Board and Batten in the breakfast room...

This is a simple project I have wanted to complete from day one.

As I have said before, there are TONS of board and batten designs and tutorials on the webisphere. Watch videos, read blogs, search Pinterest…find a design you love and a tutorial that makes the most sense to you.

So here is a little before and after.

Before….

Not totally offensive but lacks a little “character.”

After….

Simple project for me since I have done this a time or two. (Check out the guest bath, the entry in the Lankford house and the Bogey house. )

You might notice another little change…the china hutch.

Originally I had the awesome mid century Drexel buffet but I thought I would change it up a bit. I read somewhere china hutches are making a comeback. I can see why…pretty and functional.

Eventually I would like to add some art on each side of the hutch…maybe some botanicals.

My original plan for this piece was to repair it, paint it and sell it but honestly, I kind of like the look in this room. I FINALLY have a place to display some of my heirloom china that has been boxed up and in storage for a year and a half!

Before…

After….

Next week I will share the steps I took to give this piece a little facelift! Not difficult and as you can see it made a HUGE difference!

Until then….

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Accent wall tutorial...

I shared HERE how I found inspiration for the accent wall in my office.

I shared HERE the office after everything was done. (Well, everything for NOW!)

At first glance, the accent wall may seem somewhat intimidating.

This is actually a wallpaper. I like the dark wall with lighter accent stripes. I think it gives the wall “depth” and makes a room look larger.

You could easily replicate this entire look with paint…just paint the wall then paint the stripes.

I kind of did the opposite…light walls, dark stripes. I knew from day one I wanted a pink accent wall and decided to make the stripes out of walnut. My office is a big room with tall ceilings…it can take an accent wall that makes the room APPEAR smaller.

Now if you have followed this blog for any amount of time you know I have a deep love for walnut.

I made my fireplace mantel out of walnut.

My kitchen cabinets are walnut….

I made my living room shelving out of walnut…

And most of my furniture is walnut. If it is any other wood there is a good chance I will paint it if need be…but not walnut!

So, pink wall, walnut stripes.

The first thing I did in this room, after a good purge and reorganization, was paint the walls.

The accent wall was painted pink and the three other walls and trim where painted white (BM Chantilly Lace…closest I can find to a TRUE white without an undertone.)

They were ready to go….

So here is a little tutorial for doing any accent wall.

Print off a picture of your inspiration wall…as large as you can get it on a full size piece of paper. I printed off the picture above.

Measure your wall then draw the wall to scale on a piece of graph paper. For me, this is a must any time I am doing a room makeover. I need to know the scale of the space I am working with and how each element fits in that space…on paper.

Since I wanted the accent stripes to be centered between the ceiling and the top of the baseboards, I measured and graphed from the top of the baseboard to the ceiling. I did NOT measure from floor to ceiling.

Identify and mark your center point on the wall…from there you will work out from center to left and from center to right.

I had to figure out the “scale” of the stripes. I did this by making the assumption that the longest stripe in the inspiration picture (#1) was 4” from the ceiling…just a guess. When I measured that with a ruler on the printed picture, it measured 1/8”…that became my scale…1/8” = 4”. The distance between the stripes measured 1/4” on the picture, so I determined the distance between stripes would be 8” (I actually did 8” on center (OC)…which means I drew my stripes 8” apart then centered the 1” strips of wood on that mark.)

All this information gets transferred to my scaled drawing.

I counted the number of each of the different sized stripes. The inspiration wall had 4 different sized stripes…so I assigned each size a number, 1-4. There were 5 #1s (the longest)….4 #2s…5 #3s…3 #4s (the shortest) that would fit on my wall, spacing 8” OC apart.

By using my 1/8” = 4” scale, I determined that each stripe was 24” shorter than the next (12” from the top, 12” from the bottom).

So #1 is 107” (top of baseboard to ceiling is 115” - 8” (4” from ceiling and 4” from baseboard)…#2 is 83” (107” - 24”)…#3 is 59” (83” - 24”) and #4 is 35”. (59” - 24”)

If #1 is 4” from the ceiling, then #2 would be 16” (4” + 12”) from the ceiling, #3 would be 28” from the ceiling and #4 was 40” from the ceiling.

All this was drawn, to scale, on the graph paper.

Man, this sounds confusing….but it really is not. If you draw it all out on a graph paper to scale, it makes perfect sense…I promise.

Then it was all transferred, in pencil, to the wall.

It is so much easier to erase something that is wrong than it is to tear glued and nailed boards off a wall.

So, now I have the entire plan drawn out on paper, to scale, and I have the measurements of each stripe.

I decided to make my walnut stripes 1” wide. I also decided to give them a “3-D” affect by placing them on 1/2” furring strips. Walnut is a pretty expensive wood so I made the furring strips out of plain ole’ poplar and stained the sides to match the oiled walnut.

Matt and I used his table saw to cut the walnut in 1” strips. We cut the poplar into 1/2” strips.

Using the graph paper with the accent drawn to scale as my guide, I used a pencil and level to mark the wall where each stripe would go. After marking the wall, I attached the furring strips using Gorilla Construction Adhesive and my nail gun. I let that dry overnight since the nails did not hit a stud (impossible!!) so the construction adhesive is what really holds the furring strips to the wall.

While that was drying, I prepped the walnut strips.

After cutting each piece the length needed, I sanded, then applied Waterlox. I LOVE this oil. It is a clear oil. It is my “go-to” wood finish these days. I first used it on my kitchen cabinets a year and a half ago and it has held up beautifully!!!! So I used it on the mantel and shelving. No stain…just 3-4 coats of this stuff will make any wood shine!!!

I applied two coats…steel wool and tack cloth between coats…and then applied a third coat after I had installed the strips on the wall and puttied the nail holes.

I applied the walnut strips directly onto the furring strips. Again, I used the construction adhesive and nails.

MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS LEVEL AS YOU GO!!!! I made sure each furring strip was perfectly level and then I made sure each walnut strip was level. I worked top to bottom…wood, especially narrow strips, will bend…so make sure each strip stays level all the way down.

After I puttied the nail holes with wood filler mixed with stain to match the oiled walnut, I wiped on one more coat of oil.

After all this is done, go back and do wall paint touch up. You will scuff up the walls with the wood strips and the level.

Beautiful!

Now, this may seem like a really tough project. It really is not. It is like any other DIY project…it all hinges on the “prep.” In this case, laying it all out on paper BEFORE you start buying materials and cutting wood.

Changes I would make? I wanted a “3D affect”…in other words I wanted the walnut strips to “stand out”…which is why I added the solid furring strips. I think if I did this again (which I won’t) I would want to use spacers to make the walnut strips stand out. The only downside to that would be that wood has a tendency to “move”…twist, bend, warp. By attaching the walnut strips to solid furring strips, the walnut will not bend or warp! So maybe the way I did it is best…who knows…I just think I would have liked the look of “floating stripes” better.

Other than that, I am pretty happy with the results.

I have some leftover walnut so I THINK, when it warms up a bit (we got 8'“ of snow last night and it is still snowing), I may make some floating shelves for this wall…

Again, I eventually want to make a few other changes to the room (rug, chair, credenza) but I love this accent wall.

As with all DIY projects, the key to success is the prep and planning.

This week I planned, prepped and prepared for board and batten in the breakfast room….

My plan is to install board and batten at chair rail height and paint it white.

I also finished this nasty china hutch…

I know this looks pretty ratty but I painted it and did a little tweeking on it and it turned out super cute. My plan was to sell it, but I think I will move it into this room and style it first…I may even like it well enough to keep it. We’ll see.

Hopefully next week I will have the breakfast room done and in order and I can share that as well.

Until then….

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Another Drexel server....

Several years ago I shared a Drexel server I repurposed for my dining room…

The “breakfast room” in our new house is almost identical to our old dining room.

Including the Drexel server.

I love it…it is one of my favorite pieces.

So when I spied ANOTHER Drexel server on Marketplace I could not help myself.

As I have mentioned, I have pretty much retired from the whole repurpose/upcycle/refinish business. My hands and back just can’t take all the work that goes into refinishing pieces on the scale I have in the past.

I have refinished a few doozies…just looking back at all the pieces I have shared on this blog blows my mind. There were some pretty nasty pieces that were beautifully refinished and restored and readied for another life-time of love!

When I saw this piece I couldn’t help myself. I had to have it and I wanted desperately to work a little magic on it.

Here is my plan…MAYBE I can discipline myself enough to pick up just one piece at a time, refinish it, sell it, then pick up another…just one at a time. Just one dresser/buffet/nightstand at a time.

Hum…I’m a pretty “self-disciplined” person so I am going to start with this one.

One week into this plan…I have failed. Last week I picked up ANOTHER piece that needs a little TLC….a pretty beat up china hutch.

I have these creative juices in me that have just been screaming for a project.

So, “the plan” ….specifically for the vintage Drexel piece. Strip and oil the drawer and door fronts using THIS process. Shine up the brass hardware….no secret there, just lots of Brasso, steel wool and elbow grease. Prime and paint the “cabinet” a high gloss black lacquer.

For the china hutch…I went to Etsy for inspiration and looked around. There are some beautiful china hutches that have been painted black with the insides painted white…LOVE them.

I THINK that is what I want to do. Sometimes the process takes on a life of its own and I find myself drifting in another direction. We will see.

Right now they are sitting in my AMAZING shop. I was in there last week rearranging everything so I will MAYBE have room to make some kind of paint booth. The shop has electricity and I can easily heat and cool it for temperature control but just not sure I will have enough room since we do use it for mower/yard equipment storage as well.

I can’t wait…this is a “job” that doesn’t really pay well, but it is one I do love.

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Board and Batten Entry....

The entry…the one place in your home EVERY guest will see. They may not see your awesome pantry…or even your darling guest bath or amazing kitchen, but when you open the door they will see your entry.

It is one reason I really stressed about what to do with this space. I wanted it to be warm and welcoming, and while it is a big space, there is very little “wall space” to allow for big credenzas or entry storage. I really don’t need either since we usually enter from the garage into the laundry room…great “drop zone” for our packages, coats, purses, shoes, etc….but I like the look of both in entry spaces!

Of course the first course of business was replacing the dated door, window and light fixture….relatively easy fixes and something I did before we moved in!

This was after the window was replaced but before the door, light fixture and flooring!

I debated on the board and batten for some time…

I just felt it needed a little “something.”

It only took me 16 years to get the entry in my last house the way I wanted it…I feel like I am moving at warp speed on this one…lol!

At one point I tried a larger rug…but I didn’t like it…I honestly like the little dinky rug that is probably too small for the space. This is a prime example of doing what I LOVE vs. doing what the “design experts” tell me I am suppose to do.

A hint of trouble came when winter hit and we needed a place for visitors coats…other than putting them in the closet in the office, there really was no place to hang them.

Coat racks are a bit out dated and just hanging a wall mount coat rack didn’t trip my trigger.

Board and batten allowed me to put a few hooks on the wall.

But that led to a little problem with the table. I LOVED the little walnut table, but you can’t hang coats above a table.

Again, it is NOT my style HOWEVER it was my grandparent’s and it is walnut…heirloom and walnut…my two favorite elements.

Truthfully I like the look of an entry table…but I really need the hanging space so I went looking for a simple bench.

And I found it….

I LOVE this bench I found on Etsy. Not the least expensive bench out there (and I paid a tad more for walnut) but the quality and craftsmanship made it worth the investment.

Since the table is a family heirloom I didn’t want to get rid of it. The little wickerish bedside table in the guest room had no sentimental value so it got hauled to the bunk room and the table is now a bedside table in the guest room…perfect!

I love the look and feel of this entry now…warm, inviting, functional.

I am currently playing around with the dining room table.

When it was set the other way, facing the living room….

….there was no room on the only large wall for a buffet or credenza.

So I have turned the table the “other” way, which gives me room for a buffet or credenza along the wall…

But I am not sure I like it “that way.” So it will sit while I ponder.

That is just how I roll…sometimes I have to sit and ponder, like whether to put up board and batten or whether I should turn my table a different way. Sometimes I know almost immediately I am not going to like it. Prime example, the “river rock” I put in a flower bed for drainage. I knew immediately I did not like the white rock I put down originally!

So out came the white rock and I found some that I liked better…

Sometimes it is okay to sit and “ponder.” I have learned that the more I really think about something, the more I tend to like it long term. When I just jump right in and start on a project without really visualizing it, living with it in my mind for a while, I tend to not like it as well. And that is a waste of time, energy and money!

Until next time….

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Curtains...

Last week I concentrated on hanging curtains in a few windows.

I have a “list of things to do” but it is still pretty cold outside. I need to paint the trim in the office, master bedroom and laundry room. I am using oil base paint and as you know, cleaning brushes with mineral spirits can take a bit of time outside. I want to do some trim work in the entry, but again, outside work. I may tackle the pantry this week but not sure exactly what I want to do…I ordered some jars and labels.

I have Raynaud’s which is this stupid circulation thing with my hands and feet. No biggy except whereas a “normal” person could probably work out side for short periods of times when it is below 65 degrees, I can not. It causes great pain and distress and is frustrating as heck!!!

I’m still adjusting to being “semi-retired.”

For those of you who grind it every day like I did for years, the idea of “retiring” may seem appealing. If you like waking up on Monday morning with little purpose for the week, go for it. If you like sitting around reading or binge watching 10 year old TV programs days on end, go for it. If you think you are going to volunteer, forget it. They don’t want you during a pandemic. If you think you are going to garden all day or project outside, make sure you have a library ready for the three or four months out of the year you can’t get outside.

The highlight of my entire week was the little warm up we had. I was able to get out and reorganize my garage.

Seriously, that was the highlight of the ENTIRE week.

I knew finding a “purpose” would take time….it’s still taking it’s time…lol!

Enough of my pity party…on to the curtain adventure!

So as you may know from my last house, I am not a big “curtain person.” Every single window in this house has 2” mini blinds…which are nice but they are just so….”mini blindish.”

One of the really awesome things about this house is that no window gets direct sunlight, so no window really needs to filter out hot sun. Also, no window is really “open to the public” so privacy is not a huge issue.

The windows in the living room and den adjoin the all-season room.

The windows in the breakfast room adjoin the side screened porch.

The windows in the dining room face west…

… but are shaded by the covered front porch and the large trees in the front yard. There is a bit of a need for “privacy” since they face the street…but not much. You would have to be on our front porch to see in and truthfully I am rarely in a state of “need for privacy” in my dining room!

So basically the need for curtains boil down to aesthetics…I look at curtains kinda like lipstick. You don’t HAVE to have it but it kind of dresses things up a bit and finishes off the “look.”

For the record, I rarely wear lipstick either!

But since I want to really make an effort on this house and since I have WAAAAY too much time on my hands, I decided to tackle a few windows…put a little lipstick on the rooms so to speak.

So off to the home decor store I went.

Again, I don’t really NEED curtains in the dining room but I found a set I really like.

(I notice I need to make some adjustments…especially to the curtain on the left.)

I decided to leave the blinds in place for now just incase we do need privacy or to block the sun…eventually I may do something different but not sure what. I do love the curtains and they work well with the “glitter/monotone” vibe I am going for in this room.

I did have a debate as too where to hang the curtains…above the transom or between the transom and the window. I looked on Pinterest and decided I actually like the look of curtains above the transom…so that’s where I hung them.

My plan is to make this table my “seasonal decor” spot. Since we rarely use this table, it is the perfect place to go all out…kinda of like I did for Christmas….

I plan to do this for every holiday. I picked up a bunch of stuff for Easter but can’t find anything I really like for Valentine’s Day so right now it is kind of bare.

I am a big fan of Pinterest. If you are looking for inspiration…what color or how high…just search and cruise. I promise you will eventually see a pattern to what you do and don’t like.

Went with simple for the den and breakfast room…I removed the blinds and added plain ole’ white sheers. Neither of these windows need shading or even privacy for that matter and I thought this simple look was like a bit of lip gloss. Simple and understated.

I found curtains for the office but still have to get another curtain rod…another project for another day!

So I made an effort and I like the little changes. The major change will be the living room windows. I tried just removing the blinds…I like it…Brian doesn’t. I thought about shutters but when I looked at “shutters” on Pinterest I realize I really didn’t like the look. I may try tall curtain panels across the entire wall but then the big question becomes “what fabric…what color…blah, blah, blah”

I may have to save that for another week…between the afternoon of rearranging the garage and my eye appointment on Tuesday I am plum worn out.

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BIG LIFE CHANGES

I know this is a rare Monday posting, but I can finally share the big changes that are happening in my life.

A few months ago I woke up one morning and decided it was time to sell my apartments.

I called a realtor I had worked with last year and told him I was ready to sell. At 3:30 that afternoon he brought me an acceptable offer.

I have owned these apartments for 23 years.

At first I was a bit “sad.” After all, they have been my “career” for 23 years…they are what I do!

The income has provided me with the ability to provide for my children and give them a good life.

I’m only 56…I still feel like I have a few good years in me.

Yes, I am giving up a decent income. I have to roll the profit into other investment properties, specifically rental homes, but they will not produce near the income the apartments have. But that is okey…sometimes you have to sacrifice quantity for quality. The “quality” of my life will be greatly improved.

Yes, I am “starting over” at 56. The new rental homes will not take up near the time the apartments did…so the question now is what will I do with all this free time. Trust me…I am not one to sit around on my hands. I have no doubt I will find SOMETHING to do!

It’s been a stressful few months…I’m usually awake and ticking by 3 a.m. and at this point I feel like I am running on fumes.

So naturally I did what I do when I am stressed and frazzled…I went out and found something else to fret about.

We bought a new home.

For years I have wanted to “down size.” Now that we are empty nesters we don’t need a big house with three empty bedrooms upstairs and a huge yard to care for.

So naturally I went out and found a house that is WAY bigger than what we have now and has a large yard that needs TONS of work.

After a lifetime of owning “projects” I wondered if I might have ONE MORE project in me. I guess I am getting ready to find out.

The new home is waaay more “traditional” than I like…but it has soooo much potential. It has good bones and a workable floor plan!

The kitchen and master bath are complete gut jobs…and after a lifetime of living in “remodel messes” I have decided that this work will be contracted out and we will not move until the big, messy work is done!

The big wall between the kitchen and living room will go away, as well as all the cabinets, and I plan on putting a humungus island smack dab in the middle of the existing kitchen.

The wall on the far right with the glass cabinets will become the “cooking” center with a cook top, wall oven and microwave. And the coolest tile backsplash in the whole world. I can’t wait to share!

No need for lots of upper cabinets because it has a huge walk in pantry!

This is the “sitting room” adjacent to the kitchen…

One way to “detradionalize” this home will be to replace the arched transoms with rectangle ones…a bit of work since it will require brick and sheetrock repair. This is on my list of things to do, but closer to the bottom.

The quickest, simplest and cheapest way to “detradionalize” is to remove all the crown molding around the cased openings and windows! The crown around the ceiling will stay!

Another way is to change out light fixtures…that is closer to the top of the list along with removing carpet and adding more hardwood flooring (yes they are REAL hardwood floors) and refinishing them all with just a clear coat…no stain!

The fireplaces? Yes those will eventually get redesigned…again, not something I will tackle right this minute but it is on “the list!”

The master bathroom…ICK!!!! Suffice it to say, it is a gut job!

Right now I am in the process of “making the plan.” Meeting with tile guys and cabinet makers and flooring companies…getting quotes and ideas. Making a list of what HAS to be done…wants vs. immediate needs.. As always there are things I WANT to do but I might not be able to do right this minute…they stay on the list, just closer to the bottom.

I have a life time of inspiration to pull from but I am still grabbing pictures from the Pinterest and the internet. I pretty much know what I want…

Now that we have closed, it is time to “execute the plan.” We start this week with demo…and then I will work the plan from there.

One by one I will be closing the new rental houses and hopefully creating a “new career.”

These are the big life changes that are going down in my world! Huge!

While the apartments have been stressful and back breaking at times, they were my “career”…they were what I did to provide for my family. Saying good-bye is like retiring and moving on to another career.

This house has been our home for 20 years…it is where I raised my children and I have poured my money, talents and time into this house to create a home.

It will be tough to walk away from both…but that is what is going on in my life and I am super excited about the next chapter…whatever that may be!

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ANOTHER KITCHEN MAKEOVER....

The last kitchen makeover was in 2016.

I did a “mini-makeover” a couple of years ago when I installed a new microwave and stove…

….and last year I finally added a new matching dishwasher.

I also did a little makeover on the dining room last year and I LOVE IT!

I sat on my hands long enough that the “white painted cabinet” craze is slowly dying off. Fortunately I don’t have the dreaded “honey oak” cabinets and still like my cabinets…and truthfully I loved the granite tops when I first installed them.

But for years I have been on a quest for “lighter and brighter” without painting the cabinets.

Two years ago I replaced the black bar top with white quartz…and I have coveted white quartz counter tops since!

See the mini makeover of my guest bath with white quartz!

I LOVE IT!!! I have Google and Pinterest searched enough to know that I would love white quartz tops with the “paprika cherry” stain cabinets and a travertine backsplash.

To give myself a “visual,” I bought some white shelf liner and white duct tape and covered one entire side of my kitchen with it…just to make sure I would like a “white” counter top.

I LOVE IT!!!

The “visual” really sealed the deal for me.

For several days I debated on whether I should get tops that have “veining” in them or just plain white. I even contemplated going back to the shop and picking up a few samples of quartz with some movement (the unique pattern of patterns that flow through the piece of stone) in them.

I decided the travertine has plenty of movement and “veining” and really needs to stand alone…I ‘m concerned that any “movement” in the quartz would “compete” with the travertine and make it all too “busy.”

This is my personal preference…either “movement” in the backsplash or top…but not both! I know people do both, but again, personal preference.

So white it is.

They measured and templated this week…

… and the new tops should be installed in next weeks!

I ordered a new black stainless single bowl sink! I would love to have a new black stainless faucet but, HOLY COW, those puppies are expensive so I may wait on that luxury!

I can’t wait to share!

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Hutch makeover reveal....

I shared the china hutch I started HERE.

Not the prettiest piece of furniture I have ever seen but I knew it would be perfect for the space Matt and Hannah have in their dining room…with a little tweeking!

In this post I also shared a few important tips for painting any piece of furniture. Tried and true advice!

First thing I had to do was “find my inspiration.” It doesn’t matter if you are making over an entire room or a piece of furniture…you have to find your inspiration.

In this case I needed to find a similar hutch so naturally I searched Pinterest…I sent several pictures of “french provincial china hutches” to Hannah and she liked this one best (originally posted on 509 Design)…

…beautiful. I love the stained top and the Miss Mustard Seed boxwood green.

The kids did not want doors or dividers on the top so those were removed.

They also decided to paint the entire inside white.

The first thing I did was strip the old finish and stain on the top of the base. Keep in mind that the top and the base where attached pretty tight so I just left them as is and only stripped and finished the part of the top that was showing. I used this process and it literally took me less time to strip and re-stain than it did to tape it all off. I used General Finishes Brown Mahogany stain, then sealed it with poly.

After the the top had dried (a day or two) I taped and papered it well so I could prime the entire piece. I also removed the drawers and taped and papered those so I could just paint the fronts.

Removing the vertical dividers left a gap that had to be repaired…

Pretty simple fix…I just cut a piece of decorative wood from the pieces I had removed and glued and clamped it over the gap…

After primer, I sanded it well, wiped it all down with a tack cloth and then painted…first the inside of the top with satin white. After that dried I taped it off and sprayed the rest of the hutch with Kylon Satin Italian Olive paint….closest green in a spray paint to Miss Mustard Seed’s boxwood. Again, it SAYS it is a “paint and primer” in one but I always prime wood furniture with Bullseye or Kilz.

I mentioned the brass froo-froo hardware in the original post…I honestly didn’t think it would make the cut.

But after some serious scrubbing with Brasso and SOS pads, they shined right up and believe it or not, the kids loved them!

So….here is the final product in place….

The farmhouse table is one I featured HERE. I found the black chairs at the apartments and they just needed a little repair, paint and reupholstery (never featured those), the bench is one I made for Thanksgiving one year, the plaid scarf is like the ones I featured HERE and the candle sticks were used as the stands for their wedding cake! It took YEARS for all this tp come together and now that it has…cute as a bug’s ear!

I know the original brass hardware may be a tad “gaudy” but I love it!

The “gap fix” isn’t exactly perfect, but as my Daddy use to say “You’ll never notice it on a passing train!”

I love how this piece turned out…and it shows what you can do with a pretty, um, not-so-attractive piece of furniture with just a little time and paint…all in all I probably spent less than $20 on supplies!

Hannah and Matt aren’t into all the “knick-knack” and “froo-froo” stuff so I am sure they will style it to their tastes!

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Christmas pillows....

For me, it is way too early to start decorating for Christmas but never too early to start thinking about it.

I love fall…so I want fall to stick around as long as possible. Christmas decorating doesn’t start until the Friday after Thanksgiving.

As much Christmas crud as I have, I hesitate to even THINK about adding anything new…but every year I find something I want to add. This year it is pillows.

I made Christmas pillows a few years ago and they turned out pretty cute! And of course every year I find a few during the season I like. (I searched “pillows” on my site…wow, I have feature pillows A LOT!)

A few years ago I started buying cashmere scarfs on Ebay to decorate with…they are cute, durable and inexpensive. (I have even bought a few to actually wear!) They make super cute table runners, buntings and pillows.

I bought a black and grey buffalo check this year to use as a table runner for my fall decor.

I am concerned that buffalo check will be a lot like chevron was 3-4 years ago….a super cute fad that lasted only a season or two. If that is the case I certainly don’t want to spend a lot of money on it. HERE I talk about decorating with traditional vs fad elements .

I found a red and black buffalo check and a red plaid I think will make cute Christmas pillows.

I ordered 12x20 pillow inserts from Amazon. THESE are the forms I ordered.

As much as I love real down pillows, I have found that some tend to “smell”…these are down alternative and I’m pretty happy with them straight out of the package. Keep in mind, they ship SUPER flat but once you open them and allow them to “breathe” they fluff up nicely.

Fortunately the scarves are 12” wide so I only had to cut the 20” length.

As I have mentioned in other pillow tutorials, I always cut my covers the same size as my pillow forms…in this case 12 x 20”. Then when I sew the 1/4”-1/2” seams, the covers are a tad smaller than the actual forms…but that makes my pillows fluffier. Personal preference I guess.

The scarves have fringe on each end so I cut my cover lengths from the ends…allowing me to have the fringe on the end of the pillow.

I always add zippers to my pillow covers…mainly so I can reuse the forms when I tire of the covers. Or if the covers get dirty, I can easily take them off the forms and wash them. I don’t wash the forms but I do “fluff” and “sanitize” them by tossing them in a hot dryer for 30-45 minutes. If they get so dirty they need to be washed I toss them. I have found that real down forms kinda smell after they have been washed and alternative down tends to ball up…so they are pretty toast if they have to be washed.

There are a bazillion video tutorials on how to sew hidden zippers…find one that makes sense to you if you decide to add a zipper to your cover! No sense in me “reinventing the wheel.” If you don’t want a zipper, just leave an opening and do a blind stitch…again, find a tutorial for making pillows that makes sense to YOU!

The pillows turned out super cute. I got 2 12”x20”s and 1 12”x24” out of two scarves. So six total. Probably less than $7 a pillow.

When it is time to decorate for Christmas I will scatter them around on chairs and couches…

…until then they get bagged up and stuffed into the laundry cubby!

I may end up ordering another scarf as a runner for my Christmas table. Too cute…too cheap!

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Our annual trip out west and a little reset....

Our annual trek west! This year we had to make the trip a week early because of Brian’s work schedule so we decided to go a little bit north and try to catch the Aspens AND see a part of the country we have wanted to see for years…Jackson, Wyoming, The Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone.

The Aspens were just starting to turn so we missed them in all their glory…. but the trip did NOT disappoint! We spent a few days exploring Jackson, Wyoming, toured Yellowstone, biked in the Grand Teton National Park, toured “Mormon Row,” and took the tram to the top of Teton Village Ski Resort.

We saw critters (lots of bison, elk, mule deer, pronghorn, moose…but no bear) …

We saw Old Faithful….

We fished the Snake River IN the Grand Teton National Park…

I wish I was a “travel blogger.” I know I can not do this area justice with words or pictures. I took HUNDREDS of pictures and could post them all…but let me just say…GO!!!! See Jackson Hole, the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone for yourself! It is a trip that won’t disappoint!

As always, I love seeing new places but I am always happy to be home! And of course this trip always marks the start of my absolute favorite time of the year…fall.

Unfortunately we came home to temperatures pushing 90….YUK! Oh well, I cranked up the AC and started decorating the house for fall….

I may share a bit of my fall decor but as I have said before, little changes from year to year. I did do a little makeover in my dining room this year so I did pick up a few little things for the table and buffet.

Simple…a few faux pumpkins, faux flowers and antlers…a buffalo check cashmere scarf makes a perfect table runner.

While I was working on my fall decor I decided to rearrange one of my living room bookcases. Originally this bookcase housed one of my favorite author’s collection.