Do This Before You Buy One More Fall Decoration


Are you one of those people who can't resist buying new decorations for every changing season? I refuse to answer, on the chance I would incriminate myself. Let's just say I've decided that this fall I'm doing something different. I'm going to shop for autumn decorations in my own house, taking inventory of what I already have, before I even consider walking up and down those aisles at the craft store.


I'd guess you probably have some storage boxes that look like this, too. Mine is filled with fall leaves, wreaths, an occasional football and lots of baskets, mugs and lights. This is a good place to start - who knows what's in the bottom of that tote?


Instead of bringing home new floral stems or arrangements, use some colors and styles that you already have. They might now be traditional fall flowers and leaves, but they'll blend in nicely and be a breath of fresh air.


Start thinking about how you can bring the outdoors in. This is one of my favorite paintings that Danny has ever created, on a mirror, and it goes perfectly with the leaf and branch candle holders.


Raid your craft room to find all the loveliness you have tucked away. In just this one notions drawer, I found burlap, textured ribbon, wired ribbon and lace in some beautiful fall combinations. There's a wreath form in that storage box that these would look great on.


And, of course, I've discovered so many papers, stickers and other embellishments in my paper crafts. Much of it is just bits and pieces, which will be perfect for some fall cards, tags and bookmarks. Whatever I have left over when my creativity runs out can be bagged up and sold at our next show as supplies.


Speaking of shows, I'm planning to have a booth at our local community market sometime in September, and we'll have all these beautiful autumn pieces for sale. I can't wait to share Danny's wood gifts and my paper crafts with you, and it makes me smile to think about you enjoying each one of them in your own homes.


I hope this has been an inspiration for you, just like it was for me. So get up, go exploring and see what fall finds are waiting all around your own house. Talk about an adventure!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holland Creme - That Amazing White Stuff In Donuts

Image
I remember going to the grocery store every Saturday morning when I was growing up, and my favorite place in the entire store was the donut case. All the glazed, powdered and filled baked goods drew me like a magnet. My favorites, far and away, were the ones filled with that beautiful white, fluffy creme. At the time I didn't know it was called Holland Creme - I just knew it was the most amazing concoction ever. Ever. Here is my version of this sweet treat. You can make your own fried donuts and fill them, or like I did here, you can cut a crevice into store-bought donuts with a knife and fill them with creme in a piping bag. Either way, you're going to love it. Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup shortening 1 cup butter 1 Tbsp vanilla 7 cups powdered sugar 1. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat until boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool complet
Read more

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee
Read more

Simple DIY Beaded Keychains

Image
We're having so much fun putting together goodie bags and door prizes for our upcoming ladies retreat at the church. So many of our ladies have donated craft supplies, decorations, time and energy to treat our visitors to an amazing time. These keychains are just one of the gifts some of the attendees will find in their bags. All you need to make them are a variety of beads, some fairly thin yet sturdy cord and a jump ring. Cut a length of cord, fold it in half and string it through the jump ring. String matching beads on both sides. And tie it off with a double knot. So simple, yet so pretty. Here's another variation: Cut a length of cord, fold it in half and thread it through a jump ring. Tie one or two beads on one side and tie it off with a knot. Make the other side longer with additional letters and beads before tying it off. Make a variety of lengths, colors, patterns and phrases so no two are alike.
Read more