All things old and new to enhance your home and holidays
Home decorating ideas, projects and how-to’s
To create an easy centerpiece for a coffee table, we made use of an old wicker pie basket and a mason jar. We placed an LED candle in the mason jar and then around it placed lemon pomanders, cinnamon sticks, pinecones, nuts, berries and mini fruits. It was finished off with a couple sprigs of…
What to do when you are overrun with bottles of craft paint? That was the dilemma as I had over 140 bottles tossed in several plastic boxes. Finding the color you wanted for a project was a project itself! I contemplated several ideas but then the perfect solution just came to me – let’s use…
A number of years ago I found an old unfinished washboard in the cellar that must’ve been purchased for some long-forgotten project. When making room for the plumbers and electricians, I rediscovered it and thought it would make an excellent wall hanging for the laundry room.
In Beverly Hills, CA, an architectural gem that was once known as the Nine Gables and home and playground of the golden era of Hollywood celebrities has undergone a makeover by Michael S. Smith. In the update featured in the July 2012 issue of Architectural Digest, the living stands out as a space that epitomizes…
Kiawah Island is one of the most beautiful ocean side towns in the country with pristine beaches and miles of breathtaking natural landscape that serve as sanctuary to a diverse wildlife population. No wonder it is one of the most desirable places to visit and live. It was named No. 1 in Coastal Living’s America’s…
New life is being breathed into an old Newport, RI mansion from the Gilded Age. Now known as Carey Mansion, but more famously as Seaview Terrace, this 40,000 sqft home is more widely recognized as Collinwood from the 1960s daytime drama ‘Dark Shadows.’
This centerpiece is very easy to make and perfect for any table during autumn or the holidays. The amount of supplies and the size of the Styrofoam base will vary depending upon what you feel is a good size for your table. Here, our base was about 16″x12″. We used six 3″ pillar candles in…
What a bright and sunny greeting this wreath makes on a door for the harvest season! And nothing could be easier. Because of our abundant wildlife and busy traffic through this door, we used artificial bits from the craft store. Ideally, it could be made using things right from your garden. Sunflowers, an assortment of…
You could probably say that this is one of the most elaborate projects we’ve done. It was demonstrated on Martha Stewart Living several years ago, although the mirror was quite a bit smaller and just your typical rectangular kind. We began with an old plastic mirror frame and nearly six months, $500 and one failed…