Shelf Life

Hello again.  I'm happy to report that the kids and I had safe travels to Florida and back for my grandfather's funeral.  All went well and it was a very special time spent with lots of family.

Since I just got back I don't have any projects to share with you yet, but I thought it might be fun to show you how the shelf in our living room has been changed up over the past year.  Unfortunately, we don't have a fireplace, therefore, no mantel to decorate.  So this shelf over the couch has to make do for now.

Here it is around this time last year.  After Christmas, it stayed this way for several months with no changes.  On top of that stack of books is my vintage wooden folding ruler that I later turned into a star for my bicycle basket Christmas "wreath."  (It has changed shapes again and is currently being used elsewhere, and I hope to show you that soon.)

Then, sometime in late June I changed out the cow picture for my picket fence flag that I've had forever.  (I had my house all decked out in Americana when we first got married almost 10 years ago.  The flag is the only piece I couldn't part with.)  I also added some red and blue game pieces to the clear jar on the right.  No huge changes, but just enough to give a nod to Summer and Independence Day.  The photo on the left is of my adorable nephew posing in a Navy seaman's hat with a fake tattoo on his little bulging bicep that says "Mommy."  (His mama was in the Navy at the time).  So cute!

Then along came mid-September and out came all the Fall decor and it got a complete makeover.  You can see more details about it here.

Another change was in order for Christmas as well.

(Christmas decor post is here.)

Then January brought the snowman decor.  (In hindsight, I wish I had put the smaller hanging snowman on the left and that larger one on the right.  It would have balanced out better.  Oh well.)

And this is how it looks now.

I don't really decorate for Valentine's Day, other than letting the kids put window clings on the living room window, and some other homemade type crafts.  But I added the little wooden blocks as a little extra in honor of V-day.  I slipped a cherished old photo of my husband's grandparents when they were young into the antique shoe form to make it a bit more functional.  I think it makes a pretty cute picture holder.

On either side of the shelf I have family photos displayed with vintage wooden trouser hangers.  I'm loving the look.

So there's a little look back at the changes I've made this year.  I've found that reading other blogs, and having my own blog, has challenged me to come up with new displays and vignettes when I might otherwise have just reverted back to how it looked last year.  I think a little stretching of the mind is good for one's soul.  : )