Nella Miller Design

02/08/2025

Quick little post to say hello and wish you a lovely weekend… snow in the forecast and loving lamplight these chilly February days!!

02/07/2025

February… the month I start gardening. Unlike January, when I hybernate and rest my body and mind, February is when I look outside every window and access the garden views… does anyone else do that? It’s when I see the garden at it’s most quiet time… when I look at the structure and form that has developed over the years, and how I will continue its development and growth for another year… one of the most significant and noteworthy things I have done is add the lowly arborvitae to my garden. I have always admired the statement that cypress trees make to a landscape in the warmer climate zones, especially in Italy and France and other Mediterranean countries… how they punctuate a landscape and their form is so stately and neat in a garden. However we are zone 5b here in Niagara so it was never an option. About five years ago I started my research and found that the deGroote cedar was the closest specimen to have the shape and form I wanted, with the Emerald cedar close behind…I stated growing them in the urns in my garden as the vertical structure, and then replanted them in the garden beds l wanted to add vertical lines to. Part of the reason was to add more evergreen conifers to the garden. We live at the edge of a Carolinian forest with the majority of the trees being deciduous. I prefer conifers in winter… snow capped and lovely.

01/10/2025

Pretty storage for silver… as promised a bit more info on keeping silverware from tarnishing.. I’m a fan of tarnished silver pieces in my home, but not on silverware and utensils for serving. I like them shiny and bright! Years ago I started looking for lovely, covered, large glass vessels to keep my sterling, mother of pear collections from tarnish. Silver undergoes an oxidizing when exposed to air that doesn’t happen when sealed . My mother in law kept her beautiful sterling tea service wrapped in Saran Wrap after she had spent hours polishing it, until company came or she put it into use… those were the days of impeccable rules of entertaining and decorum.. no longer! Pretty cloches and glass jars with a lid are perfect for this! I stand silverware in glass spooners or tall footed goblets to keep them upright before they are covered. This keeps them tarnish free for months, if not years! And they are right at hand and visible for everyday use. You can easily move the spooner here Leung the silverware from the cloches to the table or island when serving a buffet setup or even the table… I’m getting more casual in my approach to entertaining, even though I admire and love a well dressed table.. happy Friday!

01/02/2025

12/25/2024

Merry Christmas! Now that this most holy and beautiful of holidays is upon us, leaving it’s gifts, some hidden, some more visible.. is the best time to show my gratitude and appreciation to all of you… for your kindness and time you have taken, all year to support and inspire and encourage me! My heartfelt thank you! Especially to my new found friends and customers at Antiques on Creek.. ❤️🎄❤️…Thank you!

12/19/2024

It’s coming.. this weekend will be a winding down for me of a flurry of activities… remembering the heart and all the lovely memories of growing up with loved ones who are always with us… and of course all of the years of Christmas with my boys, their antics and history of typical adventures boys create.. love being a boy mamma.. taking time to reflect and be grateful.. have a lovely day dear friends..

12/12/2024

Chilly, windy outside… -6C today with the wind chill feels like -15… indoor pursuits today.. 🥶. Happy Thursday my lovelies..

12/01/2024

December 1st….it’s begun! Micki’s beautiful country kitchen! Adding touches of her lovely collections acquired over many years of antiquing! Have an absolutely lovely Sunday!

11/23/2024

Decking the halls slowly today.. but decking! These big damask bows are the remnants of this lovely, green Victorian damask in my possession since my shop days..remnant fabric is a great alternative to ribbon..I frayed the edges.. the pheasant feathers, which have a very light dusting of glitter are added for colour, and I plan on adding a strand of small tarnished gold bells… then no more tinkering!! The feathers were purchased from a favourite, beautiful store called Refuge.. which is no more.. whose owner is, I believe, decorating in Heaven.. the feathers give me great comfort with this thought.. have a beautiful weekend my friends!

11/02/2024

November at Acorn Lane… means putting the garden to bed, countless leaves to rake, hoping the wind is from the the southwest… so it blows everything over the bank of the escarpment… this is a view of the garden that we strive for… yesterday was a full day of fall cleanup… I’ll post it again tomorrow as is… have a lovely day friends… 🧡💛🤎

10/09/2024

In a recent post, I promised I would share more of this repurposed mid century lamp I purchased in Texas years ago..it was an estate sale near Austin and I was attracted to the chippy, imperfect colours.. yes green and white too.. it had a very tall cream coloured lampshade, that just felt like it was the wrong proportions for the delicate scrolls and flowers below it.. finally after years in storage it was rewired and refitted for a more modern shade. The shade is from and when I found it, it prompted me to make it come back to life.. I move it around in the kitchen and it gives the soft glow at nighttime and early mornings by the coffee station.. never give up on an idea, just takes patience and a bit of serendipity to work out!! Have a lovely Wednesday evening!!

09/10/2024

Soft September light coming into the kitchen this afternoon.. enjoying the moment..

07/31/2024

Taking a break from linens.. seems every room in the house is dishevelled, like me..
Just when I feel like I’m making progress in editing and selling everything that I deem, unnecessary, no longer useful now, or just ready to move on to another collector, of things I love, or have loved or I think will follow me to my place of rest…. I get distracted and another collection calls for my attention! The lovely thing that comes of this … new decor happens in random places… today the kitchen island…makes me happy and I’m pleased with myself… temporarily… please scroll on if this is too much for you today… 🤯 Have a lovely evening! 🤍🤍🤍

07/29/2024

July… winding down… the garden is so different this year… but always beautiful… have a lovely new week my friends.. 💚

06/30/2024

I hope you are having the best Canada Day weekend.. I was able to take a quick shot of the last piece of fresh strawberry pie today… the whipping cream is a little lazy looking.. it is a family recipe .. passed down from my Dad’s side of the family..It’s the perfect colour to celebrate Canada Day.. celebrating the True North, strong and free, my home that I love! ❤️🇨🇦❤️

For the recipe leave the word recipe in the comments
🇨🇦 🇨🇦♥️🤍♥️🤍🇨🇦

06/19/2024

Hydrangeas coming on strong… share soon! Have a lovely day! Keep cool, another hot, humid day!

06/18/2024

The story behind this lovely vintage fabric… years ago when I started Acorn Lane Vintage Living, I was on the hunt for beautiful fabric to reupholster pieces that I sold in the shop.. a beautiful store that I frequented often in the Buffalo area, was Victorian Romance.. it was a jewel owned by Kathy Curatola , a jewel herself. Kathy has since left us, but her beautiful memory lives on in all of us that knew her. We became friends and she shopped my store and became a loyal customer. These gorgeous vintage curtains, in perfect condition from the 40’s, found their way into my store and home and heart.. in the next few weeks, more yardage like this will be curated and sold in the booth@antiquesoncreek… have a lovely day my friends… the sun will be shining again soon!

06/03/2024

June additions to the booth… white, beautiful faux blossoms and delphiniums and vintage lamps to light up any corner of your spaces.. as well as fresh linens and vintage crystal and china.. this week!