A Bit of Fall

Hello everyone!  I have a few fall photos for today...leftovers from the ones I took previously.  I was hoping to post my bedroom, but I didn't quite have the time to pull it together.  I am hoping for next week.

It seems that everyone is in all out fall decorating mode and I'm finally beginning to enjoy fall a little more as I see all of the inspiring photos that everyone is posting.  So, here are a few more to add to the mix.  The first one is my favorite...nice and simple.

I like how these last two look all warm and toasty.

Unfortunately I didn't have any real white pumpkins...I have yet to see one anywhere, and of course those are my favorite.  How's your fall decorating coming along?  I have started in with my Halloween stuff now...which my children are very pleased about.  My son thinks the spookier the better.

I have linked up my post to Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground so be sure to pop over there and see what everyone is up to.

Best wishes for a wonderful week :)

A Junky Vignette

Hello all!  How do you like my post title?  I thought it was pretty catchy.  I figured that I would whip together a quick post today after I saw that Funky Junk Interiors was having Junk Vignette Day, which was a challenge to put together a quick junking vignette and then link it up.  I was up for it and figured a good starting point was right outside my front door where this old shutter, pedestal, and basket reside.  I gathered a few other items from around my house and this is what I came up with. 

Then...I thought it would look cute if I stuck an apple in the hydrangeas.

Yes...I like it.
What else would look good? 
Hmmm....how about some old gardening tools or a little pot? 
That might jazz it up a bit.

And there you go...my super quick junky vignette.  I think it has a fall flavor to it so that's an added bonus.

On a separate note, I hope to put up another post later this week about my bedroom...we'll see how it goes.  Best wishes :)

Fall Farmhouse Displays

Hello lovely people!  I have a few more fall displays to share with you.  As I told you on my last post, I've been trying to enjoy the autumn season and feel inspired by its beauty, instead of focusing so much on the fact the winter will soon be here....brrrr, I'm cold just thinking about it :)

My last bunch of displays were vivid and colorful...created from some things that I got at the farmers' market.  The ones I did for today have a more muted color scheme using elements from around my house, hydrangea flowers and a few apples.  They also have a farmhouse flavor, especially with my big rooster and antique sideboard.

I think it is so pretty to use hydrangeas, gourds and a few white pumpkins for fall decorating.  I like things simple, neutral, kind of worn looking and with lots of texture.  I am all about texture...I like it more than color.  I also like a good apple...

I love certain elements of farm style decorating...the patina of an old piece and and how it just feels warm and comfortable.  I also think it looks great when it is mixed with more modern pieces of furniture and artwork, natural elements, a little metal and some great light fixtures too. 



Well, that's it for my fall displays...they have been revamped and moved to new areas since my son has been begging me to decorate for Halloween (ugh...I was almost going to write Christmas), so that will be the next thing on my agenda.  When I get it done, I will have to share my creepy photos with you ;)

I want to say a big thank you to my wonderful new friend Rachel at French Farmhouse 425 for mentioning me on her blog the other day...that was so sweet of her.  If you want to enjoy a few other farmhouse treasures be sure to go and visit her.

Lastly, I will be linking this post up to Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday, so head over to Debra's blog and check out all of the inspiring posts.

Have a great day!

Autumn Decorating

Well, it's official...fall has arrived.  Notice I didn't say "finally" arrived.  Here, where I live, summer goes by in a flash, and to me, fall just signals that winter is right around the corner.  Needing to get myself in the mood for all of the the loveliness that autumn offers, I thought I would whip up a few fall displays.  To get things rolling, I went to the farmers' market yesterday and got a few goodies...flowers, squash, fingerling potatoes and my favorite, honeycrisp apples...yum.  I created all of my displays on my pine side board and just added a few items I found around my house. 

So...here's how everything looks fresh from the market...

Very pretty I think, but since I have to put the flowers in water,
I switched it to this.

I really love that old rake.

And lastly...

I know...the last one is a little boring, but sometimes you just gotta keep it simple.  I made a few other displays too.  For those I used a different grouping of items in a more muted palette, but I'm saving those photos for a different day so hopefully you'll come back and check it out :)

Thanks for visiting and best wishes for a wonderful day!

The Beauty of Old Books

"Books are not made for furniture,

but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house." 

 ~ Henry Ward Beecher

I love to read and I enjoy a variety of books.  Novels where I can escape, for just a short while, into a whole other world with an interesting set of characters.  Decorating and design books, for a chance to dream about all of the ways I could transform my home.  And of course...the self help and spiritual books, since I'm trying to be the best me I can be.

With all of these interests, I have come to acquire a lot of books.  So many that I no longer have anywhere to put them...my shelves are full and I have taken to just stacking them on the floor in my library room.  Not a pretty sight.  Nestled amongst them all are a few oldies.  Now these, I must admit, I haven't read...I just love them for their looks.

The texture and design of their beautifully embossed covers...

and their worn and well-loved look.

I just love to see them lying there.  Occasionally, I page through one and glance at its charming book plates.  But there are times I feel guilty.  I know that I should read them...take in their classically written words and perhaps love them for more than the way they beautifully furnish my home...

Thanks for visiting and hope you have a lovely day :)

A Simple Postage Stamp Project

This summer I got to work on redoing my son's bedroom.  In the process I've tried to create things for his room that reflect his personality and interests and that hopefully save me a little money...always a plus.

One of the things that I put together are two little pictures using old postage stamps.  Now, I may be a little biased, but I think that they turned out pretty cute so I thought that I would share them with you, thinking you might want to try it too.  The nice thing about this project is that depending on the stamps you choose and they way you finish your canvas it can really match any style of decorating...and you don't even need to be artistic.

My son's room has a very natural feel with grass covered boxes, a large wall map, rocks and shells, so sticking with this theme I chose to use bird stamps.

I also made another picture using butterfly stickers, that look like stamps, that I adhered to an old book page.  This one is very feminine and not intended for my son's room though :)

Here are the supplies I used...

I know the process for making these is pretty obvious, but just in case your not into crafts and want to try it, I'll give you the low down. 

Here is what you need to know:

1. I bought my stamps in a bag of 500 at Michaels a few years ago.  I don't think they carry them any longer, but perhaps you can find some on ebay or esty.  If not, try new stamps or stamp stickers.
2. Make sure your stamps are the same size.  They often look to be the same, but are not.
3. If you find used stamps you can remove them from the envelope by soaking them for a few minutes in warm water and then slowly peeling the stamp from the paper.

Here is what I do:

1. Cover my work area.
2. Paint the canvas and let it dry.
3. For the butterfly picture, I stuck my sticker stamps to the page of an old book and then cut them out.
4. I layout and measure my pattern using a quilting ruler that I can see through.
5. After I layout my pattern I check, double check, and triple check it...making sure it is centered properly.  I can't help it...if it is off by a smidge it will drive me crazy :)
6. Make sure my work area is properly covered to prepare for the Super 77, which is really sticky.
7. Spray Super 77 to the backs of the stamps or old book paper.
8. Place stamps on the canvas.
9. Check everything again to make sure it is all even and level.  If not, I carefully peel up the stamp and fix it.
10. If I want a bit of a distressed look to my canvas I mix up a little paint, water it down and rub it on, then rub it off.  Careful though if you use stickers...this can remove some of their color.
11. After everything is dry I brush on a coat or two of the Mod Podge.
12. After the Mod Podge is dry I spray on a little sealer.  I'm not sure if I need this, but at this point I figure what the heck :)

Well...that's it, pretty easy.  Let me know if you give it a try :)

Have a great day!

Tricia

So...Here's What I'm Thinking

I'm thinking that I really, really want to go to Restoration Hardware right now, but I'm not going to.  I'm going to focus on my goals, remember...the ones where I clean, organize and blog?

So here I am.  I haven't been blogging very well lately, but I have a very good reason.  I've been busy nursing my dog back to good health.  This is Murphy...

He decide it would be a good idea to eat this...

That didn't turn out so well and he had to have surgery.  It was not a pretty situation, but I'll spare you the details.  The moral of the story is that dogs and corncobs don't mix and make sure you put your garbage can away.

Okay, moving onward.  Here are a few other random things that are on my mind:

1.)  A few people have commented on the fact that I do not have the Google follow button.  Well, here is why...first, I don't really like what it looks like, kind of cluttered in my opinion and I don't like that is shows the number of followers a blog has...like it's a competition.  However, I find it impossible not to compare myself to others when the follower number is shown on my dashboard and I can see that people who have had their blogs for a short time, similar to myself, have a lot more followers than I do.  An important part of a blog is having people participate so I have grudgingly decided to add the button, for now, hoping to get myself some more peeps and increase participation.  Of course there is the possibility that I am just lame and it will do nothing ;)

2.) You might find that I like to change things around a lot. I'm kind of a perfectionist and will mess around with stuff trying to make it feel just right. For instance, I'm thinking of changing my header...removing the three small photos and centering my blog name. I am also going to try and whip up a new photo of myself for my profile since I think my current photo looks like I have no personality, sort of like a stepford wife or something.

3.)  I tend to overuse ellipses...and smiley faces :)  I doubt that I have to point this out to you, since you have probably noticed.  I will do my best to control this urge.

4.)  I am a little bit sarcastic and have a dry sense of humor...just thought I would share.

5.) I can't decide how much I should tell or show about my children. That is why their photos on my last post were somewhat obscured.  I may reveal more in the future, but I need to ponder this a little more.

Well, there you go.  That's what I'm thinking :)

Time for a Little Change

Here in Minnesota, we are in a season of change, both literally and figuratively.  Summer seems to have left us, its like someone flipped a switch and it went from warm to cold the moment September started.  We are also adapting to a new normal here at our house, since school started yesterday and my little guy went off to the fourth grade.  So in addition to our new season, we have new schedules and activities to get used to.

At the beginning of the school year everything always feels fresh and new, but it is a reminder of how quickly life changes and passes us by.  My boy is getting big, too big for me it seems.  I always take his picture the first day of school and go with him to wait for the bus.  That all changed yesterday, when he insisted that I stay home and not come to the bus stop.  When I put on a sad face he said "Now mom...I still love you" and gave me a big hug.  So I stayed back...thinking about how much he is changing and how I cherish his sweet little self, even though he doesn't need me so much anymore.

When my son started kindergarten, I was pregnant with my daughter and now she is three.  I think about how quickly the time has went by and that she has went from being a delicious little baby to this big independent girl.

It seems to be a good time for me to make some changes too.  I started with getting my hair colored yesterday.   Now it feels nice and fresh...I always love that.  I also want to get my house more organized since I feel so much better when everything is in its place.  And of course, there are always the projects that I have brewing around in my head...finish decorating my son's room, redo my daughter's room, paint the bathroom.  The list goes on. Hopefully, I will have time to blog more too.  But most importantly, I want to do a few things that are just for me, like improving my photography skills and spending more time learning my Adobe Illustrator program. 

After my Purposeful Life post, Lee Ann over at Encouragement is Contagious wrote me a wonderful message and sent me a link for Brave Girls Club to receive all of their inspirational messages...lookin' forward to that.  Hopefully, it will give me a little nudge to stay positive and focus on my goals.

So...here's to a little change.