Decorating With Books

Oh, sweet friends! It has been too long!

I didn't mean to be away for so long because I get to missing you and your wonderful comments! 

I think I may be addicted to this... and to you... and to your kind words of encouragement!

Recently, I received some private messages from several of you that were SO uplifting to me! Truly, I'm blown away over how some of you feel about my blogging efforts! I certainly don't feel like I deserve it! 

There are millions of blogs in Blogland that are wonderfully written by professional bloggers. So the fact that you take the time to stop by mine means the world to me! Because as we all know, I'm an expert at NOTHING! 

(Well... If you were to ask my husband or younger brother they may tell you I'm quite practiced in the fine art of being bossy! So, let's not ask them!)

I guess what I'm trying to say is Thank You for being here and being an encouragement to me!

Let's get started on today's post!

You may remember from this past winter, a post that I composed titled, "Decorating With Birds". Ever since that post, I've wanted to write one similar, but about books.

                

Whenever I'm a guest in someone's home, one of the first things I catch myself doing is scanning the room for books. If I see a stack of books, I'm instantly drawn to it. I like to look closely; I look at the colors of the books, the titles, and whether they're old or new. 

Several beautiful books, thoughtfully placed throughout a house, has the power to make it feel like home. 

So... I thought it'd be fun to show you some of my books and how I decorate with them!

                

I love to look at books with beautiful and familiar titles...

                

Beautiful covers in colors that work well with my home...

               

               

And beautiful binding...

I like to take books that cooperate with the theme of some favored items and make a vignette, by arranging them together. Like this:

                

                  

This bird vignette sits atop my faux fireplace mantle in my front room:

I like to use easels to prop up favorite books, like you would a picture:

                 

And I also like to tuck books into shelves and cupboards. Either propped up so that I can enjoy their covers:

                

Or stacked so that I can enjoy their binding:

                  

Sometimes, the insides of books are so beautiful that I want to display them rather than their covers. So, laying open a book to my favorite page is what I like to do in these cases:

                

Isn't this a beautiful page?! The colors are soft and muted, and these children are so adorable!

               

It is possible, as some of you are reading this, that you may be wondering about a couple of things. I know this because I tend to receive the same types of questions. Two of my most frequently asked questions are, 1. Don't you have kids?! And, 2. Where do you find such things? 

1. Of course, the people who ask, "Don't you have kids?!" are implying that they don't believe having delicate and nice things laying around is a good idea in a house full of kids. To that I would say, "Well, our mothers and grandmothers did it!" We were taught not to touch. We were taught to be respectful of mother's nice things. We were taught to take good care of our home and be good stewards of what we had. So why then, in this generation of homemaking, are we abandoning what our mothers and grandmothers showed us? They did it better. But that should give us hope and encouragement that we can do it, too!

This does not mean that things don't sometimes get broken. In fact, two nights ago one of my children broke an old plate. We swept up the pieces and moved on. I was not heart broken over it because the truth about the plate is that it came from a thrift store for 50 cents. Which leads me perfectly to answer question number two...

2. A lot of what I purchase for my home comes from antique or thrift stores. Almost everything else has been given to me. I have purchased antique books from thrift stores for as little as 25 cents. The most expensive antique book I've ever purchased was fifteen dollars. This book is one of my favorites. I paid $1.00 for it at an antique shop. 

                   

It's titled, "Mothers of Great Men and Women." I got to reading it one day and found it to be fascinating! When it's not being read, it rests on my nightstand and I enjoy looking at its lovely cover. When I do pick it up to read it, I'm greeted by this family photograph. I like using meaningful photos as bookmarks.

When I'm shopping in an antique or thrift store and spot a book that interests me, one of the first things that I like to do is open the cover to see if there is a hand-written note inside. Isn't this an adorable antique book?

                

The first page has this note:

But of course, my favorite notes are the ones hand-written by my family members, in the books that have been in my home for years. Like this one:

                  

And this one:

                  

These books are in my daughters' bedroom. Children's rooms are a great place to display books!

                 

                 

All the girly books are kept in here...

               

Close to their beds so that they can be easily grabbed for a bedtime story.

               

               

And all of the manly books are in the boys' bedroom...

               

The boys' room has this shelf that Micah built. It goes all the way around the room. It's filled with interesting old books:

                  

I use a different amount of books in the stacks that are next to each other. It's more visibly appealing that way. In this case, it allows for the globes to be at varying heights:

This little stack of books sits on one of the boy's night stands:

                

And lastly, this vintage book that rests atop their little piano:

               

Not every book that I display in my home is old. My mother recently gave me this brand-new, beautiful book on Flowers: 

              

Another example would be this stack of books on the end table next to my couch. In it are various newer books. The stack is mainly meant to add height and interest to this vignette...

But one of them is a newer book on decorating. It has provided me with valuable inspiration:

               

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know that we still have our family room to renovate in our 100-year old farmhouse. (Which would explain why you don't see much of that room on this blog, haha... It looks pretty bad.) But when we're ready to begin renovations, I have bookmarked several pages in this book of ideas that I want to incorporate into the future family room. 

This page, for example, shows a reading nook with wall to wall, ceiling to floor bookshelves:

               

I already know the wall in my family room that I want to do this to. And I just about have Micah on board with this idea! In which case, my obsession for displaying beautiful books is about to get ramped up! Haha!

Well, my friends, I hope I have shown you some good ways to use books in home decorating. I have another favorite way to display book pages in the home, and that is to tear them out and frame them, like this: 

               

I have quite a few book pages framed throughout my home, but I will have to show you that on another day. This post is already too long. I really appreciate you letting me show you around. Feel free to leave a comment. I love hearing from you!!!

Until next time...

~ Courtney

Hydrangeas

It's Hydrangea season where I live!

Aren't they so beautiful?!!!

              

What about you? Do you have Hydrangeas in your yard? If you don't, you should consider planting some. They are mood-lifters and joy-givers!!! Well, all flowers are, really. But for some reason, I've taken a particular liking to Lilacs and Hydangeas. My Lilacs are done for the year, but the Hydrangeas are here! Here! Finally here!

Several posts ago, I shared with you this picture:

             

I told you about how I've never had blue Hydangeas, but have always wanted them. And how Micah planted these in our front yard just this past fall. They began to bloom several weeks ago for the first time. I watched them like a hawk, crossing my fingers, and hoping and praying that they'd be successful. 

Today, they look like this:

           

(These two pictures are the view, looking down on them, from my front porch.)

I cannot adequately express how much this sight thrills me! My vision for them is that they will fill in this area the same way my established white hyrangeas fill in the area along my side porch:

See? :)

             

These white hydrangeas have been here for years, so I'm not sure how long it will take for my blue ones to grow up like this. Any gardeners out there who know? (Leave me a comment, pretty please! ;)

Every year that we've lived here, I have clipped these to make bouquets for the house. It didn't take long, however, before I realized that they would consistently wilt on me after only being inside for a few hours. I went to my friend, Ida, who is an extremely talented gardener/bouquet maker, to ask her advice. (Doesn't she have a beautiful name? She's a beautiful person, too! She's given me her flower arrangements through the years.)

I said, "Ida?! How come every time I get a flower arrangement from you, it lasts for a week?! And every time I make a bouquet of my own, it lasts for maybe a day?!!!"

She matter-of-factly replied, "It's because I condition them."

Ok. She had my complete attention. What is this conditioning of which she speaks? I was spellbound. I said, "Tell me! Tell me! I must know the secret magic behind your flowers!!!"

She went on to tell me three things that she does to her flowers while she makes her arrangements. It turns out she does have a few tricks up her sleeve, that work, and that the average person wouldn't know about. And today is your lucky day!!! Because I'm going to share these three tips with you!!!

               

I've been doing these three things to my flowers for several years now. I've learned the flowers that don't really need it and the flowers that do. Hydrangeas are definitely flowers that need this conditioning regimen, or they will wilt prematurely. 

Are you ready? 

(Oh! I'm so excited... This is so much fun!)

1. Clip the flowers in the morning.

Ida explained to me that flowers have the most water in their stems in the morning. She said that as the day goes on and heats up, their stem moisture dries out. By clipping them in the morning, they still have water in their stems when you're bringing them into the house, and this will help them last longer.

The earlier, the better!

2. Refrigerate them.

               

This one's hard for me because I like instant gratification and want to display them right away, but doing this really pays off in the end! 

I'm not sure about the science behind this trick, I just know that it works! I put them in cold water, and stick them in the fridge for a few hours. Sometimes I'm just doing one arrangement, so it's easy to scoot some things around to make room. Other times I'm doing several arrangements, and I have to get creative to find room for them all.

             

I've been known to pull shelves completely out! Nothing will stand between me and fresh flowers in the house! Haha! It's actually a nice opportunity to clean out the fridge and pitch old food, plus, shine up the shelves! 

             

I know what you're thinking... This girl needs to get a life! 

Well... This is my life!!! Haha!

As I was cleaning these shelves, I couldn't stop thinking about the blue hydrangea blooms in the front yard and how much I wanted to go clip a few. My temptation got the best of me, and back outside I went, clippers in hand. It kind of hurt me a little, though, haha... so I only brought in three. 

           

Into the fridge they went, to make friends with the others:

            

3. Bleach/Lemon water

            

After a few hours, it's time to make the water. Ida told me that she makes a solution of cold water mixed with some drops of bleach and lemon juice. I've been doing this ever since. I don't have a recipe or measurements, I just fill up my vase or mason jar with cold water, and add a few drops of each to the water. 

           

Then, they're ready to display! 

         

Yay! The fun part...

         

         

         

I was having fun until I excitedly turned the corner into the dining room with a fresh arrangement, only to be met by this mess. Whoops! We had forgotten to tidy up "summer school":

What fun is a fresh flower arrangement if it's hidden among clutter?! 

Maybe some of you have wondered while reading this post, Is all of this a good use of time? Well, I have found that beauty inspires! So, if bringing in a fresh flower arrangement spurs me on to tidy up a mess, then that helps to create a better home life, so... I believe that it's a wonderful use of time!

See?! Much better:

             

I want to show you one last thing before I go. Just in case you are reading this and feeling discouraged because perhaps you don't have flowers in your yard. Please take heart! Because beauty in the home is attainable for you, too. Just clip a few tree or bush branches and place them in a vase or pitcher that you find lovely. 

Like this:

Fresh decorating is the best kind of decorating because it infuses the home with life, color, and fragrance. 

Well, my sweet friends, I hope you found today's post helpful. We can all thank my good friend, Ida, for these wonderful tips. They really do make a difference in how long an arrangement lasts!

Love to you all...

And Happy Flower Arranging,

~ Courtney

A Home With History

Hello again!

It's so nice to be back!

Thank you for bearing with me during my little blogging break!

I've mentioned this on my blog before, but in case you are new here, I live in a 100-year old farmhouse that we purchased in 2009. We bought it as a fixer-upper and have been renovating it (slowly) ever since. 

I absolutely love living in an old home. I've told Micah many times that I would never want to live in a brand-new home! There's a wonder and a uniqueness about making a historic house your home. For example, an old love note was discovered underneath my dining room wallpaper while I was removing it... My hard-wood floors make those wonderful crackling noises when I walk... I hear voices coming from the attic at night... Ok, I'm totally kidding about that last one! (Don't mind me. I tend to think I'm funny;) But I'm not kidding about how much I love my old farmhouse! 

So today, I'd like to share a little story about what it's like to live here.

You like stories, right?!

~~~~~~~~~~

In June, 2011, Micah received a strange and very special phone call. A man's voice was on the other line, "Hi there. My name is Paul." He said. "I used to live in your house. My grandfather built it." 

He went on to say how he and his extended family were going to be in town on Sunday, and could they stop by to visit the "family homestead". 

When Micah got off the phone, he told me about the conversation and he said, "Don't worry, I told them no because we'll be at church." But as I pondered what Micah had told me, I was bothered. I went to Micah and I said, "Surely we can make this work! Can't we stay home from church just this once?" 

We talked about it and agreed that Micah would call Paul back. We agreed that we could make an exception to miss church. We agreed to host what we figured would be five or six people wanting to revisit childhood memories in our home. When Micah picked up the phone to call Paul back I said, "Find out how many people will be coming and I will have some coffee and cookies ready."

When Micah got off the phone with Paul the second time, he looked stunned. I said, "Well...? How many people will be coming?"

"Fifty."

"Uhh... Are you kidding? You said fifty but you're kidding, right?!" 

"Paul said fifty people will be at our house Sunday morning."

He wasn't kidding.

I was about to get fifty complete strangers entering my home.

So... on a beautiful country morning, on a Sunday in June, my front yard looked like this:

The children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of the man who built this house, Mr. Lemke, all gathered together one-hundred years later. And we got to be the ones to witness it! We felt so lucky! This was a special day, and our home was a special place. 

Their arrival was as unique as their visit. They pulled into our driveway in a school bus!

We greeted them at the door and they all filed in. Each one smiled at me while they entered saying things like, "You have a beautiful home!" "Thank you so much for letting all of us come over!" "I have such fond memories of this house!" 

Once they were all inside, I snapped a picture of all of the shoes they piled up on my porch:

They were all so sweet to take off their shoes especially since I never said they had to! And no one asked. They just did it:

I set up our dining room table with pictures, history on the house, a guest book for them to sign, and snacks:

My favorite part of their visit was listening to them recall their memories and experiences of our home. One lady, who was probably 55 or 60, lit up as she approached our staircase saying, "I've got to see my old bedroom..." and she scampered up the stairs. Another lady stood in my kitchen and said, "I remember my aunt kept a fainting couch under this window..." Someone else pointed to a corner in my dining room and remarked, "Grandpa always sat here to watch his little TV." Yet another person chimed in, saying, "I remember coming here every Christmas." She pointed to the pocket doors that separate the dining room from the front room and continued, "Grandma would keep these doors closed until it was time to reveal the Christmas tree." 

On and on they went...

I wanted to talk with each and every person to soak up all the information that I could. I loved listening to them talk about my home's past. It was like watching its history play out in the present. I loved every minute of it. 

We learned some fascinating things about our home that day. Like where the original kitchen was, and that they used to host dances in the attic. But the thing that stood out to me was the sense that after all these years, these people still had heartstrings attached to this home. 

When it was time for them to leave, the table looked like this. The snack tray was empty, and the guest book was full! :) :)

As we walked them out to say good-bye, someone said, "Hey, let me get a picture of your family before we leave!" 

This is the photo they took. Our family from that memorable day:

It's been five years since their visit, and I still sometimes think about them and that special Sunday. I think about what a nice family they were. I think about the stories they told us. I think about how one man building a house for his family all those years ago is so vastly different compared to how houses are built today. 100-years ago, homes were built by ordinary men for their families. Today, homes are built by professionals for sale. Huge difference. 

I also think about all the love and happiness this home has witnessed throughout the years. All the Christmases, family meals around the dinner table, singing and laughter, and bedtime stories... And I think about how the baton has now been passed to us. How will my children remember this house? Will they come back here in fifty years and remember love and happiness? I have made that my goal.

What about you, dear reader? You don't have to live in a historic home to make priceless, happy childhood memories for your children. Have you made that your goal? It is a noble and worthy pursuit. Here are some practical, daily choices we can make to achieve this goal:

Decide with your spouse to never fight in front of the kids.

Do all of your crying alone, behind closed doors.

Give your family a clean, bright, beautiful environment to live in.

Pray over their heads and read scripture over them, out loud, on a regular basis.

Speak uplifting truths to them like, "You are a joy to me." "I'm so glad God gave you to me." "I'm the luckiest mama in the world to have you." "You belong to me." etc...

Don't keep anything negative in the home such as, alcohol, adult books or magazines, etc...

Sing and dance with them.

These are just a few ideas that have the power to create a stable and loving home life. These are the standards Micah and I have aimed to keep. What about you? What ideas can you add to the list? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Leave me a comment below.

Love to you all...

~ Courtney