Since it is still summer, it is almost hard to think ahead to fall or winter. But during a very chilly day at our mountain cabin, I was inspired to put together this woodland table. Actually, with some different elements it could also be a summer camping/s’more theme. It was fun for me to put this together as entertaining accoutrements are limited up north.

The Tablecloth

Starting with a leftover bolt of fabric, the colors are appropriate for a warm, cozy dinner. You don’t necessarily need a bonafide tablecloth. Think of the vast possibilities with any fabric available.

The Place Setting

In my blog post about fun Home Depot finds, here are the dishes that coordinate well with this table’s theme. If you missed yesterday’s post, see it here.

The 14″ wood disc chargers are also from Home Depot. They are large and thin. In retrospect they would probably look better with a round plate, but I think this works. Click here for the link. Online the price is $55.98/for 4.

At the cabin, I don’t have many centerpiece items, mostly because when we entertain it is often casual. My antique wooden dough bowl is a good size and my go-to for creating the centerpiece of the table.

The Centerpiece

Channeling my inner Bonnie Chase, I scoured the cabin for items to use. If you don’t follow Bonnie Chase, can that woman design a table! I love how she uses unusual things and incorporates them into her gorgeous table settings. You can also find her on Instagram @bonniechasedesigns.

Meet Mr. Squirrel and his pinecones.

I didn’t want it to feel too juvenile so I looked to nature for a solution. There are many evergreens in our natural setting so I clipped a few branches to add fullness and color.

Using some wonderful dried flowers to tuck among the branches, color and texture is slowly added.

The centerpiece is now starting to look less cute and more purposeful.

The Place Cards

Let’s talk about these place cards. We attended a charitable event and our hostess, Kathy found these on Etsy and had them made for the table. Aren’t they wonderful? They come from Latvia so Kathy recommends you may want to check the shipping costs beforehand. Kathy glued a wooden pick and then stood the reindeer upright in a bed of green moss.

First of all, I wouldn’t have thought to look for something like this on Etsy. However, the selection is quite good. Here is the link to Ludoviko Boxes, the resource for this particular reindeer place card.

Without getting too carried away, I found a few more floral and fauna elements to add to the theme. At an auction house, I picked up this Ainu Hokkaido Black Bear and cub and love the details of the hand carving.

Well, today I am back in the triple digit heat and the serenity of the mountains is becoming a distant memory. I hope this woodland table setting has you dreaming of cooler days and the autumn ahead.

Please share your fun table setting ideas. I typically set a holiday table but don’t often do something themed in between. And have a wonderful Wednesday! Wherever you are, I hope you are in great spirits and not letting the weight of the world get you down.

This post may contain affiliate links and I will be compensated a small amount if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. There is no cost to you.

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Tablescape Thursday #619 Between Naps on the Porch

Thursday Favorite Things #450 with An Artful Mom

Inspire Me Mondays by My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

During a recent trip to Home Depot, I found a few fun things and bargains that I want to share with you. Typically, when I think of Home Depot, lumber, plumbing and hardware comes to mind. But in the last few years, Home Depot has become so much more. Here is a list of some of the fun finds and bargains I discovered. Also, this is not a sponsored post by Home Depot, only my personal recommendations.

If you do not get their seasonal catalog, I would highly recommend signing up for it. Here is an online version of their Summer one, which is chock-a-block full of ideas on summer home decor and entertaining. Granted, many of these products are not in the actual stores, but ordering online is very easy.

If you are doing your summer canning, click this link to see all the supplies Home Depot offers.

Unique tile

Recently, I ordered this beautiful green tile for our barbecue backsplash from Home Depot. They have an extensive tile collection on their website. Their stores tend to inventory what is popular or a best-selling item, but if you are looking for something unique and different, try their website. If you missed the blog post on the BBQ project, please click here.

Lanterns

During my latest trip I picked up these fabulous outdoor lanterns. They are 22″ tall. This must be the clearance price, but the cost is $12.98 each. I purchased two and went back and bought the remaining 3. When I first checked, they were available online at the price. But I believe they are now out of stock online. However, you may only get this price at the store level. Check out the inventory in your local store too.

Think of all the different ways they can be used for fall and Christmas decorating!

Even the smaller 14″ lantern sitting next to this one on the shelf, was more expensive (regular price $24.98 reduced to $16.00). Go figure.

Right now, they are sitting outside on the covered porch of the cabin. The battery operated candle is not included, but I have several of those anyway. Isn’t this just a steal? It feels so good to get a bargain!

Halloween Items

In the fall, Home Depot also has the BEST selection of Halloween items. A few years back, I ordered several fun decorations, all done from the comfort of my home. They were ready for me to pick up at my local store~~which now with their curbside pickup makes shopping a breeze. It appears that Halloween items will be available after August 1.

Entertaining

Check out the variety of entertaining items in their catalog! Their photos are beautifully staged and they also include a recipe for Grapefruit Rosemary Cocktail.

With the holidays coming, Home Depot’s prices are so affordable for glasses, dishes and serving pieces. Check out some of the fun items here.

And look how cute these blue and white melamine plates are? Perfect for outdoor use or pretty enough for indoor entertaining too!

I’m not sure how much holiday entertaining any of us will be doing, but check out these sweet oversized red and white dish towels for $2.49 each. Aren’t they ideal for wrapping baked goods or lining a gift basket. The online price is less than the catalog at$18.00 for 8 ($2.25 each).

Another fun find is a set of ceramic dinnerware that I purchased for our cabin. This is the first time I have ordered dishes from Home Depot, and am delighted with this set. Online price is $116.12 for the 16-piece set.

Outdoor Furniture Covers

Finding a good quality outdoor furniture cover is a challenge for me. They are not inexpensive and often, made of plastic, which doesn’t last more than one season. This new purchase from Home Depot is an attractive brown and beige fabric. It’s large size can accommodate a big table and 6-8 chairs.

This cover has handles and a venting system on either end. So far I am impressed with the quality and the roomy construction. Let’s see if it will survive the elements. So if you are looking for outdoor furniture covers, the collection online is rather extensive. Online price for this one is $41.98.

If you click on the links I provided, it will take you to the Home Depot website. If you decide to buy something, I may get a small stipend at no cost to you!

Home Depot’s fall catalog will be mailed sometime in August so keep your eyes open for it. Now with more online ordering and curbside pickup or home delivery, you can truly enjoy the vast number of fun Home Depot items.

This post shared with Thursday Favorite Things #450 with An Artful Mom

Last week I posted my thoughts of adding more Scandinavian touches to our cabin in the White Mountains of Arizona. The typical decor in our area is mountain-style, lots of carved bears and pine wall treatments. If you missed that post, click here to see some lovely ideas.

Unfortunately, our cabin is a remodeled flip so many of the finishes are over-the-counter hardware store. The choices aren’t offensive, but very vanilla. Without realizing it, I have been collecting items that are along the Scandinavian, Black Forest, European theme.

By the front door, this umbrella stand is painted in the traditional Norwegian style of rosemaling.

Also, in the front entry we have a Black Forest style carved bear shelf with a lodge-like bird/twig mirror.

And there happens to be another carved mirror of similar style on the staircase landing.

Subconsciously, I have been designing the cabin with a more old Scandinavian style. Being a Connecticut Yankee, I am always looking for affordable ways to make changes that can add some charm and warmth.

During my numerous trips to Home Depot, I know they have decorative molding in stock. You can see their vast selection online. Would I be able to add more interest to my very plain kitchen cabinets using affordable hardwood trim?

Using this very inexpensive mitre box and saw by Stanley (also Home Depot), I cut the molding at 45 degree angles to fit inside the existing Shaker style cabinet door.

The molding cut rather easily and fits nicely inside the the cabinet stile. If I am going to add this to all the cabinets, I will definitely use a power tool to make all the cuts.

After all four sides are mitered, I taped them in place. Next I repeated the same process with the narrower trim. At this point, I don’t want to affix anything permanently until I can step back and get a good look at it.

Here is how the cabinet looks with the additional decorative trim. What do you think? Granted the finishes are different but my options would be to stain and finish the trim like the cabinet (and get rid of the dated knobs), or paint the cabinets and the trim? Or just paint the molding?

In order to get a sense of what a painted cabinet looks like, I made a drawing paper template by taping 3 pieces of sketching paper together. Using a leftover can of green paint, I paint the template of the cabinet’s panel.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take pictures of the steps, but you can envision it, right? Next I watched a 3 minute tutorial on rosemaling by Sea Lemon on YouTube (what did we do before YouTube). Here is my first attempt at rosemaling. Try not to laugh.

So this gives you a sense of what a painted, rosemaling cabinet front would look like! Since I really didn’t have an artistic plan, and am using whatever paint is available, you will need to have some vision here. Maybe more rosemaling? Or just a few images on opposite corners would be enough~~or even some squiggles in the middle? Or nothing at all?

Do you like it better before?

Or after? Remember this is just a very rough mock-up. Colors and design can be changed.

As much fun as I think this project would be, I am afraid the granite is all wrong. The color and style is definitely not my choice, but to change it? Yikes. Maybe it would make sense to do something like this on the island cabinets first and see how it goes?

As always, I LOVE your input. There’s so much about this room that needs help. Either I will leave it as is or just jump in with both feet. It’s all a bit intimidating!

As the ideas swirl around in my head, I hope you are having a relaxing weekend. Any projects on your horizon?

P.S. To see more of our cabin from a previous post, click here.

Last September, my husband attended a board meeting in Vail, Colorado. Naturally I tagged along! If you haven’t been to Vail Village, you are transported to a quaint, charming European hamlet. Loaded with Scandinavian decor everywhere you go, the experience is a magical one right here in the United States.

We stayed at the Sonnenalp Resort, a boutique lodge and our room made me feel like yodeling. A cozy fireplace, cuckoo clocks, window boxes spilling with colorful flowers were some of the treats we enjoyed during our stay.

One of the highlights of the trip, for me, was exploring Axel’s of Vail, a European clothing store in Vail Village. Decorated in old Scandinavian decor, the architecture of the store, as well as its contents far exceeded my expectations.

Most retail stores do not go to the expense to make their exteriors so exquisite. The wood carvings, the iron hardware and the abundant flowers transport you from Vail to Norway in seconds.

At one of the board meeting dinners, I had the pleasure of sitting next to the owners of Axel’s, Axel and Janie Wilhelmsen. What a warm and engaging couple! The conversation was lively and as a result, a visit to their spectacular home was arranged.

Some people are enamored with Hollywood celebrities. I am not. But I do get very excited when I am invited to see someone’s unique and spectacular home. I don’t know about you, but I am tired of seeing the same design styles over and over again.

The next day, my friend, Missy and I traveled to this treasure of a home. Yes, they have a living roof (also called a green or garden roof). The plants grow each year on top of a waterproof membrane. Living roofs provide good insulation, are long lasting and often seen in Norwegian homes.

The Wilhelmsens, being such gracious hosts, provided a full tour of the guest house and main home, which they built and designed themselves.

Below is their guest cottage. What a delight for their friends and family to stay here!

Each room is more breathtaking that the next. The kitchen in the main house, which is part of an open plan with the living room, did not feel like a kitchen at all. The cabinets are beautifully hand painted and even the refrigerator was covered with a decorative panel, making the kitchen feel as furnished as the dining and living room.

And look at this stove/oven! Even the pedestal on which it sits, is beautifully painted!

I did not take many pictures, because after all, this is their home and I wanted to respect their privacy. But it was hard not to capture every single luscious detail! The wood carvings alone were spectacular. Touches such as matching handmade chandeliers made this a one-of-a-kind home.

Even the television is hidden behind a gorgeous hand painted cabinet. This Scandinavian type of folk art painting is called rosemaling. What is the difference between rosemaling and tole? Rosemaling is painting on wood, whereas tole is painting on tin. I now have a desire to learn how to do this!

Clearly, having logs and chinking walls add enough Scandinavian character, but look at that carved headboard and those comfortable linens.

So you are probably asking, what is Mary sharing this with us today? Well, quite honestly I have not stopped thinking about this house since I saw it last September. The Wilhelmsens’ home is so warm, welcoming and appropriate in the mountains of Colorado.

I would love for our cabin to have this European/Scandinavian charm and decor. However, I would imagine all that wood carving would be a bit cost prohibitive, though Janie was kind enough to share her resource.

While at our cabin, I started to notice that I already have a few Scandinavian pieces that I have acquired over time. I never really thought of a strategy to decorate the cabin this way, but I would love to try.

In a future blog post, I will share some thoughts and hopefully you can help me along the way to add enough, affordable touches to make our cabin unique and charming. It’s a stretch, but I am hopeful!

As a side note, I want to thank my friend, Missy who acquired the invitation to Axel and Janie’s home. Also, if you are ever in Vail Village, you must visit their store (and you can order online). Their philosophy is: Romance is the very thread that weaves our collections together, from Italian handmade sartorial clothing to the rugged leathers that imbue the spirit of the west.” Their “modest” objective is to be the best store in the world. This is a family run business. Their lovely children, Candice and Axel, Jr. model all their clothing. I can honestly say I am very impressed with their collection of goods, but more importantly, their sincerity, passion, elegance and commitment to family is genuine.