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Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Spring Tea


Welcome, spring!
It feels wonderful to "smell" spring in the air!
No more lake effect snow advisory.
No more icy roads and hazardous road conditions.
No more removing snow from rooftops!
Yes, it's that time of the year again, when we celebrate 

Spring:


The weather is finally warming up. All the snow has melted, and I can finally get to see green grass in my yard. It feels wonderful to be puttering around in my backyard.
I have spring fever!


St Patrick's Day is just around the corner.
Trees are blooming again, and  birds are singing.
Everything in nature is green and lively once again! 
That means it's time to celebrate the arrival of this new season!
Spring is in the air and I am celebrating with a cup of Irish breakfast tea.



Two of my my favorite black tea flavors:
 Earl Grey and Irish breakfast tea.


The tea box is a pretty way to store the different variety of tea bags.


I love drinking tea! 
Although, I love the aroma of good coffee, I prefer drinking tea!


Especially, in a delicate bone china tea cup




Love the scroll pattern of this Royal Chelsea bone china cup and saucer


Sugar cubes in a pretty little green bowl


For each petal on the shamrock
This brings a wish your way
Good health, good luck, and happiness
For today and every day. 
~ Author unknown


Wishing everyone a very Happy Saint Patrick's Day!


I'm so glad you stopped by to share a cup of tea with me, today!
I hope you enjoyed your time here.
Happy week to all!


A big shout out to these wonderful ladies for featuring my Styling Bookshelves and Mantel Decorating Tips at their weekly parties. Stop by and visit them for plethora of home decor ideas and tips, mouth-watering recipes, and inspiring home decor projects or simply share your own creative projects at their link parties!


 Thank you, ladies!

~ Hugs, Poppy~

The Scoop
Between Naps On The Porch: Metamorphosis Monday

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Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Decorating a Mantel


Hello, dear friends! Did you have a good weekend? 
Ours was a busy one. Just got back from visiting our daughter at Brown University in Providence. We enjoyed spending few days with her during her mini-break. I love visiting the city of Providence with its many art galleries, amazing restaurants, and wonderful shopping. We don't have a Sur La Table store near our hometown, so I enjoy strolling through the aisles of Sur La Table and browsing at all the French goodies on the shelves. 


With the temperature in mid-50s, we enjoyed the spring-like weather in Providence, and I was hoping for warmer weather now that we are back at home. But I guess that is wishful thinking, because we are expecting 2-3 inches of snow in the next few days! With that in mind, I thought I will share with you my mantel decorated for the winter.


I love decorating the mantel and adding seasonal changes. It is by far the most decorated surface in my home.


I like clean lines and keeping it simple when styling a mantel.


Designing tips for decorating a mantel:


1. Anchor item: Choose a large object such as a piece of artwork, over-sized clock, or a mirror in the center of the mantel that serves as a focal point and has the biggest impact on your design. 
I chose the gold framed painting of Claude Monet as my anchor item. I love the vibrant color and tone of Impressionist paintings.


Try to keep the anchor object proportionate in size to the fireplace mantel so that it looks visually balanced. 


2. Visual height: Add visual height such as candle holders or a tall vase on either of the anchor item.
You can choose to place either identical or mismatched objects on the left and right side of the anchor item as long as they add height to your design.


I chose this aqua ceramic vase filled with dried floral to add visual height.


On the other side of the painting, I placed a pair of  Wooden pedestals holding pots of greenery for height and balance.


Love how the aqua blue ceramic vase picks up some of the colors from Monet's painting.

3. Accessories: Lastly, add accessories of different heights in the empty spaces on either side of the anchor item to add visual interest. Keep the scale of these fillers smaller in size than the anchor object.


When creating a vignette for your mantel, think in terms of a triangle formation where the tip of the triangle is the center of the anchor item so that your vignette looks visually pleasing.


Also, when decorating your mantel, don't forget to decorate the hearth so that everything ties well together. I placed an over-sized metal lantern on my hearth.


I hope these design tips help you to play with your mantel the next time you decorate for the seasons.
I enjoyed sharing these decorating tips with you.
Before I sign off today I would like to express my sincere thanks to these wonderful ladies for featuring my Styling Bookcases at their weekly parties. Please stop by and visit them if you get a chance for loads of inspiring home decor ideas, DIY projects, mouth-watering recipes and more. Or maybe share your own creative projects and ideas at their weekly linky parties.

Thank you ladies!


Thanks for your visit! Have a great week!
 ~ Hugs, Poppy~

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Between Naps On The Porch: Metamorphosis Monday


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Friday, February 5, 2016

Styling Bookcases


I love styling the built-in book shelves in my living room. It's so much fun accessorizing the shelves with changing seasons. Today, I am sharing few styling tips for a winter white decor.


My simple rule for styling bookshelves is: CTS

C for Color

The greenery adds a splash of color in a predominantly white background and accents.




Next, T for Texture.

I think color plays beautifully when paired with texture and creates a dramatic impact.
 The stacked books on my shelves wrapped in Kraft brown paper add wonderful visual texture.


The boxwood ball housed under a glass cloche also adds color and texture.


These golden mini pine cones add beautiful texture.


Especially inside a clear glass apothecary jar.







This beautiful cream and gold box on the top shelf tie everything so well.


 And, S for Shine


The golden sunburst mirror adds wonderful sparkle and shine 


I love the contrast between the shiny votive and the texture of the brown paper wrapped books.



 So CTS (Color, Texture, and Shine) is my design principle when arranging and rearranging these bookshelves, and I apply this same principle when creating vignettes. I create mini vignettes on each of these shelves, and they all work together so harmoniously. Don't you think?


Thanks for stopping by today! I hope these tips inspire you to jazz up those mundane bookshelves around your house. 
Have a great weekend!

~Hugs, Poppy~



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