Final days of summer....

It has been a relatively mild summer...not too hot and lots of rain...for that, I am so grateful!

And this weekend the daytime temps are suppose to be in the 60s...FALL IS FINALLY REALLY HERE!!!

My yard has survived the summer without ridiculous water bills and my annual flowers and hostas are still full and beautiful! As a matter of fact, my flowers have really popped the last few weeks because the temps are a little cooler and they didn't get depleted by the brutal heat of July and August.

Today I looked out and saw one of my kitties enjoying the final days of warm temperatures! Soooo cute!

I believe I have introduced two of my kitties...Molly here and Simon here.

This is Finley, my autistic kitty.

Laugh...most people do. But I really think he is autistic. He isn't mentally challenged (believe it or not cats can be retarded) . He is just very "socially inept." It is really difficult to get a picture of him. I had to take this one with my telephoto lens!

I rescued him when he was 6-7 weeks old and he has been raised in a loving, playful home. But even after three years, he still acts like a feral cat.

He is terrified of everyone but me and he will only tolerate me when he comes in at night. If ANYONE tries to go near him, he bolts. During the summer he stays outside and will move inside when it gets cold. Then he will hide all day and only come out at night when I am alone. Then he will climb into bed with me and be a sweet kitty that wants to be petted...never held, just petted! The minute he hears anyone in the house, he will bolt!

So for now, I will admire him from afar. He really is a beautiful kitty!

And then there is Ms. Kitty....

She hates everybody but the lab, Ginger. I caught her at the apartments when she was a kitten. I brought her home and put her in my bathroom until I could catch her sister so I could take them to the "pound" together. Unfortunately, Katie saw her and thought I had brought home a kitty FOR HER. Yeah, not really, but how do you explain that to a 8 year old.

Anywho, Ms. Kitty got an infection on her neck years ago. To treat her I had to hold her down every day and clean her neck and pour peroxide on her. Sooooo, she hates me...and pretty much everyone else. She loves Ginger...and Brian's feet. Seriously, she loves his feet and his shoes...go figure.

All of my kitties are rescues...and they were pretty wild and unruly when I first got them. But they eventually warmed up to us and became very loving (albeit annoying at times) kitties...except Finley!

BTW, it was interesting to go back to my spring pictures and look at the "before" and "after" pictures....

Amazing what a few little annuals, a few months and a mild summer will do! As much as I love fall, I hate the thought of the first freeze....

HAPPY FALL!!

Info

Comment

Another little fall project....

My daughter, Sarah, was quick to point out that I have ENOUGH fall decor. But every year I try to add just a tad more.

This Pinterest pin was my inspiration for my project today....

....I pinned it last year and planned on making it for the Christmas holiday season. But I could never find a box or crate I liked, and well, I just never got around to it!

But several months ago I bought an old wood crate at an auction. And my neighbor trimmed some of his trees so I finally had some straight branches I like!

So I decided to make a simple fall display that can easily be used for Christmas decor as well...nothing permanent, so it will be easy to break it all down and change it out!

First, I started with the wood crate, the tree branches, and pine cones I picked up in my yard. If you aren't as fortunate as I to have big pine trees that drop thousands of pine cones and tons of needles in your yard every year (grrrr), you can buy pine cones at any craft store.

I cut the branches in varying lengths with my chop saw. If you don't have a chop saw, you can use a skill saw or hand saw.

I stuck the branches in the crate, randomly, and then used crumpled newspaper to fill the bottom and hold the branches in place. If you want something a little more permanent, you could always use floral foam...or even foam insulation like I did here. If you use foam insulation, you may want to line the sides of your box with plastic or paper to keep the foam from oozing out the sides!

After filling the bottom of the box with paper, I topped it with dried Spanish moss...again, you can buy it at any craft store!

After filling the box with Spanish moss, I took fall silk leaves and flowers and filled the top...it didn't take a lot of fall floral stuff...just some leftover sprigs from the urn project. Then I used the pine cones as "fillers."

For Christmas, I can take out the fall leaves and flowers and put something "Christmasy" in the box...maybe add some lights like the inspiration picture.

I am NOT a floral designer...so this project doesn't require a lot of skill...just stick, stuff and pretend.

Cute, easy, and relatively inexpensive...especially when you consider you can use it for both fall and Christmas!

HAPPY FALL!!!

Info

Comment

Little fall projects...

I really want to share a few pictures of our Colorado vacation....but man, oh, man. I have HUNDREDS of pictures to go through and I doubt you want to see them all. Some pictures are on my smaller camera, and unfortunately I can't find the cord to connect it to my computer. Sooooo, someday soon!

For now, I thought I would share a few simple fall projects this week.

I have a ton of little bottles I have collected over the years. But you could do this with coke bottles, old vases, wine bottles or even old perfume bottles. A little Kilz, white, yellow and orange spray paint and you have a super cute way to display fall flowers or foliage.

Word of caution...do not try to paint glass without first Kilzing it. I did...doesn't work.

So the first thing you want to do is clean and dry the bottles and then give the bottle a coat of Kilz!

After the Kilz dries, paint the entire bottle white. After that dries, paint the lower 2/3rd with orange and after that dries, paint the lower 1/3rd yellow.

You may notice I "free-handed" the spray paint layers...no tape. I like the look better than a harsh line. I stuck a few silk fall leaves and flowers in the bottles...sweet little display! I had a little brighter yellow I used on another bottle...but this is the only yellow I had on hand. Personally, I think you can use any color combination you like as long as you get that "candy corn" affect.

I even did this on an old fake pumpkin...turned out really cute (no, of course I don't have any pictures!) and it made an old pumpkin new again!

I have a few other little, inexpensive decorating tips I will share over the next week or so...at least until I can wade through all my vacation pictures!

No major projects. I did pick up a few interesting things at an auction last weekend, and I will share those as well!

HAPPY FALL!!!!

Info

Comment

We're HOOOOOME!

Yippeeee.

As much as I love Colorado, it really is good to be home. We took a train ride out of Leadville, CO Wednesday afternoon and then headed home.

Got in around 4 Thursday afternoon....just in time to celebrate my son's 24th birthday and visit with a nice State Trooper after my daughter's accident. Typical "home"...highs and lows. But there's no place like home.

I finished my fall decorating yesterday. The temps were still in the mid to upper 80s, so it didn't exactly feel like fall. But it finally does today.

It was tough leaving 50s and snow capped mountains and coming home to upper 80s! Yuck! So today's cooler temps give me hope for a few weeks of fall weather before winter sets in!

This week I will post some awesome pics of our trip out west! The mountains, a few critters, an awesome fishing trip!!! And I will also post a few pics of my fall decor! Not much different than last year's that I posted here but I hope to talk my "photog" son into taking some really pretty pics!

I don't spend a great deal of time "projecting" in the fall. It is my FAVORITE time of the year and I really want to take time to enjoy it!

Info

Comment

Chevron Chair before and after....

AGAIN!!!

Again, I dug into a project and forgot to take a "before" shot!

I remembered to take a picture about half way through the Kilz stage...so this is as good as it gets! Imagine dark, dated and basically kind of ugly.....

Dark wood. I'm a big fan of pretty wood, but I knew painting this chair a light color would really make it pop...and really update it! Not only was it a seriously ugly stained wood, it had a seriously ugly cushion on the seat, and another on the back. I decided not to put a cushion on the back because I love the cane and it was in mint condition...a rarity! I added a little "puff" to the seat cushion and eliminated the buttons to make the chair a little more comfortable and give it a "cozy" look.

Chevron...not my "taste" and honestly not something I would decorate with. But it is all the rage right now and I knew if I was going to make this chair appealing to a buyer, I had to go with what is in. And of course, this is "Razorback country" so anything red and white is going to be appealing!

So Chevron it is....

As always, two coats of kilz, sanding and tack cloth! Then two coats of a pretty "off white" spray paint I am a little obsessed with right now. It is a Valspar brand and it is not too white, not too yellow...just right.

It does need a little pillow...and eventually, if it doesn't sell right away, I will make one.

But for the next few days I need to get ready for VACATION!!!! Yippppeeeee!

Brian and I are headed to Colorado Friday for a week...sight-seeing, fly fishing, maybe even a little horse back riding. Just a week to decompress and take in the fall colors! The Aspens in Colorado in September are absolutely BREATH-TAKING!!! If you have never been, go. I love skiing and I love the snow, but Colorado in fall is a must see!

So this will be my last post for a week or so! I will make sure I post some pictures when we get home.

When I get home, it will officially be fall so it will be time for some major home decorating. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year...especially for decorating!!! As you can see here I usually go all out...I can't wait!!!

Info

2 Comments

Another day at the auction...

There were several great auctions advertised for this weekend. We always try to choose one that is waaaay out in the sticks because we know there will be fewer people.

Smaller crowds usually makes for better pricing, but sometimes you may also get less of a "good" selection. That is not always the case...we have been to a few that had lots of great stuff and a lot of people and the prices were still reasonable. Honestly, it is "hit and miss." Regardless, we always have a great time.

Saturday was a perfect day for an auction. The weather was beautiful which always makes it more enjoyable. Too hot and you are miserable. Too cold and you are miserable. Just right and you find yourself enjoying the ebb and flow of the auction, even if you aren't buying.

I bought...a little. It is always nice to find a few little treasures.

A great price on a Lazyboy chair and ottoman....I can't wait to paint and reupholster it! And I may even keep it! Not really "my style" but it is super comfy and I think with a little tweeking it could be a fun chair!

A set of ironstone dishes...not a complete set but some good pieces including the sugar and creamer...

Two Fire King mixing bowls and three little Fire King bowls I had never seen before...unique is always good....

A few pieces of Fenton milk glass including this cute little hen on a nest dish....

I have a smaller hen dish similar to this in my booth!

Fenton Melon set in mint condition...WOW...always a show stopper.

Lots of fun little knick knacks! I missed out on a few things I really wanted...some blue and clear Ball and Atlas jars with glass and zinc lids....an oak china hutch...a little walnut side table. But that's okay...you win some, you lose some.

And I would rather lose some than pay too much for something!

That is one nice thing about auctions. I always find something I can buy cheap enough to sell or love enough to keep.

And whether I buy a lot or just a few little things, I always enjoy the day!

I know it is hard to find time in our busy schedules to take in an auction! But if you have never been, GO! Estate auctions at the home site are by far the most enjoyable in my opinion. I have been to auctions at auction houses, and I like them, but I enjoy the farm and estate auctions more!

I have a few hard rules for auctions.

1) Always go early enough to get a number and take a close look at what they have to offer! Inspect everything very carefully. Most good auctioneers will point out little flaws...IF they see them!

2) Know what you are willing to pay for something and NEVER go a dime over...even if it means walking away (trust me, I always regret paying more than I set in my mind). Know what you are bidding on...make sure you have inspected it carefully beforehand. Yesterday I bought a big box of storage containers for $5. Great buy until I discovered that only 3-4 of them had lids...not a good buy! Know the value of what you are bidding on...collectables are a little tough but I have seen people pay more for a used lawn mower than what it sells for new at Lowes!

3) Check out the food...seriously, if you are lucky some great ladies have made some awesome pies and cakes.

4) Take boxes and packing...they may or may not have some.

5) NEVER be the first to bid...never! Wait...even if it opens cheaper than you are willing to pay...they may open the bidding at $100...but if no one bids it could end up starting for a buck...or they could add items to it! A good example...the Lazyboy chair opened at $300...I paid $40 for it!

6) Listen CAREFULLY. There is a huge difference between "choice" or "pick," "times the money" and "all." Yesterday a lady bid $10 a glass (times the money) for 12 glasses...she thought she was getting all 12 glasses for $10. That's the difference between "times the money" and "all!" About $110 in this case!

7) Have fun! Talk to people...always interesting people at auctions. Watch...there are always experienced buyers at auctions and you can learn a lot from them!

8) Know whether or not there is a "buyer's premium." That can add to your actual cost of an item!

9) Finally, is it a "need" or a "want?" Know the difference because if you just buy a bunch of stuff you "want," you could find yourself being featured on "Hoarders." Usually there is a lifetime of someone else's stuff selling and it would be sooooo easy to get caught up in buying it for pennies on the dollar. In my case, I have a venue to sell most of what I buy. But even I have a tough time carrying some of my prized purchases back out the door!

A day at the auction can be fun and exciting....sometimes frustrating, but always entertaining!

Info

Comment

Lane Cedar Sweetheart Chest...

I am obsessed...and when I found this piece on Craigslist, I couldn't wait to go get it....

I have no idea what I am going to do with it. Actually, I know what I am going to do with it...I am going to remove the old varnish and apply 3-4 coats of tung oil. The problem is, I don't know where I am going to PUT it!!

I have my grandparent's old steamer trunk in my room, my dad's walnut chest in Katie's room, an old cedar trunk in the upstairs hall, and there is just no room in the boy's rooms right now. Until I get some of their stuff cleared out, I really have no place to put it.

But I just couldn't pass it up! It is a Lane chest and it is walnut and oak...very similar to the Lane Acclaim tables I have a mad love affair with!

I currently have 7 of these little tables and I am always on the hunt for more! And I have my square Lane walnut coffee table that is just as beautiful!

This chest is very "mid century" just like my little tables! I have never seen anything like it. And it wasn't expensive. So naturally I had to have it.

One of the great things about these little cedar chests is that the insides are usually in outstanding condition! They have awesome storage potential for blankets, family photo albums and holiday decor! The amazing thing about this chest is that all the tags are still intact, including the little Lane hang-tag!

This particular chest dates 1968. Lane made it very easy to date most of their wood finished pieces. Usually you will find a Style # and a Serial # on the underside of the piece....

If you read the Serial No. backwards, you will get the manufacture date...in this case 12 (December) 15, 1968. I read somewhere that the 7th digit (the first #2) referenced the location of production. The tables I have only have 6 digits in the serial number.

And finally, Lane furniture produced during the mid 1900s is just as sturdy as the day it was built...not a wobble or hobble.

Awesome!

I can't wait to refinish this piece. Except for a slight flaw in the finish on the top, it really is in outstanding condition! I don't really HAVE to refinish it, but I have found that a fresh coat of varnish really brings out the richness and beauty of the wood!

So I will give it a little "varnish lift".... and then I will figure out where to put it!

Info

7 Comments

Fall is on the way....

...but it's not here yet!!! July and August were mild, but September is making up for it! We are hitting the mid 90s every day so far this month and the humidity has been brutal but hopefully it will cool off next week.

Until then it is time to start getting ready to decorate for fall! With my garage fairly clear after a very successful garage sale this weekend, it was time to start pulling all the fall decor I have been collecting!

Throughout the year I have picked up a lot of Christmas and fall decor at auctions and garage sales....wreaths, garland, leaf pic and floral picks....things I can use to decorate and make arrangements! And my neighbor, Trish, cleaned out a bunch of her holiday decor and gave me two large bags of picks and garland...wow...I have enough to make several arrangements!

Earlier this spring I bought two so-so yard urns at an auction. I intended to paint them and use them as yard planters.... but I never got around to it! So I decided to use them to make fall floral arrangements I've seen on Pinterest.

And today I found two smaller square urns at Lowe's for 75% off their original price...this is the perfect time of year to pick up inexpensive urns! Make sure you check out the garden centers for clearance urns!

I piled all my picks and garland in the dining room so I could see exactly what I had to work with. Wow...just wow....

After cleaning and painting the urns, I filled the bottom few inches with play sand I purchased at Lowe's. I did this to add a little weight so they would be "balanced" and not tip over easily! Since these urns were made for exterior planting, they had a little hole in the bottom for drainage. I put duck tape over the hole before adding the sand!!

These urns are pretty large. So filling them with floral foam would have been costly. So I used brown butcher paper and spray foam insulation.....

First I took plain brown paper and crumpled it up tightly and stuffed it in the urn. I filled it to about 4" from the top.

Then I added insulation spray foam to the top.....

Major warning!!! This stuff seriously expands!!! I sprayed on one layer around the edges and enough to coat the paper...and then I let it expand and dry! (and it DOES NOT come off with soap and water...have mineral spirits handy!)

After it expanded and hardened, I sprayed on a second coat and let that expand and dry well. I would recommend letting it sit and dry over night.

I used about 1 1/2 cans per urn...but again, these are pretty large planters!

After it dried, I took a serrated knife (NOT an electric one!) and cut off the top so that it was pretty much flat. It is okay if it is not level with the urn rim but you do not want it higher than the rim. And it the foam does not have to be perfectly flat across the entire surface...it will be lumpy and bumpy. That's okay...you just want to make sure all the paper is covered well and it is secure all around the edge.

Then I painted the foam black.

I am in no way a "professional florist" but decorating one of these urns really is fairly easy!

After the paint dried, the first thing I did was take a "berry garland" and circled the rim of the urn. I did this by tying floral wire about every 3-4" on the garland and then sticking it into the foam. You can also buy floral "stakes" that have wire attached to a little wood stake...you would just wrap the wire onto the garland and then stick the stakes into the foam....either way works! Most floral stems and garlands are made of coated wire and they will bend and shape very easily...just work with it until you get the "shape" you are happy with! If the garland is to long, just cut if off and make sure you secure both ends well with the little wire "stakes."

I cut all the stems off two leaf sprays with a pair of wire cutters. Each spray had 8-10 stems.....

Then I just began circling the rim of the urn with the leaf stems by sticking them into the foam...I alternated sticking them under and over the berry garland. There was no need to glue them because they will be pretty secure in the foam! This is just something you have to play with and keep filling it in until it looks the way you want it to. I used two different types of stems and alternated them....

After my rim looked good, I added pumpkins to the middle. For these urns I used one large pumpkin and 2-3 smaller ones and one gourd.

Since I bought these pumpkins at auctions and garage sales, they were all different...which is good. But I wasn't real keen on the color of a few of them... so I painted them. I painted one white and another a metallic copper. These little pumpkins are a breeze to paint and paint can really freshen up faded or chipped pumpkins and gourds! Don't toss old foam pumpkins...just hit them with some colorful spray paint!

To secure the pumpkins, I pierced the underside with a wooden skewer and then smeared a little hot glue on the skewer before inserting it into the pumpkin.....then I just stuck the skewers into the foam in the urn where I wanted the pumpkin to sit.....

After placing the larger pumpkins and gourds in the middle, I filled in the gaps with flowers, small pumpkins, gourds and leaves. I have some large sunflowers I bought at a garage sale and I used a few in each of the arrangements. You could use sunflowers or mums or any "fall flower." Most floral stems have wire in them and will stick right into the foam! And again, to secure even small pumpkins and gourds, just add a skewer! For the smallest pumpkins I cut the skewer in half.

These are pretty large arrangements...perfect for a porch! You can make an arrangement like this with just about any size urn or pot...large or small...just use your imagination. I have a few old wicker baskets I have spray painted metallic cooper and plan on making arrangements in. I will use regular floral foam since they are wicker and the spray foam would more than likely expand through the gaps in the basket!

This is also a great arrangement for REAL pumpkins...just leave off the pumpkins in the center, and set real pumpkins on the foam. No need to secure them but you can use the wood skewers, or even hot glue, on real pumpkins as well.

And if you want to be frugal, you can always remove all the fall decor and add Christmas decor! Just toss the fall stuff into a bag and store it for next year!

For each urn I used about 5 pounds of sand, some butcher paper, 1 1/2 cans of spray foam, a little black spray paint, 1 berry garland, 2 sprays of fall leaves with 8-10 branches on each spray, 1 large pumpkin and 3-4 smaller pumpkins and gourds, 2 large sunflowers and a few extra fall picks as fillers.

I also took a little picnic style basket, sprayed it metallic copper and filled it with pine cones and a few little fall leaves and pumpkins. Then I painted the underside of the lid with chalkboard paint....

To stinking cute if you ask me....

I love fall!

Info

Comment

Garage sale madness...

I love going to garage sales, but getting ready for one wears me out! A few of my neighbors are having sales this weekend, so it is the perfect opportunity to rid myself of a lot of stuff that desperately needs a new home!

Naturally I started with my house....I went through every closet, cabinet and dresser and pulled anything and everything I had not seen, used, or worn in the last year.

I can't function if my closets and cabinets are stuffed and unorganized...so I don't have a problem getting rid of things I don't need or won't use! Seriously, I haven't made a fondant cake in two years...do I really need 3 boxes full of fondant cake decorating tools?

I even made my kids go through their stuff and pull their "cast offs." I'm still waiting on Katie...she has been sick all week so I feel bad about making her go through her cabinets and closet, but honestly, she is the worst pack-rat in the house.

After going through my house, I went to both flea market booths and spent hours pulling things that had not sold! Truth be told, my booths look soooo much better! Even though I had been selling items, I was also stocking them on a regular basis...so there was A LOT of stuff that needed to go!

I know there are people in the world whose garages look like this all the time. But this would drive me totally mad if I had to live like this all the time!!! Boxes and tubs and baskets FULL of anything and everything! And believe it or not I am still piling stuff in there!!

It is a one day sale...so Saturday this all goes away one way or another! I have a die hard rule about garage sales...if it goes out, it does NOT come back in!!! My unrealistic goal is to sell everything...but I know I probably won't. So at the end of the day I will box up everything that did not sell and donate it to a local charity!

I would like to think I will get my garage back after the sale. But it is time to start getting ready for fall at home and at the booths. So next week I begin the process of pulling fall decorations out of the attic and gearing up for the holidays!

Someday I hope to be able to park my truck in the garage again. Someday....

Info

Comment

Stuffy old wingback fit for a teen....

First, let me make it clear....I am NOT a professional upholsterer. Every time I tackle a chair I end up with numerous blisters and staple wounds. (not to mention the backache, knee pain and headache!) And I am such a "perfectionist" on this kind of thing that all the little "oops" drive me nuts!

And of course it always takes MUCH longer than I anticipate!

This was my first attempt at reupholstering one of these puppies! (see the before and after here)

This is one of the chairs that has been sitting in my garage for months!!! Every time I would pick a new project, I would look at it and have a complete mental block.....

A little formal...a little "stuffy."

I knew I didn't want formal or stuffy...I wanted fun and whimsey.

I knew it could be that. I just wasn't sure what direction to go with it.

Again, I have issues with fabric...

Out of the blue Katie decided she wanted it in HER room! Seriously? Nothing about this chair is her style. But she wanted it, so we headed to Hobby Lobby to pick out a fabric.

I assumed she would pick a bright funky floral or chevron or something "youngish." I thought 2-3 different fabrics would have looked cool! Maybe a wild floral on the back...a geo design on the seat....2-3 coordinating fabrics all on one chair. I've seen them, and I love them...fun, young and funky!

So when she picked out a "traditional" blue and white toile fabric, I was a bit taken aback. And then she threw me a real curve ball when she said she wanted RED piping and buttons. With blue toile? On a wing back chair? HUH??!!!

But you know what...she was right. I LOVE it!!! Fresh AND funky! And it knocked the formal and stuffy right out of the chair!

I restructured the arms (major pain!) to soften the "lines" of the chair. Red buttons. Red piping (can't see in the pictures but the entire back, sides and top have red piping). A little red paint on the legs. A comfy little pillow!

Just. Too. Stinking. Cute!

I also made her a pillow sham out of an old coffee bean bag she picked up at her favorite coffee shop!

She has become quite the little decorator!

When she told me she wanted her room (featured here!) to have grey chalkboard walls and an entire wall with a fail whale mural, I really questioned her decor taste.

But she nails it...every time.