Taking a simple break to breathe

Oh how thankful I am for a moment to sit and just breathe.

Do you too long for simplicity after the Christmas holidays?

It is so bitter cold out, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the sprigs of lavendar that I cut today.

The plant is still so beautiful and fragrant ...I wasn't expecting that.

Enjoy your weekend!

Jan

A dusting of snow and then...

The wind howled ...darting this way and that all around our villa leaving behind a beautiful dusting of snow.
Then the snow melted and these appeared...

these beautiful geese.  Didn't see any last year, but this year they are BIG and hungry!

Christmas Tour 2012

Christmas is for creating memories...

Starting and keeping traditions...

For hugs and gifts from Santa...

And no matter where you roam ... a place to call home!

Resources:  Photography by Jan @ BellaCasa, TheBellaCasaBlog.com

Merry Christmas 2012

It is beginning to feel like Christmas

In honor of those who have served, sacrificed, and supported a Veteran.

To my loving husband.

~Jan

yard art in the garden

Well I took a walk through my tiny garden today ...wanted to capture some of the last color out there before it disappears for the year.

Hope you enjoy the yard art from my garden.

Participating at ::

French Country Cottage for

Feathered Nest Friday

he was just hanging around... I took him home

I really didn't plan to spend any money on Halloween decorations this year, but he was just so darn cute!

There he was just hanging around all by himself. . .

he waved and even tried to wink, but without eyeballs...

Anyway, since he was the only skeleton left on the shelf and he was 50% off, I bought him and took him home for my...

front door.

You could tell that he'd been hanging around for awhile...

Sometimes the simpliest of things can make such a big difference.

Participating at ::

Savy Southern Style for

Wow Us Wednesday

antique dutch window screen

I love my antique dutch window screen.

I placed it in a window in my Sun Room to help filter the sunlight on the plants there.

The dutch use these screens in their windows ...just as I have here.

I bought this screen while living in Holland and it is one of the many treasures I cherish from that time in my life.

When I look at it ...it reminds me of my time in The Netherlands.  My home there, the friends I made, the traditions ...all wonderful memories.

Participating At ::

Primp Junktion for

Primp Your Stuff Wednesday

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Katherines Corner for

Thursday Favorite Things

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 French Country Cottage for

Feathered Nest Friday

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Common Ground for

Vintage Inspiration

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My Romantic Home for

Show and Tell Friday

The wonder of all the bright and colorful leaves is so stunning this time of year and to think ...all one has to do is drive or take a walk to admire it ...fabulous!

Bring those colors inside for an easy way to decorate for the Fall.

Living is Joy enough

Wow ...it has been a busy, busy last few months and I am so very grateful for each and every one of those months.

Since the repainting of the paneling in the downstairs of my home last month, I haven't been able to get much re-decorating done.  I've been wrapped up with other projects, but I'm not complaining.  Each and every project I worked on turned out to be a labor of love.  Being able to give back to others ...the smile it put on their faces made me realize my house could wait just a bit longer.

I was able to get my pot rack hung.  Today I show you a sneak peak ...primarily of my Italian bowl that is filled with apples at the moment.

I hope you...

Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough

~Emily Dickenson

~Jan

Summer Time At BellaCasa

Yesterday I posted about one part of my Living Room redo that you can see here in case you missed it.
The other side of the room is where the focal point and fireplace wall is located.
During the warmer months of the year, we close-up the fireplace and use it for extra seating.  I added large coordinating pillows to the seating area and then pulled our antique table up to the hearth.  The table is on wheels which makes it easy to move about the room to be used in so many ways.

 The fireplace wall is the wall directly opposite the entrance into the Living Room which makes it a great focal point.

The room is meant to be warm and welcoming ...a room that beacones you inside ...a comfortable and enjoyable place where you can relax and be entertained.
~Jan @ BellaCasa

Joining:

WOW US WEDNESDAYS @ Savvy Southern Style

TRANSFORMATION THURSDAY @ The Shabby Creek Cottage

Tea Time

The house is coming back together {slowly ...by choice} after the painting was completed.
I deliberately decided to take my time getting the things downstairs put back so that I could decide what to keep and what to donate.  It is so much easier doing it that way ...at least for me.
After hauling things around for awhile ...yep, it was time for tea.
It was nice to get away from the paint smell too :)

~Jan @ BellaCasa

TEA TIME TUESDAY @ Rose Chintz Cottage

painted paneling

After over five years of {nagging} discussions, the dark stained paneling in our home is getting painted this week.  Yep ...painted :)

One of the things we loved about our home, when we first saw it, is the very thing that we were starting to dislike ...the dark stained paneling {more-so for me than my husband}.
Agreed ...the picture-framed paneling is beautiful, but a bit overwhelming and outdated when you consider that the entire downstairs floor is paneled dark.  We have beautiful dark-stained wall units from Belgium in our Living Room that are lost up again the dark stained paneled walls right now.
So...

I am sooooo excited that our home is getting a make-over.  I will keep you posted as the transition unfolds.  This is a huge undertaking that will make a huge difference in our home.  After the job of painting the paneled walls is complete, I will have the distinct privilege of re-decorating our home and plan on adding more of the Feng Shui principles I have learned about.
Pinch me ...I must surely be dreaming.
~Jan @ BellaCasa

lucky day tea service

Anyone that know me well, knows how much I love my hot tea and white ironstone collections.
Well over the weekend I had this urge to go shopping ...been looking for a silk tree and thought what the heck ...this could be my lucky day.

 I always walk thru the aisle where all the dishes are displayed first before going through the rest of the store to see what is new.

To my disappointment ...the shelves were very bare that day.  As I approached the third aisle   ...boom, there she was ...my beautiful new tea service.

And this isn't just any tea service.  This is the tea service I have been lusting longing for ever since the day I found the pitcher that goes with the collection.

Research led me to the Victorian Bird collection, but I couldn't find the pieces locally for sale.

I am now the proud owner of my first complete tea service...I am so very proud.
Passing on purchasing the coffee pot in the collection, I'm hopeful that it will still be at available the next time I'm shopping.  Then I'll have {what I think} is the complete collection {not quite sure since I believe the collection to be retired}.  This collection will one day belong to my daughter and for that, I am very grateful.

~Jan @ BellaCasa
{photos by:  Jan @ TheBellaCasaBlog.com, Tea Set:  by Coastline Imports, Victorian Bird collection @ Home Goods}