Simply Home by Beth

The Holiday Mantle

Christmas will be here before we know it!

Today I’m sharing a photo of last year’s Christmas mantle in my living room. I think it’s one of my favorites that I’ve done so far. One of the main reasons is the tiny white mittens I used for garland; I made those mittens, and garland, by using/tracing my little granddaughter’s hand as a pattern. It’s that memory, more than the mittens, that touches my heart so deeply.

I thought I’d share a few basic steps for creating your own garland, for the mantle, over a door, a tablescape, over the headboard! wherever you choose, the concept is very much the same.

**Close up view of layered Christmas garland**

Here we go!

Choose your garland, pine, fir, mixed greens, real or faux. With command strips or small finish nails, tack securely onto mantle. At this point, if you choose, you can add twigs, stems with leaves, berries on pics, pinecones, by adhering with a thin wire to keep them from falling.
Next, now that the greenery is secure, we add the lights. Tuck cords inside the greenery to hide them. If you add more than one type of light, choosing a different size and style of bulb has an asymmetrical look, which is pleasing to the eye.
Now that you can see the placement of each light, it’s easier to add ribbon, or a second garland. Bring each item added forward on the mantle, or drape garland in layers below the mantle. Each piece wants to be seen!
Your structure is built, now we’re adding the fun! If there’s any flat spaces left on the mantle, you can tuck in candlesticks of varying heights. I like symmetry, so I use metals that match, though the heights of the candlesticks vary, and I use the same color and height of candles to balance it visually.
Do you have any left-over ornaments? Tuck ornaments tightly into the little pockets or gaps in the greenery. Secure them with a bit of Scotch tape on the bottom to keep them from rolling. Vary the sizes of the ornaments and place them at different heights in the greens!

You’re going to LOVE this!

Make it your own, use what you have or go outside and get some fresh greenery, twigs, dried grasses, whatever is found and available. Personally, I think that’s the best look of all!

Enjoy friends!

Happy Creating!

xx,

We have new neighbors!…

By Beth Wood

The SOLD sign is gone!

I am writing this on a Sunday afternoon, the day of rest for some, the day to get something DONE for others.

I wanted to write something that would encourage you to…couldn’t think of a thing, there was such a loud drilling sound, I got up and went outside to see what was going on. My Mr. B. was outside for the same reason. “It’s the new neighbors,” he said, “they’re taking out the flooring, they’ve already taken out all of the cabinets…”

At that, we smiled at each other, in mutual admiration for this young couple. We’ve been there. We’ve done that. We always buy the fixer-uppers, we buy the worst house in the best neighborhood, and I’ve done that since my early 20’s!

Listening to the Jackhammer brought so many memories back to me, and it was so exciting to hear… (as well as annoying on a Sunday afternoon). That Jackhammer is the sound of transformation, their orange dumpster, filled, is what progress looks like, and the missing SOLD sign is proof of their willingness to “get up and do”, to together, create the home of their dreams.

Wow. and Wow!

We haven’t met them yet, though Mr. B’s been watching them, so now they probably don’t want to meet us! We’ll make sure to say how much we admire what they’re doing for their home, so they don’t just think we’re nosy!

**After photo of above area. Same corner Mr. B. is standing in. Now our Master Bathroom at the lake cottage.**

I can’t wait to see what else they’ll do….

I think I’ll tell Mr. B. to get our Christmas lights on our bushes, before they do…they move faster than we do! Ugh!

Very excited to meet them, I so admire them already!

What’s new in your neighborhood?

Everyone ready for Christmas?

Are you?

I still have gift wrapping and baking to do, I’m not decorating the inside any more than I have, every room has “something”, but it’s not overdone.

Will add my recipes here when I actually bake something!

P.S. You won’t believe this, in their front yard, to the right of the dumpster, is a huge sign that says JOY! with a manger scene! THAT’s how fast they are!! It wasn’t there 20 minutes ago!

Blessings,

xx,

Little White Mittens…

By Beth Wood

…and warm woolen mittens. These are a few of my favorite things!

Are you on Team Neutral when it comes to Christmas decor?

Team Traditional?

Somewhere in-between or do you mix it up?

Regardless, everyone seems to love little white mittens, and who knows why?!

Last year, though I’m not an all-white kind of gal, I sat down with my tiny granddaughter, and pressed her hand down on paper to trace it. Fortunately, she thought it “tickled”!

With that pattern, the tracing of a tiny, precious hand, I decided to use a soft flannel fabric to make a few white mittens, to use for a Christmas tree garland.

It wasn’t hard to do, it didn’t take “all day,” and the finished product made me cry…. which means that I nailed it! Ivy’s precious, pudgy fingers were forever wrapped in a soft mitten on Ma’s Christmas tree!

Call me sentimental or even sappy, but this was the best present I’ve ever given myself, the gift of TIME. With a toddler on my lap, I took the time to trace and hold a tiny hand, time to enjoy her laughing at how it tickled, and the time spent to add a little stitched trim to each mitten, slowly and carefully placed, it all just fills my heart, even now, a year later. I’m looking forward to Ivy seeing her little mittens on our Christmas tree., and I can tell her the story of how she laughed because she was still “small”, not as old and big as she is now.!

What makes you “sappy” or filled with sentiment?

An old ornament?

A story read around the Christmas tree?

Music, a favorite song?

I want to savor each moment of this holiday season, don’t you?

Stay in touch, find me on Instagram and Facebook….or drop a comment below so we can chat!

Talk to you soon!

xx,

Christmas Tree Eclectic

By Beth Wood

Christmas is coming soon!

Are you ready? I am just now decorating for the Christmas holidays, because I am a “traditional girl,” I MUST have my Thanksgiving first, thennnnnn the tree!

After we married, we bought a 1903 Dutch Colonial home in Illinois, in a small river town. We lived in the historical section, on a low hill between two rivers, the Illinois River was one block in front of our front porch, and the Fox River was two blocks behind us. All of the Spring floods, and there were more than one, missed us as we were perched safely on our little hump of land!

In our little yellow house, we had an original Butlers’ Pantry located between the kitchen and the dining room, and in that area was a small window overlooking white hydrangeas lining our back fence. Each Christmas, through that window and over the fence, we could see our elderly neighbors, both donned in red sweaters, bent with their heads down, busily baking Christmas treats for their grandchildren. We know this for a fact, because they told us that they could “see us” also!

I’ve always loved old, antique, homemade, utilitarian objects, always made by hand and for a specific purpose. The first “eclectic” Christmas tree I’ve ever created sat in a wicker picnic basket in front of the window in the Butler’s Pantry.

This year, my home is newer, from THIS century, my kitchen is larger, but my Christmas tree remains “eclectic”, which normally would mean “outside of the box”, NOT the norm, but my tree now SITS IN A FIREBOX with old mustard colored milk paint on it!

The ornaments are not ornaments at all, but a mix of orange slices dried, handmade toddlers’ mittens, a small grater, a sieve, antique candy molds, cookie and biscuit cutters, candy canes, and the trees’ branches are wrapped in bright bold-colored wool-pompoms garland! Each item chosen for the story it represents, for the memory it triggers… the little tree with its treasures each carefully placed, now holds a new place in my heart.

Remember the “traditional me”? I’m honestly surprised at how much I love the mix of the “old and the bold” on this tree. I bought those pompoms two years ago, and I’m just now finding a perfect place for them!

A new home, a new look, my past and my present combined!

What is your favorite ornament that you MUST include on your Christmas tree?

Without telling me, I’ll bet there’s a story behind it, one that you obviously cherish.

This week on Facebook and Instagram, I’ll be sharing small close-ups of the items on the tree. (along with their stories, of course!)

Hope to see you there!

P.S. If you like what you see, please share it with a friend, I’d love it if they chose to follow along, as I navigate home, DIY’s, new recipes and old, and simply share “home” and “life” with you!

Blessings,

xx,

My favorite things…

By Beth Wood

I set a table today, for all to see,

But in reality, I was sharing “me”,

This is so true, a bit corny in rhyme, but my home and my table make me happiest, when shared. Shared with others gathered around the table, or with stories told and photos viewed.

My dining room table, chairs and china-cabinet were purchased by my mother when they moved into their first home, a small Craftsman bungalow. She told me the story of how she had looked at many furniture stores, carrying a photo of what she “liked,” a Williamsburg reproduction cherry-wood dining set, with curved glass inset in the hutch’s doors. She told me the salesman laughed at her, and I agreed that it was rude, and then he proceeded to say, “I suppose you wear a hoopskirt too?!”

Can you believe that?

Though the Colonial Reproduction furniture wasn’t considered on-trend in the 1960’s, my mother had a vision of what she wanted her home to look like. I admire that she thought and spoke for herself, whether it was popular to do so or not. I think her daughter is a bit like her…!

**A mix of old and new, tarnished and treasured, all of my favorites!**

**A Grain-stripe runner, chippy candlesticks, Vintage Transferware, Ironstone, real and velvet pumpkins, and my hydrangeas!**

I remember dusting the table legs to “help” my mother clean. I couldn’t reach the tabletop, so I was in charge of the legs! I was proud that I could help her out, feeling quite “big” and very efficient, obviously…though I didn’t know those words at the time:)

As it turns out, it’s time to “help out” my mother once again.

I’ve recently inherited this dining set, with it’s cherry-wood shine and the curved glass windows of the hutch. The table is not “my style”, but the memories made and the conversations shared could fill any Dining Room no matter it’s size. I find myself in a real predicament, torn between sentiment and practicality, as well as the desire to make my home my own.

Would erasing parts of my past, make my home my own?

See what I mean?!!! Ugh!!

What would you do?

I don’t have the heart to paint it, I could give it away to someone if I thought they really would take care of it…but no one has offered!

A dilemma to resolve, now back to the tabletop!

I love to “mix” different patterns and textures in decorating. Whether I’m mixing greens in a Christmas garland or mixing patterns of napkins, linens and dishes, the tablescape transforms into a piece of art; collected items gathered for one purpose, to delight and inspire both guests and family around our table.

**A soup tureen used as a vase, and an ironstone platter holds a large pumpkin. I used real garden items with faux florals for color.**

In this photo you can see the table runner, casual in style with a nubby texture and a brown grain stripe, I paired that with my Autumn-browned hydrangeas in a soup tureen for a large vase. I added a green pumpkin on an ironstone platter (just for color), and chippy candlesticks with white tapers. In reality, for a dinner with guests sitting across from each other, the hydrangeas are double in height to what they should be! Make sure people can “see each other” across your table by keeping your centerpieces low in height.

I chose to add velvet pumpkins, velvet acorns and real acorns along with the pumpkins and faux greens. Mix it up! It gives people something to really look at, and I think you always enjoy how someone else “does” their table or their home decor.

I know I do!

Warning: Quick subject changes may make you dizzy…!

I don’t know where you live, but this morning it began to snow, for the first time this year. I opened the front door to check the porch, (because I always do that!) and my poor pumpkins were covered in wet snow. My door mat boldly smiled up at me with shivering teeth, it’s an orange, smiling pumpkin for Halloween!

Busted! I waited too long to change out my decor.

When the snow melts, and I hope it’s soon, I have Christmas lights to put in the bushes, a small tree as well, and Christmas “everything else” to add.

How about you?

Have you started Christmas yet? You’re probably finished by now, but you’re too polite to say so, if so, thank you for not making me feel worse!

I won’t take your whole day chatting away, and your coffee is probably cold by now, but I did want to share my tablescape and talk a bit about how I put it together.

You have a blessed day, friend!

xx,

Is it too early for Resolutions?

By Beth Wood

I don’t think so!

November is not typically the month of do-overs, we leave all of our second chances and get-it-rights for January. Why do we set ourselves up for failure right off the bat, starting a brand-new year with a fat ZERO on our score card????

Can you guess that I am NOT great at making resolutions?…actually, I’m fantastic at making them but keeping them soon gets tiresome…and I’m off to something new, something else, for my brand-new year!

What about you?

Do you make-then-break resolutions? If you say, ” I always keep them”, I don’t think we can be friends…just sayin’!

I’m serious.

No joke.

November is a month where I concentrate on what I DO have, what I’ve accomplished to date, and how far I’ve come to get there. There is satisfaction in the smallest achievements…. for example:

Today is a good hair day, at least it looks better than it did yesterday!

Today I will not eat the Snickers Bars’ that I hid from my husband.

Today I will let the dog out, and let him back in, regardless of what he’s stepped in.

My friend, when you are down, when life gets hard, you have to lift yourself up! even the slightest, seemingly insignificant achievements will make you smile.

I’ve had a hard month or two, or six, perhaps you have as well. If so, let me share why I’m writing this blog post: when November comes around, I think about where I’ve been, and how I plan to finish out this year. A pause for a time of reflection, and an honest self-evaluation tends to get you back on track as you move forward.

Do you know what else helps to keep you on track, with yourself?

Accountability!

Tell a friend, (a two- legged friend, not the family pet), what your hopes, dreams, and plans are moving forward. Share with them how you want to finish out this year, and who you plan to be, as you begin 2023.

It may seem risky, speaking of dreams out loud, because that makes them real.

A friend will remind you of those dreams, when they see that you’ve given-up or have gone astray.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve moved from plan A to plan B, to C, etc., in my life. There is no particular age where you find that you have everything you’ve ever wanted or are capable of everything you’ve ever set out to be (at least, I’m not at that age yet!). We, I believe, are meant to grow, to go, to do and to be!

Perhaps I am so fond of Thanksgiving because it is more than a day, more than a meal, more than family, friends or football. For me, it is a day set aside for gratitude, and for thankfulness.

How will you spend this month, and next, as the year winds down?

Will you be completing tasks and goals that were set earlier in the year, or will you scramble to get back on track?

I am personally doing the scramble-shuffle dance, trying to complete projects that I SAID would be finished by now….and they are not! So, my November resolution is to START tasks, to be completed by New Years’ 2023. I won’t use excuses to justify my absence, but I will promise to keep moving forward!

How about you?

Will you join me?

So…what is your November Resolution? Drop a comment, I’d love to hear, so we can cheer each other on!!!

We will be “accountability” partners!

The above photo is of my two daughters and their families, which is where I’ll spend Thanksgiving this year. I’m beyond excited, and grateful for the opportunity to be able to be there with them. My third daughter and her family will be hosting Mr. B. and I before Thanksgiving for a few days in Florida.

I am so excited!!

I hope that you’re looking forward to the Thanksgiving holiday, no matter how, where or with whom you may celebrate it!

Hugs for now!

simplyhomebybeth