We're on Maizey time!

Hi All!  I'd like to say I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted, but the truth is I can.  It's been a wonderful break and for many good reasons.  It's amazing how much ones life can change within a few short months.

If you saw my last post then you know what's been keeping me occupied.  On July 11, my sweet little Maizey will be five months old.

 The sleepy little girl that you see here is usually quite rambunctious and full of herself.  Our beautiful little pup who is long overdue for her first formal grooming has literally turned out home and lifestyle upside down.   

Just today I have finally removed the coffee table from the living room after deciding it is just no longer safe to leave in the room.  No longer safe for her, not the table because it has long already been determined a loss. I am scared of all the wood splinters she has been eating after she has made a feast of the table legs and totally destroyed them.  In this picture you can see the plastic tubing that we had put over the dowel but you can also see she then went after the legs and the drawer underneath.  She's quite the little chewer!

And now here is our den this morning minus the coffee table, but did you notice...

it's minus the rug too?  We have rolled up almost all of the rugs in the house to keep them from being destroyed while she is being potty trained.  The two club chairs shown here are also showing some wear and will most likely be replaced after we pass the puppy teething stage.

In the kitchen the drink station has been converted to her own den though the only time she sleeps here is when I am at work because when were home she prefers total run of the house.

We brought two of the rockers from the front porch to the back porch so we could sit here with her.  Now that she's older she enjoys spending more time out in the yard though still on a leash. I like keeping the porch this way because she can be off the leash here and still feel as if she's outside.  It's not as cute and decorated as I might prefer but it's less for her to get into. 

Just outside the screened porch on the lower deck between our deck that spans the house and our pool we have recently put up a tent gazebo for shade.  It's on a collapsible frame that can be folded and put away.  I have been wanting one of these for awhile now and was so happy to find this one for a great price at Sams Club.  It is 13 x 13 in size.  I have also been eyeing a few pieces of outdoor furniture and rugs at Walmart that I may use to complete this new outdoor seating place.  I can imagine all sorts of beautiful ways to spruce up this spot but am trying to keep it as inexpensive and as minimal as possible due to keeping it thrifty and of course due to the puppy factor as well.

Life sure has changed around here, but it is all good.  I anticipated a lot of these changes prior to getting her which was very important.  Can you imagine the shock that some must go through if they aren't prepared for all the destruction that one little puppy can do?  LOL!  I knew ahead of time I would be replacing lots of things that might get chewed up or destroyed during the puppy years.  Since I had wanted to update some decor anyway it's not been a big issue...it's just a timing issue now.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope to be back again before too long to share my completed outdoor gazebo area with you.  But uh, truthfully don't hold your breath okay?  Even if I get it done soon, I'm not sure when I'll be back to share it because we're on Maizey time around here.  I'll try though!   

Hope you all are having a great summer so far!   

Welcome "Maizey" my new Cavababy

Hi Blog friends!  I am so excited to share these photos with you all.  If you are an FB friend I am sure you've already seen these so I hope you'll understand.

I would like to introduce you all to my new baby girl.

This is Maizey.  She is a Cavachon.  She is not considered full breed but is considered a Designer breed.  She is a mix between the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Bichon Frise.  

I have been wanting to add a new pup to our family for awhile now.  After doing a lot of research on what I felt would be the best fit for our family I found this breed, the Cavachons.

Cavachons come in assortment of colors.  My Maizey is considered apricot colored.  She will be between 10 to 15lbs fully grown. 

They are generally calm, friendly, social but loyal dogs loving the company of their owners.  Already she enjoys spending a great deal of time cozied up near me.

She is only 7 weeks old here and already on her way to learning potty and crate training, or maybe I am. LOL!  Oh well, she really does seem to be enjoying learning new things everyday.

She is still napping quite a bit in between her play times.  It really is much like having a newborn baby in the house.  We have rearranged the furniture again to allow for her crate and play yard.

But her favorite place to be is usually were ever I am.  She likes to lay by my feet even when she is not cuddled up on my lap as she is right now as I type this post.

I guess if you don't hear from me much, even less then you already are here's another good reason why.  I've still got a few projects I want to finish and share but they may be a bit delayed now.

Thanks so much for stopping by and meeting Maizey.

She sends her sweet puppy kisses and love to you all!

Happy Sunday!

Hurry Up Spring!

Yeah, I said it.... Hurry Up Already!  Right????  This has got to have been one of THE slowest arrivals of Spring I have seen in awhile.  My poor trees and flowers are just so confused. 

Thank goodness for Michaels and faux flowers or I'd have no flowers at all this year!

Yesterday we finally had a nice normal spring like day (hope it lasts) and I set out to my favorite local greenhouses to collect a few ferns and early bedding plants for all my pots around the house.  Guess what?  Can you imagine my frustrations after getting out the car at the closed gate and reading their sign that they have closed shop and retired?  Oh man!!!

So I tootled around a nearby antique store, came on back home, took a few pics of my den and spring mantle to share with you and went sailing with the hubby.  Love when he has Mondays off too!

I finally got the entire den repainted so I thought you might like to see.

The table here is new.  I recently purchased this at the same place I have my booth.  It was in pretty good shape but I did sand down the top and give the entire table a new stain and several clear coats.  Love how it turned out!

Speaking of new, you probably don't remember the curtains because they are fairly new too.  I got them from Kirklands.  I did like the brown and black plaid and the gold and cream plaid before them but I love, love, love, the turquoise.  

The new paint color is Muslin by Sherwin Williams.  It's the same as I used in the kitchen.  I just love how neutral it is and will look great with all three different colors of curtains should I want to change back.  

Here is a picture of my den from when I had the lighter creamier custom yellow color that I'd had for years.  I loved it but was ready for something new.

And here's the den with the Lucent Yellow that I had repainted not too long ago.  It doesn't show it here in these edited pics but it had a tendancy to put off a glowing color from time to time especially more so in my kitchen.  

And finally, here it is now!  All were great colors and just a tad different from each other. This one should stay awhile since it is neutral enough for me to change out the rest of the rooms elements as I want to and it's so easy on the eyes.

Since you have been so patient now, I will finally show you my spring mantle.

I've had it decorated for awhile but have not been to keen on showing you yet because I kept thinking it needed a bit more something.  

More bunnies maybe?

More eggs maybe?

Finally, I just decided I was done with it already since like outside it will most likely be very short lived this season.  LOL!  Sometimes you just gotta roll with it and move on.  Right?

On the other hand, I do love this little look down here!

Oh how I wish these were all over my yard instead!

Come on Spring!!!!!!

We're ready!!!!!

Have a great week Y'all!

Lazy Gal Decorating Tips

I had a great time this past weekend camping with my husband.  I will share more on that soon in another post because today I am being Mrs. Lazy...with a capital "L".  

It's always so hard for me to get motivated to do to much around the house after coming home from an enjoyable weekend, especially when the weather outside is so gloomy as it is today.

We actually have little bits of spring peeking out around the yard but its so cold and overcast that I can't even bear to go outside if I don't have to.  And, today I do not have too!

I decided instead to spread a little spring around inside.

Lazy gal decorating tip #1

Always keep a few clippings of faux flowers around in ziplock bags, like forever.  They don't even have to be the expensive kind if you like the simplicity of a certain flower.  You never know when the urge to use them will strike.

Lazy gal decorating tip #2

Always keep one or two small grapevine wreaths around as well.

These little wreaths add such a cute touch to just right spot and are a great way to switch out seasonal floral and greenery.

My favorite spot of late has been the small iron gate I hung in the half bath.  You may have remembered I had it decorated for Christmas and then Fall before that.  These small grapevine wreaths can easily be decorated with minimal expense and just look so cute.  I have even used the same ribbon in this spot for all three wreaths.  Why?  Because I love the checked black and white ribbon and find it neutral enough to go with all the seasons. 

Lazy Gal Decorating Tip #3

Throwing in bits of seasonal decor (no matter how small) gives the impression that you are on top of it.  Even if you are like me and get very busy and feel like you struggle to keep up.  A few small sprinklings of something seasonal and suddenly you seem on the ball, not to mention you may feel a lot better too.  Right?

Well, there you have it!

I love dogwoods and especially the story of the resurrection that they remind me of.  I could certainly spend quite a bit more for a fancier look but that's hard to do knowing it's going to change again very soon.  Besides I just didn't feel like going out today, ya know!

Ever have days like that?

Ever feel like a Lazy Gal Decorator?

Maybe we can start a club, oh wait, there already is one is called pinterest.  LOL!

Just kidding!

Have a great day!

Mardi Gras Tablescape 2014

Hey Y'all! Do you celebrate Mardi Gras?  Well, me neither....LOL!  But....I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to do a Mardi Gras tablescape.  I just love the colors and imagery of Mardi Gras!  I have only done one other MG tablescape shown HERE. It was such fun to do that one that when I realized Fat Tuesday was fast approaching us this week I just couldn't help but getting creative.

I shared a few peeks on Instagram on Tuesday because I didn't have time to do a whole post until this morning.  Remember you can find and follow me on Instagram now too.  I may be wrong but I think you can still sign up for Instagram online even if you don't a cell phone, just go to Instagram.com and add me The Decorative Dreamer.  Now lets take a closer a look!

This year rather then sticking with only the more traditional colors of Mardi Gras I decided to veer off in a different direction.  I added the color teal.  A whole lot of teal!

What spurred the addition of teal was my centerpiece.

I had on hand several sea glass rocks in teal shades that I layered with iridescent pebbles, added the masks and beads I still had from the last MG tablescape I did.

I then topped it off with Peacock feathers.  I am not sure but for some reason Peacock feathers remind me very much of Mardi Gras and New Orleans.  Perhaps it has something to do with all those beautiful hand made masks.

Next, I added my teal and green Mediterranean styled dishware.

I topped the teal dishes off with a more traditional colored green napkin and gold beaded napkin ring.  Remember green, gold and purple are the traditional colors of MG.

I had a little fun with the more excessive patterns found in both the place mats and table runner.  Both of these seemed to bring in a little more of that French flair that also seems to hover in my mind when I think of Mardi Gras.  N'est-ce pas?

Sparkly silverware and...

....purple goblets paired with crystal wine glasses etched in gold complete the place settings.

A few coins, candles and silver sprinkled throughout added just the touch of "reckless elegance", 

I was hoping for.  Love that phrase, I think I'll coin it.  LOL!

Anyone care to be my mystery guest?

This was so much fun!

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did creating it.

Have a great weekend friends!