decorating
Arrow Mantel Art
Brace yourselves. Today I’m going to show you a work-in-progress. I thought it would be super fun to see how long it takes for me to figure out how to finish what I started! That was sarcasm, folks. Seriously though, I have a feeling it’s going to take me awhile to figure out how this project ends. It all started because I needed art for the mother of all mantels. It’s probably 8-feet long. As most things begin around here, I had an AWESOME idea and a spare piece of plywood. I’m running out of spare pieces of plywood though, so I might have to stop blogging then. 😉 Through a bit of…
Cinnamon Broomsticks
I don’t know how I’ve lived my entire life without knowing about cinnamon broomsticks. Am I late to the game or do they not have them in the Pacific Northwest? Or the Midwest? Or anywhere else that I’ve lived? Are these a Southern thing? So many questions, so few answers. To make up for lost time, I bought 4 broomsticks. I thought that showed restraint. Then my local Kroger sold out of them and I regretted not buying more. But, last weekend I saw two new boxes arrive! I may or may not have called dibs. A friend told me about these seasonal creations. I didn’t quite understand what a cinnamon…
Camouflaging the Dog Door
I’ve been waiting for months for the outside temperature to drop below 90 degrees so that I could paint our exterior doors. I could have painted them during the hottest temperatures of the summer, but that would require keeping the door open for awhile and that defeats the purpose of getting our AC fixed. I’m pretty sure I would have melted too. It’s okay if you want to feel sorry for me. Last week our daytime temperatures held in the low 70s, so I knew it was time to paint! We have a beautiful back door. Except someone ruined it by installing a dog door. This is nothing against dogs, it’s…
Cardboard Pumpkin Art
Our AC was replaced this summer. This happened in August in Georgia and I may or may not have professed my undying love for the AC installer man. Despite that awkward exchange, he was super nice and made the GIGANTIC box that the AC unit came in into a fort for my kids. Of course, they loved it and played with it for a few days before they moved on to other things. Here’s the embarrassing part. It’s October and that box is still sitting in the basement. Every time I get on the bike or treadmill (which is 5 days a week), I spend 30 minutes thinking that I need…
Paper Pumpkin Centerpiece
I don’t have the time or the energy to make stuff for this blog that I don’t use. That would cut into all of my bon-bon eating and soap opera watching time. 😉 Recently I shared a how-to for making paper pumpkins. Well, this is where those paper pumpkins are hanging out this October – on my dining room table. It’s a little nod to the season. They might even hang around until Thanksgiving…we’ll see. Taking pictures of your home allows you to really study what’s going on. I’m still over-the-moon about a fireplace in my dining room. I’m just not over-the-moon enough to light a fire in it. Maybe…
Halloween Built-Ins
I have been waiting for days for the light to be bright enough to take pictures of the little makeover our built-ins received for Halloween. Have I mentioned patience is not one of my virtues? At the rate I was going it was going to be Easter before I showed you the Halloween shelves. And, well, that wouldn’t be quite right would it? So instead of grainy and dim, let’s call these photos moody and Halloween-esque. 🙂 Decorating mainly with stuff I already had forced me to get creative – especially since I don’t own an abundance of seasonal decorating items. Me and clutter are not friends. If you’ve known me for…
Halloween Ceramic Crocks
I had an epiphany tonight while sitting on the floor with a skein of yarn in one hand and a hot glue gun in the other. It struck me that I do indeed have an approach or methodology to decorating my home. I call it Hail Mary Decorating. That’s right, folks. Hail Mary Decorating. It is the not-at-all scientific way of throwing something together, setting it up on a wish and a prayer and hoping that it works. Sometimes it does. Other times? Not so much. I’m sure someone at HGTV just dropped everything to call me about this decorating methodology. While I sit here waiting for the call to go through, let’s…
Halloween Book Covers
Fair warning! If you say BOO to Halloween or cute black kittens, just step away from the computer now. The following images may be disturbing. See? I told you. The horror! A cute black kitten with a bright pink stuffed animal collar. It’s the least offensive thing she’s been dressed up in. So far. The cat’s name? Salsa. That’s definitely an omen. An omen that mommy is a pushover. Anyway, let’s get back to the point of this post! It’s now October and I’m doing a little bit of Halloween decorating. I didn’t do this sort of thing before I had kids, but they LOVE this holiday. What’s not to love…
Horseshoe Pumpkin
Did I mention my current horseshoe obsession? Earlier this month I made a gold good luck horseshoe after being inspired by the September 2015 issue of Better Homes and Gardens. After that project, I saw the Dutchess County Fairgrounds post this inspirational picture on Facebook and I knew I had to make a horseshoe pumpkin similar to the one they posted. (I don’t know who to give proper credit to for that idea.) A friend messaged me and said, “hey, I have a whole crate of horseshoes. You can have them.” Well, as you can imagine, I calmly replied freaked out and said, “YES!” She wasn’t joking, there was a bunch! I…
Rusty Machine turned Bird Bath
Have you ever heard an artist or songwriter being interviewed about their latest work of art or song? The interview always asks them to tell the audience what their creation stands for or how it should be interpreted. I keep waiting for someone to say, “I ate a messy cheeseburger, wiped my hands on the canvas and then decided to see if anyone would pay for it.” No one ever says that! Instead, many of them will be super ambiguous about their creations and want to leave it up to the viewer or listener to form their own impressions of said art. Well, that sort of happened to me this week. Not…
