MY CHINOISERIE HOLIDAY TREE

A few years ago I used my Mom's vintage feather tree with some Kate Spade-inspired ornaments.  I prefer using a white tree.  I think the ornaments show up so much better.  I'll link at the end of this post to the Kate Spade Christmas tree if you'd like to see it.  

This year I  decided to use the white feather tree again.  I swapped the classic Kate black and white for some blue and white Chinoiserie ornaments.  I mixed the blue and white ginger jar ornaments with some white pagodas with green ribbon.  I used my favorite rhinestone garlands too.  I wrapped the pillow on my settee with a rhinestone table runner to add some more sparkle.

MY CHINOISERIE FEATHER TREE IN MY FOYER

  I tucked the tree into a corner in my foyer.

MY HOLIDAY TREE TUCKED IN TO THE CORNER

If you follow my blog, you'll recognize the garden seat from my front porch.  It gives the tree some height and coordinates perfectly with the ginger jars and pagodas.

MY GARDEN SEAT TREE STAND

Notice the reflection in my favorite mirror.

MY FAVORITE MIRROR

TREE REFLECTION

Pagoda and ginger jar ornaments.

PAGODA AND GINGER JAR ORNAMENTS

CLOSE UPS

A pagoda and a rhinestone garland  are propped inside my sunburst empty frame.

PAGODA AND GARLAND ON MY SUNBURST FRAME

I added a preserved boxwood wreath to the brass wall sconce on my stair landing.  I used the same green satin ribbon that I used on the pagodas on the wreath.

BOXWOOD WREATH ON MY BRASS WALL SCONCE

View from the front door.

DEMIJOHN AND WREATH ON THE LANDING

My demijohns always wear jewelry.

MY ALWAYS BEJEWELED DEMIJOHN

What is your favorite holiday tree?  Faux or Live?  Natural or Color?

Here's the link to my Kate Spade inspired holiday tree.

Just click on the image or on the highlighted words to be directed to the full post.

MY KATE SPADE INSPIRED CHRISTMAS TREE

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Garden Architecture

 For the last few weeks I've been re-posting some of my most pinned posts while on my "August recess".  Enjoy this one from 2013.


You know I love my garden, but I like something even more than the blooms----vintage planters, building fragments, spheres, and statuary to embellish my garden design.   These additions add dimension, texture, interest and most of all uniqueness to my landscape.

Have you ever come across old cement planters?  They never rot like wooden planters and when they're in a shady spot they weather with patches of moss and develop a fabulous patina.  I have three matching planters in front of my garage doors.  I usually fill them with flowers, but this year I added some metal topiaries and planted some climbing hydrangeas among the flowers.  They'll need some time to climb to the top, but the support is there for them.

Cement Planters and Metal Topiaries

To the side of the garage, my gargoyle frowns.

My Gargoyle

I have more cement planters in a grouping at the base of my side walkway.  The tall planters are actually chimney pots.  They originally were on roof tops, but they are perfect as tall garden containers.  They're indestructible.  Check out how they're weathering.  My husband wanted to power wash them.  Oh no!!!

Cement Planters and Chimney Pots

I consider my pergola garden architecture too.   I hung a wrought iron candelabra from one of the supports and covered the chain with burlap.

My Pergola Framing the Walkway

I have another chimney pot near the porch.  It's perfect with a fern.

Chimney Pot with Fern

I painted a sphere yellow and suspended it in the tulip magnolia tree.  I have a fern in an urn beside the other side walkway--one of a pair flanking the path.  The garden bench with scrolly iron sides has traveled with me from house to house. 

Sphere, Urn, and Garden Bench

You've already seen my huge iron sphere that is supported by a tall planter in front of the other garage.

 I found this lady statuary and the pagoda at an estate sale near my home.  She was the center of a broken fountain.  They both are cement and very heavy.  I had to be very sure about their location because I was afraid to ask any of my helpers to move them a second time.  My Home Goods sphere is in the foreground.

Lady Statuary, Pagoda, Sphere

This photo is from last year, but I wanted to share the perennials that bloom around my statue.

You've also seen this building fragment before but it's one of my favorite architectural pieces.

Building Fragment in My Garden

This weathered iron bird bath is now a planter.  The architectural piece in the lower right corner is a broken fragment from the lady's fountain.  I scattered the broken fountain base pieces into the garden.

Bird Bath as Planter

We received a sundial as a wedding gift.  I found a cement base to support it.  It's probably part of a bird bath.

My Sundial

Near my screened porch entrance I have a tall lattice obelisk.

Lattice Obelisk

This little squirrel can confuse the real ones in the yard.  He's next to another bird bath.  Have you noticed that I like to scatter rocks in my garden so plants can crop up in their crevices.

Squirrel and Bird Bath

My Buddha bounces around the yard.  Currently he's resting against the pear tree surrounded by a field of liriope.

Buddha

This rusty metal cupola is another favorite.  It's next to a chippy garden chair.  A section of iron fencing is a back drop.

Cupola, Bench, Iron Fence

Hydrangeas are blooming in front of a planter.  To the left is a textured cement orb.

Hydrangea, Orb, Planter

I have a garden arch at the entrance to the walkway to the back yard.  I lost one of the finials and replaced it with an iron bird.  He seems very happy among the trumpet vines.

Iron Bird and Trumpet Vine on My Garden Arch

So, do you decorate your outdoor spaces?   How do you embellish?

MIXING MY MODERN LUCITE COFFEE TABLE WITH A CHINOISERIE PILLOW

There is a very modern lucite coffee table in my family room.  I recently changed it up a bit with some over-sized photography books, bleached antlers, and a bowl of artichokes.  

MY RE-STYLED COFFEE TABLE

I have both green and orange in this room.  To pick up the green in the room, I placed some artichokes in a bowl.  The bowl is a demijohn base with an added copper rim.  A linen chinoiserie pillow brightens up the sofa and repeats the orange found in other parts of the family room.

ARTICHOKES IN DEMIJOHN BASE AND CHINOISERIE PILLOW

 Not only does the linen pillow pick up the green and orange in the room, but it also has the most wonderful piping.  If you look closely you can see the gathers in the corners. 

It's all in the details.

ORANGE AND GREEN CHINOISERIE PILLOW

 I love that you can see my leopard pattern rug through the coffee table.   The shape of the spots is slightly blurred and the pattern is perfectly named Cezanne Leopard.

MY LEOPARD RUG

MY WONDERFUL ARTICHOKES

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE BOWL AND ARTICHOKES

The coffee table has two side pockets for books or magazines.  I leave them empty because they're the perfect spot for my granddaughters to tuck their stuffed animals or for them to drive their toy cars and trucks.

SIDE POCKETS

In addition to the demijohn bowl, I added a stack of large photography books and some bleached antlers.  Of course Bella photo bombed the picture.

DOG PHOTO BOMB

STACK OF OVER-SIZED PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS

How do you mix and match your decor?

Reds and Yellows in My Fall Garden

This summer we had to remove a large Bradford Pear that shaded our front yard for many years.  I've been working on my new full sun garden and I still need to do some tweaking, but it's coming along.   All summer I have yellows and blues accenting the green in the landscaping.  In the fall though the garden is transformed when many of my green shrubs decide to change to their new red wardrobe.  Here's a peek into my evolving landscaping.

I re-used  as many of my original plants as I could.   My big purchase was a large Dragon's Eye Pine that is the focal point in the garden.  Its needles are yellow all year long.  I added a low curved wall and tucked a dry bed with bluestone into its curve for my lady statuary.   

New Landscaping

This is a better look at my Dragon's Eye Pine

My New View From the Front Porch

My Fire Power Nandia changed from green to red once the weather cooled.  I use the Nandia in the summer for bouquets and in the winter I tuck it into my holiday wreaths for a pop of color.

Fire Power Nandina and Festuca on My Garden Wall

I love the contrast of the yellow and red.

Red and Yellow Color Combo

Another View of the Low Wall

Bluestone Dry Bed

My Japanese Maple has always been part of the landscaping.  I was worried that it wouldn't adjust to the change from shade to full sun, but it survived and became a deeper red.  It will eventually lose all it's leaves and be a gnarled mound of branches in the winter.  I added a slate walkway between the wall and the Japanese Maple.  It's my new shortcut from the back yard.

Japanese Maple and New Slate Path

The Pieris have grown along my driveway for many years.
 They have lovely white flowers in the spring and cascading red tendrils in the fall.

Pieris Along My Driveway

This is the bed where the pear tree used to be located.  It's on the opposite side of the sidewalk. 

 I added a small low wall.  My buddha is resting under another Nandina.  I've had the large pagoda for many years.  It just changed its location.  I'm not sure if I like it there or not.  

The landscaping is still a work in progress that will have to wait until spring.

If you'd like to see my front garden before the Bradford Pear was removed, go here.