Winter Wonderland Chalkboard

A while back I decided that the walls leading down to our garage would look pretty great with chalkboard paint.  Turning the entire stairwell into one large chalkboard to doodle on :)

Winter Wonderland (close-up)

The graffiti, drawings, sayings, etc. change quite frequently.  A few days ago, I washed the entire stairwell walls and decided to decorate the walls for the holidays.

Downstairs looking up

With the weather most of us are experiencing right now, I think the Winter Wonderland scene is appropriate.

Deer Antler "Mount"

I'm kinda digging the whole deer/antlers/hunting theme decor right now, so I decided to add my own "mount" to the wall.

The lists are for my daughters.  I thought this would be a fun way for them to write down the items they would like for Christmas.  (They are 14, 16, and 22...really hard ages to buy for!)

I hope you enjoyed this post.  I can say that it was a cheap DIY project from the beginning.  I used Martha Stewart's recipe for homemade chalkboard paint.  I added 2 tablespoons of unsanded grout to 1 cup of flat-finish latex paint (multiplying the recipe to make enough to cover the walls).  I picked up the unsanded grout at the thrift store.  It was a partially used box so the price and amount were perfect for this project.  I already had the flat black paint on hand from another project.  The DIY project is pretty cheap but can pack a lot of punch when it comes to decorating!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I am so thankful to be blogging and creating and I am so thankful for you!

God bless!
Angie

I'm linking here:

COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

 

http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/themed-linkups

www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.com

www.remodelaholic.com

The Fight for Thanksgiving before Christmas

It's the confusing time of year where Thanksgiving gets somewhat elbowed out of the way by everyone jumping the gun to get the Christmas season started.

It's all a little overwhelming as a blogger.  Trying to keep up with the flow of everyone posting their mantles beautifully decorated with greenery and stockings, and creatively decorated trees.  I wish I could bottle their energy to get it all done like they do.  I guess this is really isn't that early compared to those in the magazine industry.  I believe they do layouts MONTHS in advance.

This really isn't Thanksgiving but I thought it had a fall feel to it with the burlap background.  It's a Hatch Show Print.  A really cool company that still makes posters on the original print machines in Nashville.

Thankfully (lol!) this Thanksgiving we will be celebrating with my family so that means travel for us instead of hosting the 30+ in-laws.  We switch up where we will be for Thanksgiving and Christmas every year.

This year we will be in East Tennessee at my mom's for Thanksgiving and then in Nashville for Christmas at the in-laws. Next year it will be the other way around.  Both are actually close enough that we can do day trips to allow for hubby's or one of the girl's work schedules.

I did some fall decorating which is getting us through until next week.  So...deep breaths until then and enjoy some "throwback" pictures of Christmas a few years ago.  They were taken when my kitchen was Roasted Red Pepper...pre-beadboard backsplash and the new fresh white/greige colors.

Vignette on top of the pie safe

Vintage Elf on a Shelf...he's behaving for the moment

Dollar Tree pre-made gingerbread house cookies use under a cloche.
I added sugar for the snow :)

By next weekend, I'll be wading through Rubbermaid totes and other boxes, pulling out the Christmas decor...trying to catch up!

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!
Angie I'm linking here:

COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

 

http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/themed-linkups

http://heleneslegacy.blogspot.com/2013/11/everyday-vintage-link-party_22.html

Easy Holiday Candleholders

Hickory Gold-dipped Candleholders (They are really straight--I think the picture angle is wonky!)

You remember the wood slice tags I made recently?  If not, you can see them here.  I had a few pieces of the fallen hickory branch and hated to waste it.  That's when I picked up a piece and realized it could easily be turned into a great candle holder.  Dipped in gold--of course!

I treated these the same as the wood slices by placing them in the oven to dry and kill any little creatures living in the bark.

To make the gold-dipped look, I taped off about two-thirds of the top and spray painted the bottom with Krylon's Bright Gold.

The holes were made using a spade bit on the drill.  You could also use an auger bit or key hole saw bit.

Personally, I would use ANY drill bit...masonry, glass/tile...as long as it was big enough for the candle to fit AND my hubby doesn't find out.

Kinda like using his razor in the shower.

Then he always wonders why his become dull so quickly.  Hmmm.  Yeah.

Anyway, the candles I think look best with the natural branches are called rustic tip.  Traditional tapers would look great as well but I like how these mimic the top of the candleholders.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!!
Angie

I'm linking here:

COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

 

http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/themed-linkups

Mason Jar and Wood Slice Tag

We have an amazing ministry in our town called Greenhouse Ministries.  They offer food, gas vouchers, housing assistance, GED tutoring, and a host of other classes to help those in need in our community.

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Their current facility is bursting at the seams and in desperate need of more room.  A group of supporters is hosting a Denim and Diamonds Raffle and Auction to help raise funds for Greenhouse's expansion.  I've helped with events at Greenhouse in the past and I was excited to be asked to help with the decorations and displays for this event.

Photos via www.readyvillemill.com

The Denim and Diamonds Raffle and Auction will be held at a historic mill in the Readyville community.  To go along with the theme and the historic, old building, I needed to come up with a container to hold the tickets for each raffle item.  This is similar to a silent auction except that guests will purchase raffle tickets and place them in the container beside the item they hope to win.  The more tickets you place in the container, the better your chance to win!

So, what did I come up with??  Here it is:

A simple wide-mouth mason jar with a wood slice tag to mark the item number, a small envelope that will contain the item description, and jute and denim ribbons.  (The ticking fabric is just for the photo!)

Using my husband's chop saw, I cut the wood slices from a fallen hickory branch.  It went very quickly but you do have to be careful when you're cutting thin slices.  The spinning blade will try to throw the slice backwards once it's cut.  Always wear your safety glasses and keep your hand that is holding the branch at a safe distance from the blade.  Once the branch becomes too short to handle safely, stop.  A natural branch is not level or square and could become difficult to hold securely.

Once I had the slices cut, I placed them on a foil lined cookie sheet in a 200 degree oven...just to make sure there were not any bugs living in the bark.  The limb was still green so placing it in the oven helps dry it out.  After the slices were dried in the oven for about an hour, I painted the centers with black chalkboard paint and drilled a hole in the top to string the jute through.

It's a very simple project but looks great!  These could be used for weddings as table markers, for cookouts to hold utensils, or even as candle holders using tealights.

As you can see from the photo, the branch has lots of lichen and I left it attached.  I like the natural look of it.

Once the evening is over, I will have a nice supply of the wood slice tags to use again.

I had more of the branch left over after the tags.  I made something else but I'll post more on that this week.  Let's just say it involves more gold paint!

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!
Angie


I'll be sharing this project here:

Quick Pillow Redo

About a year ago, I made a pillow in natural linen-type fabric.  I added a burlap ribbon around the pillow and placed it in my breakfast area.  Sometime during the past year, water came in contact with the pillow causing the burlap fabric to bleed on the natural fabric.  I lived with it for a while.  This past week, I decided to try a quick redo to salvage the pillow.  By quick, I mean it literally took minutes.

The before with stain from burlap

Decorating items dipped in gold are pretty hot right now.  That got me to thinking, why not a pillow?

Pillow taped and sprayed

I taped about a third of the pillow, making sure that the entire stain would be covered with the gold paint.  I used Krylon Bright Gold and sprayed the bottom portion pretty heavily.

AND, while I'm on the topic of spray paint, let me just add that there are 2 "for sures" when it comes to me deciding to spray paint something.  

First, it will suddenly become a very windy day, thereby making is take twice as much paint than normal.  

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And, second, no matter what quality of paint I use or how careful I am, I WILL end up with a painted index finger.  Just call me Goldfinger, ha! 

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Ok, nevermind.  Back to the project.

The fabric is a little stiff but is becoming softer with use.  I did give my pillow about 24 hours to thoroughly dry so that the gold paint doesn't rub off on the furniture.

And, here is the final product!  I know!  Epic, it should totally go viral!  No?  Ok, just kidding but it was a very quick, very easy fix to hide the stain on the pillow.  I'm all about quick and easy :)

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!

Angie