Happy February! The next few weeks are one of my favorites because of all the pinks, reds and romance we see before Valentine’s Day. It’s not quite spring but it is fun to decorate parts of the house with Valentine’s Day decor.

The front porch is a good place to start. I am doing something a little different this year~keeping up my holiday wreath and just adding simple touches for February. Since it still feels like winter here, the evergreen wreath feels appropriate to stay right where it is.

I remove the red plaid ribbon and faux berries and replace it with a sweet 1.5″ pink polka dot wired ribbon that I found on Amazon here. I thought about using the pink and white striped ribbon that I used in the dining room over the holidays, but I did not feel like digging it out.

Using a pipe cleaner, I pinch the center of the ribbon tightly and then secure it to the wreath. I actually like the simplicity of the bow but add the wooden heart/beads also. It is okay, not great, but conveys a Valentine message. Beaded wooden heart found here.

The two faux cedar trees on either side of the front door get bows too, but again, not sure I like it (too cutesy?) or not. Let me know what you think. By the way, I am still loving these 5 foot topiary cedar trees. No water required and they continue to look good. Link to cedar trees is here.

A quick trip to Whitfill Nursery and I locate various pink flowers. Who knew there are so many shades of pink? From a coral pink to a deep purply-pink, Whitfill has quite the selection now. Two shades of pink geraniums, Latinia Rose cyclamen, pink petunias, and Lamium purple dragon beef up the front entrance with color.

So with just a few minor changes, the front porch now has a bit of Valentine’s Day decor.

Haven’t done much on the inside of the house but slowly adding a few touches here and there. Of course, I do like to bring out seasonal art and here is one of my very early paintings to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

The kitchen pastry shelf always gets a bit of Valentine color with my Wedgwood Wild Strawberry pattern tea pot and cups.

It’s a gloomy day here as I write this so I am ready to curl up with a cup of tea and a good book. Aren’t these heart shaped tea bags just adorable? I ordered them last year and trying to reach the resource to see if they are still available. Will let you know.

I hope you are having a terrific Tuesday! If you are in the winter storm areas, be warm and safe.

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When reflecting back on 2020, is it possible that we took on TOO many projects? Perhaps for me, keeping extra busy was a way to not focus on all the world’s problems last year. I guess the good news is that several things got done, but it feels like an exhausting year on many fronts. Here is a list of completed projects of 2020 and which ones we hope to tackle in 2021.

Italian Fountain

Our outdoor Italian fountain is transformed from ugly to pretty~the rusty spouts are replaced with new ones! See post here.

Master Closet

After the embarrassing condition of our master closet, it gets good cleaning and goes from a mess to a neat and organized space. See post here.

Dining Room

With a few great yard sale purchases, I am able to upgrade the dining room with these fabulous upholstered parsons chairs. A new coat of paint helps brighten the room, too! See post here.

Windows and Screens

Being confined to home gave us the opportunity to personally wash each and every window in our home, as well as the out buildings. Not only did we clean, but repair screens, touch up paint chips and make sure our windows are in good working order.

Back Terrace

Many new upgrades are added to the back terrace. Since we entertain a lot in this space during our better weather months, it is time and money well spent. A new tile backsplash, so desperately needed, is now pretty and easy to clean. All the upholstered furniture and rugs are thoroughly cleaned; the concrete/slate floor is treated with a sealant. Broken slate is repaired at the fireplace. See post here.

Family Room

Another room benefitting from the great yard sale scores is the family room. New upholstered wing chairs and a round table is added; a gorgeous decorative chest becomes the bar storage. To see more about our family room, click here.

Potting Shed/Well Tower

In the spring, the potting shed in the well tower gets attention. Filled with dust and spider webs, it needs organizing and cleaning. See post here. Plus I finally create a storage system for most of my wreaths. See can see that story here.

Front Porch

A lot of focus is on the front porch last year. New front door color, polished hardware, updated wreath, fresh paint on the rocking chairs and a new door mat. What a welcoming difference! See post here.

Guest Cottage

While sprucing up the front of the main house, it is time to also tend to the guest cottage. Using spray paint, the light fixtures are brought back to life (see post here). With your help and suggestions, the vintage mailbox is updated too! (another post here).

Back Staircase

Yesterday’s post is a summary on the back staircase. Though this project starts in 2019 and is completed just a few days ago, much of the work is done in 2020.

Flooding and Ghosts

2020 is a year to remember, not only for the pandemic but the series of unfortunate events we had with flooding. First a broken water heater in the basement and then the dishwasher in the kitchen. No pictures of either mess, just a blog post about Old Houses and Ghost Stories here.

Pool House Bathroom

Perhaps one of the most difficult new projects is stenciling the tile bathroom floor in the pool house. But the end result is stunning. See post here.

Closet and Storage Organization

Thanks to being part of a blog hop, the front hall closet gets completely re-organized. Nearly all of my table linens reside in this odd shaped space. See more here.

Another storage organization project includes the hidden space under the front staircase. Slipcovers and decorative pillows are organized into bins and kept here.

Painting Furniture

Transforming an old piece of furniture into a Scandinavian style dresser at our cabin is a creative leap but with good results. To see this DIY project, click here.

Building New Things

My husband’s creativity and handiness produces a chick-nic table for our sweet hens. A fun and easy DIY project here.

Property Maintenance

With the help of our professional painter, John Cruz, the well tower, barn and hen house get some sprucing up. To see more before and after photos, click here.

New Projects for 2021

Our master bathroom is looking a bit tired. The tile floor is the same as the pool house, bland and dated. Debating whether to try and stencil it or just demolish and put in new tile. The countertops are marble squares ~again a dated look. It might be time for a complete renovation. To see more on our master bathroom, click here.

Create a Cutting Garden

I am just receiving my seeds from Floret Farm and am looking forward to making space for an actual cutting garden. Not sure how well this will do in our climate, but it will be a learning experience.

Update our Kitchen

Since I haven’t thought this through, I’m not sure how or to what I want to do with our kitchen. It will all depend on the budget, but it would be nice to fix a few things and update others. More to come on this.

Organize the Entire House

I want to start at one corner and make sure each and every room is the best it can be. Is that even possible? I dream about a place for everything and everything in its place.

Do you have any projects for 2021? I can assure you that there will be less projects for me this year. Instead, I want to fill my year with more fulfilling and meaningful experiences~like art, friends, family and travel. Let’s hope the world will begin to open up once again.

Happy Wednesday! Stay safe and healthy!

With only 3 days until Christmas, I always like to set my table ahead of time to minimize the chaos on Christmas Day. Inspired by my pink and burgundy dining room holiday decor, I did a completely new tablescape this year. Thanks for joining me and I hope you enjoy my Christmas Dinner table.

Protecting the Table

We have a custom table pad made by Guardian (however, I cannot find them online). Padding on the table top accomplishes a few things. First it protects the surface of the table. Next, and perhaps what I like most, is that the pad softens the sound of table activity~for example placing your glass down after using it. Subtle as it may be, you can register when there isn’t a pad or protective layer, as the table will echo the noise.

The Tablecloths

For this setting, I am using two tablecloths~a larger lace white one first, and then a smaller burgundy/pink toile fabric one. Toile designs depict pastoral scenes, farm life and hunting scenes. My source for the tablecloth is Williams Sonoma, but it appears they do not carry it in stock anymore. Here is a link to a gorgeous toile fabric you can buy by the yard.

The Place Setting

If you read my blog post about the DIY napkin project that I completely botched (see post here), you will be pleased to see these beautiful napkins. My sister, Susie, read my post and as a Christmas gift, embroidered much prettier ones! What a nice sister!

The antique silver chargers can be found at Amazon (set of six here) and though they look like real silver, they are melamine. Hard to believe, right? Silver rimmed, white dishes are from Pottery Barn and have a picture of each of Santa’s reindeer on them.

The pink wine goblets are from Pier One and the vintage water ones are part of my collection. They are a subtle link to the pink holiday theme of the fresh Christmas tree.

The Centerpiece

Fresh greens, and a collection of tinsel and white feather trees gather in the middle of the table. Individual silver mint julep cups hold fresh pink roses, evergreens and a sparkly blush-toned pinecone.

Votive candles in a rose tone (from West Elm) add another glow of light to the centerpiece. Pomegranates are strewn throughout to add a deeper shade of red to the table.

Decorating the Chairs

Each chair is adorned with a boxwood wreath and pale pink satin ribbon. These are pinned to the tops of the upholstered chairs. Wreaths are a Ballard Design purchase, during one of their sales events. They look lovely year after year.

Inspiration is a funny thing~I am such a visual person and sometimes an idea is sparked by the most random thing. I haven’t used this toile tablecloth in years, yet here it is working beautifully for the holidays. The burgundy ribbon is another relic found in the bottom of a Christmas bin.

Even my friend and Pilates teacher, Heather, found the perfect ornament to match my pink tree!

Today is food shopping for our holiday dinner and one more zoning case. Then I can finally relax and wrap gifts and enjoy these last few days before the 25th.

Since I will be taking the rest of the week off and spending the time with my family, I want to wish you and yours the happiest of holidays. Whatever you are celebrating, I hope you are surrounded by love and laughter. Each day I am so grateful for your interest in our pursuits here at Bella Terra. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for following me. Have a fabulous week and stay safe and healthy.

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This post shared with Between Naps on the Porch 641st Tablescape Thursday.

When I painted the front door a new color in April (see post here), I was worried the color might only be appropriate for summer and spring. But surprisingly, the color is proving to be one for all seasons. Remember my autumn wreath against this color? Just perfect. Well now, I want you to see how it fairs in the Holiday Front Porch decor.

It’s funny how the angle or light changes the color of the door a bit, but it is more aqua than sky blue. Since the door is 4 feet wide, I need an extra large wreath. The ribbon is from Costco and I love how the red plaid really stands out against the blue.

During the front porch re-do, I added 2 artificial cedar trees, mostly to survive the summer. But they are perfect for winter too. By adding the red plaid bow to the tops of each, they compliment the wreath. Initial “C” door mat is from Wayfair. Cedar trees can be found here.

We don’t decorate the area of the property closest to the street, due to the huge trees and excessive foliage. But the front gates get lighted wreaths and also plaid bows. Once the gate opens, the driveway leads you around to the front door, where the holiday impact really happens.

My husband sets up numerous trees to create a forest like setting on either side of the front door. When the pre-lit trees had functioning lights, it was easy. But since those only last a few years (right?), he hangs additional lights on each and every one of them. Sometimes we add snow to cover any electrical cords, but this year, I decided to remove it after taking this picture.

Faux wrapped packages are tucked in at the base of the trees for fun.

Even the stone bunny rabbit gets his own bow and bells.

Costco has a nice selection of large and small poinsettias, too! This helps fill in and cover some of the artificial tree bases.

With chilly mornings and evenings, one definitely needs a blanket for your lap on the rocking chair.

The porch looks best at night with all the twinkling lights and bursts of red. Here is an afternoon shot.

And this is how it looks in the late afternoon/dusk.

This decorated porch fits in nicely with my theory on life. Make the entrance warm and welcoming, keep the first 3 rooms upon entry clean, and then live life fully (and don’t worry about the mess!).

Happy Tuesday! We are supposed to have frost this morning so hopefully my garden covers will work! Stay safe and healthy.

Inspired by a blog post by KariAnne at Thistlewood Farms, I made this fun wool wreath this week. Probably the hardest part of this craft is finding 100% wool items here in Phoenix.

This project requires just a few supplies. Wool, wreath frame, scissors and glue gun. I don’t typically wear wool because it itches my skin, so I don’t have any sweaters or wool clothing in my closet. And due to our warm climate, trying to find these things locally is a bit challenging.

However, during my recent trip to the mountains, I luck out at a Goodwill store in Show Low. For a few dollars, I purchase a black and white houndstooth skirt ($6.00), a winter white jacket ($4.50) and a dark gray blazer ($4.50). And since checks and houndstooth are so trendy right now, I hope these three fabrics will do the trick.

Fortunately the clothing is too big for me so I don’t feel the need to add them to my wardrobe. First thing to making this wreath is preparing the fabric. In order to make wool into felt, you must do the things your mother told you not to do~wash the wool items in very hot water and then put them in the dryer.

As expected, the wool shrinks down to a thicker, more tightly woven material. Next I make a template of a leaf out of scratch paper, measuring about 4″ long and 1.25″ to 1.5″ at the widest point. Using the template, I cut the first few leaves from the material. After repeating this multiple times, I ditch the template and improvise.

In KariAnne’s tutorial, she uses an 18″ wreath wire frame. However, at Michaels the inventory is so depleted that I end up with a 24″ frame (with 4 wires). Depending on where you will use this wreath should determine the size you choose. Amazon has a very good selection of these wreath frames here. Also, selecting a smaller wreath size will be easier and faster.

Please make sure you have really good scissors, as this project requires quite a bit of cutting. It truly makes the job much easier. KariAnne’s 18″ wreath uses 70 felt leaves; and mine has approximately 190 leaves.

Applying the leaves is easy with a glue gun. Be very careful not to burn your fingers (as I did over and over again) with the liquid glue. Take the leaf and place the glue at the bottom. Pinch the leaf to the wire wreath frame, alternating fabric as you go.

Make sure you lay the leaves in the same direction. I found it easier to work ahead of the leaves vs. trying to tuck them behind each other.

I can honestly say I really did enjoy making this wreath. Think of all the possibilities for future wreaths~red, white and pink for Valentine’s Day; shades of green for St. Patty’s Day.

And this could also be a family project (exercising glue gun caution).

If you recall, my daughter, Julianna’s room is painted with a bold black and white theme. Here is the wreath hanging on her wall. To see more about her room with these sophisticated colors, click here.

And look how fun it looks in Elisabeth’s rooms with the orange walls! Just perfect for Halloween. To see more of this fun orange and white bedroom, click here.

If you are concerned with the felt leaves flopping over, you can secure them with a bit of glue. The larger the wreath, the greater the chance of that happening.

Using a smaller wreath frame will allow you to put in on a mantel or inside a bookcase. With the 24″ wreath frame, the larger size is perfect for hanging on a wall or door.

Some things to remember:

1. Try to get items that are 100% wool and with a tight weave. This prevents the edges from fraying after felting and cutting.
2. Use really good scissors
3. It doesn’t really matter if the leaf shapes are not exactly the same size. As you apply them to the wreath frame, they can be adjusted.
4. Again, be very careful with the glue gun. Squeezing the fabric around the wire wreath frame can cause the glue to ooze out and burn your fingertips.
5. Think of all the possibilities as far as color and design for this DIY!
6. Smaller wreath frame will take less material.

Have a wonderful Saturday! I hope to get out and enjoy some of this beautiful weather!

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Today fall begins in the United States and everywhere else in the northern hemisphere. The autumn equinox — also known as the autumnal equinox, the fall equinox or the September equinox — occurs when the sun moves directly over the Earth’s Equator, bringing virtually the same amount of daylight and darkness on that particular day. Happy first day of Fall 2020!

Pumpkins, apple cider donuts and sweaters are the things I think of during this season. However, it is still triple digits here in Phoenix and will be for the next week. It’s ghastly. But this seems to happen every year so no one is really surprised. We just like to complain about it.

Since our temps are so high, several of the nurseries haven’t gotten their fall flowers or pumpkins yet. We probably will not see those until October. But in celebration of the end of one season and the beginning of another, I dusted off the autumn wreath and it is officially on the front door.

As you recall, this Spring I stepped out of my comfort zone and painted a new front door color. I am a bit concerned about how other wreaths from different seasons will look up against the blue.

But, boy, do I have to tell you I am L.O.V.I.N.G these fall tones against the new color. I bought this 28″ wreath on Etsy as my challenge is finding a wreath large enough for the 4 foot wide front door. Most wreaths are 18-24″ wide, which is too small for the scale of the door.

Since this is what I would consider an expensive wreath, I take care and store them properly in between seasons. There are two different ways I store my wreaths, click here and here.

Lucky me, orange is the complementary color to blue! So the door color works with the Fall seasonal ones. Yay!

Now that the highlights of the front porch are the door and wreath, I really didn’t want to add any thing that would compete with this focal point. During my trip to Whitfill Nursery (you know, my happy place), I am able to score some wonderful plants that have a fall vibe.

Henna Coleus is rich with gold and burgundy tones and pick up on the shades in the wreath. Coupled with sweet potato vine the planters now whisper Fall.

At the beginning of the summer, you may recall that I purchased two artificial evergreens to survive on the front porch over the summer. I love that these require NO maintenance and they provide a lovely backdrop for smaller planters. The cedar faux plants have held up beautifully over the summer and I look forward to decorating them at the holidays.

I am a big fan of ornamental grasses, especially the way they look blowing in the wind. Though the 2 containers I purchased from Whitfill did not have a name tag, I am guessing this is Fountain Grass, with delicate mauve feathers.

The natural fall look on the front porch is the opposite of what I typically do, however, I like the calmness of it all.

One of the biggest lessons in 2020 is getting out of our comfort zone. It’s easy to replicate the same look over and over again, but when forced to do something different, the results can be surprising.

The bench by the front door is the perfect place for an orange pillow and throw.

More orange pillows are put on the rocking chairs. Also, Amazon has the greatest selection of orange and fall pillows here.

To see the re-painting of these rockers and the entire porch re-do from May, click here.

What is a front porch with some boots or Sloggers? I really love these gardening shoes/boots, especially with the chicken design. Not only are they comfortable but waterproof too. Trust me on this, you will enjoy these as much as I do. Plus what a great gift for any gardener (thank you, Janie!) Here is the link.

Front Porch 2020 is a bit less understated than in previous years. That doesn’t mean I may not keep adding fall flowers and pumpkins. But I am enjoying its natural elements and its peaceful serenity.

What are you doing on this first day of Fall 2020? Is it cooling off where you live? Have you started your fall decorating? Tomorrow I hope to make apple cider donuts. Maybe if I do fall things, fall will come.

Happy Tuesday!

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