Holiday Bug ~

I've been bitten by the holiday bug a little early this year!  

 I'm feeling the urge to get some Christmas decorating ideas under my belt before things get too busy.  These are some ideas that caught my eye over the weekend.  

Thanks to Southern Living website for all the great photos and inspiration!

Fruit (real or fake) in a bowl with greenery. 

Love the shine of the mercury glass against a rustic basket.

Ornaments and gold/silver spray painted pine cones and nuts in glass cylinders.

Love these letters with the stockings.

 Easy table greenery.

 Wreath hung from a curtain rod.

Tree in a basket.  Been wanting to try this one.

Great holiday 'thank yous' gifts. 

Patio decor (if we didn't get so much rain I'd be all over this).

Natural wrapping with burlap.

Cookie dough gift wrapped in printed recipe! 

Are you getting motivated to start the holiday decorating?

Happy Halloween

This Halloween my daughter and her friends decided to be some of the toys from Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer's 'Island of Misfit Toys'.   We got the Charley in the Box.....remember the jack in the box toy?

Our version is a little different, but the same idea.  I cut the top and bottom out of a cardboard box, then taped it off in a diamond pattern and spray painted.

I had this piece of cardboard from another box. It fit perfectly for the top. I spray painted it and traced the circle using a small trash can as my template, then cut it out with a box cutter. 

This is how it looked before I taped the edges to keep it securely attached.

I cut armholes for the sides, again using the box cutter. I used duct tape to attach the top on the inside and clear package tape for the outside.

  And, voila'!

We had these pants from an old jester costume.  The belled collar is actually a dog collar from the $1 aisle at Target, and the hat, well that was a Halloween store purchase that will get lots of wear for crazy dress up days at school.

Isn't it cute!  

What are your trick or treaters wearing tonight?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Fall Foliage in the Northwest

I took my daughter to soccer practice the other night and went for a walk in the nearby neighborhood.  I brought my camera to capture some of the amazing fall foliage in the area.

I will admit that I tweaked some of these shots just a bit because it was around dusk and hard to capture the true vibrancy of these colors. 

 Trust me, in person these colors will make your jaw drop.  Beautiful!

Happy Fall, Y'all!

I'm joining the Outdoor Wednesday Party at A Southern Daydreamer.

Pillows or Table Linens?

I like to check out the linen aisle when I'm at Target. Some of the new designs/patterns in dish towels, napkins and tablecloths can be transformed into great pillows, drapes and valances with a little inspiration. 

I found these napkins.

They worked well with my fall tablescape.

 And, they made a great pillow!

Join me at the following blog parties:

Coastal Charm 

A Stroll Thru Life 

Savvy Southern Style 

(Thanks, ladies, for hosting such great parties at your amazing blogs!)

My 1st Chalk Paint Experience

 I found this great table at Home Goods.  It was on sale due to a nick on the front.  

It's hard to tell in this picture, but it was a glossy lavender color.

 And this is my new Annie Sloan 'Duck Egg Blue' chalk paint on it.  

 This truly is awesome paint.  No sanding, no priming, just paint it on and add the soft wax coating.

  Love it!

I'm linking to the following parties:

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm 

Show Off Your Stuff at Fireflies and Jellybeans 

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style 

Baking for the dogs!

My daughter is quite the dog/animal lover.  She has decided for her 11th birthday (which isn't 

until January) that she wants to have friends over to bake dog treats to take to the Humane 

Society.  She's been on their website searching for ways to help the animals at the shelter. 

The Humane Society posts recipes for homemade dog treats.  My daughter printed the 

recipes last weekend and we got busy baking.

 

  These are the Cheesy Dog Cookies.

 We found these cute cookie cutters at Joanns.

Ready to bake!

 And, of course, we had to let our favorite dog do a taste test.   She loved them.

 We're planning to go to the Humane Society this weekend to visit with the animals and 

ask what kind of donations are needed.  My daughter is planning to ask her friends to bring

a special toy or treat for the animals in lieu of birthday gifts this year.   I'm so proud of her!

Living Room Shuffle

A little rearranging took place in our living room over the weekend.  I've never had a 

U-shaped seating area in this room, but after watching Nate last week I got inspired.

The 2 side chairs don't match, but they don't have to, right? 

I finally found some throw pillows that pick up a touch of the blue in the curtains.

Thank you, Marshall's!

This matted painting reminds me a little of my son/daughter.

These are some rocks we've collected at various beaches.

Nate also inspired me to use some of my daughter's necklaces for accessories.  

This is the other side of the room that has always been a thorn in my side,

because of the stairwell the wall is cut off (see the white molding at right)

making it hard to arrange.  The keyboard is also hard to decorate around.  

I'm considering a keyboard 'skirt' of some kind to soften it up.

Have you shuffled any furniture lately?