Simple Everyday Peony Arrangement

A simple casual & elegant Pink Peony floral arrangment.

A charming way to add a little something special to your home for Spring.

Remember the beautiful Pink Peonies in bloom in our new back yard I shared earlier this week?

If you missed them you can see a peak here.

Well, this morning I couldn't resist the urge to pick just a few.

I picked up this silver footed bowl at Marshalls this week for a great deal.

It was only $5.99. 

I just knew it would be the perfect container for my fresh peonies.

For very little money I added an extra little special touch.

Such a simple way to remind you to live well everyday.

I hope my Mom enjoys them I put them on her end table in the her living room.

Have a great weekend.

Carrie

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Pink Peonies ~ In Bloom

Pink Peonies are in bloom at The Corson Cottage.

Well, they are beginning to bloom anyway.

I have been looking forward to this moment for some time now.

Our new home could definitely use a little pretty.

I also was a bit curious to see which variety our peonies were.

While these are lovely (I was secretly hoping for white....shhh don't tell them.)

With the demolition on our renovation coming to a close,

the fresh blooms certainly are a warm welcome.

A sign of the many good things to come in the next stages as the renovations continue.

I will be posting more renovation pictures soon.

It's been so busy, I don't believe I have shown all of our demo pics yet.

Many more exciting changes!

Carrie

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Thinking of Mother's Day Gift Giving always makes me think of home.

I think gift giving for Mom should be something thoughtful and timeless.

Something that can keep on giving or maybe just that perfect sweet treat,

that Mom doesn't have to make herself.

I selected five Mother's Day Gift Ideas from Williams Sonoma that I think

capture the simple sweetness of Mother's Day.

Personalized Hurricane $69-$79

Meyer Lemon Gift Set $59.95

Interchangeable Personal Embosser $39.95

Chocolate Chocolate Croissants $39.95

Garden Allotment Kit $29.95

What are you getting your Mom for Mother's Day?

What's on your wish list for Mother's Day?

Carrie

Mother's Day Centerpiece

A Mother's Day Centerpiece.

Are you entertaining guests for Mother's Day?

I thought I would share how I took my simple Spring Centerpiece,

to a perfect casual centerpiece for a Mother's Day brunch, lunch or casual dinner.

First I filled my white pitcher overflowing with these fresh green Snowball Viburnum.

 I added a smaller container & filled them with a pop of purple from the clematis from the trellis.

For a casual get together I like to place stacked plates for easy access right in the center of the table.

I think it sets the tone for your guests that it is intended to be a casual occassion.

The silverware I placed in a third small pitcher.

I think this table setting makes for a casual comfortable environment when guests arrive.

It also saves you a little time as the host.

When the meal is ready, you don't have to spend time setting the table or getting out the dinnerware.

White dishes are a must have for me.

I love white serveware, dishes, pitchers, platters...you name it.

You can never have too much white serveware in my opinion.

White is a staple you can use in a casual or formal setting

The best part about this table setting is I did it all without spending a penny.
By using the basic essential dinnerware I had & basic white pitchers
all that was left was taking time to cut some fresh flowers from the garden.
Once that was done a few more minutes arranging the pitchers & done.
Simple. Casual. Beautiful.

What are your Mother's Day plans?

Carrie

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Spring Centerpiece

 A Spring Centerpeice

Classic.  Simple.  Elegant.

The perfect simple Spring Centerpiece for any occasion.

I love to add floral inside my home whenever I can.

I think it really adds an extra special touch to everyday living or entertaining guests.

A simple floral bouquet puts a smile on my face every time.

It also lets your guests know that you took that extra little touch

to make them feel special & welcome.

Remember the Snowball Viburnum shrubs I shared with you?

If you haven't seen them yet, you can take a peak here.

Well, I couldn't resist bringing some inside for little pop of Spring for the table.

I used a white pitcher for a vase, a staple you must have in my opinion.

I filled the pitcher overflowing with the Snowball Viburnums just sweetly spilling over.

{Tip}

If you cut your stems at and angle before placing them in water

& prune some of the extra green leaves you will get a little longer life out of your blooms

I did that here & my centerpiece lasted about a week.

Now, I did not add any extra nutrients for the plant to the water.

You could also do that to extend the life of the bloom a bit longer.

Planning on entertaining for Mother's Day?

You may want to see how I transformed this simple Spring Centerpiece

into a casual Mother's Day table setting click here.

Carrie

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Hosting a Bridal Shower

Last weekend my aunt, cousin & myself hosted a bridal shower for my future sister-in-law.
Katie Crane will be marrying my little brother Matt in June.

Our guest of honor.

We had a Sunday brunch on a beautiful Spring day in downtown LeClaire.

Katies' family made the trip from out of town & several local family

friends & family members attended as well.

The shower was held at the local Civic Center.

This space has a history with for our family, so it seemed the perfect place to hold the shower.

My Mother & Father actually held their wedding reception in this location over 40 years ago.

All of our family showers are hosted here as was my bridal shower just 2 1/2 years ago.

Of course we had to put Katie on the spot a bit & ask her a series of questions about her groom.

She was a great sport & I hope she had a little fun too:)

Their wedding colors are a marine blue & fuchsia.

We made these tissue pom poms for pops of their wedding colors.

The tables were decorated with these simple Hydrangea bouquets in clear glass vases.

Welcome to our family Katie!

We had a great time coordinating & hosting your shower!

Both you & your family were so gracious & kind.

Wishing you all the best as you begin all of the fun details leading up to your big day!

Carrie

{Tip}
Here's a tip for hosting your next shower.
I think added touches of fresh floral help create a soft touch in the space.
Try to find a fun and whimsical way to set the mood through the atmosphere for your guests.
Creating a warm & inviting space makes helps everyone relax & enjoy themselves.
Here we used the pom poms to brighten up this room & add a little fun.
Note: Less is More in this case.
We were actually planning to hang more pom poms, but as we began hanging them.
We decided it would have been a bit too much. 

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Dwellings ~ Spring 2012

Spring has Sprung at Dwellings!

Dwellings has a fresh new look for Spring!

Vibrant color to add to your home for the new season.

Dwellings is also on Facebook you can check out more looks here.

If you are in the neighborhood, visit Dwellings

located in historic downtown LeClaire, Iowa.

Just 2 1/2 hours west of Chicago.

If you follow along on The Corson Cottage, you may remember Dwellings.

My older brother is the shopkeeper & owner.

He is so very talented, it is amazing to see what each new season brings to the store.

Your's truly took the photos, & I must admit I am fairly pleased with how they turned out.
I plan to continue to help out working on the Facebook updates & website (coming soon.)

Hope you'll stop by if you visit LeClaire, Iowa someday!

Carrie

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Spring Decor Options

I thought I would share a few Spring decor options with you.

Before we left our first home behind I had added a few Spring touches.
I added Spring in our home a bit early this year because we were leaving.

 In my opinion it's never too early to add those touches that simply make you feel at home.

These elements & textures are some of the ones I love & could keep up year round.

Here are some of the touches I added to our dining room cabinet.

I love to use this piece to change out my decor.

The shelving gives me the perfect place to display a few seasonal accents.

As you can see I love the addition of green moss.

I always like to use moss balls throughout different seasons to bring the outside in.

They are a fairly inexpensive way to add natural hints to any space.

If you follow along on our blog you know I absolutely adore fresh Hydrangeas.

I couldn't resist adding these Nikko Blue Hydrangeas for a classic nod to Spring & Summer.

The Nikko Blue Hydrangea is one of my favorite varieties of Hydrangeas.

I plan to incoporate them into our landscaping at the new house.

That way I have an endless supply to bring indoors from time to time.

As you can see I added a touch of fresh green to each shelf.

Here I added a simple succulent to the small white vase.

Dwellings carries some fabulous succulents.

They look so real!

Then I added a simple filler to the glass apothecary jar.

~ Tip ~

Try using a bag of chick peas as vase filler.

The avacado green is the perfect Spring color.

It's a great affordable option for a vase filler & it looks great too.

I hope you enjoyed some of our Spring decor.

To see more of our Spring Cottage dining room check it our here.

Have a great week!

Carrie

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