Quickies

I gathered my ancestors together the other night and decided enough of summer, let's do a fall mantel.



Yes, I am late, but it will stay up until the week of Thanksgiving.

Cling-ons for the mirrors.

(No, Eddie, not Klingons!)

A white cast iron cat.

A few fall leaves - faux, of course.

A few primitive pumpkins by The Rusty Thimble.

A few pleasingly plump pumpkins by yours truly.

A wooden tool caddy turned on its side.

An old saw box on one end for my three gourd pumpkins.

One bottom space for my jar of snake skins and wasp nests.

A tiny book page wreath.

The television is in a cabinet just to the right so we can gaze at the fall vignette as we watch.

Chucks thinks the mirrors are a bit much.

That may be because I stuck one on the shaving mirror in his shower one morning.

Wish I had recorded the screams!


PS:  As I write this post on Saturday afternoon, Matthew is departing with his rain and gusty winds. We did not have any major damage.

Thank you for your emails and prayers.


 See y'all!

ETSY SHOP IS CLOSED

Real Life Red Mantel

 Keeping with my vow to keep things simple and uncomplicated around here at Wilkeswood Manor, I decorated my den with real life red items.

These red things normally spread here and there were corralled into the den and place carefully.  

(Yeah, right!  It took twenty minutes.)



Let's look at things that caught my eye and promised to give me joy for the next few weeks.

 The heart basket usually hangs outside the front door, but I used it for Sweet Kitty instead.

A red wood/metal box repurposed from the Christmas decorations hold my prim sheep made by Brenda at The Rusty Thimble.

Yes, there is one black sheep.

Yes, you do see bottle brush trees.

 My huge Carr ironstone pitcher holds a beautiful bouquet of fake berry branches on a stack of red dictionaries and the cloth scrap that was Dear Deer's scarf on the winter mantel.

I weighed the pitcher - a whopping four pounds and four ounces.  

Can you imagine a waitress having to serve from that thing!?!

There's Teeny in her chair.

(A funny story about the fake berry branches.  The "berries" are plastic and suffer from excessive static cling.  Scout was helping by staying right underfoot wearing his Cone Of Shame. I looked down to see him spinning around chasing the "berries" clinging to the plastic of the cone.  I like to have never got all those "berries" rounded up and in the trash!)

Besides Teeny, the red plaque moved up to the mantel with another stack of red dictionaries and thread spools.

What is that glow?

A red egg basket from Tractor Supply filled with white lights.

Also left from Christmas.

A warm, wonderful view during these cold winter nights.

It is a real life red mantel.

Most all of it reused from the Christmas decor.

Life can be simple and joyful.

You just have to try.


See y'all!

Use this discount code to receive 10% off your purchase at the Distressed Donna Etsy store:

DISTRESSEDDONNA14

SHOP HERE! 

Share Your Cup Thursday #88  
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Fabulously Creative Friday at Jennifer Rizzo 
Party Junk #223 at Funky Junk Interiors 
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Share It One More Time  

 

Ready For Red

The middle of January approaches, 

Christmas decorations are stowed away, 

and I am tired of the snowmen.

I am ready for red 

and hearts and new vignettes to gaze upon as I laze around reading when I should be working.

 Looking about the house, I found a stack of plaques started, but never completed.  

I gave this one a second look.

It was already red.

It had a black stencil.

And, hey, doesn't that stencil sorta look like two hearts?

 Now to decide how to finish the plaque.

It had to be distressed!

First I will admit to total laziness.

I did not even clean off the work table.  I balanced the plaque on two jars of gesso.

I used paint pens.

I highlighted the black curlicues with white.

I highlighted the edges with gold.

Using a brown paint pen, I highlighted around the edges and around the curlicues.

I know it is hard to see the brown.

It is just to add depth.

Either use your imagination or keep reading.

There - you see the brown?

I decided the plaque needed some white distressing with a scrumble brush.

What is a scrumble brush?

All of you probably have one.

It is that brush which has been used for years and you hate to throw it out.

These worn, but loved, brushes are great for dry brushing a distressed finish.

With this technique, there is no need for sanding.

 Finished!

Or is it?

NO!

Needs some more aging to get that "I have been around forever" look.

I mixed a dark brown craft paint with some satin craft varnish to create an aging glaze.

Slapped it right on that plaque.

Notice I balanced it on a candle holder.

I must get my work table organized!

 

Didn't take long.

Dried fast.

Looks ancient!

Teeny, the doll, loves hanging out with the ready-for-red plaque.

I am not sure if the two will stay here or move up to the mantel.

The plaque looks great with some of my vintage dictionaries.

I have noticed that quite a few of you are ready for red and have been posting great vignettes.

Great way to lift winter spirits.  Or a place to lift a glass of winter spirits.

See y'all!

Carlene will be sharing Tuesday, January 14!

Be Inspired #173 at Common Ground

Warm Vignettes For Winter

My living room mantel is important to me during the months of January and February.  

 We spend more time in the living room than the den because the fireplace is there. 

I love to wrap in an old soft quilt with a good book and a dog or cat in front of the fire.

I do not like cold, damp, dark days.

Lucky for me, here in South Carolina we do have those unexpected days of warm sun and shorts in the winter.

A Southern snow is okay.  Here today and gone tomorrow.

Let's start with what a wonderful Santa brought me - cherub heads!

They are gray and silver now.  I may just distress them more.

I love the way they look in front of the stained glass window.

Regular readers know I am eclectic and eccentric in my decorating.

I follow no rules.

I choose to create vignettes from items well-loved.

The bucket arrangements from the last post were placed on either side of the fireplace.

Besides buckets, burlap, and boot stretchers, I added books and birds.

Oh, and silver bowls.

I wish I had a pair of horse prints or winter scenes to replace the usual florals.

I may have to make some.

If I get up off the sofa any time soon.

The lights provide interesting shadows on the shelves.

The cage cloche was another gift from Santa.

I chose a few red and blue books for spots of color among the grays, neutrals, and darks.

There are two sheep on the mantel - they stay there most of the year.

I just this moment had a thought of what could hang in the alcoves on either side of the fireplace instead of those florals.  


 I will let you know if it works out.

Back to the mantel wall.

Two sweet birds huddle on a stack of books.

Another bird peers at the titles.

These are book boxes - love them for storage!

I always think of this pair of birds as Donna and Chucks.

Me singing my heart out and Chucks squenching his eyes closed in horror at the sound!

Santa also brought me Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits so I have been wailing the blues around here.

No not officially on the mantel wall, but close enough.

I love this window and angel.


Okay, the tour is over.

Do I keep everything like this for two whole months?

Nah. I will add something or delete something along the way.

BUT  it will be something interesting to look at while reading a good book with a dog or a cat in front of a fire wrapped in a soft old quilt.

See y'all!

Knick Of Time Tuesday #118 Vintage Inspiration Party</>
Common Ground: Be Inspired #171