holiday home made lovely tour

would you like to come on inside our casita for a little holiday home tour?

then pop on over to heather's place for a visit.

i'd love to have you over and share a hot drink next to the twinkle lights.

xoxo,

annalea

last of autumn wreath

before we officially plunge into christmas/winter mode, i thought i would share some details on my autumn wreath now gracing the front door.  i waited on this post, because we have been hoping our landlord will let us repaint the front door turquoise - which is so very new mexican - but no word back yet on the approval.  so can you just imagine this wreath sitting on a turquoise door?  okay, thanks.

also, this is not a true tutorial.  there are so many wreath DIYs out there and this was a dipping-my-toes-back-in-the-creative-water type project.  but here are the quick details:  

one straw wreath without the plastic wrap removed

2" strips of fabric wrapped around it

lots and lots of felt roses hot glued to the bottom, as well as a few rolled wool buds

add in some orange berries i found in the stash

burlap leaves tucked here and there

and a strip of burlap to tie the wreath up on the door

without counting time to make the flowers (which i had premade a couple years ago when i was still selling on etsy), the wreath took me maybe an hour.  and that is with kiddos afoot.  plus needing to pull out and choose the materials.  it was such a breath of fresh crafty air in our full homeschooling days.  i need to remember it is okay to do that.

i do like my house to feel decidedly autumnish through thanksgiving, so i have another week with this pretty thing.  but, yes, i have begun some christmas crafting in preparation for a total house swap next friday.

how about you?  is your tree already up and the christmas music a'playing?  or will you wait until next weekend?  

yes, a beautiful room makes a difference

after waking up cranky two days in a row, seeing these handmade patchwork pillows and those citrus trees and that lace hoop collage and this rainbowtized bookshelf ... it is a breath of fresh-day-new-mercies air.  

not that my life is based on the trivial, but i know details matter.  or else our world would not be so intricately beautiful.  and i am so thankful for the ability to find beauty amidst the broken.

i am joining the nester and will be blogging every single day in october! 

full list of posts here.

making ourselves at home

". . . some kind of spot in the world is the place we each call 'home', no matter how temporary that place might be. . . Here, wherever it is, is your spot.  This place should be expressing something of yourself.  It should be communicating something of you to your visitors, but it also should satisfy something within you.  You should feel 'at home' here, because you have made it home with something of yourself."

Edith Schaeffer, The Hidden Art of Homemaking

gia's grotto

welcome to our first fully finished space in the new casita!
not that we won't make changes here and there (of course we will), but there is no pending to-do list left for gia's room. oh does that make me happy! there is something settling to my spirit by making this rental house our for-now home. we might be here for several more years still and i want the kiddos to feel settled. i want to feel settled.

we call this space gia's grotto. she is a collector.  you never know where you will find a stash of treasured items. i am charmed by this tendency even when i want to pull out my hair at uncovering yet another grouping of random what-nots and whose-its. i tried to include empty spots for her to fill - baskets, drawers, and shelves - to keep the place from becoming ridiculously overcrowded.

the bird theme was surprisingly unintentional.  not until the final hours did i see it repeated in every corner. maybe i should also call this room her magpie nest.

now for those interested in the 411...

the daybed, dresser, rocking chair, bird mirror, foot stool, and side table are hand-me-downs.

the color on the daybed and book cradle is gypsy teal by benjamin moore.

the book cradle and bed canopy were thrifted.

the window and closet curtains are made from vintage thrifted sheets.

the wall color came with the rental - not sure of the color.
the area rug is ikea circa 2006.

the with brave wings she flies printable found here

the slipcovered lampshade story is here.

i made gia the ribbon and bells mobile while she was still in mah belly.

the polka dot bedsheet and pillowcases were walmart clearance and i made the other bed pillows.

the berry botanicals came from a vintage book.

the winter birds printables are found here.

the doll house was a major labor of love and gia's 5th birthday present.

the nan lawson girl and bird printable found here.

the doll bed story is here.

the gypsy girl print is one of my favorite renoir paintings.

the stamped doily hoop story is here.

the tree growth chart is pottery barn circa 2007.

learn more about the rapunzel papercut here.

the sing your own song printable found here.

the embroidered calender is anthropologie circa 2006ish.
the buon giorno principessa story is here.

the feather wreath was pottery barn clearance several years ago.

the pink and purple hot air balloon is from a local albuquerque store.

the spool birds were originally perched on a dining room wall, but i strung them together for a door hanging.

okay, i think that covers it.

xoxo,

annalea

glimpses of our new casita

 

our friends and family (and maybe some of you dear readers) have been patiently waiting for a look at our rental house.  and they (you) will have to be patient a bit longer while i continue to settle us in.  i do have a goal to be done in the next month or so, since this is a relatively short term home for our family.  i want to be able to to live in a finished state as long as possible.  

but i do have a few teasers to share today.

 

it is coming along quite nicely.  i am enjoying the challenge of mixing my style with the southwest vibe.  some would say i had a southwest vibe of my own before this.  

(did i ever tell you that our newlywed kitchen was a complete chili pepper theme?  complete with a glass ristra and pepper lights.  yeah, it is not too much of a stretch to make things work out here.)  

the backyard might be my favorite place when complete.  we are working with the landlord to finish the xeriscaping and then will add some removable raised beds that we can bring with us when we leave.

and how about that peek of the dining room? the light?  the chalkboard?  the fruit botanicals? yes, yes, and yes.

the mantle has been the biggest challenge on the decorating front.  the shelves are narrow and slanted, making them nearly unusable.  i am liking the minimalist look here, but am not yet sold on this fall set up.  what do you think, friends?

starting to feel like home

the books are unpacked and the curtains are being hung and the empty boxes are stacking up.

it is starting to feel like home.

oh so wonderful and homey.

and today is our first day of school!

this mama is (nearly) ready for the coming months.

do you think i can stay away from these shelves long enough to finish my planning?

settling in

we are here and it feels like home.
i pretty much adore this place.

don't you love that kiva fireplace and those exposed beams (vigas)?

time for. . .

cleaning cabinets and shelves (my least favorite part.  thank you jesse for taking over.)

unpacking boxes and organizing those cabinets and shelves (sometimes enjoyable, but also a bit tedious)

arranging furniture and dreaming up room decor (i won't lie.  this may be the best part of moving.)

we were without internet for the first few days and continue to have spotty cell phone coverage in the house.  it has been quiet, which is equal parts frustrating and wonderful.  ya know what i mean?

okay, back to work.
xoxo,
annnalea