Around the World with Balsam Hill | Harvest Sunshine

by | Sep 1, 2017 | All Things Home, Decorating | 21 comments

This post may contain affiliate links.

Now that I’m living in Minnesota, the jokes about winter have already started.   My dad kept saying they were going to head back to PA the middle of August “before the pass is blocked by snow.”  I’m one of those people who actually enjoys snow and colder temperatures.  I like sweaters and boots and bundling up under blankets.

But, I must admit, I am enjoying Minnesota’s summer and I want to relish it for a little longer – listening to kids biking in the cul de sac and the hissing of sprinklers, taking Sebastian out for lingering walks, and bringing in a harvest of sunshine with Balsam Hill.

Wait, doesn’t Balsam Hill do Christmas trees!?  Yes, but they actually do more than Christmas trees.  They have home decor as well as beautiful faux topiaries and flowers.  And they do faux really well.

It’s in the details – the thickness of the trunk, the varying sizes of the fruit and blooms…

…even the dirt!  I also like that the pot is pretty and properly proportioned for the tree.  Sometimes the pots of artificial trees can look comically small!  You know what I mean?  Really?  That huge fiddle leaf fig can stand upright with a root structure the size of a tennis ball?  

I had thought about adding a live lemon tree to my studio, but that might not be very fair to the tree!  This gives me the tree without slow impending death.

Along with the topiary, I selected a few other things from their site to use in my home.  I enjoy diffusing oil, but I never know quite where to put the diffuser, so it’s not in the way…sitting out on the counter or on a piece of furniture, looking very random amid my antiques.

Their Scents of the Season Machine is small (about the size of a can of soda) and can be operated on a battery, so I can tuck it anywhere!  I actually hid it in an old tote, so you have to really hunt for it.  I filled it with the lemon oil and the fresh scent wafted through the house.  I’m looking forward to trying it with a pine scent for winter.

It was funny, though, it was so well hidden that Jeff was confused by the lemony scent and the mysterious steam coming up from a tote behind the sofa.

With the kids back in school, I found some time to play in my new dining room.  I had to push past the fact that the walls aren’t the color I want and the floors are carpeted, but that’s just life, right?

It was good for my creative soul to see how it all came together, though – how the wine barrel lazy susan worked perfectly on the table I acquired from craigslist just last week…

…how appropriate stemless wine glasses look filled with ice and lemonade…

…and how happy the little lemon topiary looks on the blue hutch.

I know we’re all gearing up for fall and I’m right there with you, but, as I write this post, August has a few more hours and I’m going to soak them in.

Here are the Balsam Hill products I used in this post…

Small Meyer Lemon Tree

Scents of the Season Machine

Stemless Etched Wine Glasses

Wine Barrel Lazy Susan

Large Meyer Lemon Tree

And Balsam Hill is giving away the topiary of the winner’s choosing on their Facebook page.  You can go HERE to enter to win and check out the other topiaries in the posts below…

Around the World | French Country Cottage

Magnolia Blooms of the Peninsula | Almafield

Parisian Countryside | The Naptime Reviewer

Dreaming of Tuscany | Sincerely Sara D

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Balsam Hill.  All words and opinions expressed in this post are my own.

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    21 Comments

    1. Emily Cleverly

      Everything looks so beautiful! It is a fun and inspiring break in my day to see what you have done with your new house next.

    2. Kim

      I’m on the same latitude as you, over here in the vicinity of the capital city of Canada, and we’ve got a frost warning on for tonight, right on schedule! So today’s plans now include harvesting a ton of basil before it gets zorched……summers are SHORT this far north. Winters are LONG, but people have all kinds of ways of enjoying it. But we also have lengthy gorgeous fall days filled with the most amazing leaf colors ever and perfect for growing and harvesting lots and lots of apples.

      Your homemaking progress continues to amaze us!

    3. Karen L.

      Thanks, I’ll check that company out. Looks so pretty and fresh! I wonder if it’s all Tuscany style and if it’ll work with my home which isn’t?

    4. Paula Arndt

      Same here – loving the last of the summer weather (its going to be really hot in Seattle over Labor day) but also noticing, and loving the obvious changes like chilly, dewy mornings and earlier sunsets.
      I have to laugh about your wall color not being quite what you want, yet.
      I’m getting my cottage ready for the market in late September and as I look at all the other houses for sale around me, I notice they are all so cookie-cutter. They ALL have tan or gray walls, granite countertops and stainless appliances (yawn) and are staged with mid-century furniture (bigger yawn).
      My cottage is wallpapered room to room in blue & white, with slipcovered furniture and plate racks full of Meissen Blue Onion, lol. My realtor said “leave it! That’s the charm we need to sell your house”.
      So, I can’t wait to see what you paint your room in. Remember when basic white was frowned upon and we were all encouraged to use color? Well now the boring neutrals have us yawning and longing for a good clean white!

    5. Cheryl

      I’m sure you’re neighbors have told you we have enjoyed a much-cooler-than-normal August in southern MN. Lovely but makes winter seem much closer! I am loving being introduced to the Balsam Hill products, and especially love that lazy susan.

    6. Jan

      Is that the same ‘factory table’ you were working on a few posts back? Have I somehow missed seeing the completion of that project????

    7. Kim P.

      Looks lovely, I’d love those topiary and plants look so real !

    8. Kari Judd

      Love the Decorations!

    9. Shirley Housepitality

      You are so right, Balsam Hill does faux so very well. Love the lemon trees! … Using a wine barrel lid for a lazy susan is genius . Happy September Marion!

    10. Katie Mansfield

      I love the lemons. I had lemon decor all summer. Fall will be here soon enough. Cherish the rest of the summer.

    11. Alma

      The lemon and blues in here are just perfect!! And they really do faux so so well for sure! Loved doing this tour with all you awesome ladies!

    12. Courtney Folk

      Your style choices are such a nice mix of intelligent and discreetly sophisticated picks. You know your authentic items. You have especially good instincts regarding your design, where humble and well heeled people feel comfotable in your space . Very nice.

    13. Courtney Folk

      Your style choices are such a nice mix of intelligent and discreetly sophisticated picks. You know your authentic items. You have especially good instincts regarding your design, where humble and well heeled people feel comfotable in your space . Very nice.

      The toss up for first billing should have been you or Sara. You both have such a great eye.

    14. Nancy

      I love it all!! I was curious about the crochet covers on the glasses….Did you make them or purchase them? If you made them do you have the pattern you can share? You certainly come up some some of the most interesting things on craigslist!!! I wish I had your energy to push ahead and get things done!! You totally amaze me with all that you have accomplished through your move and after. What is your secret?

    15. MaryLisa Noyes

      I read you and Courtney’s posts daily! I love the feeling you have created in your dining room. Going to check out their site!

    16. Cathy

      Well, its way too late for me! Ha! I cannot wait to get rid of Summer, every year! I already started decorating for Fall and couldn’t be more thrilled! It is my favorite season, even though I don’t live in an area that I would call really Fall-ish. That’s why I start early and when I walk in the house, it’s very Fall in here! I love the scents of Fall best of all! Yummie! Yummie!

      Happy Fall!
      Cathy

    17. Elizabeth

      Wait, I thought Pennsylvania had bad winters too! Am I mistaken in this?

      • Marian Parsons

        We lived in South Central PA, so it wasn’t as bad as some parts of PA, but I am used to cold and snow. We’re definitely going to have harsher winters here, but I actually like winter! 🙂

    18. DiB

      Balsam Hill has quality products… I have never been disappointed.
      As for winters in Minnesota, hold onto to your hats. We lived there for a number of tears and I have to say “it do get cold.”

    19. Ellen

      Did you make the slip covers for your dining room chairs or did you buy them?

      • Marian Parsons

        I made them. If you look up “dining chair slipcover” on my blog, you’ll find a tutorial.

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