Get Your Spook on!

Ok, so it took me a little longer than I expected to get my Halloween stuff up. Sue me. I put it off all weekend because I didn't want to get lost in the abyss of that closet. So much to declutter...so little time! I finally kicked myself in the hiney yesterday and lugged out all those heavy holiday boxes. Of course, the Halloween box was on the very bottom of the stack. I got most of it put up last night, but couldn't let myself post those pictures. Something just wasn't right...it all felt...off. So today I spent the day redecoranging and tweaking it and doing it all again. I know...I have a real problem. Finally, I am somewhat happy with it, but I'm sure I will continue to change it around and in a week it will all be completely different. It's a sickness, I tell ya!

I found these fun sticker labels at the dollar store last year. I wish I had bought more of them to have on hand. Creepy, but fun...right?

More dollar store accessories all spookified!





I like to call this look "Spooky Chic".

Love me some scrapbook paper wrapped candles...the perfect way to change up those neutral candles for any holiday!

Couldn't let the powder room feel left out of the holiday fun, now could I?

More white pumpkin love/obsession!

A rare full price splurge at Tar-jay...totally don't regret that purchase. I had forgotten about it, and actually squealed when I pulled it out of the storage box!

I'm like a kid in a candy store when it comes to Halloween decorating. I LOVE it. And I love this mantle set up so much I want to marry it, except that I'm already married, and it's weird to want to marry your mantle....right?

RIGHT.

Pearls...the perfect accessory!

This is by far my favorite thing I've used to fill up these beautiful glass apothecary jars. White pumpkins, gourds, mini skulls, skeleton hands, and spiders...all from the dollar store. It just goes to show that you don't have to spend alot of money to have fun and fabulous holiday decor. The dollar store has a wealth of options to choose from. On their own they may not look like much, but paired together and with nicer things, you can achieve that high end look. All you need is a couple bucks, a good imagination, and things you use around your home everyday.

Fun Halloween Craft

I thought it would be fun to start this month off with a "spooktacular" craft! Some of you may recognize this from last year, but I have a lot of new readers who probably haven't seen it...so I decided to repost it.

I started off with a cheap dollar store broom, lots and lots of ribbon and trim, and my trusty go-to-gal...my hot glue gun.

I wrapped the handle first. I used a bit of hot glue at the top, some in the middle, and a bit at the bottom to keep all those layers from slipping. Then starting at the bottom of the handle I added big loops of ribbon and strips of ribbon all around the perimeter. I just kept adding layers and layers of it till I got the look I was going for. Lastly, I topped it off with some pom pom fringe. You could pretty much use anything you have on hand for this project....just have fun with it!

So...what do you think of my wicked cute tricked out broom? This became one of my very favorite halloween decorations last year. I am in the process of pulling out all the bins and getting it all put up. That's one of my goals for this weekend. Hopefully, by Sunday night I will have it done and ready to show. I can't wait to share it with you!

Roadkill Rescue Rehab Refab!

Update : This post in linked to Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After Party.

I think I might be ill. I have completed two projects in a row in less than a week. Too bad there are so many more on my list. I guess 2 are better than none, right? Ok, can I just say that I am obsessed with this bed. I want to be three again and have all things pink and girly and pretty in my room. I LOVE it!

I had a hard time finding just the right fabric, but when I saw this paisley I was done for...I died right there in Hancock Fabrics! And to make the deal even sweeter, it was their 52nd anniversary sale and this was 52% off. Can I get a witness?

And just in case you missed it the first time or have blocked it's hideousness from your memory, this is what it looked like before. Navy blue, hunter green, and burgandy camels and palm trees with gold leafed trim. Ouch...my eyes are burning.When I spotted it on the side of the road, it screamed potential. Although it did have to scream quite loud to drown out all that ugly going on.



Tufted buttons...hello lover!





I guess it would be nice if I stopped drooling over it's deliciousness and gave you a little run down of what I did. First I took the upholstered panel out and painstakingly removed the fabric and 937 staples. If I had not done that, there would have been no where for me staple on my fabric. Serious overkill on the staples. Holy cow, they really wanted those camels to last a lifetime. Anyway, next I took my hand sander to the whole thing to try and degloss the surface. I was hoping that was all I'd have to do, but the gold leaf had other plans in mind. I then had to use the corner of a putty knife and sandpaper to scrape down all the corners, curves, crevices, and tight spots. It was starting to chip away, and I couldn't leave it like that. It would have shown through the paint job. So when I finally finished sanding, it was ready to paint. I spray primed it first with two light coats of Valspar white primer. When that was dry, I used Rustoleum spray paint in a white satin finish. Again, I gave it two light coats.

Now, the upholstering part was super fun....insert extreme sarcasm here! I have upholstered a headboard before. A perfectly square, nice straight cornered headboard...not this curvy swirly crap. Um yeah, not so easy. I wanted to shoot myself in the eye with that staple gun trying to get those curves just right. Note to self...this might be a two person job...consider that for future projects. But it is done and I am happy. End of story. Hopefully I can get it hung up in the girls' room soon....pictures to follow

I bought extra fabric to make some pillows, and I had lots of extra. So I decided to cover some really ugly canvases I had lying around waiting to be cutsied. Not sure if I'll use these as memo boards or just as wall hangings. Either way....me likey. Now if I could just get some pictures of their room when they're not sleeping. I work on my projects during naptime and bedtime, thus the reason for no pictures of the bed in their room yet.... sorry. Gives you something to look forward to, right? Yes, I'm a giver like that.

Giveaway Day at Nesting Place

I have some exciting news for all you giveaway lovers out there. Really...who doesn't love a giveaway? I am a bit late in posting this morning, but don't you worry, it's not too late for you to enter to win a ton of fabulous loot!!! Today is Giveaway Day at Nesting Place. The Nester is hosting a whole day chocked full of wonderful giveaways every hour on the hour starting at midnight last night. That is 24 different giveaways you can enter into win in. How unbelievably fun is that??? That by itself is pretty darn exciting, but I have a little secret that I'm pretty darn excited about myself! Little ol' me is one of those 24 people who was chosen to be featured in Nester's Giveaway Day. What a neat opportunity...I am super thrilled about it! If you haven't already, head over there and get yourself entered to win some fabulous treats. Here is the link to my specific giveaway post... Imperfectly Beautiful. This is the general link that will get you to a whole page full of them... Nesting Place Giveaway Day. Have fun and good luck!

I Finished a Project...It's a Miracle!

Can you believe it? I actually finished a project in just a few days time. I know...it's shocking considering my recent track record. I had a craft day with my niece Becca and she encouraged me to get to it and get it done. I'm not sure I would have gotten this much done if she hadn't been here to help me. She is a brilliant and talented artist and I totally took advantage of her skills. We brainstormed about what to do with the pumpkins. They were so darn boring, and needed some serious pizazz! I am loving what we came up with. Can a person be in love with pumpkins? That's totally creepy...right?

I wanted a bird, and what did she say? "Oh..ok let me sketch it out real quick". Being the novice artist that I am, I was thinking she might need some paper to practice on. Nope. Right then and there she penciled in the cutest most perfect bird ever. Exactly what I had envisioned!

Then we decided on a birdcage for the big pumpkin on the other side. Once again, to my utter amazement she sat there and drew out the most adorable birdcage. The perfect touch of whimsy. I wish you could see the bottom of it. It's all scrolly and swirly and I hate that the moss covers it up. I HEART that birdcage pumpkin!!!

Here they are all dolled up and spookified with spanish moss dripping from the edges.

And the perfect little touch...a Dollar Tree crow perched on the edge of the urn.

True love!

Add a black feather wreath and some polka dot ribbon and call it done, my friend! I don't think I have words to describe how much I looooooove my front porch right now. I have gone out there 8 times this evening just to admire it and take pictures of it. I feel pretty sure my neighbors have concluded that I'm a freak by now, so it's all good. No shame or embarrassment here.

Oh...one more thing. My niece who I mentioned earlier has a blog too. She's been in a blogging slump for a while and I think she needs a little shove. I would be so happy if y'all could stop by and say hi and leave her a sweet little comment. I'm sure it would make her day. Maybe, just maybe we can get her back in the swing of things. Now go on...and click on over to Becca @ Frankly My Dearest and tell her Manda sent ya!

A Sneak Peek

Why is it that I cannot seem to actually finish any of my projects lately? I feel like everything I do is half done or not done at all. Can anyone relate or is it just me? I think I need a kick in the hiney! Anyway.....I didn't want to leave y'all hanging so I thought I'd give you a peek at my half finished pumpkin project. It really only lacks a few small details, but unfortunately it's those small details that will make it special! Try to see the potential here...kay? Oh, and pretend that I haven't put off painting my front door for a year and that it is now black. (the paint has been in the garage waiting for me all this time)

Pathetic, I tell ya.

I still need to add the spanish moss around the base of the topiaries (which I mysteriously could not find). I feel a trip to the Dollar Tree comin on! And I haven't decided yet if I want to use vinyl rub ons or be really brave and try to paint on them. Actually, brave is the wrong word. I think ridiculous might be more appropriate. Have I mentioned that I cannot draw a stick figure? Yeah...I'm thinking I should use vinyl.

First, I started by buying dowels that were ridiculously huge. Then I had my sweetie drill ginormously large holes in the pumpkins to accommodate said dowels. And then we just stacked them on the dowel. I thought I'd need some hot glue, but decided against it. This will do just fine for now.



This would be my lovely assistant with the reeeaaaally hairy arms. LOVE him for helping me with my projects!

I hope that I have better luck with my pumpkins this year. Last year, I had about $30 worth of beautiful fresh pumpkins at my door. The night before my big Halloween party a bunch of neighborhood hoodlums decided they would look better dripping their guts down my front door. Yes, they pitched my beautiful fall abundance at the front of my house in the middle of the night. Luckily, my big scary husband caught them in the act and scared the pee pee out of them. I guess all that military training comes in handy every now and then. Yup...he's good like that. So, wish me and my punkins good luck this Halloween season. I think we might need it!

Teaser Post....and Some New Etsy Goodies!

Yes, that is a big ol' pile of white punkins! I know what you're thinking. How many white pumpkins does one person need? Well, this person needs 287 of them apparently! That is a slight exaggeration, but not much. I actually have big plans for these babies. Something I've wanted to do for years, but never wanted to spend the money on. Michael's craft store to the rescue! They had their carvable pumpkins on super duper sale last week, and I took advantage of that! Can you guess what I will be doing with this lovely stack of white pumpkiny goodness? Well.......you'll just have to come back later this week to find out.

What a tease.

I spent the better part of this weekend working on some new items for my etsy shop. Since I started listing Christmas things in August, I though I better get some Halloween and Thanksgiving stuff in there too!

"BOO"

...so simple

...so cute

"EEK"

(this is my favorite one!)

....spiderwebs, swirlies, and ghosts

"BOO"
.....purple, orange, lime green, and black
......spiders, polka dots, and trick or treat

"GIVE THANKS"

.....a beautiful paisley in the gorgeous colors of fall

(you can click on the picture to enlarge it)

I just listed these today. If you'd like to get a head start on your holiday decorating or gifts, stop on by my shop. I only have a limited number of them and then they're gone!

Calling all Furniture Rehab Gurus!!!

Ok, I'm just gonna put it out there and say to the world that I am NOT good with furniture rehabs. I love the before and afters. I'm all about picking paint colors and fabrics. But when it comes down to the nitty gritty details...I'm at a loss. So I'm asking all of you experts out there to give me some of your best tips and tricks. I need your help!

Remember this roadside treasure I found a couple weeks ago? Well, I am ready to do something with it...and I don't know where to start. I want to eventually paint it white and upholster the middle part with a fabric to coordinate with the other fabrics in the room. Oh, and I want tufted buttons, of course! The off white painted part has a slightly glossy finish and seems really thick. The nasty gold detail is already chipping off. So, can I use my handheld sander on it... or should I use a deglosser/liquid sander...or should I strip the paint? Share your wisdom. Tell me what to do and I will do it. But remember, I am a lazy perfectionist and will probably end up tweaking the process just a bit. Sorry... just being honest.

The room is shared by my two girls and has to coordinate with the crib bedding. The walls are the softest shade of pale pink and the furniture is white. Very girly, but not frilly.

This bulletin board and the lamps are the only accessories right now.




I love these fabrics, but I want to bring in at least two more. The fabric selection around here leaves alot to be desired, and I haven't had any luck. Do y'all have a favorite place for beautiful fabrics, preferably online? Oh, and did I mention that I am on a tight budget and can't pay $50 a yard? I know...I am sooooooo high maintenance.







Please share!

Personalize Your Pumpkins

Ok, here is all you need for a quick and easy project to get you in the mood for Fall...

An assortment of scrapbooking rub on letters or stickers...

And some dollar store pumpkins begging to be painted white.

I literally painted these with my finger last year because I couldn't find a brush. It was most likely the middle of the night, so I improvised. I used regular old craft paint and went to town finger painting. I will admit it was slightly fun and addicting...and I ended up painting an entire bag of mini pumpkins too!

I used clear stickers and rub on letters to monogram my cutie white pumpkins and tied a little bow on top. The perfect touch of whimsy to my spooky Halloween decor (which I cannot wait to show you, but am resisting for a few more weeks).




These polka dot pumpkins started out as the orange ones from the dollar store too. Yes, I painted them with my finger...including the dots. The tip of your finger makes a perfect polka dot, by the way.




And just in case you were wondering where I disappeared to last week...let me show you a bit of what I was up to. The blocks above are just a sampling of what I was and am still working on!


Cut
Sand
Paint
Glue
Cut
Sand
Seal
Package
Ship...
REPEAT!

In addition, I am in charge of a craft night at my church this weekend called Fab Friday. It is going to be loads of fun, but I will be able to breathe better when it's over. Thank goodness I have a fabulous committee who are my right and left hand! Seriously, I couldn't do it without them....do you hear me Michelle? 8 different crafts, holiday food demonstrations, and dinner for 50 plus people? Yes...thank heavens for committees. Anyway,I will try and do better this week with my posting. I was a major slacker last week. Thanks for sticking with me even when I don't deserve it.





I LOVE Y'ALL!!!

Roadside Beauty

Last weekend while driving home from Saturday morning soccer, my boys and I performed a rescue mission...a roadside rescue, if you will. As we turned at the intersection near our house we spotted this huge (and I do mean gigantic) upholstered headboard sitting on the side of the road.

I hesitated for a second & asked my boys if we should stop and get it. I got a resounding..."Uh, yeah mom, let's do it!" I was afraid they'd be totally embarrassed by their crazy mother whipping the Suburban around in the middle of the road to load this massive piece into the back. Instead they were cheering me on and jumping right out there with me to help load her up! I guess I'm training 'em right....it was a very proud moment.

They were so excited to tell their dad what we'd done. His response...a silent head shake, as he unloaded her for me.

As you can clearly see, she needs a bit of work. That horrible gold leafing and questionable fabric with the camels is frightening...I know. But try to see past it and imagine it's potential. I knew immediately what I'd do with her. And yes, I am referring to the headboard as a girl because she will eventually be a daybed in my daughters' room. I have searched high and low for the perfect daybed and have found nothing. That is, until I found this hideous king sized headboard laying on the roadside. My plan is to paint her white and upholster the middle piece in a gorgeous fabric with tufted buttons. Then I will hang her on the wall and push the twin sized bed horizontally up against her...thus faking a daybed! Perfect. I was nervous the measurements wouldn't work, but when I got home and measured the mattress and the headboard...they were a perfect fit for each other! I pretty much did the happy dance right there.

Now to find the time to actually get it done.

Touches of Fall

Because we are now officially in September, I feel I can freely talk about and decorate for fall. The weather is not cooperating as much as I'd like it to, but that's ok...I can live with it ...for now. So, it's 90 degrees out and people are still swimming in their pools everyday...I'm ok with that too. We will still be wearing shorts and flip flops in November...that's my reality and I've accepted it. But......that does NOT mean that I have to deprive myself of holiday decorating just because the weather is still warm...right?

Exactly what I was thinking!

I dug my fall wreath out of the garage and went to town. It needed a little fluff and puff (my mom made that up to mean anything that needs sprucing up). So I literally fluffed and puffed what was already in there and added some new goodies I've collected through the year. I think I might need one more white pumpkin in there to balance it all out. What do y'all think? I have 2 grocery bags full of them, so it's definitely not gonna be a problem! And I just came in from spray painting two more white. I'm seriously addicted, I tell ya. I may need a white pumpkin intervention soon.

Gorgeous fall colored berries, feather balls (hehehe)...

More berries, more feathers (you really cannot have too many), and these cute, but strange acorns. I loved these acorns when I found them last year. The first thing my husband says is... "Are you sure you want those on our front door?" And the next day my sister comes over and says..."Those acorns on your wreath look like boobies." Ummm.....thanks? So, I'm just gonna put it put there and ask what y'all think about the acorns. Should they stay or go? Are they obscene and offensive or beautiful autumn accents?

Please share....and be nice!

Life Happens!

Sometimes "life" happens and you just have to roll with it. I had such good intentions and high hopes to get that night stand done and linked up to the Roadkill Rescue Party. Ummmm yeah, that didn't happen...obviously. The kiddos got sick last night so I had to abandon the project halfway through. But stay tuned for the before and after reveal. I'm not making any promises of what day it will be done, but it WILL get done. Just let me finish cleaning poop and vomit first.

Nice, huh?

In the midst of all the craziness, I had to run an errand to my mom's house. And what did she have on her table? A beautiful fall arrangement.... a bundle of wheat and some gorgeous pumpkins and gourds. On August 31st people! Let me just tell you...I love this woman who birthed me. Everything good and creative and beautiful that is in me, came from her! And apparently I get my early holiday decorating enthusiasm from her. I come by it honestly. So, as soon as I got home I had to add a few fall touches to my decor. I only put out 2 of my 23 white pumpkins. I didn't want to go overboard or anything...you know?

Inside my birdcage I put a vintage glass cake stand with a pumpkin, a furry green pinecone, and some gorgeous shells my dad gave me. Next to the birdcage is a ceramic pumpkin that I found at the thrift store last week. And since it is September the first and I am a crazy holiday decorating fool...I will continue to put out my fall decor this week. Next up is my front door wreath. I made it last year, but I have more little goodies to add to it. Look for it later this week. Squash, and feathers, and pumpkins...oh my!