June 2015...and MORE chairs!

June 2015 will go down as an eventual month for me.

For the first time in 34 years, I have no minor children. Katie turned 18 this week and it is official...ALL my children are old enough to vote, be drafted and be sentenced to an adult correctional facility.

We finally had to put our wonderful lab, Ginger, to sleep. She was 13. It was time but that didn't make it any easier. This is the second precious pet we have lost this year. Heart breaking.

And for the first time in years I really felt the sting of Father's Day. My dad has been gone for 20 years but this year was, for some reason, tougher than normal. He died exactly one week before Father's Day so this time of the year is always kind of a "double whammy."

Then there is the accidental "new member" of the family....and may explain some weird typos in my posts.

I keep a trailer at my apartments for abandoned furniture. A mama cat set up household in the furniture with her 4 babies. A few weeks ago, we THOUGHT we made sure all the kitties were off the trailer before we took it to the dump....only to find two of them still on the trailer when we got there. I managed to grab one and throw it in the truck, but the other ran under the truck. We spent 30 minutes crawling around on the nasty red clay/garbage ground trying to get that stupid kitten, only to have it bolt. Gone. I was heart broken. But to make matters worse, I could not find the other kitten ANYWHERE in my truck. Both Matt and Katie helped me darn near dismantle the interior of the truck...it was not there. I left the windows down the entire day and even put out some food just in case.

THREE VERY HOT DAYS LATER I went to the truck in the evening...and there was that silly kitten sitting on the back of the seat. It had been in a hot truck, with no food or water, for THREE DAYS! I couldn't believe it survived and neither could the vet.

Soooooo....we have a new "miracle kitty." And being the softy that I am, I can't bring myself to take it to the shelter. Especially with all the guilt I feel for losing her sibling and in spite of my puffy, itchy eyes.

Yes, she is a she. About 8 weeks, according to the vet, but if that is the case, she is a tiny kitty.

Cleo thinks it is hers and tries desperately to carry it around in her mouth...which means the poor kitten is constantly soaked in dog slobber. It is pathetic, but she tolerates it for some reason. And typing on the computer is like a game to her...hence the typos. She's a funny kitty!

We haven't named her yet...I keep hoping someone will want her and take her so I will quit itching and sneezing. Why bother...if the three other cats haven't killed me by now, this little half pint won't either! I like Mimi...Katie does not. Mitchell suggested Kitty, but we have a Ms. Kitty because she was another "rescue" that was only suppose to be here until I had time to take her to the shelter...around 9 years ago. So he suggested Little Kitty...so maybe "Litty."

ANYWHO!!!!! When I am having "emotional turmoil" my tolerance for some things is darn near nil. So when I went up to my booth last week, I was annoyed by a few things that have been sitting in there for MONTHS...specifically two chairs. So I threw them in the back of the truck, brought them home and gave them a quick makeover!

The first is a little folding chair I chalk painted eons ago...I had two and sold one, but this one has hung around far too long. I gave it a little KSTP (Kilz/sand/tack/paint) treatment with white spray paint...then I covered the seat with some leftover fabric from this chair makeover!

The other is a walnut mid-century chair. It is really difficult for me to paint over walnut...but the chair has been in my booth for months as is, and if I am going to sell it, I have to give it a little "pow treatment." Again, a KSTP treatment and new upholstery...someone is going to love it!

I know I make these little chair makeovers sound easy. And usually they are! Chairs are one of the easiest pieces of furniture to "update"...especially ones that just need a little paint and fabric on the seat.

But OCCASIONALLY I bring home a real kicker. One I KNOW is going to take a LOT of time and attention! This chair is a prime example!

I know...it is a HOT MESS!!! I have NO doubt that several people at the auction where thinking "What the heck?" (Including Brian...but again, I think he now trusts my judgment!) But I was so excited I couldn't stand it!

I was pretty sure, from a quick inspection on a broken piece (that was there, thank God!), that it was most likely mahogany. At this point, after just a tiny bit of research, I THINK it is a Victorian Eastlake arm chair. But I honestly don't know because so far I haven't found anything just like it...only similar. Castors on the front legs and not on the back and hand carvings and stamps on the wood.

And of course the BILLIONS of little nails that were used for the upholstery! ALL of which had to be removed!

I knew the finish was masking some beautiful wood so I couldn't wait to start stripping it! In this picture you can see where I applied the stripper (used in this tutorial) on the left....

Here is the "before" and "after" of the side...

The intricate carvings require some real work, but as I have said before, the very best tool for stripping old finish out of carvings and corners is a good ole' toothbrush! I still have a lot of stripping and scrubbing to do but after two afternoons, I have all 100,398,365,003 nails out and a tiny bit of the frame stripped!

The fabric is in such bad shape, I honestly don't know what it is...and I wonder if it didn't originally have another fabric on it since there are SOOO many nail holes. Many of the Victorian chairs I have seen have a velvet fabric....what to do, what to do!

My point...not all chairs are easy...some require a little more time and attention. I am going to take my time with this one and there is a good chance I won't sell it. At least not until the next little treasure comes along!

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Paint...the easiest way to update a piece!

When I first started this site I posted every day. Seriously. Every. Single. Day.

That's okay when you are trying to catch up on 30 years of DIY projects...but after awhile it gets a tad tiresome. For a time I posted twice a week...very doable and since I usually have 2-3 projects a week in the pipeline, I always have something to share.

But life has gotten pretty busy around here the last few months. Katie's senior year (and all the hoopla that goes with that!) and then she and Matt's graduations....

Matt graduated from the UofA with his master's degree and a week later Katie graduated from high school with "highest honors."  Precious.... — Matt graduated from the UofA with his master's degree and a week later Katie graduated from high school with "highest honors." Precious....

And of course the apartments...seems the work around there hits in tidal waves...not just "waves" but darn near tsunamis. So the last few months I only found time to post about once a week...which means the projects have been piling up in my "blog files."

Right now I have hutch tops-turned-display cabinets, an antique dresser, a mid century dresser, an antique table, a side table, two chairs and much more...all piled up in the garage, finished and ready to share!

Today I thought I would share a few projects to show that a little bit of time and paint can completely change the look of a piece. I've shared similar projects in the past (tons to be exact...just cruise around this site!) but time and again I see people posting on several blog sites questions about "what can I do to make this better"..."help"..."blah, blah, blah.... bitch, bitch."

Dude. Seriously. Go buy a stinking can of paint! It really isn't hard to take a simple, "blah" piece of furniture and turn it into something worth having in your home.

Take this table for example....

...I see little tables like this at thrift stores and auctions for next to nothing. Or maybe your parents or grandparents gave you one when you started furnishing your own home. Solid little tables...usually in mahogany or walnut or even oak. (I have a similar one in my den that I painted and feature here.)

Let's be honest...not real appealing. I think this one sat in my booth for MONTH before I brought it home and gave it a bright chalk paint/distress treatment (My recipe for "chalk/plaster paint"... 2 1/2 TBS of Plaster of Paris, 1 1/2 TBS of water, mixed well then add 1 cup of latex paint)

I stuck it back in my booth and it only lasted a couple of days. Notice I didn't even invest in new hardware...I spray painted the existing handle with off-white paint!

This antique oak buffet was pretty "dated" as well. Again, something you might inherit from a family member or find in a thrift store or on Craigslist for not a lot of money!

(I took the picture after I had removed the mirror in the top piece)

Some people like the antique wood look and these pieces can be beautifully restored if you use this process.

I chose to restore the top since it was solid wood and paint and distress the rest of it....

I changed out the hardware...again, it only lasted a few days.

And another....

Sorry for the picture quality...phone camera!

This empire dresser was, as you can see, a hot mess. Literally falling apart but nothing a little glue and clamps couldn't fix right up.

Which reminds me...I was working on another dresser this week. Seriously people...dove tail joints were not nailed FOR A REASON!!! So don't try to fix them with nails. And silicone is NOT glue...so don't try to fix loose joints with silicone. My point, if you are going to fix something, fix it RIGHT. I spent over an hour just "undoing" someone else's "fix." If you don't know how to fix it right, GOOGLE IT! My daddy didn't teach me everything I needed to know about DIYing...but he did teach me to use my head and use available resources to find out how to do it RIGHT. And he didn't even have the internet!!!

Okay, rant over. So after some "rebuilding" and repairs on this dresser, I chalk painted and distressed it (again, Google it...you'll get around 1,170,000 results on chalk or plaster paint...I'm not kidding...I googled it and that is how many results I got)

The piece had nifty wood knobs...several were missing so I used a few from the buffet. I decided to give them a little facelift so I primed them and sprayed them with light blue spray paint.

I think it lasted a week!

And lastly, a mirror. I have featured a number of mirrors on here. IMO, they are one of the easiest things to update. This wood mirror had some interesting and intricate carvings but it was a bit dated and dark!

I decided to forgo my usual "boring off white" and give it a little pop of color.

For the time being, it is hanging behind the front door in what little "entry way" I have. Not sure I actually love it there but that is where it is...for now....

My point...stop looking at your dated, drab furniture and growling at it. Find some inspiration and roll up your sleeves.

Don't turn your nose up at those "dated" pieces your mom and grandmother want to give you...take them...again, find some inspiration and give them a simple facelift. There are countless super awesome ideas out there for every kind of project!

There are also unlimited tutorials out there on how to repair, paint, refinish, decoupage...if you can imagine it, a tutorial is out there to tell you how to do it!

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The den makeover reveal...

Honestly, on the surface it doesn't look like much of a reveal.

I had plans...BIG plans. New couch and rug, paint, new flooring, fireplace makeover...teal, greys, whites.

I found my inspiration, made a plan and started the plan.

When it was all said and done, it really doesn't look like I have changed much. My back and checking account say otherwise!!!!

Two huge projects did get completed. I painted and refaced the fireplace with travertine tile...

....and installed new wood flooring!

A little TIP for wood or laminate flooring. This is an "engineered wood flooring" you glue down. The transition pieces for this flooring were about $50 for a 6' stick, and I need three pieces! I went to Lowes and found unfinished transition pieces for around $15 a stick and stained them to match the flooring. Much cheaper! When I did my master bedroom floors in laminate, I did the same with the existing transition pieces...just gel stained them to match the new flooring!

Those two projects alone made a world of difference!

I did what I always do when looking for the perfect paint color ...I painted two samples on the wall and looked at it...for weeks.

But when it came right down to it, even with the new flooring, I really love the original color. This is my "fall room." Fall is my favorite time of the year and I just love the colors associated with the season...burnt reds, oranges, yellows, etc!

So off to Sherwin Williams I went to see if they could mix a 15 year old color. God bless 'em...they mixed it right up. I painted over the "test patches" and gave the entire wall a fresh coat of the same exact original color.

I did infuse a few splashes of "teal" here and there. It all started with these little birdies I picked up at Midtown several months ago...

I THOUGHT I would like this table in teal...

Boy was I wrong....I really disliked it so when I cleared out the furniture to install the flooring, it went straight to the garage for another makeover...

I originally painted these candle sticks teal...nope, not happening. So again, back to the garage for a second makeover.

I did paint this lamp a soft "teal."

It's not really "my style" but it is different and I like that. And the shade is actually brass with a black exterior. I got a great deal on it at a design studio auction. It had the original $450 price tag on it. A little pricey even for a heavy brass lamp...but for my $15 bid it was worth it! Believe it or not, you can paint brass!! A little metal primer and a little spray paint!

After dinner with my super awesome girlfriends, we made our usual TJMaxx run! I found these awesome pillows and decided they will look perfect on the grey couch I want to eventually get for this room...eventually...someday.

Not sure they are "all that" on the old yellow couch, but they will inspire me to eventually "transition" this room into the vision I had in the beginning...greys, teal, whites. For now, I will leave the original pillows...they have a little bit of teal in them...just for the sake of the ratty old couch!

Not all "makeovers" happen over night. Sometimes, you have to take your time and do what your back and budget allow.

So yes, I still want to buy a new couch...and a new rug...a few new club chairs.

In time. For now, I will just enjoy the new floors and the "new" fireplace!

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Ugly laminate dresser before and after...

Like old maple furniture, they are a dime a dozen...old "laminate" furniture. The pieces aren't constructed near as sturdy as the old maple furniture (Here, here and here are a few maple pieces I have featured) but if you have a "boring" old laminate dresser sitting around or if you stumble across one at a thrift store or garage sale for next to nothing, it takes little time and effort to bring them back to life!

Like most of these pieces, the top and sides (basically the "box") were all laminate. The drawer fronts were wood veneer.

What is the difference you ask? Basically, laminate is a "plastic" type material over particle board...then a "grain" is printed on to give it a "wood look." Veneer is generally constructed of a real wood top layer glued onto a wood base. It is pretty easy to tell the difference...if it looks and feels like "plastic" it is probably a laminate...if it looks and feels like real wood (but it is not a solid piece of wood) it is probably a veneer.

The biggest difference for me when redoing one of these pieces is I always prime and paint the laminate...usually spray paint. I use a chalk paint treatment on the veneer because I can "distress" it and the "real" wood grain will peek through.

On this little dresser, both the laminate and veneer were in pretty good shape. Sometimes you will see "chipping" on either the veneer or the laminate. Both are relatively easy to repair. First, scrape away any loose pieces. Apply wood filler with a putty knife and then sand it smooth after it dries.

Since we are in the heart of "Razorback country" I decided to give it a black and red treatment. I thought it would look cute in a boy's room or maybe in someone's "man cave" as a tv console.

Again, super simple transformation. I removed all the drawers and then removed the hardware. Replacing hardware can get real expensive, real fast so I decided to give these little pulls a makeover as well. After I removed the pulls from the drawers, I put the screws back in them and stuck them in some old styrofoam (here is a picture example). I primed them with a metal primer and then I sprayed them with the same spray paint I used on the box.

I sprayed the "box" with Kilz, sanded, tacked and then gave it two coats of red spray paint. I painted the drawers with homemade black chalk paint (two coats) and then distressed them a bit. I sealed all the pieces, including the hardware, with clear spray on poly.

If you have an old dresser like this and need inspiration for color or styling, check out Pinterest. There are sooo many inspiration pieces. Some even remove a few of the drawers and add a shelf in the space so it can be used as an entertainment center for a tv and video equipment. I have done that with an old maple dresser and it turned out super cute and perfect for a living room.

I had the chest that matched this dresser...I painted the "box" off-white and the drawer fronts a pretty tealy blue. I redid it months ago and it is long gone! This poor little guy has languished in my garage for months and was one of the many projects I managed to get completed this week during our little warm spell...along with cleaning out the pond (AGAIN!) and washing exterior windows!

Good thing I got a lot done the last few days because today it feels more like winter again.

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Christmas home tour....

I noticed many bloggers featured their Holiday Home Tours earlier this month. I've been a bit slow getting around to it for a number of reasons.

First, the dog ate my card reader. Seriously. She ate it. And I read somewhere that you should never hook your digital camera directly to your computer because it could get "infected" with any bugs or viruses that might be lurking in your computer. So I always use a card reader to get my pictures.

Second, I have been "playing" with the camera. I am notorious for taking "not so hot" photographs. Primarily because I was afraid to use anything but the "auto" setting which makes it difficult to get decent interior photos. Last week I decided to step outside my comfort zone (reasons explained here) and start playing with the camera settings in the manual mode. SHOCK! I was able to take some half way decent interior shots without blowing out the room and subjects with a flash! In the past I had to wait until the light was "just right" in a room or move pieces around or live with cruddy "flash" photos.

I still honestly have no idea what I am doing "setting wise." But I feel better about turning dials and experimenting. At some point I will take a photography class and actually learn how to use a DSLR camera! Funny thing...I am not a newbie. I have had a digital camera for ten years...I just never used the manual settings and I was terribly limited in the quality of photos I could take.

So today I am going to share a few holiday shots of my house. I still have to be careful about when I take the pictures because I have a lot of windows and the sun can cast some pretty harsh shadows during the day! And they still aren't the best photos...but they are a tad better....

Welcome....

I always try to do a little something during the season around the front. I stick a little lighted Christmas tree in one of the flower pots and then a few wreaths and garland here and there. It is tough to see my Santa and pine forest in the arch window but he is well lit at night!

The living room...

...the BIG feature of course is always the tree!

I made several Christmas pillows this year...you can see the post here!

Decorating can be as simple as sticking a few sprigs of berries or floral in vases or urns!

I absolutely LOVE the look of garland and ribbon down a bannister, but several years ago I decided I had to make holiday decorating a little easier on myself so I made 6 identical wreaths and tie them to the bannister! Simple but pretty!

For both Thanksgiving and Christmas I buy the little "candle wreaths" and tie festive ribbon on them and hang them on the doors throughout the downstairs. It is an inexpensive way to dress up the doors and I don't feel guilty about buying "fad" colors or styles because they are pretty cheap.

I have a thing for skinny Santas...I don't think it is intentional, but it just seems that all my Santas are a bit on the thin side...

This year I took the gold shades off the dining room chandelier...I like the "brightness" of the lights.The fixture really is simple to decorate. I just wrap a little plain garland around the fixture then stick a few sprigs of red and white berries here and there...a few crystal doo-dads from last years clearance...pretty!

When my oldest daughter was a baby, my grandmother made her this Raggedy Andy and Ann. With my girls "grown" I really had no way to display them so a few years ago I made little pilgrim outfits for Thanksgiving and Santa outfits for Christmas. Now they get to hang out during the entire Holiday season!

The den during the day...

...and at night! Very cozy especially when it is cold enough for a fire!

Several years ago I decided to dress up the windows in the den...again, wreaths and festive ribbon! Simple.

Another skinny Santa by the fireplace...

I keep the holiday decorating in the kitchen to a minimum. Mainly because I have limited counter space and I don't want to clutter up what space I have. In the last few years I started adding little simple elements to the top of the cabinets...like Lord/Sir ? (Still no name!)

Just a few little touches here and there can make a difference. I found a Christmasy apron at Hancock's Fabric this year. Holiday salt and pepper shakers, a penguin soap dispenser (you can't see it!), leftover ornaments in glass bowls and serving pieces, wreaths, my Southern Living cookbooks, and again, a few sprigs of holiday floral stuck here and there! Just a few things I think are pretty and festive.

Not much changes from year to year. As I have said before, I stick with the traditional and add just a few little elements here and there every year. But honestly, little changes. My basic rule is if I haven't displayed it or used it in the last two years, it gets donated...and I try not to spend too much time and money on the "fads." One thing about holiday decorating...if you stick with traditional, you probably won't go wrong. "Fads" are good in moderation as long as you don't bust your decorating budget.

I don't mind hanging a few inexpensive peacock blue and neon green wreaths, but let's be honest...when it comes to Christmas, Santas and snowmen, green garland and pine trees and red, gold or silver colors, will probably never go out of "style!"

Have a VERY merry Christmas!

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Simple Christmas gift!

These cute little coasters aren't "Christmasy" but they would make awesome, inexpensive gifts...and you are ONLY limited by your imagination. You could use favorite family photos, holiday graphics from The Graphics Fairy...maybe tickets stubs from your favorite concert or movie...old letters or stamps...or anything that can be copied or printed onto paper!!! These would make awesome teachers or hostess gifts...or even stocking stuffers!

As I mention here, I am horrible about using coasters...as a result, my bedside table was in pretty bad shape from the beating it took from my nightly glass of water and morning coffee cup!

After finding and refinishing this walnut table treasure, I knew I needed to do something to protect the top. I had a piece of glass cut to protect the old Duncan Phyfe table, but I honestly didn't want to cover this table with glass.

Pinterest to the rescue! I saw some really darling personalized coasters on Pinterest and I knew exactly what I wanted to do! (Did I bother to pin it so I would have a "link"...no!)

Brian and I love to fly fish and I decided to make "map coasters" of a few of our favorite fishing spots in Colorado and Arkansas.

I picked up a few pieces of ceramic 4 x 4 tile at Habitat (.10 each!). I found a few old maps in my closet and used the tile to trace the area I wanted to cut out....

I used a 2" chip brush to coat the top of the tile with Modge Podge....

...and carefully placed the cutout map on the tile and then brushed the top with more Modge Podge.

The map paper was a tad flimsy and wanted to "crinkle" and bubble. I used my finger to smooth it out and then brushed it with the Modge Podge again! After letting the MP dry per the directions, I sprayed 2-3 coats of poly on the top just for good measure!

After the poly dried, I cut a piece of "felt blanket" to fit and used hot glue to secure it to the back of the tile. You could use cork board as well!

There you go...a simple little project that can be personalized to your heart's content! I had honestly intended to make some "Christmasy" coasters for the holidays but "crafting" isn't something I have a whole lot of time for during the holiday season! You could make one for every holiday...Valentine's Day, the 4th of July, Halloween. This is a simple, inexpensive little project that would be easy and fun for kids as well!

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Help, I'm trapped!!!

Two things happened this week that forced me to pick up my son's professional DSL camera and flip it to "manual." Something I have needed to do from day one, but just couldn't bring myself to do...messing with ISO and AF and Fsomethingoranother...just so out of my comfort zone.

I pretty much just use the "point and shoot" feature and my pictures are often "lacking." Since I am more about sharing "the process" than I am the "pretty" I have never taken the time to learn how to take awesome "professional looking" photos of all my projects.

First, I received an email from another blog asking me to share my tutorial on refinishing a dining room table. One of the things they asked for was "amazing images" of the table, both before and after. Um...okay...probably not going to happen with my current photography abilities. I love sharing, but I have seen other blog photographs and they are amazing. And this table has a lot of carving and detail that I just can't capture well with my "point and shoot" abilities.

Second, I was trapped for an entire day in my house. My phone was dead, the dog ate the charger cord, the stupid Mophie thing wasn't working and my son had to take my truck because his car wouldn't start. It's not like I haven't had entire days when I was home ignoring the phone...I just always had the OPTION to leave if I wanted...and I could call for help if I fell and broke a hip or something! Not this day. This day I was stuck with no way to leave and no way to call anyone.

Soooo, it was a good day to pick up the camera and start playing with the settings! I have to say, I did manage to take a few picture inside that were much better than what I had before.

One thing I did learn was I desperately needed a tripod. When you start taking pictures inside without a flash, you have to have your camera very still...not something I am going to be able to do without help. I knew Matt had a tripod, I just had no idea where it was...and of course I couldn't call him, or drive to the store and get one.

I do feel a little better now about flipping over to "manual" mode. And the great thing about digital cameras...you can instantly delete anything that looks bad and take another shot! This, of course, assumes you can see well enough to judge whether a picture is going to look good on a computer screen verses a 3" display on the back of the camera. Truth be told I thought I was doing pretty good until I loaded them on the computer and could see how blurry many were!

Once I set the camera on a tripod, the pictures turned out a bit better!

I was able to get several really pretty shots of my tree...day and night time! Since I am "sharing" my tree, I will tell you a little about it...I don't add a lot to my 9' pre-lit tree...just colored lights and pearl garland. The real show stoppers are the ornaments. Every year, since my oldest daughter was a baby, my mother has bought each of my children 2-3 beautiful, special ornaments. Four kids and thirty three years later, my tree is bursting with heirloom ornaments! It is indeed beautiful!!

I still have NO idea what I am doing but I know with more time and experience I can do better. I wish I could tell you exactly what settings I used, but um...no. I just know I changed the exposure, shutter speed and white balance A LOT! Matt tried to explain everything to me, but him teaching me how to use a camera is a lot like me trying to teach him to flyfish. Probably should let someone else do that.

My point...take your digital camera OFF auto, turn the flash off, set it on a tripod or stack of books and start playing with all the settings...AF, ISO, white balance....again, the great thing about digital is the ability to delete pictures you don't like! I bet I took 30 pictures of my tree to get just a few I like!

Maybe after the holidays I will take a REAL photography class and actually learn what all those buttons and dials mean.

But again, there is hope! Hope is good!

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Simple fall decor....

I am a "warm" person so I love the traditional colors of fall and it is my favorite time of the year!

I know a lot of people are decorating with blue and white pumpkins...tablescapes, vignettes (that's a fancy way of saying a "grouping" of decor), mantles, etc...but I like the orange, burnt reds and yellows of a traditional fall! Warm tones....and I have TONS of natural light in my house so it makes it a lot easier to decorate with "warm" holiday colors!

Several years ago I decided I wanted to remake my bannister Christmas wreaths in blue and silver....a touch of "cool." Katie quickly reminded me that "red and gold" were our TRADITIONAL colors and she didn't want that messed with. So I obliged and stuck with the "traditional" colors of the season. Occasionally I sneak in something a little "non-traditional," but very little.

So very little changes from year to year...except maybe a few little "additions."

Traditional decorating is, in my opinion, the way to go. I said last year that I thought it unwise to spend a great deal on burlap and chevron Christmas decor only because I knew it was a "fad" and would eventually fall by the wayside. As I predicted, we are seeing less and less of that this year.

So find a style or decor elements that you truly LOVE and make that the bulk of your "traditional" seasonal decor. No harm in infusing a few "faddish" elements here and there, but if you try to go all out with the newest fad, you may find yourself with an attic full of outdated seasonal decorations. (A few of us are old enough to remember Santa ducks and "mauve" Christmas ribbon...ouch!)

The BEST time to buy seasonal decor is AFTER the season. I know it is tough to buy things you are going to immediately stick in storage, but it is soooo much fun to discover all your new goodies year after year...and it is a great way to build a stockpile without spending a lot of money. MOST of my seasonal decor was purchased on sale for 80-90% off after the season!

Another tip...you are going to get older and there will come a time when a lot of fluffing and froofing and climbing up and down ladders is hazardous...to both your physical well-being and your pets (yes, I have stepped on a few coming off the ladder!) So years ago I started transitioning to things that were easy for me to "set out." It is much simpler to tie wreaths to the bannister than it is to struggle with yards of garland and ribbon...and I am not consumed for days every year painting and sewing and making wreaths and garland with the newest fads.

So this is my "traditional" fall decor....

The den is the perfect template for fall decor. The fireplace wall is "burnt red" and it makes a beautiful back-drop for both my fall and Christmas vignettes. Years ago I bought new fall garland for the front door...the old garland had gotten a little "aged" looking but I didn't want to toss it, so now I just lay it across the mantel....takes all of 10 seconds. The white owl is a new addition I shared here. I bought 4 identical wreaths and hang them in the windows from ribbon. Fall leaf floral in the urn, pumpkins and scarecrows and knick-knacks here and there...

I shared how I dress up these simple outdoor lanterns for Christmas here. For the fall, they get a "fall" ribbon and floral pick, pine cones or a seasonal candle.

Outdoor lanterns are great for all seasons. After the holidays I just remove all the ribbon and seasonal stuff and place a candle in them! I love that they are simple to decorate and don't have to be stored from one season to the next!

The den side table gets a little fall vignette as well....

I shared the branch box on the floor here. Years ago I made two "table wreaths" with a round floral form, a grapevine wreath and fall picks. I put a candle in one and I found a nifty little grapevine pumpkin at a garage sale for pennies for the dining table! Both are simple to set out and store!

A few little knick-knacks here and there. (I bought the silly turkey at an auction for a few dollars! Garage sales, thrift stores and auctions are great places to find holiday decor for next to nothing!)

I bought a bunch of candle holder "berry wreaths" several years ago. I hang them on all the downstairs doors and on a few frames and cabinets with seasonal ribbon...super simple and when I decorate for Christmas, I just replace them with holiday wreaths!

This wreath I hung on my new living room mirror is a little larger. I think I found it in a box of seasonal goodies I bought at an auction for next to nothing! For Christmas I have the perfect crystal wreath I shared here and I think I will pick up a boxwood wreath for after the holidays! Wreaths are super simple to decorate with and store after the holidays! I just drop mine in plastic bags for storage!

Inexpensive (especially on clearance) floral picks and sprays are ideal for vases and urns...it usually doesn't take a lot to dress them up and they make a huge impact. I just replace the fall floral for Christmas floral every year!

Seasonal garland is super simple to lay on top of hutches, wrap around light fixtures, hang around doors and lay on tables. I love fall garland...but if you have ever priced it, you know it can be super expensive!!! And that, my friends, is where "after holiday" sales are great. Every year, I hit Hobby Lobby the weekend after Thanksgiving and snag their 80% off decor!

I lay inexpensive garland in the dining and den transoms and then mix in a few real pumpkins and gourds....well, usually but this year I didn't quite get around to picking up pumpkins and gourds...but it is still pretty!

Last but not least, the "kiddo scarecrows." I hesitate to even share these because it is so hard to get a good picture because of the glare (as I have said MANY times, I am NOT one of those bloggers that has killer photog skills!) I originally put these up when my two boys and youngest daughter were little...now they and the pumpkins are a tad faded and tired looking. I intend to change this little vignette every year, but a busy life always seems to get in the way. So, someday! In the meantime, they take their place every year and are replaced the day after Thanksgiving with Santa and the pine forrest!

Building a cache of seasonal decor can take time. But if you keep your eyes open at thrift stores and garage sales, shop the after season sales and stick with "traditional" decorating, you don't have to break the bank. Save the "fad" vignettes for one or two special places in your home and avoid the frustration and stress of having to decorate your entire house every year in a "Pinterest theme."

Enjoy the season!!!!

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Christmas pillows....

One of the great things about the "blogoshere" is all the great inspiration AND motivation!

This past week I was reading one of my favorite blogs, "The Interior Frugalista", and Marie was sharing her snowflake decorative pillows...only she calls them "toss cushions." Gotta love those Canadians...lol!

Anywho, it not only inspired me, it motivated me to do something I seriously dislike doing...sew!

I have been scavenging down pillow forms. I wanted down forms for the decorative pillows that have poly-fill and a few extras for some holiday pillows!

As I mentioned before I like down forms because they are more comfortable and have a "designer" look! To me they just look "rich" but their price tag can reflect that and it is difficult for me to fork over twenty bucks for something I am going to have to make a cover for and something that is nothing more than a "doo-dad."

This past week I found 6 awesome down pillow forms, in varying sizes, ALL for under $7...a few for as cheap as $5. Thrift stores and flea markets. Yep...I am buying ugly old designer pillows, removing the cover and sanitizing the forms for reuse! (just toss them in a hot dryer with a dryer sheet!)

Since I had all these forms piled up, I knew it was time to drag out the old sewing cart and get busy!

TIP: If you have a 18 x 18 pillow form, you may be tempted to cut your cover fabric 19 x 19 to allow for the seams. DON'T. Cut the fabric 18 x 18...your cover will be about 1" smaller than the actual pillow form, but that is what will make them look super "puffy" and "full." I read that once on a designer website (no source, just info stored in the back of my brain!) and I tried it...makes a huge difference!

I have shared "pillow tutorials" on several posts in the past (you will note I advocated cutting your cover fabric larger back then...again, don't)...you can check them out here, here, here, and here.

There is no sense in rehashing the "how to." I've provided a tutorial and there are "how to" tutorials all over the internet. Marie does a great job of "tutorialing." (As I have said before, if you can sew a straight stitch, you can sew a decorative pillow...if you can't, now is the time to learn.)

So I am going to share just to provide inspiration AND motivation and give you a few little tips on where you can find material to make inexpensive holiday covers.

My first "inspiration" came from a Pottery Barn knock-off I found on Pinterest....

This little pillow was super simple to make. I used two pillow shams that came with a white bedspread I ordered to put over my down comforter for the winter. I was never going to use them on the bed, so I decided to use the fabric for my decorative pillows. I didn't have enough for the back, so I used the leftover fabric from the tea towel pillows I will share in a bit....

As you can see, I changed things up from the "inspiration" pillow. I used green sparkly felt and rhinestones...both of which you can buy at your local craft store. I cut a bunch of "leaves" from the green felt, and used a bowl to guestimate a circle...

Then it was just a matter of filling in the "wreath" and placing a few rhinestones here and there...basically, I eyeballed it! I used fabric glue on the green leaves and "Jewel It" glue on the rhinestones and let it sit overnight before I constructed the pillow. I used a "premade" silver bias tape for the piping!

I made this pillow out of tea towels I picked up at Hobby Lobby...

....they were around $4.50 (50% off!) for two!

One set of towels made TWO pillow covers and I used the leftover fabric for the backs of the wreath pillow! I spruced it up a bit by placing a rhinestone in the middle of each of the snowflakes and added a little piping around the edge. The piping is made out of bias tape and you can find a tutorial here on how to make inexpensive decorative piping from bias tape!

I made two pillows with this snowflake cutout table runner and a white table cloth I bought at TJ Maxx. (I would not suggest using inexpensive tablecloths for pillow projects...just seems too "thin" and tends to ravel quite a bit. Lesson learned.)

I centered the runner on the piece of fabric I cut out for the front of the pillow and basted the top and bottom to it with my machine to keep it in place. After I basted it, I used the fabric glue around the edges of the cutout to keep it "flat."

Again, I glued a rhinestone in the middle of each snowflake. I just love "sparkle!"

After making two white snowflake pillows, I had enough of the snowflake cutout to make one more pillow. I picked up a "burnt red" pillow and I kind of liked the color so I deconstructed it, made it a tad smaller so the pillow would be fuller and added the white snowflake cutout material.

I only have one, but I think it will look great in the den where I have more "fall" colors year round!

I also put zippers on all these pillow covers so I can easily remove them and reuse the forms!

I tend to be an "OCD/symmetry" kinda person so I made two of each of the decorative pillows so I will have one for each end of the couch when it is time to decorate for Christmas.

All these pillows are 18 x 18 and honestly, I don't like the three lined up together. I found two smaller pillow forms and plan on making Christmas covers for them and using one with two of the 18" pillows on each end of the sofa...maybe...someday...IF I get a little more motivation in the future!

While I was making a mess, I decided to make another "floor pillow" for the den. I had two large poly-fill forms (actually they were Euro-pillows with ugly covers!) I bought at an estate sale and I thought they would be perfect to toss around on the den floor for tv watching! I had already made one large toss pillow and two smaller decorative pillows out of some leftover fabric from my dining chair project.

I used the drop cloth material leftover from this chair project and an iron on graphic from The Graphic Fairy. Since the pillow was fairly large, I decided I wanted the graphic to be bigger so I pulled it up in Adobe Photoshop, enlarged it and then printed it out on four sheets of iron-on transfer paper. Then it was just a matter of piecing the graphic together and ironing it on the fabric. There was a little "line" where two of the pages didn't quite fit together perfectly...I used a Sharpie to fill it in a tad.

I removed the "Grain" wording on banner in Photoshop and had intended to replace it with "Love Life." But I had a few issues with my printer so I ran out of transfer paper. Since I put zippers on all my pillow covers, I will just remove the cover and iron on the new words when my order of paper comes in.

I still haven't shared my fall decor. Truthfully, it hasn't changed a whole lot from last year. But I have a few little additions and I thought it would be fun to do an entire post about the fall decor and update my Holiday Decor pictures. After all, Thanksgiving is less than three weeks away and the day after Thanksgiving, it all goes back in the attic! If you see anything that "inspires" you, it will be the PERFECT time to snag fall decor for pennies on the dollar!!! You may have to wait til next year to use it, but it is always fun to find things you forgot you bought last year!

So this week...I promise!

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Mid century chair SCORE!! And a Duncan Phyfe chair repair!

SCORE! Seriously, major score!

Okay, so they don't look so hot right now and they didn't look any better piled on a trailer at the auction, covered in gunk and spider ick!

Which is a good thing because nobody knew what they were...which means SCORE for ME! Baumritter mid-century dining chairs! Oh my!

I know they look rough right now, but let me work my magic on them!

Truth is, mid-century furniture hasn't really hit the big time here like it has in other parts of the country and honestly, we don't see a lot of it around here. But occasionally I can find pieces here and there.

I love them...everything about them. The grain and color of the wood after it is refinished (usually walnut or teak), the clean lines, the incredible construction! I love the entire process of restoring these pieces because I know they will take my breath away when I am finished. I also know it is next to impossible to find solid walnut and teak furniture these days.

So...what is my hard-fast rule? If I bring one in, I have to take one out. So sacrifices have to be made and the sacrifice is going to be the rest of my antique Duncan Phyfe chairs! I have already sold 2 and have four left...two painted side chairs and two caption's chairs.

Last year I featured the chair I had to repair. I was so proud of myself. I glued and sculpted the chair back that was broken and then painted the two side chairs, which kind of goes against my grain but they turned out beautiful. I didn't paint the caption's chairs....

The repair lasted all of about 6 months...and then the back busted again. CRAAAAAP!

So this time I decided to "rebuild" rather than repair.

This would have been SOOOO much easier had I just gone and bought a scroll saw. But oh no...I figured I could do this with my jig saw and Dremel. And I did...but next time I am going to buy a scroll saw!

First thing I had to do was deconstruct the chair to get to the "broken back." Fortunately, these chairs are constructed with dowel rods and the top pops right off...okay, you have to beat on it a bit and chip the paint...but it eventually comes off.

Then I had to find a little piece of wood the same thickness as the back...3/8". I figured that wouldn't be a big deal. It was. I ended up finding some 3/8" pine, but it wasn't wide enough...so I had to do the ole' clamp and glue thing to create a piece wide enough.

This is no big deal...truth is, most large wood slabs, and even smaller ones, are nothing but smaller pieces of wood glued and clamped together...most table tops are constructed that way!

After I let the piece sit for a day or so, (I was busy priming, sanding and painting my bedroom furniture...can't wait to finish and share!) I used wood filler to fill any gaps in the joints, sanded the piece smooth and traced the broken piece onto the wood...

....then I cut it out with a skill saw and dremel.

This is not a job for the faint of heart, impatient people or someone who has had more than 1 cup of coffee. You have to go slow and use a light, steady hand. I actually cut on the outside of my mark and then used sand paper to sand down to the mark.

This process would have gone a bit quicker had the wood not split a time or two. It never split at the glued joints, just on the grain, which meant I had to glue and clamp the split and wait! Grrrr.....

Anywho, after hand sanding and sculpting for a few hours, I had a piece that was pretty darn close to the original! Then it was just a matter of priming, sanding and painting it.

I reconstructed the chair and hit the entire back with another light coat of paint and sealer.

Presto...ALMOST good as new! Can you tell which is which?

I can...the chair on the left is the repair. The big difference is the "lines" that are missing from the middle...after all the cutting and sculpting and sanding, I wasn't going to risk messing it up by trying to chisel lines in the wood.

And I will be honest...fitting it all back together was NOT as easy as it sounds...there was some additional sanding and grinding and even a few curse words! But in the end it turned out pretty good!

Also, I noticed the paint has "yellowed" over time. That is pretty common for "whites." Something to keep in mind when contemplating "touch ups." There is a good chance you will have to paint the entire project if the color has faded, yellowed or changed over time!

Now that it is repaired and I feel good that it will hold up, I plan on selling this chair and the matching one and the two caption chairs so I will have room for my mid century chairs when I get them refinished.

If I bring one in, I have to take one out!!!

Hopefully I will get that done before Thanksgiving...or we may all be sitting on lawn chairs!

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