Our Fall Home

I'm a little late I guess to the show....I have procrastinated about decorating for Fall because I am not a lover.  If the leaves were all pink and the pumpkins were white...I'd be happy!

However, I do love making our home festive for the holidays...so here goes...

This photo was taken with my phone...sorry for the blurriness.

Our side entrance...always a hard spot to make pretty.

It's tight quarters....

Everything is wilting and dying away so I pulled out all of my flowers and added some leaves and sunflowers with some corn and pumpkins.  It'll do....

I love this little wagon!  I bought it many years ago at a craft fair we were doing.  You know how it is...you always see something someone else has that you want.

I need some pumpkins here...maybe...and I love my sign!  It was from my primitive days...

I've had these decorations for so long....the only thing I bought were the fodder shocks and sunflowers this year.

Mom had bought this little crow a long time ago and I ended up with it.  His little hat has seen better days, but I think that adds character.  My Aunt Linda gave me the wooden leaves and I thought they would add so much extra to under the welcome.  Lots of special memories I have....

Out by the pool area...it looks so drab and yucky now that the pool is closed down.  I do love my mums....and they smell so good!

This is my favorite!  I love how it makes me feel all welcome and cozy....I sure hope that's how my visitors will feel!

Such an old little wreath..but I do still love it.

The hubby had brought me home the flower arrangement of wild flowers and they all dried perfectly...I just added the sunflowers to it.  It's in a mason jar...he's always so sweet to me.

Coming up the stairs...a nice little welcome and a reminder of how blessed we all are.

I have plans for something over the garage door....I'm hoping to work on that next weekend if my sweetie will help me.  I'm so excited!

So there ya have it...Our Fall Home.  

My Design on Updating an old Fireplace

I am finally finished with the fireplace I designed and made for a dear friend.

Those two ledges just weren't cutting it in this house!  After my friend painted the brick white, she was happy....but I wasn't.  I could just see this grand mantel as the center of her open floor plan.  So here's is what I did...

I designed a slipcover (something I love to say will fix any problem) to slide over those two ledges.  I had this plan all along in my head but luckily my friend let me run free and do it!  After many trips to Lowes, measuring, cutting, mitering, wood gluing and screwing...this is what it looked like when it was completed being put together.

Oh It looks good here...but just wait until you see it all painted!

She found the corbels at two different Lowes, so glad she found them too!  Aren't they beautiful?!

It still needs to be attached to the wall, but I am not a mason so I'll let the pros take that one on.

TADAHHHH!!!

When you walk into the home, this is something that definitely makes a statement!  They have done so much work to this place, totally remodeled it!  Mike and I laid the floors and I have been a busy little bee working my little (teehehe, not little by any means) butt off doing all sorts of things.  I have been having fun!

We have had countless shopping trips and she has painted until I think she doesn't like to paint anymore, lol!

Hey, (as Si says) it has saved her money!

Something we all can use, right?

We shopped for all of her lighting and I made the shelf that is holding her mother's china.  Painting all of her frames sure have made a huge difference!

Something as simple as to putting the chairs side by side instead of the traditional way at all four sides makes a big difference on the look.  Adding a table runner made by Moi really tied in the white don't ya think?   Using all of her things and just redoing them in small and cheap ways really makes a person feel accomplished.   Could you imagine having to go out and buy all new?

$$$$$$$$

Still needing that perfect photo for the large frame...but when she finds it I know it'll be perfect!

I especially love this room!  The mantel headboard I made is something I think I will be making again very soon....

So there are just a few things I have done for my friend..she's a hoot to work for!  Love her dearly!

Maybe when she feels up to it, she'll let me share her photo.  Once we are done, I'll be posting a home tour of her home.  Her daughter's room is gorgeous!  

Well, I gotta go and do some more sewing.  

You all enjoy your weekend, ya hear?!!

Adding Touches of Blue

Years ago, I bought these pillow shams to put over my sofa pillows that came with my sofa.  All to make them more shabby.

I loved the little touches of blue in them and have wanted to add this beautiful color for such a long time now.

I found the Bella Rose Blue fabric a long time ago too, but didn't want to spend the money at the time.  I ran across it on ebay one night and thought "what the heck"...so I ordered 2 yards and then 2 more.  This is what I've made with 2 yards so far...still waiting on the other 2.

Two of these pillows....

One of these...

Two arm chair covers...

One placemat....

A table runner...

And just enough to make this last pillow....

Now, here are the finishing touches....

I added ruffles to the new seat and back slipcover, to the ottoman and arm covers.  White ribbon was added to the pillow to border the fabric.  

I just love my chair!

I want to make more of the placemats for the kitchen island when the other fabric comes in.  

I love how faint the blue is...but it is hard to photograph perfectly.  It is the most perfect sky blue!

Here it is more in it's natural color...

I am loving the little touches of blue...now I can't wait until I get the rest of my order!

God is a Designer

~Good morning everyone~

It dawned on me this morning that I have been taught by the very best.  Just look at His wonderful designs that no one has been able to copy in the history of man.

They all want to recreate His work, but His is truly an original worth more than all of the gold and gems this world has to offer.

I thank Him for my talent...without Him I would be nothing!  He truly has been the best teacher I could ever have...and it all has been given to me with 

~LOVE~

May your day be full of His wonderful Blessings!

I Love My Bedroom

After adding the new chest, I did some cleaning and rearranging.  

See the little white chair to the left there?  I painted it all white yesterday.  It's the perfect little chair for this spot.    I absolutely love my bedroom even if it is in the basement!

The only thing that I HATE is the ceiling.  But we need access to the wiring and pipes so I guess it has to stay.

I added two corbels to under the cornice over our bed....love how it looks!  I've been wanting to "beef" it up for awhile now.

They add a little 

PIZAZZ

that I was wanting.

You can see that the wall behind is limited for a bed and nightstands. I got creative with the "cheapy" round table set you can buy.  They work perfectly.

Now doesn't that chest look great there?  And all of those mirrors really brighten up the stairwell!

Can you see why I love my bedroom?  For being in the basement, it is pretty bright and cheerful.

I always sleep so well....

But this is a constant reminder to me.  I keep a rug over it but I know why it's there.  Every morning and night I see it and remember just how blessed I am to be alive!  This is a stain where I lay in bed running a 106 degree temp and threw up right before the paramedics came.  I remember thinking "NO" not on my white carpet.  Can you believe that, lol?!  You have to find humor in things or you'll go nuts.

But anywho....God is good!

I decided to pull my paints out the other night and make a sign.  I love hydrangeas and wanted something to go over our door in blue.  So I made this....

I love how it turned out!

You can see I didn't have much room for anything too wide, so I had to use a board that was a little over 3 inches.  A cheap and easy fix for adding over a boring door.

Now I'm off to my sewing projects.  I ordered this fabric hoping that it would match the bedding I bought at Target.  It did, and both will be perfect together for the blue I've been wanting to add to our kitchen and living room.  I'll be ripping apart the bedding and getting creative.  I did however order more of this fabric, so maybe I'll wait on sewing until it comes.....

I hope you all are enjoying this beautiful Sunday the Lord has blessed us with...even if it is dreary in your neck of the woods.  We are alive and that in itself is a true blessing!

Well, I'm at it again

You all have to know that when I get an idea in my head, I do not stop!

A dear friend sent me a photo of this chest and thought I would be interested in it.  Well...she was right!!!

My jaw hit the floor!

She actually went and did some negotiating and got it for $100 for me, picked it up and brought it to her house for me to come and pick up.  

Now how nice was that?  I immediately made arrangements to come pick up ASAP!

Then her and her husband gave me this mirror...I was thrilled!

So I got my paint can out and went to town!

Now look at it...perfect!

Wanna see something even more beautiful?

It turned out just absolutely stunning!

Look at the detail and how it stands out so much better...big smile!

 I know the wood lovers are having a conniption right about now, but hey...it's my passion and my money, lol.  

So then I began to wonder where the heck I was going to put it!  I have all of our rooms full of  pieces that I adore and nothing was going anywhere.  

~Then it hit me~ 

(another sleep deprived thought)

Right here!  

This is what I had there originally.  This little gem was moved over by the chaise...I forgot to take a photo of it. (oops)  I was so excited...

 Oh I just love it!

Then I had to figure out where to hang that beautiful mirror..can you see it?

This began my wall of mirrors that I have been wanting to do for some time now.  The stairwell tends to be a little dark, so all of the mirrors work perfectly!  

I had fun going through my stash of goodies to change things up a bit.  I loved this little stool and it does the trick, small enough too!

I really do love my stairwell...it doesn't get enough attention in my photos.  It's one of the hardest places to take a photo of.

So now I am off to paint a few more things.  Oh, I did paint that applique above my stove pink and I love it!  It's been rainy and gloomy here the past few days, so when the sun shines again, I'll post some photos of it.

Bye for now, I'll be back shortly....