Nature as your Christmas inspiration

I use natural elements to decorate with for all seasons. Fresh oranges, those little cuties that we buy in the produce section are perfect for a pretty bowl on your table. In this case my neighbor gives me bags of oranges every year that are just going bad in his backyard. I always go to the local tree farms and scrounge up as many tree trimmings as I can haul in my Yukon. Yesterday I was at Hobby Lobby and was inundated with isles and isles of cute signs and basically everything under the sun you could possibly imagine to decorate with. My brain felt cluttered and I felt that it was just too much!  We have all seen those homes where people go out and buy all that is Hobby Lobby and call it decorating but to me, it just seems like I am in a store. A home should feel more personal, more cultivated in the things you decorate with. I love a chalkboard sign but there is a point when its too much. Edit your rooms, take away and add until it not just looks right but has all the feels your  hoping to find. So, that's my rant:) Happy Decorating everyone!

A picture tells a thousand words

Gallery walls are all the rage lately! Its a perfect way to express who you are and make your home uniquely you... They can be interchangeable and the art doesn't have to be expensive. Here is a display of artwork that has special meaning to me. When I look at it, I feel sentimental connections to it. Like my Dads Landscaping sign that used to be magnetized to his truck for his Landscaping business. He was so proud of this sign and now after 20 some years after he passed I still look at his sign and smile. It was falling apart and nearly severed in half, so I laid it on the floor, pushed it together and took a picture of it. Next I photoshopped and made it look the way I wanted it too and printed it.  A picture of myself and hubby on our Wedding day back in 1988, it was just a snapshot but I  changed it into Black & White and suddenly it looked so beautiful and captured a moment in our day that was so special. My daughter in law painted this picture of our property & barn, I just love it soooo much! The keep Calm & Carry On sign I made from a canvas that I bought at Goodwill. Photo galleries are expressive of your life. Have fun!

GATHER...Thanksgiving Tablescape

When gathering family & friends to the Thanksgiving table, make it special with fresh greens and all things natural. You can't go wrong with adding natural elements into any décor be it for decorating a room or setting a beautiful table. Pumpkins, Evergreens and Rosemary are wonderful elements to pull a Fall table together. Add fun pops of color here and there, something sentimental such as these pretty Monogramed glasses that belonged to my husbands Grandparents. Monogramed napkins and white candles, scatter small candles in crystal bowls for a touch of bling. Beautiful and easy! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Thanksgiving Kids Table

Happy Thanksgiving:) I know we are all busy getting ready for the Holidays and all the shopping, cooking and cleaning that is involved. I want to remind you to stop with all the things that are on your list and have fun being creative in the midst of your To Do list. Here is a fun trash to treasure project. My husband is always dragging in some poor stray off the curb and sometimes I send it back out there! This is a cute child's table that was dirty looking and had lots of Crayola marker everywhere. Really quick fix...I spray painted the legs an Heirloom white and then used chalkboard paint for the top and sides. Sooooo cute!!! Thanks to my Hubby for his find:) Here I just had to do a little chalkboard fun and create a cute mini Thanksgiving Table. Sock Monkey is making his appearance once again and is patiently waiting for his Turkey dinner. Enjoy all the little things and little ones in your life this season and everyday. Be Thankful in all Things...

Fall Porch Decorating

Hi All

I wanted to make sure to post this while it is still Fall. How in the world is it almost time for Christmas shopping??? Easy and inexpensive touches to your front porch can quickly make it warm and inviting. Here I used Aspen stumps that I found in my Hubby's woodpile stock. Sorry Hubby! Really pretty to use them as a Pumpkin pedestal. If you elevate an ordinary item on a pedestal it instantly becomes the center of attention! I was looking for large pumpkins at Home Depot and was feeling a little irritated at the fact they cost $8 each..grrrr   I will have a pumpkin patch of my own one day, I swear:) I overheard someone saying that Walmart was selling large pumpkins for $3 so I went there and found these cuties! So while on my quest for pretty but affordable Fall décor, I found these large pots of Chrysanthemums for sale at City Market for only $7..SCORE

I had a fun Girls Weekend with some of my oldies but goodies from High School. I have these pretty little Pedestal Chalkboards that I welcomed them with. Not super complicated fall décor but looks so cozy and inviting. Remember that it doesn't have to cost a lot to add seasonal touches to your home. Just a few items here and there can make a huge statement. Happy Decorating!

The most Charming Dessert table

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with all the ideas and projects you could do via social media? Of course we have all been there! Pinterest and Instagram to name a few are incredible sources for the DIY enthusiast in all of us. I have so many ideas rolling around in my head and that is the great part. The not so great part is that we often stop there and don't take any action toward actually doing the project. You know how good it feels when you follow through with making something that inspired you. My daughter in law had a vision for what she wanted her dessert bar to look like, we had a visual from Pinterest and it all came together so beautifully. Here it is in all its glory... I had bought this table from Goodwill a few years back. It had a pretty shape and curved legs, I painted it with Annie Sloan Old white and distressed it a bit. The ladder I found on the sidewalk, it was sitting there with a sign on it that said "take me I'm free" Ok done:)  It was a ladder to a bunk bed haha!
Water cans are from Ikea and greenery from the Florist my DIL used for her Wedding.  We had fun putting this together and my Son hung it up for us. We told him that he had better make it very secure, it would be really bad if it came crashing down on all the lovely Desserts they had for the Wedding. Note to self...in the future remember to remove all tickets and tags, even if they are on the bottom of the watering cans...

Wedding DIY Projects

My Son and new daughter in law recently got married in June. We were the Venue so I had lots of fun projects to do. I found this old trunk at a garage sale and knew I would do something with it for the Wedding. I have a wrap around porch that I was trying to set up many sitting areas. I was in need of some cute tables so I decided to turn this old trunk into a side table by adding legs. For fun I added my address. It turned out so cute!

I wanted to set up a Coffee Bar on my porch so guest could help themselves anytime. I shopped my home and found this vintage dresser that I had painted a few years ago. It looked perfectly happy sitting out there on my porch serving up coffee and cookies. My DIL painted this Coffee Bar sign for me. She is so talented:)