Farewell to fall decor

One of the reasons I like to share on the blog here is to show family and friends that live so far away what is going on in our home.  The crazy day to day life.. mixed with a little DIY to make it pretty.  :)   Fall sort of unfolded a little at a time as it was the first season to decorate for in our new home.  I have a feeling Christmas will be the same.  Then again, Christmas is like that each year for me as I tend not to halt on the crafting till Santa is knocking!  

Here's  a look at some of the fall things we've added. The recent "cold" spell we had in FL helped :)

 i made the "THANKS" bottles last year.. was happy they survived the move.  On the far right is a vase with different layers of beans and popcorn, topped with a mini pumpkin... so festive!

 more layers .. so colorful

 I used a lot of the mini pumpkins this year.. till I realized they don't hold up in humidity like they do in the dry desert.  I threw quite a few away.

 

 The breakfast nook is finally done.  I will share more pics later, but here is a touch.

 Birdseed!  Love the colors!  Especially the turquoise :)  it works so well.  And thanks to the kids for getting the pine cones. 

 Pine cones are an easy addition.. screaming "fall"!

 

In the dining room I went for simple and elegant.

 Love the whimsical spinning Addie pics in the fields from last year. 

 Pinecones and pearly sea shells for an easy centerpiece.

 Guess what is not spray painted here.  

If you guess the plate (charger from Hobby Lobby) and the pumpkins (Micheal's).. you are right.  The candle sticks used to be an ugly green.  Love them now. And the lamp.. yes the lamp.  

I may have a problem. 

 This room makes me smile.

 We just did our floors.. don't they look awesome?!

Now... let's gear up for Christmas decorating!  Garrett is all set and wants to get out the boxes.  Addison is beside herself, not understanding why you would start another holiday when Thanksgiving hasn't even happened yet.  The girl has a point.  So i think we will enjoy fall just a few more days. 

Thankfulness Window

Usually I have done a "Thankful Tree" where we add leaves with things we are thankful for.  Last year I was especially fond of our Thankful Tumbleweed Tree :)  but there are no tumbleweeds (thank goodness) in Florida :)  I decided to go totally simple.. but fun!

Here is our Thankfulness Window!  

Excuse the poor photos.  It was really difficult to capture to see the the writing on the windows.  

22 Thankful Days - Addison

22 Thankful Days - Garrett

Since these windows are located right behind our kitchen table, each night we talk about something we are thankful for and we add it to our list.  Why I was writing it for the first few days, I'm not sure... clearly the kids are much better... Addie even drew a few pictures. On day 4 she was thankful for going to the beach and she drew a beach ball :)  On day 5 she liked that we went for a walk and she drew herself walking and a smile :)  Her writing also gets smeared and on her hand... she's a lefty!

We have been having fun with these Crayola Window Markers!  Something so simple.. but so fun! 

 

Addie as she draws a beautiful mural on our sliding glass doors :)

Pass IT On!
Pick up a pack of these fun markers.. your kids will love you! (well, until you make them practice spelling and math on the windows... and even that was cool for a few days!)

Passing IT On to a few awesome sites...

Today's Creative Blog

Someday Crafts
Cherished Bliss

You are my Sunshine

How is it Thursday already??  For that matter... how in the world is it November? 

I do love this time of year...  it really should be a time of remembering and thankfulness.. to prepare us for the season to come.  It shouldn't be just a time to "get through".  I hope to use it that way.

Since I just finished up with writing daily for 31 days on  one topic (Pass IT On!), I decided against doing one of the 22 days of Thankfulness.. at least on the blog.  I am going to join Vanessa on instagram and post a thankful picture daily.  It seems a little less daunting at this time... maybe it's because I'm in a house of sick kids and fighting it myself.. but i just don't have the energy!  So follow along on instagram  .. it's so fun if you aren't on there ;)   follow me... amielgriffin   and while you are there, follow Vanessa (craftyvanessa) as well and the rest of the 22 Thankful Days posters!  #22thankfuldays

here is my pic today...

these windows will never be clean.. I don't try to fight it :)

Today I am thankful for the Sunshine... both the warm sun shining in the late afternoon and the beautiful one she just drew with about a million rays extending from it's center.  (it's hard to see but her sun is just below her drawing hand).

Addison is truly my sunshine, my only sunshine ... on days of grey i am happy.

..............................................and then there are days when the storm hits.  :) 

Fall Mantel (or mantel like..)

Today is: Day 25 of Pass IT On!

I am enjoying everything about our new home so much.  Everything.. but one thing.  NO Mantel.  I actually had never had a mantel until our last home, in Nevada.  And with the cold winter months in full gear I challenged myself to change it at least monthly.  Loved it.  A friend once told me "I don't think I have ever come to your house with your mantel looking exactly the same as the last time I was here."  Ultimate compliment!!   So I am not sure how I over looked  the fact that this house doesn't have a fireplace.. and thus no mantel.  In fact, I swore it did!  After we got back to Nevada from our house hunting trip to Florida we were out to eat with some friends and we were telling them about the house.  It was there that I learned we in fact, did not have a mantel.  It was quite traumatic for me.. and knowing me so well, my friend Jessie realized immediately this was going to be a moment to remember.  She whipped out her phone and took a series of pictures of my facial expressions as I realized I was going to be "mantelless".  (oh i wish i had those pics now.. funny!)  I believe I took a long sip of my margarita .... sigh.

Fast forward to today in said no mantel home.  Luckily (?) for me we needed a new entertainment center for the tv and knowing my desire for a central decor spot.. my husband found the perfect one.  Drawers for some storage under the tv and above is a mantel replacement.  There.. happy wife.. happy life ;)  lol.

So for fall I was ready to make something fun and colorful (the entertainment center is white and the wall behind it is still the boring light beige .. and it is driving me crazy!).  I'm happy to say I think I accomplished my goal.   I sometimes find my self looking at it instead of the tv!!

fall mantel

These pumpkins were so easy and turned out really great.

***Mod Podge Alert!!!  It's so fun :)
I had some fallish fabrics that i wanted to do something with.  So I went to the Dollar Tree to find some really cheap hideous pumpkins.   I didn't want to use real ones in case they turned out fabulous so I could save them.  And if they weren't a hit, at least I didn't pay a lot for them.  Check out these bright things!

I took my fabric and cut it into strips that would fit from stem to bottom of the really ugly pumpkins. Then I brushed on the Mod Podge.  That's it.  Totally simple After it dried I filled in a few spots and painted the stems brown.

The Autumn Blessings was a gift from a sweet friend... it made me smile.

 And How Bout Those CUTE OWLS?!

 Another Total dollar store find.. transformed!  I knew the kids would like to paint them.

Cute Owls and added a glittered curly thing (technical craft term) to the pumpkin

 So these little friends started out maybe more hideous than the sad pumpkins... but lucky for them, I saw something more.  I buffed them with a sander so the paint would adhere better and buffed them again after they were dry to dull them.

Here's something funny.. last night I was checking out some links to the craft parties where I linked my Halloween Mesh wreath

and i stumbled upon another cute little owl!  Great minds think alike...check out Katie's cute little green owl at The Crafty Blog Stalker

Love that it's finally looking a little like fall here.. even if my mums aren't taking the heat so well out front :(

Passing it on at:
Do something Crafty
Categorically Crafting
The 36th Avenue
Cherished Bliss
Today's Creative Blog
Someday Crafts

Halloween Mesh Wreath

Today Is: Day 23 of Pass IT On!

I am so excited about how this Halloween wreath turned out!!!  I am so glad I already have a Halloween "Creepy Wreath" on the front door, because I want to look at this one!

the color is so terrible in this picture.. it's really so bright and sparkly!

I keep seeing Mesh decor on Pinterest... LOVE it!  This is my first attempt at using it, and truthfully I thought it would be a little easier to work with.  I thought it would be more like working with wired ribbon, but there is definitely no wire in this.. thus no "stay put" factor.  So the biggest trick is to master (?) attaching the mesh to the wire frame.  ***It got much easier as I worked.

A few supplies:  A wire wreath form.  Craft wire to attach. Mesh of your choice.  I chose three colors and looped each color around the wreath form one time, but you could get the same effect with a single color too just by looping it around a few times.  (oh, I got the Mesh at Hobby Lobby.. they have a lot of colors and run specials on it often.  I need to head there for Christmas colors....)

*Start with your first color and attach it to the wreath form using the wire (just scrunch it up and wrap the wire and twist it to tighten.)  Then start making loops around the wreath, attaching with the wire.  I found it worked best to alternate the bar that i used.  I started on the inside, and worked up and then back down so spread the purple through out.

 *Remember, the smaller your loops.. the longer it will take :) 

loop and attach

 *Then repeat using the 2nd color (or make second trip around wreath with the same color).  Try to work it in between the first color.  The good thing about the wire is you can pin it down where ever you want!

loop example

wire example

*Working the 3rd color in really helped to achieve the fullness I wanted.

Ta-Da!

 *I added a cute little ghost.. make sure it it light weight if you are going to attach it to the mesh, otherwise you would need to attach it with wire.  Then i tied a purple ribbon to the wreath form and added the BOO letters to hang.  I just love it!

Part of 31 days of one topic:

Passing it on to...
Craft and Tell
Get Your Craft On
Whatever Goes Wednesday
Sundae Scoop 
Tuesday Confessional 
Categorically Speaking 
Do Something Crafty 
The 36th Avenue

Pumpkin Bucket

Today is .. Day 22 of Pass IT On!

I am moving so slow on the fall decorating around here.  I still think I am missing some silk flowers.. the random things that can't be found after a PCS move!  I may find them stuffed in a bin full of kids clothes like i found a 4th of July wreath one year.. in October.  So random.

So as I am fretting over my poor organizational skills.. and indecisiveness in finding "the best" spot to store everything (does it really matter?...  I haven't found any of those flowers so I decided to use what little (and not so attractive) ones i found to give the house a hint of fall.

I have "the perfect" spot (above) for my Southern Living beverage bucket and stand (I knew I would someday have such a spot a few years ago when i hosted a party and ordered this as part of my hostess benefits! lol)  Its right in the hall when you walk in so it's a great place to share some seasonal decor.  I typically put flowers of the season in here anyway.. but it being so a wide and deep bucket I need a lot to make it full.  I have put flowers (fake) in vases and put the vases inside the bucket to help keep them bunched and full. But this time I wanted the pumpkins in there as well.. and to be seen they needed propped up...

Turn the vases upside down :)

Yay! This made it easy to arrange the big, medium, and small pumpkins.  I thought I could fill in with flowers around them, but the flowers kept falling down into the bucket.

Earth shattering idea #2... Plastic baggies!  I couldn't use floral foam even if I had it because the stems of these flowers have been cut short.. some other year I'm sure it was a good idea.  So basically I needed something to fill the bucket and hold up the flowers.  We all have a million Walmart bags right?  Add another use to them :)

My corner of fall

Passing on a TIP!

Passing on to
Get Your Craft On!
Crafty Confessions

the orange vase

i have missed crafting.  i needed to do something.. even if my house isn't completely done and ready for all the fun accents.

I want to add pops of color in various ways through out the house... one way is to use vases.   I saw some great orange vases at Hobby Lobby the other day.. but even at 50% off i didn't feel like it was a great deal.  I have a bunch of vases at home... they just need color.  I found the paint isle and bam! color :)

i chose this warm orange.  it's called pumpkin :)  perfect for fall.  and grabbed this vase from the plethora of vases i have saved for just this occasion. 

i painted the inside of the vase .. wanting to make it look like colored glass and not painted. this took about 5 minutes.

it dried a few hours and i added another coat.

add some beautiful Hobby Lobby flowers.. 

put it on the lanai.. and smile :)

Fall meets beach.   love.

linking for fun:
Today's Creative Blog
Skip To My Lou 
cherished bliss