My Valentine Day Decorating

Happy Valentine's weekend, Lovelies!  

Hope you have some special plans to do fun things with your loved ones.  

It's a nice to celebrate LOVE.  

I like to commemorate each holiday decorating the house with my collection of vintage treasures and thrifty finds.  Over the years, we've amassed quite a collection of charming holiday decor.  Mr. Wonderful & I enjoyed spending some of our free time together roaming dusty flea markets & antique shops for cute bargains we could give each other as gifts.

After the arduous task of packing up most of the Christmas decorations the house looks dusty and bare.  I leave out the things that are more snow / winter related like my snowflake lights and keep a few darling snowmen dotted throughout the house.

 Since it gets dark so early in the winter, it's nice to have soft glow to light the way.  I use those clever mechanical timers so at 5pm when the shadows pop out and the sun starts it's decent my snowman blowmold and snowflake lights illuminate the dusky corners.

They are four fireplace mantles downstairs and I've got them all decked out with interesting doodads.  The dining room mantle has built in cupboards so I tuck away dishes and teacups in there.

I picked up that sparkly snowball garland at Target this Christmas and just added a strand of pastel lights, then clipped on some small vintage valentines my sweetheart gave to me.  

I love the graphics of the older valentines and the play on words.  

Aren't they darling?

A sparkly sequined gold arrow, new from Target, 

makes a snazzy display on the den mantle.  

Opposite the mantle in the dining room, sits the computer desk and shelf.  I've grown accustomed to using that soda pop crate to give height to the display with the tiny cubbies to tuck away little plastic candy containers and whatnots.  

Jadite mugs are a perfect fit.  So are those little birthday candle packages in red for the holiday. 

I do like the way a collection looks all gathered up together in one place but I must prefer to use a few pieces scattered here & there through the house.

Finally, in the kitchen, is this giant Hoosier cabinet.  It sits in a dark corner so I'm obligated to brighten it up with some holiday cheer.  This winter I've used it as my hot cocoa station and all the red goes well with the valentine theme.  I just swapped out the santas for heart shaped candy boxes, added a few vintage valentines and festooned with another sweet garland, new from Target.

Love is in the Air!

One of my favorite spots to decorate for the holidays is this darling white cupboard in the kitchen that my Mr. Wonderful thrifted for me and refinished.  

Over the years I've enjoyed displaying & rearranging my various collections on it.  Don't the tiny little vintage plastic snowmen look cute tucked in with the colorful Fiestaware dishes?

 All my oldest and dearest vintage valentines are displayed here.

This one might be my most cherished.  

It is called a mechanical valentine because a little paper lever moves the 

delicate fairy wings, mask & eyes.  

It's colors and graphics are so pretty.  

Isn't it precious?

Around the corner in the kitchen is this pink shelf that I've had since I was a little girl.  I use it to store some of my growing collection of Lovely books.  The top shelf holds any books I find by or about Jane Austen or Mr. Darcy.  I am not only a BiG Fan of the originals but of all the swell fan fiction as well.

So far I have -
Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
Darcy & Elizabeth by Linda Berdoll
Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll
I was Jane Austen's Best Friend by Cora Harrison
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
Longbourn by Jo Baker

And just yesterday I found, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler at Goodwill.  It's the first book and Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict is the sequel.

And several copies of Emma, Sense & Sensibility all by Ms. Jane Austen herself, including a volume of 4 of her stories.

I will read them all someday.

Over the kitchen sink is a very large window that lets in a lot of light.  I found these metallic paper star lanterns at Target this Christmas.  I was pretty surprised the copper colored one was so big!  At first I didn't like it and was going to take it down.  Life intervened and I never did get around to it and it kinda grew on me.  I swapped out the Fa La La banner for the XO XO & hearts, both from Target.

Doesn't it look grand?

I spend a lot of time at the sink washing dishes so I feel I must make it look as cute as possible.  It was a real challenge to photograph my window decorations with all the bright backlight streaming in all day long causing everything in the foreground to be in shadow in the photo.  Finally, I just gave up and decided to wait until dark and just use artificial light.  I wanted to capture how magical it looks with all the twinkling lights.
I Love the look so much I will be sad to take it down when I decorate for Easter.  But the days will be getting a little bit longer and that will have to be my consolation.

I've been dreaming of making a big collage with my collection of heart shaped candy boxes.  So this year, as I unpacked my Valentine treasures, I arranged them on the foyer rug.  I wasn't sure I had enough to look like anything interesting.  Some of them are vintage gifts given to me by my sweetheart, Mr. Wonderful.  Most of them are newer but I thought they were interesting and pretty, Some were purchased after the holiday on clearance, filled with tasty chocolates.  Next I think I'll do an arrangement that only has the Godiva hearts I've saved through the years.

Godiva makes exquisite chocolates that cost a fortune and taste like it.  They are my very favorite!  Here's a peek at this year's adorable collection.

Not only do the chocolates look spectacular, they taste amazing, rather fruity I think, richly decadent and to be savored.  And what is even better {to me!} is that the boxes are beautifully detailed and special.  I always save the box.  I'm a collector/hoarder like that.

Really, How Cute are these boxes?!!

What chocolate would you reach for first?

Cuz that sweet little Starfish is Mine!

~ Happy Valentine's Day!

Highlights of my Week

Thrifty Finds:

I'm excited to share some of great bargains I've found lately while scouring the favorite secondhand shops.  I found this collections of Hitchcock books for sale at the library for $1 each, so I scooped them all up!  The green pot was at Goodwill filled with caked on dirt but I knew it would clean up easily.  I think it was $1, also.  I'll use it as to hold my ever growing washi tape collection. 

Don't you LOVE a bargain?

I discovered this lot of goodies at my favorite Goodwill that just happens to be 5 minutes from my house.  The silverplate tray and milk glass vase were in pristine condition and only $2. The china tea cups, pink glass & white Fiestaware teacups were all .25 cents as were the saucers.  Another Goodwill I go to sometimes charges much more and rarely has anything as cool.

And last but not least is the Pyrex 043 size casserole I got from Megathrift for $5.  Pyrex is really a hot collectible besides being useful and durable for baking yummy treats for everybody.  At first glance I thought it was the spring green color just really dingy with lots of those weird black silverware marks that come from putting them in the dishwasher but I've had success scrubbing those marks away with Magic Eraser.  Unfortunately, this poor little casserole had all the clear coat finish worn away, as well as some of the Olive paint so it felt rough to the touch not smooth.  I used it anyway to transport some of my homemade mac & cheese as a surprise dinner for my daughter and her husband.  I really Love the 043 and 045 sizes and snatch them up whenever I see them.  So I learned a lesson to feel for the finish.



Here's what I'm Loving:

I think the candy boxes that Godiva does each year are really beautiful and it's my very favorite chocolate.  I've saved the pretty holiday candy boxes for years and years.  I dug out all my heart shaped candy boxes and vintage valentine decorations and started decorating the house.  I'll be posting photos about that soon.

How cute is that?

 and useful!

What I've been cooking:

It's been so cold and wintery lately that I've been making lots of stews and soups.  This particular batch was some chicken stew that is so very easy to make using a bag of frozen veg. mix that I usually have stocked in my freezer.

Easy Chicken Stew

1 bag of frozen veg. mix - I like the mix that has peas, corn, green beans and little cubes of carrot
1 c. frozen chopped onion
3 stalks celery, chopped up
1/2 tsp. garlic powder or 2 fresh cloves
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. Italian herb mix
1 c. or more of cooked chopped chicken
1 16 oz. carton of chicken broth

salt & pepper to taste, perhaps some cayenne, especially if your throat is sore or you have the sniffles.

Saute first four ingredients on medium low heat with a splash of olive oil for about 15-20 mins until softened.
{You could also chop up potatoes or any other veg you wish.  Just be sure they get totally cooked.} Sprinkle flour onto cooked veg and stir well so everything wads up and just starts to brown.
Slowly pour in the chicken broth about 1/3 c. at a time stirring well in between so everything is incorporated.
Add chicken and let it come to a boil slowly.
Simmer on low for at least 15 mins.  Take a taste test to be sure the seasonings are spot on and all veg is cooked soft, no crunchiness.
Serve with biscuits for the best meal!

* If you only have raw chicken on hand you can boil it in your soup pot first using the carton broth to cover. Once your chicken is fully cooked let it cool on a plate in the fridge for at least and hour then chop it up.  Pour off the broth into a large pyrex bowl or 4 c. measuring cup and set aside. Now you can start at the beginning of the recipe.

I'm obsessed with:

Washi Tape!

I've been on a washi tape hunt of late looking for it everywhere I go.  And not just in craft stores, mind you, even Dollar Tree sells washi tape and it costs only a dollar a roll there. There's so many lovely washi and I WANT it all!

What I've been Reading:

 

I've been going through a reading dry spell lately but I saw this on the 'New Books' shelf at the library and grabbed it.  I've read all her books and I do enjoy a good mystery.

What I've been watching:

Downton Abbey is my most favorite show on tv lately.  It airs Sundays, 9pm on PBS.  It's such a well done show!  It's got superb acting, exciting drama, amazing costumes, and such lush sets.

Did you notice Lady Rosamund's terrific hat during episode 5 of season 5?!

Always a pleasure to watch but  I always feel disappointed when the show comes to an end each week because it's so good I just want to keep watching!

Another show we've been enjoying is Agent Carter.  Have you seen it?

The series just started in January and airs Tuesdays, 9pm.  I'm a Marvel geek, love all the stories, tv shows and movies.  This one is very good, interesting story lines, set in the 1940's so I'm LOVING the costumes, hair, makeup and music.  I just adore that era.


I'm really Loving this image:

imagine a warm summer night, perfect

I'll leave you with this nice quote:

enough said, eh?

Hope your week was a good one!

Celebrating my Birthday Week

Happy Birthday to me!

So I like to celebrate my birthday for a whole week or more.

 The anticipation, making plans and doing fun things together with friends and my family is how 

I like to Live it UP!

I started off the week watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel.  

Cuz everyone knows that the minute Halloween is over, 

it's CHRISTMAS!!!

It is a little sad packing up all our cherished vintage Halloween treasures so I like to listen to my favorite collection of Christmas music while I take down and pack away all my decorations.

 Before I bring out any Christmas stuff I want to give the house a good cleaning.  

One chilly morning, I got my first Starbucks Redcup of the season before a quick shopping spree at Target.  I congratulated myself in resisting the purchase of any half off Halloween candy by splurging on a glorious tartan scarf instead.

I choose a festive shade of nail polish for my birthday manicure.

While at the Clemmons Goodwill I spied a fantastic wood & wicker picnic basket for $3!!!
It was very sturdy despite one of the hinges being busted and I couldn't help but dream about all the picnics the previous owners had taken it on and what I might pack in there to nosh on while traveling on a day trip, maybe to the mountains.

Over in the book section I spied some gorgeous classics, circa 1950's. This nice man saw me picking them out and gave me the ones he found as well, since they all seemed to be from this lady named Gloria's collection according to the book plate & inscriptions.  Ssssshhh...I'm going to give them to Ems for Christmas!

On my actual birthday, I wake to the wafting aroma of freshly brewed coffee, 

and think, Ain't Life Grand?  

My BFF of 14 years, Donna, 

brought decadent Krispy Kreme donuts over to gobble up together.

Then we strolled around my favorite antique store called, Lost in Time, 

looking at all the cool vintage things.

Birthdays are the Best!

Later on Emily and I hit the Starbucks and I got my FREE  birthday reward.

It was warm that day so we got Frappucinos.  

Gingerbread for me and Caramel Brulee for Emily.  

So Yummy!

On the way home we pick up our order at Marco's for my 

Pizza Movie Party Night!

On Friday we did a bit of shopping at the mall 

then met my other BFF, Christi and her daughter at the movies.  

I'm so LUCKY to have two best friends!

I met both my beautiful BFFs through homeschooling our daughters 

and our daughters are best friends as well!  

I've known Christi for at least 10 years and we both LOVE Bill Murray so we wanted to see his new movie, Saint Vincent, which was a really good movie but not as funny as we were thinking it would be.

Emily & I shared a huge bucket of popcorn for the first time in about 3 years since she had her braces removed last month.  And afterwards we go to Carraba's, another one of my favorite restaurants, for dinner and I always seem to order the same thing there, too, Fettucine Weesie.  

It's SO GOOD!

I took this photo at Old Salem Tavern where Donna & I + our girls met for lunch after some Christmas shopping on another beautiful, sunny, crisp fall Saturday.  Of course. I had the chicken pie again with gingerbread for dessert.  It's a tradition!

I got a lot of fun packed into this fantastic Birthday week.

And finally there's this:

I found it while flipping through Instagram 

and it made me giggle.

Anybody else miss Jesse Pinkman, from Breaking Bad?

I still seem to look forward to my birthday every year.  

I feel like it's another year older and wiser.  

Definitely a time to count your blessings and celebrate LIFE.   

Do you like birthdays? 

How do you spend your birthday week?