Thanksgiving...done...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Hope you all had a nice time with family and/or friends.  We had a great time with Brett's parents, sister and her family.  Here are some pics of our Thanksgiving decor.

The "adult" table....

And here is a closeup of the placesetting.  I was going to make placecard holders out of the apples, but ran out of time!

Here is a closeup of the centerpiece.  This was SO easy to put together.  I just bought whatever fruits were on sale cheap at the grocery store and placed them in the container, topped with a harvest candle.  After, we emptied the jars and sent everyone home with fruit!

Here is the kid's table...

I have to say the fall tree turned out really cute, but it took FOREVER to make.  Hindsight is 20/20 I guess.  I should have bought a leaf shaped paper punch and it would have gone much faster.  Instead, I printed leaf templates off the internet and cut out every one of them.

At 3 am in my delirious state, I was coming up with anything I could cut out that would fill up the space faster!  Birds....nests....snakes....

I made an activity book for each placesetting from sheets I found on the internet...

I placed jars of crayons, colored pencils, markers & a bowl of playdoh on the table to keep the little turkeys busy...

All in all, it was a great time with family.  Oh, and the HO HO HO plates I wasn't so sure about last week?  One slipped and broke, so I figured that was the decorating gods telling me it WAS indeed a hot mess and into the trashcan they went!

More harvest decorating at Kendall's house

I've completed a few more updates and my home is ready for Halloween & Thanksgiving.


I have bookshelves in my entry, but didn't want to completely dismantle what I already had on the shelves.

Instead, I just added a few pumpkins and harvest items to the mix...

This is the arrangement I made last week with the little pumpkins and gourds I got at the pumpkin patch 6 for $3.  I already had the glass container.  I elevated it on orange and yellow books.  I already had the red coral, but thought it still worked with the colors.

I already had the white pearl vase, and just added some burnt orange silk flowers I found at Hobby Lobby for $2

I already had the Ethiopian basket (it usually holds rocks and small candles).  I arranged mini pumpkins & gourds and a few silk leaves and branches.

This is a fiber optic haunted house that I've had for years.  It changes colors and is super tacky but I love it!

Instead of removing things from the shelves, I just added in little pumpkins tied with raffia.

I've also had this little light up pumpkin "house" for a long time.  I just put it on the bottom bookshelf on top of a stack of books.

I spent a total of about $15 on this bookshelf arrangement!

Ssshhhh, don't tell Pottery Barn!

I just love Pottery Barn style, but I hate paying PB prices!  Look at the hurricane candle arrangement I "reinterpreted" for $7 a piece!

Here is the inspiration, courtesy of Pottery Barn...

And here is the Kendall "on the cheap" reinterpretation!

I found the hurricanes at Hobby Lobby for $5.99 a piece.  I layered river rocks in the bottom (PB used nuts or acorns).  I had the pillar candles already.  I used 2 silk Fall leaves layered on top of each other and tied in the middle of the candle with a piece of dark brown raffia.  I tucked a sprig of Fall berries on the side, and voila!  Cute fall arrangement "on the cheap"!  Pottery Barn is charging $59 for just each hurricane, without all the stuff inside!  Wow!

I added a wooden bowl full of gourds and mini pumpkins to the arrangement....

And the whole thing looks like this....

 

It sits on the sideboard in my formal dining room.

I also put together this little arrangement...

 

I used mini pumpkins and gourds to fill a tall footed glass container.  I filled in the holes with silk fall leaves and berry sprigs.  Total cost for this project?  $6, the cost of the pumpkins.  I already had the container & leaves.   By the way, find a local pumpkin patch to buy these mini pumpkins.  I got a great deal on mine at 6 for $3.  Also, Hobby Lobby is running 50% off their Fall decorations right now!

Project Pumpkin underway!

I finally made it over to the pumpkin patch and went NUTS buying pumpkins and gourds in all shapes and sizes.  I think the guy running the place thought I was completely batty!  Here's what I came home with...

I immediately sat down and put together one of the projects I posted about last week.  Here it is...

 

Isn't that the cutest?!  It was super easy.  Here's the step by step:

1.  Use a medium to large pumpkin.  Wash off pumpkin with wet cloth.

2.  Tape a stencil on pumpkin (I used W for our last name.  You could also use 3 smaller pumpkins & spell out the word BOO.  I would use no smaller than 4" stencil).

3.  With a Sharpie, trace around the stencil.

4.  Use a pumpkin carving knife or paring knife (I used a paring knife) to cut the outline of the letter.

5.  Carefully cut out just the top layer of pumpkin skin inside the traced letter.  (Beware -- the pumpkin will be a little "juicy" so don't be wearing anything too nice!)

6.  Place pumpkin in a pot, urn or other fun container.

7.  Tuck in a sprig of Fall leaves, berries or branches.

8.  Tie a raffia or ribbon bow around the stem.

I absolutely love this project, especially because it can stay up through Thanksgiving.

More to come...check back!

Our Spook-TACKY-ular Halloween Decor!

I was informed by my 8 year old that last year's Halloween decorations were just not scary enough!  Hmmm, a challenge, I hear??  So, presenting our new, GHOULISH, Halloween decor (just looking at it will frighten all you "Marthas" out there, but hey...we do it for the kids right?)

Sidenote -- The pumpkin patch is on my list this week, so I can complete some of those cute pumpkin projects I posted last week!  Check back!

Definitely not far from the truth!

 

Lighted skulls and a severed leg will welcome our trick-or-treaters this year.  Lucky them!

 

Some creepy claws...

 

I can't even explain this one!

 

Rest in peace, whoever you are...

 

And we had to have spiderwebs...

 

A warm welcome from the cackling, rattling caged grim reaper!

 

Creepy...

 

To complete the tackiness, one MUST have an inflatable angry jack-o-lantern!!

 

Mom in da house!!!