Fall fireplace

My Fall decorating moved from the porch to the fireplace this weekend.

I wanted to anchor the mantel with a large something before layering Fallish things around it. I tried both a window pane & mirror, before settling on a beautiful clock that I found at Kirklands.

The window seemed too lightweight. Maybe an option for next summer.

I liked the darkness of this mirror, but it's just not practical that high.

The richness of color & hammered details really sold me on this clock.

I used red urns (for lack of a better word) & a green platter for a pop of color before adding my Fall swag in front.

The lamp & candlesticks add a sense of warmth & homeyness.

I'll probably sit a bucket of firewood on the hearth...

even if it's only for decoration purposes.

I'd be kidding myself to think that we'll actually need it any time soon.

I'm linking up here

Skip To My Lou

Making the World Cuter

Between Naps on the Porch

Storage solution

I'm not sure why it just occurred to me that we don't have to store our wreaths in those plastic tubs from Target. I now just hang mine on nails in the garage.

My husband claims that I'm just decorating the walls. And maybe I am. Adds a little color don't you think??

Linking to:

Tatertots & Jello

Be Different Act Normal

Chalkboard Calendar

I'm so excited to share this post with you today!

It comes from my sweet friend Lisa...

I recently saw this dusty, ugly framed mirror on a routine trip to Goodwill, I instantly remembered Tiffany's chalkboard and knew the ugly thing had the potential to become the perfect weekly calendar for our kitchen. So I haggled on the price and got it down to $25. Not exactly cheap, but I thought it was worth it for the vision I had in my head.

I didn't think to take a photo of it before I sanded it and popped out the scratched mirror. You'll have to just use your imagination...

Then I took a trip to Lowe's and picked up a quart of chalkboard paint and some backer board. Since I had measured the frame before I left, I asked the nice old man that rubbed my son's head ;) to cut the backer board to fit the frame exactly.

I painted the smooth side of the backer board with the chalkboard paint using a sponge brush. It would have been nice to have a wider sponge brush, but I just used what I had on hand and a normal paint brush left brush strokes. I also used some glossy white interior paint that we had on hand to paint the frame.

Second coat:

Third Coat:

And....Ta Da! I think it fills the tall, awkward corner wall in our kitchen quite nicely.

I liked the weekly calender on Tiffany's board so much that I copied it. Straight up copied. It's the best form of flattery, right?

The color is off on this photo. I don't have yellow walls...but you get the idea. :)

I love it! It replaced our weekly dry erase board in the laundry room where I wrote dinners and commitments down and the grocery list that was on the fridge. My husband even uses it for his own lists and the ledges make the perfect "tray" for chalk. Now I'm just working on training my son not to grab for (and try to eat) the chalk. ;)

Thanks for sharing Lisa!!

Check out Lisa's Bible covers, personalized magnets, & more.

So, so cute!!

Navy Mango

I'm linking up here..

Finding Fabolous

The Shabby Nest

Home is Where My Story Begins

Bring on Fall

Is it too early for to start decorating for Fall?? I get so excited about the thought of cooler weather, hot chocolate, & cute jackets...that I almost forget that it's still 90 degrees here in sunny Texas. But my front porch says otherwise. Today it went from this...

to this!

Have you pulled out your Fall decorations yet??

I'm linking to

The Inspired Room

Blue Cricket Design

My Homemade Wreath

A few weeks ago I decided I was going to make my own greenery wreath. I needed one for my shutter art and wasn't willing to pay the prices you find at PB or Ballard (although I love love love those). So I went to Hobby Lobby and picked up some greenery (1/2 off!!) and a stick wreath.

Then I just cut lengths off the greenery bunch and started sticking them in the wreath. I wove them in and out a little bit so that they were secure and kept adding until I thought it was complete.

I hung it with ribbon (and added more greenery) and voila... my very own wreath for less than $10 thank you very much.

Linking to:

A Silly Little Sparrow

I'm Topsy Turvy

Today's Creative Blog

The Girl Creative Party Blog

Tatertots and Jello

Crafty Friday {Bow Holder}

I have been in need of a cute bow holder for quite some time! I have had two in the past that were long ribbons you hang on the wall. But with two little girls they just weren't cutting it for the amount of bows we have. This is how our bow collection has looked since we moved into our house a year ago....


(I'll admit ...I am somewhat proud that at least that's ALL there is under the cabinet. I should get some props for that, right?)


I set out this week to make a bow holder worthy of a LOT of bows. I gathered my materials.
1. an old picture frame that we weren't using (you won't need the glass)
2. Staple gun
3. backer board (Mine was FREE from my brother and was either a drawer bottom or a back to a dresser that we cut to size. Some frames come with sturdy enough backer board that you could use that...this one in particular had cardboard backing -- not what I was looking for).
4. ribbon (not shown)
5. black cloth to cover the backer board

I covered the backer board with the black cloth and then began placing my ribbon on the backside of the frame. I used my staple gun for this which was a bad idea. I didn't think about how the staples may show through on the other side. I suggest using hot glue!! But seeing as how long the bows were under the sink I was NOT stopping! I found a creative way to hide the staple gun holes (I'll show you later).

Then I put the black covered backer board into the frame & closed it up. See how the ribbons look on the front? Notice the top & bottom of each ribbon where the bows meet the frame? That's how I so creatively covered up the staple gun holes ~ with bows! Seriously when is anyone going to look that closely? And did I mention the project was almost free? It ended up costing me less than $4.00 for the ribbon & material after my lovely 40% off coupon at the craft store. I figured for that price I could live with less than perfect. :)

Hanging on the wall in my daughter's room!! I'll be making another one of these since I still have a basket full of bows that didn't fit.

I'm linking here:

Fingerprints on the Fridge

Fun to Craft

{Recipe} Golden Chicken

This is a perfect little chicken dish!

Both my kids & husband love it, so it's become a regular in our house.

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp butter

1 pkg Italian dressing mix

1/2 cup white wine (or cooking sherry)

1 can golden mushroom soup

4 oz cream cheese

1/2 lb angel hair pasta

4 chicken breasts

In a small pan, melt butter. Add dressing mix, white wine, soup & cream cheese and stir until smooth and cream cheese is melted. Do not boil. Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in a sprayed 9x13 baking dish. Pour sauce over chicken. Bake 1 hour at 325. 20 minutes before baking is finished, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta until tender (about 5 minutes). Drain. Serve chicken & sauce over pasta.

Note: I cut my chicken into strips and decrease the cooking time by 15 minutes.

Thanks Amber for passing this one along. We've come to LOVE it!

Linking to:

Blue Cricket Design

Someday Crafts