My New Lemon Cypress Trees

I can't believe I'm posting two days in a row in the middle of a work week! 

I only worked half a day today. I needed an afternoon of rest to get rid of a nagging headache. Fortunately it went away after a few hours. Just after I arrived home the FedEx van pulled up to deliver a package. Last week I ordered two Lemon Cypress plants to use as decoration in my home and they arrived today. The arrival of these little beauties helped to inspire me to tweak a few vignettes around the house after my headache went away. If you read yesterday's post, then you saw this lantern I received from Decor Steals. For now,  it is hanging in the opening between the living room and dining room. 

Here's another shot. I am going to repaint that coral frame on my plank wall. I am having a hard time deciding on a color though! Suggestions?

Another tweak I made was changing the saying on my chalkboard. This one is more suitable for Valentine's Day and it will last for a few weeks after. I also hung that wall pocket planter from the bracket on the other side of the opening.

I love this chalkboard. It was originally a mirror. The mirror remains unharmed. I just turned it around and spray painted the back side with chalkboard paint. I can easily change it back to a mirror at any time.

Now, let me share my new Lemon Cypress plants. I added one to my dining table centerpiece.

I love these little mini trees. They are so cute and the bright green color is so pretty!

I added a few vintage figurines to my centerpiece as well as the new February calendar. I know I have had this same basic vignette going for a while, but tweaking it a little every few days makes it feel fresh and new.

My other little tree ended up in the kitchen for now. These little plants will travel around the house quite frequently I'm sure. I hope they don't grow too fast and I hope they do well indoors!

The last tweak was pretty simple. I rearranged the bottom, center shelf  on my built in bookshelves a little. I also added a cute little garland I bought after Christmas on clearance. It isn't Christmasy at all to me. It is just little ivory colored felt circles strung together. I thought it was cute and it was just a dollar or two. I am still in love with my bookshelves and my handy hubby! If you're a new reader you can click on the link to see the entire wall of bookshelves.

So, those are my simple changes. Have you tweaked anything lately? 

Take care and until next time.....

I Love Surprises!

I love surprises! How about you? 

I think one reason I delight in surprises is because I hardly ever have one. I have always been one of those people who could look at a gift box and know what was inside. Mama used to get aggravated with me because I would guess all my gifts before I opened them. I still do sometimes! These days, I usually know what I'm getting from someone because they asked what I wanted or needed, so I know that's what I'm getting. It's hard to surprise me...:) So, when Decor Steals listed a surprise box as their deal of the day around the New Year, I just had to have it! I have been looking at their beautiful deals every day for a few months and had not ordered anything, but as soon as the surprise box was listed, I knew it was time to place my first order.

 Some folks might think this to be crazy.....not knowing what I was going to get, but as gorgeous as all their items are, I knew I would love what they sent. The hardest part was waiting a month to receive the box! I knew ahead of time it would be a few weeks, but it was still hard waiting! 

Well, today was the day.....finally!

Let me share my surprises with you!

First up is this amazing metal tray full of removable buckets. It has a rusty look to it...so cool! It is quite large, around 14" X 18" or so. It has NO-12 stenciled on the side. 

I'm trying to decide where to use it....for now. I move things around a lot, so I'm sure it will be used in numerous settings over the years. It will most likely find itself in the craft room for now though. 

The great thing is it can be used with or without the buckets, so it's really does double duty. I could use the cubbies in the tray to store things in and use the buckets separately to have twice the storage. Pretty cool!

Next up is this  gorgeous fabric. It is very heavy weight. If I knew how to upholster, I would use it to cover a wing back chair. They are so easy to find used and cheap! It would look fabulous!

I haven't unrolled it all the way, but there appears to be at least 2-3 yards...possibly 4-5. 

It has stripes down the middle and both sides of the fabric. I don't know what I will do with it yet, but I do know I will be using it for something. Maybe a table runner and dining chair seat covers (if I ever find any more chairs!). Ideas for possible uses are welcome!

The last piece is probably my favorite. I am loving this large lantern. It has many textures....wood, galvanized metal, and glass. It is nicely distressed too. 

View from the top with the lid open.

Love the pretty latch.

It is large...this is a full size hard cover book standing next to it. I look forward to using this all over the house in many vignettes. Right now I am picturing it at Easter on the buffet with a few things I have collected over the past few months. Think natural elements, green and white! I love this piece!!

So, those are my three pieces. The surprise box was listed for $34.95 I believe. These three items would have cost farm more than that at regular prices. Shipping is always $5...which is very cheap. This is in the 48 contiguous states only. This box weighed over 12 pounds, so shipping would have been costly with any other company. I joined Decor Steals several months ago through Theresa from Magazine Your Home. She has some beautiful decor items throughout her home that she has ordered from them. You can join too if you're interested. Just mention it in your comment and I can e-mail you a link. If you join through my invitation, we both get a $5 credit. I used my credit that I got when I joined through Theresa, on my surprise box. I look forward to ordering from them again. They have some gorgeous decor and feature a different item every day. Sometimes they have a flash steal later in the day as well. Some items sell out really quickly! I am hoping to order a boxwood wreath from them when they offer them again. I had plans to buy one at Target over the weekend but they were sold out of both the small and large ones...:( Oh well! 

I hope you are having a lovely week so far. Mine is going great! I am so ready for spring weather and more daylight hours in the evenings. The hubby and I have so many projects to complete and even more to get started on! I need to be patient....but it's so hard! Have a blessed rest of the week.

Until next time.....