Friday, December 15, 2017

IF I HAD STAIRS... CHRISTMAS DECORATING IDEAS

I've always thought I would love a home with stairs. These pictures reminded me of that.  There's so much you can do to dress up a staircase for the holidays. If you are lucky enough to have stairs in your house, here are some beautiful ways to decorate for the holidays. Some are simple and some are elaborate, but they all have Christmas beauty in common. 

A swag with natural elements at the end of the staircase works perfectly and can be just enough stair decor. (Take a tour of this lovely Chicago home here.)

Traditional Home

Saturday, December 09, 2017

IT SNOWED! COME TAKE A LOOK

I had not planned on posting until next week, but we had a snow day--I mean a real snow day! The sky opened up and let fall enough snow to cover us up.


Wednesday, November 29, 2017

THE FINISHED FALL MANTLE

A couple of weeks ago I shared some ideas for using your magnolia tree in your home. (Revisit those ideas here.) Today I'm sharing how my mantel turned out before everyone shifts to all things Christmas. It's really not very elaborate at all, but the magnolia greenery makes it feel like it is. It was really simple and easy to put together. If you have a tree, or know someone who wouldn't mind sharing with you, go get some clippings!

I started with these two vases that my sweet momma handed down to me. (This is the first picture I posted to my Woodbank Lane's Instagram account.) 



Wednesday, November 22, 2017

MY LAST-MINUTE CENTER PIECE

I'm guessing that most of you, like me, are getting your final thoughts together for Thanksgiving. I have my to-do list scribbled down and I still need to make a trip to the grocery store. After that the only thing left is the cooking. Yay! We aren't actully eating at our house this year; we'll be at my parents' house. I did want to use these pumpkins one more time before they were done for, so I set a quick table. Here's how it turned out.



Thursday, November 16, 2017

THE PERFECT PECAN BALL RECIPE

Last week it was my Sunday to help with breakfast in our ABS (Adult Bible Study). I took two things: this breakfast quiche and a new recipe I decided to try--pecan balls. Turns out they are easy and delicious. I'd be remiss if I kept this kind of goodness to myself. Here's the recipe...


Monday, November 13, 2017

FALL AND THANKSGIVING TABLE INSPIRATION

Okay, friends. The countdown is on.

Less than two weeks to get your thoughts together on your Thanksgiving tables. Need a few ideas? I found some pretty ones. I've rounded us up a little of everything under the November sun. Look for neutrals, greenery, plaid, colors, and blue and white. I know you'll see something that promises to jump-start your holiday planning. 




Tuesday, November 07, 2017

THE DESIGN PORTFOLIO OF MATTHEW CAUGHY

Last week when I was gathering up inspirational pictures for my post about bringing the magnolia tree indoors (click here to read that post), I found the gorgeous portfolio of Matthew Caughy and I knew I had to share it with you. 

Blue Bedroom

Thursday, November 02, 2017

DECORATING WITH MAGNOLIA CLIPPINGS

The elegant magnolia tree is an absolute southern favorite. We had a beautiful one growing up. My brother and I had a love/hate relationship with that tree. On sunny afternoons with our neighborhood buddies, we climbed the tree and pretended to be in distant places. That was the love part of the relationship. We loved it almost all of the time. I say almost because in the fall, when it was too cold to enjoy our imaginary travels it was our job to rake the leaves. Have you ever tried raking magnolia leaves? The leaves are huge compared to other tree leaves, and we would be raking for what seemed like days. But we did it--whining and complaining the entire time, if I had to guess. Funny the things that pop in your mind when you're putting a blog post together...

Magnolia tree clippings are the perfect complement to any decor. Its branches make excellent bouquets and garlands for mantels, tables, or stairwells. The leaves are versatile; use them alone or mix them in with other items. Here are some ideas to steal borrow. 


Friday, October 27, 2017

A GLUTEN-FREE COOKIE SOURCE

Not too long ago, one of my dearest friends shared a gluten-free cookie on Facebook made by her sister-in-law from a family recipe. I know there are many of you who have to avoid gluten and these look wonderful! I wanted to pass them along to you because I bet they are as scrumptious as they look. The three mix flavors that are now available at Amazon are original, chocolate, and cashew.

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

FALL LINKS: FAVORITE FALL RECIPES

Today I'm linking to my favorite fall recipes shared on the blog over the past few years. Y'all know I'm a working mom, so most of these are easy and perfect for a weeknight or a weekend. Just click on the blue link and ENJOY!

(Double the recipe if you're the hostess for the game.)



(I'm making this one as I type.)



(I take this to lunch for days after I make a pot.)



(This is a great bread for any meal.)


And for dessert...

Pumpkin Roll
(The only pumpkin thing I eat.)



Ghost Cake
(Takes forever, but it's so cute!)



I hope you see something you'd like to try. They're all good, I promise.  :-)

Kathryn

Tuesday, October 03, 2017

DEAL ALERT: GREAT SANDALS

Good Tuesday to you, friends...

Rembember those oh-so-comfy sandals I told you about in a post a few months back? They were in my round up of summer favorites? They are now on sale + another 15% off!


I decided as much as I wear and love teaching in the brown ones, I could use a black pair as well. I got online this weekend and found them to be down to $30.00. AND, if you use the coupon code LEAVES, you will get another 15% off. Franco Sarto is one of my favorite shoe brands. Here is the link to Famous Footwear. That's where I found the black pair.

In the South, we get a few extra months of sandal weather, and I'm excited to scoop up the black ones! I hope they have your size, too, if you could use some cute, and really comfortable sandals to finish up the fall or to put up until next year. If you have a question about the fit or sizing, you can leave it in the comments. I'll get back with you after school.

Kathryn

Friday, September 29, 2017

TWIN BED IDEAS FOR YOUR HOME

A room with twin beds has always been a favorite of mine. I love the look! It's probably more about the symmetry for me than the actual beds themselves. Any room decorated with symmetry built into the design always gets my vote.

My youngest son had twin beds for several years. Then he out grew them, literally. Feet and hairy legs were suddenly everywhere after about the 8th grade. Boy moms, I know you know what I mean; they seemingly become little men over night.

We are down from three kids to one now, and I hope to one day add twin beds back to what will eventually become a guest room. If you like them as well, here's some inspiration for us. I think I've rounded up something for everyone.

Bright...

Kristi Lee Interiors via Eye for Design


Blue and white...

Designer Jessica Waks via Style at Home

Girl-y...

Emily A. Clark via BHG

For the boys...

Photobucket via Pinerest


Antique chic...

Better Homes and Gardens


Country...

O So D via Pinterest

Rustic...

Home Proper Interiors


Crisp...

Andrew Brown

Red, white, and blue...

Livinator

Color...

Decoist

And finally, traditional...

Pinterest

So many ideas to chose from and so many directions you can go. Twins can be stunning! Did you have a favorite? I love the last one. But I bet you knew that. ;)

Kathryn

Friday, September 15, 2017

FRIDAY'S FIVE

I'm excited to bring you another Friday's Five post. If you missed the first one, you can check it out here. Click on the blue links for ideas and inspiration!
















Enjoy your weekend!

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

A MATTRESS GIVE-A-WAY

Could you use a new mattress? I found a give-a-way you might be interested in if so!

One of the sweetest people I've met on InstagramJane at Home, recently did a blog post on the Agility Mattress. Her post is super informative, and she explains the entire process of ordering and setting up an Agility mattress.

Image: Jane at Home

We have two memory foam mattresses in our house already--one in my son's room and one in the guest room. They aren't the Agility brand, but my son and visitors say they sleep great. I'm thinking I'm ready for one too. Agility is giving away a mattress valued up to $1299. I've registered, and my fingers are crossed!

Here's Jane's beautiful bedroom with her new mattress in place.

Image: Jane at Home

To register for the give-a-way, click here. Or you can go to the Agility home page here and click on the yellow give-a-way bar at the top of the page. You have until September 30th to register. The winner will be announced via social media on October 2. And the winner will be contacted by email.

If I don't win, maybe you will! Good luck.

Are any of you guys sleeping on a memory foam mattress yet? I'd love to hear how you like it.

Kathryn

Friday, September 08, 2017

A ROUND MIRROR BEFORE AND AFTER

I recently painted my first round mirror. For those of you who have been reading along for a while, you know I've painted many mirrors over the years without too much trouble. If you're new to Woodbank Lane, you can see those projects here, here, and here. The round one was a bit more tricky to paint than the others and required a little more prep work. 

The mirror has primarily been in our foyer, but I've used it some in the dining room over the years as well. Here it is in the foyer with a spring look.



I always liked the silver color and details, and the hints of red were pretty, too.


So, about that prep work...

Very few areas of the mirror would allow me to simply slide the paper under.


I had to use the painter's tape on the spots with no space between the glass and the edge of the wood. And I couldn't use a big piece; only small pieces would work because of the angle. Once the tape was on, I used my thumb nail to make a firm crease.




Next, I used a razor blade to carefully trim off the tape.


The mirror is 36 inches.


The color of the paint I used is Indigo by Valspar. I picked mine up from Lowe's. It covers well, but takes its time drying. 


 
One more before look in the foyer...


And here's the after in the dining room. Blue!



It's a little hard to photograph; the lighting is only good for about an hour a day in the room. It looks darker to me in the picture. It turned out just like I hoped it would, and I love the navy with the brass lamps (more about those here) and green apples. It also looks good with a pile of blue and white in front of it. :-)





My husband thinks I'll grow weary of the blue. He may be right. But for now, it fits right in. You can see more of the room here

Hope you have a great weekend!

And Happy Birthday to my daddy who is 70 years young today!

Kathryn


Thursday, August 31, 2017

DECORATING WITH BASKETS

Have you ever been thrifting and found something or several things that you just couldn't pass up because the price was so right even though you had no idea what you might do with said things?

I have a confession to make: I have.

Upon my last pass through the Salvation Army Thrift Store, one of the specials for the day was on baskets, all baskets. They were only fifty cents. I bought a few...



I've seen baskets used here and there on Instagram as wall decor, and I know they are a great way to add texture, a natural element, and character to a space. So I brought them all home for around $4. I'm working on my plan for them. :-)

In the mean time, I thought I would share a few ideas.

One of the biggest baskets I've ever seen used on a wall was at the Southern Living Idea House in Birmingham last year. You can take the tour here if you missed it. This entrance was designed by Ahsley Gilbreath.

via Ballard Designs

They are the perfect and interesting alternative to pictures for a wall.

A Burst of Beautiful

Lonny

Chango and Co

They would also be a good choice for an odd spot in a room that needs filling.  

I Don't Know How She Does It via Home Goods Design Happy

And don't count out that space over the mantle.

@house.becomes.home via Home Bunch

Craft Berry Bush

Baskets can also contribute beautifully to completing the space around the television that is often a mystery to decorate.

Our Vintage Nest via Pinterest

Really, they are the perfect addition to any vignette, and throw in a little blue and white... So good!!

How do you feel about baskets on the wall?

Almost the weekend!
Kathryn