DECORATING WITH ORCHIDS

Hello Spring!

I use the term "spring" loosely. In Alabama, we're still dressing for winter about three days a week and dressing for spring the other days. I was sweating over the weekend and freezing today. We never know what we will wake up to.

On to today's post...

Orchids are one of my favorite things to use in my home. They can stand alone in a space or work perfectly in a grouping to create a vignette. Feel free to use them in any room of the house. They're going to look perfect no matter where they are. I bet there isn't a house magazine, home blogger, or interior designer anywhere without an orchid somewhere in his or her designs. Who could blame them?

Today I've rounded up eleven pretty (faux) orchid options for you. All the source links are under the collage.

1 T J Maxx //  2 Pepperlonely from Amazon  //  3 One King's Lane

4 Amazon  //  5 All Modern  //  6 Wayfair 

7 Target  //  8 Target  //  9 Hayneedle

10 Walmart  //  11 Havertys 

If you're not exactly sure where or how to use orchids, here are a few ideas. 

Pinterest

Greenleaf Design Studio

Belclaire House via Pinterest

via Pinterest

Scott Snyder via The Enchanted Home

Brantley Photography via The Glam Pad

Orchids make any spot beautiful. What's one of your favorite things to use in your home? Hit the blue "comment" link below and share it with me.  

FEDERAL MIRROR FOLLOW UP

When I was putting together my anniversary post last week, I came across the pictures of my federal mirror I found last year and realized I've never posted about how it turned out or how I ended up using it.

I've always loved the look of a federal mirror, and I shared some pictures that inspire me here.

First things first...

I had to prep it for painting because I wanted it to be gold. Like the other round mirror I painted, it took a bit of extra prep time thanks to the shape and angles. I followed the same procedure as before. I used a small strip of tape, pressed it down against the edges with my thumb nail, and used a razor blade to trim the excess.

The paint I like to use for a really pretty, gold metallic finish is this one by Rustoleum.

Just like expected--nice and gold.

I'm using it in my dining room which was my plan all along. It feels slightly small for the spot I chose. But, I like it just as well for now.

Here are three other mirror projects I've shared.

Going Gold: Bedroom Mirror Before and After

Thrift Store Mirror Before and After

A Mirror Swap

Thanks for stopping by. Hope it's a great Saturday!

THREE YEARS OF BLOGGING: A LOOK BACK

Guess who had a birthday this week?

 Not me. Thank goodness! 

It's the blog! 

I really am shocked every day at how fast time goes by. It's so hard to believe it has been three years since I started Woodbank Lane with this short introduction post. I was incredibly nervous. The idea of being live on the Internet on a regular basis was hard to fathom. But, I had wanted to be a blogger for about two years and the desire was only getting stronger the longer I waited. 

It was a week not very different from this one. It was spring break, and I just could not get the idea of blogging out of my head. I remember sitting at the bar in the kitchen, looking to see if the domain name "Woodbank Lane" was available, and telling my husband I was ready. His response, "You're not letting this go, are you?" My response to his response, "No. Come help me." And I still say that to him a few times a month. He's a great IT assistant. 

The posts that I've chosen to revisit today are in no particular order. I chose them for lots of different reasons. I felt like some had really good pictures, some were popular with readers, and a few were projects around here. I threw in some recipes, and also a personal story that everyone loved about a snake!

Let's get started... (Just click on the blue links to read any of the old posts.)

This is the first refresh project I shared (way before I understood how my camera worked). 

Front Door Revamp

This is a tour of the pretty house we rented in Chattanooga. 

Inspiration House #5

I haven't made these again since I posted this, but they were really good.

Chicken Kabobs

I had no idea these flowers multiplied like they do. We are in the process of digging about half of them up. 

Lilies

This is a personal favorite of mine. 

Last Minute Center Piece

This was soooo good. This was a new-to-me recipe when I shared it. 

Hole-y Lemon Cake

I'm still doing this!

Keeping Up With the Good Things

Two Tips for Tuesday

This next post was inspired by a video trending on Facebook.

Make Your Bed and Have a Good Day

This may be my favorite picture I've taken. And, Kim at Savvy Southern Style featured the recipe in one of her Wow Us Wednesdays post. Needless to say, I was THRILLED!

Poppy Seed Bread

This next post was so much fun to "research." My husband and I toured this house in Birmingham. I actually stood in rooms that Mark D. Sikes and Lauren Leiss designed. 

My Tour of the Southern Living Idea House

I love a set table. 

Setting a Red, White, and Blue Table

Reading Storage or Utensil Caddy?

One of my earliest projects.  

Coffee Can Project




Red for Fall

I had just met my friend Michele (one L) when I saw the inside of her house. It was so pretty!

Inspiration House #2

Thanks to my friend Staci for giving me this one. If I had a dollar for every time someone told me they made and loved this...

Artichoke Chicken

Every single one of these has been dead for quite a while.  :-( But the pictures were pretty good while they were living. 

Fun Find Follow Up

Y'all loved this story!

A Snake Tale

With all the tradegy in the world and in our community, this was shared many times over.  I hope it brought some of you comfort when you read it. 

A Sunday Thought: When Tragedy Strikes

Thank you all for taking this trip down the blogger road with me. I've met some wonderful people along the way and have new friends all over the country. Your kind words when we bump into each other in the grocery store or in a text when you like a particular post, make my day. I also love it when you send me a picture because something in it made you think of me (it's usually blue and white).  

If you're still reading (that was kind of long!), have a great Saturday! I'm looking forward to the years to come with you here at Woodbank Lane.

DECORATING WITH MILK GLASS

Hello, friends!

It's spring break in my world, and like always during this week, it looks like spring from my window and feels like winter as soon as I walk out the door. But, we do have sunshine, and I slept late. So no complaining about the temperature from me!

I've been looking for and collecting milk glass for a few years, and today I thought I would show you one way I've been pulling it out of my cabinet and actually using and enjoying it.

I have nine vases--four sets that match and one odd ball. I almost never find them in a thrift store as a pair. But, I don't mind. Hunting and digging is part of the fun in collecting, at least for me.

  

As you can see, each set has its own pattern. Lines, diamonds, or smooth ripples. The tops are different on each vase as well and add to the character of the pieces. 

For this display, I simply lined the center of the dining room table with the vases and dropped in carnations from my local grocery store. 

It really is so simple, but they make a stunning display. I can usually get almost two weeks out of the flowers. We celebrated our daughter's birthday at the beginning of the month and as you can see, the carnations are still going strong.

I used them one other time recently, bunched together on an antique tray. At the time, I had only come across seven of them. 

I'm constantly on the look out for different pieces of milk glass. I have several of the hobnail vases and bowls. They're great to pull out for the holidays and special occasions. The white color looks good mixed in with every day vignettes too, and it also looks pretty on book shelves.

A couple of weeks ago in my Friday's Five post, I shared this article with some other good ideas for using milk glass.  Do you have a favorite thing to collect?