This collection of fall center piece ideas came from BHG, Martha Stewart, Pottery Barn, Arhaus Furniture, and HGTV. Most of these ideas could be easily duplicated and or tweaked to suit your individual table scapes. My personal favorites are the first four. I plan to use some sort of variation of one of them. I hope you will feel inspired and find one that you can implement on your own dinner table. Enjoy!
Just thinking ahead to the upcoming holiday season and wanting to come up with some fun and simple place card ideas. Here are a few ideas from the web and in the next few days I hope to post a few of my ideas. Some of these could be easily tweaked to your own color scheme. How easy is this first one, a permanent fabric marker on an inexpensive linen towel.
Courtesy of Heather Bullard
Courtesy of Pottery Barn
I know everyone is probably tired of my Halloween obsession. I promise this is my last post regarding the fabulous holiday. I just wanted to share this catalog with everyone since, Martha Stewart and Grandin Road have paired up and they came out with the most amazing Halloween decor. http://www.grandinroad.com All of the above items are now 50% off. I can't wait to place my order. If nothing else, the catalog is worth checking out for awesome decorating ideas if you are planning a party.
These pictures frames were ten cents each at a garage sale, the wire mesh gutter cover was in my neighbor's trash, (left right on top and brought to my attention since, they knew I would do someting with it) and the paper was five sheets for a dollar at Hobby Lobby. Toss in a little glitter and glue and you have some fun Halloween art. 
This is such a fun project and once you have a template you could potentially make dozens of them in a short amount of time. I not only used them as a part of my Halloween decor but, they also serve as wonderful party favors.
This is the rough template that I used. I cut the sheets of paper into 5 by 5 pieces. Then I made a fold approximately a 1/2 inch across the top. Then I folded the paper in half leaving a 3/8 inch lip (which you will glue down) At this point you are ready to glue, embellish, and stuff.
These images are from a scare crow festival that I went to over the weekend. As you pull up to the farm you are greeted by the cast of the Wizard of Oz. As you drive back to the barn the entire yard outside of the old farm house is a wedding setting and the attendees are all scare crows. The sun was just about to set and the yard had an ominous feeling about it. It was so fun. For $25.00 you could build your own scare crow with the help of the experts. 
Below is a simple craft project that I did over the weekend. Essentially, all you need is a piece of crow clip art that you can trace onto a piece of wood and then just simply cut it out. Then, I would suggest painting the crow black. Once dry, paint the crow with Elmer's glue and sprinkle generously with glitter. Then, I used a scrap piece of wood that I painted orange and wrote the words trick or treat with a paint pen. From there, I used a sign that I purchased on clearance and glued it to the back of the crow to allow it to stand. Then, I drilled a hole in the piece of wood that says trick or treat and inserted the rod into the wood and there you have it a simple glittered crow project.
I love this idea. I purchased this dish drainer on clearance at home goods. It makes the perfect magazine holder to sit on top of my desk. I holds a ton of magazines and I like the way it looks.
This is a wrought iron flower pot that was also purchased on clearance and with a little spray paint and imagination it makes the perfect witches cauldron for a fun halloween display. I have to give my sister credit for this one. She made one for her self as well. Thanks Deb.
Another option . . . . . .
These super fun images are from a book that I recently picked up called The French-Inspired Home. It is a really sweet book filled with terrific ideas and lots of inspiration. As a way of giving back and saying thanks to everyone who follows my blog and takes the time to stop by and leave such caring comments, I am hosting a 1ooth post give away. The give away includes the book as well as a 24 sheet pack of specialty paper with 8 different styles with some being glittered and some flocked. It will surely give you an opportunity to have fun and simply CREATE! Just leave the name of your blog in comments and you will be tossed in the hat. If you are currently following my blog you are automatically entered to win. Once, a name has been chosen you can simply e-mail me with your address and your gift will be on it's way. You have until October 6th to enter and the winner will be announced on Wednesday October 7th. Good Luck and Thanks again!!
I purchased this Martha Stewart clip art craft kit awhile back and I finally got around to opening it and I was pleasantly surprised. There are a lot of things you could create with this one kit. It comes with 6 sheets of fun Halloween craft paper and three fairly large pieces of clip art that could be embellished in a dozen different ways. I of course, made something that the kit was not intended for, I made a Halloween banner. The sheets of paper were the perfect size and it just inspired me to make a banner for the fire place. I encourage everyone to try to make one of their own, since it is so stinking easy and fun. The supplies needed are: craft paper, glue, glitter, pipe cleaners, and letter clip art which could be printed off the computer to save money. You could also use material in place of paper if that is what you have on hand.
This project is sooooo simple. All that is needed is chicken wire and some decorative paper. In all honesty, I was experimenting and I used materials that I had on hand. Although I like the way it turned out, I would have preferred an orange or green ribbon for contrast. I plan to make some additional ones since, I would like to hang them on the back of each of my dinning room chairs and fill them with candy.
I know I may be rushing things a bit but, Halloween is big in my family. The sister's have already decorated their homes and I am well on my way. I thought I would share just a few of my decorating ideas that I think are fun and hopefully you will too. I purchased this silver tray at garage sales over the weekend and so I thought I would share how I incorporated into Halloween decor.
Here I just used candles and orange lights in the fireplace, since it's to warm to build a fire and it's a safer alternative with three kids. I looks amazing at night.
Remember this jar I got last weekend, well I filled it with candy sticks and it looks so festive!
Here I used a key I purchased at Hobby Lobby and I attached a piece of card stock that I printed the words "key to the dungeon" and I hang it next to the basement door. To give it an aged appearance, I just lightly brushed a burnt umber over the paper. My kids get a kick out of it. Check back soon for more fun and bewitching decorating ideas to come!
These are just a few pics of my decorating "style" from around my house and I've discovered that I have an obsession with decorating in multiples. I don't think I ever buy just one of anything. Does anyone else have this problem?
I have been looking for a base for this little glass cloche for what seems to be forever. Everyone that I have found has either been to big or to small. Then, I went to a little boutique near my favorite antique shop and they had this darling little sterling silver dog bowl and behold it was the exact size I needed. I love using things in unexpected ways and so this was perfect for me. Does it get any better than cloches and flower frogs? Also, just wanted to let everyone know that in keeping with the 100th post tradition, I will be having a give away in the very near future, so please make sure to stop back. I think it is an awesome way to say thanks to everyone who takes time out of their crazy schedules to stop by my blog and often leave very uplifting comments. You are very much appreciated!!!!
I found this sweet little cabinet at the thrift store for just $3.00. I knew immediately just what I wanted to do with it. I love the character of the bead board backing but, the addition of the antique crystal knob and chicken wire gave it a little more of a vintage look. Surprisingly this little cabinet has a lot of storage which makes it perfect for displaying fun pieces and keeping other necessities organized but hidden behind close doors.
When I created a space in my basement to work on all of my crazy projects, I wanted it to be a place that inspires creativity. One thing that always inspires me is storage. I love to repurpose thing in order to use them in unconventional ways to store my supplies. I find that it adds personality and fun to my work space. I think having a fun and inspiring space is important whether you are lucky enough to have a designated craft room or if you just have a little corner carved out in your dinning room that you call your own.
I love projects like this. All I had to do is sand this side table with 150 grit sand paper and paint it with two coats of black satin and I was finished. I replaced the colonial looking knob with a crystal one and the transformation is just beautiful. I wish all of my other projects that I have lined up were this simple.
Today I am planning to work on a few of the things I picked up over the weekend and hopefully, I will be posting some of the redos later today or tomorrow. I can't wait to get started. Hope everyone has an amazing weekend. Take care.
I am so excited about this project because it was so easy and it's so functional. I had this old ladder that I pulled out of the trash several years ago just sitting in the basement not being utilized. My intentions were to turn it into a magazine rack but, I never got around to it. I came up with this idea instead of just using it as a magazine rack, I could take it a step further and turn it into a vertical organization station. It's a black board, an inspiration board, and a magazine rack and it add character to the room. How fun is that. If you know how to use a staple gun and wire cutters you are all set.
The work of Petra Boase of the book Candles
This post may not appeal to all audiences but, I think it's kind of cute. I made this for my daughter's room. Remember this wire basket I got at a garage sale a couple weeks ago well, I thought it might make a darling lamp shade. So, I embellished it with vintage ear rings, pins, chandelier crystals, and Christmas ornaments. Unfortunately, it was a bit difficult to photograph and adequately capture the way the light travels through the crystals and bounces off the other embellishments but , it really is beautiful when the lamp it turned on. Next, I want to attempt my own chandelier like the one shown above designed by Petra Boase and embellish it for Halloween. Future post.
This Post was initially going to be about this $3.00 cabinet that I got at a garage sale that was painted a hideous blue color. I took the before photos, painted it, took my after photos, and then proceeded to delete all of them. Brilliant, I know. However, all along I knew I wanted to display some vintage silver pieces on the shelf of this cabinet and I just need one more little thing to add to the vignette. That is when I came up with this fun little door knob project that literally took me 5 minutes to make. I used a thrift store picture holder that I dismantled, an old door knob, and some hot glue and the end result was this vintage looking picture holder. I like it so much that I would love to make some addition ones using some of my crystal knobs and then display them under a few of my glass cloches.
Remember all those dishes that I recently acquired at a garage sale? Well, I came up with a fun way to repurpose them - cakes plates. It was soooo simple. I used a two pairs of crystal candle holders and some epoxy and I had instant cake plates. Then, I topped them with cheese domes turned cloches which I picked up for next to nothing at the thrift store and I am ready to entertain.
All that I used for this project was a scrap piece of wood, about 12 to 14 screws, and some 18 gauge wire. First, I traced my shape onto a piece of wood. Then, I used screws to outline the shape (as shown above) and then I began by weaving the wire around each screw being sure to go in all directions. Once I was happy with the way it looked, I just simply removed the screws and I had this sort of artsy fartsy looking heart. I of course, mounted this to an old kitchen cabinet door but you could take this project in so many different directions. If you decide to make one for yourself, I hope you have fun with it!
I purchased these pieces of floor molding at a garage sale over the weekend. They were originally in an Ohio Court House. Although they cost more than I wanted to pay, I had to have them. The hardest part of the project was finding the right size screws. Otherwise, the over all project was a quit simple and only took about twenty minutes to complete. I love the way it turned out and I plan to use it in my laundry room.
So simple and yet so stinking cute. Vintage jewelry magnets on old tole trays. These are the tole trays that I got junking on Saturday. What better way to use these old earrings than to add a little bling to your tole tray turn message board.
These 1950's porcelain top cabinets were once very functional in kitchens across the country. However, this particular one has probably been sitting in a garage somewhere and all it needed is a little TLC to bring it back to life. I plan to use it in my craft area however, it has a sort of industrial meets country appearance which would be a fun addition to any room. Oh yea, the frame redo is one of my weekend finds that I turned into another chicken wire bulletin board.
Some see junk, I see message boards, a wire chandelier, flower vases, and so much more. I can't wait to get started! Hope your weekend finds were as fun as mine. Have a beautiful weekend.
Do you remember the ear ring holder that I recently made for my daughter? Well, this is a variation of that idea. The materials needed for this project are basically the same however, you need chicken wire instead of wire mesh and I use wooden clothes pins to attach my papers, notes, and etc. I usually make these bullentin boards out of old windows but, I had this frame that was the perfect size to hang above my desk. So, I just painted the frame, attached a scrap peice of chicken wire, a scrap piece of fabric and added a few clothes pins and I had a custom bullentin board that reminds me of something that I might find in Ballard's Designs for a fourth of the price.
Photo Courtesy of Country Living Magazine
Photo of Courtesy of Country Living Magazine
Photo Courtesy of Country Living Magazine
This project could not be more simple. All that is needed is a cute picture frame, wire mesh, fabric, and a staple gun. It took me 10 minutes to put it all together and I could not be happier with the end result. It's a wonderful way to display your earrings and other accessories while keeping it all organized. I made this particular one for my younger daughter however, you could do this on a much larger scale and make it as simple or fancy as you want. I think it is pretty thrifty chic!
You can find these fairly inexpensive metal trays at estate sales, thrift stores, and antique shops and a great way to re purpose them is to turn them into bulletin boards/inspirational boards. They not only help keep you organized but, they add a little vintage whimsy to your room. To give the project further whimsy you could create one of a kind magnets. The button magnets displayed above were created by my dear friend Stephanie of My Piper Dog.
Photo courtesy of Country Living
I stopped by one of my favorite craft stores, Michael's and I am so glad I did. I found these adorable birds on sale for half off. The larger birds were only $2.50 each and the smaller birds were just a $1.00. I recently purchased the bird cage cloche and I think they look adorable placed inside. The cute signs that read peace, family, and dream were only a $1.00 as well. I hope you have a Michael's near you and have the time to swing by and pick up one of these sweet little accents for yourself.
Photos Courtesy of Country Home Magazine
Of course, the picture frames are future bulletin boards and/or chalk boards, the little drawer in going into the office, and I've already put the 7up crate to use. It is perfect for carrying drinks and other miscelleanous items from the house to the deck. Not to mention, the colors are perfect for our fourth of July gathering. I absolutely love it!
Photo Courtesy of Country Living Magazine
I found this box of dishes at a garage sale over the weekend for just $4.00. I was so excited because beautiful dishes is just one of my many obsessions. The gal selling the dishes was kind enough to display the chipped dishes on the top of the heap. 
At first, I thought I would break the chipped dishes up for a Mosaic bird bath that has been in progress for about a year. Then it came to me, I should make a bird feeder for the garden. I had a left over porch spindles from a deck project so, I just used water proof epoxy and applied the dishes to the top of the spindle. Then, I drilled a hole in the bottom of the wooden spindle to inserted a broken garden stake which allowed me to stick the feeder directly into the grown . 
I filled the tea cup with seed.
Then, I place the feeder in the ground.
Here's how it looks! My first guest was a Chickadee.
Courtesy of BHG
Courtesty of Country Living - inspirational Projects!
This party is being hosted by: http://theshabbychiccottage.blogspot.com/ and I am grateful to her for allowing me to participate. The beauty of chalk board paint is that you can recycle almost any object into a chalk baord. They lend character to a room and they are a great organizational tool! I have several large frames that I intend to make into chalk boards for this party however, I needed to have the plywood cut to the correct dimentions for the frames and unfortunately, time got away from me. I hope you will stop back and check out future chalk board projects and thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come over to my blog!
Photo Credit: Better Homes and Garden
Photo Credit: Better Homes and GardenIn the past, I have used this project to place an individual flower arrangement at each place setting on the table. If you enlarge the holes (I used an ice pick) the lid acts as a flower frog. I used new inexpensive salt shakers however, you could collect some vintage ones.
There are so many fun things you can do with wine corks. One idea is that you can hot glue them onto a 5 x 5 piece of plywood to create a hot pad. Using the same concept, you could also create a push pin bulletin board. Speaking from someone who loves numbers, letters, and graphic design, they can also lend a great graphic element to a room.
Photo Credit: Country Living Magazine
My friend at My Desert Cottage is hosting a party and you are invited. Just hop over to her blog to get the details. http://mydesertcottage.blogspot.com/ It sounds like fun!
My brother runs five miles every morning. On his run he is always looking for curb side finds for me to repurpose, reuse, and/or recreate. One day he brought over a collection of cabinet doors. Some of them had panes of glass, others were just simple old doors. I have had a lot of fun creating different things out of them. i.e., chalk boards, message boards, and wall art. Recently, he was outplace at work and I thought I would give him this message in a bottle attached to one of those old cabinet doors to offer him words of encouragement. The message in the bottle reads:
Photo credit: BHG
Photo Credit: Country Living Magazine
I purchased this lunch pal for $1.25 with fifty percent off because of it's vintage appeal. I thought it would look great sitting on a shelf in my craft area. Then, I came across the above awesome ideas for transforming it with paint, stamps, and other embellishments. It not only serves as a decorative piece but it also act as great storage. So now, I am just trying to decide between the paint colors either the fun and fresh blue or my usual choice black. I am hoping, after a few coats of paint it's blemishes will be less noticable.
I absolutely love this color. It is a paint color by Krylon called Blue Ocean Breeze. It is so clean and fresh and it completely transformed this dresser. Another project down and to many to mention to go!
Photo credit: Country living Magazine
This bench was among a dozen other projects sitting in my garage just waiting to be worked on. I purchased this bench approximately two years ago in the middle of winter and planned to paint and recover it right away. I was finally motivated to get it out of the garage to acquire the extra space. After a good scrub, it was sanded, primed, and painted. Finally, I recovered the bench seat and the end result turned out pretty cute. Now, I hope to use it as an entry bench.
I have vintage red accents all through out my home. So, of course, I was so excited to find this vintage red stapler and bird seed jar at a garage sale today. Originally, the jar had a brown lid with a wrought iron bird handle. I immediately came took off the bird replaced it with a drawer pull and painted it my favorite color colonial red. Now, if only I could just remember to take my before photos. Oh well!
This photo is courtesy of Country Living Magazine. When I first saw it, it spoke to me on so many levels. The vintage decor is phenomenal. I have always wanted a small shed/art studio in my back yard to paint, craft, and refinish furniture pieces but unfortunately, it is low on the list of projects to be completed around here. This particular shed was built specifically for this gal by her husband. (How lucky!) She of course decorated the interior and I think it looks amazing. This article was so touching for me because my uncle built a sweet little shed for my dear aunt and for many years she taught painting, quilting and pottery to ladies in her community and many of these ladies ultimately became her dear friends. For now, I will have to settle for the craft area in my basement which isn't quit as glamorous but hey, I did hang a chandelier and a pretty curtain to separate my little area from the rest of the space. Now, if I could only keep my kids out of there! Are any of you lucky enough to have a special place that you can call your own to be creative?
Well it started with the above fabric swatch from Goodwill for .49 cents. Then, I found the chair for $5.00 at a garage sale . The chair was originally painted a cream color with brown specs throughout and the seat was covered in a luxurious faux pink velvet. I painted the chair black and recovered the seat with my nifty swatch and what a transformation. I love it and it only cost me $5.50 plus a can of paint. Not bad.
I picked up this salvage piece and wanted to incorporate into my kitchen some how. Then I remembered the Fleur de lis that I purchased at hobby lobby at least a year ago. I mounted the Fleur de lis to the salvage and I think it turned out pretty cute. My kitchen in decorated in country french with a lot vintage through out.
I found this jar with the word "Goodies" unscripted across the front and I had to grab it up. I immediately filled it with vintage cookie cutters and other miscellaneous items that I have collected and it looks darling sitting in my kitchen. I also found these Martha Stewart books in mint condition for only .50 each. I was especially excited about the Halloween book since, I absolutely love to decorate for Halloween. Overall, it was a great day.
Photo credit: BHG
I just wanted to take a mom moment to say how proud I am of my 8 year old son. His 3rd grade teacher is retiring and he wanted to give her something to remember him by. I told him he should give her something handmade and from the heart. He went off on his own and came back with this painting on canvas. I of course, think it is beautiful. He is my child that finds it difficult to sit still for any period of time however, when it comes to art he can stay focused for hours. Did I mention that I absolutely love children's artwork. It completely steals my heart.
Photo Credit: Country Living Magazine
I'm sure most of you have heard about the Jeanne d'Arc magazine that is full of beautiful french-Nordic style images. Although you can not translate a single word in the magazine the pictures speak for themselves. The next issue is on sale May 29th. I believe you can purchase a copy of the magazine through the Urban Farm House. The Jeanne d' Arc Company also has a whole sale shop (unfortunately not available for individual sale) and the above images are items for sale from the whole sale catalog. I just think that the presentation and pictures are absolutely lovely.
These images are courtesy of HGTV. The wall colors are vintage colors that are making their way back into style. I have always loved these colors. If I find a piece that happens to be painted either of these colors, I am so excited. I especially love the blue color and since I use a lot of black and white in my own color scheme, the blue makes a lovely accent. I my kitchen, I have a similar green on my walls and it goes well with the vintage red that I love so much. Oh, and those pink chairs are so stinking cute!
I had an amazing weekend. Friday I went to the flea market with my dear friend of My Piper Dog and Saturday I spent my entire day going around to our community wide garage sales. I thought you might enjoy seeing a few of my favorite finds!
These beautiful designs are the work of Sue Schlichter of Trimmings, Etc. I purchased some of her gorgeous buttons to attempt to create a bracelet of my own. Wish me luck!
Photo Credit Keith Scott Morton
I found this sweet little Vintage plate with black flowers today when husband stopped to get gas practically next door to my favorite thrift store and so I had to run in of course and there it was calling my name. Another color obsession black and white.
This is where I keep all my treasures - just kidding!
This bullentin board was made from an old frame, ceiling tile, and a piece of screen. It has the appearance of a chalk board. I got the inspiration for this board from my dear friend's blog My Piper Dog. It is a beautiful and functional addition to my family room.
This comes from one of my favorite blogs Golightly and I thought it was extremely clever. I
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