A visit to Petitti's Wonderland

A few years ago, I discovered a gold mine of a store for gift shopping and holiday decor. Every year since, Petitti's Nursery has become a new favorite and must visit shop for the holiday season. I know they are a chain here in Northeast Ohio but unsure exactly how far they reach. If you have one anywhere near you, I highly recommend you stop in... it is NOT your neighborhood nursery anymore! The displays alone are so over the top compared to even modern department stores. Every year the displays change, making it a must visit for that reason alone. Below are some photos of this year's holiday wonderland.

A Mackenzie-Childs Holiday Touch

This year I decided to be a little simpler in the holiday decor, though I still want touches of cheer throughout my entire home. I decided in the kitchen to play on the Mackenzie Childs pieces I already have there and add in more inspired check touches.

Above the window I added the garland that I have used for the past few years but add in some harlequin black and white ribbon into the existing swag. I use this garland to hang my Christmas cards as they arrive. There is a strand of twine wrapped along the garland with small clothes pins I use to secure the cards. Down the center of the windows, I hung an apron in the same print that I found at a thrift store this year. 

Beneath the window is where the pups eat and I had to give them some holiday flair there as well. I hung their stockings for Coco and Dante as well as left them a small red truck that is hauling dog bones. Their food mat is one of the MacKenzie-Childs pieces I use year-round. 

I kept it simple on my counters and around the sink since I will be baking soon as well and need the space. I did though of course change my dishtowel out and my cleaning supplies to Mrs. Meyers holiday scents (use link to order and receive a free gift from Grove) as well as add a Bath &Body hand soap for the season. I also placed a small truck picture on top of the microwave. 

To the left on the wall near my Keurig I hung another truck picture I had with a touch of greenery and some of the harlequin ribbon again. Of course, on the stove I have to have a seasonal White Barn candle burning from Bath & Body. Aren't their candles just the best?

For the island as well, I kept it simple on the counters. I left my MacKenzie-Childs cutting board out and added some greenery and check ribbon above the Tuscan picture below the shelf. On the shelf, I tucked in two small picks I had and a tin plate I picked up this year at Hobby Lobby. The check frame is not from Mackenzie- Childs and was found on Amazon to hold a cross stitch of a goat my mom made for me. 

On the slim wall of the walkway, I hung a photo of Santa working on a red truck that I picked up a few years ago from Hobby Lobby. I added a holiday sign and an old photo of my dad with Santa when he was young. 

On the side of the refrigerator, I just sat an arrangement I had made up years ago but added the whimsical pick by MacKenzie-Childs to spruce it up and fit with the theme that I picked up from a local boutique called Ivory & Birch. I also placed this cute penguin I found a few years back at a thrift store. I also keep my Bath & Body room sprays here. 

Comment below.... what did you do for kitchen decor this year? What small pieces did you add in to make the old seem new again? Also click the subscribe link on the right to get an email when a new blog posts. I will be posting room by room in the coming weeks and days.

A Welcoming Holiday Entrance

This past weekend was beautiful weather for this time of year in December in Northeast OH, so I took advantage and decorated the front porch. This year I did not buy much new holiday decor. Everything used on the front porch was from prior years. 

Looking up from the street I added garland and a wreath on the railing. (Side note, I can see from the pictures that a coming spring project definitely needs to be painting my railings and screen door.)

I have a swing I leave year-round on the front and threw a buffalo print throw over it to add some holiday color. I replaced the old barn wood sign usually to the left of the front door with an antique sled and threw some old ice skates over it with a sprig of greenery cut from the yard and a bow that matched the front wreath. 

To the right of the door is a cozy chair and topiary that are also there year-round. I did update the ribbon to match the rest of the decor as well as wrap a grape crate to appear as a gift sitting on the chair. I did add a treat box for the delivery drivers and postal workers though, however, I used items I already had to create this. I simply found the sign online and printed it off then glued it to cardboard cut to size for stiffness. I then added some bottled water inside and a made up some Dollar Tree treat bags with snacks inside. 

The wreath I used on my front door is from prior years as well but also matched quite well. 

Here is a view of the entire finished look. The door mat also was from previous years. The bottom rug was bought at Hobby Lobby last fall, though I do think they still carry them. The red mat was found super cheap a few years back at Ollie's.

I am happy with how it came out and the delivery workers seem to be appreciating the treats so far. Comment below.... how did you do your front porch this year? Did you reuse decor from previous years or buy new?

Christmas at the Mansion

Once upon a time back in the early 1900s, two mansions sat on a hill on the northside of Youngstown. One was stone Tudor home to the Thomas family and the other was a Gothic Revival style white manor home to the Sampson family. Eventually both mansions were left to the Catholic Diocese and later became a Retreat House for Sacred Heart. 

Evidence of this Catholic history remains on the grounds. Just driving around the paved drive that circles both mansions to the road, you can see remains of religious monuments and stations of the cross boxes along paved paths.

Now both mansions were purchased by Woodland Cellars, a winery out of Hubbard, to expand their winery to the property. This weekend though, the Sampson Mansion was open for a holiday vendor showing. The public was only able to access a small portion of the first floor but with that alone, you can appreciate the grandeur of the architecture in the small details. 

The large white columns in the front of the home invite you into a foyer that opens into a grand staircase and marble floors.

In almost every corner you can see that architecture detail and style of the era. Whether those be ornate cornices that arch around a curved window or detailed moldings that surround ornate lighting. It also fitting that a winery will be renovating the property by the iron work detail under that staircase that displays grapes.

Even the fireplace by where they posed Mr. and Mrs. Claus was just so intricate. You can only wonder what it looks like and how grand it must be in this mansion in areas we were not able to access!

As we left the property along the road winding through the back, I noticed the unkempt grapevines that once properly yielded a great harvest for the original residents......yet another sign it was fate for this property to take on the future as a winery.

Have you found any great new out of the way holiday shopping to do this season yet? Or visited anywhere that was so grand? Comment below...

Christmas Wish List

 It has been a rough couple years with lockdowns and Grandma's health so I decided it might be about time to add a little more pleasure in the small luxuries back into life on this year's wish list. Below are some of my Christmas wish list items... though I am sure Santa doesn't have the budget to drop most down my chimney... ;)

Leopard trim robe from Venus (reminds me of the one Beth Dutton wore in Season 1 on Yellowstone):

New cozy slippers (I live in my Ugg Dakotas at home, but how cute are these for an alternative?):

A gift set of my signature fragrance, Chanel No.5:

An LV shawl scarf....

Fur lined Gucci mules:

Cartier Bracelet:

What's on your Wish List, whether Santa can afford it or not? Dream Big! That's why it is a Wish List. Comment below....