A Simple Project For Fall

I love this project...it is simple, inexpensive and instantly brings color to any room.  I first saw it on a great blog, Burlap and Lace, and just had to try it out.  And just look at my new flowers!

And now look a little closer since they are not flowers at all...



They are simply sticks and tissue paper.  Great, right!  My daughter and I spent a few minutes collecting sticks at the park the other day.  (A great toddler activity.)  Then I picked up some tissue paper on a trip to Pier 1 that had a great subtle pattern.  And then I followed these simple steps...

First cut 2"x3" rectangles out of the tissue paper.  (This is an approximation...please don't measure.  It doesn't matter that much.)

Next take one rectangle and pinch it in the middle.

Twist the paper until the flower is the size you want and you have enough of a "stem" to glue it to the stick.

Get out your glue gun and glue the flowers to the stick in any order / pattern / or non-pattern you like.  WARNING!!! It is impossible to use a glue gun without burning yourself.  Why...I do not know...but it is a fact!!!

And lastly, arrange the sticks in a vase.  I used some sticks with flowers and some without but again that is up to you! 

A wonderfully simple project completed in about 20 minutes for about $2.  I would say that makes for a pretty good Tuesday!

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Fall Has Sprung

There is no use denying it, Fall is here.   And I actually really like Fall.  (But it does make me slightly dread what comes after it...but we wont talk about the W word right now.)  I love the crisp cool air when the sun is shinning.  I love the trees as they start to turn colors.  And I love digging out my warm cozy layers and then peeling them off again on a warm Fall day.  And I really love filling my home with hints of the new season.

Now I am not a "seasonal" decorator.  I have just never really been into holiday displays (other then some wonderful Christmas bling).  I don't put up scarecrows or scary zombies.  I don't set up a graveyard on my front lawn.  I like to be a little more subtle.  But I will say now that there is a little one in my house there may be a few more Halloween craft projects then in the past...but more on that later.

But with all that said I do think it is important to have the feel of the house match the feel outside.  So with that I did a little "Falling" to my accessories.  What got me started on the update were these great owls I found at Marshall's for $7.

I thought they were so cute and would be great on my mantel.  But I have been trying really hard to focus the family room on greys, blues, yellows and more upbeat colors so I wasn't sold on the brown.  But hey for $7 I can fix anything.  And fixing is what I did...some oil rubbed bronze and cream colored spray paint did the trick and helped make these little guys pop.

I also added a little green to the mantel because Fall is just as much about life as any season and this little fern does a great job of capturing that...

The front entry table was also spiced up with a fern and the bright greens and blues were toned down with deep red, wood and earthier greens.

The kitchen table got the most "seasonal" decorations of all.  I picked up a couple of pumpkins at Michael's at 30% off and bunched them with candles and earth toned balls (I mean what else can you call them?!?!) on this wonderful decorative plate I got years ago at Pier 1 Imports.  I love how the plate brings bright pops of color to the toned down palate.

So in all, I spruced up the house for Fall with just a few dollars.  Oh and by the way, while all this beautifying was going on at adult level this is what was going on at toddler level...

Anyone want to come over and play???

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