Late Summer Mantel Before and After

Hello everyone,

We actually are going to have a cool down in the weather this weekend. I will be in the garden weeding and cleaning until it's finished. While the weather was hot outside I cleaned the whole house inside and changed the mantel for the next month or so...I can't wait to put my pumpkins out this year.

Since the first of the year I've been using plates as the main interest on the mantel. Go Here to see the Before post. My green plates with bird accents were so delightful all spring long. And now I have some new birds.

I love wildlife photography and artwork (Go here to see my favorite piece) of any kind. I found these  beautiful duck plates at Tuesday Morning and in the basket they went. 

The plates have a Mallard Drake and Mallard Hen swimming in a beautiful pond.

The Mallard Salad plate is Queen's Made in England. The White china dinner plate is Ralph Lauren. Hurricane candle holders have been around since the early 80's. The little wooden duck I bought from a little Mexican boy on the street in Mexico while traveling to the Panama Canal.

I found the metal basket at the thrift shop for $5.00 dollars. I was going to hang it on the front porch, but I love it in the living room decorated with some feathers and bittersweet.

When I was a young girl my dad would go duck hunting every fall and early winter. He would come home with Mallard, Wood duck and Spoonbill. I would help him pick the feathers until the birds were plucked clean. Then my mother would roast the ducks in the oven on Sunday. What a delicacy to have roasted duck on a cold and rainy Sunday afternoon. 

A mosaic to pin

Thanks for visiting me today and I hope you have a great week.

Joyously,

Betty

Linking to
The Tray of Bliss for Five Star Frugal

Rustic and Refined for Table It Link Party - Sunday 

Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home

Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse 

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House

A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday 

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday 

Plates for All Seasons

Hello everyone,

Summer is in full swing.  Since the first of 2015 I have decorated my mantel with plates.  Dinner plates, salad plates, dessert plates and decorative plates.  I've found plates are just not for serving food. 

I found these colorful plates at Barnes and Noble.  The set of four salad plates were perfect for a Tea Time tablescape, but two plates would look great on my summer mantel.  The plates reminded me of the mid-summer blooms in the garden.

The gentle watercolor painted flowers are soft flowing and romantic.

I added black candle holders to match the plate holders. 

I found the wall hanger for my faux boxwood at the thrift store. 

I was thinking I would the wall hanger on the front door this fall..

During the Spring months I places these adorable green, black and white dessert plates with black and white time on a square white plate for the background. 

I enjoyed this mantel this spring. I used my square boxwood wreath with a burlap bow and boxwood in green vases. A cute bird to accent the time of spring. And to accent the birds on the dessert plates. Brass candle holders with glass hurricanes and green candles. This arrangement and color combination goes so well with our brick fireplace.

A little closer look

Well, we have come to the beginning of 2015. After I packed away the Christmas decorations I had my plan for the PLATES OF ALL SEASONS,

I started with my boxwood wreath and a red ribbon. I had a set of four valentine plates that I knew would look great with the cute valentine banner I made. 

The felt heart banner was made from Christmas ornaments  I found after Christmas on sale at Macy's...Red Cyclamen plants add to the texture of the mantel.

A mosaic to pin

Thanks for visiting My Cozy Corner.

Joyously,

Betty

Linking to

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse 

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House

A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday 

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday 

No Minimalist Here for Show Your Style Thursday

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday and Everything Else 
 The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday 
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday 

*Late Summer Vignettes*

Hello everyone,

Wow! What a summer...I've been entertaining family and traveling to visit family for the past couple of weeks. The blogging break was very unplanned. But, I'm back in the swing of things again.

The weather outside tells me that fall is in the air. I love fall.

The heat subsides and the trees turn a beautiful burnt orange. I think the light is different too.

I've had my living room mantel and tables decorated the same for the last three months. Next week I'm going to start bringing in the fall colors and give the living room a fallish look.  I've enjoyed this busy summer, but it's time to get back to my blogging routine.

My daughter bought the cute wheel barrow for my birthday last June. I love to have it decorated for different seasons. HERE

The french bucket is full of white roses and my little birds are chirping away on their little branch under the summer bush.

' White Crystalline Rose'

I have a beach theme on my tea cart coffee table. I used the cloche with the sea shells in this tablescape HERE

I have a huge cloche and enjoy putting interesting seasonal objects in it during the year.  The sea treasures are sitting on blue sea glass in the big cloche. The pillow on the sofa has a iron-on-transfer shell. The pillow cover fabric is acetate fabric and it was difficult to heat the transfer before it started to melt the fabric on my iron... A lesson to know for other iron on projects.

"Green is in" I love the color of green. During the summer I like to keep a simple and stylish look to my mantel. I love my new boxwood wreath I purchased after Christmas. HERE and this June I found the boxwood toperiary pots. Instant Love♥  I'm a happy girl to find out the 25 year old solid brass candlestick holders are back in fashion.  

Using my cloche to hold artificial limes finished my summer mantel. A satin ribbon on the boxwood wreath and on the large cloche. 

Our flat screen television is always a challenge to find decor to cover the wires. I found this brass bucket and potpourri at my favorite thrift shop. The old books and brass accessories are my answer to summer decorating for our entertainment center.

A bonus today is a wall in the living room I haven't shared before on my blog. As you've seen in our vacation photos HERE We have six granddaughters. When the girls were age 7 and 5 years of age I had their portraits taken. The girls in the top portrait are now 23 and 20 years old.  The girls in the portrait on the left are now 14 and 12 years old.  And the girls in the portrait on the right are now 14 and 11 years old...

Every night while I'm sitting in front of the television and blogging (or playing Candy Crush) I look over to my wall of girls.
Hope you've found some ideas for Summer decorating.
See you soon!
Joyously,
Betty
Linking:

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

A Delightsome Life for Home and Garden

From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursdays

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home

Living Room Redo

January 2011

Hello Everyone,

In a few weeks the leaves will be turning the beautiful color of fall and I will be preparing for holiday entertaining. September is time for my third Garage Sale for 2011 and a Cream Tea for the women of my church to start off our new business year.
October will also be a busy month for My Cozy Corner.  A Fall Wedding in the high desert and  visiting My 90 year old mother while my sister is off on a cruise to Hawaii for two weeks. Plus working my wonderful part-time job at Tuesday Morning.

2011 has flown by. I only have changed the living decor in January and July.



My Sofa Table in January

In January I was experimenting with  this look on the mantle.  Old books, old watches and duck lithograph prints. 

I'm still trying different places for my old watch collection.

August 2011

Sofa Table

August brings fresh flowers and I love to bring the garden inside.

'My Cozy Corner'

Old Clock, Old books and some Apothecary Jars.

I moved the Old Watches and some of the Old Books to the top of the book shelf.



My new interest

I still think about my wonderful trip to England and Scotland so I have put the  Magazines I bought in England on my large table next to the fireplace.  

I love England

Double Delight, Ingrid Bergman and Iceberg.

With a touch of Sedum and Artemisia

New Lamp? No!!!  This was originally a dark blue ginger jar popular a few years back.

I asked SWEETHEART to paint it BLACK.  He used 'KRYLON FUSION PAINT'. Bonds to glass and much more.  I was going to use the lamp shade on another lamp, but until I buy a new one this ginger jar is wearing this one. 

Dahlias

Dahlias with Boston Fern and English Ivy

I keep freshening up the house to make it a home. And thanks for inspiring me with your beautiful comments.

Please join me while I share my Before and After Decor

with

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Table Top Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

and

No Minimalist Here Thursday  @ On Sutton Place

Thanks for visiting My Cozy Corner.

xo

Betty