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Home Decor

Something Wonderful is Happening

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We put up two trees in our house every year. One is a big traditional tree with ornaments collected over time. The second tree is a small one my Mom gave us last year. We put it in the corner of our family room since the kids spend most of their time there.

The kids yesterday were a bit antsy with some of the boxes being out so I broke my usual rule of no decorations before Thanksgiving. We put up the small tree in the family room.
Here is how it turned out.
Last year, I bought a package of coordinating ornaments at Lowe’s on sale which is just enough to fill the tree. I love the chocolate brown sparkly ones best. I put a string of red shiny beads that I had on hand from years past and a small star ornament on the top. I set it on an end table covered with a table cloth and made a tree skirt out of some white fabric I had on hand.
We have a teeny bit of Christmas in our house this week. Anyone else started decorating yet?

Change Up: Fall Tablescape

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Because I love autumn so much, I think I started decorating for it a bit too early this year. Also, since Brian and I built and finished our dining table, we eat dinner in our dining room pretty much every night. It was time for a bit of a change with our table decor for autumn.

Here is what is going on now:

 

The color scheme is not traditionally fall, but I really loved the dark browns. I folded some fabric that I had on hand from when I recovered some chairs awhile back.

 

I found this pumpkin on sale last week at Michael’s. It was half off, as is is most of their autumn decor (they are already putting out Christmas decorations…commence hyperventilation).
Then, I just added some crystal candlesticks and the glass vases filled with stones and twigs from my last autumn tablescape.
It is much more simple, and is a nice change to get me through until Thanksgiving.

Linking up at Serenity Now.

Oops… I did it again: Faux Curtains

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Ok, now that I have got you singing some Brittany Spears circa 2000. I will explain how I did it again. Some people wanted to know where the curtains in our Master Bedroom came from. So I dug up some pictures on my iPhone from when we first moved in, and here is the very long story.See our hillbilly make shift curtain made of a sheet and duct tape. Classy. Can you believe at one time, this was my window treatment solution?

 

 

Awhile back, right before we had moved into our house, I ran out to Lowe’s and purchased three roller room darkening shades for the three bedrooms. We were doing so much work to the upstairs, we needed something since purging the previous owners disgusting filthy window treatments that probably hadn’t been dusted since 1975.  We were also in a hurry because we wanted to get in the house. So this was the solution. They were easy to install, and they were room darkening which is a bonus when you have three little ones who nap every day. I also figured they could be easily covered up with curtains, roman shades, balloon curtains, or valances which I was planning on putting in the rooms as a decorative treatment.  You know when I had nothing better to do. So for convenience sake, I got the inexpensive shades to hold us over until I could cover them all up with something more attractive. I only spent around $30 for each which is a small price to pay for privacy and room darkening.
So, our shades were purchased and with some help from our friend Scott were installed in no time. They worked beautifully, well, two of them worked. The ones in the kids’ rooms were fine, THANK GOODNESS, naptime was saved. However, in the master bedroom the darn thing wouldn’t snap back up in the morning, when we wanted that beautiful natural light that is so prevalant in our new home. We tinkered, we fiddled, we did everything including talking to the people at Lowe’s (who were very friendly) to try and figure out how to get it to work. Long story short… er long, it still didn’t work, so I had to exchange it.
I went back to Lowe’s, and the woman at the returns counter told me the only way I could “exchange” it would be to return the old shade, and purchase a new one. Since, the shades have to be trimmed to fit the window, so I figured it was no big deal. I returned the old shade, and then walked down the window treatment aisle and tried to find a replacement $30 shade, and much to my surprise, they were no longer $30, they were now $50! I know this sounds ridiculous (you know I’m thrifty right?), but I refuse to pay $50 for something that I could buy for $30 just three weeks ago. Especially something that I was planning on covering up with curtains anyway. So I came home shadeless, much to Brian’s annoyance.
It came to covering our window with something, and by something I mean a sheet and duct tape. Ugh. Martha Stewart would be again be appalled (just like this). So, the search for an inexpensive yet beautiful room darkening window treatment began. I had narrowed it down to curtains, as I think they have a more sophisticated look, and that is kind of the look we are going for. Because of this, I knew I would have to make them myself to save some money, and to look just right with our bedding, new headboard, and freshly painted room.
That’s when I remembered my cloth napkin cafe curtains, and voila, I did it again. I used something that isn’t supposed to be used for curtains, and I made it into curtains with those little ring clips. I found shower curtains on clearance at Target. They coordinated with our color scheme, they had a pattern that wasn’t too feminine, and did I mention they were on clearance? I bought some room darkening fabric at JoAnn Fabrics for about $2 a yard. I cut it to size. Then I clipped clipped room darkening fabric to the back of the shower curtains before hanging them. So, I did it again. Another set of no sew curtains. They are a little short, but you cannot even tell with the headboard and bedside tables. Jenky no more!

 

Thank goodness the sheet and duct tape are gone!

Leftovers: More Autumn Decor

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So, I’m finally finished decorating the house for Autumn. I know most people go all out, but I only decorated three small areas of my home. I first put together an Autumn tablescape for Sunday Dinner, put a few small decorations near the front door, and then I put together a spooky Halloween mantle. All of these decorations only took a few minutes each to put together, and they help to make the house seem a little more festive.

Which brings me to this shelf.

 

It is the perfect place to create seasonal vignettes like a mantel, but, Houston, we have a problem. It is right above where we keep all the kids’ toys. So, to be honest, I didn’t want anything too fancy there, and most of the time it is empty as practicality tells me something could get knocked over. Someday, when I come up with more of a cohesive look for the family room, I will probably have a better idea of what to do in this space.

So this is what I came up with to spruce it up a little for the season:

 

 

These are all things that I have had on hand for years. I thought the red canisters bowl and pitcher added a nice pop of color in an otherwise very neutral space. The pumpkin sign, ceramic pumpkin, and maple leaf bowl helped to bring some seasonal flair. Also, the framed photo is of Brian and I the Autumn before we got married. You cannot tell from this photo but the picture has some pretty fall foliage behind us.

So that is it for fall decor around here. Now, I think it is time for cooking up some comfort food and finding some more indoor projects to do with the kids.

Linking up today at Thrifty Decor Chick for the last installment of the “It’s Fall Ya’ll” Autumn Decor Link Parties!

Spoooooooky: Halloween Mantel

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Sometimes, more is more. I usually do not subscribe to this methodology as I like clean lines, simple decor, and practicality, but when it comes to Halloween candy… er I mean decor, I cannot get enough.

 

 

This year, again, with the help of my niece Allison, I have put together a Halloween Mantel with all of my Halloween candles. These candles have been collected slowly over time. I can usually find them after Halloween at places like Party City and Target for deep discounts. Together with some ceramic decor made by my mother in law, some faux cobwebs, and glittery spiders, I think we came up with a pretty spooky mantel.

 

 

When the candles are lit, it creates the perfect spooky atmosphere for watching a spooky movie (which at our house is Monsters Inc.) with some cozy throws and popcorn.

Linking up at Centsational Girl as part of It’s Fall Ya’ll Link Up Series. Come and see everyone’s Autumn Mantels.

 

Autumn is here… Sort of: Outdoor Decor

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I absolutely love Autumn. It is my favorite season. Crisp weather perfect for running, hooded sweatshirts perfect for snuggling, hot chocolate perfect for drinking, and the colors. Did I mention the COLORS?

Well, so far, my area didn’t get the memo that fall is on the way. The weather has been a little too warm for my taste. I just feel like there is something wrong with still having to wear shorts this time of year. I was kind of resisting putting out any fall decor outside because I thought it was still too warm to fully embrace it, I mean I still have pentunias in full bloom, but I couldn’t take it anymore. So here is what I did.

I started slow and hung a wreath, which I found at Michael’s. I love that the colors are a little muted. Just some small pops of soft orange, but mostly green and gold which contrast nicely on the black door. The autumn greetings sign I hung on the brick to the side of the door. I bought this years ago at Michaels.

 

 

 

Also, our old door mat was kind of yucky, so I replaced it. I found this one at Target on clearance for $7.48. It was a great find and freshens things up around the front door.

 

Finally, using this beautiful gold pot that the previous owners of our house left behind, I planted some neutral mums. I love how everything I used has a soft golden tone to it.

 

 

Anyone else having a hard time putting out fall decor in this weather?

Linking up at Southern Hospitality outdoor decor link party.

Sunday Dinners: Autumn Decor

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When my Mom was growing up, my Grandma Nano hosted Sunday Dinner every single Sunday for whoever wanted to come. Most of the time it was family, but often the parish priest or friends were known to stop by for my Grandma’s cooking. My Dad used to talk about coming over for Sunday Dinner while him and my Mom were dating. Over the years, Grandma Nano kept the tradition alive. I even remember helping her set the table for Sunday Dinner at her house, and my sister helping her clean up in her kitchen after dinner.

Recently, I have picked up the Sunday Dinner tradition, and while we don’t do it every single week (seriously I don’t know how Grandma cooked for that many people every week), I host my family once a month.

This past weekend, I hosted Sunday dinner, and wanted to dress up the table with some autumn decor, but wasn’t really keen on spending any money to do it as I already have tons of fall decor (it is my favorite season after all). Since, Brian and I built and finished the plank table, I have been having some trouble coming up with tablescapes that aren’t dwarfed by the size of the table.

So, I called in some reinforcements. My niece, Allison, just graduated from college with a degree in Film, and she has had some experience with set design. I asked her if she would help me decorate the table.

 

She started with a red table cloth and folded it to make it a runner. Then added the beaded runner for some texture. Then she filled two simple glass vases with some river rock, a branch (which we found outside), and wrapped a little twine around the vase for some extra texture. She placed them on each end of the table.

 

Then, for the centerpiece, she placed some candles at different heights, filled a shallow glass bowl with apples and wicker balls, and placed a faux hypericum wreath around the container.

 

Finally, for each place setting she used some cloth napkins that I found on clearance awhile ago (I originally planned to use them for Christmas, but she thought they were perfect for autumn, and now I agree).

 

Voila! Simple, elegant, and inexpensive. What do you have around your house to create a tablescape? Anyone go outside and grab a few sticks? How about using twine to make something a little more rustic?

 

 

Linking up at The Lettered Cottage for their Autumn Tablescape link party.





Also sharing at DIY By Design for the Fall into Fall Link Party.

Fast, Easy, Cheap: No Sew Curtains

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When we first moved into this house, we removed a lot of things, especially upstairs. One of the things we removed was all the window treatments. They were dusty and in various stages of disrepair. I figured I could do something on the cheap. The first step was to get everyone room darkening shades for privacy and for sleeping. This held us over until we could do something a little more decorative. I did a little research and found this tutorial on Young House Love. I’m going to share how I made these curtains, but the Young House Love tutorial is great for tips on how to hang curtains.

 

 

I don’t own a sewing machine (someday I hope to). So, the idea of doing something with just an iron made me so happy (my iron doesn’t get the workout it used to since my hubby has decided to outfit his entire work wardrobe with wrinkle free apparel).

Since Coco, already has a room darkening shade, and these curtains are purely decorative, there really is no need to open and shut them, therefore I only needed a few yards of fabric to make floor length curtains. Overall this project was quite inexpensive, especially if you have a 40% off coupon to JoAnn Fabrics, and a home sale at Target where I bought the hardware. After doing this project, I’m totally convinced I could make curtains for my whole house. It only took me about an hour and a half, which for me any project that can get finished during afternoon naps is a dream project (just like this sentiment art).

Supplies:
Fabric
Heat n Bond (it comes in different widths and strengths)
Fabric scissors
Iron
Ironing board
Curtain rod
Curtain ring clips

Measure, Measure, Measure!  I always follow the measure twice (three times), cut once  philosophy. Also, make sure you leave enough allowance for the width of the heat and bond. That will be how wide your hem is.

No, seriously, cut it out! Cut your fabric to length and width. Really, does there need to be more explanation?

Iron ’em out! Iron ’em out! Smooooooth! This step could not be any easier. All the directions are right on the back of the Heat n Bond. My only tip here, is just make sure you hold the iron in place for the correct amount of time while “hemming” otherwise if there is not enough heat, there will be no sticking. Keep in mind, if your fabric is thicker you may want to hold the iron in place for a few seconds longer.

 

 

 

 

Hang ’em up! This part I left mostly to the hubby, because the kids woke up, and he could hang the new curtain rod without having to use a step ladder. I clipped the curtain rings about every 6 inches, so that they would gather nicely.

 

So viola, there you have it! Fast, easy, cheap… curtains.
Linking up today at Serenity Now and Tater Tots & Jello. These are great places to check out anything from home projects to recipes, crafting to organization tips. 

Flashback Friday: Family Room

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Welcome to another installment of Flashback Friday. If you would like to read more about all the sprucing up we did upon purchasing this home you can check out our kitchen progress, the bathroom spruce up, the living room/dining room updates, and the upstairs bedrooms.

The family room needed very little work when we moved in. The floors, crown molding, paint, and fire place mantel had all just been replaced right before we purchased this house. The bathroom on this level was also recently remodeled. The only change that was made is the wall behind the bar was painted from blood red, to the same sage green that we used in the upstairs bathroom.

Here are a few before pictures.

 

 

 

This room is where we spend most of our time. The kids toys are here, the TV is here, and the comfier couches are here. Because this room is usually a mess of toys and Brian and I’s projects stacked up on the bar, we are just happy that it happens to be sort of clean right now (just keeping it real). Here is what our family room looks like now.

 

Remember I said sort of clean. This is the toy area, the kids got to it right before I took photos (oh well, just keeping it real).

 

 

 

Short but Sweet: Master Bedroom Updates

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Last week, as a part of Flashback Friday, I showed off the bedrooms. I realized that I had made a few updates to the Master Bedroom a few days before those pictures were taken. A few weeks ago our bedroom looked like this.

 

Not horrible, but could be better. I rearranged some furniture and did a couple projects that were on my to do list.

The first project was I FINALLY finished the bedside tables that I had spray painted awhile back. I just added some fabric that I had found at JoAnn Fabrics on clearance. I cut it to size and placed under glass on the top of one of the tables. Then for the other, I spray painted the hardware with a brushed nickel spray paint. Here are the finished products.

 

 

Then, a LONG time ago I made an upholstered headboard for our room. I wasn’t crazy about the fabric anymore because I preferred a pure white. So, I did a quick update by replacing the fabric ($4 a yard), and adding some fabric covered buttons with a button kit.

 

It is amazing what crossing some things off your to do list can do. Here is another before picture.

 

Ahhh, that’s better.
Anyone else out there make some small changes in a short amount of time, that had a sweet impact?