Pretty Little Shelf!!

I think I *finally* have the living room shelf just how I like it!! The final additions were the absolutely CUTE love birds from http://www.etsy.com/shop/homeforhire The wonderful benefit of purchasing from this etsy shop is that 25% of each sale goes to a family in the process of adopting a child!!

The framed print comes from http://www.freshwordsmarket.com/ There are many inspiring gift and home decor items from this site; including journals, cards and prints!

Be sure to check out the Home for Hire etsy shop! There are fantastic gift items, home decor pieces and holiday gift tags!

Christmas Hall Table

It's that time of year! Time to start decorating for Christmas! I love non-traditional colors and simplicity when it comes to holiday decor.

Here is what my hall table looks like.....I love it.

I went to the Home Goods store (TJ Maxx) and scored!

I love this....it's filled with pine cones, Christmas tree decorations and natural items. I sprinkled some cinnamon oil on the contents and now the entryway smells inviting and 'holiday-like'!

You can find the most unique items to decorate with. I love this dear deer! The silver placemat was only $3!!

I bought a box of these silver ball ornaments (4 per box) and used these 3 to hang from ribbon. It was so much fun fending off the cats as I cut ribbon and tried to hang each one!!

This 'icy blue' votive holder was a last-minute find and I love it. Again, a very inexpensive item....gotta love a bargain!!!

I hope you are enjoying putting up your decorations, chasing the critters away from your tree, and remembering the reason for the season!!!

New Paint for Bedroom & Bathroom

I finally painted the master bathroom & bedroom! It only took me over a YEAR to choose a color. I thought, at first, of using a neutral color scheme....taupe, beige, bone, etc....

The room was painted a golden color ("Spool" by Martha Stewart) and I was so tired of it. In looking at paint swatches, I decided to move completely away from the beige and 'yellow' tones.

After months of staring at the beige paint swatches~~~taped to the walls~~~I moved onto 'greens'. Those color swatches stayed taped to the wall for a couple of months before I grew tired of them.

I then experimented with gray tones. I love that gray is the 'new' neutral. My guest bathroom is done is gray and red. I was afraid that the gray would be too dark in our small bedroom and bathroom, so those tones were also put aside.

I then started leaning towards the blue/gray family of colors. After months of indecision, I had finally whittled the swatches down to two colors. At this point, I desperately needed help choosing, so----I called in the hubby!!

His favorite ended up being "Tradewinds"~~~a paint from Lowe's. So---before I changed my mind, to Lowe's I went!!! Here are some photos of the end result....I haven't hung any artwork yet.....ugh.

More decisions....what to hang and where to hang it!!! :)

We did hang the mirror and the wallmount LED fireplace.....that's it for now!

Yes, the kitty is already snuggled up on the bed!!

This is the quilt colors.

I love how the mirror reflects the window!

I removed the big ol' mirror and like this smaller, white mirror much better! I also took the wicker baskets that I use for 'everyday' items and spray painted them with a nickel spray paint!

So, it's now onto hanging pictures and deciding what to edit. *Whew*.....so glad the hard part is over with!!!

One of many BLUNDERS!!!

So.....

I am working on the master bathroom. I have painted the sink cabinet/vanity white to cover the ugly "contractor special" medium oak.

The wall paint has FINALLY been chosen, and the big mirror (just a huge 'slab' of mirror) has been taken off the wall.

I have ordered (and received) the new mirror, some new shelving and also ordered some beautiful depression glass knobs and pulls for the cabinet.

The cabinet never had any knobs or pulls on it, and I have always wanted to add them. I gave up on the hubby ever installing them and bought my own drill and 'cheater' template to install them myself.

{this is where the fun begins}

I drilled 8 holes and properly and put the new hardware on. See below.....

I had just said to myself...."Hey! I can handle this!" *Ahem* Famous last words, right???

So, on the LAST cabinet door, I drilled the top hole----no problem. As I was drilling the bottom hole-----------------

YEP!!! The daggum thing split!!!!! Must've hit a long grain in the wood. I cursed myself by thinking I was just cruising right along.

I promptly threw the drill down and walked out of the room. I guess today, the door will have to come off and use some wood glue and clamps to put the door back together again!!

Oh well.....just another day in DIY'ing!!!! How do you deal with blunders & mistakes????

Fall Colors

Awww...how quickly our colors change!  Yesterday, I took some beautiful photos of the autumn changes in my area.

I hope you enjoy-----

The first photo is taken from my back deck....how blessed am I??

This is a close-up view of a coleus in my parents' yard.....

This is another photo from my back deck....

This burning bush is also in my parents' yard.



This is taken at Beaverdam Lake in Asheville, NC...I am so lucky to live only 15 minutes from this gorgeous area!  *sigh*

One of the local farms just seconds away from my home.

I hope this inspires you to see the world through your camera lens.....and to truly appreciate the beauty God blesses us with, daily.

Finished Pool Signs

I have finally finished the signs for our outdoor/pool building! The construction will begin {yay} in February or March. Here is one I made just for 'us'......

We will have a 1/2 bath at the left end of the building. The plumbing and septic lines are already installed and ready for us to begin......So, here is a sign for the bathroom door.

This sign contains a portion of my absolute favorite song......it inspires me and makes me *oh-so-happy*!!!

In honor of my girlie-friends, I made a Mermaid sign.....we're all welcome here!!! I love this....

And----inspired by Las Vegas, I created this next sign.......and we promise, it's our truth!!!

This final sign was created as a gift for my brother and his wife.....the 'year' is not as clear in this photo, but it's "1985"......they live in Florida and also have a pool. Thought this was the perfect anniversary present for them to hang near their pool!!

I sure enjoyed creating these signs!! I hope they've inspired you to do some creating of your own!!!! There are many ways to use these signs and many creative *sayings* or favorite quotes!!

Autumn in the Air

Are you feeling the cooler (or colder) nights? In our area, we are still in the mid '70's during the day....but much cooler at night!

Our leaves are just beginning to shed the greens of summer. They are starting to become tinged with reds and golds. By the end of the month, they will be in their full fall glory!

Do you change your home's decor to match the season? My kitchen is already awash with greens, golds, oranges and yellows.....so not much changes in there. The biggest things I change are my entryway and the outdoor decorations.

My hall table changes many times over the year.

I decorate it for spring, summer, fall, Christmas and then the longer {seeming} months of winter.

Are there spots in your home that change with weather or seasons?

What are those areas? Are you one [like my over-ambitious friends] that change out bed linens, bathroom towels and kitchen linens or accessories?

If so, kudos to you!!! My door wreaths, outside *signage* and hall table are the only things that I have the gumption to change out!!

Happy Fall, y'all!!!!

Barn Lights Giveaway!!

Here's an awesome giveaway for you to enter if you blog....or even if you don't! Barn Lights is offering gift certificates to 3 winners! Go to http://www.barnlightelectric.com/barn-lights-online-giveaway.html and enter!!

Here are some of my absolute favorites, just to give you an idea of what they have....

This Benjamin Industrial replica pendant light would be perfect to place over my kitchen island......I think I'm in LOVE!!!

Look at this beautiful vintage wall sconce! Who wouldn't love a set of these in your bathroom?? Or in an entryway, on either side of a large mirror!!

Barn Light Electric also has a large clearance section for all of us trying to design our homes.....on a budget!

Good Luck & Enter away!!!!!!!

My Ever-Changing Foyer Table!

I don't know about y'all....but the console table in my foyer is an ever-evolving display area! Do you often change the decor or arrangements like I do??

Here is a picture of it in late winter.....

I had added clear lights to the tall vessel and some different colored ceramic balls. It was a bright and festive area.

Since then, I have had vases of spring flowers, such as peonies {soooo fragrant}, I've added store-bought floral arrangements, and then my own sunflowers.

NOW-----once again-----it was time for an overhaul!! I'm really liking the simplicity of it, the vintage feel and the ~friendliness~ of this 'greeting'!!

As you can tell, I am a big fan [and newbie] collector of the glass insulators. I have LOVED milk glass for years!

I found these candlestick holders on ebay......ordered TWO sets of them, actually, from different sellers. Milk glass pieces go with just about any decor {I loooooove them} and can be used in any room!!

The white, oval tray I purchased from OneKingsLane.com. There are some REAL finds at this site and I believe it was a steal at $20!! The blue, oval vase was a find from yesterday's clearance search at AC Moore! It was marked down to $3!! WhoooHoooo!!!! I then added some silk flowers to it and.....*tada*......I'm in love!!

So, what do you think? Do you like it? Does it inspire you? What are your favorite collectibles and how do you display them??

A Look At "How to create lettering".....

If you will go to this blog site, "Burlap & Blue", she has a fantastic tutorial on how to create painted lettering that looks like a 'pro' did it!!!

www.burlapandblue.com

The post is dated July 12, 2011......it truly works!!!

Happy Crafting!!!!

Homemade Pool Signs....

I am busying myself with making signs for our pool area! They will actually be hung in the outdoor kitchen/building. We will be starting that in mid-August. *Ugh....more construction!*

I started by buying unpainted wooden plaques at AC Moore. I bought two of the larger rectangle ones, two of the larger ovals, and one of each smaller size. I then painted them with Glidden's "Pacific Khaki" as the base color.

I also purchased small, wooden, decorative pieces to paint. Palm trees, life preservers, anchors and 'architectural flourishes'. I painted each small piece and am deciding on where to use each one.

This is a close up of the palm trees I painted. I even added 'coconuts' to each one! :)

My first sign is all about MERMAIDS!! I lightly drew the Mermaid with a pencil, on top of the painted plaque, then began painting her. As a redhead, I decided my mermaid should have read hair, also!! {hey---I'm allowed some creative license!}

This is my finished "Mermaids Welcome" plaque. I used the flourishes on opposite corners of this sign. I had painted them white, then did a wash in a light blue. I did the same to the plaque, itself. I learned a GREAT technique to painting on your own letters! I will post the link to that blog in a separate entry.

I have many others to create......so----I'm off to paint! I will post photos as I go.....What are y'all doing to 'let loose' your creative beast???

Long Overdue Pool Update!

Pool water blue.....yep! It's done! We still have to begin the build on the outdoor kitchen/building, but the pool area is completed! I am including some pictures, just a few from an album filled with 140 photos! This one is the first dig......the place had to be leveled before the

pool company could begin their digging. We had two pine trees that also had to be removed. THAT was a scary process to watch, as they used the bulldozer to "remove" them!!

Next, the ground was prepped and ready for "The Pool Place" to take over........

The dig began without too many delays....we did have a few afternoon downpours and storms, but most work continued.....I have the red clay in my driveway and house to prove that!!

Once this was completed, the concrete company, "Huey Concrete" came in and did their miracle work! What a team of guys! They were amazingly quick, efficient and very professional!!

My friend, Diane, loved the big concrete truck!!

The forms were placed, the concrete poured and the smoothing and forming began.

And the drying time began. The new walkway is just incredible, too!!

We had landscaping done, and have now added low-voltage lighting all around the perimeter. Our view is incredible and we are feeling so blessed!! We've had family get-togethers, a large 4th of July cookout/party and are looking forward to building many new memories with family and friends.

This is a shot of our view.......we are so appreciative of our own little slice of "Heaven"