Faux Much Fun!

It is an on going battle...to faux, or not to faux.

I say, why not? As realistic as some of the faux flowers, or permanent botanical, as I like to say, are these days, it's worth it. It's worth the zero to low maintenance alone!

Creating a realistic arrangement is easy when you select the right components. The trick is to look with a designers eye, use things that are natural to help pull off the parts that are not....

I love using grasses, twiggy twigs, rocks, shells, bamboo, moss....and that's what I selected, along with some nice looking white orchids. I decided to use a beautiful clam shell for a container

Also, I found this fantastic pear shaped terrarium and had to have it! (Tuesday Morning) I decided to create a realistic looking terrarium

Hot glue {slightly used} Styrofoam into your container of choice :)

Cover with moss. This is actually faux too.

Now I can't begin to teach floral design from a computer screen, but , begin with your orchids in the middle, I just used two, and work out from that.
Using rocks, lotus pod, etc...helps give it a natural, realistic look. The reindeer moss is preserved and dyed, I love the bold green!
I used the same elements in the pear too. Rocks, moss twigs, lotus pod, and a sprig of maiden hair fern. It looks pretty convincing!

So sweet!

I am happy with how they turned out! I have been doing this for many years...but if you're a beginner, or just want to create your own arrangement, study how the flowers naturally grow. I used 2 bamboo stick to 'hold up' the orchids, just as if they were real...


Faux is not so bad!

It's faux much fun!

Sorry, that was cheesy!

Thanks for stopping by! If you have any questions, leave it for me in the comments and I will respond to you there. Also, if you want to see even more photos of Faux Much Fun {and more}, visit my Flickr photostream. Check it out on my side bar!

Thanks to all of you for the wonderful response about the Etsy article! It has been so exciting! I am hoping to get together a giveaway, since reaching 500 followers...I was hoping to have it together before I reached this wonderful milestone, but it snuck up on me! Stay tuned!
I hope you are inspired!





Marty @ A Stroll Thru Life

Etsy Finds Decor: Going Coastal

Hey Guys, I've got some exciting news!!

When I received an email from Christine, asking if she could feature our home in an up coming article, "Sure" I replied...

I did not realize the extent of what the article entailed! Christine did an amazing job selecting vintage and handmade items to help create 'the look'! If you have time, go check out the amazing article on the Etsy Blog ...you will be inspired!!

Thank you Christine for the obvious time and effort you put into the article!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Story of the Ruffled Runner

So I've been in some kind of funk lately, and of course my blog has to do the suffering. It's nothing serious, I just haven't felt inspired lately...I can't even muster up a good table scape...and I can always do that...

What's a girl to do but to surf around and look for something inspiring! I went over to Jen's place she is loaded to the hilt with ideas and inspiration, if you haven't been to Tatertots and Jello, go now. Well maybe not right now, stay for a little while and then go over there...
I was inspired by the beautiful ruffled burlap runner Jen created, not too long ago...looks like just the project to bring me around.
(Fat Quarters, from Joann's & Walmart)

Now, if you've been here before, or if you are new reader, I don't sew. I really don't.

{{{Inner Voice}}}}}Then WHY do you consistently buy fabric, own a sewing machine, and get inspired by sewing projects!?! IDK!!

Now Jen probably whipped this puppy up in an hour or so....me? ALL DAY. Yes, you read it right All Day long. This project is not for the amateur seamstress. It's not for beginners (like me). This is not for the faint of heart.

Any thing that could go wrong in this project did. But I wasn't going to let it get the best of me! No Sirree Bob! I was not going to let some burlap and cute fabric make me quit! I finished it.

It's done.

It's beautiful.

(Charger plates I found at GW, I know right? How perfect!)

And one of three things better happen:

(Jute napkin ring tute, here. Napkins I found at Kolh's)

A.) My children pass it down to their children, as a loving heirloom runner (What??? Who passes down a runner !?!)

B.) I'm buried with it, along with my Jimmy Buffett Fruitcakes CD (They just seem to go hand in hand)

C.) It is hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 25 years after I've died, found amongst my beloved treasures, along with some petrified animal crackers in a zip lock bag. (I ate a lot of those while sewing this)

Jen does have a great tutorial for this project, and I followed it pretty closely. I had to change two things, simply because I didn't have them on hand...I didn't have any batting, but it seemed OK. Also, I sewed it right sides together, then flipped it right side out, instead of using bias tape.

OK, so do you see a table scape in the near future??? I do!

Thanks for stopping by! Thanks Jen for your inspiring project!

Spray Painting Again

Yes, I've been spray painting again. Beautiful weather results in outdoor projects, like transforming my latest Goodwill finds. I have been looking for a few more orange accessories for our living room, to no avail. So I'm taking matters into my own hands.

Stopping by GW the other day, I found three potential victims projects for my next spray painting adventure! A nice sized ginger jar shaped canister (12" with lid on) , and two smaller vases ( 6" & 4")

Even with just the primer coat, they looked better

I had to do 3 coats on the fruit canister, I didn't want to see any of that shining through

2 coats handled the blue vase

I wanted to keep the ginger jar white, so I painted it with 2 coats of Glossy White, pumpkin orange for the smaller one and blue ocean breeze for the bigger vase. All from Krylon.

Smooth as a baby's bottom!

After they dried, I gave them a couple of hours, I brought them inside.

And played .

And played...

...and played some more...






Thanks for stopping by I hope you're inspired! If you would like to see even more stylised photos, please feel free to visit my photo stream on Flickr.