Out of my gourd, about GOURDS!

Continuing with my Fall decorating ideas, here are some wonderful things you can do with GOURDS! I just love these freaky little vegetables, especially the oddly shaped and bumpy ones! You can find these just about anywhere, but my favorite place to buy them (for cheap!) is at a local pumpkin patch. I visit one held at a church here in Katy every year, but local schools often do these too! I decorate AND help a good cause. Makes me all warm inside! (:

(all photos courtesy of BHG)

Gourd or mini pumpkin votive holders. Appropriate for Halloween through Thanksgiving! You could use these as pathway lighting for Halloween or centerpieces for your Thanksgiving table.

I love these apothecary jars! They are such a versatile decorating item. Fill with gourds, mini pumpkins and fall foliage through Thanksgiving and then Christmas ornaments to carry you through the holiday season. Group them in 3's or 5's for a "WOW" display!

Another glass jar idea!

Cute, cute, cute! How about something different for your Halloween party or Thanksgiving gathering: Set up a "Candy Bar" using hollowed out gourds or mini pumpkins for your containers. Fill with candy corn, butterscotch hard candy, caramels, black jelly beans, etc. Be sure to drop a glass votive holder in the opening to hold the treats (okay, that was a "duh" moment!)

Happy Fall Y'all!

I haven't posted in awhile, much to my dismay. LIFE has been taking all of my energy right now! I still haven't completed all those projects I posted about. It's nagging at me, but eventually it will all get done (I'm hopeful!)

In the meantime, I found some easy, inexpensive and absolutely SPOOKTACULAR pumpkin carving projects Enjoy! (all photos courtesy of BHG)

All you need is a drill and several size bits to make the holes! Easy peasy!

Sketch the squares and then use a pumpkin carving or other sharp knife to carve out the square (but only the outer skin. Don't carve all the way through!) The deeper the cut, the more the pumpkin will glow when lit. You can use a knife or a lemon zester to make the lines.

This one take a little skill, but how cool is this?! Craft stores carry a variety of monogram letters in different fonts and sizes. Trace the letter on your pumpkin and then carve carefully. This is a display that could stay up through Thanksgiving. Gotta love that!



Love this idea! Carve out your house numbers on pumpkins. You can stack directly on the porch or elevate with an urn. Again, your craft stores have the number stencils. This is another idea that could stay up through Thanksgiving. I love how they accented with the Fall leaves!

You could also spell out "BOO" on 3 pumpkins. Fun!!

For us technically challenged folk! Who me?

I found the coolest thing at Lowe's today and thought I would share. This is a pendant light that screws into the lightbulb socket of a recessed (can) light. Kit was $15. Glass shade was $12. You just adjust the cord. No electrical involved, yippee! And the best part -- no asking the hubby for help! (groaning & grumbling avoided, YES!)

Tablescapes 101

(all photos courtesy of BHG. Excerpt on Tablescapes taken from www.decoratingfordummies.com)

Tablescapes are arrangements of items gathered in a grouping on top of a table. They're sometimes called tabletop arrangements.
A tablescape can include a centerpiece, or it can simply contain an arrangement of your favorite items. Tablescapes refer to the way things are laid out, like in a landscape painting. And they're not just for dinner anymore. They're wonderful to arrange on coffee tables, end tables, mantels or shelves.
If you want to make your own tablescape, here's a quick formula: Simply gather and arrange the following items, or a combination of them, on no more than 1/3 of your table surface space to make an instant tablescape:

• Light source (lamp or candles — sometimes both).

• Hard line accent (photo frame, book, a collectible item).

• Botanical element (flower, bowl of fruit, plant or other item).

• Fabric item (a table topper, runner, ribbon, a tapestry remnant, a napkin.)

Making your own tablescapes is easy if you keep these few pointers in mind:

• Gather interesting items of different textures together. Good items to have are books, decorative plates displayed on stands, bowls filled with fruit or other decorative items, vases, flowers, candles, decorative orbs, and other home décor accessories.

• Arrange items in staggering heights. Stack a few books and use them underneath items to raise them if needed. If you have a lamp on a table, use that as your tallest height, and work with other smaller items to fill in your tablescape.

• Take up no more than 1/3 of your table with a tablescape unless you don't intend to use the table for anything else but display. You want your tablescape to stay intact, so leave room for people to set down drinks or the TV remote without bumping into your lovely arrangement.

• Use your surfaces wisely. If you set up a gorgeous tablescape on your coffee table but no one has a place to put their dishes, cups, or other items for which that coffee table was intended, you've defeated the purpose of decorating. Decorating is meant to enhance — not to hassle.

If you want to place a tablescape on a surface you may need to use unexpectedly, such as an ottoman, try arranging it on a decorative tray so that you can move or shift the display without having to take it down or rearrange it.

Projects under way at lightning speed! NOT!

Well, this should make you feel better about any housekeeping you've been neglecting! This is what one side of Chance's room looks like at the moment. And this is what the other side looks like...

Pretty cool, huh? I would love to take credit for it. One of my fellow moms from school is an "amateur" mural artist. Didn't she do a great job?! That little white square in the corner is what we call a "Texas attic". Silly little space under the eaves for storage with a "Harry Potter-like" door. I'm going to do some funky graffiti on it I think. Or convert into a "chokey" for when the kids misbehave! (those of you who know every line from "Matilda" will get that one!)

I'm feeling pressure to get the room done before Friday when Chance gets back from his Amarillo trip, but it's not looking so good. I have these grand plans of building a platform bed out of 3/4" plywood sheets & cinder blocks. Now mind you, I've never "built" anything in my life. This should be interesting. But, I DO have a table saw. Don't ask me why; we've never actually used it. Wish me luck on completing this project without losing any fingers. More pics to come of the powder bath project that *sigh* is still in progress as well.

Craig's List - a new addiction

Need some new wheels? They are FREE. They're in the pasture out behind my Maw-Maw's house.

A chaise lounge for FREE, yes free. Okay, so it probably needs a little work but did I tell you it was FREE?!

Need some English Ivy? Just come on over and dig it up!

I hear everyone rave over Craig's List and I'm ashamed to say that moi, ever the trash picker, thrift store visitor, etc, has NEVER looked at Craig's List. Yes, I said it, NEVER. So I just perused the site and I will certainly be putting it on my daily rotation.

The coolest thing that got me *giddy* was the FREE section. Yeah, people actually list their unwanted crapola FREE to the first person. Oh, this could be dangerous. I'm seeing a storage unit in my future... I've shown some fine examples above of what you can get for FREE on Craig's List. I should also mention that a lot of the FREE things didn't have pictures, but there was everything from pine trees, to car parts, to baby formula!

Hey, economy's bad. I've gotta save where I can. They are even calling this FREE crap exchange "freecycling". Neato!

Lighten up!

Okay, I am guilty! I have a tendency to create cave-like environments in my home. I guess it's comforting in some weird way. I have been seeing a LOT of light and white interiors, which has inspired me to lighten up and quit being so serious!

I've always appreciated cottage style. Love those chairs!

An all white room, wouldn't that be nice? Alas, it will be at least 10 more years before that ever happens! (this looks like a kid nightmare to me, but isn't it pretty?)


Fun dishes!

Super cute!

Love banquettes! I hope to have one in my breakfast room very soon! Love these sea-colored chairs too!

Washer broken....defcon 4!

Well, it happened. My washer finally kicked the bucket! For 2 weeks I was dealing with major washer malfunctions. The spin cycle wouldn't complete, so I was wringing the water out of my clothes piece by piece every time I did a load (and saying a few choice *words* in the process!) But, hubby saves the day! I now have a new washer and life is good! This is a picture of it, isn't it cute? (okay, its a washer, I know!) But to me, it is a thing of beauty. It has more cycles, it's quiet and my clothes have never been cleaner (yeah, it's getting deep in here!) If you are totally jealous of my new washer, you can get yours at Home Depot -- it's a Maytag Centennial Commercial top load. And those great little guys from HD delivered the new beautiful washer and hauled away my sad little broken one! Sidebar -- I was looking at those new front load jobs that only take detergent like once a year (is that possible?) but have friends who say they aren't that great, so we decided to go with the good old top loader.

BIG ways to fill wall space without spending BIG bucks!

I love the impact of all white frames. The different shapes keep it interesting. You could paint (spray paint is your friend, yes, it is!) all those old, dinged up frames you have laying around to get the same look! (photo BHG)

Think beyond the architectural pieces you find at Kirkland's and the like (*yawn*). Look for old iron gates, pieces of fencing, old doors. They are authentic and add lots of character & texture! (photo BHG)

I usually don't like plates on walls, but this arrangement speaks to me! I love that it is very vertical and a lot of plates! You can get inexpensive plates at Homegoods, Marshall's, etc. I think the colors should coordinate, but don't have to be matchy-matchy as shown in the picture. (photo BHG)


How cool is this? These are panels of wallpaper secured at top and bottom with wood dowel rods and hung by ribbon. What an inexpensive way to make a BIG impact on your walls! (photo BHG)

I love this! This is framed fabric. You could also frame scrapbook papers or even giftwrap! (photo BHG)

My own attempt at a photography arrangement!

Great way to display a lot of family photos. I love how the frames don't match, but it still works! (photo BHG)

Another take on displaying lots of family photos; this time, in coordinating frames (for those of us who WANT to be eclectic, but still tend to go toward the matchy-matchy! Is there a help group for this? (photo BHG)

Styling a bookshelf! Yes, it is an art!

(photos courtesy of BHG)

I've been going through all of my internet photo archives and pulling out all the really good stuff to post here! I love styling bookshelves, but it can sometimes be a little tricky trying to figure out which arrangements look best. These pics are some of my favorite examples of great bookshelf arranging. Some practical tips that you can use when arranging your bookshelves:

1. Alternate placing books horizontally and vertically.
2. Use framed pictures as bookends.
3. Put sculptural items, framed pictures, or small framed art on top of horizontal stacks of books and layer photos behind.
4. Pick one tone (as shown in the 2nd pic) for a clean look.
5. Lean plates and/or artwork along the backs of the shelves to anchor them.
6. Use baskets and boxes for storage and to add texture. Offset with smooth curvy vases or urns.
7. Be sure to step back often as you arrange to assess your work and make adjustments.

Cute Ideas to update inexpensive window panels!

Ric-rac design using ribbon! Buttons were used at the intersections for extra embellishment.

Velvet ribbon in 3 shades "stitch-witched" or hot glue'd to inexpensive white panels. You could use grosgrain ribbon too!

Diamond trim. Make diamond template out of cardstock (measure, measure, measure!). Use template to trace pattern in straight line on panel. Paint diamonds with fabric paint. Wouldn't this be cool in Black/White or Chocolate/White?

Free hand sketch branch & leaf design. Paint over design with fabric paint.

Cute idea for kid's room using stencils and fabric paint!  Helpful hint -- use spray adhesive that is repositionable to adhere the stencils to the fabric temporarily.  Use a stencil brush to apply the paint.  Dab all excess paint off the brush until the brush is almost dry.  You may have to do several applications using this technique, but it will ensure that you don't have "bleeding" underneath the stencil.

(photos courtesy of BHG)

Flea Market Decorating - Clever Storage Ideas

What a fun way to repurpose old dresser drawers! You can add any kind of feet to the bottom or use flat as under-the-bed storage. Change out the handles if necessary. You could line the inside in pretty paper.

Architectural salvage turned coat or towel rack. Just add hooks!

(all photos courtesy of BHG)

Antique handles turned into key keepers, etc. Now how genius is that?! I'm ALWAYS looking for my keys and this is a very chic way to organize all those "little things"!

By the way, dumpster diving update - I snagged a low TV console (looks like it's from the '70's!) late last night before trash day. Picture Kendall in track suit lugging 100 lb furniture into the back of her SUV, trying to be stealth! Now I have 4 projects sitting in my garage waiting for my magic....aaah, there are not enough hours in the day!