Sunday, December 7, 2008

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...

5 comments:

Barb said...

It cracks me up that you bought that deer on eBay. I seriously thought one of the men, either Don or Dan, had bagged that trophy.

I know the childhood memory you're talking about. I wonder what happened to the eight point buck Dad had hanging in our living room for all those years?

Big improvement, especially with the berries. :-)

Susanne said...

It's coming together bit by bit, Bev. You must be getting so excited to fully be there. Love the seasonal decorating idea.

elizabeth said...

I wasn't so sure about the deer head (even being Texan myself), but after reading the story it makes me almost want to head to ebay to find one for myself! Almost. :)

It is looking very nice at your place.

Gretchen said...

Hahahaha, I was thinking "Rudolph" before I even read that that was his name. :)

Cracks me up that you wrote you and Don "enjoyed shopping at Hobby Lobby". Are you sure he enjoyed it? If so, you REALLY need to hang on to him.

Seasonal decorating is okay for me for all except Christmas. It's more work, but I can't do w/o certain things like the tree and the advent calendar and my Nativity sets. But perfect for spring, summer and fall, IMHO. xxxooo

Unknown said...

Hi Bev,

You must be so excited to have your new home come together like this. I bet it is so much fun! I like what you have done.