Entrance to Wonderland

The bones of the back porch decorating are done.  There are art pieces to add to, and other bits that will find their way in, and maybe next summer I will paint the house periwinkle blue, so the walls will change color then, but for now, it's usable, enjoyable space.  It's already the new favorite spot of Artgirls, which is no surprise, considering the decor is straight out of a storybook...or two.

This is what it looked like when I
cleaned it up, and decided maybe the
floor needed a fresh coat of paint.

Amazing what a difference a fresh coat of floor paint makes, huh?

One of my old trade show signs, from before I changed the business name stands in as a valance, over sheer purple curtains, and of course, a swagged lace tablecloth.

Flamingo croquet mallets lean against a wooden chest cooler.

Most people buy sconces to display collectibles.  I don't collect anything.  Except for sconces.  Each holds a cut glass goblet with a candle, which lets the sconces take the starring role.  I'll add to this collection over time.



The finials to this curtain rod are salt and pepper shakers.  I fell in love with the thistles and bought them not knowing what I would do with them.  Now we know.

Silver forks make great hardware for all sorts of things.  Here they function as curtain tie backs.  Might be serving soup and finger foods exclusively around here, if I keep this up.

 Guardian.  This squirrel tailed Odd Fae was an Art Group challenge project.  We were each given a doll spray painted green, and invited to raid another artist's stash of embellishments.  The fur of her tail and on her arms is salvaged from vintage clothing.  Her hair is black feathers, and her wings are the shafts of peacock feathers that another artist used the tops of.  Her leggings are tree bark.

There were a lot of other things I could have done with my "free time" the past week and a half, but creating this space not only gave me a great summer space, safe from gnats and skeeters, it helped me recharge my joy supply after a kind of difficult week on the job.  There were other things to be done, but this was the most important.  I'd go enjoy it right now, but my friend Cindy just called and needs me to come help her prep her barn for transformation into a wedding venue.  Watch for pics of that, coming soon!

To see my full portfolio, go to theartofthehome.com, where you'll find all the info you need to hire me to do a storybook transformation in your space.

Doing it yourself?  If you have questions, email me, and I'll share whatever answers I have: dawnmariedelara@gmail.com