag of bones I got at Home Depot last year around him.<br />
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And on my fireplace hearth is this cute little guy I got at Gordman's a few years ago. He is metal... AND as a special bonus you can put tea lights in his head and in his Jack-O-Lantern he is carrying. <br />
LOVE!<br />
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When you come in my front door I've got my last year's Christmas present, this adorable entry table... (from Kirkland's and they still stock it!). On it I put several light up Jack-O-Lantern's that I've collected over the years...<br />
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And this guy...<br />
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Can you say... "LOVE" He is from my childhood and I've had him since the 1970's. I always remember that this was practically the only decoration we had up on Halloween. I grew up pretty rural in Maryland and we didn't get Trick-Or-Treaters down our dark dirt road but my Mom always had this guy. LOVE... <br />
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Okay, on to the couch, cause I skipped that. We have a small house but cute and I love it. So our small living room has a love seat in it... to get furniture I had to compromise.. so we have leather but tan and fluffy... I got this cute pillow last year at Kirkland's<br />
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Let's take a step outside shall we.... <br />
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As I said earlier, I decorate outside for Halloween.. a lot. Next to Christmas it is my most decorative holiday. So I've got lights on the house and our front tree. I also decorate the front porch.<br />
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The 'Boo' sign I made last year...<a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2015/09/boo-sign.html" target="_blank">BOO Sign</a></div>
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The 'haunted tree' is from Target years (I mean 10+ years) ago. The eyes light up. </div>
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The Witch and ghost 'totem' I made myself probably 15 years ago when I was really into making things out of wood but I still love it! (NOTE - don't be fooled I am still into making things out of scrap wood). </div>
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The skull wreath is a PB knock off..</div>
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You can see how I made that <a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2014/10/pb-halloween-wreath-knock-off.html" target="_blank">here</a><br />
I really made it for a fraction of the original cost and hey I like mine better!<br />
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I hung some dollar store glow-in-the-dark skeletons from our front tree along with some ghost wind chimes I got at Gordman's years ago.<br />
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Then I put a spider in one of my bushes for 'effect.' And yes I still have flowers blooming here in October in Colorado.. That purple flower there is a Dahlia. </div>
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I hung some tattered sheeting and a skeleton up in front of what is my kitchen window.</div>
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This is what it will be outside until Halloween Day when I will put out the fog machine and the graveyard and the graveyard fencing ad a few other things including my Jack-O-Lantern totems that I made last year..</div>
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<a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2015/10/pumpkin-totems.html" target="_blank">Totems</a></div>
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Do you go all out for Halloween? I'd love to see your décor! Please share! If you have any questions or have suggestions PLEASE reach out! I respond same day. </div>
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Thanks so much for stopping by and seeing what I've got for Halloween so far and looking back on Halloween craft and décor of the past. </div>
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In the next few week's I'll share my dinning room and my décor I received for my Instagram #HalloweenHappenings2016 swap! My new friend, @2bluikiddo's sent me some great items that I've used in my décor.. see the bright orange Jack-O-Lantern on my mantle for starters! She is such a great new forever friend. Her Instagram is awesome.. you should follow her! </div>
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Follow me on Instagram @Vicdenni</div>
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I appreciate you reading along! </div>
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Victoria</div>
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Please follow me on Pintrest</div>
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/vicdenniso/" target="_blank">Pintrest</a></div>
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I'm on FB also but only post once a week when I post a blog...</div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Dragonflies-and-Thistles-491393717621010/" target="_blank">FB Dragonfliesandthistles</a></div>
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See you next week! </div>
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<br />Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-74563161210198402362016-09-26T18:08:00.000-07:002016-09-26T18:08:33.748-07:00Fall outsideI've got a pretty small front porch. Not enough for 2 chairs but enough to put out a pretty cute fall display.<br />
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Every year I try to do something different on the little porch. You can see prior years <a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2015/09/fall-front-porch.html" target="_blank">2015</a> and <a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2014/09/fall-outside-and-felling-of-tree.html" target="_blank">2014</a>. The outside and the porch were, well, lacking. <br />
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I think I did much better this year!<br />
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No scarecrows in the yard as in years past. They were VERY worn out and sad. Instead this year I concentrated on flowers. <br />
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I got these at the grocery store.<br />
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I can't wait to plant them in my garden and see if they return next year!! So far I've had good luck with replanting fall flowers. (I probably just jinxed myself here)</div>
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My porch has enough room for 1 chair that I decorated with garland a few faux pumpkins and a metal vase with some faux flowers in it.</div>
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I put the colorful flowers in front along with a hay bale and lantern, I then propped 2 straw brooms behind it and called it good. </div>
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The front door has the fall box on the storm door and an 'autumn' painting on the inside front door.</div>
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You can see how I did the box <a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2016/09/fall-front-door-decor.html" target="_blank">here</a><br />
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I got the Autumn painting at Kirkland's years ago. It is so adorable. </div>
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I also have my outdoor chalkboard sign out with a fall theme.</div>
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You can see how I made that <a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2015/11/christmas-chalkboard.html" target="_blank">here</a><div>
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I need to get better at my freehand... I ran out of room with the S and the T...</div>
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I also have my wreath up but on the house itself this year. </div>
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It is starting to show its age and I'll probably rip it apart after this year and make a new one. </div>
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So here it is again</div>
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And here is a close-up of the railing side.</div>
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I think it turned out pretty good. </div>
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Do you decorate your porch or outside for fall? I'd love to see what you've done so I can steal... I mean borrow and get inspiration for next year!!</div>
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So this weekend... Oktoberfest in Castle Rock Colorado AND I'll be starting my Halloween decorations! Fall will come down, get boxed up and put away. I'll start sharing what I'm doing for my Halloween décor and I'll be making a 'BOO' sign - different from last years. I'll also be doing a few pumpkin crafts and sharing some ideas for Jack-O-Lanterns.... lets think outside the norm this year. I have several ideas! </div>
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Thanks for stopping by! </div>
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Victoria</div>
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Please follow me on <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/vicdenniso/" target="_blank">Pintrest</a></div>
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<br />Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-10152653005885313362016-09-20T17:44:00.002-07:002016-09-20T17:44:54.409-07:00Great Pumpkin timeI love October.<br />
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The weather is cooler, the air is crisp and the leaves are changing. Time for sweaters, boots and costumes. <br />
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October is Halloween time. Next to Christmas it is my favorite holiday. <br />
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I go all out for Halloween inside and out. Here is my last years <a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2015/10/halloween-mantle-and-tablescape.html" target="_blank">mantle</a>. I try to change it up every year, here is <a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2014/10/halloween-happenings.html" target="_blank">2014s</a>. I even did a <a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2013/10/halloween-bat-cave.html" target="_blank">Bat cave</a> one year. <br />
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This year I am participating in an Instagram swap with several others. We are sending each other Halloween décor and then decorating with the items we receive. My partner is @2bluikiddos. I can't wait to see what she does with what I sent her. I'll share more info and pictures here when we do the Instahop!<br />
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In the mean time I'm planning for my Halloween decor this year and here are some of my Pinspiration's.<br />
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I've done several things with buttons in the past but this faux pumpkin with a moon is just adorable. I'm out to get some buttons and see how many times I can burn myself with my hot glue gun. <br />
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These wall faces are so cool. Buy a mask, stick some lights in them and hang them on the side of your house. SO doing this!<br />
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I like the crows and the silver pumpkins. This would be so cute for a late night dinner with the candles burning. <br />
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Now how cute is this. I am not a traditional carver when it comes to pumpkins. Last year I 'carved' a pineapple! In the past I have made a cat, owl and mouse out of pumpkins. I've also gotten out the drill and use the hole drill bit to make designs in my pumpkin. But just painting them is a really cute idea, especially if you used glow in the dark paint. <br />
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I am loving the little frames and these would be so easy to make. They would make really cute place holders for a dinner party. <br />
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Digging this mantle. I don't have a white fireplace but I could still do this one. <br />
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And just look at this! I'm out to get some skeletons and skulls for my own dinning room lights! </div>
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Please see my Pintrest board for all the links. </div>
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It looks like I am digging some black and white. I've got a lot pinned so please visit my Halloween board:<br />
https://www.pinterest.com/vicdenniso/halloween/<br />
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BTW.. have you been to Target lately? My gosh they have a lot and I mean a lot of Halloween out and there's a lot at or below $3.00! YES so make your way to your nearest store and stock up!<br />
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Next week I'll be sharing my front porch so please come back! <br />
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Victoria <br />
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You can follow me on Pintrest - <br />
https://www.pinterest.com/vicdenniso/<br />
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On FB I'm Dragonflies and Thistles<br />
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I am VERY active on Instagram. You can find me @Vicdenni<br />
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<br />Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-46990282409118469122016-09-12T18:40:00.001-07:002016-09-12T18:40:46.403-07:00Fall front door decorI love decorating my front door for each season. I think it tells the guest what they can expect inside. While I have done the traditional wreath in the past this fall I decided to 'think inside the box' literally... inside the box.<br />
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This was really easy to do. <br />
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Step 1 - get a box or make a box - I got mine at the At Home store on sale as it is a summer box<br />
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Step 2 - put filler in your box. I used straw and pinecones<br />
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Step 3 - stuff fall picks and flowers in between the pinecones - I bought my picks on sale at Hobby Lobby and the flowers are from the dollar store...yep dollar store. I bought 3 sets, 2 are the same and the third set I cut the stems off the bunch and placed them in individually<br />
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Step 4 get a ribbon, tie it around your box handles then hang your box!<br />
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DONE!<br />
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If you don't have a box with handles you could drill holes in the back or sides and loop the ribbon through. <br />
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OPTIONS:<br />
1. It would be cute if you painted your box and put your house numbers on the front... I may still do that.<br />
2. Your box could be hung by an end, but if you do that I'd glue your items into it otherwise they may fall out easily. <br />
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It looks great on my front porch and is a welcome for all my guests who come to visit in September!<br />
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Thanks for stopping by. I truly appreciate it. <br />
Next week I'll be sharing some of my thoughts for Halloween decorating. I'm also participating in a Halloween Instagram Swap! I can't wait until my new friend gets her box and I'm excited to see what she got me to help me decorate for Halloween! More details on that to come!!<br />
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In the meantime please follow me on Instagram @Vicdenni<br />
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I'm also on FB but due to the nature of FB I only post when I've blogged - so every Tuesday I post to FB. If you interact with the page or request it in your newsfeed you'll be sure to get my updates.<br />
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https://www.facebook.com/Dragonflies-and-Thistles<br />
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I'm also on Pintrest and have been busily pinning Halloween ideas.<br />
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https://www.pinterest.com/vicdenniso/<br />
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You can also follow me right here by signing up on the blog. <br />
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Again, thanks for stopping by. I hope you try the box for your front door and I'd love to see how everyone decorates their doors for September. <br />
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Victoria<br />
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PS - did I share how big my Dahlia's are this year? CRAZY! They are blooming late this year for some reason but they are crazy big. I LOVE this one because it looks like velvet and it is standing over 5 feet tall! I've never had one grow this tall before. The rest are pink, purple, orange and yellow and aren't this tall nor do they look like velvet. <br />
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. Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-35610450076692978362016-09-06T19:01:00.001-07:002016-09-06T19:01:40.842-07:00Fall house tour 2016Hi everyone!<br />
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My summer has been fantastic! We camped, hiked, did 4wheel and ATV driving a lot this summer. I took a TON of photo's of the mountains and I'm still going through them, I've got over 400 to sift through and I'll share some later but needless to say if you've never been to Colorado it should be on your bucket list...I know, I'm prejudice as I'm lucky enough to live here but Colorado is really beautiful. <br />
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I decorated for fall today and didn't hurt myself or anything! I think this is a record or something. Not even a broken nail! So, grab a cup of coffee or tea or if you are me, diet Pepsi... here we GO!<br />
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This year I went a bit lighter...not so much. I just did the tables. This is my dinning table. I used a blue dough bowl and filled it with plastic pumpkins and gourds that I spilled over to the sides. <br />
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Here is the view from the other side. <br />
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I got the owl and fox salt and pepper shakers at Walmart last year... yep Walmart. The leaf plates are old but I got them at Walmart as well. The white owl plate is also from Walmart last year. <br />
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Here is a top view.<br />
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I should take the sticker off the bottom of the white pumpkin huh.... LOL! <br />
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I buy my faux pumpkins and gourds at the end of each season when they are 1/2 off or from the dollar store. You can never have too many right???<br />
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I kept my mantle camera's for now partly because I wanted to go a bit lighter with my décor for September and partly because I love old camera equipment and old cameras and I just couldn't bear to pack them up until May but the picture says FALL !!! <br />
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I decorated my coffee table with last years dinning table candles. I bought the plain candle piece at Kirkland's two years ago. I ALWAYS buy the plain things that way I can decorate it and use it for all seasons. I wrapped 3 garlands around it and put some fall picks in there.<br />
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I also moved the love seat to the wall between the kitchen and dinning room.... remember I switch my dinning and living areas out in the summer since we eat outside on our deck until October. If you look back <a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2016/05/is-it-possible-that-spring-or-summer-is.html" target="_blank">here</a> you will see that the loveseat was against the other wall for summer. I moved it here for fall. </div>
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We tried to get the buffet fixed... it's poor broken leg - but no one would touch it. I tried several antique stores. If you live in the COS area and want it with it's broken leg it is free! Otherwise I'm trashing it.... yep trashing it. I know, I know; but it is a BIG piece and my little house doesn't have room for it. If you want it email me and you can have it broken leg and all but you must come and get it. </div>
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My Mom sent me a gate leg table recently. I've cleaned it (still needs some attention) but I put it where the old buffet was.</div>
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I also refinished the silverware holder she sent me. I was going to paint it but when we stripped it the wood was so pretty I just couldn't do it! <br />
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I updated those mason jars that I made last year. You can see that and my last year fall tour <a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2015/09/fall-home-tour.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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Am I the only one who decorates speakers? We have old BIG ones but they still sound great so I work with them...</div>
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That candle it bittersweet and smells soooo good! I go it at Home Goods for $8.00 and the picture is of my husband's family homestead. Did I say the candle is amazing??? smells soooooo good! </div>
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I got a new entry table last year for my birthday from my hubby... I just love it. The old one is down the end of our hall. But this year I got an Edison lamp from Kirkland's.. I'm eyeing the one online that looks like a fan but I bought this one in the store. Those Edison bulbs give off a nice amber glow - AWSEOME for this time of the year! You can see the painted mason jar craft <a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2015/08/painted-mason-jars.html" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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Now outside.. <br />
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This year I pulled out an old chair and decorated it.<br />
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I also updated my homemade outdoor blackboard sign for fall.</div>
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I added a 'D' to my old wreath that I made years ago.<br />
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And here is the front.</div>
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Sorry for the sun glare... it was still sunny here in Colorado at 7pm. Can you see my husband in the kitchen window? He was photobombing me. </div>
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I decorate all areas of my house for each season.. don't forget spaces that guests visit like bathrooms.</div>
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I also decorate our family room with a few pumpkins and decorative items as well as my kitchen. Since we still live on our back covered porch till October I don't forget that space either.</div>
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Thanks for stopping by! I truly appreciate you looking me over! Hopefully I've given you some inspiration to decorate your own home for fall. </div>
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Stop back next week and I'll be sharing a unique, thinking outside the wreath, idea for a fall front door. Can't wait for you to see it!</div>
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Please follow me on Pintrest at </div>
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https://www.pinterest.com/vicdenniso/</div>
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I've been pinning a lot for fall and Halloween. </div>
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You can also follow me on Instagram! </div>
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Vicdenni</div>
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I tend to Instagram a lot lately and I'm participating in a Halloween Instagram swap! I'll be blogging all about it as well. </div>
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I'm also on Facebook but due to how FB works I only post when I blog... but please follow me and interact with the page to get it in your newsfeed!</div>
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https://www.facebook.com/Dragonflies-and-Thistles-491393717621010/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel</div>
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You can also follow me directly on the blog and get my posts directly to your email! Just sign up here on the blog. </div>
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Remember next week unusual door décor AND starting next week I will post on Tuesday and every Tuesday thereafter! </div>
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Again, thanks for stopping by! </div>
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Victoria</div>
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Rocky Mountain High................... COLORADO! </div>
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<br />Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-9576773942802968362016-05-23T20:05:00.001-07:002016-05-23T20:05:45.988-07:00Is it possible that spring or summer is finally here!The state of things....<br />
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Sorry I'll be on my soapbox for a moment... BEWARE RANT COMING! <br />
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1. Never, ever, ever, EVER let your parents get a reverse mortgage... NEVER EVER. And don't you do it either! PLEASE!!!!<br />
There are things they don't tell you. Sounds like a great deal - stay in your house and we'll pay you back the equity on your home in monthly installments.... nice. The problem 1: You no longer own your home so unless you've got other retirement you've got nothing to sell and live in say Assisted Living with. Nursing and Assisted Living homes are CRAZY expensive. The problem 2: The reverse mortgage really expects you to die before the loan ends, sad but true. Just like a regular mortgage you can take this thing out for X number of years. If you live longer and want to 'extend' the mortgage why you can do that but you now begin to accrue interest due on the loan AND you become upside down.... needless to say my mother is now not only homeless but will probably have to declare bankruptcy because of this reverse mortgage process.... so please DO NOT DO IT... DO NOT LET YOUR PARENTS DO IT! Just take out a conventional loan if you need the money that badly.<br />
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2. It has been raining and snowing here in Colorado and is FINALLY drying out this week. I thought I'd been transported to someplace else. It was crazy! But now the sun has come back for 3 days and it's been in the 70's and even 80 on Saturday so I've got everything blooming in my garden. It is an explosion of flowers. If you follow me on Instagram you've seen some of my garden. Check it out @Vicdenni on Instagram. <br />
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BUT I've FINALLY gotten the porch together and the house flipped around. If you have been here before you know that I flip my living/dining room around in the summer. Now my dining room is in the living area and vice versa. <br />
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I think it makes my new living area very cozy.<br />
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So welcome to my 'summer' home!</div>
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I added a summer picture of one of my favorite places in Colorado, The San Juan Mountains. That is Mt. Sneffels. I took it 2 years ago in early September, a bit too early for the Aspen but if you look closely at the photo you can see that they are just starting to turn. <br />
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I filled this mason jar full of sand and shells I collected on a trip to Mexico along with some shells that are very old and unique in the front. This is my husband favorite thing of all my summer décor, he just loves the shells in the jar. <br />
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See my dinning is now where my living room was. What do you think of my camera collection? It is growing and growing. I bought the larger camera with the large flash this year at a flea market. The thing must weigh 10lbs... I can't imagine having to carry it around to take pictures with! <br />
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The buffet, yes with the broken leg, sits behind the table. <br />
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Love my lilacs! They smell so amazing! <br />
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This is a photo my husbands Grandmother gave us. It is of the Denison homestead in Mystic CT. Yep my husband can trace his family back to the Revolutionary war... pretty cool!!!<br />
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Above the buffet, yes with the broken leg, LOL! I have a shelf that I added a sculpture of a sailboat. My husband did a lot of sailing as a kid and teenager with his Grandmother. <br />
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If you turn around you've got my china cabinet - I think I want to paint it but gosh I'm afraid to paint any of this crazy old furniture, yes even the buffet with the broken leg!! That large Ficus will go outside with the other plants once it stays above 50 at night. <br />
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Here is a close up of my little living area. I got the mason jar lantern at Kirkland's. <br />
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Here is my side table with its omage to the sea. A fish bowl filled with sand dollars and a small turtle, both from Home Goods. The conch shell is a find from our honeymoon 26 years ago! <br />
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Down the hallway - we've got a ranch style home - so down the hall is the bedrooms and at the end I hung a mirror and put the old front entry table under it. I added a light and some rocks along with a 3-D print (fancy.. I just hot glued shells to a flat canvas) and a bowl with sand dollars. The dog balls are extra.<br />
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Sweet <br />
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Now to the back deck! I am so happy this has been set up! <br />
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My little tray vignette with an old fashioned diving helmet - Hobby Lobby. The tray and shell dish are from Home Goods. The glass floats are from a childhood trip to Maine. <br />
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Want to play a game of Cribbage?? It is a fun game that the hubby and I play often. We keep track of who wins etc... currently I am the reigning champ!<br />
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The seating area is to the left. AHHHH still no patio couch or bench.... good thing I am so good with chairs! <br />
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I moved my window outside and hung it against the fireplace wall. Underneath is a bar cart I found at Home Goods in the clearance section for - $20.00 yep....nothing wrong with it either! Can you say SCORE! <br />
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Here is my outdoor coffee table. The plank I did 2 years ago now maybe... really easy to do. The mason jar thing I got at Kirkland's last year and I've used it during all seasons. I put some colored rocks in them to hold the flowers down and in the others I'll put small tea light candles. With that and the new table lamp and the overhead lights the porch will take on a wonderful glow this summer!<br />
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This is the lamp and side table I got at the At Home Store. The lamp was $10.00 and the table was $30! The tile coasters I did myself. An easy project to do <a href="http://dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2015/04/coaster-craft.html" target="_blank">here</a></div>
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Finally the sun is setting, the leaves are finally growing and Colorado is coming back to life! I get to look at this amazing view every day - and this is just my north view. You can really see the sun move in the sky here and this is where it sets for the next few weeks until it moves a bit farther north. Then after the summer equinox it will slowly move back, all the way to the other side of Pikes Peak and farther south. <br />
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The sun won't set until well after 9pm during the summer here and sometimes it can still be dusk at 10pm! If you want to find me, I'll be on my back deck soaking it all in and being amazed at nature's beauty. </div>
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I'll be back next week sharing my garden...have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend. Let's take some time this weekend to reflect on those who have lost their lives protecting our freedom. Let's also take a moment to thank those still with us that have or are serving. Bless them they are the true hero's. </div>
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Victoria</div>
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<br />Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-25687212108833346782016-04-25T17:27:00.001-07:002016-04-25T17:27:11.964-07:00Springtime gardenSnow... it happens and it happens in Colorado a lot and throughout the spring. Springtime for most means warmer weather and rain while here in the Rocky Mountains it means 70 degree days followed by 18+ inches of snow the next day! <br />
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Last week we had about 4 inches of snow and it and the 18+ we got the weekend before has finally melted under the Colorado sunshine. I am confident enough that it won't snow again (April is our snowiest month) that I've re-redecorated my front for spring. <br />
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I want to re-paint my shutters and door. I just think they are a bit too baby blue but they do stand out well against the battleship gray of the house so we'll see. But painting shutters and or your door is an easy and pretty cheap way of updating your homes look. <br />
I've thought about painting the brick but just like my fireplace I am cautious, oh heck, terrified! I think the brick works for now and I like it with the colors I've got on the house. <br />
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Last fall I bought an old screen for $5.00 at an antique store. This spring I've brought it outside and hung one of the 3 boxwood wreathes I made last year on it. In front I put a galvanized box filled with wood and pinecones. Sometimes I put lights in this box for a sparkly effect. I put this all under my metal star. <br />
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I love lilacs... those, tulips and peonies are my favorite flowers. I filled a metal container full of faux lilacs this year.<br />
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The look pretty real to me! </div>
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Though my neighbors white lilac bush has lots of blooms on it this year. She lets me cut them so I can't wait till mid May when they should be in full bloom!!!</div>
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I have a large purple bush in my backyard but this one is farther along than mine for whatever reason. <br />
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Speaking of my backyard... my tulips made it through the snow!<br />
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So did my bleeding heart - and look it is blooming!<br />
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Whoo hoo! I always worry about this little guy but he's hanging in there!</div>
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I don't know what kind of bulb these are but they get big purple balls on them when they bloom.</div>
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They end up about 2 feet or more tall... they seem to be good to go as well. </div>
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Even my peony fared the 18 inches of snow well.</div>
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AND... don't know if you can see it but I got really excited to see my hydrangea coming up! They are so sensitive. I was worried. </div>
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This upcoming weekend I'm going to the Castle Rock Antique Fair at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. Over 600 vendors will be there and I'm super excited. I am on the lookout for some old camera's and equipment as well as any unique stools or lights. I'll be taking photo's and sharing on Instagram this weekend so follow me there!!! @Vicdenni on Instagram. </div>
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What does your spring garden look like where you live? Do you have a lot or a few plants blooming now? I'd really love to see. </div>
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Have a great week, thanks for reading. </div>
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Victoria</div>
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I'd LOVE to have you follow me on Pintrest - </div>
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<br />Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-5207447699978362932016-04-12T19:54:00.002-07:002016-04-12T19:54:39.534-07:00Go-to decorating toolSomeone on Instagram asked me what I use as my 'go-to' decorating tool. <br />
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It took me 2 seconds to respond with "lanterns." I love lanterns and they can be so versatile to use in decorating. So I went around my house and looked at my lanterns so I could take pictures for this post. <br />
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I didn't find a single, not even one lantern that I've got out to use as an example. Hmmm.... <br />
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So I thought, "Okay I love candles." Candles that's the correct answer. Nope only 2 candles currently being used in my spring decorating. Okay... <br />
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Flowers.. I do like flowers and I know, KNOW I use flowers in all my decorating during all the seasons. Be it faux or fresh I use flowers all the time. Now I've talked about using flowers several times and are flowers really a decorating tool? NO they are an accessory so I've got to find something I use as a tool. <br />
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So I thought books! I know I use books to decorate with. Books are very versatile as risers. I know I use books.... yeah NO. I could only find 1... ONE book that I'm currently using.<br />
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ONE. But hey it is a cute old book that I painted white and stamped with a script stamp. AND don't you just LOVE the dragonfly! </div>
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It is a Christmas tree ornament I got at Big Lot's 2 years ago... LOVE. </div>
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SOOOOOO - decorating tool.. I can do this! My husband tried to help he said, 'How about pictures? One's we've take on our adventures. Are pictures a tool? Yeah they cover the walls but this isn't what I was looking for. </div>
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My search continued through my small house to see if there is anything that stands out... I use a lot of metals....</div>
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And orbs can be a tool but that isn't what I was asked.... again - accessory not a tool! <br />
I walked around my living/dining/kitchen and found that I use a lot of trays and cake stands a lot. <br />
In my kitchen to hold sugar and creamers....<br />
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Also in the kitchen to hold fresh fruit.</div>
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On my dinning room table. <br />
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I got the tray on my dinning table at Target. I filled it with a seashell, (you'll always find seashells in my decorating as I'm originally from Maryland), a candle and other items... including faux flowers in a beer growler... yep that is how classy we are here.. a beer growler but isn't it CUTE! <br />
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Just remember to think of a tray as a decorating surface like a table. Keep things in 3's and vary the heights to keep the eye moving. Things don't necessarily have to relate to one another - I've only got 3 things that relate in the above picture - the ornamental finial thing, the bird and the Fleur de Lis. You'll also notice a small church thing in the vase with the faux flowers and the roof is in the same color pallet as the finial, bird and Fleur de Lis. You could fill a tray with seashells in glass jars with sand, you could have 3 candlesticks of different heights on your tray. Just keep things in 3's it seems to work best and vary the height to keep the eye moving on the surface. <br />
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Speaking of pretty...<br />
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I added these dragonflies to my table to relate to the green tea light holders. Yes these are also Christmas ornaments! So think outside the box when decorating your table. <br />
I also use cake stands as risers. <br />
This one really isn't a cake stand but a garden riser but hey... <br />
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This cake stand is from Southern Living at Home. <br />
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This cake stand I got at Home Goods. <br />
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Cake stands or other kinds of stands are very versatile to help raise an item higher than another or spotlight an item. The above teapot and cake stand are in my kitchen. The cake stand highlights the pretty antique teapot. <br />
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So whew! I found some things that I use as decorating tools! I was sweating a bit there! <br />
What tool or item do you use in your decorating? I'd love to see and hear about them. <br />
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Next week I'll share the front of my house decorated for spring... wish me luck getting it done as we are expecting snow, yep snow and lots of snow this weekend ( 24+ inches)! Follow me on Instagram and I'll share what happens!!!! SNOW yes it is April in the Rockies! <br />
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Victoria<br />
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<br />Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-73115888080949464502016-04-04T19:08:00.000-07:002016-04-04T19:08:17.464-07:00Spring mantle Happy Spring! Or at least I hope so... here in Colorado it can snow all the way through May but since snow = drinking water here, I'll take it! <br />
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So I am still showering in the hall bathroom. <br />
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I am pretty lucky I've got a husband who once I convince him of something he is all in. Holes in walls, knocking down walls, ripping up flooring once he gets my vision he's in 100%. Hence our master bathroom. <br />
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Now the bathroom is small but most houses in our neighborhood don't have a master bath so we are lucky for our small house. But our master bathroom was well...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">U G L Y</span></h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span>I shared a bit of the destruction and general ugliness <a href="http://www.dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2016/03/it-is-easter.html" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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The hubby is willing to take on anything and I am really lucky because he is generally really handy. Be it a toilet removal and install or taking down a wall to laying hardwood floors he's really a handy guy. <br />
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You know those questions...'If you could only take 1 thing on a deserted island what would it be?' I always say, "my husband" he's MacGyver! Give him a paperclip and some tape and he could build me a house! <br />
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Well it did take him a bit to solder the copper piping and not have any leaks then we found out about this new thing called 'shark bite' which uses plastic piping and ends - no leaks and fast! <br />
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But I do have bathroom walls now.<br />
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Whoo Hoo! <br />
We are just going to put a pre formed insert in here for now. Eventually we will gut the entire master bathroom and there will be tile in there, no tub and a bench that is heated!! But for now to keep any further water damage from happening this is our solution. <br />
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Hopefully this next weekend the insert will go in... I'll keep you posted and show you pictures of the finished product. <br />
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So with snow on the ground last weekend (it snowed last Thursday and Friday) I started decorating for spring. I started with the mantle. For me my mantle can be difficult to decorate. The mantle itself is a dark railroad tie and the fireplace itself is large and dark. I'm afraid to paint it because if I mess it up it is really messed up but... I'd LOVE to be brave enough to do it. <br />
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This is what I came up with for spring.<br />
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I kept the window pane and the 2 lanterns along with some wood. I added a blue box, a boxwood wreath I made last year, a picture, some small birds, a banner and my favorite thing - a Target dollar spot galvanized bucket filled with faux flowers. Super cute! </div>
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I also decorated my shelf over my buffet.</div>
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I kept everything there that had been there since January and added a white finial. </div>
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If you've been following me on Instagram (Vicdenni) you've seen some of my outdoor décor for spring/summer. There will be more to come. </div>
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Lastly... have a great week it is going to be beautiful here in Colorado - 70's all week! </div>
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You can still see some snow up on Pikes Peak... looks like it is snowing up there right now! </div>
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Have a great week!</div>
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Victoria </div>
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<br />Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-63149309929217516382016-03-28T18:36:00.000-07:002016-03-28T18:36:05.159-07:00How to change your decor for each seasonI hope everyone had a blessed Easter, on a personal note our family was blessed with some family healing this Easter ! What an amazing thing!!!<br />
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Now that spring is here in most of the country, (I live in Colorado, we had a blizzard last week and are expecting more snow this week - though as I write this it is 68 degrees!), we can now concentrate on spring/summer decorating! But exactly how do you go about decorating for a non holiday time? Sort of like after Christmas the house looks so bare. I'm going to tell you how I change décor from season to season, this is not the only way to do it. This method works for me. <br />
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One of the things that I do is that I keep certain décor items out all year 'round. Be it pinecones (one of my go-to décor items), chunks of wood (useful as risers for items), anything dragonflies (just love them and I've got them all over the place), flowers (faux and or real) or rocks and seashells; items I have on display all year long and I just put seasonal items around them. <br />
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Here is a fall example:<br />
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I have several of these little dragonfly plates. My daughter got them for me one Christmas and I use them all year round. </div>
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Here are two dragonfly plates that I am currently using.</div>
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For me, keeping some of the décor consistent makes it less harsh when you change things up for a season. <br />
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Even when I decorate my mantle - which I have a bit of trouble doing sometimes because it is dark and it has this very dark railroad tie mantle shelf I try to keep some of the things the same. <br />
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Then I add a bit of the unusual, a window pane.<br />
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I made the boxwood wreath last year. </div>
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I also always use flowers be them faux or real throughout the year. I do change the flowers up for each season but I always have flowers. </div>
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Here are the flowers I have out right now.</div>
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Here is an example from last summer. Even on my porch I use flowers. <br />
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These are fresh flowers from my garden. I made the vase out of a pickle jar, spray painted it gold then turned it upside down and dripped blue paint over it. <br />
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Here is my mantle from this past Easter; notice the wood and glass hurricane candles.<br />
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Here is the mantle for St. Patrick's Day:</div>
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I kept the section of wood in the same place. Consistency.</div>
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That is my big tip - keep a few things consistent in your décor. You can move them around your living room, family room or wherever you are decorating but keeping a few key items always on display will help you transition from one season to another. </div>
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I simply add seasonal items in around these items and those seasonal items always include flowers, seashells, rocks, pictures, pinecones, orbs and pieces of wood. </div>
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I hope these tips and examples helped you. I'd love to hear how you change up your seasonal décor. </div>
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Until next week.... stay safe!</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Victoria</span></i></div>
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You can follow me on Pintrest - </div>
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https://www.pinterest.com/vicdenniso/</div>
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Instagram - </div>
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Vicdenni</div>
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(if you have the newer version of Instagram please click on those 3 little dots and ask for me in your feed!)</div>
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Facebook - </div>
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https://www.facebook.com/Dragonflies-and-Thistles-491393717621010/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel</div>
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<br />Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-90167546234631339132016-03-21T20:41:00.000-07:002016-03-21T20:41:11.732-07:00It is Easter Happy Easter week! <br />
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Easter is a time for reflection, remembrance and a time to bring in the new. However you celebrate I wish you peace and joy. <br />
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This past week I was pretty busy. I work full-time outside of the home, sometimes up to 70 hours a week and come home and be Mom, Wife, Decorator, Cook, Housekeeper etc. There are times when I just can't do everything and I need to let myself be okay with that. Yeah..not so much but I'm working on it. <br />
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With that said I took down my St. Patrick's Day things on Friday and my hubby helped me get down some of our Easter things. On top of that I somehow talked my hubby into doing a small refurbish of our master bathroom. I know... what was I thinking! Small refurbish = silly woman!!!<br />
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I am really lucky; I just mention something and possibly an activity that will require a new tool and my husband is all in! Putting holes in walls, ripping up carpet, plumbing or even a bathroom he's all in. <br />
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Our master bathroom is and has been a disaster. We had this old ugly faux 1970's pink and beige sheets that were to look like tile in our master shower. Really ugly even for the 70's. We had nails popping through and we just knew there wasn't any drywall behind them and we must have water damage. With fear and dread my husband ripped apart the shower/tub enclosure mumbling to himself that he just doesn't know how I talk him into these things. It wasn't until I heard a scream that I came running. He was practically dancing in the tub - NO MOLD, NO DRY ROT, NO WATER DAMAGE! How did we dodge that bullet??? IDK but I'll take it! <br />
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BUT...come on there is ALWAYS a but!<br />
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You guessed it my bathroom isn't back together yet. It will get there eventually - I do live with the man who must research and look at consumer reports and reviews on 50 different web sites before he will buy anything. So I have to give him the time to research a new shower enclosure. Unfortunately I'm not that patient. I always tell him by the time he researches and reads and makes his lists and then decides I've done it 10 times. Now he will chime in with 10 times wrong but.... LOL!<br />
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He is very, VERY handy and did the plumbing himself - no leaks after only 3 tries and he fixed several things that the 1970's builder didn't do properly like our railing that goes around the open entrance to the basement is just nailed into the drywall - no stud. That was fixed and he brought the plumbing up to current code. <br />
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BEFORE: <br />
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Ugly 1970's faux tile... (see I told you - U G L Y)<br />
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It is a large sheet and no, nothing was behind it just studs. <br />
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Wall with the nails in the drywall for the railing; also notice the hole.. someone at some point put a hole in the wall but didn't patch it correctly and when the faux tile was ripped out the hole was torn open again so that will have to be fixed. </div>
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I'll be posting on the progress but this is how it still looks today. </div>
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Enough about the bathroom! I wanted to share a PINTREST SUCCESS! </div>
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I saw several versions of this on Pintrest and thought I'd give it a try...</div>
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So how did I do this? <br />
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You will need:<br />
3 wreathes in descending sizes - I used wood as it is easier to make the ears out of the wood/twig wreathes<br />
3 stems of some sort of pastel fuzzy sticks - I used green, yellow and blue<br />
1 garland, Easter themed. You could use bunnies or carrots - I chose eggs<br />
Hot glue gun<br />
Wire - 3 pieces, 1 for each ear to secure them to the head and 1 to join the head and body<br />
Ribbon to hang it with<br />
Optional - zip tie - I used the zip tie to join the head and body together instead of wire<br />
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First up - I worked on the body first and hot glued the egg garland to the wreath. If you have too much garland you can overlap like I did or cut it and make a knot in the string to keep any eggs you don't glue down from falling off.<br />
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Next - Work on the head. I was making my fuzzy sticks look like a bowtie or whiskers. I just stuck them in the wreath form at the bottom then turned the wreath over and hot glued everything into place. Watch you fingers cause yes, I burned myself several times between the fuzzy sticks and the eggs. <br />
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Now - either wire or zip tie your head and body together<br />
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Finally - wire your ears on... now how did I make those ears? <br />
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I took the smallest wreath and took it apart making 2 then tied each one back to itself individually. Then I wired the ears onto the head.<br />
Finally I cut a small length of ribbon and looped it through the head, made a knot and hung the bunny up! <br />
Pretty cute!<br />
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Now if you can bear with me I'd like to give you a quick tour of my house decorated for Easter... I know I've done a lot haven't I! </div>
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Worlds cutest bunny! I got him from Pier One. </div>
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He is sitting on my mantle.<br />
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Close up of the Target dollar spot LED bunny lights... so cute!<br />
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Next is the dinning table...<br />
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I think it is simple yet very pretty and the kiddo's love the tablecloth with its bunnies doing all sorts of activities. <br />
Close up of a .50 terra cotta pot with an egg nesting in some faux greenery.<br />
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Next is my coffee table. <br />
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That is the plain candleholder from Kirkland's that I cut faux flowers to fit in around the bottom. I like the plain one personally since I can customize it for every holiday very easily. AND...psst it was much cheaper than the holiday inspired ones that they sell... Like 1/2 the price or more! <br />
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And the buffet.<br />
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Just a bit of Easter around to make thing festive for the kiddo's. </div>
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Thank you so much for stopping by! I appreciate the read. If you would please leave a comment let me know your thoughts... do you decorate for Easter? Spring? If so how? Do you have a theme? Do you make a wreath for Easter? Spring? I made my husbands Grandmother a cross for her door. I'd love to see pictures!!!</div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Have a safe and blessed Easter. <br />
Victoria<br />
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Whoo hoo! I'm on INSTAGRAM!!!! Yes, yes. YES! Please follow me. I'm slightly addicted so you'll see previews to blog posts and my decorating mistakes and successes! You'll also get tips on things I find in stores - like have you been to Target lately? They have the most amazing and cute pillows for summer! This is the one I came home with but I'll be posting more on INSTAGRAM! The pillows start at $9.99, yep 10 bucks! <br />
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Also Target has some really cute galvanized items, candles, pots, trays and even serving pieces for summer! You must check it out! Can you tell I'm excited! I'm SO excited!!! <br />
So follow me on INSTAGRAM to see more! Search for me as Vicdenni on INSTAGRAM.<br />
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I also hope you follow me on PINTREST - <br />
https://www.pinterest.com/vicdenniso/<br />
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I am on Facebook but... due to the nature of FB you either need to interact with my page weekly or request to see me in your newsfeed... but I'm there.<br />
https://www.facebook.com/Dragonflies-and-Thistles-491393717621010/?ref=hl<br />
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<br />Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-72456149194464158762016-03-14T20:26:00.003-07:002016-03-14T20:26:55.263-07:00Spring wreathCan I tell you how hooked I am on Instagram? Really hooked. I hope you follow me.. you'll see sneak peaks of upcoming blog posts, glimpses of my trials with my 1970's house, decorating dilemmas and lots of pictures of Colorado. I am Vicdenni on Instagram. <br />
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Status of my foot... better and better every day! <br />
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This week I made a spring wreath. <br />
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Simple but really pretty and it will make a big statement on your front door. <br />
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Okay.. first things first. Always, always, ALWAYS buy faux flowers on sale. Gosh these things are getting expensive. <br />
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In the store I first pick out my wreath, do I want straw, wood or metal? Do I want a special shape? Sometime I pick up 2 or 3 and put them in my cart while I decide. Then I walk up and down the flower isles and pick up things that I find pretty or interesting. Finally I just start 'dry fitting' right in the store. This is where I make decisions and basically decide what I'm going to do. <br />
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I chose these purple flowers as I hadn't seen them before and they just spoke to me. <br />
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I got 2 bunches as when I was playing with them in the store I decided to have them go in opposite directions. </div>
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I also got these white flowers for the middle. I just thought they went well. </div>
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TIP - When picking flowers choose what you like but keep in mind the color wheel. Opposites on the wheel attract each other. So I could have chosen yellow flowers instead of white to really pop. Unfortunately I really liked the type of flower the white ones are but they didn't have them in yellow only white, pink and red.... so I got the white. </div>
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I really do 'dry fit' them right in the store meaning I lay the flowers on the wreathes in my cart or even on the store floor then step back and see how I like it. This is the final decision time for me to determine what I'm going to create and buy. </div>
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This is what I bought.</div>
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1 wood wreath</div>
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1 bunch of white flowers</div>
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2 bunches of green leaves</div>
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2 bunches of purple flowers</div>
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Then once at home I dry fit at again. Sometimes I make changes like I ended up doing with this wreath. </div>
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You'll notice in the finished wreath I left out the extra green leaves that I had placed under the white flowers. I bought these but I didn't end up using them but this is why you dry fit first!</div>
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With the just green leaves it felt just too much for me so I will return these $11.99 stems!!!! YIKES. See buy when they are on sale... I got them $5.99 each. </div>
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My next step is then cutting the stems to length. I cut long because you can always make them shorter! Then I place them, dry (no glue) into the wreath.</div>
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Personally I place all the flowers before I hot glue but you can start to hot glue at this point. </div>
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Next I placed the white flowers in the middle, glued everything down and that is it! Oh and I only burned my fingers twice with the hot glue gun!!!!! </div>
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I just thought the extra green leaves hid the cool purple flowers so I didn't end up using them. </div>
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The final touch was to cut a length of ribbon, knot it and hang the wreath.</div>
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The cost was $30.00 before I return the 2 bunches of faux green leaves... so it will end up at $20.00 total. <div>
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So what do you think? Do you have a wreath on your door for the spring? Do you make your own wreathes? I'd love to hear from you! </div>
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Thanks for stopping by and reading my little blog. Next week I am going to try this bunny wreath I saw on Pintrest.... we'll see how it goes! </div>
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You can follow me on Pintrest - </div>
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https://www.pinterest.com/vicdenniso/</div>
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I am on Facebook but due to the nature of FB if you don't interact with my page a lot you won't see it so I only post once a week.... </div>
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https://www.facebook.com/Dragonflies-and-Thistles-491393717621010/?ref=hl</div>
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And again INSTAGRAM! I am Vicdenni</div>
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Thanks so much see you next week!</div>
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Victoria </div>
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<br />Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-91739745945756548342016-03-08T10:06:00.001-08:002016-03-08T10:06:38.231-08:00Status updateJust thought I'd let you know my status.... <br />
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You may or may not know that last summer I fractured several bones in my foot on a hike in the mountains. I was in the lovely boot for 8 weeks total and now I've got other foot issues. Why is it that when your feet hurt you just feel bad all over? <br />
What has happened is that I've put pressures on my right foot (not broken) due to the boot on the left and now I've got planter fasciitis in that right foot. In other words, I've pulled the muscle in the foot where the Achilles ends in the heel. The planter fascia supports your arch. It doesn't hurt until I start walking then my heel starts to throb. Not too much can be done other than wear orthotics in my shoes (I love, LOVE, LOVE shoes and this just won't fly... OH and NO HEELS!). So a cortisone shot in the heel of that foot was well lets just say not pleasant. <br />
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NOW, On the left foot that had the fractures, I've now got a Morten's Neuroma AND I've got it in a place where it isn't supposed to be...lucky me. <br />
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Normally the neuroma is between the 3rd and 4th toes but not mine.... I've got mine between the 2nd and 3rd toes. Think of a neuroma as a damaged nerve that is now swollen and really pushing the bones of the toes away from one another. The Dr. told me that this is unheard of between the 2dn and 3rd toes...luck me I am an anomaly. So much so that he asked if the entire practice of 12 Doctors and all the PA's and other nurses and assistants could come in. The entire practice crammed into this little exam room to review the X-Rays, Ultra Sound and MRI results. Just like a picnic! The best part was ANOTHER cortisone shot in the ball of that foot and then if that wasn't enough a steroid shot in the top of the foot where the neuroma is to try to shrink it. Let's just say it hurt even with the cold spray to numb my foot. I didn't know how I was going to put on shoes and walk out of the office with all these shots in my feet but I did. <br />
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So what does all of this mean? I am off my feet a lot and no heels; did I tell you that I like cute shoes and live in heels? <br />
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So I haven't gotten out to buy things to make a wreath for my front door for Easter yet. Sorry..... I hope to be able to get out this weekend and actually walk, I go back to the Dr. on Thursday, fingers crossed! <br />
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In the meantime I have joined INSTAGRAM! whoop woot! <br />
You can follow me I'm <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em>Vicdenni</em></span> on Instagram. You'll see pictures of sunrises and sunsets and other views from lovely Colorado as well as cute finds at stores. I'll be sharing some craft projects, my home and you'll get a sneak peak at the upcoming weeks blog post. I hope you start following me! <br />
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Hopefully this weekend I'll get to the store and make this bunny wreath.... <br />
Victoria<br />
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You can also follow me on pintrest - <br />
<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/vicdenniso/">https://www.pinterest.com/vicdenniso/</a><br />
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Facebook - though I am not as active here...<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Dragonflies-and-Thistles-491393717621010/?ref=hl">https://www.facebook.com/Dragonflies-and-Thistles-491393717621010/?ref=hl</a><br />
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And now INSTAGRAM!<br />
You can search and find me under - Vicdenni<br />
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<br />Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-85560853399081484502016-02-22T17:44:00.000-08:002016-02-22T17:44:06.455-08:00St. Patrick's Day decorWell friends February is coming to a quick end and with March right around the corner it is time to get ready for the next holiday! <br />
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With St. Patrick's Day and Easter both falling in March this year it can be hard to decide which one to decorate for. For me St. Patrick's Day isn't a day of drinking but of reflection on my heritage. My paternal Grandmother was of Irish decent and I can remember her telling me stories of why the Irish celebrate St. Patrick's Day and how they used to celebrate it. <br />
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In Ireland St. Patrick's Day is a religious holiday as St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. Legend has it he rid the island of snake and other slithering vermin. He also converted the Celts from Paganism to Catholics. <br />
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My Grandmother use to tell me that in the USA we celebrate by remembering the homeland by wearing green (to remember the Emerald Isle) and eating favorite Irish foods. I can remember standing on her kitchen chair helping her make Irish Soda Bread. I even used to get to use the knife to cut an X in the bread...to let the fairies out. <br />
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At my house on St. Patrick's Day or if it falls on a weekday the closest weekend date, we have corned beef (NO cabbage - YUCK), potatoes and green beans with my Grandmothers soda bread. In the past I've had nametags for guests and a list of Celtic or 'traditional' Irish names or everyone to pick from. Irish music plays and I put my picture of Kylemoore Abbey up over the fireplace. I bring out the few St. Patrick's Day decorations I've got and add any green accents. <br />
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I made the 'LUCK' last year it was super easy to do you can get the directions <a href="http://www.dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2015/02/luck-of-irish.html" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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So back to St. Patrick's and Easter being close together this year and to decide which one to decorate for.... you have a decision to make.<br />
1. Decorate for one holiday at a time so St. Patrick's first then it comes down quickly and Easter goes up.<br />
2. Decorate in a combination of each<br />
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I decided for #1. So I decorated for St. Patrick's Day everywhere but my dining room. <br />
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I do have my St. Patrick's tablecloth on though. I bought some hydrangeas from Wal-Mart and stuck them in the centerpiece. </div>
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On my poor broken buffet I have a craft I did last year as well.. this cute shamrock made out of buttons.</div>
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You can see how I made it <a href="http://www.dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2015/02/button-craft.html" target="_blank">here.</a><div>
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After St. Patrick's Day I will change things over to Easter. Speaking of Easter and spring... I'm going to try to make a 'wreath bunny' we'll see how that goes but next week it will either be a success or FAIL! </div>
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BTW... look at this cute adorable little guy...</div>
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I got him at Pier One... they have a bevy of bunnies to choose from but I absolutely love this little guy. </div>
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Thanks for stopping by I appreciate you reading! </div>
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Victoria</div>
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You can follow me on Facebook - </div>
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Pintrest - </div>
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https://www.pinterest.com/vicdenniso/</div>
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Coming soon - INSTAGRAM! </div>
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<br />Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-28006780362147616122016-02-15T18:31:00.001-08:002016-02-15T18:31:20.284-08:00HELP I've got some outdated things in my houseSo this post is about things I need to around my house. I have an average size ranch 1100 sq. feet on each level; 4 bedrooms 3 full bathrooms. It was built in 1970 so while I've got some 70's house issues (small rooms and really small kitchen) I've got some unusual 'problems' (cathedral ceilings in the living/dining room) - gosh how do you decorate those crazy high walls? I've also got a really large dark red brick fireplace with an even darker rustic railroad tie mantle.... how the heck do I decorate that? <br />
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Here's a reminder of my fireplace.<br />
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Large half a wall and outdated. <br />
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So this is what I thought - spray paint the gold face silver. What do you think? OR will that look odd with the rustic mantle? What other color could I paint it? Black??? <br />
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Should I paint the brick white? Gosh that does scare me a bit because if I mess it up it is then messed up. I wish I was braver to just paint the brick. Does anyone know of any good tutorials on how to do this? Do you think the brick will look bad with the rustic mantle? <br />
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I'd also like to make my kitchen bigger. I mean it is less than 8x8. I'd love to knock the rest of this wall out between the kitchen/dining room.<br />
Here is the window we knocked into it because the wall is load bearing. <br />
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This is the wall from the kitchen. See it is so small and I don't have enough cabinets that I had to hang my pots and pans. <br />
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Then I really need to do something with this buffet. The leg broke and we can't figure out how to fix it properly so here it is still holding together with black duct tape. <br />
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Since it isn't worth anything any longer and there isn't a sentimental value I am still thinking of painting it, at least the bottom and refinishing the top and staining it dark. What do you think....</div>
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As you can see it is also damaged from years of sitting in the sun so painting it would really bring it out. Now... color - robins egg blue? mint? gray? or another shade? What is your opinion? </div>
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Next on the 'list' is our master bedroom. I need new curtains. The one's there are like 10 years old and dark brown VELVET. YIKES talk about outdated. </div>
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Spring makes me think of light colors overall but I'm not a pastel fan but I have been thinking of lightening up the house. While I love the blue walls should I lighten the shade say 2 or 3 lighter OR should I forget this silly adventure and embrace the dark side that currently engulfs me?? I do love rich jewel box colors. </div>
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I'd love to hear your opinion really because I can't make up my mind really. I've got decorating ADD - there is something about almost every style that I love. </div>
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Industrial - love the metal/wood look</div>
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Farmhouse - love the Joanna Gaines style</div>
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French Country - love the lines and the use of bright and muted colors</div>
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Mid Century - love the clean crisp no nonsense look and bright colors </div>
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Traditional - love the classic style of a wingback chair</div>
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Mountain - love a stone fireplace</div>
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Rustic - love that wood</div>
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Classic - I do love a good antique as you can tell</div>
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See... gosh so confused. </div>
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So light or dark or somewhere in between? </div>
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IDEAS PEEPS I NEED IDEAS! </div>
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Please help me and don't let me drown here while I try to figure this out. I really believe that going forward it isn't the HGTV or favorite flavor designers that will be setting home trends but the blogger and the average homeowner - US! Nothing against those talented designers and TV personalities because their design talent, drive and ambition got them where they are today... I will always love Sarah Richardson and Candice Olsen's style but I still think it is US who will begin setting design trends going forward. There are many talented bloggers out there that don't have degree's - think Joanna Gaines... love her. So any help you can give me is much much appreciated. </div>
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Next week I'll be decorating for St. Patrick's Day, yes this girl is a bit Irish and I decorate it up for St. Pat's. Then I'll be thinking about spring and Easter decorating and trying to come up with an unusual for my door décor. Spring doesn't really come to Colorado until late April maybe even late May so anytime I can bring flowers in I will. Then I'm going to tackle at least one of the projects I'm talking about and asking for your help. </div>
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Victoria</div>
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You can follow me on Facebook - </div>
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Pintrest - come see what I'm pinning for Spring!!!<br />
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Coming soon - INSTAGRAM!<br />
<br />Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-16321498665557839362016-02-08T19:15:00.000-08:002016-02-08T19:15:05.662-08:00Be a romance Ninja! Valentine's Day is coming this next weekend and if you are like me you find yourself with little money to spend lavishly on a gift for your significant other. So how do you bring the romance without the funds? <br />
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I am telling you that you can be a romance ninja using little or NO $$$... it just takes bit of time.<br />
(Sorry not a lot of pictures just ideas!) <br />
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No money - no problem!<br />
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Ladies, don't let the man be responsible for all the romance, you can just take a few minutes with NO MONEY and let him or her know that you care.<br />
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Idea 1 - does your other half go into an office? If so pack a lunch for Valentine's Day and write a sweet note or just an I LOVE YOU on a post-it and tuck it inside a lunch bag. Trust me when he/she finds the note it will bring a big smile to their face! <br />
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Idea 2 - Put on some lipstick then kiss the mirror...yes you read right... KISS THE MIRROR! When your better half comes into the bathroom and finds the kiss on the mirror a smile will appear. You can even draw a heart and or write a message in lipstick right on the bathroom mirror. Heck you could even blot your lipstick on a piece of paper and tuck it in the lunch! <br />
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Idea 3 - Steam up your bathroom I mean get the steam really going. Now that the mirror is all foggy write a message or draw a heart with your initials in it then open the door or window and let the steam go away. When your better half gets in the shower and gets the bathroom steamy again your message will miraculously appear! <br />
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Idea 4 - Make a tissue flower and spray it with you perfume and leave it in his/her vehicle to find. You can also take a moment to write another note or blot your lipstick on a post-it or other paper and leave it in the car. <br />
I once 'broke into' (okay I had keys) my husbands car when he was at work and left him rose petals and a note on Valentine's Day. NOTE - rose petals are crazy expensive just buy a rose and break it apart. <br />
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Idea 5 - I saw this on Pintrest - take post it notes and stick them to something in the shape of a heart. Then write a sweet message on each one. I've taken post-it notes and made a scavenger hunt for my husband on Valentine's Day I started in the bathroom and left a clue that led to the kitchen, where I pre-made coffee which led to another note then another until it led to his car where I left a home-made card. He loved it. <br />
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Have some money that you can spend on Valentine's Day? Here are some ideas to be the romance ninja that may cost a few bucks. <br />
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Idea 1 - Buy fresh flowers - NOT ROSES - I mean they get pretty expensive this time of the year due to the demand. Why not try Peonies, Cabbage Roses, Carnations, Lilies or my all time favorite - Tulips! Guys like getting flowers too. I've surprised my husband several times with flowers at work. I just buy them at the store go home and get an already on hand vase then arrange the flowers myself. I take them to his office and drop them off for him at the security desk. Don't forget a card. He'll never know you didn't have them delivered and trust me he will LOVE the attention he'll get!!!!<br />
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Idea 2 - A card. I listed this in the cost a bit section because cards are CRAZY expensive. But a card or even a hand-made card is very thoughtful and appreciated. <br />
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Idea 3 - You set up the dinner date. You make the reservation's at HIS/HER favorite place (even if it is a sports bar) YOU take the time to make the plans and 'kidnap' him/her for the day or night. Trust me on this... LOVE/ <br />
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Idea 4 - A sexy RED nighty. Let's face it men like women in red lingerie - don't know why but they do. Drop flower petals on your bed, you can even spell out I LOVE YOU or make a heart... light candles - lots of candles.. So go buy that sexy nighty and let the good times roll. <br />
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Idea 5 - A romantic dinner at home. What is your better halves favorite food? Cook it or order then set the table with your good china and candles. This is one of my go-to's for romance so let me tell you how I do it. <br />
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Setting a romantic dinner. <br />
We have a fireplace and on Valentine's Day I cook my husbands favorite, steak and baked potato with glazed carrots and rolls. I do an appetizer of fruit usually pears or pineapple with melted chocolate. I also have wine. Then there is desert, usually chocolate covered strawberries or strawberry shortcake. I set a table by our fireplace for that extra added romance. <br />
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Here's some ideas on how to do this:<br />
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<b><i><u>Set the scene:</u></i></b> Start the fire - sorry obvious ;-)<br />
Choose the music - normally I'd select Metallica or something but you want this to be romantic and the music should be the background - so not too loud... I always play classical music, Vivaldi or Mozart. <br />
Candles - I use a lot of candles. I just buy different size white one from Walmart. I like the white non-scented for this so the candles don't compete with the food smells. I put candles everywhere - on the table, mantle, shelves, hearth and even on the floor (in a jar or something protective). This is what you will use for your light to eat along with the fire if you have a fireplace. <br />
Remember to vary the heights of your candles. I've used mirrors on the table as well as glass dollar store vase with red rocks and a rose dropped in. <br />
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<b><i><u>Set the table:</u></i></b> I use a card table but you can use any kind of table you want OR you can make it a picnic and spread a blanket out in front of the fire. I dress the table in my finest linens and cover the card table chairs with fabric as well - anything to make it not look like a regular card table and chairs! I've even tied a ribbon around the chairs and one around the table with a big bow. <br />
Are you in a warm climate this time of the year? Could you do this outside with lots of candles? My husband proposed to me at dinner on a beach at Valentine's Day.. the table was set up on the beach surrounded by candles in a heart shape. VERY romantic! <br />
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I use my best china and glasses<br />
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I get fresh flowers for a centerpiece.<br />
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<b><i><u>The food:</u></i></b> Make dinner - or order it and go pick it up.. now WAIT! Think about the dinner - don't forget the appetizer, possibly cheese and crackers? or fruit. Don't forget the desert. Valentine's day is a day to indulge a bit so think about your desert - chocolate cake or chocolate covered strawberries are always a hit but whatever is your or his favorite! <br />
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Don't forget the wine! Don't like wine??? how about a cocktail? Gin and tonic or instead of tonic water a flavored water or sparkling soda like lemon or blood orange? Even beer can be used here if served in the right glass. My husband prefers beer with his steak while I like wine with mine so he gets a frosted beer glass and I get a wine glass. <br />
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<b><i><u>The Attire:</u></i></b> Even if you stay home, dress up. Trust me... dress up. Even if you are surprising him/her when he/she gets home from work... dress up. You better half will appreciate it. Put on perfume, do your make-up and fix your hair.. trust me on this. <br />
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Finally enjoy your time with each other. Talk, laugh and remember what brought you together in the first place. <br />
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Now this is all well and good but how do you do this with kiddos?! RIGHT... <br />
I feed my kids prior then bribe them with a movie and popcorn and hope and pray they stay in their rooms for 10 minutes! But even if they don't your better half will really appreciate the thought, time and effort you put into the night. I can't tell you how many times I cooked up a romantic dinner to only have the kids join us (on our laps) within 10 minutes and eat half our food! But hey this is all a part of the journey and you can laugh about it later. Trust me you will miss that when your children are teenagers and do the eye roll when you ask them to stay in their rooms while you and Dad have a romantic dinner.....<br />
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When my kiddos were smaller I would do all of this cooking and setting the scene while my husband was giving the baths and putting the kids to bed. So we wouldn't eat until 9 or so but hey we had time to ourselves and when the kiddo's are little that is important too! So make time for you two!! <br />
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Also remember Valentine's Day is just a day so PLEASE don't make this the only day you are a romance ninja. Also you don't have to celebrate ON Valentine's day how about the Friday before or after? The idea here is to remember to bring the romance back - BE THAT NINJA! <br />
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I hope I've given you some ideas to try not only for Valentine's Day but for any day of the year to be the romance ninja!<br />
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If you have any questions please email me I'd be happy to help. Not that I'm an expert but I've been happily married for 26 years now and I am a romance ninja! <br />
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Have a great week! <br />
I'll be back next week with more. Until then, stay safe!<br />
Victoria<br />
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You can follow me on Pintrest - <br />
https://www.pinterest.com/vicdenniso/<br />
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https://www.facebook.com/Dragonflies-and-Thistles-491393717621010/?ref=hl<br />
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Coming soon - Instagram! <br />
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Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-72114320382562967942016-02-01T17:03:00.000-08:002016-02-01T17:03:25.529-08:00Valentine's Day decorBefore I start today's blog I have some questions - why do we now name winter storms? Do we think the winter storms feel left out or bad because we normally only name hurricanes? <br />
I don't know that winter storms really feel left out. I mean they pack their own punch. <br />
So far we've got 9 inches of snow and it is still snowing. But... yes this is Colorado and we are use to it, snow that is. <br />
Here is the view from my front door, icicles hanging down and the UPS man up the street. The old saying, 'through sleet, snow, rain....' came to mind even when I was taking pictures and he tapped my shoulder and handed me a package! <br />
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I think this week I'm going to be all over the place... so hang with me! <br />
Valentine's Day is next week and I have been crafting like crazy. Last week I shared 2 heart button crafts that were easy to do. Link <a href="http://www.dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2016/01/valentines-day-button-craft.html" target="_blank">here</a><br />
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I also did a craft I saw on Pintrest - you can find it in my Valentines Day board <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/vicdenniso/valentines/" target="_blank">here</a><br />
Here is a picture of it.<br />
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It was a Pintrest SUCCESS! </div>
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I bought thin wood letters from Hobby Lobby along with a bag of wood shapes and just laid out the word 'Love' in different sizes on the canvas in a heart-shaped pattern. Then I glued the letters down and painted the entire thing white. </div>
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I also did a really cute and easy craft that I hung outside.</div>
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It is a wooden heart that I got on sale at Hobby Lobby for $2.00 and in the same bags of wooden letters I pulled out the X and O and another 'Love'. I painted the heart black as I thought it would give a good contrast. I then painted the X and O white and the word 'Love' red. Then I glued them using hot glue onto the heart. </div>
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I only burned my fingers twice! </div>
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Finally I worked on my front door. I didn't want the normal wreath and didn't have a lot of money to spend on the door (I had $5.00 and some change in my pocket). So off to the Target dollar spot I went which is really brave of me because I never EVER leave the dollar spot or dollar store under $10.00! But I pulled up my big girl pants and went for it! Truth be told I had been to the Target dollar spot earlier in the week and already spent my normal ten! </div>
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I found these dollar heart shaped things and got a great idea for the front door. </div>
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Easy, peasy let me tell you! I think it turned out super cute! </div>
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I bought 5 of these and linked them together with white ribbon. One set I made long and one was short. I also bought a black one and hung it from the hook on the door hanger then added a simple bow.</div>
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I just adjusted where the hearts hung so they hung in a line. </div>
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It is unexpected and I think super cute and only $5.25!!!! </div>
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You can see I added last years twig heart to the screen window I bought last fall. </div>
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Back inside I'll also share my mantle. </div>
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The heart garland I made last year along with the blue heart box and the large X and O. This year I added the window I bought last fall and the 2 heart crafts and 2 dollar spot wooden hearts that I painted. </div>
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The other new edition this year is the smaller garland. I got all the items at the dollar spot.</div>
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They are actually all gift tags from the dollar spot and a set of clothespins decorated for Valentines Day. </div>
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Here is a close up of the other button craft I did last week. </div>
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Well that is it. Dark now here in Colorado and still snowing. We have 9 inches so far and expecting up to or over a foot before winter storm Kayla is out of here. But the sun will come out by Wednesday and it is supposed to be 45 by Saturday! <br />
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Next week I'll be back to show you a romantic dinner set up for Valentine's Day. <br />
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Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate you visiting. What do you think of my unexpected door décor? Do you decorate your door or home for Valentine's Day? I'd love to see your pictures and hear your ideas. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Victoria</i></span></h3>
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You can always follow me on Pintrest - <br />
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Coming soon - Instagram! <br />
Coming soon - Twitter!!!! Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-49334072432792728422016-01-25T18:52:00.000-08:002016-01-25T18:52:09.344-08:00Valentine's Day button craftHappy January!<br />
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Last week I decided to upgrade to the new windows. There are some things I really like but other things I do not. The windows button on the keyboard doesn't seem to work any longer for whatever reason. I can't copy/control V to paste I have to make links. I also had a hard time finding how to download pictures but I finally got it. <br />
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With all the football happenings this past week - GO BRONCO'S! I stayed away from television on Sunday and really got my craft on. <br />
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Today I'll share a cute button craft and I'll show you 2 ways to do it. <br />
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So lets start with the end result! <br />
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Cute right!<br />
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This is what you'll need to make these. <br />
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Buttons - I bought 2 packages of red buttons at Walmart<br />
Canvas - I got 1 that is burlap and another plain white canvas<br />
Glue gun - I recommend it over craft glue if you use a burlap canvas<br />
Heart template<br />
Pen/pencil to outline the template<br />
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For starters place your template on the canvas. I got these at the dollar store. I like them because they aren't the typical heart AND look at the glitter... I mean come on LOVE. <br />
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After you have laid out your heart and traced around it now you just start gluing. <br />
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I dumped all the buttons out and laid out the larger ones first. I just started gluing! <br />
TIP - layer, layer, layer your buttons! <br />
TIP - when working with small buttons put the glue on the canvas NOT the buttons. <br />
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Here is the finished products again.<br />
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On the white one I did 2 hearts overlapping and then only outlined the hearts.<br />
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On the burlap one I filled the heart in. Notice the layering.. Layer, layer, layer. <br />
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I think they turned out GREAT and for $12.00 for the BOTH of them I think they are cute cheap Valentine's Day art! <br />
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I only burned myself a few times with the hot glue gun - BONUS! <br />
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Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate it. <br />
Come by next week and see what other crafts I made for Valentine's Day - hint - more heart art. <br />
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Victoria<br />
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You can follow me on <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/vicdenniso/" target="_blank">Pintrest</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Dragonflies-and-Thistles-491393717621010/?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br />
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Coming soon - INSTAGRAM! <br />
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<br />Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-58110159818254476842016-01-11T19:36:00.000-08:002016-01-11T19:36:50.827-08:00Winter DecoratingHappy New Year! <br />
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It always seems this time of the year we take stock of not only our prior year but we take stock in our homes by purging unnecessary items. Do you think it is because we got new things for Christmas that we dive into our closets with so much energy and purge anything old and a bit worn? Or do you think it is because we just had our homes decked out to the 'nines' and embraced the clutter and excitement of Christmas or Hanukkah that we now crave simplicity? <br />
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I don't know the psychological reason behind why but every January I find myself doing these same things. I dive into my closet and anything I haven't worn in 6 months I donate. I also find myself purging my home of knick-knacks that don't quite fit my style any longer and longing to make things simple. <br />
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So how do you decorate your home after a decorative crazy holiday like Christmas? <br />
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I like to keep things simple after Christmas. I use candles, snowflakes, wine corks and pinecones in my after Christmas décor. Other ideas are flannel and sweater material; think of candles wrapped in a piece of an old sweater or wrapped in flannel. A basket full of lap blankets sitting next to a chair by a roaring fire evokes images of coziness and warmth. <br />
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For my mantle I chose an old window with a chalkboard in front of it then continued the layering with a photo of pine trees in the snow. I added 2 of my lanterns and a silver orb on a piece of wood for a rustic feel and an additional picture. <br />
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Remember that the trick to decorating a mantle is layer, layer, layer. Otherwise things can look like soldiers lined up in a row for inspection. <br />
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I also kept things simple on my buffet. A blue runner and a gold tray.<br />
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I used the other lantern, a metals fleur de lies and 2 mercury cups; one filled with wine corks and the other filled with pinecones. <br />
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Next to the lamp I have another picture of a snow covered pine tree, another mercury cup filled with pine cones, snowflake candles and a ceramic fox.<br />
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On the other side of the tray I have a real pine, a decorative plate, a candle on a mercury candlestick that is elevated by another piece of wood (this reflects back to the mantle where the silver sphere is elevated on a piece of wood) and finally another snowflake candle. </div>
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I love these snowflake candles they really glow when lit.</div>
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How do you decorate after Christmas? Do you also do a house cleansing like I do? Right now I've got 2 boxes and 2 bags to go to Goodwill or the Arc. I'd love to hear your tips and see your pictures for winter decorating! </div>
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Thanks so much for stopping by. I'll be back next week with the first of several Valentines Day crafts that I have to share. </div>
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Victoria</div>
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You can follow me on Pintrest</div>
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I've been pinning a lot of Valentine things as well as food.</div>
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I am also on Facebook, but due to how FB works you must interact with my page by 'liking' or commenting to see it in your newsfeed. I post to FB every Tuesday. </div>
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Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-28387480651320680432015-12-21T20:49:00.000-08:002015-12-21T20:49:25.291-08:00Christmas Tablescape Merry Christmas! <br />
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I hope you are ready for the chaos that will now ensue!<br />
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Today I'm sharing my table all set for a holiday gathering. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNeRr4guVcEo-OtGcmhoMFFQXYWMzEMgDQC6wKPKSZIMNBLXOpa0Wv-S9APEvmcR3fCaT0ULuhMT2uiY_0SO7Fb-OFFF1oqaI9gq5DjXRhVd3AJ7Y1ehCBtvk7lNjQMZ2Iz5dTdtxrRE/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNeRr4guVcEo-OtGcmhoMFFQXYWMzEMgDQC6wKPKSZIMNBLXOpa0Wv-S9APEvmcR3fCaT0ULuhMT2uiY_0SO7Fb-OFFF1oqaI9gq5DjXRhVd3AJ7Y1ehCBtvk7lNjQMZ2Iz5dTdtxrRE/s320/DSC_0018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now let me give you some details on how I got there. <br />
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First decide how you want your table decorated. Since my living/dining room is 'L' shaped and pretty small I will usually keep the same theme in the entire space otherwise I think the house looks disjointed. Now if you have a separate dinning room you can have a different theme than the rest of your home. You could use the dinning room's wall color to inspire your decorating or even the style of furniture you have in the space. Example - If you've got red walls you could use a red and gold in your decorating. If you have more traditional furniture you could use a more traditional/formal or Victorian theme to decorate the room. <br />
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This year my theme is Woodland Wonder so I have a lot of trees, deer and natural elements. I pulled that into my dining room area as well. <br />
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I tried several tablecloths and settled on the light blue one. I wanted one that wouldn't take away from the place settings and the centerpiece I made.<br />
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Next decide on your plates, napkins etc. I found Christmas plates and cotton towels at Walmart. Yes these are kitchen towels. They are cotton and large and I thought - PERFECT for napkins. <br />
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They go well with my theme. <br />
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I decided to make my table less formal this year so I opted for my white everyday plates. I LOVE white plates, they go with everything and you can mix and match for an eclectic look. <br />
I put the large white plates down then laid the 'towel' AKA napkin over it. <br />
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On top I put these cute Christmas plates I found at Walmart. Each one is different.<br />
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Then I added silverware, glasses and a coffee mug.<br />
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My next step was to decide on my centerpiece. Again keeping with the rustic outdoor theme I found a galvanized bin at Walmart. I filled it with some cut tree branches and pinecones. Then I added 2 strands of battery operated lights, 2 lighted sticks and several more pinecones and ornaments for a bit of bling.<br />
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I simply must have some bling!</div>
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Then I stood back and looked it all over. I thought it still needed something else so I bought 2 small trees and put them on each side of the centerpiece.<br />
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Finally I added something a bit shinny because well lets face it I love bling and anything glittery or shinny. I added a few mercury glass tea lights and finally the salt & pepper shakers from my childhood.<br />
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These are 'supposedly' a set....I think it is a bit odd but hey I'll go with it!<br />
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TIP - Make sure your centerpiece looks good from all sides, remember even though you may pass through the room and see the same side every day someone is going to see all sides of the table when you sit down to eat. <br />
To make sure the centerpiece looks good from all angles I will sit in each seat and look at the table from each viewpoint. <br />
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Finally I decorated my buffet with the same theme. I took several faux trees; some with lights and some without, placed them on my buffet and wrapped them with that roll snow. <br />
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To finish the effect I added these large deer, pinecones and some more cut wood from an old tree. <br />
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These deer have a bit of glitter on their antlers and necks....must have some glitter!<br />
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At night the overall effect is cozy with the lights off. <br />
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I'd love to see your dinning table decorated for Christmas! Do you go all out or keep it simple?<br />
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Now to the outside. We are having some issues with our roof lights and we've still got snow on the roof so my husband hasn't been able to get up there to see what's going on yet - my guess is squirrels. They love to pull the bulbs for whatever reason. <br />
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We still have a bit of snow on the ground as well. The exciting bit is that the weathermen are telling us that we could have a true White Christmas with snow Christmas Day! I am keeping my fingers crossed. How magical will that be!!<br />
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Between family, friends, parties and kiddos activities I hope you take some time out for yourself and to remember why we celebrate the season. Of the small child born so long ago who preached peace, love and understanding. It is during this time of the year that I hope those values are reflected by the world we live in. With all the stress and horrible happenings lately please take time to remember there is still good in this world. Let us be kind to one another and love our fellow man. I know we can make the world a better place, one good deed at a time. <br />
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Thank you so much for reading and your support I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Christmas and a joyous and happy New Year. I'll be off next week but I'll be back in January showing you some tips on storing your Christmas decorations. I'll also be sharing a really easy and tasty white chicken chili recipe as well as my winter décor and some Valentine's Day crafts. So please come back! <br />
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Again,<br />
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!<br />
Victoria <br />
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Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-18127168651390861092015-12-15T09:27:00.001-08:002015-12-15T09:27:42.250-08:00Christmas home tourHappy Holiday's! <br />
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Today I am going to share my home decorated for the Christmas season so grab a cup of tea or hot cocoa and let's get started. <br />
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When you walk in the front door you are greeted by my Christmas gift. Prior a small glass table stood here and I've always wanted something bigger with storage and my husband found this table and I love it, love it, love it!!!<br />
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On the top I put my glass balls. This is an easy craft and looks great lit up. I used these last year on my mantle, you can see that <a href="http://www.dragonfliesandthistles.blogspot.com/2014/12/chrsitmas-mantle.html" target="_blank">here.</a> <br />
When you look out from my entry you can see my mantle and tree. <br />
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This year I kept my tree silver/white and blue. I have snowflakes in different sizes on the tree. <br />
This is one of my favorites and it is from the dollar store.<br />
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I also have several large snowflakes on the tree; because of the tree's large size (9ft.) I can get away with several of these large snowflakes. They are also from the dollar store.<br />
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I love deer and have several on the tree as well. I just tuck them into the tree.<br />
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You can even see that I have blue and white snowflake lights! </div>
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Next to the tree is the mantle. This year I was intent on going with what I was wanting to do last year... Here is my inspiration.</div>
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My husband is not a fan of very rustic so I had to be careful how rustic/farmhouse I went but he does like the outcome.<br />
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I got the bells via Amazon and the stars at a local home store (At Home). The orb is older from Target. I got the windows from a local antique store. </div>
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My home is small only 1100 sq. ft. on the main level and the tree is big, really big, so I have to get a bit creative with furniture arrangements. For this Christmas I moved the china cabinet to a small wall opposite the mantle. It houses my collection of Rudolph items. </div>
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On top I put several trees. They don't really go with my theme but I have to consider my husbands likes as well and he isn't a fan of the very rustic. <br />
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In front of my couch I've got my coffee table that I decorated with the same candleholder that I used at Thanksgiving. <br />
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I got it at Kirkland's. You can buy them already decorated but I chose the plain one so I can use it every season. For Christmas I bought some large pine picks and put them around the piece. <br />
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If you turn to the right there is my dinning room. I'll be sharing this next week but I decorated my buffet with its sad broken leg (yep still not fixed cause that is how I roll) with a lot of faux trees and some large deer. <br />
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Several of them light up but I'll share this next week in detail. </div>
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In my kitchen I've got my Moms old salt and pepper shakers and a Lenox Santa. I remember having the Santa and Angel on the table every Christmas. Supposedly the Santa and Angel go together which seems very odd to me but hey I'll go with it. </div>
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In my metal fruit tier I put some small faux pine, a silver gravy boat and tucked an ornament in for a great effect. <br />
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On the ledge of the window between my kitchen and dinning room I've got my collection of Nutcrackers. <br />
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The small one is actually a smoker for incense. My husband got them last year when he went to Germany for work. I sent him to the Chriskringle festivals. I am sure he and his work colleagues were confused but once they went and saw all the food and got some glug (warm wine drink) they had a lot of fun. My husband said they went every night. </div>
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Now heading downstairs I've hung several deer head and Santa pictures on the wall.</div>
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I've got my Irish Santa on the landing.<br />
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Once in the family room I've got some pillows on my large couch.</div>
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I've also got a small tree in the family room. This year I bought a new one from Walmart. It is 6 foot tall and flocked. I really love it but if you buy a flocked tree BEWARE - it makes a real mess when you put it up. </div>
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Here I hung the banners I made from Christmas cards. I also decorated this tree entirely in Target dollar spot gift tags... yep gift tags. </div>
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I just tied them to the branches!! I also added the chalkboard placeholders that I bought for Thanksgiving.<br />
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I topped it with a snowman's hat the I got for $5.00 at the home store At Home. Super cute!<br />
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My bookcase is next to the tree and here I places several more Santa's from my collection.</div>
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In the bar area of our basement I placed another tree. This one is decorated with a golf and fishing theme for my husband. I even have a fishing Santa. <br />
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When decorating don't forget area's of your home that guests frequent like bathrooms. I put a candle and a Santa in my main bathroom along with nice Christmas hand towels for guests to use.<br />
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On doors throughout the house I've hung the 1970's plastic melted Christmas thingies. I don't know what to call them but we had them for all seasons and my Mom has given them to me. I just love them and they remind me of my childhood. <br />
I've got several Santa's<br />
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A wreath, snowmen, Christmas trees and even Rudolph. <br />
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Well that is it! I hope you enjoyed the house all decorated for the holiday's. Next week I'll share my dinning room tablescape and my outside - we do it up BIG so make sure you come back! </div>
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I'd love to hear back from you. How many tree's do you put up during the holidays? What do you decorate with, is there a theme? </div>
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Thanks for stopping by I appreciate your support.</div>
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Victoria</div>
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Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-42319875342418097072015-12-09T17:39:00.000-08:002015-12-09T17:39:09.230-08:00Door 'wreath'Sorry I am a bit late in blogging this week I've had a series of unfortunate computer issues to deal with but now that everything is resolved I can show you what I did for my Christmas door 'wreath'!<br />
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You know I like to be out of the box a bit so what better type of door wreath could there be but a picture frame? None you say and I'd agree!<br />
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I got the frame on sale back in August and knew I wanted to make a Christmas door wreath out of it. I played around with bells, ornaments, bottle brush trees, snowflakes and even Santa's on the frame - the possibilities are endless. <br />
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In the end I chose the cheapest and most glittery one to do but that is how I roll. I love glitter and anything shiny and as usual there is glitter everywhere from this project. (insert big BIG smile here)!!<br />
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To complete this just like I did you will need a few things.<br />
Dollar store snowflakes <br />
Dollar store ornament<br />
Dollar store bottle brush tree (I took the base off the bottle brush tree to make it easier to place on the frame)<br />
Glue gun and glue sticks<br />
Picture frame<br />
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I played around with the arrangement and originally thought I'd get fishing line and string 2 of the snowflakes from the middle of the frame however, you really couldn't see them well until you got right up on the frame so I opted to not do that. (maybe if they were a different color it would show up better)<br />
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I think it would look great turned horizontally with a few plastic ornaments hung from the frame. Heck you could even glue ornaments directly to the frame!! <br />
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I do like my outcome and it took me all of 5 minutes to do and cost me $13.00. Here is the breakdown:<br />
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Dollar store large snowflake pack of 4 - $1.00<br />
Dollar store small snowflake pack of 4 - $1.00<br />
Dollar store 'Joy' ornament - $1.00<br />
Dollar store bottle brush trees - pack of 3 - $1.00<br />
Picture frame (on sale) $9.00<br />
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TIP - So the picture frame doesn't bang around on my door I put furniture pads on the back of it in each corner. Since I've got hardwood floors I keep these on hand in all sizes and shapes. I find many uses for them throughout the house.<br />
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So what do you think?<br />
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Pretty! <br />
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Do you have an unusual door wreath? Did you make your door wreath? I'd love to see your creations!<br />
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Please stop back next week when I'll be sharing my entire house, inside and out. You must see the downstairs Christmas tree that I decorated in the card banner I made and dollar store and Target dollar spot Christmas gift tags! <br />
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Thanks for stopping by! <br />
Victoria <br />
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Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804003729375321439.post-59061528580572376402015-11-30T18:15:00.001-08:002015-11-30T18:15:52.244-08:00Christmas chalkboard Good-bye November you have been a good friend... HELLOOO December! <br />
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The holiday season is upon us whether we are ready for it or not. It just doesn't feel like that 'time of the year' yet for me I've been so busy crafting. <br />
This week I'd like to share a chalkboard. <br />
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So what's there to do on a snowy day when your husband can't get away? Create a project for the two of you to do together! Actually I'm just not allowed to use the power tools after the cutting incident of 2012. Six stitches and 3 years later but I'm still not allowed to use power tools. But that is another tale! <br />
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I have this cool thing I bought at Sam's Club a few years back on sale for like $10.00... it reads Welcome on one side and Give Thanks on the other. You can hang it vertically or horizontally and I use it almost all year round. So I thought... what if I made one! you know for those times when I need something to be more versatile and what if I made it and painted it with blackboard paint! I think I thought of this like 2am one night in October when I was endlessly searching for something for my fireplace that was big and read 'Happy Halloween'; I just couldn't find anything anywhere... so when in doubt make it! <br />
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So here we are last Saturday and let me set the scene. It was a cold and snowing day, the wind howling outside but inside with the fire raging against the cold. It was one of those times I realized why people tied ropes to outbuildings back in the day with the wind blowing you could easily lose your way but I was all snuggly and warm reading a book when suddenly.... <br />
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Okay, well it WAS snowing and only 12 degrees here in Colorado and I regret to say that I used my husbands boredom against him but I got him to go out with me and get supplies on the premise of this craft building project could be cause for a new tool... and I got him to help me make it! <br />
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Here is my inspiration from November hanging on my mantle. <br />
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Now you can do this craft as well you just need some power tools and not to cut yourself!<br />
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You'll need:<br />
1. MDF board. I got a pretty big piece 2x4 <br />
2. Boarder - I got a 12 foot long piece of small picture frame boarder<br />
3. Glue or brad nails. I used glue - Liquid nails - to secure the boarder to the frame.<br />
4. Power tools - a miter box and hand saw or a miter saw to cut the correct edges for the frame<br />
5. Power tools - a Jig Saw or a hand band saw to cut the MDF<br />
6. Chalkboard paint - I chose black but you can get it in many colors<br />
7. Paint or stain for the boarder - I chose paint<br />
8. Paint brushes (1 for the boarder and 1 for the board itself) or paint sponges whichever you prefer<br />
9. Hooks to hang the finished piece. I got a picture frame hook kit<br />
10. Drop cloth for your work area<br />
11. Yardstick<br />
12. Level or T square<br />
13. Pencil<br />
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Let's begin!<br />
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Step 1 - Decide how big you'd like your finished board to be. I wanted mine to be about the same size as the inspiration piece so I chose about 19 inches by 36 inches.<br />
I used my current piece as a reference. <br />
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Step 2 - lay-out your design. Using a ruler and T-Square or level you want to mark out your piece for cutting with your pencil <br />
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Step 3 - Using your jig saw, hand saw or band saw cut your piece out. (Sorry I didn't capture this step in detail, again, not allowed to use the power tools). <br />
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Step 4 - Cut out your frame. Using your miter box and hand saw or your miter saw you want to measure the piece then cut the frame pieces out (sorry power tool step AND he did this outside in 12 degrees, wind and snow.. sorry I wasn't going out there again). <br />
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Here is the piece in 'dry-fit'<br />
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Step 5 - Paint. Now you can paint your boarder before you cut or after you cut. I chose after. <br />
Paint your boarder and your main board. I chose a contrasting color, you could paint it all one color of chalkboard paint. <br />
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I gave everything 2 coats. <br />
Now let everything dry really well.<br />
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Step 6 - I would dry-fit the boarder one more time and maybe even mark it on the back where each piece goes on the board first.. just to make sure as cuts aren't always perfect. <br />
Now we are gluing the boarder to the main board. If you decide to use small brad or finishing nails you'll nail where I say glue!<br />
Put a bead of glue on the backside of your boarder and place it on the main board. Continue until you have the entire piece completed.<br />
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Step 7 - Hanging. I bought a picture hanging kit for a large heavy picture. I put the kit on per the instructions. I put one on to hang the piece horizontally and one so I could hang it vertically. <br />
The piece is a bit heavy so I would not skimp on this step. I got my kit at Lowes for a piece that is 25 pounds. Now it doesn't weigh that much, but you don't want it crashing down in the middle of the night because that is when things always fall and break. <br />
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I've had fun writing and drawing different things on it already!<br />
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Here's a tip - if you don't want the old background showing through just wash it with a damp paper towel. <br />
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I am going to put mine outside my front door on my porch for the holidays. <br />
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The options for this are endless - you could even put it on an art easel and display it. I am probably going to put some small finishing nails in the front of mine on the boarder so I can hang different banners off it throughout the year. <br />
I thought of making this with 2x2's and gluing them together then putting them in a frame - this would make the finished piece look more like the original and a bit more rustic but my budget was $30.00 and 2x2s were more expensive than MDF. <br />
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All in all the project cost was $22.89. I had all the supplies on hand, the only cost was the MDF, trim and liquid nails. And yes my husband got a new tool!!! Now he didn't use the drill with the fancy Lithium battery on this project but he tried. <br />
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Remember with a little ingenuity you can make anything and everything. This was one of my first building projects and I think it came out GREAT! I'll be using it in my décor all year round. <br />
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Please come back next week when I'll be sharing my front door wreath made out of a picture frame! <br />
<br />
<em><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Victoria</span></em><br />
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Coming soon - Instagram!!! won't that be interesting. <br />
<br />
Victoria http://www.blogger.com/profile/15788941455345633107noreply@blogger.com1