Let it Glow, Let it Glow, Let it Glow!

(via my Instagram)

This week I've been a little slow at breaking out the Christmas decorations, but I did add a small, but effective holiday touch to my home already. I wrapped a large Amish-made iron star that I have in a set of glowing lights. Just an accent, the beaming star put me right in the holiday spirit.
Now I'm ready to dive headfirst into decorating this weekend...Christmas tree and all. 

My lit-up star is a nod to this wreath, covered in multi-colored retro lights:

(via Real Simple)

When I plug in the lights on my star, I get a little song in my heart: 

"Let it glow, let it glow, let it glow."

Be sure to visit Meet Me in Philadelphia on Monday because I'm sharing my first Christmas craft of the season (and many more to follow!). Happy weekend, friends!

Festive Holiday Plants and Flowers

Though harvest time is over and outdoor plantings have started their long winter sleep, our homes can still show signs of nature deep into the season. Sure, we bring all sorts of coniferous plants inside during the month of December, but there are several types of flowering plants that add a punch of color to our homes during the holidays. 

Giving the Gift of Art (Florals & Landscapes)

We're now in the midst of holiday shopping season, aren't we? It's easy to pick up a gift card or another non-specific item, but when you want to give someone on your shopping list a really special gift, I suggest going with a piece of art. Of course, buying art for someone in your life requires some knowledge of their style and preferences...but that's why floral pieces with a floral or landscape subject work for most people. 

A Thanksgiving Jaunt to Maine

Last week was a quiet one here on Meet Me in Philadelphia because Adam and I headed out on Tuesday to make our way to Connecticut to meet up with my parents and then on to Maine to all spend Thanksgiving together with my extended family there. During our trek up north, we stopped in Kittery, Maine to enjoy our usual before-Thanksgiving feast at Bob's Clam Hut.

Sharing Our Blessings at Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving holiday is one day a year that we as a nation intentionally and consciously stop fretting over  the busyness at work or worrying about the newness of our smart phones and, instead, we count our blessings. One blessing that I admit to often overlooking is having access to enough nutritious food to sustain me; but this time of year it's more important than ever to remember that millions of Americans (1 in 6, in fact) do not have enough to eat.

Under-the-Stairs Built-in Storage Revealed!

Just in time for Thanksgiving, I'm happy to reveal our new under-the-staircase built-in storage!

If I Knew Then What I Know Now: Real Estate Edition

You'd have to be living under a rock over the last decade not to have seen the bevy of house-buying shows on HGTV. I, for one, started watching "House Hunters" when I was in high school and I remember at the time thinking, "Huh, these people are really particular" or "Can't they see the potential here? It's just the owner's furniture that they dislike" or "Why are they going with the house that's at the very top of their price range?" Many more shows have aired about the house-buying process, but the more I see the more I feel like it's all a bunch of noise. 

So, today I'm turning to you all:

Vintage Floral Painting...Now, New and Improved!

This week has gotten away from me but before it does, I wanted to share a picture of the newly spiffed-up vintage floral painting that I bought while I was in New Jersey a few weeks ago. The frame was pretty nicked, so I applied a generous coat of liquid gold leaf as an accent. The original matting was haggard and yellowed and the pretty acrylic painting deserved something better, so I sprung for a new white mat.

Old art like this, unearthed from an antique shop, makes me a little wistful. It makes me daydream about the person who painted it or the person who admired it long before it was my turn to do so. I bet he or she loved it as much as I will.

Boring Baskets Be Gone: My Basket Makeover

Yesterday, we chatted about the unique treatments that can enhance a plain and simple basket. I teased that I had completed my own basket transformation and, now, here it is!

My 50¢ thrift store basket, despite its humble origins, became an understated plaster cachepot that could have easily been purchased at an antique shop. I'm in love and that's all there is to it.

Banish the Boring Baskets

Let's all be honest for a minute, folks: 

Up until recently we all thought wicker and rattan baskets were a little granny, am I right? It turns out, there are a lot of fun ways to incorporate spiffed-up baskets in your home without the results screaming 'geriatric'.

Distracted

*Update*: My father's procedure on Thursday went well and he is resting at home, getting his energy back. Thank you all for your incredibly kind comments! I am so grateful.

(Dad in his Army days; if you've ever seen me, you'll recognize that we look a lot alike)

Hi friends. I don't have a "real" post for you all today because, honestly, I've been very distracted lately. My father has been experiencing a lot physical problems related to his diabetes for the better part of a month. For a man who has worked steadily every weekday and many, many weekends, he has been relegated to bed in the hospital and at home. Today my father is going back into the hospital for another procedure, and his health is occupying my thoughts today.

I reference my parents often on the blog because much--if not the majority--of who and what I am can be attributed to who they are, so I hope you can understand why I'm having a hard time focusing on projects and the like. 

Any positive thoughts, prayers and well-wishes you can spare lately would be so appreciated.

Give me some time and I'll be with you once my head is back in the right place.