AN EASY SPRING UPDATE

It's almost here! Spring is in sight, and I couldn't be happier about it -- minus the pollen, of course -- and what better way to spring up your home than branches, blooms, and flowers. 

I've been doing some simple things to freshen and brighten things up around here like swapping out darker pillow covers for lighter ones, rearranging furniture, and making a new arrangement for my living room. That arrangement happens to be my inspiration for this post. 

In the fall of last year, I came across the prettiest faux flowers in my Instagram feed. They are from a Afloral. Are you familiar with them? I ordered these flowers late last fall, so I've been patiently waiting to use them. I brought them out a couple of weeks ago, and WOW, do I love them! 

They are incredibly real looking and stunning in person. A couple of weekends ago, we had lots of family visiting, and they all thought the arrangement was real. :-) My flower is the viburnum wildflower bunch. It looks like they are sold out of these, but they have so many other beautiful choices. I promise you, these are not the faux flowers of your grandmother's house, and they are worth it!!

Here are some other options that I think would be perfect for any home. The second one probably looks the most like mine, and I think the first one is spectacular. They also tell you how many they have in stock, which is a nice thing to know if you are trying to decide or wait on ordering. 

1 - Cherry Blossom   //  2 - Snowball Spray  //  3 - Blue Mini Berries 

4 - Sweet Pea Wildflowers   //  5 - White Ranunculus  //  6 - Forsythia

You can see their entire selection here. I would love to hear how you welcome spring to your house. You can always get in on the conversation in the "comment" section below! 

NEW ART IN THE LIVING ROOM

A few years ago when our oldest son moved to New Orleans to be near his girlfriend who was already living and working there, we went down one weekend for a visit. During our trip we stopped by an antique store near the French Market, and I came across these numbered vintage bird prints. 

I knew right where I wanted them to go, and how I wanted them to look. I took them to two different framers for estimates, and both estimates were around $125 + tax for each. I decided to wait on the project, and stuck it on the back burner. 

But, as luck would have it, a few months later, I found two pretty faux bamboo frames while thrifting one weekend. I didn't buy them at first glance, but when I got home and remembered the birds, I knew the frames would be perfect for them. I went back to the Alabama Antique Market as soon as I had a chance! One picture was $40 and the one with the broken glass was $25, AND they were 25% percent off. (48.75 + tax) 

My friends at The Frame Shack are great to work with. They helped me pick out the mat (who knew there were so many shades of white) and then they fixed me right up. ($55) 

I don't think I could love them more. They were hung on either side of the couch above each of the tables. I really wanted to hang them together, and maybe one day they'll hang as a pair, but for now I think they look pretty good where they are. 

Left side...

Right side...

Once again, being a little patient and a little thrifty paid off. Grand total about 108, which beats 250. :-)

Here are a few of my other thrifting posts you might like. 

A NEW LOOK FOR AN ANTIQUE MIRROR

FIVE FAVORITE THRIFT STORE FINDS

FIVE FAVORITE THRIFT STORE FINDS

THRIFT SCORES AND COFFEE

THE CHRISTMAS LIVING ROOM

I'm still making tiny adjustments here and there, but I think the living room is done. At some point my husband asked me what I could possibly have left to do. But, I mean, sometimes it takes a while to get it to my liking. Anyway, I thought I would close out this year on the blog with a quick living room tour and share some last minute easy decorating ideas, so come on in . . .

 

Add ribbon, tie a bow - instant Christmas.

Fill a pretty bowl with ornaments, as many as you can find!

Place some greenery of any shape or size throughout your bookshelves or on your table tops. 

Invest in pillow covers and throw blankets that you can reuse every year. Then, mix and match them with what you already have. This pillow cover is perfect for seasonal decorating. Most of my throw blankets around my room are from Home Goods. They always have a terrific selection. 

And now just a few random shots.

My kids did not like me changing out their old stockings, but I love these new ones.

And that's a Christmas living room wrap. 

My wish for you and your family this season is for you to experience Joy and Peace like never before. Here is an older post that I shared several years ago, but it will ring true always. 

Thank you for your encouragement and support of the Woodbank Lane blog. I'll see you again in January. 

Kathryn

PUZZLE TABLE TURNED HOME OFFICE

At the beginning of December last year, I won four of the prettiest chairs from AtHome Furnishings in Homewood, Alabama. I had no idea what I would do with them at the time, but then it came to me...

For Christmas last year I gave my husband a Star Wars puzzle. I thought it would be an enjoyable activity for us since our house had sadly become kid-free. :( The dilema was where to put the puzzle together. I really didn't want to use the dining room table because as you know, I often set the table with or without company coming. I guess we could have used the breakfast table. But again, I didn't really want it be out of commission either.

Then it came to me: What about a small table in the back corner of the living room? I already had the perfect chairs, and not only would it be a great spot for puzzles, but it could also be used for extra seating when we have family over. Problem solved.

I eventually found this drop leaf table on Facebook for $20. I sanded only the top to get the shine off, and painted it with some leftover paint I had from another project. I used a paint brush on the legs and roller on the top. I still need to seal it, and I plan to get around to that soon.

And then... we all went home.

I can't tell you how many times I've been thankful for this little spot in our house. I've been able to work on what I needed to for my students and for the blog. This table has yet to see a single piece of that Star Wars puzzle, but I've been working right here for weeks. My husband is doing his work in a bedroom, so we don't have to worry about interfering with each other during work hours.

I like to call it a small "stroke of genius" on my part. The corner still needs a light, and I'm on the lookout for a rug. I'm also getting my thoughts together about that empty wall--a little at a time, right?

Ideas from this post

Star Wars Puzzle  //  Star Wars Puzzle  //  Hand Sander  //  Orchid  // Blue and White Bowl

Blue and White Bowl  //  Decorative Lemons  // White Table  //  White Table

Hope you're having a good week! Thanks for stopping by.

Kathryn

WBL recieves a small commission on puchases made through links in this post. 

A NEW LOOK FOR OLD LAMPS AND LIVING ROOM THOUGHTS

A few weeks ago I shared a spray paint project in my Instagram stories. I had a lot of DMs (direct messages) about what paint I used. I thought you might like to know too.

I had been on the look out for two large lamps to use in my living room. I came across these at a local antique mall. I loved them and the pair was only $20! For the size, that was a steal. I left them the original green for months. But the room gets so little natural light, they were just too dark.

This room hasn't been updated in years, and it's on my to-do list. I want to eventually turn the really traditional room into what I'm calling a "coastal-traditional" room.

• Blue and white
• Neutrals
• Browns
• Hints of green
• Natural textures

In my mind, that looks something like this:

Mark D. Sikes

Or this:

Ethan Allen

Or this:

Georgica Pond via Pinterest

So to get the process rolling, I went ahead and painted the dark lamps white.

Thanks to this Rust-Oleum paint, they turned out great. I'm really pleased with them. I usually buy the paint from Home Depot.

Step 1 of one thousand for the living room update now complete. :-)

I love the look of white lamps. Who's with me?

Cottage and Vine