Spring Table Centerpiece

Good morning everyone.  Hope Spring has finding you as it has us.  Last week was Spring break and we spent it in the mountains and enjoyed every minute of it.  Now I am in full blown Spring fever mode.  So today I thought I would show you our Spring table centerpiece.
  

Shell Art

Today I am going to share the art that  is 

hanging on the wall above my mantel.

This is a knockoff of a piece of art I saw at Ace Hardware 

a couple weeks ago.

It was made with painted bead board 

and

they had done some other wood and beach decor items on it.

I loved it so much I wanted to make one like it.

But, I didn't want to buy bead board and I needed to use

what I had on hand.

Beach Inspired Mantel

Summer is in full swing now....

and with that brings us thoughts of beaches and the ocean.

Living here at the beach really influences the way I do my decorating.        

This year I wavered between doing a 

full out patriotic decor or just skipping it 

and

going straight to my beach decor I love.

Spring Entryway

Written by: Cathy Carroll

After the New Year I took all the Christmas decor 

out of the entryway.

I never added anything else to it 

so,

 it has been quite blah out there these last few months.

I decided since Spring has hit full force here it's time to do something

about that blah entryway.

So, today I am going to show you my 

Spring Entryway.

13 Top Posts of 2013

Written by: Cathy Carroll, Vintage, Paint and more...

Good day folks,

hope you are all enjoying your holidays.

We are traveling  - visiting family

and

have a great time.

I have a down day today and so thought I would put together a post

about the

13 top viewed posts this last year.

I didn't really start blogging till about July

when I decided to get serious about this little blog

and

see just what I could do.

So, without further ado let's get on to the countdown.

#13



This little cloche I made from thrift store finds was very popular

and

actually one of my favorite projects also.

I liked it so well I actually

found some more of these parts and made another one.

You just can't have too many little cloches can you.

You can read about it here

A Handmade Christmas - Home Tour

Written by: Cathy Carroll, Vintage, Paint and more...

Today I am going to wind up my series A Handmade Christmas with our Christmas Home Tour.  You can read about

A Handmade Christmas - Trees here,

A Handmade Christmas - Wreaths here,

and

A Handmade Christmas - Pillows here.

I am going to show you how you can have a simple and festive Christmas décor while keeping within your budget.

Our Christmas Tree for 2013

Written by: Cathy Carroll;  Vintage, Paint and more....

 I have been putting off doing this post because

frankly,

it has been a pain trying to photograph this tree.

The only really good place to put our tree is

in front of two windows.

In the morning it is light but, not really light enough because

they are on the shady side of the house.

Then,

in the afternoon the sun glares through them so

no photography at that time.

This is really the best picture I could get with

my little point and shoot camera. 

As with the mantel this year I decided to keep

our color scheme neutral.

I love the tree and it is quite pretty

but,

the fam (again) would rather have the bright

colors of Christmas.

I used all gold, white and brown..

Starting at the top

I used some faux flowers and stems to give it more interest and

lots of texture. 

I also stuck some gypsum throughout the limbs

of the entire tree to give it more fullness.

You can see a little more detail here. 

 Our favorite little gold bird is perched amongst the stems

in the top.

He looks as though he is watching over the rest of the tree

sitting up there.

The garland is burlap ribbon and gold glittered tulle.

Then a string of pearls.

The ornaments are handmade -

some by me some by friends and family.

This one is a clear ball with pot pourri and a gold wire ribbon.

This one is metallic gold paint swirled around

inside a clear ball.

Then there are the purchased glitzy white ones

we all love so much.

And, our primitive ones.

These are but a few.

A large amount are still in the boxes in storage

because

they didn't make the white, gold or clear list.

Next year they will be back in all their glory.

Surrounding the base is the new tree skirt I made.

It is a sewn one made of ....

you guessed it- drop cloth fabric and a sheet.

I just can't tear myself away from these two old favorites.

I added a bit of gold cording at the top of the rows of pleats to give

it a little glitz.

Gotta' have that glitz....

I love this tree - I think all Christmas trees are magical

and

at night it just sparkles with all it's lights and glitter

looking as though it just came from fairy land.

 You can follow me through Bloglovin, Google+, Facebook

and

my Christmas boards on Pinterest

Tis the Season

and

Christmas 2013

where you will find all kinds of inspiration.

You don't want to miss out on the upcoming tutorials either.

Until next time

have a great day and get out there and create

something you love.....

Click here to see the parties I am linking to this week.

Please visit them and see all the great projects and inspiration found there....

Drop Cloth Pumpkins

Good morning friends...

This morning I am going to show you my drop cloth pumpkins I made.  I have seen so many kind of pumpkins, made out of so many types of mediums this fall and I am in love with all of them.  Especially the cloth ones- sweaters, velvet, old shirts, burlap, vintage handkerchiefs.... so, I decided to go to my favorite fabric and make drop cloth pumpkins.

Textures of Fall

Good morning friends.

How is your morning going?

We're having an absolutely awesome fall day

here at the beach.

It's 73, sunshiny, breezy

and

beautiful.

A perfect day to go for a walk

or

work on one of those many projects I have on hand.

I thought I would show you a couple of my

fall vignettes today.

I like to use lots of texture in my vignettes.

This one has many a varied texture in place -

the dried hydrangeas, basket, ceramic bird, metallic painted pumpkins,

beaded pumpkins, mod podge paper pumpkins

and

some potpourri.

 I left the hydrangeas on the bushes to dry most of the way.

To do that you basically just leave them on until they are turning brown

and

almost crunchy to the touch.

I then brought them in and placed them in the ironstone pitcher

with the stems covered about 2 inches with water.

I let the water evaporate over time

and

this dried the hydrangeas beautifully.

Now, mine are blue and brown

but,

that is exactly what I wanted as our décor is basically

neutrals with blues and browns.

They fit in beautifully

and

I love them this way....

The basket is filled with pumpkins, pumpkins and some

more pumpkins

and then a little potpourri with mini pumpkins.

The large pumpkin is a dollar tree pumpkin that is

mod podged with paper pages and then faux flowers and leaves

glued to the top.

You can read more about that here.

There are two small pumpkins that I painted with metallic paints

and

a beaded pumpkin that I have had for years.

The blue bird is one of my favorite things

and

shows up all over the house

but,

mostly in places where I can see her all day.

She just simply brings a smile  when I look at her.

This is another little vignette that is full of texture.

The flowers are faux with weeds/grasses and leaves.

I simply wrapped some burlap around the vase and tied it with twine.

Then I just stuck a little leaf in under the twine.

The pumpkin here is made from a paper back book.

These are simple to make.

I made this one last year - they are quite simple to do.

I did not write the directions on how to do this but,

if you want them just let me know and I can write up a quick

tutorial on them.

I glued a stick in the center as a stem

and

tied a bit of burlap around it.

Isn't that owl the cutest thing ever....

I got him at Michael's last week.

 He is made of all kinds of twigs, twine and naturals.

Just couldn't pass this cute little guy up

and

he really adds to this little vignette.

To me, fall is all about texture  -

and color.

It is the most vibrant season we have

and

mixing the cozy snugly textures with all the naturals

that can be found

is always a winner in my book.

Do you use lots of texture and mix up the colors of fall

with your normal décor.

Or do you use more neutral colors and less texture?

Either is right...

there are no rules....

It's simply what speaks to you and what you love....

Until next time have a great day

and

go out there and create something you love....

I love comments, it simply makes my day when

I hear from you.

If you would like to see more of what I am up to in the future

and don't want to miss a post

follow me by clicking on one of the buttons in the sidebar.

Click here to see the parties I am linking to this week.

Please visit them and see all the great projects and inspiration found there.... 

Fall Entryway

Good afternoon everyone...

Fall has finally come to the beach and I am absolutely thrilled about it... We have had the windows open for the last few days enjoying the sun and the breezes and the cool temps.  The trees are still all green except a few little maples that have begun to turn colors. The flowers are still blooming and it doesn't look much like fall but that's ok because the temps are down and that's the important part... I have been busy trying to "fallify"  our house and have been working on the entryway.

Fall Wreath

Just like many of you, we are still having very warm "unfallish" temperatures here. It has been hard to even think about fall but when perusing the blogs and linky parties I have seen so many fall projects that I thought I should at least get started.  So I broke down and made a fall wreath.

It's not that I haven't been thinking about fall, it's just that without the cool, crisp air to make the trees start changing I just can't get in the mood. This year I decided to change it up a bit. I decided to do fall in colors other than the usual that I do. 

DIY Farmhouse Burlap Wreath

There are affiliate links in this post.  This means I may get a few cents to help pay for this blog if you order but it won't cost you a thing.

I have been lusting after those beautiful Farmhouse burlap wreaths  I have seen all over Pinterest.  You know the ones that are full of so much texture and just so vintage and "farmhousie"  looking.  Well, I finally decided to make one for myself instead of enjoying them through pictures.

Isn't it gorgeous?  And, so simple to make.  I did it in one evening while also watching some TV.

Fall Banner

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

 

It's starting to feel like fall here at the beach.

Well, as close to fall as you can feel

with

temps in the high 70's to low 80's.

 

But,

with the kids in school

and

the cooler days

and even,

some color changes in the leaves

I am feeling like fall.

 

So, Miss A and I decided it's time to start decorating for fall.

We have a very simple project for you today.

 

 

 

A fall banner made of burlap.

 

So simple.

 

 

We started with some burlap -

it doesn't take much about a fourth yard to make this little banner.

 

Cut 4 squares out each 4"x4".

I then pulled some of the strings to make it a little raveled

on the edges.

I like that shabby look.

 

 

Miss A wanted to make her own

so she has her four squares also.

 

I then cut the word F-A-L-L

out of cardstock with my Cricut.

For this banner I used a dark maroon color.

 

 

Then I used these metallic rub-on paints on each letter.

You can get these in your scrapbook area of your craft stores.

Just rub a little of your desired color on each letter.

I used the bronze.

 

 

It will look like this when your done.

Adds a little depth and interest to each letter.

Then I arranged a couple of leaves

behind each letter,

mixing them up a little for interest

as you can see above.

Using hot glue I glued each piece onto the burlap.

So simple - right?

 

 

And here they are.

Then I strung each of them onto some raffia.

You can get this in most craft stores.

I have had mine for years.

 

 

And, Wallah.....

You have the cutest little banner

to hang wherever you like.

Such a simple project

that

adds such a lot to the decor.

 

I love it...

That's it for today.

 

Have you started your fall decorating yet? 

What have you been working on?

 

 

So, get out there and do something fun

but,

most of all

enjoy your life.

 

                                                                               Lovin' my life in Carolina

                                                                                    Cathy

 

 

 

Linking to

Sand and Sisal Countdown to Fall Party

http://www.sandandsisal.com/2012/09/countdown-to-fall-party-front-porch.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sandandsisal%2Fdnfy+%28Sand+%26+Sisal%29

 

 

and at

Fox Hollow Cottage

Pinterest Party

http://www.foxhollowcottage.com/

 

 

and at

You Are Talking Too Much

Meet Me Monday Linky Party

http://youaretalkingtoomuch.com/2012/09/meet-me-monday-linky-party-14/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FPRHSB+%28You%27re+talking+too+much......%29