Kay Ellen

Gathering Blooms

My roses are blooming...

Time to gather a bouquet for the first day of May.

I love this old rake in my garden...

I arranged the blooms together in a festoon style bouquet... 

I attached the flowers to my old rusty rake with twine and lacey ribbon...

Fresh blooms for our front door...

Happy May Day!

::Kay Ellen

 

Joining Oppsey Daisy Wowzers Wednesday HERE

Joining in Outdoor Wednesday blog party HERE

Christmas at Home

Fresh greenery, ice skates and velvet red ribbons adorn our entryway... I finally finished decorating our front porch! A welcoming site as friends walk up to our home.

Now it is really starting to look like Christmas.

Our kitty Napoleon approves, he was taking a nap on the welcome mat when I got home from work today...to cute :) 

:Kay Ellen

Adding Holiday Decor

All dressed up for the Holiday's...

A peek into a lovely home that I did all the interior design work in....

It is hard to believe we finished this remodel project two years ago. Where did the time go? 

I enjoy coming back each year to add Christmas decor and check in with my wonderful clients. 

Thank you for stopping by,

:Kay Ellen

Q & A Time

Hello Friends!

Have you started your holiday tree? 

I thought it would be fun to write out a few questions I have received by email and share them with you all as the holiday time is upon us.

Helpful hints to decorate a custom feeling detailed Christmas Tree. 

Questions & Answers

How many lights should I use on a 8ft tree? 

If you are using small white twinkle lights, I personally like 100 lights per foot of the tree...My suggestion would be if you have an 8ft tree I would buy 8 boxes of lights = 800 lights. 

If you are mixing different size lights to your tree cut the formula in half, 400 smalls and 400 large lights...alternatae the lights as you add them to your tree.

Some of you may like the new LED twinkle lights...I am not a fan of them because they give off a strange blue tint in the house....so I would strongly suggest if you like these lights or already own them I would use them outdoors.  

Would you share a step by step to complete a holiday tree?

Of course, we just talked about the lights and the next element I would add would be some sort of netting or fabric to the tree.

I start at the top of the tree and weave fabric like garland in a zig zag motion, side to side until I reach the bottom of the tree. I would say an artful zig zag not percise.

Be creative as you add your elements. It's your house and your tree. Follow the other questions below and you will be able to have an overview of the way I design holiday trees.

I love bows but I am not sure how to add them into my tree?

I would add bows right after the lights and fabric element is added in to the tree.

I like to make "tail bows" for my trees. This consist of three loops and two tails. You can save alot of yardage and money making this style bow for your tree.

The best resource for ribbon is Costco and Sams Club. They have great holiday ribbons in large bolts all season long. I like to use 2-3 different ribbons to make bows and vary their sizes in a tree. Try to set aside extra ribbon for garland or wreaths for the mantel and presents for under your tree.

For the placement of the bows you can use the same concept as the fabric idea I shared above. I start at the top of the tree and artfully zig zag and place the bows as you make your way down to the bottom of the tree. 

What size ornaments should I put on the tree first?

You should always place the largestest items first on your tree after the lights, ribbons, fabric and bows are installed.  

Large scaled items can be anything you want them to be....silk poinsettas, branches, grapevine wreaths, large scale candy canes, birdcages, musical instruments~~~whatever your hearts desire is for the theme of your tree. Make sure you have enough large scale items to make a statement. For an 8 ft tree I would suggest six to twelve pieces. If you only want to focus on one large item I would place that piece at the top of the tree to make it your tree topper.

After all your large scaled items are added to your tree start mixing in your meduims then last but not least your small oranments.

I do not own a tree skirt, what do you use at the bottom of your trees at your home or for your customers? 

If you do not own a tree skirt you can use anything to cover the bottom of your tree. I like the base of the holiday tree to compliment the decor theme.

Here are a few examples....like this photo above I used gold fabric and shimmering gold netting. A very simple and elegant solution. A few yards of burlap would work great for a garden themed tree. A lace tablecloth for a vintage tree. A wonderful quilt or a great plaid blanket for a tradition feeling Christmas Tree. 

I can't handle a large tree anymore, they are to big and bulky for my little condo. What kind of trees do you use in small areas? 

Have you consider a tabletop tree? I have several clients that love this concept.Very easy to put up and the elements are on a small scale. You will not have to move the entire room around to accommodate this sort of tree.

If you want the smell of a live tree you can purchase fresh mini trees or ready to plant small trees at any gardening center. Some super store locations will deliver and set up any size tree for a fee. You can scout out and shop at a vintage or thrift store for a second hand silk tree. Forget Me Not Antiques in Riverside has several trees for sale for the holidays. If you want to buy a new silk tree Lowes, Home Depot, Ikea and Target have a nice assortment.

These trees are usally 2-3 feet tall and are great for smaller scaled themed items and show off nicely on a tabletop area of your home.

Here are a few suggestions on placement of ideas for a mini tree...Tea carts, pedestals, buffet or credenzas... they look great on a staircase landing, just make sure where ever you place a mini tree you have electricity. 

I personally love the idea of small trees. I have a few in my home. A Partridge in a Pear Tree themed tree on a pedestal in my guest bathroom, a Scottie Dog tree sitting on our kitchen island and shown above is my Paris Tea Tree greeting friends on a music table in the entry way. 

I bought a flocked tree last year and my decorations disappreared on the branches. What did I do wrong?

Flocked trees have a bolder look before you add any adornments to the branches. My suggestion if you are looking for a striking look add  bold colored ribbons and large scale ornaments so they will stand out on the tree. My other thought would be to keep the tree sparse only add creative one color ornaments and go over board on the twinkle lights ~~~ this will add extra sparkle on the flocked branches.

Have fun designing your tree! Hope I have inspired you to try something new this year.

I just looked down at my blog entry and realized I am sharing over 1000 words of text in this post, wow that's a record of me! ha-ha

Thank you for stopping by,

:KayEllen

 

Joining in:

Fall into Fall

Momma hens coop

No Minimalist Here

 

Autumn Details

Finally a cooler day today...I puttered in the garden and cut some foilage and rose-hips to start my inspiration for decorating.

My son cut large dried branches I couldn't reach...Thanks Kyle!

Use what you have, no sense in spending money on folaige.

Look around your yard, you will be surprised what you can find to trim and use.  

I found the vintage owl art at a flea market...decided it would look great on my front door. Hoot-Hoot!

A little torn and tattered but I still love it. I dry brushed the chippy wood frame with cream and white paint so the outside edges would stand out against the black door.

Pillows and pumpkins on my old entry bench

Wall floural above the bench is filled with dried lavendar, rose-hips and sunflowers.

I added old shutters to a planter for height and to help hold up more dried branches.

Happy to have my Halloween and Autumn feeling decor up on the front porch ready to welcome family and friends!

I will add my holiday table setting to share on Wednesday night.

See you soon!

:Kay Ellen

A Special Celebration

A wonderful day filled with floral arranging and rejoicing with the special couple and dear family.  

May God richly bless them as they begin their new life together.

Congratulations to Rebecca & David! 

:Kay Ellen

 

Joining White Wednesday HERE

Under the Table and Dreaming

Inspired Table

 

I have a few photos to share to inspire you to set your table for Easter.

Decide on your centerpiece first.  

 

I knew I wanted to use my treasured metal cross, an old pie plate and a Ball mason jar  from the past to start my table setting. 

I layered two lace table clothes and scrunched up an embroider runner in the center of the table.  I did have a few rips in my tablecloths so I added some random crocheted doilies to cover up the holes...sshhh don't tell anyone :)

The pretty aqua glass teacups are from my shop...I brought them home and added mismatched teacup saucers to each place setting.  

 

I dressed up my linen napkins with gathered fabrics and some vintage earrings.

Found my tarnished silver platters and placed them on the table as chargers.

In the garden our geraniums are so vibrant right now so I cut some blooms and added them to the table for a punch of color.

 
I love to layer dishes so I decided to use mismatched vintage plates for this inspired setting.

 

Each napkin has a different piece of vintage jewelry attached.

My birch trees have a lot of new growth so I cut some branches and wrapped them in a circle to look like a wreath on each each plate. 

Be inspired to create a special holiday setting for your friends and family.

 

Easter means so much to our family.

and the Cross is at the heart of our celebration.

 

Have a blessed Holiday.

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Asking for prayer for my sister's family.

We have a tough week ahead of us planning a special memorial service for a young father tragically lost in a car crash...now a citizen of heaven.

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Thank you for your cherished friendship and taking the time to stop by, 

 : Kay Ellen 

  

 

Egg Inspiration

You may think I am a bit silly but I find inspiration in many things...even in an egg!

My hand painted eggs our displayed and used in a creative way each year for Springtime and Easter. 

I cut branches from my birch twig trees, a few honey suckle vines, blooms from a fast growing bougainvillea for a punch of color and a few snap dragons for a little whimsy...I did add one small  bouquet from Trader Joe's for filler and height. 

A little floral therapy for me and a cheery welcome for others when they walk into our home.

Have a blessed day!

Make a welcoming arrangement for your home!!

You can click on each photo to see them larger for inspiration... 

:Kay Ellen

Joining in at Stephanie Lynn's & Autism Awareness HERE

 

A very busy weekend

I wanted to send out a special thank you for those of you who knew about my Dad being in the hospital this weekend...our family truly appreciated all your prayers, phone calls and thoughtful notes.

My Dad had congestive heart failure on Friday night in the wee hours... thankful he is feeling better each day.

I went to the grogery store to do some shopping for low sodium and non- salted products requested by my Dad's doctor. Did you know salt is in everything! Well not everything but it sure seems like it. I did manage to find a few items that will work...but my Mom would love some suggestions for dinners~~please email me some recipes!!

Before all this happened I had a photo shoot Friday morning at a new animal shelter in San Jacinto...

after I finished taking photos I decided to meet some of the amazing animals that were up for adoption. 

Look who I brought home....Meet April!

Our newest addition to the family. She is a one year old jack russell terrier mix.

April is so sweet and really loves our schnauzer Gracie. She is still trying to figure out our cat Napoleon. I have decided Napoleon is the pack leader in this group because he is in charge and pretty funny to watch him with the two dogs.

Saturday morning I had already committed to help set up a Vintage Sale at Forget Me Not Antiques. I only had three hours of sleep Friday night because we were at the hospital so late...but what could I do? I love the owner and the sweet antique dealers so I stopped off at Starbucks for a strong coffee and headed off to help set up.

I love this little chair...so cute!!

Perfect shopping weather~~~ it was overcast and a cool Saturday morning.

This fun door is the newest piece in my space. 

I packed up early and came home to get ready for a special wedding my family was attending Saturday evening.

A little flower therapy for me, on thursday evening I made some of the bridal bouquets for the wedding. 

The darling flower girl was a little tired of waiting for the ceremony to begin so she came up front early and sat down on the plateform~~ A priceless moment!

 

It was a beautiful ceremony and evening ~~~ Congratulations to Jon & Sarah!

A special moment for Mother and Son. I got a little teared up over this one. 

and some twirling and celebrating going on too!

Thank you for stopping by~~

Please keep my Dad in your prayers, he is doing better but still weak.

:Kay Ellen & Family 

Rainy Weather

Listening to the rain come down as I sit in our family room wrapping presents.

Nice to be inside a warm house...and out of the rainy weather.

It has been so dark outside during the daytime I have not been able to capture very many new photos to share. I did take this picture the other night of our mantel...

and the sun came out yesterday for a brief second so I snapped a couple pictures of our Christmas Tree in the family room. I lightly flocked the tree with cans of snow from the 99 cent store...I ran out of snow and so did the store...so I think I am done flocking! lol  

I need a few more bows and ribbons for the presents...off to store I go again!

Have a good day...be careful out on the roads friends ~~~ I will be driving very slow in the rainy weather.

A special thank you to Good News Now for featuring my fireplace photo!  

:KayEllen