Vintage Valentine

My mother gifted me my grandmother's card album--notes she received for birthdays and her wedding.  I've been toting this dilapidated album around for quite some time and couldn't figure out what to do with it. 

This year, I decided to cut the cards into heart shapes to use as Valentine's decorations. As I was sorting through them, I felt almost like my grandmother was stopping by for a visit.

I felt that while giving these new life, she was alive again with me for a little while.  This might sound strange and definitely caught me by surprise, but I did feel something I didn't expect to feel. 

  I hung them from our chandelier, stuck some in the chandelier's basket and put them in our wired candleholders.  

I used some old envelopes I found addressed to her as well--sort of a love note, romantic Valentine theme.  And, the roses remind me of one of my favorite stories about my grandfather.  My grandmother loved roses--they were her favorite flower.  So, instead of giving her a dozen roses on Valentine's Day, my grandfather would surprise her with one rose each month so that she could enjoy roses year round.  How sweet is that?

I love resurrecting the old-fashioned names, the elegant handwriting, the sweet sentiments--I'm smitten by it all!  I stuck a few notes, such as the one below, on the mirrors around our house.  The messages on them just make me smile every time I walk by.

I just love feeling that my grandparents are still close to me and my family in some small way.  Valentine's Day seems like the perfect time to remember and feel their love they had for us and for each other.

Happy Valentine's Day!

                                                              xoxo Cricket

PS--The picture in the banner is my grandmother, Margaret.  I will have to sort thru my boxes of pictures to find a great one of the two of them.

What a World!

I recently found this adorable "What a World" fabric that makes a perfect big pillow for the kids' playroom.  The colors are so lively and vibrant--they shout fun and whimsy!

Nora and I love playing "I Spy" with the pillow.  There are so many details--the more you look, the more you notice.  I've even caught her playing games with the pillow by herself.  I'm a huge fan of anything that stimulates a child's imagination.

Love the time zone clocks and flags too.



This line also comes with fabric to make smaller pillows of unique cities throughout the world.  How cute are these?  As a friend pointed out, these are the perfect size for a pillow toss game or the other thousands of creative games that children could come up with using these!

This fabric is perfect for the back of the mini-pillows!  The typography is delightful.

I am so excited about this fabric that I want to share it with others.  So I've decided to sell these in my Etsy Shoppe.  They make a great gift for little ones!  And, if you are decorating a nursery, what creative color and theme inspiration this fabric provides! 

I'm a huge fan of bold, bright colors for children's spaces and can just imagine the many fun objects from different cultures and travels that one could find to go with this.  This fabric is such a great starting point to a stimulating and unique space.  The possibilities are endless!

If you are interested in purchasing the pillows, visit my newly-opened Etsy Shoppe here. 

More Branching Out

Our recent snowstorm here in the Pacific Northwest left us many beautiful fallen tree branches.  I couldn't bear to part with them, and I needed something super cheap (meaning FREE) to decorate those pesky and awkard cabinet tops in our kitchen.

This is a great example of two rules I live by when decorating:

1) You do not have to spend a lot of money to create something lovely

2) Use what you have around you



The old wooden Cannon Beach realty sign pays homage to our iconic first trip to the Oregon Coast when we stayed at a cute little B&B at Cannon Beach.

I painted the owls when I took fantastic online art class, How to Paint an Owl, by Juliette Crane.  You can read more about my experience here.  I love how the owlies look in the branches!



And, I found this lovely container at the thrift store for a few bucks, which was quite a steal as these sell in antique stores for a bundle.

Clearly, I am really into tree branches at the moment.  They make such great decor and have become a theme in our home.  More kitchen photos coming soon.  I'm working on a homework/craft center in the kitchen that I can't wait to share!