I LOVE Lanterns!

I use a lot of lanterns in my decor.  I love the warm glow they give to a room, even in the Spring & Fall months.  I have been stocking up on the LED-lighted candles.  They're wonderful to use when it's warmer.  Some even have a slight scent.

Here's a sample of some of the lanterns, and one terrarium, that are offered on my AtHomewtihChris.com website.  The lighter finishes feel more like spring and summer to me.  And because I have the LED candles, I can tuck them amongst plants in the terrarium.  I've ordered a terrarium for myself!  I can't wait to receive it and play with vignettes. :)



www.AtHomewithChris.com

I'm going through decor withdrawals!  We're packing to stage the house for sale.  I have to make very specific choices about what I leave out.  I'm told that my "collections, no matter how tastefully displayed" may be viewed as clutter to a potential buyer.  Phooey!

Are lanterns a part of your decor?  Do you have a favorite place or way to use them?  I'd love to hear about it!

How Would You Use This Stand?

Spring has me thinking of “sprucing up” my outdoor spaces. A patio, porch or deck is the perfect place to use pieces that are interesting (funky?) and functional too. This metal flower stand has so many possibilities!




Metal Flower Stand

Here a some of my ideas:

In the bottom basket, add a pretty green fern. Then place a few 2-inch pots of annual flowers in the top to give it some color. Johnny Jump-ups or pretty pansies would be gorgeous. Using small terracotta pots & pony packs of annuals would make it inexpensive. You can hide the pots with moss, and it will resemble a small garden. Tuck in a couple of miniature items an you’ll have a fairy garden!

You could also sit one beautiful orchid or a collection of small succulents in a dish in the top basket. They’d be easy to move when you wanted to add a bowl of ice & a few canned beverages or a bottle of wine for an outdoor meal. Leave the top bucket empty except for a small candle in a cute holder, sit it next to a chair & you have a cool side table to hold a drink. 

Not only for outdoors, the flower stand would be perfect in a powder room. Store extra toilet paper in the lower basket, and rolled guest towels & a small decanter with guest soaps or potpourri in the top.

So...what's your idea?

 

Guess who?

Where have I been since April 3, 2012?  That’s a very long story; one that I will try to tell while keeping it as short as possible.

Last February, I was offered a contract job by a friend I had worked with previously.  He needed someone to help them get ready for a Quality System Certification audit, “probably in May 2012”.  Since that is one of the jobs I did in my former position, and since my dear husband said I NEEDED to do it, I took the job.  Writing procedures auditing processes to identify area where the company did not meet the requirements for certification.  Not complicated, but laborious, and dare I say BORING!

It is now December 4^th 2012, and I am still working!  Let me say, I am thankful for the income this job has created.  But, my Tupperware and Biltmore Inspirations businesses have suffered badly.  Direct Sales is my true love!  I miss having parties, meeting new hosts and their friends.  I am truly a social person. J

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  The final audit is going to happen in the January – February 2013 timeframe.  I’ll be able to go back to my life, and I can hardly wait!

My Tupperware business will be there, ready for me to build again.  Unfortunately, Biltmore Inspirations is closing business on Dec. 15^th.  So sad…  I loved the product and their party format.

I have actually started a couple of other businesses, and I’ll place links in my sidebar, if anyone is curious.  It’s a “multiple streams of income” sort of thing.

But, here’s the biggest news.  We have decided to sell our home & 10-acre property.  It is heart wrenching to think of doing this, but it is the right thing to do.  We waited for years to build our home here, and we love it.  But, the fact is that my husband is just not able to take care of 10 acres.  And, I’m no good on a tractor!  At 75, he’s still pretty spry.  Not so spry that he can work all day in heat or cold to maintain the weeds, the buildings, etc.

I hate to leave, but our 8 years here have been glorious, and some folks never get the chance to live in the country.  I am thankful for mine.

Now, I’ll have a new house to search for, decorate & love.  The adventure continues…

I’ll be back soon with some other updates.  I hope some of you will still visit occasionally!