HOME DRESSED IN OESTARA

  Tomorrow is the peak of Oestara, the spring equinox! Equally darkness and light, and from then on, more light and dark! Yippee!

  This is the time of year when I always get charged with energy, and can´t wait for all the snows to melt and start living outside more. Dreaming about hammocks, planning seeds in the garden, maybe a fruit tree, having breakfast in the morning sun... It´s all still ahead!

  What I always do before the peak of each sabbat, is decorate my home to the occasion. It sets up the right mood, and is refreshing to experience a change. It is still snowy outside here, but I´m taking a head start to spring bloomers inside the house.

This is what you see when entering my home. I like to decorate the entrance hall, so that it is there to sweeten my day each time I (and everybody else!) walk in and out of my house. It gives the first and last impression.

These boots are old army shoes I bought years ago at a second-hand-shop. They sit on this dresser year-round, and act as potholders to changing flowers and other decorations.

Only a very close look reveals that these aren´t real grape hyacinths. We have allergies in the family, so I had to give up most real flowers and plants long ago. Luckily they manufacture fake plants that look so real, it is hard to suspect anything!  =)

Willow catkins are a must at Oestara!

This is the opposite side of our entrance hall. On this side I have the big wreath above the mirror, on which I hang decorations. I wanted to create a difference, so that both sides stay interesting, and don´t repeat the same idea.

As a curiosity, this deserves a mentioning. These are my staple decorations, that stay here year-round to give vintage look. Notice how the shoe-theme continues on this side...

Rust and lace create an interesting combination.

Oestara colors in a nice, subtle tone, in a wide variety.

Mixing natural ingredients with store-bought ones accentuates the best features of each.

The dining table in our kitchen. A tricky place to style, because the arrangement needs to stay quite low so it won´t block eye contact between people.

Another staple decoration: a vintage scale.

These chicks are so adorable and fun!

This spot in the kitchen is so cut off of natural light, that the chicks have to nest in fake grass. But it looks great all sabbat through!

Still in the kitchen, these old army spoons enliven the tabletop without making it difficult to keep the surfaces clean.

Yet another corner of our kitchen. (I´m still in the process of remodeling the armchair, that´s why it looks silly...) The kitchen is located in the center of our house, and is therefore the second place where I find it essential to play with seasonal decoration. We walk through and spend a lot of time in it, so the decorations give out the maximum effect when placed in here.

  It is still too cold outside to place Oestara´s blooming bulbs there, so for now I´m only enjoying these ones inside the house. The time will come (usually surprisingly quickly!), to plant them outside too. And then it will be a whole new occasion, and source of beauty and happiness, when I do that!
   Often I find it best to take baby steps, and embrace each, one by one. That maximizes the effect and gives me the most joy out of it!
  Beautiful Oestara!