Back Yard Inspiration

This weekend, Todd and I went to a candlelight Christmas historical reenactment at Ashtabula, a South Carolina plantation built in 1790.  I found it hard to pay attention to the actors, however.  I was transfixed by the use of magnolia leaves as Christmas foliage.  Of course!  It didn't occur to me because I'm new to South Carolina and am unused to the flora here, but naturally you would take inspiration from your back yard and use whatever greenery you had there.  In South Carolina, you've got magnolias.  Bingo!

Inspired, I returned home and cut several branches from one of our big magnolia trees, with a few sprigs of local berries.  I arranged them on an antique wooden box with a few red IKEA accents.  I am very pleased with the result!

We've got this flat-leaf fir tree in the back yard, too.

I cut a few branches, with more berries...

...and tucked them into the old wooden window frame I've got propped up over our main fireplace mantle.

We've got a bank of windows overlooking the back yard in the living room, but they've been looking awfully empty and bare...not very festive. 

I took a closer look at the mahonia shrubs in the yard.  They're invasive and must be cut down soon, but their branches look an awful lot like holly.

See the pointy leaves?

It's close enough for me!  I very carefully cut an armful of branches, pricking my fingers countless times.  Those tips are needle-sharp!  It was worth the effort, though.  I tied the branches together with red ribbon and then strung them up in the empty windows.

I love them!

They're so festive...and inexpensive!  I love bringing the outside in!

I bought a few things, too.  Little rosemary topiaries, cut to look like Christmas trees!  I cut some fabric to tie around the base and put it on the mantle with the rest of the Christmas decorations.

It needs some red, but I'll get there!  It joins my little vintage-y cushions.  Joy:

And Noel:

The mantle needs work...more color, less brown.  But, for having just completed a move, I am pretty pleased with it!

It looks just lovely lit:

I've added the Christmas stocking from my childhood, with engraved ornaments for every year from birth to age 8.  I've also added lots of cheerful fabric.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  ;)

I still have some autumn decorations up.  I brought in a big bough from outside, and set it up on a cabinet with some pumpkins.  Instant fall!

I bought this large shallow leaf dish from Kohl's.  Original price $50, but I got it for $18 + free shipping on Cyber Monday!

I put it in the living room and it's a perfect fit.

I love seasonal decorating!

On a final note...I know I've mentioned this before, but I still cannot believe I have a pack of wild turkeys that visits every afternoon between 3 and 6 p.m.

This is just a few of the pack.  They're quite a multitude...and they're HUGE!

Wild turkeys...can you believe it? 

Just now, too, a huge flock of Canadian geese, honking loudly, circled over the pond and then splashed down noisily.  There's always a new natural delight here.  I can't wait to see what spring brings!

I hope you have a great week!

one thing done.

It's still a hive of activity at the new house, and we're slowly starting to acquire furniture.  We didn't bring very much with us, and the house has felt empty and full of echoes.  But we're excited about the things we've found on Craigslist so far.  We'll buy some new furniture, but we like furniture that has a little bit of "character"!

Like this antique wooden armoire that we found for a steal on Craigslist.  This will go in the living room and hold our board games and puzzles.

And this gorgeous secretary tucked away in an elderly man's garage.  I used Murphy's Wood Oil Soap to clean some splotches of mold from the legs and it's as good as "new"!  

I thought about what to do with it.  Then I decided to put it in the front entryway and fill it with my white dishes, which I thought was a nice contrast.  I added a little dish for our keys and some festive greenery from a tree in our yard and - voila!

There!  That's one thing done.  I'm very pleased with it...and glad to at last have a place to drop our keys, too!

We've also purchased a few chairs that we'll slipcover until we get around to reupholstering.  This one is a great, sturdy little chair that we found for just $15!

Even though we're consumed with unpacking, measuring, painting, tile issues, furniture purchases and placement, etc., I can't help but notice the wildlife outside...even though I haven't gone looking for it yet.

I was delighted to learn that there are several types of lizards in South Carolina, one of the most common being the anole.

Having spotted one, we now see them almost daily.

They're so charming!

Another almost-daily visitor is a turkey...or two, to be exact.

We've seen a whole flock of them once or twice, but it's usually just this pair. 

I noticed this in the leaves while taking the dog for a quick walk the other day...a little leftover skin from a recently-molted snake.

Having grown up in the country, I don't have to be told that nearby water + fall + piles of logs + drifts of leaves + a warm day = snakes. 

We made sure to walk much more carefully after seeing this!

I didn't see this great blue heron the first week we were here, but now I see him every day.

I'm pretty sure I've heard his unearthly call at night, too:

   great blue heron call

I noticed a particularly bumpy log in the water this week.

Sunning turtles are notoriously skittish, and the crackling leaves would give me away if I tried to get closer.  But I was able to zoom in with Todd's camera to verify that they were indeed turtles.

With the woods all around us, I can't wait to see new wildlife...or at least have the time to go looking for it!

Have a great week!