Iowa Winter Landscape

The amount of snow we have had this year in Iowa is just nuts, but there is a slight silver lining with this new white landscape: gorgeous photos! Whether it’s wildlife, barns, old homes, or farm fields, Iowa photographers on social media are really taking advantage of this snow.

Each Sunday, I try to highlight one photo on my Instagram page, and I am rounding up a few of my favorites over the last few months and sharing them here with you today.

An old barn, by Iowa photographer Doug Craigmile

These pheasants were captured by Iowa photographer Judene Gardner

Captured by Iowa photographer Deb O’Brien

An old barn, by me!

That last photo is a barn that is at a property we are currently renovating, in Parnell, Iowa. It was built in 1863, and has withstood the harsh weather ever since (it was -20 windchill when I took this photo the other day).

I might be biased, but the beauty of the white winter months (almost) make it worth living through the ice and snow…although I wouldn’t complain about a trip to the beach right about now! ha!

Stay warm and safe, we’ll chat soon!

Rachael

My (No-Cost) Entryway Table Decor

Hi all! I have (quite unexpectedly) found myself in the middle of a January heat wave here in Iowa, and that has brought about inspiration to purge all things winter, clean, and organize. Now depending on where you are from, you might not think 50 degrees is a heat wave, but to an Iowan this kind of weather calls for opening windows and doing some spring cleaning!

Now if you follow me on Instagram, you know that recently I tackled the large entryway table to my home and cleared all Christmas decor and started fresh. This table has always been challenging to decorate, partially because it is so large and also due to the rest of my entryway being so bare, making it the focal point for all visitors.

Also, being that I was in a cleaning and purging mood, I didn’t want to have to leave and purchase any decor items and interrupt my motivation so I decided to style the table with only items I had on hand. If you have been following along for a bit you might remember that I took this same ‘no-cost’ approach to my front porch this holiday season and that blog post received the highest traffic of any that I have written, so I know you all enjoy my re-purposing and budget friendly take on decorating! If you missed that post, I will link it here.

OK, let’s get to it!

I tackled this large table in sections, pictured below is the right hand side of the table.

Here we have a vintage birdcage that we used as a card holder at our wedding, as well as an old spool (from a friend’s basement clean out), a tray of pine combs, and some twine. Easy!

Up above the birdcage, and on both sides of the table, I have these copper lanterns I purchased years ago at Hobby Lobby, and they are both hanging on iron hooks that were in an old carriage house that we tore down after it sustained wind damage beyond repair. These hooks held the bridles and other equipment for the horses that resided in the barn. You can see an up close picture below.

Next up, the left side of the table!

This end has quite a collection of miscellaneous items! I have absolutely no idea where the basket is from, I have had it for so many years. I filled it with a metal canister I previously picked up at a thrift store, a distressed mason jar that I made, some wood slices and a wooden sign that I had laying around.

Now for the finishing touches and final picture!

Here is the finished table! In the middle I added some additional wooden signs, a small bit of greenery, an old re-purposed shutter and a metal ‘hello’ sign (it’s an entryway after all!).

This metal sign I picked up at JDH Iron Designs down in Waco, Texas when I was there almost two years ago to see the Magnolia Market. If you followed along on the HGTV show Fixer Upper, you might remember that Jimmy Don and JDH Iron Designs made all of the metal signs that were featured in the market and in the finished homes. My sign is even autographed by Jimmy Don! If you ever make it down to Waco I highly recommend visiting his shop. (Not a sponsored post, I just really like his work!)

The actual sawhorse table was built by Adam and APS Construction, I think it might have been the very first piece of furniture he made.

Well, I’m off to take advantage of this warm weather and tackle a few more things outdoors before it returns to January around here! I hope this post has provided you some inspiration for decorating your own home and I will see you guys soon!

My Entryway Sawhorse Table

Hi Friends! I’m slowly getting my home ready to go for Christmas, and I love decorating this fun sawhorse table in my entryway each and every season. My husband made it several years ago, and it continues to be a focal point in our home. I thought I would share what I did with it this year so you can get some ideas or inspiration for your own home!

I had these random steel buckets from a thrift store, a DIY Christmas garland that I made, and some jingle bells and other random items that I wanted to incorporate.

I love this old spool and jingle bells!

DIY Fabric Garland, click for instructions!

Here is how it all turned out, I love all of the different textures (metal, fabric, etc) along with the black and white and plaid holiday colors. Can you tell I am loving buffalo check this year??

My Saw Horse Entryway Table

Repurposing old items is one of my favorite decorating hacks! These hooks that hold up the lanterns on either side of the table are from an old carriage house/barn that had to be torn down due to storm damage. Just think of all of the horse and carriage equipment that hung on these hooks for decades, now they are continuing their work in my home! (I’m a history nerd, I know!)

Well that is all I have for you for now, stay tuned for the rest of my décor in my personal home as I get it completed!

XO,

Rachael

PS. I put together a simple (budget friendly!) guide to adding buffalo check to your home’s décor, and if you are stumped or need ideas feel free to check it out by clicking here!

(Note: The above link contains affiliate links and you can read my full disclosure here)

Thrift Store Thursday!

I have a passion for decorating with repurposed, old salvaged items whenever possible and I often find myself imagining what stories a piece might share with me if it could.

Would a former 4 square farmhouse front porch column tell me about the generations of children it watched lean up against it as they waited for the school bus? Or the epic thunderstorm from decades ago that took out the neighbor’s house? Would a vintage bathtub share the names of all the family pets that were washed in it over its lifetime?

Even though these items cannot share their stories, I still seek out their history and showcase their story as much as possible when I am designing or decorating.

And this is precisely why I love thrift and salvage shopping!

So much history packed into one place!

I won’t share what all I purchased just yet, I have to get crafty first. But if you are like me and enjoy the historical aspect of old vintage and salvaged items, enjoy some of the pictures I snapped today.

Do you have an item with a story? Feel free to share in the comments, I would love to hear about it!