Sweet Something Designs

Clothespin Art

2012-01-27T19:22:00.001-06:00

Even after re-doing everything in the laundry room, I still ended up with a blank wall. With all the budget used up, I decided to make something with things I had around the house.
You'll need two 12x12 canvases, clothes pins, and get your hot glue gun fired up too.

I also had the old fashion type of clothespin and craftpins too. Justin's grandma was editing some of her craft supplies and naturally they came to me, so I had these in my stash (she use to make those little angels with the crochet dresses with these).

I thought I'd do a circle and a square, although I think that the circle ended up looking like a sunflower. I left the canvas (it came pre-primed) and the clothespins natural. Alternating the craft pins, clothespins and adding in some new ones too, just run a line of glue on the back and eyeball it.
I did find center, and used one of the 'stands' that the craftpins come with for the center

I had some lattice pieces out in the garage left over from the the Chain Link Dresser, so I added a couple of strips to the sides, not all four though (I didn't have quite enough ;).

The square one is made with all new clothespins and I just alternated the pattern.

Modern art with a household item!

It can't get any easier than this!

I hope you are inspired to create some mod clothespin art too!

Have a great weekend! Joining Jen

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

{DIY} Herringbone Tile Floor

2012-01-26T22:55:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone! I'm finally done putting together a step-by-step on how Justin and I accomplished the herringbone tile in ~~our~~ my new laundry room. Yes, we took on a tile project!! Even though the room is TINY it really took both of us working as a team to get it done, I really could not have done it with out him! For the record, we are not professional tilers, but because the laundry room is so small, I thought it would be a good room to get our feet wet on DIY tiling. We are just a couple of people that want to save some dough and do it our self. Of course, I just couldn't be normal and lay the tile in a simple straightforward pattern, no, I had to want an intricate pattern like herringbone. Probably not the best pattern for beginners, but that's what I wanted and so we gave it a try.

Here is what you'll need for this project:

Tile*Tile cutter *Tile adhesive and grout*Notched floor trowel*Rubber grout float*Putty knife*Plastic spacers (these come in all sizes, we used the 1/8")*Sponge*Bucket*Grout Sealer

*NOTE*
Just so we are clear, because the room is so small (5X5), I chose to use a combination adhesive and grout, but if your space is large, it would certainly be more economical if you bought the unmixed grout and adhesive and then mix it yourself.

Just so you can remember where the floor began...linoleum with a couple spots of damage, original to the house.

I removed the baseboards and ripped the flooring out and scrapped up all the adhesive spots that remained. Cleaned, swept, and vacuumed the floor.

Because we installed on subfloor (raw wood), I painted it with a primer and sealer combo. This is so there would be no chance of the subfloor absorbing the moisture from the tile adhesive and swelling, thus avoiding possible cracks in the future.

I bought the ceramic tile at Lowe's from Interceramic. The color/pattern is called Marfil Chiaro which is a marble look alike. I chose this tile because it is smooth, and has the look of marble, not rough stone like some of the ceramic tile out there. They come in a box of 15 and are 13X13 square.

I used the tile cutter to cut enough tiles in half to complete the whole floor. Justin handled the outside cuts and cuts around the vents. I totally wimped out on those!

We started from the back of the room which is a little different. If you were laying tile straight, the center of the room is where to start, keeping the cuts on the outside, but in this case, everything is cut. It was easier to keep straight starting from the back and working to the front.

After we had gotten a good dry fit, everything was cut right, fit well and looked good.....I went back and put the adhesive on one by one.

I know, not the traditional way, with this intricate of a pattern, it is how it worked out. There was no way in hades, after making all those pieces fit like a puzzle, was I going to take them all up to lay the adhesive down....It had to be done this way. One painstaking tile after another. You see why it took me so long!

Begin by getting some adhesive/grout on the back of the tile with a putty knife:

'Butter' the back of the tile until it is completely covered:

With the notched trowel, scrape it across the back of the tile:

Lay the tile back into place, give it a little shimmy, and insert spacers. Basically it's the traditional way but in reverse. I can't tell you how badly my fingers and hands hurt from doing it!!

Once the adhesive is dry (recommended 24 hours), remove the spacers

*NOTE* Thankfully, the spacers come two sided...one side is if the tile were laid straight (the 'X' side) and then the other side was straight for this sort of pattern

Next, it's time to grout. This went a lot easier than I thought. I worked a small section at a time, putting a glob of grout down and using the rubber float to work it in between the tiles. Once I had a section done, I used the wet sponge to wipe the tiles down and get up the excess grout. When the entire floor is complete, and after another 24 hour dry time, apply another coat of grout. Because of so much shrinkage with drying, it looks better with another layer. Oh, and another 24 hours.....:) Once the second coat of grout is dry, apply the grout sealer (according to the directions).
It's time to reinstall the baseboards....

....and move the appliances back in!

We are beyond thrilled with how it turned out, as you can imagine.

Wanna know what the sad part is????

That half of it is under the washer and dryer!! :)

At any rate, we are glad we took on the tile!By the way, there is a 'haze that forms over the tile, after grouting...and you can purchase Haze Remover, but I found with a warm water and a little elbow grease, it came right off.

If you have any questions, or if I wasn't clear on a step, feel free to ask in the comments.
*Note* Some great advice from a reader and experienced tiler in the comments, be sure to read!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

How I Spent My Homegoods Giftcards

2012-01-25T11:00:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! I am back from St. Louis, doctor appointments out of the way, I did some picking for my booth space and spent my Homegoods gift cards. An all around productive trip. My MIL always goes with me, so we have a lot of fun on our little trips. Just in case you don't remember, I won Kate's Tablescape contest back in December. I won $100 to spend at Homegoods. Well, I've been holding on to those puppies for a while and finally spent them up on this trip.

My MIL took all these pictures for me, and believe me the employees thought we were a little crazy. Finally, one of them asked what the heck we were doing, so I had to explain how I won, and now we are here, and how I wanted to blog about it....blah blah blah....don't they understand I just couldn't spend up the gift cards and not BLOG about it! Blank stares, then "Oh".

I purposely waited for my trip to St. Louis because it's a ginormous city, which means the stores are stocked really well. Big city=More selection. Of course, as I am looking through these pictures, you can see the colors that I'm drawn too...I'm even wearing the colors I like, I didn't even realize it. (aqua, grey, orange....etc). I liked a lot of items in the store, and I could have spent more than the gift cards (that's why they do those sorts of things after all) but I had to save my real money for picking.

This dining chair caught my eye and I liked the chrome swing arm lamp too..good job pairing modern and traditional!

Of course I couldn't go to Homegoods with out going through the extensive dinnerware section, I really like this navy and white ikat-ish dinner plate and salad plate. I was thisclose to buying those, but they didn't have a setting for six, which I wanted.

Aisle after aisle of lamps, I'm surprised I didn't select one or two of them.

I like these euro sized pillows, the fabric reminded me of the Thomas Paul fabric.

I ultimately ended up with this ginormous urn and it's smaller brother. I envision them on my mantle for sure.

Artwork is another strong area for Homegoods, the current trend of canvas art, present and accounted for...I liked what that smaller one in front says....if you fail to prepare, then you prepare to fail. How true is that?? One of you graphic artist need to make a printable of that saying so I can pin it. :)

Other artwork I liked, I love poppies.

More pillows, the orange caught my eye.

Yes, I am this goofy, you can't take me anywhere.

I really like this orchid pot too, on top of the list, but didn't make the cut.

They also had great rugs, and huge too. Prices for the 9X12's a mere $300.00, not bad at all.

Great colorways, great starts for any room.

These little wire occasional tables were really cute, and in several colors.

So I came home with some great new accessories, and oh yeah, a cutting board (I needed a new one). I'm really grateful for being chosen as the winner, I had a great time shopping!

Thanks for all the comments on my laundry room, I was offline until today so I'm just now getting to your emails and questions. Thanks for your support!

I was really nervous about putting so much of ME out there in this post, but I'm trying to be a little more fearless, like Tobi said; "What do you have to lose?" Love that girl.

Look for a post specifically about the flooring in the laundry room soon! See you then!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Laundry Room Reveal

2012-01-19T10:50:00.003-06:00

I'm Done!! I'm done!!
OK, so my weekend project turned out to be a weeklong project....you might have noticed, but the laundry room is finally finished. I'm still in that lean-in-the-doorway-and-stare phase, but I'm really thrilled that I have a weeks worth of laundry to do {NOT}!! Really though, this is the first project checked off my goals list for the new year, so when I put it in that perspective, I think we did pretty good.

The demo went REALLY quick, what took the most time was the floor.....but I am over the moon how it turned out. I will share the step-by-step on the flooring a different day, so be looking for that soon.
Anyway, let's get started on the tour.

The laundry room is a small room in the corner of the kitchen. It is small in size, but I wanted it to have a lot of personality. The rest of the kitchen/living room is neutral, so I felt like I wanted to really add a pop of color.
The wall color is Aqua Chiffon (A58-3) from Olympic Paints (Lowe's)

This is what I started with, it's bad I know....this is probably the worst case scenerio. Cluttered, disorganized, white walls, wasted space, but so much potential.

BEFORE:

The single changing aspect; hanging cabinets. Already changed my life. I found out many moons ago that I'm not an open shelving girl, so the cabinets cleaned up a lot of the visual clutter for me. I bought them unfinished (which is money saving) and painted them with left over paint from the kitchen facelift. Justin hung them the exact height of the kitchen cabinets, 54" from the floor. I helped a little. ;)

AFTER:

I found a new ironing board cover at Target, which is actually a huge detail. It ties in the grey striped ceiling and grey baskets. A clock that I spray painted, and a fun owl print I found on Etsy from THIS wonderful artist.

I thought long and hard about what type of flooring. Two things I knew: I couldn't put a ton of money into it, and I wanted it different. In the end, I decided on a ceramic tile in a herring bone pattern.

I will go into greater detail later, but it really makes me happy, and even happier that we did it ourselves.

I found this two gallon glass jar at Walmart...I have wanted to do this FOREVER...put the laundry detergent in a pretty glass jar. Yes, I'm easily amused. I was even further amused that the scoop that comes with Gain coordinates too. :)

Selecting knobs was fun, I looked at all the home improvement stores, but found these fun glazed ceramic ones at Hobby Lobby. I love the little flower detail and could not have come closer to the wall color if I tried.

The clothes rod has really made a difference (I only had the wire shelf to hang on before), little did I know the ability to slide clothes hangers would be so thrilling!

The dryer completely cluttered, this is not staged people....

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Oh joy.

I debated on whether to add crown molding to the top of the cabinets, but decided to use the space for additional storage and display space. I am really loving the pop of orange in there too.

When we started this project I allotted a budget of $300.00 (not including appliances)

So here's the cost break down:
Paint and Paint supplies:
$55.08
Cabinets and knobs:
$137.23
Flooring and supplies:
$102.06
New Accessories:
$30.10
Grand total: $324.47
$24.47 over budget
Not too bad!

Even though I've got a ton of laundry to do, I am going to be MUCH happier doing it!
I've got a doctors appointments Monday and Tuesday of next week, but look for flooring details soon!

Joining Jen @ TT&J

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Laundry Room Progress (Half Way there!)

2012-01-12T10:25:00.002-06:00

Thank you for all the support and encouragement on my little laundry room project. It is really coming along! I love the stripes on the ceiling and Justin hung my antique chandelier last night!!! Yay!

You might remember, I found this crystal and brass chandy at an estate sale several months ago.
A little unusual in a laundry room, I know, but that 's the part I like! :) It adds a lot of character and history with everything being 'new' in here. Besides, I'm the only one that uses the laundry room, and a little bling never hurt my feelings.

I have such a love affair with any light fixture I meet, I couldn't believe anyone would give this baby up......right up until I started cleaning it. 30 crystals and 45 minutes later, I figured out why the elderly couple I bought it from would eighty-six it.
But she's mine now.

You might notice I selected a different paint color...I went two shades lighter than my original choice. Even though I have used Schooner before (I painted a dresser), I think it was just a little too moody for a laundry room. In a walk-in closet, yes, a bedroom, perhaps...but I want this room to be super peppy.....

....and it is.

So what is there left to do?

-Install center cabinet (I have to have Justin's help with this)

-Install hanging rod

-Install knobs on cabinets

-Install flooring

Then it will be ready to move appliances back in and accessorize!

( Yes, I started filling the cabinets already, the kitchen is SUCH a mess right now, I had to do it :)

I'm installing the flooring by myself, wish me luck, I've never done it before! :)

I'll be back with a reveal soon!

P.S. I hit 2000 readers this week, I am so grateful you are here! Thank you!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Laundry Room Progress

2012-01-09T09:27:00.001-06:00

Hello, hello! I have stopped briefly to show you the laundry room, I'm really excited about the progress. This has really been a fun project so far and I'm closing in on the finished project. Are you ready for a dose of reality? Here is the what's what of the laundry room. I am ashamed, head bowed and shaking, but you can see the need for tackling this project. The builder slapped a wire shelf up and called it a day. My poor attempt to organize with canvas totes, and the dryer a catch all for laundry room clutter. I probably don't need to point out the incredible waste of space above the shelf....

So first things first, I cleared the entire room of everything, including the appliances.

The flooring in desperate need of updating. It's also damaged in a couple of areas too so we decided to replace it.

It was SO easy to rip it up, it was kinda fun too, I carefully took off the baseboards and ripped the linoleum up. It gave little resistance and so satisfying to give it the heave-ho. Keegan took my 'action' shot for me. :)

I did have to scrape up some adhesive spots, but it wasn't too bad. The sub floor is ready for it's next life!

I've opened up a can of worms with what I did to the ceiling. We have the dreaded popcorn ceiling throughout the house...and I decided to remove it in the laundry room, just to see how bad it would be. The best method that I have for removing popcorn is a spray bottle of water and a plastic putty knife/paint scraper (plastic is best to minimize gouging). I worked a section at a time, dampening with water and scraping off the popcorn. Make sure to have something to collect the 'popcorn goop', I used a cardboard box and used the edge of it to clean the knife off too. It was practically dust free, still messy, but I didn't worry about a film of chalky dust getting everywhere.

It went pretty quick, and aside from aching arms, I'm glad I tried it.

To reward myself for all that hard work, I added more work. ;) I was thrilled with how smooth the ceiling was, I decided to feature it!! Highlight it with some stripes! I chose to use the same wall color in the kitchen (Bedford Grey from Martha) to paint the stripes and really tie the areas together, the white is the kitchen wall cabinet color (Taylor's Chalk from Martha) This room will be nothing if not fun!

The two wall cabs are painted and Justin helped me hang them. It's coming along people! I'm really excited!

I've got to get back at it! Thanks for stopping by!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

The Laundry Room Begins

2012-01-06T11:37:00.002-06:00

Sorry for disappearing on you this week! I spent this week taking down Christmas at the booth, packing away supplies in my studio (where I create wreaths), cleaning the house and doing as much laundry as humanly possible.....because I am starting the laundry room project this weekend! Yeah!

I think that using 'laundry room' is giving it a little more substance than is actually there....it's more like a laundry closet. It's exactly 5X5 square to be exact. So in normal fashion, I peruse the www for inspiration and found lots and lots. What picture hit home with me the most was this picture:

Via

I like everything about it, but what I'm actually taking inspiration from is the placement of the cabinetry. I originally thought that I would hang one center cab in the middle and then have hanging room on either side, but I like this MUCH better.

So yesterday, I went around to every home improvement store until I found the right cabinets and the right price. I got them unfinished because I will be painting them with the same color as the upper cabs in the kitchen, and they are laminated on the inside....so I can skirt around having to paint inside. ;) These are 15 X 30 unfinished oak wall cabinets.

I decided to go with a bold wall color. It's a small area, and I'm feeling pretty gutsy. I think that with the white cabs and white appliances, this color is going to sing. Hopefully it will be my tune. :)

Off to the store again I go, today I'm getting handles for the new cabs, a hanging bar (to go in between the cabs), crown mold and looking at flooring options.

It's going to be a fun day!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

A Few Goals for 2012

2012-01-03T11:39:00.001-06:00

I spent the day yesterday taking down the Christmas tree and decorations. It certainly comes down a lot quicker than it goes up. Doesn't it? I'm not really sure why, but I'm glad it does. With the New Year here, I'm ready for a fresh start. Really ready.

In actuality, I am not a resolution kinda gal, but I do like to set goals for the new year. Even if some of the goals are 'repeats' from 2010 or even 1999. ..it's OK to roll-over goals from one year to the next. Sometimes circumstances aren't right and it just doesn't happen. I think of it like this: my daily to-do lists are pretty lengthy. I go full steam to get everything checked off the list. If I don't get something done on the list, it gets put on the next days list. For me, it's keeps the petal down, but I don't feel bad about myself if I don't check off everything. That's how it is for the goals for the year list, if it didn't get done, keep it on the list. Keep moving forward.

Another thing that I learned about myself...I am not a 'one word' gal either. I selected a word last year and then promptly forgot it. That's OK too, some things that work for others do not work for me. It's not a one size fits all thing.

So here we go:

1.) Create more wreaths for my shop. I never seem to have enough selection, and I want to improve on that.

2.) Open a new shop for vintage finds ala Etsy. I want this to be a companion to my booth space and offer a lot of awesome finds.

3.) Paint the laundry room. This is the second project in the Kitchen Facelift phase. I've been mildly thinking of what color I'd like to go with, but I haven't nailed anything down yet.

4.) Eating better. I know, I know....how cliche right? Well, I'm going to try. The way that I've eaten my whole life is finally catching up with me. We'll see how it goes.

5.) Exercise on a regular basis (I know, another cliche). I do not have an athletic bone in my body, so hard core weightlifting or marathon running is not what I am talking about. I am on the look out for a routine I can start off with and hopefully stick with. Justin has been eating healthy and exercising for sometime now and I'm finally getting on board. I guess when I started seeing his results, it started making me look a little shabby. :)

6.) Write an Ebook. This was one thing on my list last year and here it is again.

I have a few more personal, unspoken goals that I haven't listed here, but they are on paper. It seems like I have more business related goals (public and private) this year than home related goals. How about you? I'd love to read your goals, or leave me a link.

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

2012 Here We Come!

2011-12-31T19:38:00.001-06:00

via

Here's to a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! Thanks to all of you for being here.

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Tablescape Highlights 2011

2011-12-29T10:37:00.001-06:00

It's been really fun looking back over the year, it's hard to believe that in a few days we will be kissing another year goodbye. This week projects and Before and Afters are highlighted, and I could'nt leave out tablescapes. In a strange way they are like a hobby. I really love pulling a look together with doable, affordable ideas in hopes to inspire...and of course to eat! :)

Yellow Tulip

Monaco Breeze

America the Beautiful

Woodland

Blue Willow

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Joining Susan for Tablescape Thursday

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Before and After Highlights 2011

2011-12-28T10:00:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone! Yesterday I shared some projects (click HERE), today, I want to share some Before and Afters with you. Isn't it amazing when you look back at any given year, how much was accomplished without even realizing it? I want to start with a big B&A, my booth space. I know it's not furniture, etc...but it did undertake a major transformation that took just under two weeks to complete.

BEFORE:

Of course, my space doesn't look like this anymore....Most of the furniture and lamps are gone and I've added a few new furniture pieces (you'll see below). I'm excited to start setting for Spring (YAY!) and of course I'll bring you along with me. :)

AFTER:

Booth Space

Back on the homestead, an over sized painting transformed into a chalkboard. Logan is really the benefactor of this project, but it fills a really awkward and small wall for me. ;)
BEFORE:

AFTER:

Blackboard Painting

I found this chandy for a steal and it received a black paint job. It now makes a statement in the master bedroom.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Master Bedroom Chandy

Another Lamp project, this one was featured on thenest.com (Thanks!), an ordinary lamp received some added bulk with the assistance of driftwood that I collected along a lake.
BEFORE:

AFTER:

Driftwood Lamp

For my booth space, I found a decrepit drop-leaf table and experienced my first refinishing project (vs. just painting). It was a great small project to start with, and I will consider refinishing before painting from now on.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Drop-Leaf Table

This hutch is at my booth space as well, a very large piece. This project was major for me, a even shed a few tears, I was so frustrated, but I finished it.

BEFORE TOP:

BEFORE BOTTOM:

AFTER:

An over sized chest of drawers got an overhaul and a paint job. It offers a lot of storage in the master bedroom.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

AFTER DETAIL:

Chain Link Dresser

I finally found some dining chairs and updated them with paint and fabric.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Dining Chair Reveal

Finally, one of the biggest undertaking to date (save the booth space) the kitchen facelift. Oak cabinets from 1990, updated with paint and bold black and white combination. While it raised a few virtual eyebrows, it really works for our family and I love it.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Kitchen Facelift

Here's to a productive 2012!! Thanks for stopping by!

Joining Rhoda

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

DIY Project Highlights 2011

2011-12-27T11:39:00.003-06:00

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, I know I did, and am so blessed! The house is a complete disaster...it's going to take a few days to get everything back into order.

As we wind down the year, it's customary to look back on the year to see what you've accomplished so the next year can be even more productive. I had pretty lofty goals for 2011 all of which a major surgery brought to a screeching halt, but I still feel like I got some things done, while recovering. I'm creating 3 separate posts so they are not too long....after this project highlight, I've got before and afters and finally tablescapes of 2011.

For Spring of 2011, I tried my hand at making crepe paper flower ala Martha Stewart, such a fun and easy craft.

Crepe Paper Flowers

I tested and tried a paint technique to really bring an ordinary object some age and detail, really a great light and bright look for Spring

DIY Painted Pedestal (Painting Technique)

Fast foward to Summer, after my surgery and I'm feeling a little better. Taking ordinary curtain rod holder and adding a shelf....these are still hanging in my bedroom.

Wall Shelf
I have been trying to teach myself to sew, so I embarked on several simple straight forward designs in the way of table runners. Super easy for a beginner like me and using upolstery weight fabric created a very custom look.

Fabric Runner

With scraps from the runner, napkin rings and cuffs, seemed like the next natural step. Talk about custom, love it!

Napkin Cuffs and Rings

Rachel inspired this project, and it's perfect for Summer. My sister even did this with my niece at her birthday party. She bought all the girls tshirts, doilies and a selection of paint and let them design their own. What a great idea!

Doily Tshirt

Bottlecap collectors unite! This is another bottlecap project that turned out really nice.

Bottlecap Flag

This project was so simple and easy for the 4th

Flag Hurricane
Inspired by high dollar block art, I made my own and love the modern/vintage look of it.

Block Letter Art

I worked in the master bedroom this year and loved some artwork I had, but it didn't coordinate, a little paint changed that.

Changing Artwork

Another sewing project that is easy enough for begginers

Skirted Desk

Another paint technique, this one looks great going into the fall and winter months.

DIY Paint Technique

Lanterns are still all the rage and I show you how to embellish one for fall.

Fall Lantern

Easy flower pomanders for fall. These could be done with colors for anytime of year.

Autumn Pomanders

Old faded 'funkins' transformed with paint.

Painted Pumpkins
I loved making these and hated packing them away.

Glittered Pumpkin Wands

This is still hanging in the living room although the green leaves have faded to brown. This wreath was time consuming, but well worth the effort.

Fresh Magnolia Wreath

This was by far my favorite project this Christmas.

Pinecone Topiaries

This project come about at the last minute, thanks to Pinterest.

Music Sheet Stars

Wait a minute. This might of been my favorite.

Waterless Snow Globes

This is a fun gift idea, I painted several and gave them away on top of packages.

Gingerbread Man

This wreath is still outside and looking good.

Fresh Boxwood Wreath

I hope you enjoyed this look back on projects for 2011, I look forward to even more for 2012.

Joining Jen

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Blue Willow Tablescape

2011-12-21T21:00:00.003-06:00

Can you believe that Christmas is this weekend? Time flys by so fast! This will probably be my last tablescape for Christmas, so I hope you draw lots of inspiration.

I have ALWAYS wanted to do a tablescape like this forever and and a day and finally, I decided to do it. Why not? I had the fresh greens from a party I decorated for and the faux fruit is from my arsenal of supplies.This is such a classic look and really, you can't go wrong with fresh greens and fruit and Johnson Brothers blue willow dishes. This will especially appeal to all you southern ladies. :) I wanted to use some magnolia leaves too, but my table just isn't big enough. Had I been working with my table outside, you bet your bottom I would have. The weather here has been so cold (and now rainy) indoors I had to stay

I borrowed part of my MIL's collection and mixed it with my everyday Gibson dishes. Simple glassware and contemporary flatware.

For the centerpieces, I used traditional glass hurricanes (the same that I used at the party), white candles, faux fruit, red berries and fresh mixed pines.

I don't own any blue willow, but I do appreciate the style and history of it. I really do like the oriental landscape depicted on each piece.

I didn't use any place mats, but kept on my linen table runner. It's official, you have to make one, I haven't taken it off since I did. :)

The fruit looks really real, doesn't it?

I also used the gold magnolia pods that I painted for the party too. I'm trying to come up with a clever craft to create with them.

I added some black and white striped ribbon to really keep it interesting. Plus it speaks back to the black and white in the adjacent kitchen.

I think this look would look great for a buffet table too. Can you just see loads of food all around for Christmas dinner?

Thank you so much for stopping by to see a Southern Blue Willow Tablescape. I hope you are inspired!

I will not be posting again until after Christmas....I hope each and everyone of you have a fantastic and joyous Christmas Day! I will talk to you soon.

Joining Susan

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

6 Years Ago....

2011-12-21T07:50:00.000-06:00

Yes, six years ago today another bouncing baby boy graced our lives, this time we named him Logan. Very different from the first one (as they always are), made me feel like I had no experience at all.

I eventually figured him out...though he still keeps me on my toes.

Big blue eyes and chubby cheeks

I've always loved this shot, you can't see his halo though. ;)

He is full of energy and quite the talker

high-spirited, and energetic with a little bit of spunk thrown in

He is my sidekick and my helper.

He is growing into a great kid

This shot needs a little backstory....We are at our town Christmas parade, waiting for it to start. I've got my camera (with strap) hanging on my shoulder and Logan is just tall enough....snaps a picture of himself. It's hilarious.
This one is going down in history as one of my favorites! :)

Happy Birthday Logan! I'm so proud to be your Mom!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Paper Star Winners!

2011-12-20T10:00:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone! I know it's crunch time! Thank you so much for leaving me comments on your favorite Christmas songs. We share a lot in common and a few I had to check out! :)

I know it was a spur of the moment kind of thing, so thanks.

I wanted to share a few of my favorite Christmas songs, they are all across different genre. I added on a couple of vids too. Andrea Bocelli has the most amazing voice and I love the duet he does with Catherine Jenkins (get the tissues) and the traditional Angels We Have Heard on High....amazing with that choir and the final note send chills down my spine! I hope you enjoy !

Some more of my favorites (and the artist):

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Bare Naked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan

Jingle Bells

Frank Sinatra

It must've Been Ol' Santa Claus

Harry Connick Jr.

O Holy Night

Nat King Cole

I Saw Three Ships

Sting

Winter Wonderland

Jason Mraz

Mistletoe

Colbie Caillat

Home for the Holidays

The Carpenters

The two winners of the handcrafted Music Sheet Star:

Peggie, favorite song is: I'll be Home for Christmas

and

Ashlee @ Prairie Cottage, favorite song: White Christmas

Please email and I will get them out right away!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Paper Star Tutorial and a Giveaway

2011-12-17T12:44:00.001-06:00

This is a first. I'm sharing a tutorial that is a direct result of a pin. What am I talking about?? Well, a couple of years ago, I wrote about a paper star that I had made for Christmas gifts (see HERE) and someone pinned it on Pinterest. As a result, I received several emails on how to create it.

I know it's so late in the season, but I thought I would show you, if for no other reason than it archive it. So let's get started!

Supplies that you need:

Star form (Click HERE for a paper mache version to buy), sheet music or book paper, shipping tag, jingle bells (not pictured), Mod Podge (abbreviated MP), glitter, tinsel garland, various paint brushes.

I'm am usually on the use-what-I-have-around-the-house mindset, and I had these star ornaments for years and years and didn't use them anymore, decided to alter them as gifts. I think they are plastic, once they were gold, then I spray painted them red, and now they will finally be made into pretty paper star gifts.

Begin by tearing vintage sheet music or book paper into squares, not too small about 2-3" squares are best. It took two sheets per star in this case.

I think most people are familiar with how simple it is to decoupage, I worked on one point at a time, brush on a layer of Mod Podge

Lay a square on

brush another layer on top, smoothing the paper on. This needs to happen pretty quick, you don't want the MP to dry. Don't be afraid to use your fingers to get it really smooth. Once you have the entire star form covered, let it dry completely. Make sure it is completely dry, because the next step is glittering. If there is even a little wetness the glitter will stick, and probably where you don't want.

I personally like to use Martha's glitter because it is super fine and super sparkly, but you could use a glitter/glue combo for this step, it's just a matter of preference. Glitter the edges of the star first, then the 'veins' of the star. You could do both sides if you like, but I just did one side.

With a small paint brush, brush on a small line of MP, one vein at a time, sprinkle glitter on, knock off excess. Move around the whole star....gluing and glittering as you go. Let dry completely.

Once it is dry, it's time to embellish the top point. Here you can get as creative as you want.

I chose some tinsel garland (tied on like string) jingle bells (tied on with jute) and a little shipping tag that I stamped with 'Merry and Bright' (I also glittered the edges of the tag). If you would like to know how to stain shipping tags, I explain it HERE.
This little doodad helps create a little focal point and is a great detail, get creative with how you can personalize this.

I also made a third one using a flat on the back metal 'barn star'

I really like how sweet these turned out!

They could be hung on the tree or in the center of a wreath, countless ideas!!

As a little a thank you to all of YOU, I want to offer two of these up in a giveaway! In appreciation for all the visits and comments and emails THANK YOU!! It is so close to Christmas, so I'll just run this through Monday the 19th.
All you have to do to get a chance to win is comment telling me your favorite Christmas Song, easy right? I'll randomly pick a winner on Tuesday, good luck!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Christmas Party at the Coleman Theatre

2011-12-16T09:21:00.000-06:00

Last week, I had the privilege of doing some centerpieces for a corporate party of 80. It was held at the Historic Coleman Theatre in Miami (pronounced MY-AM-AH)Oklahoma. I had never been to the Coleman Theatre so I thought that you would like to come along too, it was a real treat. The theatre was owned and operated by the Coleman's and opened it's doors in the spring of 1929. After many, many years of service the theatre was donated to the city of Miami in 1989. Since then it has been on the long road to restoration. Their motto is: "We don't own anything. We hold it in trust for the next generation"

I'll show you what I did for the party first. The centerpiece for the dessert table was simple, yet tall. I used a combination of birch branches, real pine/cedar and red berries. Aren't the baby poinsettias cute nestled around the base?

I wish I could have ~~eaten~~ seen all the desserts circling the arrangement

I decided to stay very traditional for the centerpieces. With the the ballroom dripping with Louis XV design, I certainly could not have gone rustic or modern in the least. Traditional 14" Hurricane shades and fresh pine and cedar, red berries and....can you see what else I used?

I hand painted magnolia pods gold and nestled them in with the pine. I harvested them the same day I made my Magnolia Leaf Wreath. The night before the party, I'm making the candle rings...it's getting late and around 11 o'clock, I'm thinking, thinking, thinking on how I can bring in some gold. I didn't want to use gold ornaments, I think they would have come off looking cheesy in such a room, I remembered the pods I had collected and knew that would do the trick. So the pods got a paint job. I really love how they turned out and they really added an unusual element to the centerpieces, and I got my gold. :)

The party only took up one end of the expansive ballroom

Now let's talk about some of the details of the Coleman. Take a look at that gold ceiling and the crystal chandeliers! Fancy, hu?

This was the chandy in the two story foyer (you know I have a weakness for light fixtures). This thing was ginormous (although small compared to the one in the theatre)!

Just look at it! See!?! See!?! :)

Gold carved chairs in which only to look at, your bottom may not reside on it's silken coverings.

Ok, I was slightly obsessed with the chandy and it's not even my style! The stairs going down to the first floor, I know you can't really see it well, but the carpets have the Coleman initials creating an over all pattern through out the whole theatre. From what the lady told me, they found the original rug manufacturer from 1929 and had all the carpets restored, cool hu?

Coleman Initials, inlaid granite I think.( View from the second story)

Some interior shots on the theatre side. This is out in the lobby. Opening day for the theatre was April 18, 1929...can you imagine being one of the 1600 people in attendance that day so long ago?

I didn't get to take any shots in the actual theatre there was a production going on the day I was there, but take a look at pictures on their website click HERE. The Wurlitzer was completely restored (all 790 pipes!!) and the story of it's travels (yes, a traveling organ) is really fascinating. The giant chandelier in the theatre, they told me, was found in a barn, brought back to the theatre and fully restored. I thought it was so sweet that the grandson of the electrician that originally hung the chandelier was the one that helped hang it again.

Some exterior shots which I think are really a big part of the charm for me. The Spanish Revival exterior really stands out in the center of town. Since moving to Missouri, and coming from a fishing town in North Carolina, learning about mining towns have become really facinating for me! You would not see this style of building on the outer banks!

Isn't it beautiful? I am so glad that I got a chance to visit the Coleman Theatre (I would have never known about it if not for the party!). It is a continuing restoration process and what has been done thus far is monumental and really fantastic.

If you ever get a chance, stop by, you'll see what I mean!

P.S. Thank you so much for commenting and stopping by the Christmas tour, I really appreciate it!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Christmas Tour 2011

2011-12-14T18:15:00.006-06:00

Welcome!! I am so happy you stopped by! We are knee high into the Holiday season so I want to show you our festive (but simple) home. A big thank you to Nester for hosting the tour, I know there will be tons of inspiration.

I will be highlighting areas and providing links to see even more.

Let's get started in the kitchen. The kitchen is where we spend a lot of time, not only to cook and eat, but the peninsula is where I do all my crafting, so you'll find me in here a lot.

Check out entire tour HERE. Also, a big thank you to Melissa at the Inspired Room for featuring my kitchen.

It's not a very big kitchen, so I just keep the decor simple and add in some whimsical touches. The dining room is actually just an eat-in kitchen but it's got visions of grandeur.:)

On the window sill are my waterless snow globes. These have been really fun and catch the light beautifully. See how you can make your own HERE.

A vintage looking Santa face nestled in a wreath and hung on our chalkboard door, this is probably my favorite aspect of the kitchen

Scratch that last statement, this is my favorite aspect of the kitchen, the Hot Chocolate Bar. Best thing I've done. We use it and love it, although I've had to put a 'cap' on the hot cocoa drinking...the kids would be drinking it all the time (can you say sugar high!:) if not.

Let's move into the living room which is another room we spend a lot of time in.

Over the bookcases, I hung my handcrafted Magnolia Leaf Wreath....I spent so much time on that wreath I definitely wanted to use it through Christmas. I had to stop myself from glittering it, I really wanted to but can you imagine trying to glitter it??? What a mess!
I think it has held up pretty well considering how many weeks ago I made it. It fits in perfectly with the colors in here.

If you'd like to see how to make a Magnolia Leaf wreath for yourself click HERE.

I added the Moravian star and a couple of candlesticks along with some driftwood (on the left)

Over on the TV wall, I hung a small collage featuring my winter tree prints, I've had those for a long time. I also found another vintage owl plate which helps brake up all the right angles. That poor chair, It's going to get reupholstered if it kills me...
soon.It'll be a good January project.

This is the collage on the sofa wall...I added some conifer botanical pictures for winter

This is what is on the coffee table now, I had to move the candlesticks (pictured below, not very kid friendly), to a chunkier candle and a poinsettia. I found a pine candle that I absolutely love and just so happens to fit on the mercury glass candle holder, surprisingly from Wal-mart called Fresh Pine. It has a pretty silver lid and really affordable (I highly dislike spending tons of money on candles). The cattail ball that my husband calls a green brain, is actually natural cattail fuzz (?) dyed a beautiful green. It works great for Christmas as well as everyday.

See more detail on the mantle HERE

See the full story on our Christmas Tree by clicking HERE

Learn how to make your own pine cone topiaries HERE

Let's move on to the Master Bedroom, I worked on it earlier this year and I added a tiny bit of Christmas.

I didn't get to show you yet that I found my parents oversize rosary in storage this summer when I was getting ready to open my booth. It is about 30 years old, Mom bought it when we were stationed in Italy. It always hung on a picture over the mantle when I was growing up, I'm glad that I found it.

For Christmas, I did some curly willow, mini pine cone stems and pine in one of the tea jars. I just took the lid off and used enough to fill the mouth of the vase, easy to take out after the season.

I also made a feather wreath to hang on the mirror. Totally inspired by Nester's white one, I made my own version in brown

This could certainly stay all winter, don't you think?

We have come to the end of the tour! Hope you enjoyed!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Christmas Tree 2011

2011-12-13T19:25:00.002-06:00

I've shown you quite a few pictures of the Christmas tree (hope you don't mind more)....When you live in a small place, it's hard to just zero in on one thing, like just the tree or just the mantle...you take one picture and you've captured the whole room. So let's go waaay back

down to the bare bones, all 8' of bones, pre-fluffed. With the acquisition of the new tree (read about it HERE) I had to rethink the space plan in the living room altogether. The sectional and rug were shifted down 3' and the tree still looks a little shoved in the corner. Last year the tree was in the opposite corner of the living room, but there was no way this tree was going to fit there. I didn't even get to use my Christmas tree Planter that I made last year, but luckily, I ended up using it at my booth space, so it worked out OK.
Moving right along....

Fluffed, scratched up arms and 1200 lights later and it's ready to decorate! Finally. I even had to move out the white dresser that is usually in that space, but left the mirror hanging to bounce a little light around.

Old and new ornaments fill every branch and I added some new faux bois ribbon to the mix. I'm not really sure what 'theme' the tree is....I suppose woodland would be a word, rustic, another, with just a shot of glam? Who knows. I do know there is a lot o'pinecones. It's like I see a glass pinecone ornament and I must buy it. I seem to forget that I have umpteen million already. So yeah, let's call it the Conifer theme. That's a good name right? Maybe call her Connie for short? No that's not a good idea, I would confuse her with my human friend Connie, so Conifer will just have to do.

The collection of candlesticks on the coffee table lasted, oh, about two days. Logan and candles just don't mix. I ended up with just the bowl of pinecones and a white poinsettia instead, much more kid friendly.

I've had a few request for a tutorial on the tree topper, I'm sorry, but it would be so hard to photograph and I don't think I'm brave enough to do a video...so here is a super duper close up:

A few other inquiries about the Noel banner, I did not use stencils but based my lettering on the 'engravers' font (it's one of my favorites).

If you have anymore questions, let me know.
Thank you for stopping by, I hope you are inspired!

In other news, I just found out I won the HomeGoods Tablescape Contest at Centsational Girl! Wee Hoo! A huge thank you to Kate and the other judges and HomeGoods, thank you so much!

Come back tomorrow for an entire tour!

Joining Sarah

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Boxwood Wreath {Tutorial}

2011-12-12T16:00:00.000-06:00

By now, I'm sure most of us have the inside of our homes pretty much completed, so outdoor decor is next on the list. I showed you how to make your own Magnolia Leaf Wreath, so now I want to show you how to make your own boxwood wreath.

I have always loved the slightly formal yet traditional look of boxwood, so I thought I would try my hand at it.

The supplies are really basic; wire (18 gauge), heavy duty scissors, 12" craft wreath (Michael's) and boxwood (I harvested from the yard) This is the first time I have used these craft rings for a wreath. If you remember my chain link dresser, this is the type of wreath I used for that project. I had a few left over and thought, what the heck, I'll try to use it for what it was intended for, a wreath. :)
However, if you make this and want to hang it outdoors, I recommend a wire or grapevine wreath, this craft ring is not intended for rain.

Once you've collected enough boxwood, cut them short and gather into a bundle. Use wire to wrap around the end and tighten.

Be sure to use a long enough length of wire to get around the craft ring too. The ring has these convenient little holes and I wired right through those first. The holes allowed for even distribution, and then I went back and filled in with more bunches.

Once I was done and it was full enough, I decided to add red berries and a small bow. Of course you could leave it plain or use different ribbon, the boxwood is perfect for just about any look.

I love how the berries look sprinkled in among the boxwood, it just says tradition to me.

I would like to mention that I like my boxwood a little 'wild' looking, if you want yours to be a little more tailored, just cut the boxwood stems shorter and create tighter bunches.
I created this wreath in under 30 minutes, much, much quicker than the magnolia wreath! Wouldn't these look fantastic on windows? I'm hoping it will last through the New Year.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you are inspired to create your very own boxwood wreath!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Old World Christmas {Tablescape}

2011-12-08T07:51:00.002-06:00

Hi and welcome to an Old World Christmas! It's no trouble pulling different looks together at this time of year, I love so many!

This tablescape came together relatively easy, practically by itself. I was pulling linens and dishes out because I had grand ideas of going outside to create a tablescape but the weather just didn't cooperate. I think the freezing temps and wind chill of winter have officially arrived. :)

I pulled my lantern knowing I wanted that as a centerpiece. While it would have fit wholly on my rustic table outside, it's a little snug on the dining room table (oh well). The lantern really set the tone and I came up with a name right away (you name your tablescapes too right?)

I have had a couple of 'old world' figures for years now, and they really look at home. This is the snowman, with his not-quite-white snow, red scarf and broom.

and the Santa with his toy bag and lantern staff.

The glassware I chose, you've seen before, but probably my favorite.

I've had my linen runner on the table for a while now, I'm really glad I went ahead and made it. It sets a neutral background for everything.

Little Christmas tree s-n-p shakers, love these, and love that they were inexpensive.

I put a wreath around the base of the lantern and I did a little doohickey on the flue. I showed you how to embellish a lantern for Fall, so here is a Christmas version. The doodad would have been a little more involved had I not used the wreath, so a little bit of berries, webbing and candy canes did the trick.

I was inspired to use the webbing after seeing it in the PB catalogue and it goes so well with this look! I didn't even look at the price in the catalogue, I just trotted my butt down to Walmart and got a couple of yards of chair webbing. I think it's around a dollar per yard {I think} I can't quite remember. At any rate, it's got a great look to it and not any harder to use than burlap ribbon, there just isn't any wire.

I found these holly berry plates a couple of years ago at a antique store, although the stamp on the bottom that says 'Home' next to the Target symbol leads me to believe they are not antique. :) But I guess they will be eventually. My twiggy chargers look nice under them.

I recently found a couple of fun plaid runners at Dollar General and used them across the table. That is a fun alternative to placemats. The captain's chair layout looks a little different, I even used wooden chargers instead too.

For the napkin rings, I used tiny grapevine wreaths and snipped little red berries apart and wove them around. The celery green napkins are casually folded on the ring.

So while this would have looked so fitting outdoors, it's not too shabby inside.

Thanks so much for stopping by I hope you're inspired!

I will be sharing a fun paper craft with you tomorrow, see you then!

Joining Susan

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Christmas Mantle 2011

2011-12-06T20:10:00.008-06:00

Don't you just love this time of year? We have really been enjoying our 'New' tree (read how I acquired it HERE) and even Justin has commented on how much he likes it, and he's usually pretty neutral.

I did the mantle differently than I did last year, simply because of the size of the tree. When the tree got bigger, the mantlescape had to go bigger too. Really though, I have been wanting to do a swag like this for sometime. For such a long time in fact that I bought this swag a loooong time ago. It's a beautiful mixed pine swag and I "offset" it with additional greenery to keep it from looking too perfect.

I added real branches for some interest and also to hang my glass icicles. I hope you can see them in the photo here. Some are from Martha Stewart and some are from Dept. 56.

Two large cylinder vases full of glass ornaments anchor each end of the mantle, my handcrafted pine cone topiaries, and candles in the center

I used a cedar garland with lights across the mantle, it really softens up around the vases and topiaries

Tying brown satin ribbon around everyday white candles help them feel more Christmasy. :)

I've been getting some questions on the burlap Noel Banner that I made. I haven't done a tutorial on it, but Jen has a great one HERE. I love the little rusty jingle bells tied on the ends.

A view of the tree, you can catch the details HERE.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you're inspired!

Joining Rhoda

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Christmas Kitchen 2011

2011-12-05T07:03:00.003-06:00

I was really excited about adding some touches of Christmas to the kitchen because it's the first Christmas since the Kitchen Facelift. Since I did the facelift at the beginning of this year, this is my first Christmas with the black and white cabs. I have really, really enjoyed the changes and adding merry touches have been really fun.

We are in the throws of hot chocolate season here in MO (it's even suppose to snow today!) so I set up a 'hot chocolate' bar. Honestly, this counter is typically our 'catch-all' counter, so I cleaned it off once and for all and vow to keep it clean. What better way to keep it clutter free than to fill it with all the makings of a fine cuppa hot chocolate. The kids really love it, and really, I love it too. About 12 dollars in supplies, and everything else I had on hand.

Looking in to the living room:

On the dining table, just a simple centerpiece with cylinder vases and cedar. I raised one up on a vintage milk glass pedestal and tied some fun stripped ribbon around the glass. You might remember the linen table runner I made for my Thanksgiving table. I really love the look of it for Christmas too, I think it adds a little elegance to an otherwise whimsical look.

Little Christmas touches on the other counter too, the green (leaf green from Krylon) I use all through the year looks nice with Christmas red.

Cute little musical snowman I received last year as a gift, so cute! His little gumdrops light up too! :)

I jazzed up the chalkboard door with a wreath and a merry Santa face, handcrafted felt poinsettias and gingerbread men.
If you have ever considered doing a chalkboard door, do it, we have really loved it.

The kitchen is not super big at all, the door leads to the garage and the laundry room is in the corner past the fridge. I'm hoping to give it a little facelift of it's own next month.

The centerpiece from the Yuletide Christmas tablescape found a home on top of the hutch. I wanted a little bit of greenery and that really did the job. With the super long branches, I was able to hang some paper stars. I hope to show you how to make the stars next week.

Looking in to the kitchen.

My little collection of Waterless Snow Globes are in the window sill, behind all that sunshine. :)

I recently made over an old painting into a chalk board, check out the 'before' HERE. I hung some paper punched and bottlecap garland over the corner and added a paper star. Logan is only tall enough to draw on the bottom, it's been a fun addition.

I hope you have enjoyed the little tour. Have questions? Just ask in the comments.

Joining Layla @ The Lettered Cottage

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

The Meaning of the Christmas Wreath

2011-12-03T10:16:00.001-06:00

Happy weekend! I hope you are enjoying some holiday decorating! I will be helping my MIL this weekend, so I know I'm in for some fun.

I found this poem and wanted to share:

The Meaning of the Christmas Wreath, by Holley Gerth

Every Christmas wreath is more than a decoration...it's a special reminder of Jesus, the reason for our celebration.

The circle of a Christmas wreath is a never ending ring, a reminder of eternal love from our Lord and King.

The Christmas wreath is a sign of welcome, inviting all to enter in....a reminder of Christ's invitation for all to come to Him.

The middle of a Christmas wreath is a bare and empty space, a reminder of what life would be without Christ's love and grace.

So each time you see a Christmas wreath

hanging from a door,

may your heart rejoice in the One

that Christmas is truly for!

Isn't that a wonderful poem?

All of these wreaths and more are available in my SHOP.

Have a great weekend and I'll talk to you Monday!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Gingerbread Man {A Tutorial}

2011-12-02T05:00:00.003-06:00

I tell you what, I've got my crafty pants on and I'm not taking them off....well, not yet anyway. I will eventually get glittered out, but it's still early. If you're not feeling crafty, I've got these cute gingerbread men in my Etsy Shop. Click HERE to take a look.

If you are feeling crafty, here is what you'll need:

Wooden Gingerbread Men

(Which I will abbreviate GM, because I'm too lazy to spell it out anymore)

Craft Paint in Golden Brown, light pink and Burnt Umber

Fabric 'Slick' Writers in black and white

Sparkle Mod Podge

Buttons/beads

New pencil (with non-used eraser)

Paint brushes

Clothes pin (and hot glue gun to glue it on)

You can find GM in the unfinished wood area of any craft store, but I like the shape of the one from Hobby Lobby the best. They come in a pack of three for around a dollar.

You'll begin by giving the GM about three coats of golden brown paint and let dry. You'll want to do both sides and the edges too, so it looks nice and neat.

Next, you want to give the GM a 'cookie' look with a gnarly brush and burnt umber paint....just around the edges.

Once it's dry, use the unused eraser end of a pencil and dip into light pink paint and give that GM some rosy cheeks. That wasn't a run-on sentence was it?

Let dry.

Slick writers I get at Wal-mart. They have them over where you get stuff to make your own t-shirt area. It's for fabric, but it works fine with this too and dries with a raised surface, which is great for a 'frosting' look.
With the white slick writer, give him some frosting and use the black for his eyes and mouth. You have to kinda have a steady hand, but the tubes are pretty easy to use. Of course you can personalize the face however you'd like too...I like mine a little cock-eyed. :)
Let everything dry and glue on some buttons or beads.

Glue the clothes pin on the back. This makes it super easy to clip any where...stockings, trees, gifts, etc.

Finally, completely cover the GM with sparkle Mod Podge. It seals it and gives it the twinkle effect you know I love!

Once it is dry, he is ready to clip anywhere and everywhere. I've been making these for years and even do them made out of burlap. I think they are so cute!

They look cute pinched on a wreath too! I hope you are inspired to give this a try! If you don't like the whimsy look, I think it would look cute with a prim look too.

OnMonday, I'm inviting you over to see the kitchen, stay tuned!
Have a GREAT weekend!

Weekend Wrap Up

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Yuletide Christmas {Tablescape}

2011-12-01T05:00:00.000-06:00

Are you getting ready for the Holiday season? Dragging out the tubs, untangling lights, and fluffing your mantle with Christmas finery? Well thank you for taking the time to stop by for some inspiration!

I was thinking the other day, what are quintessential Christmas elements? The first things that come to mind for me....red berries, pine, pine cones, and plaid. In gathering all those things, I headed outside to create a Yuletide Christmas.

This is actual frost on the centerpiece...I left it on the table and the next morning it was frosty and I couldn't resist snapping a couple pictures. It makes the berries look so real!

For the centerpiece, that I always love creating, I used an old metal log holder. It's kinda big, so I started off with long branches. Then filled in with pine and berries and finished it off with a small ribbon. A classic hourglass hurricane on a brass holder provides a little candlelight, off to the side.

The tablecloth was a recent find at Big Lots. I zeroed right in on the plaid, although they have other styles.

Herringbone napkins that I've had for a while, they show up for any occasion that calls for red. The napkin rings I created by wrapping a plain plastic napkin ring (from the dollar store) with plaid ribbon and a little hot glue.

Twiggy chargers from Mary Carol Home Collection, love these and use them a lot. Flatware is from Target, although I think I've seen this style everywhere now.

Simple white plates with a little pearl detail around the edge, also from the Dollar Tree, last year.

I love how the centerpiece turned out, something a little unexpected and certainly festive.

The snowflake glasses were a find from last year at the Dollar Tree.
These are actually in everyday use, they are the perfect size for eggnog. Which we love and drink all the time, except for Keegan, he doesn't like it at all.

The candle lit at night...

So what are the elements that make a quintessential Christmas for you? Are you like me and love the traditional things?

I hope you've enjoyed my Yuletide Christmas!

Joining Susan for Tablescape Thursday

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Christmas Touches and Details

2011-11-30T09:24:00.000-06:00

Thank you so much for all the lovely, and funny comments on my "Twas the night before Christmas" poem. I just had to do it that way you know....you just can't blurt that sort of thing out, you must create a poem when you find a deal like that!. :) The funny thing is, and this goes to show what a goofy goober I am, the day after I came up with the poem, I couldn't stop talking to myself in rhyme. Everything had and exclamation mark too. :) I probably have some sort of disorder that my inner dialogue rhymes all the time, anyone heard of that?

***

I would like to offer more pictures (cause you know I can't stop) and some links and details and some sources, although, most everything has been collected over time.

I know that it is always a battle between fresh or faux, but too many people in my family has tree allergies, so faux we go (dang it, there I go again).

Even as a kid, mom and dad both were allergic and we always had an artificial tree. My sister still uses Mom's tree to this day.
I used my pinecone topiaries on the mantle. As soon as I made them, I knew exactly where they would end up, I really love them. Someone commented that they had seen something similar at Target, so I was in there the other day and they are so painted and glittered that you could barely tell they were pinecone petals. I highly recommend the DIY version. :)
See how to make your own HERE

I even made a third one using a 14" cone. I put all three of them on candle holders because the ceilings are high in the living room, so for me, the taller the better,

I have a collage wall over the sofa and while I didn't change the arrangement, I did change the fall tree prints. I found this botanical book at an auction that had illustrated pictures, so I used three pictures of conifers. I kept the same frame and matting, just put in the pine pictures. The fall trees are just behind now.

My block art still looks good as the centerpiece. Check out how I made it HERE.

When I saw this owl pillow cover at West Elm, I just had to splurge (sorry it's no longer available). It is embroidered with a button closure. I think he looks really cute and the perfect colors too.

I made the Noel banner just like I made my Fall one using burlap and painted the lettering. I added a couple of rusty bells on the end for fun.

I found this fantastic wood grain ribbon at Joann's. After the tornado, they set up a satellite store at the Mall, which I despise going to (the mall that is)...but I needed some burlap for the Noel garland. So I ran in and found this great ribbon. It must have been destiny. I joined it with some platinum netting ribbon that I found at Michael's. I know not everyone is into ribbon, but for me it's like 2 1/2" wide fabric. :)
I stuck some other platinum floral and sticks around the ribbon to help balance off just how big around the tree is. I tried to use the the finial topper that I have (you can see it HERE), but it was just too small.

These glittery feathers are new this year too. I found them at Michael's. They've got all kinds of crazy colors, but then I saw the brown ones...they add a lot of texture. They bend and twist too, which I thought was great.

I have collected all sorts of pinecone ornaments and my favorites are these ginormous ones. They are 10" long, so they demand a little extra attention. I tied a little bow and added some rusty jingle bells (Hobby Lobby) and a touch of floral.

I get lots of emails about the mirrors in the firebox....they are 4" mirror tiles usually found with candle holders at places like Hobby Lobby. I think they are suppose to be candleholders, but they are just small versions of beveled tiles to me. I used hot glue to adhere them because I don't want them to be permanent. Not too bad looking for a non-working fireplace, candles are the next best thing to a fire, right? :)

I'm still putting some Christmas touches in the kitchen, so I will share that next week.
I've got a tablescape coming tomorrow and a fun craft for the weekend.

Come back!

My other Handmade Ornaments on the tree:

Joy and Noel Ornaments

Upcycled Ornaments

Bayleaf wreath ornament

Acorn Cap ornament

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

My Eight Foot Tree

2011-11-29T05:00:00.001-06:00

Twas the height of yard sale season and all through the hoods, I search high and low for dazzling vintage goods. Typically, the children are still nestled, all snug in their beds while I have visions of furniture and accessories dancing in my head. Off I go with a roll of thunder, yard sales and garage sales to plunder!

When out on the lawn of a house nice and neat, I encounter a big tub and an eight foot tree! Away to the women I flew like a flash..."How much is the tree, I'll give you cash!"

A dollar she exclaimed, but I couldn't believe, what could be wrong with that eight foot tree? "Nothing" she answered, "and all the pieces are there..." I welcomed her answer, if I dare!

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, I jumped in the car and waved bye, bye! Fast forward to now and gaze upon the tree. It's eight foot tall as you can see. What the fair lady failed to mention was that eight foot tree girth dimensions!

I spoke not a word, but went right to work and decorated the tree, I was going berserk! It's too big and dowdy, I thought with a pout, my head was swimming with all sorts of doubt!

I persevered and kept right on going. With ribbon and bells and pine cones and more, I decked out that tree, it finally started flowing!

Finally, I finished and I am happy you see, I'm tickled pink and glad I bought my eight foot tree.

So here we are at the end of my story, my eight foot tree in all her glory.

This poem inspired by Twas the night before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore with a little Dr. Suess thrown in for good measure. :)

Thanks for reading! More Pictures and details coming soon!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Sweet Something Sale!

2011-11-26T08:21:00.000-06:00

Thank you so much for your patronage!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Pinecone Topiary

2011-11-25T05:00:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share these topiaries I created last week just in case you didn't catch the Handmade Holiday series over at Under the Table and Dreaming
I absolutely love looking at them and I will be creating a bigger one. Hope you enjoy!

Here is what you will need:

2-12" STYROFOAM brand foam cones

Hot Glue Gun

Mod Podge

Burnt Umber Craft Paint

Gold Spray Paint (not pictured)

Martha Stewart Glitter in White Gold

Heavy Duty Scissors

Paint Brush

Pinecones

I have always collected pinecones and have them readily available, but if you can't harvest them yourself, you can certainly buy them by the bag at your local craft store (and they are usually scented, bonus!).

The very first thing I did before I cut was mist each pinecone with gold spray paint, not total coverage, just enough to give them a little metallic sparkle.

Once the gold paint dried, I cut the 'petals' off of three medium (6") size pinecones. I thought that it would take a lot more, but only three. Using heavy duty scissors, cut off all the petals and set them aside. It might look difficult, but I promise, it is really easy. With the heavy duty scissors, I was done in no time.

Next, paint the foam cone with burnt umber craft paint and let dry. This is so you don't have any white peeking out from in between the petals.

Once your foam cone is dry, it's time to start gluing the petals on. This process went really quickly. Don't waste your time gluing each petal on one, by one, go ahead and run a line of glue and line the petals up side by side. Do not worry about the cut ends being perfectly straight, the ends will be covered by the next row.

Keep gluing the petals on, in an over-lapping brick pattern. See how the gold paint gives it just a little bit of light?

Once you reach the top, invert and glue some of the petals to keep the cone shape

Once you have covered the entire cone with petals, now it is time to add a little glitter.

Using a paint brush, lightly brush Mod Podge on the petals. Do as much or as little as you'd like.

Sprinkle glitter on the wet Mod Podge, and knock off excess. The glitter really adds a finishing touch and really, what project doesn't look good with glitter? :)
I worked around the topiary, row by row, the Mod Podge dries too quickly to try to cover the whole thing, so just work in sections.

Once everything has dried, you have created beautiful Pinecone Topiaries! They look beautiful alone, but I did elevate one on a vintage brass candleholder, to add some height. I adore the rustic, woodland feel of them and love the added sparkle!

They are certainly a welcome addition to my holiday decor and now I want to make bigger ones!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T05:00:00.000-06:00

I hope that you are spending time with the ones you love.

I am so thankful for all of you that stick around, read and follow along, thank you so much.

Pumpkin Pie, here I come!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Waterless Snow Globes

2011-11-22T05:00:00.003-06:00

This is one of those crafts that I said last year: ".....I'll do that next year"... lo and behold, it is next year and I'm finally doing it! You should too, it's really, really simple and looks oh so cute.

Here is what you need:

Glass jars/bottles

Bristle trees

Powdered snow/Snowflakes

White gold Glitter (optional)

Mod Podge (optional, for glittering)

Glue gun

Clean metal primer

Glossy white spray paint

The first thing that you'll want to do is prime and spray paint the lids of each jar and let them dry (overnight is best). I chose white, but of course you could do red, any color you want.

Next, I glittered the trees with white gold glitter, this is just a little added detail....this step is completely optional, it just added a little shine.

I used all sorts of bottles, from pickle jars to baby food jars....try to match up a tree that is in proportion to your jar.

Hot glue the trees into the lid:

Pour snowflakes into jar, screw on lid,

flip over.....they are ready to display! I didn't feel the need to permanently secure the lid, the hand tightening seem just fine.

I placed mine in the window sill in the kitchen, but of course, you could display them anywhere.

I think they would make a cute centerpiece or on a mantle too

Too cute!

I hope you are inspired to give this a try, it's too easy not to!

Thanks for stopping by!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Christmas At The Booth

2011-11-18T21:21:00.004-06:00

I haven't shared any pictures of the booth with you lately, so I thought it would be fun to take a look at the booth for Christmas. Now having never been a booth 'owner' before, I found it somewhat hard to put a look together with vintage/second-hand things. It's not that easy. I mean I have been shopping for weeks to collect goods with little or no luck. I don't want to just throw stuff in the booth just for the sake of it, know what I mean?

So I did the best I could with what I found and of course mixed in some handmade goods too, like my gingerbread men. You might notice a new piece here, I just got done with the hutch and moved it in this week, I'll try to do a little before and after, it's really come a long way.

Ahhh... my love of glassware, there is no use denying it, I love it and it has sold very well. Some pretty blown pitchers and sherbet cups.

I did the hutch much like I did my own hutch, heavy distressed black and stained interior, that's original to the piece. I will admit it was a lot of work and I almost threw in the towel a couple of times, but now that it's done I'm glad I stuck it out.

Lamps do very well for me too, and I love seeking them out! Mom's amber glass lamps sold (sniff, sniff) a couple of weeks ago. Here are a pair of candlestick lamps, with cute eye-lash fringe.

A small vignette on the baby dresser

The drop leaf table is decked out for Christmas, don't you just love the little vintage caroller, it's musical too. :)

The blue dresser sold this week and I've got a buffet to move in it's place next week. I'm so happy it sold, I knew it would take a special customer with such a bold color.

Some teddy bears for the kiddies, aren't they sweet?

The curio cabinet that I had anchoring the left side sold last week, so I was able to put a full size tree in the corner. It really helps it feel a little homey. I'm still loving the trellis background, and I'm going to miss that dresser, but I guess that's the name of the game!

I think I've got a little bit for everybody, here's to a great Christmas season!

P.S. You probably already know this, but just in case, I'm participating in Stephanie Lynn's Handmade Holiday event. There have been some fantastic projects and I'm sharing how to make pinecone topiaries, check it out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Smoky Quartz Tablescape

2011-11-17T09:14:00.002-06:00

This by far might be my favorite table inspiration to date. Ever. It is certainly different than what I typically do, especially for Fall, I usually like a lot of color....but....after finding my Mother's vintage Libbey frosted leaf glassware in storage, I decided to set the table for her. In loving memory.

My mom was a perfectionist, and liked the table set a certain way and while she might shake her head at some of the elements I've used, I think she would delight in a formal place setting. I have never gone this formal before....I even broke out my wedding flatware!

Mom's collection of the Libbey glassware is pretty big, I only used the wine glass and cooler here, but there is also a beverage glass, and juice glass. I remember loving it as a kid (from afar :).

This is the flatware I received as a wedding gift, this is the first time it's seen the light of day in many years...it's ~~too~~ so fancy!

I did a very simple centerpiece. It might shock you to learn that the beautiful metal filigree hurricane is actually a vintage wastebasket (without the original liner) circa 1965. I found it at an estate sale and thought it would make a beautiful centerpiece, and yes, I cleaned it well. :) I used one of my cylinder vases inside to house a single column candle. Around the centerpiece, I used porcelain antlers that I found on a recent trip to St. Louis. I love these and have never seen porcelain ones before!

The dinner plate, fairly modern, in a olive/brown color, white salad plate, and magnolia leaf place markers. I glittered little tiny pumpkins to go along with it. I just used a Sharpie to write every ones name.

I picked up these fresh roses just to add a hint of seasonal color.

You might notice that I have made yet another table runner. I absolutely refuse to blog about it because, how many runners can one person make, I mean really. In this case, I wanted to try my hand at a ruffled runner, and I threw in some fringing just for fun. I should have used a tutorial from somewhere, but I just winged it. Apparently, I'm going to teach myself how to sew if it kills me. Notice (again) that I used the same fabric for the runner as I did on the chairs. I used the additional yardage I bought as 'back up' for the chair covers, in case any accidents happened, so I could just swap it out....which is not the right thing to do, but I did it anyway. I just decided that it was silly to have the fabric, just waiting for accidents, I am going to make something. Hopefully it won't bite me in the butt.

I think that mom would be contented to sit at this table. Enjoying Thanksgiving dinner.

After doing my Magnolia Leaf Wreath, I decided to hang it on my hutch. I just couldn't see it enough with it hanging on the front door, so I moved it in. :)

I found this beautifully fantastical phantasmagorical ribbon at saveoncrafts.com. Be forewarned though, I was so captivated by it's beauty that I did not read that there was only 17 feet on a roll (I mean who sells 17 feet of ribbon, hu?) which based on the price is ~~OUTRAGEOUS~~ very bad. Saving grace? It really is gorgeous and made of linen in Germany, ok, ok, ok...but I will not be duped again.

So how are you liking the neutral coloration for fall? Do you like it?...or are you missing the color?

I hope you're inspired and thanks for stopping by.

Joining Susan

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

15 Years Ago...

2011-11-15T08:40:00.000-06:00

It just seems like yesterday I was holding you in my arms.

Everyone always asked how I came up with the name Keegan. I wish there was a great story around it, some historical family figure, I named you after, but nothing so exciting. I was rocking in a recliner 9 months pregnant, still clueless on what to name you.....just flipping through a name book....

I stopped looking after finding Keegan, I loved it right away. The meaning is: Little fiery one.

....and you live up to that name daily. Full of personality, life, energy and humor

Sportsman, athlete
explorer, student

laid back, silly, funny

smart , handsome

I don't know how it happened

but you grew up right in front of me.

I am so proud of you and so blessed that God chose me to be your Mom.

Where does the time go???

Happy 15th birthday to my first born. You mean so much to me.

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

A Rustic Russet Evening {Tablescape}

2011-11-09T22:45:00.004-06:00

You just can't beat the colors of fall, it really is my favorite time of year. With the maple tree gleaming with color, I just can't help but follow suit with a rustic but casual dinner table.

Combining my favorite fall colors, russet reds, bittersweet orange, and spicy yellow, this plaid/check tablecloth is my starting point (I really will use plaid anywhere ;). I usually don't ever buy the matching napkins to a tablecloth, I like mixing patterns, like this leafy napkin, for example.

For the centerpiece, simple....pine cones and candles. I have a pretty good medley of pine cones and nearly all I have stockpiled as a centerpiece. I placed the varied types and heights of the candle holders in and around them

I have used my Walmart leaf chargers a lot lately, they really are great looking, a simple stoneware plate, leaf bread plates, and my Mom's silverware finish off the place settings

I think I've told you the story of these pine cones, when Keegan was little he helped me pick up a slew of them....( just like Logan helped me pick up Magnolia leaves the other day) they are huge and are all the way from NC, boy I miss my Carolina pines.

I've had these leaf plates for many years now, I've got them in red and this yellow, I've used them many times.

Simple clear glassware

Here is the red leaf plate.

Very soon all the leaves will be gone from the trees and winter will be here before we know it.
I can't believe another year has nearly passed.

Thank you for stopping by, hopefully you can draw some inspiration for your Thanksgiving dinner!
Next week I have a very special table dedicated to my Mother, be sure to follow along!

Joining Susan

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Magnolia Leaf Wreath (A Tutorial)

2011-11-08T05:00:00.004-06:00

I'm showing you how to make your very own magnolia leaf wreath. You know the kind. The big, beautiful, full, lush, kind made from the big leaves of a southern Magnolia tree. One of two things are going to happen. 1.) You'll be totally inspired and start harvesting leaves directly or 2.) You will run screaming for the hills.

This is why the 'big companies' charge SO much for this type of wreath. On a scale of 1-5, I give it a four, but only on the time consuming end, it is actually very easy to construct. I'm going to show you how. If you chose number one read on. :)

Now you guys know I love a wreath, my Etsy Shop is full of them, but I wanted to try my hand at this sort of wreath. Typically, I like investing my time in something that is going to last several years (which is why I specialize in permanent botanicals) but I have been wanting to expand into drieds and thought this is the perfect time.

Supplies you will need:

Magnolia leaves, fresh (from tree) and dried (fallen)

Paddle wire, 22 gauge

Wire cutters

14 " wreath form

Time

Patience

First of all, collect leaves from the ground. At this time of year they are all over. Also, involve your kids. Logan helped me A LOT and totally had a ball.
We filled Walmart bags and spent about 45 minutes picking up leaves.

To make a 28" wreath I'll give you the numbers:

I made fifty bundles of six leaves. 4 brown and two green. That's 300 leaves. If you are wondering, I did not count as we gathered, I counted bundles after (specifically for this tute). It took me about and hour and a half to make all the bundles.

(Thanks to Keegan who took pictures for me)

I'm working outside (I told you it's been really mild) where there is plenty of room. Magnolia leaves are so perfect for making a wreath because the stems act as little handles and allow the wire a place to be. (Does that make sense?)

I started with four browns and put two greens on top and wire together at the stem
Pardon my ugly 'working hands'. :)

I moved inside when the sun went down and worked right on the counter. This is when the process speeds up considerably.

Wire on the first bundle of leaves. Wire on another bundle right next to it. Then repeat. 50 times. Wire it on the the wreath as tight as you can, keeping them close, creating a full look.

Just keep ~~swimming~~ wiring...

Just keep going around the wreath. You may not believe me, but it really does happen, it just naturally shapes itself as you work around, it's really neat. You'll see.

This is the view from the back. You can see all the wire from the bundles. At this point, snip off the excess wire, to give it a neat look (even though no one see the back:) It took maybe another thirty minutes to wire on the bundles.

You are done! It's ready to hang. I did put a 'loop' of wire on the back so it hangs at the right height on the wreath holder. Step back and admire your handiwork. You did it!

I think with some care, this will last for some time, although I'm sure the green will eventually fade to brown. So just under three hours, a wreath is born {Whoa!}. Just to give you a point of reference, I can usually crank out a silk wreath in about thirty minutes. :)

All in all, I am tickled pink with the result and really happy I tried to do this. I hope you'll give it a try too.

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

DIY Chalkboard Project

2011-11-07T22:42:00.002-06:00

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! The weather has been so {mild} nice for this time of year, I was able to hit a few yard sale and estate sales, if you can believe it. The season hasn't ended yet! :)

I love being in a family that brings me stuff to 'makeover', is your family like that? "Oh Michelle can do something with that..." is what I hear a lot. So when my FIL brought me a ginormus fake oil painting, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

Here is the 'before'. Can you tell just how big this baby is? It's 32" X 56", it's a biggin'. I think that it once hung in a restaurant. if I'm not mistaken. It's got some nice things happening for it....nice frame, fabric covered fillet, and the sheer size of it.

I took the faux oil painting out and rolled on a coat of chalkboard paint. While that was drying I scrubbed the frame with warm soapy water and painted the fillet. It had several stains (it's fabric) and a little dingy looking, so I used craft paint and painted right over it.

This is how well it turned out, looks good as new.

After a couple of more coats of chalkboard paint, and an over night dry-time, it was ready to reassemble and hang. I did change the direction of the wire to portrait style vs. landscape. Aside from cleaning, I did nothing else to the frame, I love it when that happens!

I hung it on this little small wall we have by the back door and hung it low enough that Logan can have his fun with it too.

As you probably know, you should always 'season' the board before using, which I did and wrote a little seasonally appropriate quote.

I hung my maple leaf garland across the top, just for fun. I ~~broke~~ took off a couple of leaves so it wasn't too long. If you would like to see how to make this Maple Leaf Garland yourself, click HERE. It's a fun project too.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you're inspired to make yourself a chalkboard!

Joining Sarah

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Happy Friday!

2011-11-04T05:00:00.002-05:00

I wanted to send you off into the weekend with some beauties I've added to the shop. I have a serious love for plaid, as I'm sure you know by now, but I'm trying to mix it up a bit and hit a few more styles. I've got more to list, but I ran out of daylight, look for more soon!

Click below photos to take you to the listing

Mixed Pine and Plaid

Traditional Swag with Plaid Ribbon

Damask and Fruit Wreath

Red Berries and Plaid Wreath

Have a wonderful, wonderful Weekend! Hope to see you on Monday!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

A Chevron Gathering

2011-11-02T20:18:00.005-05:00

What better way to kick off November than with a tablescape, hu? It occurred to me that I have not done an official tablescape since refinishing the new {old} dining chairs. I've finally gotten comfortable using fall colors with white since I've got a lot of white in the living room, so I'm not kicking myself for going with white, thank goodness.

I discovered chevron comes in a rusty tone, and I thought it would look great for fall. I think the graphic pattern really helps modernize this table....don't worry if you're not a chevron fan, I made this custom size table runner reversible (you'll see below).

I really enjoy mixing patterns and chevron certainly has it's challenges, but I love it with plaids, checks and floral patterns. I used different napkins/tea towels at each place setting to really keep it interesting (you'll probably notice the different ones...).

Vintage Mikasa 'Desert Breeze' salad plate atop my white dinnerware, straight out of the hutch. Charger plates from Walmart (I used these last week) and wooden napkin rings are from Kohl's.

Little acorn salt and pepper shakers from Family Dollar (last year). I love the glazed stoneware look and that they were only a dollar. :).

I was going to put together a tutorial to make this runner but really, I've already done that HERE.
I changed the width and length however. I made sure the runner just hit right above the chair seat, it makes it easier to sit down.

I decided to keep the centerpiece pretty simple....glass bottles and little silk wildflowers. I like the collected look of the bottles. I used a salvage piece of wood as a base and just lined them up and added some white pumpkins.Twigs from the yard help add height without adding visual weight. The bottles wrapped with wicker are from the Mary Carol home collection, I got them a few years ago at Nell Hill's.

After finding a vintage drapery panel while thrifting, I knew I found what I wanted to pair with the chevron. So this is on the other side of the chevron....

A little flip action:

I like the plaid with the floral too!

Along with salad plates, I found coffee mugs too, I love the matte chocolate color on the outside and crackle glaze inside.

So which side did I keep the runner on? Right now it's on the floral side, I liked it more than anticipated! I like both sides really and glad I made the runner reversible.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're inspired!

Joining Susan

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Random Tuesday {Ten}

2011-11-01T10:40:00.002-05:00

This post is solely dedicated to random tidbits that make up life. Enjoy.

We, (and when I say we, I mean Keegan) carved a jack-o-lantern. for.the.very.first.time. in our {my} life!! I know it's crazy, but not even when I was a kid have I carved a pumpkin, or, you know, watched it being done. It was quite an experience. Keegan designed the face and carved the pumpkin himself, Logan bailed after the first handful of 'guts'. I think it turned out great, and is still living atop the birdbath.

Football season is almost over, but this is the image that you will see before every game. The coaches and players praying before kickoff. Keegan is number 87....This makes me teary.

Logan was a robot this year for Halloween. I went the homemade route this year. Most of the components on the front of the robot mostly comprised of objects straight out of the kitchen junk drawer, two Dr. Pepper cans, a tissue box, dryer venting, duct tape, and silver spray paint. And yes I should have cut the 'head ' down a little more, oh well. I was seriously amused at watching him bending over and trying to pick something up, he really was like a robot.

I captured this photo the other day and was surprised and happy to see a monarch at this time of year. It has been a mild fall so far which bothers me absolutely none.

My husband talks with his hands a lot. I don't know what he is talking about here, something of technical importance I'm sure. I love seeing his wedding band, is that weird?

Well, check this dream off my list. One of my wreaths made the front page of Etsy. Yes, I took a picture of the screen, I'm a nerd. Second row. Fourth picture. he he he.

I bought two new pillows at Walmart. Oh the horror. How many pillows do I really need? I did donate two other pillow that had seen better days, hello justification.

They are soft, and cheap, and look like chevron to me.

I also splurged on another pillow from West Elm (not pictured), see, I am not a pillow snob, I'll buy them anywhere.

The Maple Leaf Festival was at the beginning of October in Carthage, Missouri. I love this building right in the middle of the square. The whole festival was all around it. I love old architecture in small towns. Oh, and sun flare.

This child is turning 15 in two weeks. crap.

This child is turning six in December. crap.

Did you have any random happenings lately? Tell me.
Or better yet, link them up here:

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

New Wreaths in the Shop

2011-10-29T11:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween weekend! Can you believe that November is upon us? Dare I mention Thanksgiving and Christmas! As fast as the holidays are approaching, I don't mind, this is my favorite time of year.

I've been busy stocking my Etsy shop in anticipation of the holidays and will be making even more!
I hope you enjoy and thank you so much for your support!

If you click on the link below each picture it will take you to the listing.

Cornucopia Wreath

Berry Wreath with Plaid Ribbon

Snowy Wreath

Fruit Wreath

Poinsettia Wreath

Have a Happy Halloween!

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!

Harvest Green Tablescape

2011-10-26T05:00:00.003-05:00

It is that time of year when I get inspired just by being outside. I love all the changing leaves and wonderful saturated colors, definitely a perk to living in Missouri. While we were taking pictures over the weekend, we were in an area with several hedge apple trees. I just love the color and texture of them....and decided to bring a bunch home.

The centerpiece I created is really simple. A large cylinder vase (I've used these a million times) filled with water, submerge the hedge apples and placed cut branches. Super simple, high impact.

I placed the vase in the galvanized tray I've had (I've used that tray here and here too) and layered in the rest of the hedge apples. It was so cute Logan kept calling them head apples. :)

Isn't the texture wonderful?

The table that Justin built for me last year has really weathered well, it is a lot lighter, which I am loving. You can't beat the look of weathered wood, you really can't. For the place settings, I started off with place mats I made from burlap (you might remember them from here). Leaf charger plates from Walmart last year (they have a similar version this year too ) and a plain white dinner plate

The glassware, simple, and nothing new ( I really do need to add glassware to my list).

For utensils, I decided to use some of the giant set that I won at auction, I think the gold adds a lot of elegance. The handles look great with the charger plates.

The salad plates are from Walmart, really inexpensive and look really great. I loved how the little bit of green ties back to the hedge apples.

The napkins I found at World Market and they have them in a ton of colors, this one is called celery. The napkin rings are thrifted but I didn't find them this way. They were originally a wooden look but I white washed them for a new look, this is actually the first time I've used them.

SO just out of curiosity, do you call them Hedge apples or Osage oranges?

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you are inspired!

Want to see more pictures? Click HERE

Joining Susan

Need a design boost? For advice and guidance on style, contact me!