Keepin' It Real...



The Star Gazer Lilly is one of my favorite flowers

 Okay, a word about fake flowers.  Everyone knows that real live plants are terrific.  They are aesthetically pleasing and can add a lot to a home.  I have several live plants myself  that my Mother-in-law graced me with as a gift.  We'll discuss those at a later date.  But for now let's talk about the fake plants and flowers.  There are some great choices out there now.  And although I try to cut fresh flowers from my garden in the Spring and Summer to use inside the house, if you are not as blessed as Oprah to have fresh cut flowers on hand all the time, then from time to time, perhaps you're like me and you decorate with the fake ones.

But here's a word of good advice that I read somewhere concerning fake flowers:  IF YOU WOULDN'T
SEE THE FLOWER IN NATURE..then don't put it in your home.  In other words, blue roses (although there may be some exotic hybrid out there now) are not naturally occuring.  So don't decorate with blue roses.  If you want to use blue, bring it in using a flower in which it would naturally occur.  So the bottom line here is ...keep it real.  Use flower that would appear in nature and in the color that they would appear and your fake arrangements will look much more sophisticated.  




Artificial Gladolias
In a Simple Vase
look like I just gathered
them from my garden

  Another tip that bears mentioning... keep the flowers dusted and in good repair. Nothing looks worse than raggedly ole fake flowers.  Better not to have them if that be the case.  Same goes for fake fruit.  If your kids come by and try to take a bite out of your artificial fruit basket then you know you've done well.  Otherwise, you might want to just skip the fake stuff.  But done well, artificial fruit or plants can add a nice touch to a home, and besides lasting a long time.... they are forgiving if you forget to water them. Remember ...the best advice is to "keep it real" whenever possible..but when using artificials go for "fabulous fakes".

It's the Little Things That Make a House A Home...

It's in the details.  The smallest of things can make a house feel more like a home.  Things that say "you".   My home may not appeal to anyone else but so long as it is a place that makes my husband and son and I smile, then it is "home".    Comfortable.  Textures.  Colors.  Natural.  Wood. Stone. Metal.  I love all these things and have tried to incorporate them all into our home's ecletic look.  I'm influenced by my love of tuscan decorating but since I don't happen to have a villa in Milan, I also try to stay true to my home and it's surroundings..that being the picturesque Southern Appalachian Mountains.  So my home takes on a look all it's own.  A little bit country (bits and pieces of furniture that my husband had before we married)...a little bit tuscany (my color choices and penchant for ironworks and metal scrollwork and color scheme) and a little bit woodsy cabin (the fireplace, hardwood, and wooden rocking chair that was a Christmas gift from my husband last year).    But long gone are the days when I bought "beds in a bag" and worked from strict "themes".  Oh, I went through my "emerald" phase, and my "mauve" phase and even my "blue phase".  But now, It's more about the naturals for me.  Colors, textures, and materials that are found in nature are what I am drawn to now in my 50's.   I have always loved solid pieces.  Things that 'last' and have staying power. 

I love the metal and glass of this candy dish. 

So you won't find any one "theme" throughout our home, except the theme of "us".  And developing that look has been and continues to be a true labor of love.  An item added here, a touch there.  It all adds up to make the look that is entirely and uniquely our own.  The love is in the details, and, it's the little things that make a home. 

Home is Where the Heart Is...



Our Family Room Turned Dining Room Area



Hi, I'm Gen.  Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, and Friend Extraordinaire' !    My husband and I have a small, comfortable home in the Southeastern Appalachians.  I've never been accused of being a great decorator, but I am a creative individual and I know what I like.  So on a shoestring budget and with an eye for what makes me happy, I have created our home with little spaces and places that I love.  Like our dining room above.  By not using full curtains, the light comes pouring in on all sides and I love that.  It might be too open for some but because our home is so private, and backs up to the great outdoors I love watching the snow fall from the view through these windows in Winter and watching the leaves blow in the wind in the Autumn, and of course the beautiful bright green of Spring and Summer is just lovely.   

From this vantage point, I see the deer play in the backyard and a nest of squirrels and I are almost on a first-name basis. The hardwood floors and stone fireplace makes this room even more inviting.  My husband is a chef in his own right and we share many wonderful meals in this extended room.   Also an avid amateur photographer (as am I) I am in the process of framing some of his works for decorating in this and other rooms of our home. 

They say that home is where the heart is.  Well, my heart is here in this place that I share with my family.  Welcome to our "HEARTH AND HOME".  Come back soon for southern hospitality and smalltown, homespun, charm and beauty.  We hope you find all that and more here at our Hearth and Home.  -Gen.



Surround Yourself With Things and People that You Love
And Your Home Decorates Itself!