My {TV} Mantelscape

Ever since Beth over @ The Stories of A 2 Z started her Mantel Party Every Friday, I have been itching to be the type of woman who can re-make her mantel every week to show off to the world...I, am, however, not that type of woman...I can get up the courage (and the time) to remake it every once in a while, but sadly I lack the gusto to change it up weekly...I can show you something that is, as Beth would say "mantelesque in nature"...so that will be my addition to this week's Mantel Party! Here is my "mantel" above our entertainment center. There isn't anything fancy about it, but I wanted to come to the party!!! ;)

Simple, just the way I like it!


My sweet little lamp and birdcage, which you can read all about here, along with one of my favorite family photos.


My blue Mason jar, filled with some twigs from the tree outside my front door...and my sweet little robin's eggs (tutorial here), all nesting and covered with an overturned stem-less wine glass. Miniature birdcage from Hobby Lobby, and an old vintage book from my husband's grandfather.


Just a picture of my sweet boy and a few things to fill in the spaces.

Come see the other lovely mantels at:

Pieces of Grace

I am sure that we all have things in our home that have extra special meaning to us. Things that have sentimental value and items we really couldn't put a price on. I would like to share just a few of those things with you today.

I was named after my great-grandmother, Grace, and even though I really didn't get to know her...she passed away when I was just a young child...I have always felt a special connection to her through our shared name, which I just love. We share many things in common---she loved poetry, horses, collecting things of personal interest in scrapbooks...I own one of her rodeo scrapbooks, full of old vintage rodeo postcards and rodeo programs.

In the last year or so I have tried to use things from the past in my current decorating scheme. Here are some of the "Pieces of Grace" that I have from my lovely great grandmother...

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...I had been holing on to some lovely white vintage buttons, stored in an old pill bottle from my name-sake, and I didn't know what to use them for until I made over my bed...

...they were just the perfect accent for one of my blue pillows, and I just love the special meaning that this pillow has...it is more than a decorative accent...it has ties to the past...ties to my family...it's a piece of Grace.

Another treasure from my great-grandmother are the recipe cards that I have tucked into the tall glass jar. I love that I can see her handwriting...which is really lovely...and I enjoy reading through the recipes and knowing what she used to cook. These are priceless to me.

Thanks for stopping by Ruby Moon Designs, and for indulging me as I shared some mementos from my sweet great-grandma Grace.

*Love you, Gammy!*

I am linking this up to:

at the ColoradoLady

and to:

Retail Therapy

Today was my son's first day of "school"...really just a mother's day out program, but school is so much easier for him to grasp...and, being that I am a full-time stay at home mommy, this was the first day in I don't know how long that I've had multiple hours alone to myself...I really didn't quite know what to do with all of my free time! 5 whole hours to call my own, what a gift! Truth be told, I was pretty reluctant to let go, and had convinced myself last night that I was the worst mother in the world---who just lets their not even 2 year old "grow up" like that???---me! When I woke up this morning I knew that I had made the right decision, and the tears from the night before (which had my husband wondering what the heck was wrong with me) were *almost* forgotten.

So, what did I do with all of my "me time" today...some good old fashioned retail therapy, that's what! I ran a few errands (including a trip to Michael's to grab up some craft supplies) and then I hit my very favorite little gift shop that is overflowing with all things girly and homey and fun. It was nice to be able to browse through the shop, sipping on the complimentary coffee, without having to worry about having to rush right home. I think that I spent a whole hour just looking around, breathing in the aroma of coffee and candles, and it was wonderful!

Here are a few things that I grabbed up today!

I saw this cute lamp...and after doing a double-take I snatched it up so fast that I almost spilled my coffee! I just love the color and the price wasn't too outrageous, actually, quite reasonable in my opinion for a new lamp - $25 for the lamp and shade.

The bird cage I found at Michael's for $6! It was 40% off of the original $10. I have been looking for a birdie cage for awhile now, and I finally found one that is just perfect!


What a cozy little lamp! Can you be in love with a lamp???...because I think that I am! *wink!!!*

Inside the bird cage is one of my absolute favorite candle scents, Dolce Vita by Tyler Candle Co. I absolutely LOVE Tyler candles! They are simply wonderful!


The candle is nestled sweetly in a nest of jute twine.

I had a few more minor purchases to complete my retail therapy "session" today...which I am sure you will see in later posts! But this is all for now! Have a great Tuesday, y'all!!!

I am linking this post to Toot Your Horn Tuesday at:

A Robin's Egg from Nutmeg!

Yesterday I was sharing with you my love of Robin's Egg Blue, and the photos that I shared with you inspired me to make some cute little eggs of my own. I have had some whole nutmeg sitting around my house in various jars and vases---when surrounding a candle they smell glorious when the candle heats them all up---and I thought that I could put a few to use as "robin's eggs" since they are the perfect size. Here is what I came up with to make my robin's eggs from stuff I had on hand...yet another "free" project!

I pulled out some lovely Jamaican Blue, Victorian Green and Espresso brown acrylic paint from my small store of paints.

Whole nutmeg are usually expensive...but I found these at World Market for about $1.00 per pkg...compared to the $7ish dollars or so that they cost at the grocery store that is a steal!


I mixed up my own cocktail of colors from the 3 paints, and then left a bit of the espresso brown to speckle the eggs.


To make painting easier, I stuck a toothpick into the bottom of the nutmeg.


All painted up and getting some speckles!


Here are my eggs, drying and waiting to be placed in their nest homes!


Finally, a real home for my little nutmeg eggs!


They are a little too speckled...if I do this again I will lay off some of the "freckles!"


This little nest looks cozy here on my lovely blue plate.


I read somewhere that robin's usually lay 2-5 eggs, with 5 being very rare...so this little nest is pretty much at capacity!


My nest also looks cute in this sweet little spot on my kitchen window sill.


Take note of the "Nest" in my inspiration words...perfect spot for these little beauties!!!

Now I'm not bragging or anything...okay, maybe I am...I think these little robin's eggs are pretty darn cute! Hope y'all are having a fabulous day!




I am linking this up to:

Robin's Egg Blue - An Obsession

Like a lot of you out there, I have an obsession with robin's egg blue. Blue has always been my very favorite color...even though it is sometimes referred to as a "boy's color"...and pink, a "girl's color"...I have always preferred blue, in all of it's many different shades and hues. However, the peaceful and soothing blue that is found most perfectly in nature in the robin's nest just can't be topped, in my opinion. I found the following images while browing the internet for some robin nest pics. Aren't they lovely?!! And the bottom image was taken of my favorite decorative plate...I just love its color!

All of these beautiful blues have inspired the project that I worked on today...which I will be back with tomorrow to show all of you all! For now just enjoy God's beauty, whose handiwork cannot be outshined!!!

My Cozy Little Bedroom

*Although I originally posted this on my family blog in the middle of last year, I think it is fitting that I share it with you all too...I am pretty sure that I meant to post it here last year, but it slipped my memory! I love this "newer" version of my bedroom, although it has changed a little since this post. I especially love that a few of my favorite projects are seen in this post...especially my pillows! I'm linking this up to Toot Your Horn Tuesday @ A Silly Little Sparrow

I've been working on figuring out my new camera's features (still haven't quite figured them out!)...so bear with me...

View from my bedroom doorway, taken with the Sepia setting...
loving the vintage slat door on the side of the picture!

Several issues of my favorite magazine, Country Living, sit inside a wire basket that is on top of the burlap runner that I made to cover my hopechest.

View of our baby memory wall...pictures and mementos of our Heaven babies sit on the shelves and adorn the walls.

Doorway view in color, although it was taken after dark so I had to use the flash instead of natural light.

Blue pillows that I made using several repurposed items...I will blog about them further in a later post!

A lace curtain hides the clothes hanging up in the closet. I made an old wine bottle into a vase for some of my pothos plants to root in. An "extra" wine glass serves as a tea light holder...nestled on top of wine corks in coffee beans, of course!

Front view of the bed...I love my little birdie pillow...and the white buttons...they have a special meaning to me too...check back later for details!

Here is the wall hanging that I made using an old wooden cupboard door. For a wedding gift (almost 7 years ago!), my grandmother stitched Grace & Aaron United in Christ on top of the quilt that we used to have on our bed before I switched to the white...I always liked the phrase and wanted to keep it in our bedroom, so I incorporated it into my wall-hanging. The key symbolizes my husband holding the key to my heart...pretty sappy and sentimental, huh?!!!

Well, there y'all go! Hope you enjoyed my cozy little bedroom!