Fox Attack!

 I was attacked . . . by this ferociously cute fox scarf!  Isn't it just the wackiest, craziest, cutest thing!?  I first saw this at my friend Stephanie's blog (The Enchanting Rose) at her weekly Roses of Inspiration Party.  This scarf was one of her features.  You know how when you see something that just 'grabs' you -- you can't stop thinking about it?  So I headed straight over to the La Sportina and contacted this talented blogger, Roberta, asking if she sold these scarves.  And much to my delight -- she does!

Roberta lives in Italy (always amazes me how blogging makes the world accessible to everyone!) and after a few emails back and forth I ordered two of these as Christmas gifts for my twin daughters (who are traveling and working in Honduras right now with limited internet access so I HOPE they don't see this post haha!) as Christmas gifts!  Yay -- I'm ahead of the game for Christmas 2016!

The scarves so remind me of those mink wraps that our mother's used to wear!  These are made out of lovely, soft wool and are so cozy, I didn't want to take it off!

Roberta sent these quickly and with these cute little tags attached (I LOVE details!).

I think that it's extra cool when you have things from other countries with labels like these -- such a nice, added touch.

Thank you Roberta -- now hopefully I'll remember where I stash these come Christmas time!

Love Is All Around

It's no secret that I LOVE and ADORE Valentine's Day.  Not for the commercialized aspect -- I just love the decorations and how it brightens one of the dreariest months of the year here in the Midwest.  I try to add little touches just about everywhere inside.

 I have many favorites but this vintage tray is definitely at the top of my "love" list.  I have little drawers here and there that I fill all year long with interesting little pieces.  The photo holder used to be the front of a mailbox slot at an old post office.  I knew right away it would make a great photo display -- wish I had picked up more!

 There are several spaces that I love to "dress up" for the holidays and one is this ledge in my living room.  These glass cherubs were all purchased at different times through out the years and at different places but I love how they all fit together.

This old ladder is another piece that gets "dressed up" often.  This year I added a garland of lights with pieces of tulle tied on.  It was one of those "mindless" projects where you sit and watch a movie and just keep tying and tying and tying.  It is a 50 light set and I used 5 spools of 7" wide tulle.  I bought the heart lights last year on clearance and love how they brighten that little basket on the floor.

Vintage valentine decorations are getting harder to come by at a reasonable price but I still try to pick up at least one candy box and some postcards each year to add to my collection.  Sheet music is another inexpensive way to add holiday touches.

 I didn't make this art originally for Valentine's Day, it's just one of my favorite hymns.  But I thought it a perfect fit for the holiday so I just attached the wooden heart with sticky tack.  Sadly, in a week I'll have to take all of this down but then it will be time to start decorating for Easter!  Happy Valentine's Day to all of my friends!