Fall Decorating on a Budget

Need a mini-face lift for fall? Go to your nearest TJ Maxx, Ross or Marshalls and snag a birdcage. They are great for little vignettes....I took a decoupaged letter from Hobby Lobby (around $2) and a few thrift store finds and filled with moss and shredded book pages from old foreign language books that were also thrifted. (Gasp!) I can't read French, so they make pretty decorations! I googled them...no worries they aren't precious rarities:) You can also do this with dollar store books...just paint the edges of the books black before using for an "old" or "vintage" look!



These gems were old brass candlesticks purchased at, you guessed it, thrift stores and garage sales for about 25 cents each! I painted them with spray paint, roughed them up a bit and then applied some dark stain! Adds a pop of color for a few dollars!



Not sure what to do with your Thanksgiving table? Grab some Pumpkins at Hobby Lobby while they are about 66% off and grab a few yards of Burlap with that 40% off coupon. Cut the ends into strips and tie into knots for an instant farmhouse table runner. Grab a few of those brass candlesticks and paint them off white. Any leftover pumpkins? Spray them white too if they are still in good shape! Look around your neighborhood and trim some fresh evergreen, or other pretty greenery and place around your items. Instant table scape for very little cash!

Uganda Journey Benefit

I had lots of fun doing the decorating for a Benefit for some sweet friends who are missionaries in Kampala, Uganda. We had about 20 tables, so fortunately I had some talented volunteers to come and help with the setup. My friend Amanda was in charge of the Benefit and she recruited me for the decor. I met with a local florist and chose flowers for the arrangements, then re purposed lots of brass candlesticks with paint, distressing and a bit of glaze to make them look aged. I painted some old shutters for jewelry display for the Aggie's Arts segment of their ministry. (If you are interested in purchasing some of the handmade jewelry or handbags, contact me. All proceeds go towards helping women in the slums of Kampala and also go towards Kisoro kids, a school there in Uganda for the children). I used lots of candles, greenery and moss with lanterns. Amanda made the frames, with pictures of locals in Kampala, and we placed those on each table. I painted a few pieces for the welcome station, and also for the buffet to hold plates, etc. Lots of fun for a great cause!

Ruffled Burlap Pillow Tutorial

Burlap and ruffled pillows are everywhere these days, so I decided to throw one together with some scraps I had.

Supply list:

Pillow form (I used 24x24 from Joann's)

A piece of muslin cut roughly 2 inches bigger than your pillow form (26x26 in my case)

burlap, (enough to cut a 26x26 square for the back and then 9-10 strips roughly 34" long and 3-4 inches wide...hey this isn't an exact science!)

a contrasting fabric (enough to cut at least 10 strips twice the width of your pillow (mine were about 48" long) and 3" wide)

sewing machine and thread!


Here is a pic of the strips I cut to use on the pillow. As you will note, the burlap ones aren't as long, because they are so stiff and I didn't ruffle them as much. If you are OCD do not attampt this project. It is messy and I am sooo not a perfectionist. I think it lends character to the project **wink** wink** :)


Start by pinning the first strip on to your muslin square. Begin at the bottom and work your way up to avoid a major headache. (I started with the fabric) and folding/pining as you go to create the ruffles. I forgot to take a pic of the pining process, but here is a pic of some of the ruffles already sewn onto the muslin. Pretty straightforward....just sew the pieces straight on, alternating as you go. It would be pretty with lots of different prints as well, very Anthro.



A closer shot of the ruffles as they are sewn. Hey, don't judge, I am no seamstress:) If I can do this you can do this! As you can see you will need to trim later. If you want to add some stop-fray to the edges or even dilute a little Elmer's glue and apply lightly to the edges, this will prevent fraying as well.

Keep stitching until all ruffles are in place. Take your piece of Burlap that you cut to fit and sew to the ruffled side of the pillow. Sew around 3 sides and then turn inside out. I know you would normally just leave a little hole to turn it right side out, but believe me, this is bulky and you will save yourself a meltdown by doing it this way. After it is right side out, place your pillow form inside and hand stitch it closed! Isn't it lovely? You should be proud!


Finished pillow....thanks for viewing!

~Emily

Country Living Fair, Stone Mountain GA

When my dear husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday this year, my immediate response was "tickets to the Country Living Fair in Atlanta!". I wanted to go last year, but with a 5 month old it wasn't really feasible for us. Was it everything I had hoped? Oh...I will let you be the judge. Feast your eyes, fellow crafters, DIY-ers and flea market junkies! It is like the mother ship! HAHA! I loved it and will be back next year. Pretty sure my man gets husband of the year for taking me.

Breanna's Bedroom Makeover

My niece Breanna will soon be 13, so her one request was that we would revamp her "little girlish" bedroom into an older look. I regret that I don't have the before pics of her teal and purple walls with pink, purple and white over sized polka dots (it was cute for a 5 year old!)Hopefully you can still appreciate the dramatic transformation!





She picked this bedspread,so we used it to inspire the rest of the room. I had one wall painted "Kimono Purple" by Sherwin Williams, two walls in a Steely Gray, and one was a cream color that I can't remember off the top of my head. I free handed zebra stripes with black paint on one wall...(note to self...NEVER agree to do that again...took forever!!) I took my sister accessory shopping, and we got a rug, trash can and various wall art to add to the mix. I had a side table in my garage that a friend of mine was getting rid of, and the purple lamp I discovered at a thrift store.




This photo collage frame reminded me of something from Anthro, so we got it and went by Hobby Lobby and found some cool scrapbook papers to create instant customized wall art. She can add pics later if she wants.




I painted the side table the same gray as two of the walls, we got the lamp shade from Lowe's, and hung some funky black mirrors on one wall, which will be hung from zebra ribbons as soon as we can get to it! We will also do draperies, but hand-painting that zebra wall took me most of the day, so I ran out of time before we could get to those. I mixed some glitter into the black paint to give the stripes a little kick, and even put zebra scrapbook paper on the back of her pet snake Liz's aquarium. We rounded up all those loose bath and body works items with a cute purple tray and rounded out the room with a full length mirror, a must for all teen girls, of course. Too bad I didn't get her life sized "Jacob Black" cut-out in the pic, for all you Twilight fans!! Love you, Bree!

Home Consignment Market coming this Spring to Huntsville!

My friend Allison Posey and I are in the process of bringing a home interiors consignment market to you here in Huntsville! It will be held in the spring and will consist of items such as furniture, art, accessories, bedding, draperies, lighting, rugs, and much more! We are working out the guidlines and registration so that we can ensure the best quality items for consignment. So keep us in mind when you have those items that you would like to sell or if you want to come shopping for a new look! Find us on Facebook and "like" us to stay posted on updates!

Thanks!
~Emily

Baby Boy's Room

Need a quick way to customize your nursery without breaking the bank? I got these canvases and letters from Hobby Lobby and bought some acrylics in colors to match the crib bedding...easy-peasy! Just pic a few images from the quilt or bumper and paint away. I free-handed these, but if you aren't artsy, just hold up to the light and trace as best as you can. Color the back side of the paper where you traced the image with chalk, then place your paper onto the canvas and trace the image again. Instant transfer! Or, you can find your bedding online and print and enlarge the pic. Easy DIY art for your sweet baby!



You don't have to spend a ton for a cute display....I got the shelf on clearance at Marshall's, then added a frame and the tiny cowboy hat that I already had. The horse is vintage that I picked up for $2.00 at an antique shop...I have another one, but my little girl decided it needed to live in her room:) The point is, look around and see what you already have and make a fun grouping that makes you smile!


Again, just things I had...a ledge shelf, a sweet pic of my boy, a fox (of course) and some cute boots he outgrew. I made the bunting for his first birthday...I stored the "Happy Birthday" part and kept his name out to hang on the shelf. I printed out a bible verse and put it a dollar store frame. (I actually had many of these that I used at a friend's baby shower...)


Last one for today....I loved this verse that I bought on sale at Hobby Lobby, but it looked small on the wall. When I saw this frame made from barn wood at a local antiques store for only a few dollars, I knew it would be perfect to frame the verse on his wall! I think it is just what that wall needed:) Happy Antiquing!

So, it is time to clean out some of the excess pieces that I have....The problem with refinishing things is that I like to hoard them afterwards and look at them!! HAHA! I don't even have a spot for these, as much as I want to keep them! So take a look....they are for sale! Hugs and Kisses!

Around the house DIY....

So with all the burlap trendy-ness going on right now, I decided to whip up a valance for our big picture window in the kitchen. OH-SO-SIMPLE!!! I started with an 18" wide strip of unbleached muslin, cut it the length of my window and cut 3 strips of burlap (about 8-10 inches wide and prob twice as long as the window) and pinned them into ruffles and sewed with my machine. Don't forget to hem your edges first, or they will unravel. I had pieces of burlap to make up each row of ruffles...not one continuous piece. It would have been easier to do long strips but less cost effective on the yardage. (Hope that made sense!!) Anyway, I made loops out of some leftover fabric, added trim to the top and hung them from knobs that I got at Hobby Lobby for 1/2 off. Love it!


Another view of our breakfast nook....The table came from Craig's list and the chairs *free*! Stewart and I painted and distressed the table and I did the chairs. Comfy and cozy for the fam!


I got this side table at my favorite antiques store for a mere $22.00. It had drink rings on the top and was a lovey 70's orangish finish. I sanded and distressed it and painted in a creamy neutral. The books were from a garage sale and I tied them up with vintage lace. The lamp is one we have had for years!



This was another freebie a la craig's list...yes, I might be addicted. It has 2 more leaves so it can be big or small! I painted it a wonderful olive green that I got in the mistints at Lowe's and distressed it and applied a black glaze and finished with a wax paste.


Thrifty tablescape....I got these milk glass vases and the small silver cup at a thrift store for $2.50...total! The moss was 1/2 off at Hobby Lobby and the books were more from the same garage sale mentioned above. The flower was made by yours truly:)See how easy it is to decorate on the cheap? Happy Treasure hunting!

Headboard Reveal.....

So here it is in all its glory!! I finally finished my shutter headboard. After going "junkin" the other day, I found the two missing shutters I needed and painted them up! I started with a purplish black, then layered Hosta (one of my favorite colors!), a cool gray, and a creamy white. (Sorry, I don't know the colors off hand, but I can research and tell you...mostly BM paints.)They look really old and rustic now! I have an old chandelier that I have painted, but it is still living in the garage until my dear hubby has time to install:)


Here is a sneak peek at the rest...I have a LOT of accessorizing left to do and I want to repaint the walls! This is a dresser that I scored for $40 and repainted to look like barn wood.


One curtain down...3 more to go!!!