Meet the Bloggers
Deb
Now that Deb’s family is grown, she can while away entire afternoons browsing for one-of-a-kind home fashions. She says, “When I find that unique piece I simply love, that I know I won’t find in anyone else’s house, and add to that a great price…. it’s a shopper’s high!” She has a special passion for colonial times, and finds inspiration for her “pretty eclectic” decorating style in magazines like Cottage Living, Country Living and Southern Living. She blogs from St. Louis.
Recent posts by Deb:
I am soooo excited! I am in the process of packing to travel and visit my first grandchild! I would tell you that I have waited patiently for this day to arrive, but my family would be laughing hysterically in the background.
Since travel season is upon us, I thought I might share a few […]
Posted by: Deb 5/13/08 at 8:25 pm
From the moment we moved into this house, my dh and I were not happy with the appearance of the front porch. There was a crack in the concrete, a few stains, and lots of plain . . .
We brought these items with us when we moved. We liked them well enough. […]
Posted by: Deb 5/5/08 at 1:54 pm
While visiting Colonial Williamsburg last week, my dh and I talked about our desire to build one more home. I, like Cathy, love a cottage style home. There is something about a home that is cozy and intimate that I find extremely inviting.
Like the house I shared early in the year, […]
Posted by: Deb 4/29/08 at 8:43 pm
My dh and I just returned from a four day trip to Colonial Williamsburg. It is one of our favorite places to visit, and where we first fell in love with the simplicity of Early American decorating.
The third week in April is garden week. The boxwoods are trimmed to perfection, and […]
Posted by: Deb 4/23/08 at 12:29 pm
With many of us using more neutral colors for our flooring (which is a good idea if you are going to keep in mind the possible resale of your home), what are our options to keep things from getting boring? I have discovered that the use of area rugs is a way to add […]
Posted by: Deb 4/14/08 at 12:08 pm
It was a glorious weekend in StL! Yeah! People smiled more, children shouted the arrival of Spring, and the smell of barbecue was in the air. Those of you who share seasonal experiences of hot summers and cold winters understand our enthusiasm. Suddenly our yards become extensions of our homes and […]
Posted by: Deb 4/7/08 at 11:20 am
I have been out of town all week, visiting my daughter in KC. She is in the process of moving from a large house to a townhouse. As is probably true of most moves, there were a number of surprises each followed by a necessary decision.
I must admit that I was […]
Posted by: Deb 3/30/08 at 4:50 pm
I just wanted to share with you something that I try to do occasionally at my house. I go outside and enter through the front door, pretending that I am there visiting for the first time. I want the first impression to be welcoming. Don’t you?
I recently purchased this wreath and matching […]
Posted by: Deb 3/19/08 at 2:22 pm
My dear friend has been doing some redecorating lately. It has been so much fun to share this process with her, and now with you. They have lived in this home since the birth of their first of six children, and decided that it was time for a change.
As I have been looking […]
Posted by: Deb 3/13/08 at 1:37 pm
While visiting our children in Chattanooga this past weekend, we had the wonderful opportunity to spend a night at the StoneFort Inn.
First of all we were greeted like family, although this was our first visit. We were there to meet our first grandchild, who was born prematurely and is busy growing in the […]
Posted by: Deb 3/5/08 at 6:33 pm
We have had a fireplace in each of our last three homes. The last two have been without mantels. I was really hoping for a mantel this time, and occasionally I look for one to attach or stand in front. However, with the marble and the mirror, there really isn’t a great […]
Posted by: Deb 2/27/08 at 8:36 pm
Okay, so I am ready for Spring! As soon as Valentine’s Day is over I start thinking about warm weather, sunshine, flowers budding, grass growing . . . you get the idea. I have shared before that I love the seasons, and I am always ready for the next one a little ahead […]
Posted by: Deb 2/15/08 at 7:07 pm
We awakened to temperatures in the mid sixties this morning only to be promised rain, sleet, and possible snow before midnight with the low reaching the teens. Welcome to winter in the middle of the country! LOL! I read Cathy and Alli’s posts and wonder why I love it here so much. […]
Posted by: Deb 1/29/08 at 5:43 pm
I am all girl when it comes to the February holiday, and no I don’t mean President’s Day! LOL My family teases me about my level of fondness for the color red, hearts, flowers, chocolate, perfume, jewelry . . . anyway you get the idea.
I love to decorate for Valentine’s day! […]
Posted by: Deb 1/16/08 at 2:15 pm
Happy New Year! My dh and I were talking last night, and thinking about the months ahead. It is fun to talk and dream about the future. Whether those dreams are actualized or not they keep us anticipating what’s coming rather than finding ourselves stuck in the past. Our goal is […]
Posted by: Deb 1/2/08 at 4:18 pm
I thought I would post one more picture of yet another Christmas Tree. I just returned from a quick visit with my parents in Florida. My mom had a serious fall ten days ago and broke her neck, wrist, and hip. So gals, this is my plug for taking your calcium and […]
Posted by: Deb 12/20/07 at 2:47 pm
I am attending a holiday get together this evening. The invitation said that guests might bring their favorite salad topper. So, I decided to try something I had not tried before. I love spiced pecans. I am excited to say that I not only found a great recipe, it was […]
Posted by: Deb 12/13/07 at 6:54 pm
I am a self confessed procrastinator, so invariably I have found myself running to the store at the last minute to come up with a gift for a neighbor, a friend, or to take to an open house as a gift for the hostess.
Those days are behind me . . . well almost. […]
Posted by: Deb 12/8/07 at 4:40 pm
To continue the thoughts that Cathy shared for quick ways to change your artwork for the holidays, I want to share one of my annual traditions. I will take beautiful invitations and Christmas cards, buy lovely frames that coordinate with my decor and there you have it . . . gorgeous and inexpensive art […]
Posted by: Deb 12/4/07 at 12:50 pm
I just wanted to take a quick moment to share with you the overall view of our great room decorated for Christmas. I love the feeling of warmth and the invitation to grab a comfy throw, to cuddle by the fire with a warm drink, in the glow of the tree with beautiful Christmas […]
Posted by: Deb 12/1/07 at 1:34 pm
We have always had a star on top of our tree on years past, but it was made of decorated molded plastic. It was beautiful and looked nice atop our tree of unbreakable ornaments. However, last year as I opted for a little more glitz, I remembered that I had this beautiful angel. […]
Posted by: Deb 11/28/07 at 12:30 pm
I am so impressed with those of you who found time to write last week. Nice work! My week was spent with one of our daughters at home, a little shopping, lots of cooking, time with family and friends, and then decorating!
I have really just begun the process of things I would like […]
Posted by: Deb 11/26/07 at 12:43 pm
Are you getting ready to trim that tree? Or are you one of those people who waits until the very last minute? I am pretty excited this year, I plan on decorating early. I have been busily putting ideas together, and shopping for new ornaments to use and to give as gifts. […]
Posted by: Deb 11/17/07 at 3:52 pm
I thought this table display was beautiful. Maybe an idea for your dinner table preps for next week. That is not my main topic for this post. I would like to share with you my sweet potato recipe. It is so easy, I make it often and don’t feel the need […]
Posted by: Deb 11/13/07 at 3:07 pm
I spent a little time this weekend poking around on the HG OpenHouse site. Now, I suppose you think that’s all we bloggers have to do, but like the rest of you we lead very active lives with a long list of to dos! Anyway, I wanted to take a […]
Posted by: Deb 11/6/07 at 12:48 pm
I noticed that some of you have been looking for posts relating to finding a bed in a bag. This is a set that I found last year. I wanted to share it because it is the reason for my Spring bedroom posts, and the reason I felt the need to lighten up […]
Posted by: Deb 11/3/07 at 11:47 am
Okay, so I had to share this for my dh. The finished walls in the garage were a huge selling factor for him when we bought this house. We don’t have a finished basement, but I have determined that if we ever wanted to have a larger party, we could use our garage […]
Posted by: Deb 10/24/07 at 5:24 pm
Okay, it may be because I was born in the Fall, and my childhood holiday memories include the changing weather . . . but I get excited when the nights get longer and the air is crisp. Our fireplace is ready to go and I start thinking about my evening cup of hot cocoa […]
Posted by: Deb 10/19/07 at 4:41 pm
Okay, I am waaaay behind my usual schedule for seasonal decorating. I finally switched out the Summer items for Fall things. Fall is my favorite time of the year, so I often have my switches made right after Labor Day. It was so much fun to have the time to make the […]
Posted by: Deb 10/9/07 at 12:52 pm
My dh had to undergo a rare open heart surgery a week and a half ago. We are so thankful that after one day in the ICU and nine days on the cardiac floor, we have returned home! The weather in StL is perfect at this time of the year. The highs […]
Posted by: Deb 9/30/07 at 2:20 pm
This is actually going to be another crock pot recipe post. However, we are also going to add a new backsplash to our kitchen in the next few weeks, so I thought I could give you a before picture here instead of another picture of my crock pot! Ilene sent a request […]
Posted by: Deb 9/18/07 at 3:29 pm
I love this tree! It is one of my favorite decorative items in my home. Because my style tends toward the more Early American/Traditional, my tree is an imitation feather tree. My mom has always liked things to be more modern, so the tree at her house is a a small real […]
Posted by: Deb 9/5/07 at 3:55 pm
I just wanted to share another idea that I have used in my own home to give it a fun and welcoming feel. Our guest bath is off our kitchen. We had the kitchen wallpapered, and the bath painted with the background color of the paper. Since the space was to be […]
Posted by: Deb 8/28/07 at 4:42 pm
This candle holder sits on the floor in my great room. As you have probably guessed by now, I love candles. I think they add a warm and cozy feel to any room, and the aroma of a scented candle is wonderful as well. As summer is beginning to wind down . […]
Posted by: Deb 8/15/07 at 3:40 pm
Betty I loved your idea on different ways to decorate your tables. There are so many wonderful ideas out there. I love looking through various magazines to get ideas on easy but welcoming table decor. This is my current arrangement for the summer. It was so easy and needs no care […]
Posted by: Deb 8/8/07 at 4:14 pm
My dh went with me to HomeGoods last week. We were looking for a stovetop grill. One that would make those great seared marks on our steaks and burgers. He has been doing much of the cooking at our house lately. YEAH! So, I knew he had something specific in mind. […]
Posted by: Deb 7/31/07 at 3:32 pm
You have probably figured out by now, that I am all about making my life as easy as possible. There are too many wonderful things I enjoy doing to get bogged down in the details. So, I wanted to share with you a wonderfully easy gift idea. Not only do these boxes […]
Posted by: Deb 7/15/07 at 4:02 pm
It’s baaack! The lost chicken recipe. We’re not sure what happened, but thank you to those of you who asked about it.
The answer to the question about coring or peeling the apple . . . nope, just wash it and put the whole thing inside.
Crock Pot Chicken
1 fresh whole chicken
1 apple […]
Posted by: Deb 7/9/07 at 11:27 am
This doll was a gift from my daughter a few years ago. She is very similar to my favorite doll when I was a little girl. I keep her sitting on my dresser wearing some of my necklaces. I love the fact that my necklaces are always handy, they don’t seem to […]
Posted by: Deb 6/30/07 at 4:23 pm
I enjoy beautiful window treatments. When we purchased our present home, I was thrilled with the draperies in the great room. I was even more excited when I realized that I had leftover upholstery fabric that matched our loveseats. So, while the room was being painted, I recovered the cornices and voila, […]
Posted by: Deb 6/16/07 at 6:12 pm
I know that Betty has a photo almost identical to this which she posted recently. I decided to go ahead and use this one as well for a few reasons. First of all, I love these dishes. Second, I love the way this blog connects us all. She took her photo […]
Posted by: Deb 6/10/07 at 6:43 pm
When visiting several model homes lately, I noticed this attractive way to display towels. It was so easy and added a lovely touch. One home had the ribbon and tassels you see here. Another bath had ribbons tied with small decorative mirrors accenting the towels. The more I thought about it, I […]
Posted by: Deb 6/4/07 at 5:10 pm
Sometimes when I am decorating an area, and I need two or more items (lamps, mirrors, plates, glassware, etc.) I like to think in terms of the items being like fraternal twins rather than identical twins. I like to keep the colors and themes close, but I think it adds lots of interest […]
Posted by: Deb 5/22/07 at 11:54 am
This is an idea I found in a magazine years ago. Take a vanity mirror tie a ribbon at one or both ends and hang it in your bath or bedroom for a lovely accent. At our previous home, I used a grouping on a bathroom wall where I mixed several vanity trays […]
Posted by: Deb 5/18/07 at 5:26 pm
I hope you are not completely tired of pictures of our bedroom. Last time I wrote about it, I said that I was looking for additional pillows to finish off the look. Well, one thing led to another, and of course I have written about how much I love quilts. So, I […]
Posted by: Deb 5/7/07 at 5:39 pm
I love this! I didn’t even know it existed, until I found it at HomeGoods. Do you hate hard, out of the refrigerator butter? Do you hate the way it melts or spoils quickly if you leave it out? Do you use soft spreads even though you prefer butter, because of […]
Posted by: Deb at 5:25 pm
One way to add interest to a corner or hallway near your bedrooms is to add a stack of quilts. They can be placed in a cabinet, over a quilt rack, or simply laid on a small bench. I love the way quilts compliment each other even when they don’t match exactly. Having […]
Posted by: Deb 4/20/07 at 5:39 am
This bathroom project has been a work in progress for a couple of months. For some reason, I don’t like bathrooms to be too traditional. I want them to be fun and interesting. Maybe because we spend so much time in them. After finding the shower curtain and towels, I started […]
Posted by: Deb 4/16/07 at 2:02 pm
This shelf is over my pantry, a space which divides my great room from my kitchen. Most of the items were purchased at HomeGoods. The mirror on the wall in the picture below, was helpful in giving the space depth. All of the magnolia items coordinate with my kitchen wallpapaper. This shelf is seen […]
Posted by: Deb 4/9/07 at 10:48 am
When we moved into our current home, the first room inside the front door was the dining room. We no longer had a need for a dining room, as we have a huge eat in kitchen where everyone seems to congregate when we entertain. So, because we had some additional pieces of furniture […]
Posted by: Deb 4/5/07 at 1:49 pm
I enjoy the colors, lines and simplicity of Early American decorating. Colonial Williamsburg has always been one of my favorite vacation destinations. I used to shop for Early American replicas everywhere: in specialty stores, and online where I was going to have to pay top dollar for the pieces I loved. Imagine my surprise, I […]
Posted by: Deb 4/4/07 at 11:46 am
One of the things I am learning about decorating, since I have started blogging, is the importance of taking pictures. When I took the first pictures of my bedroom after adding the new bedding, I noticed the need for a pop of color with my lampshades. I’ve realized that just like I pick […]
Posted by: Deb 3/28/07 at 10:54 am
I don’t generally decorate with bunnies at this time of the year. I prefer spring flowers and a fluffy lamb here or there. Then I spotted this bunny! It made me laugh! I love to laugh! I love it when decorating brings a surprise and a smile. That’s how […]
Posted by: Deb 3/27/07 at 5:16 pm
As I was browsing the other day, I came across these adorable egg cups. Although, I used to enjoy eating a soft boiled egg out of an egg cup at my “Gram’s” years ago, we don’t do that anymore. Wait a minute, what great tealight holders! An instant touch of Spring!
Posted by: Deb 3/26/07 at 9:22 am