Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours!
Give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good;
His love endures forever.
Psalm 107:1
I haven’t been keeping y’all up to date on my craftiness lately. The 31 day series has been filled with parenting ideas, but there’s a lot more to me than motherhood. I wear many hats. I am a multi-faceted woman. James says complicated and confusing. Tomato-tomahto.
I’ve been doing some small, easy projects, putting them in my shop and sharing them on other sites. Then I realized that I’m not showing them to you, and you understand me best of all. That led me to feel sorry for you. Because if you can understand ME then there might be something sadly wrong with you and I think you need to see a doctor.
….ooops…..train of thought derailed…..back to the crafts….
Over at Mom It Forward I’m showing 7 ways to use brown lunch bags for fall. Here’s a quick peek….be prepared for excessive cuteness.
Then, as if that wasn’t enough, I am also over at Life Your Way sharing 7 ways to say “welcome” with your decorating.
I never realized before that I like lists of 7 so much. Or maybe I just can’t think of more than that. I do tend to get distracted easily.
But that’s not all of the creativity around here. I’ve been cranking out some etsy orders and enjoying the process of making things for others. I just love thinking about my customers and praying for them while I work. I made a big batch of these on Monday and sent them off to a special bride:
And I’ve got a whole bunch of new products in the shop. These zippered pouches are so cute and they’d make great Christmas gift for friends, teachers, secret santas, church leaders, lots of folks!
I’ve got to show you just one more, then I’ll stop. But these mason jar lids that we’re making now are just so fun. I’m using them all of the time for the whole family.
Thanks for letting me spill about all of the craftiness that’s been happening around here. I hope you’ll pop over to Mom It Forward and Life Your Way to say hello!
Follow me on Facebook for a constant stream of what’s happening around here.
Last Friday I got to do something really fun! I got to go to World Market and spend $75 to fix up a little spot in my house. I love World Market. They have unique, affordable items and such a variety.
I already owned some things from there: our compost bucket, coasters and several serving pieces. So this time I decided to fix up my sofa side table for the fall. Fall……ahhhhh…….
I wandered around the store for a while, taking it all in. Gift wrap, dishes, food, jewelry, candles, on and on. But I kept being drawn to the great selection of lamps.
I picked out a burlap lampshade. It was calling to me….”Lisa…..you NEED me…..”
Then I gathered up some more pretties and headed to check out.
When I got home I was all a twitter to play with my stuff.
I pulled everything out of the bag and studied my treasures.
I was sad to see there was a casualty. In this Texas heat I should have known better than to leave the candles in a “bendy” spot in the car. One of them didn’t make it home in the same shape I bought it, but it’s OK….the rest of the things were perfect.
I clipped apart the flowers, stuck some skewers into the little felt pumpkins and tucked it all into the blue Thanksgiving bucket. I hung the lamp, and arranged it all together on the table by my couch. In just 20 minutes I was ready to sit and admire my pretty side table.
JOY!
It’s fresh and new and happy and welcoming.
It’s hard for me to decide which I like better. Is it the burlap lamp, or the globe, or the fall bucket?
I even used the paper they wrapped my breakables in to make little paper curls. I just cut it into strips and curled it like curling ribbon.
Thanks World Market for giving me such a treat! You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, G+ and Instagram. Oh…and Pinterest of course!
And here’s something YOU will love. World Market and HGTV have a sweepstakes that you can enter!
HGTV Passport to Style Sweepstakes
- Grand Prize package includes: A $10,000 World Market shopping spree and design consultation with an HGTV Designer
- There will also be 3 runner up prize winners that will each receive a $1,000 World Market gift card!
- The HGTV Sweepstakes runs from September 22, 2012 until October 26, 2012.
- If you share the sweepstakes with 5 of your friends (via FB share or email) you can receive 5 additional bonus entries. This is part of the registration process when entering. Users can also enter daily for more chances to win.
- Enter online at WORLDMARKETSWEEPSTAKES.COM or FACEBOOK.COM/WORLDMARKET
Thanks World Market, for such a fun opportunity. I’m going over to enter that sweepstakes!
This is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™, but all my opinions are my own.
I was feeling like I needed something new this year for my fall mantle. I don’t know why, just an itch. I showed you the fall candle holders I made in less than 15 minutes. After that I wanted to try something else with the 4×4 pieces we have everywhere. So I rounded up a few more things to stick on top of them.
I cut a 4 blocks in varying heights. I didn’t measure any of them. I just cut whatever size I felt like. I’m like that…..just free as a bird.
After a quick sanding, I used my brad nailer to shoot a little scrap of support on the top about an inch back from the front.
One more shot with the brad nailer and we’re almost finished building these babies.
One more quick thing….
I took the finished letter blocks and my little bottles of acrylic paint and added some stripes and spots. I don’t know why I didn’t get a picture of this process. But there was no plan….I just played around.
And the finished blocks look so cute on my fall mantle!
My fall mantle is just making me happy. To see a step by step guide on how I put the whole mantle together check out my post over at Life Your Way.
Are you following on Facebook for more tips and ideas?!
Linking to:
I’ve got a great little 15 minute fall project. In fact, I had the kids time me to see how fast I could do it. But I have to be 100% upfront….I have a workshop that has the tools already set up and I have a belt sander, so it may have been a little faster for me than if I didn’t have these things. But I think it still would have taken close to 15 minutes even without that advantage.
You see, we have been building a fence.
So we have all of these short pieces of 4x4s just hanging around.
So I picked up some candle cups at Hobby Lobby and decided to make a couple of simple, quick candle holders for my fall mantle.
Ready…….set…………GO!
Minute 1: Cut the 4x4s into random sizes. I didn’t measure, just cut.
Minute 2: Sand the rough cut edges with my sander
Minutes 3-4: Screw 3 candle cups onto each 4×4 block.
On each block I added a small piece of wood under one cup to give it a slightly different height.
Minutes 5-8: Spray paint the candleholders…one orange….
and the other burgundy….
Minutes 8-10: Wrap scraps of twine and fall leaves around the blocks.
Done! Yep, it took me LESS than 15 minutes.
You can do it too!
Our front porch is so long and narrow that it is sometimes hard to decorate. I can’t just stick a wreath on the door and call it finished. Or maybe I should stop blaming my huge porch and start looking at the real problem….James doesn’t let me buy everything I want.
This year I am going simple with a couple of hay bales and some pumpkins.
It’s cozy and fall-ish without taking too much of my time. It was either the living room wall project or the porch. I can’t do it all y’all.
I love this sittin’ spot. I get my drink and my book and I let the little boys play on the porch while I rock ‘n read.
I wish you could join me.
Y’all will simply not believe what I have been up to. I got another one of my hair-brained ideas and became crazed to make it happen. Once I get an idea that fits all of my criteria I run with it. What is my criteria, you ask? This is it: free or very cheap, original, not tacky looking (I don’t always accomplish this one) and can be done in a weekend or less.
I got the idea to paint a Scripture on my living room wall. I don’t know where it came from, but I had to try it. Today I just want to show you the fruits of my labor. If you want to know how I did it, you can read my tutorial.
You remember the frame over my couch that I change out every season? Last year I had silhouettes in it, before that clocks, I’ve had flowers and butterflies… and most recently I had beadboard with vintage badminton rackets. Now it’s all changed again.
I finally got my white slip cover for my green couch! Yahoo! Leslie and I made a trade. I did some monogramming in exchange for a slip cover she didn’t want any more. It fits my couch perfectly! Thanks Leslie! I went to my favorite store, Me & My House, and got just a little fabric to recover some pillows for the couch. I needed my favorite salesgirl/decorater, Grace, to help me. She pulls me out of my ruts and drags me away from the same stuff I always want to buy.
These pillows make me feel the way John Denver felt about sunshine on his shoulders.
Each season I use my true love, the Cricut, to change the decal on the platter on the piano. Bye bye bicycle, hello fall tree.
But let’s talk for a minute about the big project….it took me two days to paint all of these teeny tiny words on the wall.
The frame is actually empty and the wall behind it is painted white. All of the words are just painted straight on the wall and I LOVE it! The little wreath gives it the little bit of dimension and color the wall needed.
Another view….
and this….little grapevine pumpkin (sing it with me) looks so ♪ LOOOVE-LEEE! ♪….
Here’s the other side of the room, Levi insists that his Build-a-Bears live in the chair behind the door.
Have I shown you the little footstool I made with a milk crate? I just turned it upside down & made a cushion. It’s one of my favorites.
Now I am going to just go in there and sit…and rest my arms which are sore from painting itty-bitty letters on the wall all weekend.
Then I will take off again with my next crazy idea. I can’t stop myself.
Linking to:
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Lindsay at Southern Lovely for Show & Share
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Kaitlin at Not So Simple Housewife for {Re}Create into Something New
Judy at DIY by Design for Sizzle into Summer
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Laura at Decor to Adore for Fall in Love with Your Home
Amy at The Idea Room for The Idea Room Linky
Saved by Love Creations for Thrifty Thursday
Steph at Somewhat Simple for Strut Your Stuff
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Kristi at Addicted 2 Decorating for Addicts (not so) Anonymous on Friday
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Fridays
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Shaunna At Perfectly Imperfect for Furniture Feature Friday
Jen at Tater Tots and Jello for Weekend Wrap Up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
I know I showed you my front porch already. But that was LAST YEAR’s porch. I finally got it done for this year, so of course I have to show that as well. I love each porch equally and would not want one to be jealous because they weren’t getting the attention they deserved.
If you walked up to our house this is what you would see….
Don’t ya wanna just sit and rock?
Call me crazy, but I just had to paint one of the pumpkins black.
So cute, right?
“A black pumpkin?!” you say? With words and polka dots. Oh yeah! I’m jammin’ the pumpkins this year!
It turned out so darling….I have thought about painting a few more. But every time I mention it my family looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.
My dad reads my blog and I know he won’t understand the painted pumpkin. I can just hear him, “If God meant for pumpkins to be black with polka dots….” It’s a flashback to fifth grade when I begged to get my ears pierced. “If God had meant for you to have pierced ears then you would have been born with holes in your ears.” (said in a very authoritative voice that will ground you for life if you argue with him…..which I didn’t do or my children might never have been born because I would still be in my room listening to Elton John on a record player).
I’m pretty sure God wanted this pumpkin to be black with dots. It wouldn’t look so darn adorable if He hadn’t planned it.
I love this spot on the porch. I could sit here for hours with my Kindle and a Diet Dr Pepper.
Bales of hay are so perfect for fall. And for us they are useful….the animals will eat them when I am finished using them for decorations. Don’t say it Dad. God really does want me to use these hay bales for decorations.
I just know it.
Linking to:
Ahhh yes! The autumn has taken over around here. Cooler weather, pumpkins in the stores, leaves beginning to fall. Although we did have a swim party last Friday, so maybe there’s still a bit of summer left. But inside the house we’re pretending that we are almost to November by dropping faux leaves all around.
Don’t you love the word “faux”? It makes me feel so fancy, so French, so ooh-la-la!
It has me so joyeux that I just HAD to create something for the fall in my shop. I’ve got four new fall pillows. Ooohhhhh! They make me happy.
Wouldn’t that look perfect sitting on the divan or in your boudoir?
And here’s the good news: you can win one for yourself! Oui oui! My friend Kellie is giving one away over at her Fall Festival. If you go to her blog and tell her which pillow you want she will add your name to the giveaway.
Tell her I sent you. It won’t help you win, but then she will know how extraordinaire you are.
And if you don’t win, I hope you’ll order one for yourself.
Happy FALL!
Or should I say….
BON AUTOMNE!!
(My sincere apologies to anyone that speaks French)
The pumpkins have just arrived in this part of Texas. And noooobody has mums yet. This causes me to ponder. Why do Texans get their pumpkins after everyone else in the country? Is there a pumpkin conspiracy?
Since I just got ‘em, I haven’t had time to fix ‘em all up so I am going to show you my pumpkins from last year. They were purdy. I’m gonna do some jest like it fer this year. I’ve decided to represent Texas by speaking Texan for this whole post. It’s only fittin’ since we got our pumpkins after everyone else.
I luv bows on m’pumpkins.
♫ “Home, Home on the Range..♫.”
Don’t this just make y’all wanna sit fer a spell?
Hopefully next week I’ll have my pumpkins all lettered and ribboned and ready for show.
I just luv the fall. Around these parts it’s huntin’ time. But we aren’t huntin’ people, so I jest settle fer m’family on the porch singing the old Texas hymns.
The stars at night are big and bright, (clap-clap-clap-clap) deep in the heart of Texas, ♫♪
♫♪ the Prairie sky is wide and high, (clap-clap-clap-clap) deep in the heart of Texas!
Go see m’friend Kellie for more fall ideas….and those other folks will prob’ly spare ya the Texas talk.
