Pumpkin Topiary

Fall is here!  It is my favorite time of the year.  I love it when the air starts to get nice, cool, and crisp, don't you?  I know you have seen pumpkin topiaries all around pinterest, magazines, and other blogs.  I have wanted to make one for quite some time but finally bit the bullet and splurged on the supplies.

I had to get a total of six fake pumpkins.  I got mine from Hobby Lobby.  Next, I knew I needed a dowel rod in order to get the pumpkins to stay upright since my are fake.  My mom spied this at the Goodwill Outlet which worked out perfect.  I bought some picks and already had grapevine garland that I made six separate rings out of for stacking between the pumpkins.   

I basically just followed Marian's directions from HGTV, click here.  Although it is not exactly like Marian's, mine is perfect for me because I can reuse it year after year.

I wanted to give a thanks to Phyllis for the email to give me that extra push.  Thanks a bunch!

I am sharing at:

 

Fallin' for Fall

Yes, I love fall.  There is no other season that can compete with the colors and weather.  I think I would prefer to live in fall for at least half the year.  I always wait to bring out my fall decorations until Labor Day.  I know some of you think that is a little early.  When Hobby Lobby bombards you with it in July, Labor Day is as long as this fall lovin' gal to can wait!  Sorry it took so long to share it with you. 

I wanted to share my mantel this year.  I took down my metal art and replaced it with this gorgeous empty frame.  In doing this, I had to paint the wall again.  All of my candle lighting provided the wall with the outline of the metal art.  So after hanging the frame, the question of the day was what to put in it.  I found this great wreath at JoAnn's and added some picks.

One day, I hope to go white but I can't seem to part with my sparkling leaf garland that lights.  I have had it for years but just can't seem to let it go.  It is just so cozy and relaxing to light up at night.  Let me know if you can think of any improvements.  I'm sharing over at:

Candles for fall

I just love a project you can complete in less than 2 hours.  When rummaging through the bins at the Goodwill outlet, I came across these candlesticks.  At first glance, they are definitely dated but just imagine what they could look like.

Maybe something like this. 

Just a coat or two of Heirloom white spray paint and a little sanding to add that weathered look.  Now, I have 2 updated candle holders to give a soft glow to the dining room for my fall decor.

Remember to think beyond what you see and to what it could be.  I plan on linking up to:

 

Dressed for fall

Well, here is my final fall decorations.  I've dressed up my living room with lights, leaves, pumpkins, pillows, and blankets.  I am ready for a chilly night curled up on the couch with a hot Chi tea and a good show! 

I've gotta show you the slipcover for my ottoman and some pillows I sewed.  I couldn't resist this tweed plaid suiting.  My work clothes consist of comfortable cottons that allow me to clean, play light sabers, hide and seek, as well as much more.  I guess I wanted something to feel dressed up and polished:)

Let me tell you that working with this plaid was a bear!  The plaid is not square but rectangular.  Therefore, I had a time of it matching up the ruffle.  It took an extra trip to JoAnn's fabric and a few choice words when the kids weren't around.  But after a little perseverance, I got it done. 

Anyways, on to my dust niches, I mean, art niches.  I'm not sure why they decided to cut out 2 holes in the wall so high up.  I have to drag out the 8' ladder and climb almost to the top step to reach up here.  Needless to say, they don't get dusted like they should.  I decided I would make myself start decorating them for the seasons.  Here is what I came up with:

In the top picture, I made that Ballard look alike sign.  Here is what Ballard's looks like

Here is a close up of mine:

Okay, it's a little larger, but I had a gigantic space to fill.  What do you think?

Well, there you have it.  My fall decorations in a nutshell.  If you have any suggestions for some tweaks here or there, I would love to here them!

I'm linking up at:

It's Boorrific!

The fall decorations continue!  My focus today has been on my entryway and formal dining.  For my formal dining, I really only decorated my buffet.  I had to pick up some flowers from Michael's and put together the flower arrangement.  I love the candle holders.  I totally copied that from Sarah @ Thrifty Decor Chick.  You should check her out.  She can link you to the tutorial here.  If you do make these candle holders, be careful with the Gorilla Glue.  It does expand.  If you place it on unevenly, your candles will not sit level causing the black suit to form while burning.  Not attractive.  I luckily used a penny to level off my candles. 

Anyways, on to the entryway.  I think I love this most.  I love the mood it creates.  The best thing about this is the stack of books.  It is apparently popular from some high end store to have display books without their bindings.  I hit a yard sale last week and picked up 3 books for 10 cents each.  They already had that perfect yellow aged color that older paper gets.  I didn't feel too bad about cutting off the covers at that price.  Plus, it was perfect for adding a little height to that side of the table.  Before you tell me, yes, I know there is a huge crack running through the mirror.  That is a whole other long post.  I haven't made it to Habitat for Humanity Restore to pick up a piece of mirror large enough and cheap enough to replace it.

 Here is a close up of the vignette on the table.  I had fun playing with some new actions I got for my photoshop elements software.  I could literally sit for hours changing just one photo.  Sorry for getting sidetracked. 

I hope everyone is geared up for fall.  I've got one other project up my sleeve.  It involves some sewing.  I hope it turns out well.

Anyways, I hope everyone has a terrific weekend.  I am sharing my Halloween decor over at:

Kitchen Fall Decor

As promised, I am posting about my fall decoration.  Today is the kitchen.  I can only show you one side of the kitchen because I just don't have the energy to clean up the other side for you ladies today.   We can just pretend that the other side is nice and tidy like this:

You can tell from the photo that I haven't infused the kitchen with much color.  So when the seasons change, I put a splash of color here or there.  For the top of the cabinets, just a few bittersweets in my milk jars.  For the cabinet fronts, I couldn't pass up the picks at Hobby Lobby.  I think they are just what my cabinet fronts needed.  I do have to admit, I only had fishing line to use.  It was pretty tough tying up the picks because the fishing line was so thick.  It could hold a 50 lb. fish!  I guess it makes it strong enough for the picks.  This is a little closer look:

Moving on to my jelly cabinet.  It sits by the kitchen table.  I am unable to show you that because currently it is still a work in progress.  It has been that way for a while now.  Anyways, I think I have filled the cabinet a bit too much with stuff, but I had to put it somewhere I suppose.  I use to only put black and white Halloween decorations in but decided I really liked orange this year.  There isn't a rhythm or reason.  Just sticking stuff wherever it'll fit.  I couldn't get a good picture with the glass doors closed, too much of a glare.  Here is a worm's eye view of the inside.

Like I said, it is a little stuffed.  Here is a little closer look at the top 2 shelves.

Of course, I couldn't leave the top unadorned.

There you have it.  My kitchen in the fall.  Tell me what you think.  Also, any thoughts as to a back splash would be great.  I would love to do something finally.  It has been 8 years since we moved in. 

I'm linking up at:

Fall is in the air

I just love fall.  There is nothing like watching the leaves turning to beautiful oranges, yellows, and reds.  I love driving down the road with the windows down letting the cool air in watching the leaves swirl around on the ground.  I am one of the girls that can't wait until Labor day to start putting out my fall decorations.  I've decided to share my mantle with you.

 So, what do you think?  I just think it may be too heavy for anything else.  So all of you experts out there, give me some advice/suggestions.  I have to tell you though that I cannot part from my oranges lights in my leaves.  I love seeing them glow at night while I rock my daughter.

I wanted to give you a close up of my sign.

 This was a total copy from a tutorial over at No Minimalist Here.  If you have never checked out Sherry's site, you've got to!  I had made this after she originally posted about it back in December.  I remember locking myself in my bathroom trying to burn the edges of the poster to get the aged look.  Why lock myself in the bathroom you ask?  My son has a fascination with fire.  I didn't want him seeing mommy playing with fire.  Anyways, I'm happy with how it turned out.  I bet you've spied the antlers.  Yes, I saw Sherry have some and thought how interesting.  My mom thought I was nuts when we were at an antique market and I told her to keep an eye out for some little antlers.  My family has just learned to shake their heads and smile.  Hopefully, I will be more diligent in posting this week to show you my fall decorations around the house but you know life happens sometimes.

Since I need your suggestions, I'm linking up at