A Bit of Making it Home

The lakehouse mantle before:

A bit devoid of personality.

The mantle during its makeover:




with family participation, and finally, after a trip to Hobby Lobby.



The deerhead, purchased on Ebay for $26 a few years ago, was given the nickname of Rudy. He's Rudy 11 months of the year, and for the month of December becomes Rudolph, donning a red felt nose for when little ones are visiting, to relive a favorite childhood memory of mine.
Four year old Grayson, calls him 'The Stranger', and warns everyone 'don't talk to him, he's watching you'. After a chat, Grayson and I came to the conclusion his body is inside the wall and every December 24th Rudy flies out of the wall, with his nose glowing, to lead Santa's sleigh.

Not quite so scary to a little one, and the mantle looks better I think.
I was given the tip from my daughter, Sarah to decorate for seasons rather than holidays, and my dear friend Cathy leaves red and white berries up all year long. They apparently go with almost any season, and any decor. I loved the punch of color they provided. The flanking bookcases don't show, but thank you, Leslie for spending HOURS sorting through items with me to make the place look homey. All those family photos we had to take down in our Pennsylvania home are now adding some warmth to our lakehouse.

And last, Don and I had fun shopping at Hobby Lobby for this rooster and a glass bowl, filled with faux fruit. It looks real enough to eat right up, and we thought it made the entrance into the kitchen a bit more homey and welcoming. I'd like a long farmhouse table that will seat 10-12 eventually, but for now this one will seat at least ten, so it'll do nicely for awhile. Once we're there I hope to find a new home for it on Craig's list...