Rabu, 10 November 2010

A Peek Into Christmas At Cobblestone...

...well, my friends - I have to say this IS just a peek 'cause guess what - I'm still not ready!!! But I'm getting there. So I'll share with you what's in store - so far...
Some creams and greens - lanterns, nests, cages...
...some sweet lil' angels...
...cute lil' reindeer and pretty champagne color ornaments...

...some new pillows...

...and chalkboard black and white stockings...

...some initial ornaments and many more being painted...

...and gingerbread men...

...and pretty festive plates and pitchers...

and some pink and green to top it off...

Of course there is more .....BUT... I'm working on it! Hand painted goodies will be ready for our Christmas in the Country on Saturday. So I'm off to paint - y'all send some good energy this way so I can get it all done. But then again, I'm never done 'cause I always want to do more!
Hope to see you Saturday!
Cathy








Minggu, 07 November 2010

Christmas In the Country...

...yes, it is this coming Saturday!
Just a friendly reminder plus I'll be sharing pics with you all week of "What's In Store".
Everybody have a great start to your week!
Cathy

Kamis, 04 November 2010

Wrapping up...

...the posts on the "barn reception" today. I thought I'd share just a few "odd - n- end" pics with you. And again thanks so much for all your kind comments throughout this lil' journey. I have so appreciated it and all those who have linked up to it on other blogs - that was so sweet of you!

This lil' vignette was at the entry door - a topiary, large scale birdcage, a chalkboard, her "Nan's" antique lamp all surrounded by grapes, white pumpkins, hedge apples and yes - beans.


The "new" tv (a wedding gift to the bride and groom) that showcased a slide show of their years growing up and together... We made a simple banner for the front.


We also used several pocket wreaths filled with burlap, hedge apples, money plant, peacock feathers and topped off with a bird.

We brought in a few tree limbs - this one is dressed with tags and paper flowers.

Two great John Deere tractors were used at the entry with some yellow mums to pop off the building - and to compliment that great yellow - you know I'm a farm girl - I love tractors!

This was the loft area of the barn - again, you just can't beat tobacco canvas - it drapes so well. Of course burlap and more big paper flowers were used at the corners.

Come on in...

A bride in her cowgirl boots...

Thanks again - Tiff and Shane. You all were awesome and you were so good to me and my family. Those two weeks of decorating were filled with lots of laughs and loads of fun! Thank you for including me in your special day.
I wish you a life of happiness and love. May God bless you both!



Have a happy day everybody!
Next up - pictures of where our new house is gonna be! We are getting ready to get started!
And pics of the shoppe - Christmas in the Country - next Saturday - the 13th!
Cathy





Senin, 01 November 2010

Wedding Table Centerpieces - "Country Style"...

...well these centerpieces are not maybe what you'd expect - BUT - they were different, perfect for their setting (in a barn, don't forget) and better yet - relatively inexpensive - which is a good thing since there were over 40.
On about 15 tables, we decorated with "real" sap buckets filled with sand to hold curly willow (free) and dried hydrangeas and sedum(yes, free and free) in place. They were tied with a piece of burlap and placed on an additional piece of burlap. For a pop of color - we used more hedge apples (which again - were free). A couple of simple votives and some white beans and split peas sprinkled around finished it off. Oh and I almost forgot - those white rusty balls - available at the shop - were added just for some interest.
...all lit up...
About 15 other tables were dressed with wire cloches and pretty birds perched high. They were set on cake plates - "borrowed" from many family members - for a lil' height. Some simple honeysuckle, hedge apples, a few dried hydrangeas, a candle and of course, beans, complete the look.

The simplest arrangements on the remaining tables were just various glass containers ( again - Borrowed) filled with beans, peas and candles. Simple - but pretty.


This lil' vignette was on the gift table - a large lantern filled with hedge apples, some leftover gourds, beans in a jar - imagine that - and some willow and peacock feathers.

You can see the willow a lil' better in this picture. Let me suggest if you don't own a "curly willow" tree - DO GET ONE. They are easy to root, quick to grow - make gorgeous accent twigs in all kinds of arrangements and do you know how expensive they are to buy at the store? - well, they are HIGH - that I do know.

Just showing you how pretty doesn't have to be expensive and...

...sometimes - more memorable.
Now, y'all go buy you some beans and get decorating!!!!
Happy Tuesday,
Cathy





Kamis, 28 Oktober 2010

The "Workbench" wall...

...of the barn. Yes, this is post number 3 in our "barn makeover" for Tiff and Shane's wedding. Jus' sharing with you what we started with and where we ended up. Tiff wanted something different - something casual, kind of "earthy", somewhat fallish - yet no orange pumpkins or mums. Well, here a few more pics of what those requests translated into.
As you can see - this wall had to be tweaked quite a bit. From the very beginning - we thought that this workbench would be perfect for the buffet line. But that shelf above - well, it was gonna be jus' for pretties. So here we go...
...some birds, some wire cloches, some green gourds...

...some white pumpkins, grapes and hedgeapples...

...lanterns, a wall of Christmas lights, yards and yards of burlap...

...old windows, lanterns, and big paper flowers...

...it was a pretty big focal point when it was said and done...

...it jus' glistened as the day turned into night...

I loved the way it turned out - it was different...

...but oh so pretty.
Happy Friday!
Cathy






Rabu, 27 Oktober 2010

In the back corner...

...of the barn, we had to do a lil' more "camouflaging". See that big speaker on the wall in the corner - well, we had to hide it and the electrical box. This is where we all decided would be a good place for the cake - so the transformation begins...
Once again - trusty plant bed canvas and burlap saves the day. We also added that second mantle (read last post) and some wood boxes for arrangements. On one of their shopping runs - Aunt Sandy spotted this neat lil' bird cage hanging lamp for 10 dollars. It was perfect for this space hanging in front of some kind of wooden grate - courtesy of one of her dad's remodels.

See it way back there in the corner...

A few flowers and twigs after I antiqued the boxes. Some candles and a yummy cake and well -


...there you have another corner of the barn.


Have a happy day! More pics later!
Cathy


Senin, 25 Oktober 2010

A peek at the wedding...

...jus' one corner of it anyway. I was going to show you a lil' slide show of it all but I thought it might be better to walk you through a few things - just to show you where it came from. And what some clever cover ups can do.
First let me say - that it (the wedding) turned out wonderful - it was a gorgeous day - a stunning bride - happy families - what more could you ask for?
Secondly - these families were amazing. So incredibly willing to help - so giving and gracious - this "job" didn't even seem like work to me - it was so enjoyable. I feel really blessed to have been a part of it.
Now - remember I told you this reception was in a "barn" - well, that is if you can call it that. The floors are heated, there is a sound system, strobe lights, a bathroom - well, needless to say - it is a very nice "barn/shop". But no matter how many amenities it has - it still is not that "pretty" and it isn't suppose to be. It is to work out of - normally full of tractors and boats and tools. Farm equipment galore was inside. Now after the family moved what they could - you are still left with lots of lil' things that jus' won't go away. For example...
This corner - we have an industrial size fan, portable heaters, a treadmill, a welder, craftsman tool boxes and well, the list goes on and on. What do I do with all this? Well, thankfully, the bride's dad is a great builder (lucky me) and her uncle Scott is an awesome helper. So in a jiffy...
...a wall was constructed to "hide" all that stuff...
...then we covered it with burlap - bought on a roll at our local feed supply store. We just won't talk about how many staples we used on this job - shhhhh. The groom's family home jus' across the road had two beautiful unused mantles upstairs jus' waiting to be put to good use.

...then we draped some plant bed canvas - backed with some lights, hung a yard sale mirror I found, and decorated the mantle with things that were all green and white and some grapes to bring out the color of the girls dresses which were a rich blue.

Then, the bride and groom's table along with the bridal party tables were set in front of the wall. I thought it made the perfect backdrop and hey, no one knew of what was behind there. You don't go and tell anybody - o.k.

In the light of the wedding day...

The mantel was filled with jars of white beans and split peas, money plant and curly willow. Also along the top were faux white pumpkins, real green and white gourds, grapes, honeysuckle, candles and birds.

We (as in grandmothers, aunts, momma and bride) made big paper flowers for the corners - in a parchment color which was a great accent to the burlap.

When the wedding party arrived that evening - Tiff - the beautiful bride, placed her gorgeous all green bouquet in a vase on the table.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the first corner of the barn. More to come a lil' later!
Have a happy week everybody! Now, I have got to get to decorating my shop for Christmas! Our annual Christmas in the Country - is just about three weeks away! I'll keep ya posted!
Cathy








Sabtu, 16 Oktober 2010

Split Peas and White Beans...

...No - not to eat - but to decorate with. See I can't show you much of a picture - 'cause I'm working on a wedding (in a barn) for this upcoming weekend and everything is still a work in progress. But my mom and I had this idea to use "beans" to fill some jars - and since the colors are all "earthy" and whites - well split peas and white northern beans just seemed like the perfect mix.
Bags and Bags and Bags of Beans...

...all layered up...

...some just in mason jars with sweet lil' "baby boo" pumpkins...

...just makes for a simple, pretty and unique accent.
I'll be a busy girl the next few days getting everything ready to go. And I'll be sure and show you pictures - promise. I've just gotta wait till it's over - ya know, so it can be a surprise!
Have a beautiful Sunday!
Cathy