Village Shoppes Christmas Open House - GORGEOUS!

I received a post card in the mail the other day and I am sure you could hear me squeal with delight if you were listening very intently.  In the Midwest part of the country, our Autumnal season is all about apples, leaves, Harvest Festivals, the arrival of chilly temperatures and The Village Shoppes!

The Village Shoppes is a most magical place full of everything from gorgeous and oh so comfy sofas and chairs, unique home furnishings and their incomparable collections of holiday decor.  I mean we aren't just talking Christmas and Halloween, we are talking about Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Easter, 4th of July, etc.  It is the most amazing place for everything for the perfectly appointed home!

It is located in the very small yet very quaint city of New Carlisle, Indiana.  The two stores are actually located directly across the street from one another!  My system is that I go in the smaller store first, peruse very carefully and make mental notes of possibilities.  Then I go across to the larger store which winds through rooms of holiday splendour with color palates to match every decor imaginable.

Since we were already in town for the Notre Dame football game and the Chicago Bears had a BYE week, Sunday was the perfect blustery day to attend.  Please come along with me and bask in the gorgeousness of The Village Shoppes...

This space was SO cozy and inviting.  The sofa is Paula Deen and is a textured tan material and the accent pillow are done in a spa blue and tan colors.  Just lovely.  Love the owl prints too!

This boho chest was adorable!

Their garlands, sprays and ribbons are the best I have ever seen throughout the years!

This clock reminded me of It's A Wonderful Life because it has 67 Bailey Street on the face!  :-)

I have been debating whether to paint my entry table black and this vignette sealed it!  

This was one of my favorite spaces - the wooden accent piece behind the couch is always done SO well from year to year.  This brown sectional is awesome and the woodland winter touches add so much cozy to the space!  Just lovely.

Winter's Splendour - hmmm this sounds familiar! (wink wink)

Isn't this stunning?  This is simply silk striped fabric tied to frame out a mirror as a backdrop for a display of warm colors which could easily transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas!  

 Material attached to a curved rod adds holiday drama to a plain mirror. And then they added a picture light over the mirror.  Genius!  Gorgeous!

ICY splendour created by this crystal laden upside down tree!  

I am in love with these bird prints - there are four companion pictures!

I wonder if they would let me have Thanksgiving in their store.  Can you imagine having a night time holiday soiree here?  With all the twinkle lights and candles?  It would be AMAZING!

My favorite room - the laurel garland hanging from the ceiling medallion is always my favorite thing in the whole store!  It has been there for years done in every season from tartan to pastel.  Love it!

 I can hear Sam the snowman singing "Silver and Gold" as I walk through this room!  I so want this sleigh ride picture - they sold out last year.

Traditional red and green - you can never go wrong!

The kitchen and dining room section.  If you cannot find a set of placemats for your table HERE then I am thinking you will never be able to find them.  So many choices I can never decide!

One of the outside windows - how adorable is this?  

This is Bill - the incredibly gifted owner always primping and rearranging his store so it is the best version of itself.  I can only imagine what his house is like!  :-)

Topiairies galore in this green, black and red traditional scene. L*O*V*E!

If you live in the Midwest, it is SO worth the drive.  Grab a few of your girlfriends, your sisters, your Mom and make a day out of it - trust me you can browse for hours and still notice new things you missed the first or even second time through!  Here is their website:

http://www.thevillageshoppes.com/    

It's totally beginning to look a lot like Christmas ..... ENJOY!

Autumn window box and touches of spooky decor ...

The new fall window box adds dimension and touches of Fall color.

Found this rustic green window box in the garage rafters of my best friend's house in South Bend.  I had to talk him into letting me paint it and attach it to the brick but he was pleased with the results.

I love the way the window box added so much to a plain wall and also accentuates the brick design.

Fall front porch at Notre Dame.  GO IRISH!

The spooky Halloween glass shelf in my bathroom.

Even though my entry isn't completely finished yet, I felt the need to decorate for Halloween and finish it up in November when there are less things going on.  

Found these awesome spooky fence decals at WalMart - they are so cool!

I added black shades which I found at GoodWill for 99 cents and orange ribbon from WalMart.  It just adds a touch of whimsy to the entry.  

Painted Faux Hardwoods Floor Update - Clear Gloss...

I hope to finish my foyer this week but now with ESPN College Gameday heading to South Bend this weekend that may not happen.  GO IRISH - beat Stanford!  Ok - back to the floors...

So here is the updated picture with a clear gloss varnish added.  I will add more pictures but I was so excited with the way they turned out I just wanted to share updated photos.  I am SO excited!

Who knew I transform this ugly underlayment with just paint and varnish:

For a tutorial and pictures of the process, click HERE. 

Decorate for Christmas and Halloween at the same time...

I started decorating for Fall and Halloween today and I wanted to share one of my little tips with you today.  When decorating my front porch, I always start with my Christmas garland.  It gives me a chance to fluff and secure it without it being 20 degrees and possibly even snowing.  I also add the lights, making sure they work and simply don't plug them in.

Once the holiday garland is up, I simply take my fall garlands and adhere them to the evergreen garland.  It makes it much easier to put up the fall garland and makes it all look so full.  The Autumn garland against the green brings in all the colors of Fall and I love the way it looks.

When it comes time for Christmas,  I simply remove the garlands, add my bows and in less than 10 minutes, I can easily switch over from Autumn to Christmas.

I added pumpkin lights on top of the Fall garland and we are ready for October tricks and treats!

Yellow Ducks! Adorable Baby Shower...

I went to my niece's baby shower this past Sunday and it was SO adorable I simply had to share.  Ever since she was a little girl, she loves ducks.  Her first word was even "duck".  So when it came time to plan her baby shower, her Mom and sister didn't have to try to hard to pick a theme - little baby yellow ducks!  Here is the cake - isn't it the cutest thing ever?  My sister's sister-in-law made it all by hand.

Ok did you ever see a cute bowl of punch in your life?  They bought a TON of the little yellow ducks at the dollar store and washed them all and put them all over the house.  It was adorable!

These were the adorable centerpieces.  Easy to make but SO cute!

 Here are more ducks, balloons and pink carnations (it's a girl) and their own mobile.

I normally don't post pictures of people but this is such a very special couple I felt the need to share their happiness.  They are just beaming!  If you knew their story and their heartache and incredibly long and arduous road to have a baby, you wouldn't believe it.  But they are finally blessed and on Black Friday - how great is that- they will have their miracle!  Funny that Kelly said depending what time her delivery it - she may want to stop at Target for a doorbuster or two on the way to the hospital!  LOL!