Decor – Framed Floral Shadowbox

Posted on March 27, 2014 by barbara

We are a family that loves to travel and see different parts of the United States, hence the numerous travel posts on this blog. We enjoy finding historic or scenic destinations to experience and learn about both local sites and locations in other states. Whenever our family travels on local weekend day trips or longer road trips that last for a couple of weeks at a time, we always try to take fun photos to remember those happy times. In this post I will discuss two special travel photos that were framed in shadowboxes and combined with artificial flowers to create wonderful mementos of our travel experiences.

The library room of our home is filled with our numerous family travel mementos and it gives us great pleasure to look at them and remember fun times at some great places. Having these travel items displayed in the library has also proven to lead to great conversations with family and friends that have visited our home. (For more information and decorating tips on displaying travel photos and souvenirs, please click on the Décor Post – Displaying Travel Souvenirs)

The first step to creating the travel-themed framed floral shadowboxes discussed in this post is finding the appropriate frame with some space between the photo mat and the glass front. This is very important because the artificial flowers that are being used for the project need to have some enough room to be displayed without being flattened against the frame’s glass. Craft Tip: Sometimes finding shadowbox frames that fit the project size and color specifications might not be available, so when I see shadowbox frames on sale at our local craft stores I always purchase extra ones to have on hand for future craft projects.

Another key element in creating the framed floral shadowboxes is the selection of the photo. When selecting a photo chose one that has something of interest – it could be a person, an animal or maybe a building such as a barn. Then, using a computer with a photo application (I use Picasa) crop the photo so that the focus of the picture is slightly offset to the opposite side that the flowers will be display within the frame. When you are happy with the cropped version, print a copy of photo selecting a size that would fit into the frame. Next, disassembled the frame, cut the flowers stems to fit the size of the frame and then inserted the flowers off to one side fitting them between the frame and the glass. When you are happy with the placement of the flowers, insert the photo into the frame and reassembled the backing.

The final element is the selection of the floral items to be displayed within the shadowbox frame. In the two examples shown below, I tried to color coordinate the type of flower with the photo that I selected. Another thing to keep in mind when choosing flowers is the size or scale of the flowers should be in proportion to the size of the photo and frame. Larger photos and frames would require larger flowers while smaller photos and frames would require smaller flowers. Also in the two examples I used artificial flowers but dried flowers can also be used.

First example of a travel-themed framed floral shadowbox –

During one of our weekend day trips back in 2005 we visited the California Poppy Reserve located near Los Angeles, CA where we took several photos of the beautiful scenery that sunny spring day and one of those photos was a cute picture of our daughter wearing a yellow shirt and crouching behind some orange poppy plants. Using this photo I wanted to create a shadowbox to display in our library home. Taking inspiration from the colorful flowers that we saw during our visit to the reserve I found some artificial flowers that looked very similar to poppies. I was very happy with the result of this easy craft project and the photo is now displayed on the shelf in the library of our home. (For more information about our trip to the reserve which we highly recommend if you are in the area during the wildflower bloom in early spring, please check out the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve travel post)

Second example of a travel-themed framed floral shadowbox –

In 2006, our family took another weekend trip to the Lompoc Flowers Fields located in Central California. It was another beautiful and sunny day during our visit and the fields of flowers were beautiful. One of the photos we took that day is of our daughter wearing a purple shirt standing in front of rows of colorful sweet-peas. Taking inspiration from her purple shirt, I used a few stems of artificial lavender that coordinated with the colors of the pale pink, purple and bright red sweet-peas. I think the framed floral looks great displayed in our home.

(For more information and decorating tips on displaying travel photos and souvenirs, please click on the Décor Post – Displaying Travel Souvenirs)

Decor – Decorating a China Cabinet

Posted on February 27, 2014 by barbara

There is one item in a house that we normally do not think of as a decorative piece of furniture; it is the dining room china cabinet. Most people would think the only function of a china cabinet is to store their fine china dinnerware, crystal glasses or silver serving pieces when they are not being used for a formal luncheon or dinner in the dining room. In this post I am going to show how I display the items in our china cabinet and also how I change some of the decorative items seasonally throughout the year for many different holiday styles.

Decorating a china cabinet

Shown below is a photo of how I have decorated our china cabinet and this is how it looks during most of the year and I am sure it looks a lot like a typical china cabinet display. Inside on the top two shelves of the china cabinet I have displayed pieces from our Noritake Rothschild china; each of the eight place settings has a dinner plate, luncheon plate, salad or dessert plate, soup bowl and cup/saucer. The china is very special to me because it was a wedding gift from my mother. To add some interest to the cabinet I have displayed the dinner plates on edge so the delicate floral pattern of the plate is shown, there is a groove on the glass shelf to prevent the plates from moving. I also have added eight glass and silver plate chargers that are displayed beneath each of the stacked place settings.

Displayed with the china are four sets of Tiffany crystal glasses that were a wedding present from a good friend, each set has a champagne glass and a wine glass. On the top shelf I have displayed two vintage crystal champagne glasses that were given to me by my mother. I have a very sentimental idea that when my children get married I will loan them the set as the “something old” from their maternal grandparents and it can be used as their wedding “toasting glasses”. (Unfortunately, in the photo above the bright light shining on the top shelf does not allow the vintage glasses to be seen)

Inside the china cabinet I have also displayed several silver serving pieces. On the second shelf there are two small silver candlesticks. On the bottom shelf there are two round silver serving trays and placed on top on the left is a silver pitcher and on the right is a silver and glass pitcher. In the middle of the bottom shelf there is a mirrored silver stand that is made in three sections, one square piece and two half rounded pieces. I really like the versatility of stand since I can displayed the three pieces together for one long surface or separately, the square piece can be used as one stand or the two half pieces can be joined together to form a round stand. During most of the year I displayed a silver oval-shaped covered serving piece on the top of the silver stand using all three pieces. Shown below are two photos of how I have used the mirrored silver stand in other displays. The photo on the right shows the stand used during the fall/winter season, I have displayed a set of three Currier and Ives porcelain house complete with small pine trees and several figurines. The photo on the left shows the stand when it was used a couple of years ago on the dining room table as part of a New Year’s Party buffet, displayed on top of the stand is a beautiful floral arrangement of white poinsettias and crystal sprays in a silver bowl. (For more information and photos about the other decorations for the party, please check out the Décor post New Year’s Party decorations)

The last decorative items that are displayed in the china cabinet are several Napoleon Capodimonte porcelain rose figurines. On the top shelf is a Napoleon white porcelain rose figurine which I had given to my mother as a birthday present many years ago because white roses were her favorite flower. When she died recently the piece came back to me and it is displayed near my mother’s vintage glasses. On the second shelf I have displayed another Napoleon porcelain rose figurine, the cluster of roses are a beautiful pale pink and the figurine is set on a small silver candleholder which I’ve used as a stand. On the bottom shelf of the china cabinet I have displayed two more Napoleon porcelain rose figurines, these two figurines are a lovely deep shade of pink roses with stems and they are placed on top of the round silver trays on the left and right.

Seasonal china cabinet decorations

When decorating a china cabinet for the different holidays you will want to take into consideration that it is already filled with china, crystal and silver pieces so select just a few simple but elegant decorative seasonal items the compliment the colors of the china. I am lucky because the Nortitake Rothschild pattern of my china is very neutral in color and the season items that I use blend very well with the other items already on display.

Spring/Easter –

Several years ago I found four large silver and white glass eggs in a local retail store and for the Easter holiday I set the eggs inside four of the Noritake china tea cups which sit atop the stacked china place settings. I also have collected a Hallmark series of Peter Rabbit themed ornaments over the years and I display these around the china cabinet resting against some of the teacups. I think these Easter decorations add the perfect touch to decorating the china cabinet for the season.

Patriotic –

For the Fourth of July holiday I was looking for some patriotic decorations for the china cabinet. I wanted something that would match the elegance of the china, crystal and silver items already displayed in the cabinet. A few years ago I had purchased four large stars made out of mirrors and trimmed in silver and they looked wonderful placed in the china tea cups and are a simple and the perfect patriotic touch.

Fall/Autumn –

Once again I was looking for simple yet elegant decorative items to add to the china cabinet for the Halloween and Thanksgiving seasons. I couldn’t find anything that I like in my local retail stores so I decided to make them. I found two small ceramic pumpkins in my local craft store that I painted orange with green stems and decorated them with small topaz-colored crystals. I placed the pumpkins on the two of the china tea cups and they looked wonderful in the china cabinet with the light reflecting off the crystals. (For a supply list and instructions on making the jeweled pumpkins, please check out the Craft post link Jeweled Pumpkins)

Finally, when decorating a china cabinet think about using the area outside of the cabinet to incorporate some design elements for the holiday seasons. Shown below are three photos of the china cabinet decorated for the Fall and Christmas seasons. When we lived in California our dining room had very high ceiling and I wanted to take advantage of that height by decorating the top of the cabinet with a pine garland. The first photo was taken during Christmas 2002 and features the pine garland decorated with red poinsettias and holly leaves. The second photo was taken during the Fall season in 2003 and it featured the pine garland decorated with a variety of fruit and berries. The third photo was taken during Christmas 2003 and it features sugared fruit accented with a red silk ribbon. (For more information about these decorations, check out the Décor post My Christmas Decorations from Past Years)

As you can see, there are a variety of ways to decorate a china cabinet. The important thing to remember is to keep the decorations to a minimum since the china, crystal and silver are the stars of the show!!

Decor – Framed Jewelry

Posted on February 18, 2014 by barbara

Have you ever thought of displaying a special piece of jewelry? Maybe you have a favorite brooch, a beautiful cameo, a lovely vintage pin or a sentimental vintage piece of jewelry from a loved one. Take a look inside your jewelry box and I am sure you could find something that would look wonderful displayed on a side table in the bedroom or living room bookshelf. Small inexpensive frames can be purchased at craft stores and the jewelry can be attached to pieces of velvet, leather of felt material or the frame itself. When selecting a frame and material to display a piece of jewelry keep in mind the color, shape and style of item. Shown below are a few of the jewelry pieces that I have framed and displayed in our home.

This first item of jewelry is a mother of pearl pin that I had during my childhood. When I was a young girl living in Southern California as a special treat my mother would sometimes take us to the Farmer’s Market shopping center for the afternoon. We would drive over “the hill” on Mulholland Drive from the San Fernando Valley to Los Angeles. There was a food court and various booths selling delicious things to eat and we would enjoy lunch there watching all the interesting people. Farmer’s Market also had several small stores selling all kinds of merchandise and one of those stores sold personalize wired jewelry such as pins and bracelets. The pin that you see below is over fifty years old (can it really be that long ago!) and it is displayed attached to a small gold frame with a picture of me taken back in the 1960s.

I enjoy shopping in antique stores and on EBay and I have purchased many vintage jewelry items over the years. Vintage jewelry pieces look beautiful displayed in small frames and would add an elegant touch to any décor, such as side table in a bedroom. Shown below is a piece of vintage jewelry that I purchased on EBay; it is a beautiful crystal fur clip. (before it became “politically incorrect” to wear fur, sophisticated ladies would attach jeweled clips to their fur stoles or jackets) The sparkling fur clip is attached to a piece of white velvet and displayed in a small gold frame.

Traditionally, cameos are hand-carved three dimensional portraits or scenes on conch shells or semi-precious stones and look especially lovely in small frames displayed in a home. The two framed cameos shown below are made of resin and they were purchased for a very inexpensive price from a source on EBay. The first one is a large blue and white cameo that I attached to a piece of dark grey velvet and displayed in a small oval silver frame with stand that could be displayed on a table or bookshelf. The second one is a smaller black and ivory cameo also attached to dark grey velvet and displayed in a small black oval frame trimmed in gold with black ribbon that could be used for hanging on a wall; this one is hung above a light switch as a decorative accent.

Another EBay item which I purchase from a source England can be seen below, it is a silver dragon pin that I bought shortly after our daughter was born in 2000 which was the Chinese Year of the Dragon. It should make a great remembrance to mark the occasion and I hope when she is older she will display it in her home. I found a round frame in a rustic brown color and I attached the dragon pin to a piece of leather to give it a distinct “medieval” style when it is displayed.

The next two pieces of jewelry are contemporary items purchased recently in a retail store. The first one is a lovely blue enameled butterfly that it simply attached to a blue frame which holds a picture of my daughter taken on a recent road trip to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. I think the bright color of the frame and butterfly pin look great with the outdoor photo.

The next item is a black crystal spider pin that is perfect for displaying with a Halloween photo. The pin is attached to a simple gold frame which holds a picture of my son taken when he was a vampire for Halloween.

One thing to keep in mind when shopping for jewelry to display is that you are not limited to pins. Here are some other suggestions:

Earrings – buy two sets and attach to each corner of the frame
Necklaces – drape a necklace from one corner of the frame to the other or you can buy several and attach around the frame opening

Next time you are in the jewelry section of your favorite retail store look for seasonal jewelry that would look great attached to a photo frame or if you are shopping at an antique store or on EBay look for great antique jewelry that you can frame and display.

Don’t forget those sentimental pieces of jewelry, here are some suggestions:

A mother’s or grandmother’s brooch, earrings or necklace
A father’s or grandfather’s cuff links
A special cross or medal received for a first communion
A sport, dance or cheer medal attached to a frame
A soldier’s dog tags or service medals

Decor – Adding Personality to a Home

Posted on January 8, 2014 by barbara

Many years ago I envisioned my home as a place filled with family photographs, travel mementos, a collection of interesting books and other various decorative items that would bring a smile to my face … and that is exactly how I would describe the home that I live in today with my family.

My approach to adding personality to a room is displaying interesting pieces and decorative items throughout a home that have special meaning to our family so that when guests visit these items will tell a story of our life or convey our personal interests and this can be a wonderful starting point for conversations. Decorating a home with family photos and memorabilia are wonderful ways to remember the people and important events that hold special memories in our lives and they are an important way to surround ourselves with family love and heritage. Displaying decorative items gathered throughout the years, such as travel souvenirs or themed collectibles also convey our interests and hobbies. So, let me get started with some ideas and suggestions for adding personality to your home!

Family photos

Decorating with family photos is a perfect opportunity to add our family’s character and personality into a room. Every year, just before my children’s birthday, I always schedule an appointment at the portrait studio at our local department store. These formal portraits are displayed throughout our house; some are in the bookshelf in our family room, the upstairs hallway and in our daughter’s bedroom. It is a wonderful way to show how our children have grown and changed over the years!

In a bookshelf to the left of our family room fireplace are a collection of family photos. As mention, some of the photos are our children’s formal portraits but others include old family photos such as childhood photos of me and my husband and also my parent’s wedding portrait. Other family photos are more informal and were taken at family events over the years. I love the fact that when guests come to visit they are able to see in one place in our home photos of all of our family members taken at various times in our lives.

Displayed in another room of our house, in our master bedroom are formal wedding portraits of my husband and I and these are displayed on the dresser along with childhood photos of the both of us. I really like the idea of displaying the childhood photos and our wedding photos together because there is such a lovely contrast of the past and it is fun to see how we looked when we were younger!

As you can see, I like to surround ourselves with photos taken over the years but not all of them need to be formal portraits. Examples of this are the informal photos taken on family vacations and trips that are displayed in the bookshelves of our home library. Our family loves to travel to places such as national parks or historic sites but we also enjoy getting out into nature by hiking or fishing. Looking at these photos always brings back wonderful memories of fun times and interesting places spent together as a family.

For more information about displaying family photos, please check out the following post, Not Your Normal Wall Art!

Family memorabilia

Over the years I have collected several items that can be classified as family memorabilia. The idea for displaying these pieces throughout our home is to remember special events or important times in our lives. Here are a few examples:

Displayed in the upstairs hallway of our home is a large wedding portrait with the date of our marriage inscribed on a small gold plaque and on the mat surrounding the portrait are the signatures of our wedding guests. To the left of this piece is another series of four photos taken on our wedding day with our families. These two sentimental pieces commemorate that special day at the start of our lives together as husband and wife.

Two more family memorabilia pieces displayed in our home are hung on the wall above the bed in my daughter’s room. The two framed pieces commemorate her baptism and her first birthday, two important events in her childhood. Using an uncut mat board and some special scrapbook paper that was signed by the guests that were in attendance at those two events and then later framed in matching golden frames I created these two pieces that will hopefully be something my daughter will treasure forever as a unique childhood heirloom.

Sometimes other important influences in our lives are the places we have lived. In the dining room of our home I have displayed two framed pieces of sheet music. The first one is “My Kind of Town” as sung by Frank Sinatra which is often referred to as the “Chicago” song. Chicago is a special place in my family history because my mother was born there and my parents met, married and lived there before moving to California. The other framed sheet music is of the song “San Fernando Valley” as sung by Bing Crosby. This is another important place to me because that is where I was born and raised and I have very fond memories of living there as a child.

For more information about displaying family memorabilia commemorating special events, please check out the following post, Not Your Normal Wall Art!

Travel Souvenirs

Our family enjoys traveling across the United States and we also have traveled to different parts of Europe to see family and friends and my husband has visited parts of Asia while he was getting his master’s degree. All of these travel experiences have provided us with interesting opportunities to learn about our country and the world and we have thoroughly enjoyed our time together as a family visiting these places.

During these travels we have collected various items and these are displayed in the library of our home. The bookcases are filled with interesting souvenirs, such as a weapon made from sharks teeth purchased at the Polynesian Culture Center in Hawaii, Polish dolls and a city certificate commemorating our visit to Krakow in Poland, a piece of the Berlin Wall and framed Edelweiss from a trip to Germany, two jade lions displayed with a photo from my husband’s visit to Asia and a photo of our family taken at the Kennedy Space Center displayed with a model of the Space Shuttle. All these unusual items are displayed as reminders of wonderful trip that we have taken over the years and are also great way to start interesting conversations with guests visiting our home.

The other parts of the bookshelves are also filled with rocks, minerals and fossils that my husband has collected over the years. This interesting hobby is highlighted in a post that he wrote recently called “The Rock Guy”. Please click on the link to check out how he started his collection and information about the different items.

On the opposite wall in the library is another bookshelf filled with beach memorabilia that I have collected throughout the years. Living in California our family has spent many wonderful hours at the beach walking along the shore, playing in the sand and watching the waves and some very beautiful sunsets over the Pacific Ocean. We have collected many seashells from the beaches of Southern California and on our visits to the east coast in North Carolina and Florida. These seashells are also displayed with family photos from those trips and decorative pieces that tell the story of our love for the beach and the oceans.

For more information and suggestions on how to display these items, please check out the following posts: Displaying Travel Souvenirs and Beach Memorabilia

Themed Collectibles

Over the years I have collected several themed items that are displayed throughout our home and reflect my interests and hobbies. I have several different series of collectible plates that displayed in various rooms, such as Danbury Mint National Park plates that hang above the bookshelves in our library and within the bookshelves are several plates displayed on easels, two collectible nature plates of ducks and wolves and a Native American decorative plate we bought during our southwest travels. These collectible plates are another reminder of our family travels and our love and respect for nature and animals. For more information about the other collectible plates displayed in our home, please check out the post Decorating with Plates.

Living in California our family has been going to Disneyland since it opened in 1955 and we have spent many wonderful times together as a family enjoying the “happiest place on earth”. Over the years I have started a collection of Disney memorabilia including Disneyland items, Mickey Mouse, Pinocchio and Disney princess figurines and these items are displayed in a trio of glass door bookshelves in the basement of our home and reflect our family’s love for all things Disney! For more information, please check out Disney Memorabilia Collection.

Another special collection displayed in our home is my Boyd’s Bear figurines and stuffed animals. In the library of our home is an oak bookcase which displays some of my favorite Boyd’s Bear figurines, some of these items are changed seasonally. Additional holiday Boyd’s Bear items are displayed in other rooms of our home. My collection of the whimsical Boyd’s Bears items never fails to put a smile on my face and brings joy to my heart! For more information, please check out the following posts: Displaying a Boyd’s Bear Collection Part One and Part Two.

In conclusion, decorating a home with family photographs, travel mementos, a collection of interesting books and other various decorative items is a wonderful way to reflect a family’s interests and hobbies. For additional examples about adding decorative pieces that will add personality to a room, please check out the following Décor posts, Framing Small Items and Home Office. In addition, please check out the Craft Section of this blog for some wonderful projects, such as Embellished Photo Frames.

Decor – My Christmas Decorations from Past Years (Part One)

Posted on December 16, 2013 by barbara

When we lived in California, I decorated our house for Christmas in a very different way from our Midwest home. I used artificial pine garland in several of the rooms, including the living room, family room, dining room and kitchen. Pine garland is a wonderful Christmas decorating accessory to use and it can be very versatile with the use of different items added from one room to another to get a wonderful variety of looks.

As I discussed in last month’s Décor post, Fall decorations, in our previous home in California I used several lengths of pine garland set up in both the living room and dining room decorations with golden roses, berries and oak leaves with pre-strung with lights because the intent was to leave the garland in place until Christmas. This was meant to save time during the holiday decorating process and the accessories in the garland would be changed from the Fall to the Christmas seasons. In both rooms there were large oak pieces of furniture, an oak entertainment center in the living room and an oak china cabinet in the dining room, and the garland was secured into place at the top of each.

For the 2002 Christmas season, I removed the Fall decorations and added red poinsettias with red berries and holly leaves. The inspiration for this was a trip had recently made down to Encinitas, California to the Ecke farm that grows poinsettias which are marketed and shipped throughout the United States during the holiday season. I started the arrangement by inserting several artificial poinsettias into the existing garland and in between the flowers I added holly leaves and red berries. The contrast of the green pine garland and the red poinsettias was very festive for Christmas. Both arrangements in the living room and the dining room used the same decorations.

For the 2003 holiday season, I decided to do a different arrangement in the dining room. I thought it would be appropriate to incorporate artificial fruit into the garland for a food themed arrangement that was reflected in the still life painting over the china cabinet. I started by lacing red burgundy colored ribbon throughout the artificial pine garland. Next, I secured artificial “sugared” fruit onto the garland; I used grapes, apples and pears. I think it made a wonderful display and looked very elegant in the dining room and the arrangement was used for both the Fall and Christmas seasons. (Please check out the craft post, Victorian centerpiece, to see how I repurposed the “sugared” fruit into a lovey arrangement that I used last year in our Midwest home for the holiday season)

In our California home, I always decorated our kitchen with a gingerbread and candy theme for the Christmas season. To start the 2002 decorations, I hung an artificial pine garland over the window. I had found various candy themed items in the local craft stores, such as artificial chocolate candies, white chocolate covered strawberries and white “Icing” snowflakes. These items were secured to the garland and the decorations looked perfect for the kitchen.

In keeping with my decorating style of constantly changing my holiday displays, for the 2003 Christmas I again used an artificial pine garland and laced a cute “Ho,Ho,Ho” red and white ribbon through the garland. I still used the artificial chocolate candies but that year I added artificial gumdops, peppermint candies and red and white lollipops. All these items were secured to the garland and once again the contrast of red and green colors looked great for the Christmas season. As you can see for the photos of the kitchen garland for one year to the next, the same candy theme was used but with different accessories the garlands had to distinct and different looks.

For the last garland arrangement in our California house, I used another artificial pine garland for the fireplace mantel, this Christmas decoration was featured in the Décor post, Displaying a Boyd’s Bear Collection – Part Two. I had found a string of amber pinecone lights in a local store and strung them through the garland. Next, I evenly spaced my collection of Boyd’s Bear ornament nestled among the pine boughs. To finish the display I added several real pinecones and red berries scattered throughout the garland.

As you can see by moving from one house to another I adapted by Christmas decorations and used the items in new and different ways. I hope this inspires you to take a look as your Christmas decorations as you unpack them from their storage boxes and think about displaying those items in fun and different ways in the rooms of your home.

The Enchanted Manor

a lifestyle blog by Barbara Jones

Tag Archives: Decor

Decor – Framed Floral Shadowbox

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Decor – Decorating a China Cabinet

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Decor – Framed Jewelry

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Decor – Adding Personality to a Home

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Decor – My Christmas Decorations from Past Years (Part One)

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