We truly believe that Christmas is The Most Wonderful Time of the Year! And we’d like to wish you and yours the most Amazing Christmas ever! We feel blessed by the wonder of the season and hope that joy and peace fill your heart today and all through the New Year.
For me, every Christmas is deeply connected with the memories of holidays long ago. The recollections are tied to songs and stories that celebrate this beautiful time of year. When I hear carols that I learned as a child, I am transported back to a magical time when anything was possible. It was a time when dreams did come true. A time when Christmas trees twinkled with lights and silver tinsel icicles.
Gold and orange may belong to fall, but the summer’s official colors – at least stateside – are red, white and blue.
From the moment we put out flags for Memorial Day until the time we start thinking about decorating for Halloween, the colors of the American flag rule the roost.
Patriotic themes are one of the key elements of what’s known as Americana decorating, a casual, appealing style that also pulls in aspects of farmhouse and primitive décor.
The other week I wrote about our experience of moving to Washington DC and my Cozy Small Space Farmhouse Makeover. (You can read about that here.) I learned a lot while on this adventure of moving to DC and decorating our small apartment home. I’ll be writing a series about Tips and Tricks for Decorating Small Spaces – Farmhouse Style that I used in our apartment to create an updated farmhouse feel while making good use of the limited space! Try these first 5 ideas to add farmhouse style to your own small space.
“A light exists in spring,” Emily Dickinson wrote, “not present on the year at any other period.”
Spring is a season that arrives with a promise of change. Even in years where March comes in and goes out like a lion, we can look forward to the warmer, greener times in April and May.
It’s also a natural desire to lighten things up a bit around your home. This year’s spring country style home decor trends include warm metals, farm animal-inspired accents, primitive pillow prints, and more.
We’ve put together a list of some of our favorite decorative accessories for the season to inspire you.
More than Décor, Farmhouse Style Renews & Restores
Why We Love Farmhouse Style
We LOVE the Farmhouse Style here at Piper Classics. There are so many qualities of this look that really make our hearts sing!! It makes no difference if you’re in a cabin in the mountains, a cottage by the sea, an apartment in the city, or a home in the suburbs, there is something about the Farmhouse style that appeals to so many of us on a fundamental level.
We think that people are drawn to this look because they value qualities that are exemplified in a casual Farmhouse lifestyle. The short list of these qualities would probably include a deep love of family and faith, care and concern for friends and community, an interest in farm life and eating local, a connection and love for the land, and an appreciation and admiration for those who came before us and how they made do and even thrived in difficult times.
Ask people what they know about President William Henry Harrison, and most of them will mention the same fact: He gave his inauguration speech in the dead of winter, caught pneumonia and died in office 30 days into his first term.
But we think Harrison and his home – called Grouseland – are still pretty interesting, if not inspiring. Let’s go back to 18th century America to begin our story. Continue Reading
Are fairies real? Most of us would say “No.” After all, isn’t that like asking about the existence of leprechauns or werewolves?
Still, they’re persistent little creatures. Just ask John Hyatt, the British photographer and art professor who published a series of photos two years ago of some tiny creatures he said looked like fairies. People went out of their way to debunk the pictures, but the fact that they went viral shows there’s part of us that want fairies to be real.
But do we want them to be real so much that we’ll build homes for them? In some places, yes.
About 12 miles off the coast of Maine sits Mohegan Island. Fewer than 100 people live there. It’s accessible only by ferry – not fairy – boat. Continue Reading
We’ve come to mark the beginning and end of summer using its holidays. Memorial Day and Labor Day are the season’s bookends, with July 4 nestled in between.
What ties these three holidays together? It’s the way we use them to celebrate America and to commemorate those who have sacrificed for the good of all of us.
The weeks between late May and early September give you an outstanding opportunity to use patriotic themes in your country home. Today, Piper Classics would like to offer you a few ways to embrace Americana décor this summer. After all, there are many more options than hanging up a flag. Continue Reading
When Christmas comes, you put up some lights and decorate the tree.
When it’s Halloween, you hang fake cobwebs and turn your home into a haunted house.
When it’s the Fourth of July, you…put up a flag?
America’s birthday is almost here, and although it’s one of the more celebratory holidays on the calendar, your décor may not reflect that.
No one’s saying you need to go as big and bold as your town’s firework display, but there are a few touches you can add to get your home ready for July 4.
Here are a few simple tips collected from around the internet to have a simple, stylish Fourth of July.
This spring I started my first Fairy Garden. I’ve been waiting all winter, dreaming about spring, warmer weather, and working in my garden. It’s so much fun to plan gardens but of course not so much fun to do the actual work! But every year, to my husband’s chagrin, I dream and plan all winter about my garden for the following spring. This year I’ve been especially impatient for the warmer weather because I’ve been plotting and planning a Fairy Garden!
I’m new to this idea of Fairy Gardening. Although the concept has been around for a little while now I had never heard of it until last summer – now I’m obsessed! I’ve always loved fairies and all things miniature. As a child I had a simple dollhouse – just a few painted wooden boxes stacked on their side really – nothing fancy. But inside I had the sweetest little dollhouse furniture and accessories. My Dad sometimes took us to an antique mall where one of the vendors sold dollhouse furnishings. I would linger the entire time in that area, carefully choosing my next little purchase. I spent hours with that dollhouse, rearranging, painting, and decorating the miniature rooms.
You can now preorder your Mona B purses and totes at Piper Classics! This up-and-coming brand encourages customers to “energize your style,” as seen through their fun bag designs. Our first shipment arrives in mid-April, and we are not expected to get another shipment until July. So, now is definitely the time to order your bags! Get to know the company behind the bags and learn more about the purses and totes we know you’ll love.
Meet the Brand
Mona B is earth friendly. Their philosophy? Waste not. The brand explains, “If we do not waste anything we will always have enough.” The company believes there is no reason to create things from new materials when the world already has enough fabrics. Mona B focuses its efforts on reducing waste and reusing perfectly good items that seem to get left behind. Their products have an edgy, one-of-a-kind style. Continue Reading
