Category Archives: Chat

Short little chats about this and that.

FINALLY . . . I think it’s safe . . .

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We can start planning “Spring”!  Just a week ago, we got 14 inches of snow.  Depressing 😦

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This weekend, while we do have a little extra water here and there …

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things are perking up with buds

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and even a little green here and there!

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Just now, I found the perfect HOUZZ article for Hubs and I, and it is so helpful that I want to share it with all of you.

I’m convinced many of you will like it too.  Leave a comment and tell me what you think.

Meanwhile, let me know how you’re welcoming Spring 🙂

Later – Cheryl

 

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A January Jumpstart

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The house looked a little empty today,
with the Christmas color packed away.
Even though the day was sunny and bright,
I’m too tired and lazy, to set things right.
From my favorite chair, I took to the net,
to see what inspiration I could get.
Color and clean lines are two boosters for me,
add some great displays to make it three.

Enjoy the pics and explore the source links. They’re sure to jump start your January!

 

Upon discovering this photo quite some time ago, I literally gasped and knew it had to be saved for a future post. A wonderful example of how display can be so very simple but achieve such breathtaking reactions.

Loft Living contemporary-living-room

This is from one of my HOUZZ Ideabooks “Color”. It’s really In Your Face but in a nice way.

Colourful, Fresh Family Home contemporary-bedroom

Ah, can I ever stress “Simple” enough? Substitute “easy” if that’s the word you prefer. Either way, this look could be done by anyone, It just made me smile.

Boys Rooms traditional-kids

Speaking of smiling.

Glencoe Living and Dining Room traditional-living-room

Simple, simple, simple but so effective! Okay, you get the idea.

Yellow Wallpaper contemporary-family-room

Everything just fantastic here and it all works together perfectly. Wonderful display with my three “C’s” Clean, Comfortable, Colorful. Wow.

Bountiful traditional-bedroom

I’m not even much of a “yellows” gal but how could anyone not enjoy this (at least just to look at)!

Guest Bedroom modern-bedroom

And MORE color here! Ahh. And once again, simple. Start with a neutral wall color (will work with lots of themes), choose an inspiration piece (the beautiful toss pillow), bring in colors from that item and finally add an accent color for some extra pizzazz. Here it’s the coral flowers on the nightstand. This is also a great example of some of the “rules” I use. The nightstand has 3 simple items at 3 different heights. There are 3 smaller toss pillows and yes, only two bigger pillows BUT together, you’re still working with an odd number in your display. Unlike what we’ve always been told, ODD is good, DIFFERENT is delightful.

Remember decorating is personal so make it “YOU”. And don’t forget that decor rules are the stairway to your design, but it’s OK to skip a few steps. My Magic #3 is a suggested place to start, but once you get your motor revved up, take off down your own road.

Bedtime contemporary-bedroom

Think my guests would appreciate this guest room. I sure would.

Metal decor collection contemporary-family-room

And finally, sometimes we just need things to be black and white.

This is such fun, I could go on forever, but have to get going on my house. Well, I’m cheered and this has kicked me into, if not HIGH Gear, at least to a bit more driven speed. So I best get goin’ while the gettin’s good!

January can sometimes be gloomy, but find ways to stay positive and you’ll stay productive too!  We’ll talk again soon.  Leave a comment and it’ll be even sooner 😀

Have a most Happy New Year.

Later – Cheryl

You’ve just read “A January Jumpstart” featured first on Artzzle.com. You’re invited to ask a question or leave a comment. I look forward to your input.

 

An Ending … and a New Beginning

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September signals summer’s end, but also a new season, as Fall begins to trend.

Artzzle COUNTRY LIVING Feature

Ligularia pods burst into bloom.

In-The-Garden-06.jpg

As the Hostas present a finale display .  .  .

ARTZZLE.COM

the Marigolds remain to play .  .  .

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with emerging Seedum in their glorious array.

Fall Finale

Yet as colors fade and the skies begin to gray .  .  .

ARTZZLE.com

We must consider other means to brighten up our days.

As we now come to summer’s end, apologies to my followers and friends.  I’ve been quite lax in posting.

Thankfully at this time, worries and troubles are in decline.  Perhaps we could all use some toasting.

So here’s to health and happiness, and all that Fall will bring.  Let every day send new music your way.  It’s always the season to sing.

Until next time – Cheryl

P.S.    As a new computer now lives with me, I can promise more fun and posts to see.

 

 

ORANGE . . . one of my Favorite Colors

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Combine it with clean lines, lots of light and plenty of white, and see how orange breathes new life into this neglected mid-century home featured over at HOUZZ.

 

Hope everyone is having a safe and fun 4th of July.

Later – Cheryl

 

 

 

A New House with an Old Look

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HOUZZ is one of my favorite places online.  I have my own spot there, and I follow them on fb.  This recent feature is such a perfect fit for summer, and even more fun because it’s here in my Minnesota.  See if you love it as much as I did.

Hope your summer is coming along “swimmingly” 😀

Later – Cheryl

 

 

Criss-Cross Christmas

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For anyone, there are so many things to do and places to be, during the holidays.  People have lots of contenders vying for their time.

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Those of us with “blended families” have extra scheduling difficulties in this season, as people have to multiply the visits and celebrations.  It can be stressful, especially to kids, even after they’ve become adults.

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In the past two years, I’ve tried a different approach.  We combine Thanksgiving and Christmas into one get-together, and we celebrate in mid-December or early January.

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The thought was to aim for less stress directly on the holidays, when so many other duties call.  It has worked quite well … except … this year.

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So, for the first time – in a long time, even the single celebration has to be split, as schedules just can’t come together.

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This year, grandchildren are older, and teenagers have jobs and sports activities and everything included.  So even if we’re not trying to use the exact holiday for our gathering, there are still conflicts.

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Solution:  One family is coming here to our home, and we’re having a brunch instead of a turkey dinner w/fixings.  I’m really looking forward to it, as the kids AND grandkids are doing all the cooking.  Sounds like fun, don’t you think?  Can’t wait!

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The other kids who are local, have been remodeling their home and wanted us to visit their place for a get-together.  We headed over there last weekend, and had a blast.  My daughter-in-law is a marvelous cook and this time, she even made a big vegan dish for my husband.  And it was fun to see the new looks in their house.

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So, Readers … how will you be spending your time over the holidays?  I love when you share in the comments.

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And if you’re looking for last minute decorating ideas, you can do a search in the menu bar up-top.  Just type Christmas and you’ll find all of the projects and ideas I’ve posted previously, lots of stuff there.

OR, visit Artzzle’s Facebook page.   Lots more fun projects there and many are “kid” friendly too.

In closing, I’ll just say that

Whatever your Beliefs or Reasons for the Season,

be Happy, stay Safe and Best Wishes to all!

Later – Cheryl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HELP WANTED: Needed NOW- Holiday Inspiration

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Tomorrow is the 1st of December … already.

Thanksgiving was quiet this year with no visitors.  The days following are usually when we begin the Christmas decorating.  This year’s gloomy weather isn’t promoting much holiday spirit.Christmas

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Rain and record warm temperatures have dissolved the two light accumulations of snow we have had.  Soggy, brown ground and cloudy days are on the schedule for the week.

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Over the weekend, we did dig out some of the holiday bins.  Well, giving credit when it’s due … Hubs did the digging, braving our crawl space to find some of the holiday bins.  Containers were brought up, unpacked and items placed all over our space. And the mess began …

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Many of you know but for those who don’t, I’ll tell you big messes really aren’t my thing! Can’t stand em’.  They literally make me uncomfortable.  But I do try to find something positive, even in a negative situation.  The positive at this stage, was that seeing some of my Christmas treasures again, sparked an inkling of enthusiasm.

By late Sunday evening, items were up here, but not arranged yet, and the kitchen and dining room were a complete disaster. Pieces, paper, boxes and bins everywhere.

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At that point, we were pooped out.  And as awful as it is to wake up to a dirty house, it had to be …  I was tired … so it was off to bed.

Monday, creating some heavy duty enthusiasm was an ABSOLUTE MUST.  I began browsing digital photo albums and finally … holiday posts from previous years.

Christmas at Artzzle

It opened a Pandora’s box of ideas.  Click HERE for your inspiration.

Meanwhile, Hubs and I will keep plugging away at our 2016 Holiday Home!

This is only the beginning, but our goal is to finish by this coming Saturday.  Next, current displays have to be taken down, wrapped and packed away.  Lots of crawling, climbing, reaching and handing going on.  Not a speedy process for a couple of old(ish) fogies decorators like us!

TIP:  No matter your age, always make climbing and ladder work a “two-person” project.  In-home falls can be dangerous, but especially when working alone as you have no one to come to your aid.

Besides … it’s always more fun and more work done … with two instead of one!

It’s good to be back and I’ll be glad to read your comments again 😀

Later – Cheryl

 

 

 

 

Stress Less . . . Smile More

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via Baby Animal — Animal Pics Archive

No … no, it ISN’T decor … but it IS humor!  You’ll be seeing more of both on Artzzle in the near future.

Meanwhile. find more to smile about, because smiles often lead to laughter, and laughter makes for happy memories.  You’ll discover that a single moment’s memory can last a lifetime.

Stress less . . . Smile more.

Later – Cheryl

 

 

 

From Gloomy to Good

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For a host of reasons, I’m always glad to see
the third month of the year disappear.
Though someone in my life seems to be
on a mission to start a new tradition
to brighten my March with cheer.

It began last year with this little lovely.

And late afternoon today … another knock at my door … brought this beauty.

Artzzle March 2016 post

Though March will be my least favorite month … forever,
my daughter Bri is determined to make it better.

Thanks, Breezer. Luv Ya lots! … Love, Ma

Artzzle March 2016 post

Later, Readers.

 

Little Things Mean a Lot

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Valentine’s Day isn’t the elaborate celebration it once was, around our place.  It’s more of a “stay home and snuggle” than a “reservations and retail” type of holiday, after being married for 31 years .  We kind of like it that way … especially in a freezing February!  So, it was unexpected (and sort of cute) when, while shopping this week, Hubs wanted me to pick out something for a Valentine gift.

An obvious starting point was the display of mixed bouquets.  There were three different prices and assortments presented.  Now, don’t get me wrong, many of the choices were fresh enough, that one may have worked.   But remember I’m a former florist, so I looked them all over closely.  Still, those prices for something that would be gone in a few days gave me pause.

I wanted to keep looking.

We went back to the normal garden department and while the variety and choices were very limited, there was a good sized foliage plant I liked, for a bit more than the flowers.  Similar price points. Live plant (non-blooming) vs. soon-to-be dead flowers. Hhmm.

I wanted to keep looking.

Jewelry?  Too spendy.  Towels … or how about a colorful little throw-rug.   Nah.  We went past a Valentine’s Day display with candy, cards and bunches of fresh (sort of) tulips. I’m diabetic, so any big time candy purchase, well prob’ly not a great idea, as it’s hard for me to stop on that, when I get going 😛  Just sayin’.  The tulips were okay, but Hubs wanted to spend more.  Well I was up for that, so . . .

We wanted to keep looking.

We were almost to check-out and I saw a young gal with a little mini rose plant.  She pointed to yet another display area.  Okay, enough already, people.

Here is what I chose for my Valentine’s gift.  A live and blooming plant.  A cute little pink and purple cyclamen.

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It will bloom for quite a while yet, a week or even longer.  And, the foliage will give continued interest until next bloom season (if I don’t kill it first).

Next, a bundle of orange tulips (one of my favorite colors and blooms).

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Some low, broken stems were discovered when we got them home . . . so

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they got a special “short” vase.

Finally … chocolate.  Not just any old candy, but … crunchy M&M’s.  These happen to be a triple play of pleasure for me!

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First, one of my favorite things.  Second, affordable and third, small so I can have just a few at a time without messing up my sugar #’s (with a little supervision from Hubs)!

These all make me smile, and at that $$ amount, I don’t have to feel guilty.   It really is true … Little Things can Mean a Lot.

Thanks Dugger.  Love you still!

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone.  If you still need some decor ideas, search valentine(s) here on the blog, or check out my pinterest and facebook place.