It's FALL Y'all

"It's FALL Y'all!" ...I just had to express that on my chalkboard!  And, that's how it's said down here in the South!

It's feeling a bit more like Fall here now, too!  And, it's looking a bit more like Fall in some areas of my home as well.  I'm enjoying my fall centerpiece that I created on my thrifty 'two-dollar' tray!  My treasure hunting pays off with finding items like this!  I look forward to using it over and over in my decorating.

The afternoon sunshine casts a rainbow onto this wall in our breakfast room via the chandelier in our foyer.  I'll take rainbows anyway I can get them! :)

A close-up view of my chalkboard.  It's a fun and favorite decor item I have in my home.  I refreshed it with a new layer of black chalk paint last spring.  I just have fun with it and pretend to be an artist!  I don't take it too seriously, and just go with an idea.  Like I said, "I just have fun with it!"

"It's FALL y'all!"...

Fall Tablescape

Styling a tablescape is a joy for me. A pretty table setting can set the mood and it makes everything taste better! ...I believe that to be true! *wink*

When I spotted these pretty pumpkins I had to have them! I only found one green pumpkin, the other two have just a bit of green; and they all have a nice touch of gold!  I was excited to put together a fall centerpiece using them and a thrifty basket I recently found, for two dollars!

I purchased the pretty green plates last year (Home Goods), they came to mind when I saw the green pumpkin. A few other items from shopping my home added to creating this fall tablescape.  I do love these pretty green plates!  And, I feel they work for all seasons.  There were only four when I found them and I almost didn't get them. I'm so glad I did!

An overview of my Fall tablescape.  The green is such a happy color!  Well, it makes me happy and smile for sure!  It's perfect for my neutral color scheme.

The basket was perfect for this fall centerpiece, and I'm so happy how it turned out.  Simple and beautiful!

"An Apple a day!"  As they say!  Sounds good to me.  Oh, and pumpkin spice everything!   Fall has some awesome flavors! mmm!

Happy Decorating!...

Falling for Fall!

A little Fall inspiration, with pumpkins of course!   I may be getting Fall fever!

I put together this Fall look using items I had on hand.  I enjoy using baskets, they come in handy for storage and are so useful.  I found a couple of these oblong baskets last fall and felt they would be great for storage, and also for using in my decor.  How fun having the little chalkboards on the front to write on?!

I simply filled the basket with fall items, pumpkins, pine cones, berries, and some greenery.  A lace table cloth fills in some of the space in the basket and adds another decorative touch!  All that was needed was a message on the front chalkboard.  I felt the word "Fall" was the perfect expression.  A small pumpkin and some fall foliage on the stool placed next to the chair, it got a little attention too!

Yep!...I may be getting Fall fever!...

  

Sweet and Simple Fall Decor

Now that it's October it's my Fall decorating time. Sharing this sweet and simple Fall vignette.

The wooden pumpkin with bow is a thrift store find (one dollar) that I just had to rescue, it had burlap glued to the face, but was partially torn off. I simply removed all of it and painted the front with chalk paint. I like the simplicity of it!

The cute little crackled pumpkin had been stored away and has been brought out for Fall. It was the first thing I saw when I opened my Fall container.

It's fun to rediscover what you already have, with change of seasons decorating! Pumpkins, pumpkins, there will be pumpkins!!!

I hope you enjoyed a beautiful fall day!...

Hello Fall! Hello October!

It feels like Fall is getting here. We had a beautiful last day of September yesterday.  I can't believe it's October 1st already!

Pumpkins are a sure Fall statement. I'm adding some Fall touches and these sweet pumpkins I transformed.

I love the neutral toned pumpkins and Fall decor available these days.  Some of those pumpkins can be a bit over priced or hard to find just the right ones!  I gave some inexpensive orange pumpkins a makeover using chalk paint.  They're much more to my liking and more my style now.  Such an easy way to change their appearance!

I used two different colors of chalky finish paint by Americana Decor, Everlasting, and Timeless.  I liked that the Everlasting was white, and the Timeless was beige.

I painted on the beige color first, then let it dry completely.  After the paint dried I dry brushed (minimal amount on paint on the brush) on a layer of white paint.  Before the white paint had completely dried I wet sanded it, (-simply meaning, wipe away some of the wet paint) on the raised areas, leaving some paint in the recesses and creases.  I like the look it gave the pumpkins.
Typically I would use wax after painting, but chose not to use the wax on these, because I liked the chalky look.   It's hard to imagine that these pumpkins were once bright orange with green stems.

It was so simple to do, and just took a little of my time one afternoon.

I love the magic of paint!

Welcome FALL 2017

Extending a pretty "Welcome" to Fall today!

It's official...it's Fall y'all!

I'll be over here busy playing with pumpkins ...well, styling some spaces with them anyway!

I'm moving on to fall even though it's not feeling much like fall here just yet!  Some leaves have begun to fall though, and the beautiful color change will be a constant over the coming weeks!  It's here, it's now!

~Happy FALL Y'all!

Thrifty Treasure - Tiered Tray

This tiered tray is a 'new to me' thrifty find! I couldn't wait to get it home and style it up!  Would you believe it was only four dollars at a local thrift store?!!  Uh uh, yep, it sure was! (I saw one very similar to this one recently at a home decor store priced at twenty-five dollars!)

I shopped my home for items to style it up all pretty!

~ Did you catch my little message within?...
...Heart & Home

I love a good bargain and I enjoy the thrill of the hunt too!  I often tell others all the time "it doesn't have to cost a lot to decorate your home with beautiful things," and so I encourage others to get out there and browse the thrift stores, flea markets, antique shops, goodwill and second hand and donated goods spots, because you just never know what awaits you!!!

This tiered tray was a thrifty find, and so are many of the items I have used to style it.

-The tiered tray appeared to be brand new in perfect condition and as I mentioned above, only cost four dollars, the beautiful ceramic magnolia blossom was a sweet find for a dollar.  I've been collecting those scrabble tiles here and there, they're usually about .10 or .15 cents a piece and the wooden trays vary in price but are usually under a dollar where I found mine.  I found a package of cute gold heart-shaped paper clips for .50 cents!  The little gold basket was a .25 cent goodie I simply filled with wine corks -those were from my own wine loving stash ...It looks like I only have a few, but let's just say there are many more where those came from!

Some of my favorite items are crystal and cut-glass pieces which I've collected over the years, (see link below for a previous post) many of them were found at the places I mentioned above, at low costs and some were next to nothing!  Get out there and enjoy the hunt!

It's the last weekend of summer!  I'm so not ready to let go, but the calendar says I have to this week!  I'll be looking forward to summer's return next year!

~Happy weekend everyone. I hope you enjoy this last official weekend of summer!

My Collected Treasures ~Cut-Glass and Crystal~

Terra-cotta Pots - Chalk Painted

I often say "if you don't love something the way it is, it can probably be painted!"

That's exactly what I did to these terra-cotta pots! I picked up this faux plant pair at Hobby Lobby on a 'half-off florals' week. I loved them, but knew I'd love them even more after I painted the orange-y terra-cotta!

I used white chalk paint, clear and dark wax to transform them. I'm so pleased with the way they turned out and really, really 'love' them now!

This is how they looked when I brought them home.  I liked their style and size, and felt I would get to use them year round in my decor.  I wanted to lighten them up, and give them a look that would work better with my decor.

I first gave them a coat of white chalk paint, and then let them dry thoroughly.  After the paint was dry I applied a thin layer of clear wax.  I let them sit awhile as the wax dried and then gave them a buffing with a clean dry cloth.

I wanted a different look, slightly darker than the bright white, so I added small amounts of dark wax in a few places at a time, then quickly wiped away the dark wax.  Another buffing with a clean dry cloth gave me the result I was after.

That's more like it!  This was the look I was after.  So much better if you ask me!

They are now much more my style and coordinate perfectly with my neutral decor!

Have you painted anything lately?

~I love what a little paint can do!

Our Summer Patio and Porch

Time to say "so long to August" today.

The look and feel of Summer remains a while longer here in the south and that's OK with me, and it makes me smile!

This view of our back garden may look this way for only a few more weeks, so I'm enjoying it and all the beautiful summer color and watching the sweet hummingbirds that continue to visit.

It's been a great summer!  This area has done well this year.  I have enjoyed this garden area and the pretty flowers!

~ So long and goodbye beautiful August, see you next summer!

I enjoy this view of our covered porch and outdoor fireplace. We haven't changed much out here this season.  I added a couple of new plants, and found the pretty iron sections at an antique shop, they look nice on the fireplace so this is where they landed after I brought them home!

The weather is perfect right now for evenings out here enjoying a cozy fire and a glass of wine, and where we sometimes just listening to music, other times we can watch a movie or some football. We love our outdoor space!

Enjoying this last beautiful day of August.

Summer is so sweet, my sweet summertime!