A New Love!

It's my least favorite day of the year! The day I start taking down the Christmas decorations. Not because I'm sad or anything, I'm like many of you, ready to put it all away and freshen things up for the New Year - I just hate doing it!! But it has to be done! I did the living room today, but I didn't make a start until after 11am when I got back from the gym. Tomorrow I will pack away the rest.

I've been surfing around blogland a lot these past few days, and I love seeing everyone's 'favorite decor posts' from 2011. Many of you are already starting new craft projects for around the home! I find it very inspiring. I haven't done much crafting for a while now (other than knitting Christmas gifts, which took a lot of time throughout last year, but I didn't mind doing at all). One of the things I'm loving as I surf around is  . . . . BURLAP!!!  Yes, you read right, I am falling in love with burlap ;-)  I bought a burlap table runner last year from Etsy. I love it, it's so versatile and goes with just about any theme I want.

I loved it in the Fall . . . 

 I loved it at Christmas!

I definitely want to buy some soon and make something myself, although what, I just don't know yet. I've been getting some great ideas from Pinterest though . . . 

 napkin rings to match the table runner!

 or simply use it to wrap a gift!

 I would love to incorporate it in to my Christmas decor next year!

 and I'm thinking of sewing some stockings for decoration or to use as a gift holder?

 I love how this table is decorated!

 and another gift package I thought was lovely. Monogrammed too, how cute is that!

What about you - what are you LOVING right now?

It's that time . . .

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Many of you may have heard of the awful fires raging through Texas right now. The main one is in Bastrop which is only about an hour south of us. But over the weekend there was one very close to home, just  10 minutes along the road to be exact, near our local library! The fire destroyed 11 homes, and damaged 9 others (you can read about it HERE), but what is so sad is that they are suspecting arson, 2 young guys and 2 girls, ages 15-16 :(  What are these kids thinking?!!!!

 This picture above was on a friend's FB page, this is in Bastrop, TX. The fire is 20 miles wide, and 6 miles deep, 100's of homes have been destroyed. We so desperately need rain here.I'm praying!

Despite the drought we are still experiencing and the high afternoon temps (still in the 90's) it has been a lot cooler here in the mornings for the past  few days - I would go so far as to say there was a chill in the air! :-) The lows have started to drop in to the low 60's and it feels WONDERFUL! Which brings me to my title, time for . . . .  Fall Decorating of course!  I am joining Kristen again this week for her 'Share Your Creations' party. I had a little trip to Michael's today and bought some new fall garlands. I also dragged out my Rubbermaid filled with Fall decor. As usual I'm trying to decorate on a budget (we are still trying to be frugal and pay off my van). Let me show you what I've been creating today. . . .  

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So, I bought a new garland and when I got home I just placed it on the burlap runner - then I stepped back and thought hmmm, I rather like it :-) So, there it is staying (for now). You'll also see that I have one chair cover on (waiting for the others that I ordered from Walmart) and I bought some sunflower clips from Michaels and tried one on the back of the chair. I'm thinking I might like to get some twine and create something around the top of the chair with the flower and some other greenery?

Here's another look at the garland from another angle, AND do you see the curtains :-) I added them the other day, bought them months ago at Ikea (you can read about my ongoing dining room Redo HERE).

 

Once I get the other chair covers, the room will be complete for now. I decided not to buy a new chandelier just yet (after sending the other one back), it's just too pricey right now. It's looking rather Fall'ish and cozy, don't you think?

I also made a start on some decor in the living room. I'm keeping the mantel rather simple with just another garland and a candle (I put corn in the base, like I'd seen on some pins on Pinterest). It's funny how the poppies take on an orange glow once I added the leaves, instead of the bright red I usually see :-)

My favorite Yankee Candle was burning as I was decorating. I love this 'Harvest' scent!

Judy will recognize these two little characters :-) I won them in a giveaway she had last Fall. I had them on the top of the fridge last year, but I think they look cute sitting on the stairs here.  

And lastly, something I was 'creating' in the kitchen yesterday - pear jam using the pears from our trees :-)  I also made pear sauce the other day (just like apple sauce but I used the pears and blended it til smooth).  They both taste sweet and yummy!

So, what have you been creating this week? Visit Kristen to see other great creations. 

It's Here!!

First day back to school today, and here's my sweet little Fifth Grader!

We had no problem getting up at 6.30am this morning and quickly slipped back in to our morning routine . . . waffles for breakfast, then up stairs to get ready, put on new clothes and shoes, carry new 'Justin Bieber' backpack, and take photos before we drive to school! I think it's going to be a great year! 

The question now is, "what will I do all day, every day?" ;-) Ha! no worries there, I've always found plenty to fill my day til 3.30pm when Kiki gets home. Today I need to go to Target and return the chair slip covers I got. There's nothing wrong with them, but I ordered one from Walmart at the same time too to see if it was just as good a quality. I wasn't expecting it to be because the slip covers on Walmart's site were $8 cheaper than the Target ones. Guess what? They are the EXACT SAME slip covers!!! Same brand, same quality, SO, I'm taking Target's back (which were $17.99 each) and ordering more from Walmart (which were only $10.99 each) - it obviously pays to shop around!  

Still on the dining room subject, I actually received the chandelier last week that Susan had suggested on my Inspiration Board. BUT, I'm returning it :-(  I was shocked when I got it and saw that the candle sconces on it were not at equal distance apart! There's only 3 candles on it, this is the chandelier,

Now, don't those candles look like they are equal distance apart? Symmetrical?  Two candles were at one end, only 6" apart, and the third candle was about 10" away from those two? It just didn't look right at all to me. I called the company and the lady said from the pictures she could see (and she said she's looking at a LOT of them!) it looks like two candles are closer to each other?!!!  Errrr, Hello! It might be helpful to put those other pictures on your website!! This is the only photo on there, and if I'd seen that the candles were not equal, I would not have ordered this. Shame really, because I really loved the crystal on it. So, now I have to ship it back. It cost $30 for shipping to me, and probably will cost $20 to return, so I've spent $50 with nothing to show for it - I'm totally BUMMED :-(

I won't be ordering any more big items on line that's for sure. I'll have to look around the stores and see if I can find something similar. 

Well, I'm jumping off here, going to get ready to head out to Target. Hope you all have a great day.

Made a start - need your opinion!

Well, I've made a start on my dining room re-do! Remember the Inspiration board Susan did for me . . .

and remember my dining room . . . .

The first thing I wanted to do was repaint the black buffet and put it back on the other wall (where the picture is). I ordered some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (which seems to be all the rage in blogland right now) and is perfect for me, because it requires no sanding or priming! Color is Old White.  The lovely Debbie from DebbieDoos answered a ton of my questions on how to paint this and more importantly how to wax. Thanks Debbie, I couldn't av done it without ya ;-) So here is the buffet now . . . .

and here it is against the actual wall it will stay on . . .

My original thought was to leave the top black, so it stands out more against the cream wall. But I'm not totally convinced. This is where you can help - would you paint the top to match the rest, or leave it black? Here's a better picture of the top  . . . 

Other things for the room include:

Chandelier - ordered, on back order

Chair slip covers - ordered, being shipped this week

Curtains - need to get a curtain pole first then try curtains I already have from Ikea and buy some faux silk ones from Target to try. I'll be asking your opinions again when I get them ;-)

Orchid - bought from Target (you can see it on the buffet)

Mirror - still looking for one

Bench - not getting one yet, but will keep my eye out for something at a yard sale that I can re-do!

Lamp - using one I have, and will add burlap to the shade this week

Picture - swapped the one I had, for one that was in my bedroom, darker shade so it stands out more on the wall.

Tray - using one I have, just not sure what to put on it yet!

Burlap runner - yes, got this one from Etsy.com - love it.

Rug - not yet, I'd prefer to get one when I get wood floors (one day!)

Here's the before again . . .

and here's the after . . . .

It was hard getting pictures today because the sun was streaming through the blinds. I'll be taking more photos as I finish off the room.  Do let me know what you think about the buffet. . . black top, or cream?

Oh, and I forgot to mention, I managed to get those ugly handles off the buffet so I'll be going to look for new ones tomorrow!

Linking up with  Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday.

Inspiration!

Last week the lovely Susan over at Hometown Girl asked for volunteers to help her with a new venture she is starting. She posted on her blog . . . .

I've decided to start doing some design work on-line. My vision is to offer design services for table settings be it parties or a wedding, along with favors and party decor ideas. The other will be for interior design ideas.

My plan is to provide my clients with an Inspiration Board and a source list so they can secure the items needed to create the desired look. Maybe even a DIY project if they are inclined. I would love to do this for a few readers for free so I can work out the process and get a feel for how it will work.

I emailed Susan and said I would love to help. She sent me a questionnaire and I picked my dining room as the 'project'. I'm rather bored with how it looks right now and I thought having someone else's thoughts and ideas would be a great help. Here's the pictures I sent Susan.

 

I explained that I was hoping to change the curtains, move the buffet back to the cream colored wall and would like help with accessories and table setting. Wanna see the Inspiration Board that Susan created for me?

 Isn't it awesome? :-)  I absolutely LOVE IT! You can click on the board above to go to Susan's blog and see what she had to say about 'my space', and what she would do with it. She also lists all the items and where I can buy them. I also have the option to replace them with similar items to keep things within my budget. I'm already looking around the web for some alternatives, and I found this wonderful Burlap Table Runner from Thimbleana on Etsy(it's being shipped to me as we speak!)

I love the chandelier and the bench. Not sure hubs would agree to the bench, but I'm thinking the chandelier is a definite ;-) I'll also be pricing other chair covers and curtains perhaps from Target or Bed Bath and Beyond?  I'll keep you posted as and when I purchase items to 'pull the room together'. Susan also did a Coastal Inspired Bedroom for another blogger, you can CLICK HERE to see it.

Thank you again Susan, I can't tell you how much I love the ideas you've given me and for allowing me to help you in the process. I hope your new venture gets off to a great start.

Some decorative changes. . .

I’m sure you’re all wondering where I am! No? Well, I know at least my sister will be wondering, it’s already midweek and I haven’t posted since Sunday! I’ve been busy the last two days taking Christmas decorations down. Yesterday I had to go deposit a check at the bank, so while I was out I took a quick trip to Kirklands to see if I could spend the Christmas money my Mam sent us :-) I haven’t been to Kirklands in months, of course I had no problem spending the money!

I was looking for another table for the hallway. Last year I bought a table from Ikea and it looked like this (below).

But then I decided to move that table, and put it here. . .

This is in the living room and to the right of this wall is the laundry room, powder room and Jason’s office.

It meant that I could put my black buffet back in the hallway. But then I had another idea just recently. I wanted a new table to create a ‘cocktail bar’. I have so many mixers and bottles of liquor now and they were all just sitting on the windowsill in the kitchen! I thought I’d try and buy something with my Mam’s money – then I thought why not use the black buffet for that purpose and put it back in the dining room where the black shelf was! SO, that’s what I did. I found this lovely table on sale in Kirklands yesterday for the hallway . . .

So as of now everything looks like this . . . .

to the right as you walk in the door you can see my new ‘cocktail/wine’ station!

I took all my bottles and glasses and arranged them neatly on here. I love it!

Bought this wine sign at Kirklands too :-)

A view of the buffet and the hallway – loving it!

The shelf holds my wine and martini glasses :-)

What’s your poison :-)

The lamp above is new too, bought that at Kirklands while I was there! And here’s a few more pics of the new table . . .

Taken from the stair case . . notice I changed out the sconces too! (see pic #1)

My Willow Tree collection gets center stage. Top and bottom!

I bought this pitcher and flowers at Kirklands too, ALL on sale, the flowers and greenery are two separate bunches, only $4 each and I intertwined them. They actually hide the socket and wires from the other side, but not from this view as you can see!

So, when are ya’ll comin over for a cocktail? ;-)

Linking to Kara at