A Spring Green Living Room

Spring is starting to emerge here in Central Ohio, and I thought it was a good time to spruce up our mantle decor with a bit of color. 

The little tealight cups are from Finder's Keepers, and they glow beautifully when lit!

The moss ribbon I mentioned in a previous post worked out great on the mantel.  This is one of four ribbons I bought.

Our living room is quickly becoming greener and greener.  Thank goodness Tom is so patient with my plantaholic ways.  One of the newest addition is this palm tree in the corner.  Eventually I'd like to get an olive tree for this corner, but until then this tree was a great buy and adds a touch of cheer to a blank space.

See all the green?

Grandma bought me a pansy basket for Easter.  It looks lovely on the table.

Early Spring Productivity

Tom and I took today off work to be at home while we were getting our house professionally power washed.  You might remember the major road construction we had all late summer and fall last year...it left our house dusty and filthy, and we have been eager for spring, and our booked date with the local pressure washing company, to arrive. 

Not only did the siding on the house turn out squeaky clean, but the guys also pressure washed our front stoop and sidewalk, and its never looked better.  That part almost excited me more than the clean siding!

This is a decent shot to show how dirty the siding was before.  Sure, our house is white, but it doesn't look so white against the snow...

And here's a good "before" shot of the sidewalk and front stoop.

Now look at it!

Ahhh, the house breathes a nice clean sigh of relief.

Also unless you're a huge fan of "spot the differences" pictures, you might not have noticed, but we finally got our missing chimney cap replaced.  I hadn't even noticed it was missing, to be honest with you, until a neighbor pointed it out to us last year. 

Finally while we were stuck inside today waiting for the house washing to be done, I got a little project finished that has been on my list.  You remember my front entry design around the archway:

I doodled up an idea in Paintshop that would connect the three designs together into one large one.  It was a simple addition, but I think it finishes off the entire thing.

Tomorrow Chimera (the gargoyle above) is going back outside for the garden's year.  We brought him inside during the harsh winter weather.  I'm not sure if Corvin will miss him or be relieved. 

Mossy Easter

So you know that Pinterest phenomenon when you find instructions for how to do a craft or creative recipe, and you immediately get the bee in your bonnet until you try it for yourself?

Yeah...yesterday I made mossy cupcakes with mom and Grandma over at their house.

I just couldn't help it!  Instructions on how to make edible yummy moss?  With randomly flavored jelly beans on top like Easter eggs? (that part was suggested by my friend Linds)  Totally had to do it.

And then thanks to another blog post from a favorite home dec blog of mine, I bought 4 rolls of moss ribbon this morning from Walmart for $2 a piece!  I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with them, but when Tom asked me, I came up with four or five different possibilities just off the top of my head.  Moss, in ribbon form?  Heck yeah!

The Twelve Dancing Princesses - Sketching Completed

Somethings done.

Something that I've been working on for a long time.

Well, ok, this phase of something is done....

The princesses....they are all sketched and on the wall.  I know the next phase is the hardest one: actually painting them directly on there...but allow me a moment to just soak in the enjoyment of this part being done.

Let me introduce them all to you.  Some you've met, some you haven't.

Princess Willemina

Princess Theodora

Princess Delphina

Princess Julia

Princess Petra

Princesses Gayle and Edith

Princess Jessica

Princess Cheyenne

Princess Adeline

Princess Alexandretta

and Princess Etienne

Princess Etienne close up

If Princess Etienne, the only princess alert and aware of her surroundings, looks familiar...well, she should.  I have always put myself in her shoes when I read the story, so I decided to reward myself for completing the set of twelve by making her a lookalike! 

Green Man on the Fireplace

Thanks to a surprise care package from an awesome friend, one of the Brionys I mentioned in my house tour video, the American one, ;) I was able to add a little extra flourish to our fireplace.

Meet the Green Man, name forthcoming.

Snapshots of a Weekend

I carry around my iPad everywhere I go now.  Which is handy because there's a camera on there!

Snapshots of a weekend...

It started out with lovely Grandma at dinner Friday night:

And ended with baby goats on Sunday at Salena's:

With a trip to Hobby Lobby in between:

 Isn't that mushroom wonderful?  Too bad it costs beyond my budget.

 But we DID have to come home with a March hare.  I'm picky about my bunny statue-types...I like ones that look like hares...long ears, lean, big feet, instead of bunnies..rolly polly round.

And I just love their giant flower stems....perfect for a Walter Crane flower faerie.  I may have to go back for one when floral is on sale.

Catty-Corner's Quilt of Patterns

The patterned quilt of my home.  As featured here.