Every Wednesday I collaborate with two talented bloggers Terrie at Decorate And More With Tip and Corine at Junk To Gems.  We create videos that have one of three themes. Crafts, Home Decor or Home Cleaning.  This week’s video, Craft with Us, Styling a Spring to Summer two tiered tray was super fun to make.

Since it was Craft With Us week, we decided to make 3 crafts to decorate our trays with.

My theme for my tray is Lemons.

I ended up loving my lemon themed tray so much that I decided to use it as a centerpiece on my breakfast room table.

Craft 1:

The first craft I made was this super easy, fun mini rolling pin.

I found the mini pins here.

This craft is super easy.

Simply paint the handles white and the body bright yellow.

For the lettering, I could have just wrote Lemonade by hand, however I chose to use sticker letters so that I could re-use the mini pin later.

To finish my rolling pin off, I tied a blue and white ribbon on one end.

Craft 2:

Craft two was this pretty picture frame with the lemon watercolor in it.

Again, a simple craft using paint, ribbon and hot glue.

Paint the frame yellow.

Paint white dots randomly on the sides of the frame.

Glue ribbon to the front of the picture frame.

Add a cute bow.

Pop in art of your choice and you have a super cute piece of art!

I found my 3 x 5 frames here.

Craft 3:

My third and final craft was this super sweet fresh squeezed lemon sign.

I found my block of wood here.

While this craft was a little harder than the others, I think almost anyone could paint this sign.

For complete details on how to make it, you can watch the video here.

On the lower level of my tray I added a bold napkin for texture and color.

Wooden beads, lemons  – both placed randomly and nestled into a pretty blue and white chinoiserie cup and saucer.

The top level has a pretty lemon and blueberry bow, a white mug filled with lemons and a sweet little ceramic bird.

Since you can see all the way around, on the back side I used my fresh squeezed lemon sign and loose lemons.

On the upper level you see the same mug with lemons and bow as well as a white ceramic house sporting the sign “Pucker Up!”

My Spring to Summer two tiered tray is proof that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on decorating your trays.

Not only that, but you don’t need a ton of things to fill it up.

Sometimes less really is more!

Since I decorated my tray all the way around I can use it as a centerpiece for my table.

And look how well my tray goes with the place settings!

Don’t forget to head on over to my fellow bloggers sites to see how their trays turned out!

Until next time….

 Corine’s at Junk to Gems

Terrie’s Decorate And More With Tip

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One of the things that I look forward to every year is decorating my Easter Table. I’m always on the look out for one small item that can take my table to the next level. I recently saw  Bunny Tail chair ties that I knew would make my table stand out.  So today,I’m sharing how  I  made  my  chair  ties.

Supply list

Here is a list of supplies that you will need to make a chair tie:

Burlap Ribbon  – 2.5″ – I found mine here.

Hot Glue

Glue gun

Mini Rick Rack

Bunny Tail

Straight pins

Scissors

Step 1

Cut off 6″ pieces of your burlap ribbon.

You will need 2 for each chair tie.

Near the top 1/3 of your ribbon, starting on the outside edge, draw a curve up to the top, center part of your ribbon.

Draw a mirror of that curve on the opposite side, forming the top of your bunny ear.

Cut out the ear.

I used this ear as a template for each bunny ear that I needed.

Step 2:

Using your hot glue gun, glue mini rick rack to the outside of each ear.

Once that is done, pinch 1/4″ from the outside edge of the ribbon and bring it to the center of ear.

Hot glue in place.

Repeat on the opposite side of the ribbon to form your bunny ear.

(The rick rack will be the BACK side of your bunny ear so pleat the ribbon on the side without the rick rack)

Step 3:

Using the burlap ribbon, tie a bow around your chair.

If you have a fairly square backed chair, I would tie the ribbon around the entire back.

However, since my chair back is round, it was easier to simply tie the ribbon to the center of the chair.

Step 4:

Using your hot glue gun, carefully hot glue the ears to the back side of your bow’s center.

Be sure to put the back of the ear facing you.

Also, hot glue the mini rick rack to the bottom of your bow’s tails.

Step 5:

Using a straight pin, pin your bunny tail to the center of your bow on your chair.

Be sure that the sharp end of your pin is tucked into the bow to prevent getting pricked by the pin.

Let’s face it, it’s looks cute and charming until somebody get’s stuck by the pin!

Making these bunny tail chair ties couldn’t be any easier!

I love how the furry little tails dress up my chairs and put a smile on my face every time I see them.

My only regret was that we aren’t having a big family get together so that I could make more of them.

Who doesn’t love a project that is easy, takes very little time to complete, doesn’t require a huge supply list and looks fabulous?

Later this week I will be sharing my finished Easter table with you so stay tuned.

Until next time….

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Hey Friends! It’s $10 on the 10th. I love it when fun and talented bloggers get together to share great ideas for under $10, don’t you? This months theme is Spring.  When I think of Spring, I think of birds, blooms, sunny days and Easter! With that in mind, I thought that it would be fun to make a Spring egg garland that I could use not only for Spring, but Easter as well. I love a multi-functional decor item for sure!

I actually made this garland a few weeks ago and I made it two different ways.

Today I’m sharing the painted egg version with you.

However, if you don’t like to paint, but love to craft with paper I have a video that is right up your alley.

You can see it here.

Supplies

For this Spring Egg Garland you will need:

Wooden egg cutouts. I found mine at the Dollar Tree – 6 for $1.00.

Paint

Paint brush

Twine

Scissors

Small Carrots – I found mine at the dollar tree – 6 for $1.00

Yarn

Pom pom maker or a piece of cardboard

1/4 inch ribbon

Hot glue and glue gun

Base Coat Eggs

The first thing you will need to do is give your eggs a base coat of white paint.

Set aside to dry.

Design Your Eggs

Just like a girl scout, I like to be prepared.

I traced around my eggs and drew the designs that I would be painting on each egg.

Paint Eggs

Using acrylic paints, I painted my designs onto the eggs.

As you can see, I painted multiples to make more than one set of egg garlands to share as gifts.

Once they designs were complete, I glued small bows to the top of each egg.

While my eggs were drying, I made 5 pom poms for my garland using a pom pom maker.

These are super easy to use, however you could also make poms using a piece of cardboard.

I purchased my pom maker here.

Once my eggs were painted and my pom poms were made I tied them, as well as the carrots to the twine to make my garland.

I used jute twine to tie on the eggs and the carrots.

I left two of my pieces of yarn long on my pom to be able to tie it to the twine.

And this is what the finished painted Spring Egg garland looks like!

So how much did my garland cost?

Eggs – $1.00

Carrots – $1.00

Everything else I already had left over from another project.

So my  painted garland ended up costing me a grand total of $2.00 plus tax.

My scrapbook garland ended up costing me a bit more.

I purchased new scrapbook paper to match my Spring/ Easter color scheme.

50% off at Hob Lob – 6 sheets of paper came in at $2.20 including tax.

Both garlands were under $5.00!

Please join me in visiting these talented blogger friends of  mine to see what fun Spring ideas they have for us!

Terrie – Decorate and More With Tip

Patti – Pandora’s Box

Cindy – Cloches and Lavender

Corine – Junk to Gems

Until next time….

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Hey Friends! It’s that time of year where I want to be outside planting, however I know that Spring isn’t quite here yet. So I’m inside decorating and crafting for Spring. Today I’m sharing how to make a Paper Bunny Door Hanger with you.

Draw a Bunny

First thing I did was draw a bunny.

(If you don’t want to draw yours, you can go on-line and get a clip-art outline of a bunny.)

Once I had my bunny drawn, I cut out 2 bunnies out of brown wrapping paper.

Cutting Out Batting

Also, using your bunny pattern cut out 1 layer of batting.

Paint the Bunny

On 1 layer only, paint the bunny the color of your choice.

I chose to paint my bunny turquoise.

Mainly because it’s such a bright happy Spring color.

Obsessed about Spring?

Yes. Yes, I am!

Sew The Bunny

Take the unpainted bunny pattern ( layer 1) and lay it out.

Add the batting ( layer 2) to layer 1.

Place the bunny that you painted (layer 3) to the top of the bunny stack.

Pin the bunny layers together.

Using a sewing machine, sew around the outer 1/4 inch of the bunny.

Don’t have a sewing machine?

You could easily glue the outer edges of the bunny together to create your bunny.

Embellish Your Bunny

Now is the time to add all things pretty to your bunny!

Using white paint, add highlights to the bunny’s body.

Don’t forget to add the bunny tail!

At this point,  I wanted to add a flower to the bunny’s ear.

So instead of just painting it, I decided to make one just like I did the bunny body.

Adding a cute  bow completed the embellishments!

Add the Hanger

Using a hole punch, punch a small hole in each of the bunny’s ears.

Cut about 12 inches of wire.

Run the wire through the hole in the bunny’s ear, then loop it and twist the end around the body of the wire.

Do this with both ears.

This is what your bunny will look like at this point.

However, since it’s for the door, I felt like my bunny needed a little something else.

Maybe a greeting?

So I went in a little unexpected way, I decided to make him a hip hop bunny!

A Hip Hop Spring bunny!

I love this paper bunny door hanger and can’t wait to decorate with her.

One note of caution, because the bunny is made of paper, she’s definitely an indoor bunny!

Until next time…

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Hey Y’all, let’s make a St. Patrick’s Day Sign! Can you believe that it’s almost March??? With March’s arrival comes the decorating of Spring and St. Patrick’s Day. Honestly, I don’t do a lot of decorating for St. Patrick’s Day. However, I thought that it might be fun to do my two tiered tray in all things green this year.

I had this sign in my craft closet and it’s the perfect size for my tray.

I paid .69 cents for mine as they were on the 90% off clearance.

Word on the street is that your local Dollar Tree has very similar ones available.

These cute wooden shamrocks came from Hob Lob this year.

$2.99 for a bag of 12.

Now all I needed was a little paint to finish my sign!

Step 1:

Remove the beads from the sign.

Once that is done give the  face of the sign a good coat of white acrylic paint.

When the face is completely covered and no writing is showing through, paint the sides green.

Step 2:

Paint your shamrocks.

I painted the smaller of the two shamrocks green and the larger one white.

When the base coats have dried, it’s time for the fun part.

Decorating them.

I decided to give the green shamrock tiny white dots.

The larger white shamrock received a plaid pattern.

What could be more Irish than a plaid?

Now if you don’t want to paint these shamrocks, I think they would be super cute covered in St. Patrick’s Day themed paper!

In fact, had we not been in an ice storm here when I made these I definitely would have done so.

TIP:

Because both the sign and the shamrock received multiple coats of paint and nobody wants to sit and watch paint dry, I used my new heat gun.

Why I  haven’t purchased one sooner is anybody’s guess!

I love this thing.

In the past I’ve always just used a hair dryer – or just watched the paint dry.

The hair dryer works just fine, but it tends to blow the smaller pieces around.

The heat gun has low velocity of air output and dries paint almost instantly.

SCORE!

Step 3:

While your sign and shamrocks are drying, paint your wooden beads.

I did half of mine in green and the other half in white.

Put paint on a paper plate and drop your beads into the paint.

Next, I take them out of the paint, making sure they are covered well, and lightly wipe away the excess paint.

Then I place them on a BQ skewer and lay it across the opening of an old cup allowing them to dry.

Super easy!

Step 4:

Once all of your pieces have dried, glue them all together.

Using a hot glue gun, start with the sign and work your way up.

Step 5:

String your beads onto a piece of jute, then reattach them to your sign.

I like to reattach the beads exactly the way they were before I took them off for the most part.

If you have trouble restringing the twine through the hole, cover the ends snugly with scotch tape.

It keeps the ends from fraying as you re-insert them into the hole.

Be sure and tie the knots securely.

Step 6:

Paint the word ” Lucky” at the bottom of the sign.

I’m just going to go ahead and apologize here.

I did take a picture of this step, however it  was so blurry you have to wonder what I was thinking at the time!

If you don’t trust your handwriting, simply use vinyl peal and stick lettering.

Now that everything is finished on your sign, give it a good coat of a clear protective coating.

Once it dries, your sign is done!

I love how cute my St. Patrick’s Day Sign is!

It gives my two tiered tray lots of color and is the perfect size!

Total cost of the sign is under $1.00.

Cute and economical.

My kind of project!

Until next time…..

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On our Craft With Me Wednesday I shared in a video on how to make felt flowers . If you missed it, you can see it here.

However, there are only so many things that I could put in the video and I promised to share how to make them here on the blog also.

AND I will share where to get a pattern to make a few of your own.

If you have followed me for very long you will know that I use these felt flowers in a lot of my decor.

On 2 tiered trays, tabletops and in arrangements.

A lot of you have asked “did I make them?” or “where you can buy them?”

So I thought that I would share that with you.

Last Spring I bought my felt flowers at Walmart.

Sadly, they don’t have them anymore.

On a recent trip to Michael’s, I found a smaller version of the flowers and it occurred to me that I could deconstruct it and figure out how to make my own.

Supplies:

Felt

Scissors

Cardstock

Hot glue gun and glue

Pen or pencil

Extras: clips and BQ skewers

Step 1:

Make a pattern for your flowers.

I bought a few of the small felt flowers at Michael’s and using a blow dryer to loosen the hot glue I took the flower apart.

Using the felt flower I made a pattern.

You can find patterns to make flowers in the Pattern section on my home page.

Simply lay the felt out on a piece of card stock and trace around the edges.

Once that is done cut out the  pattern on the card stock.

Step 2:

Cut out your felt flower.

Using the pattern you just cut out, lay it on a piece of felt and draw around the pattern.

I like to use a pen that is almost the same color as the felt to do this.

That way, if you can see any of the pen after you cut the felt out it blends into the flower.

Once you have traced your pattern onto the felt, cut it out.

Step 3:

Glut your flower together.

Starting at the small end of the felt start rolling your flower up, glueing it with hot glue as you go.

Be sure that the back side is level as you roll the felt up.

Step 4:

Add leaves to your flower.

I made a leaf pattern using the same techniques that I did for the flower.

Using the leaf that came off of the flower I bought, I traced it onto card stock and cut it out.

Then I transferred the pattern onto felt and cut it out.

Once that was done, I hot glued the leaf to the back of my flower.

There is one exception to adding the leaves at this time. See #5.

Step 5:

If you are wanting to use your flower in an arrangement you will want to add a “pick” to it.

A BQ skewer is perfect for this.

I measure the length that I want the pick, mark the skewer and cut off the extra skewer that I don’t need.

I cut off from the top of the skewer ( the flat end) so that the sharp pointed end remains.

It makes it easier to use as a pick.

Glue the “flat” end of the skewer to the flat part of your flower.

Then add the leaves, hiding the skewer and the back side of the flower.

Step 6:

My large flowers from Walmart came with a clip on the back.

Which makes it great to add it to different things.

Napkin rings, containers etc.

So whether I plan on clipping it to anything or not I add the clip to the back after I’ve added the leaves.

These felt flowers are so cute!

Making them I got to thinking of other things I could use them for.

The smaller ones would be great added to push pins on bulletin boards.

And wouldn’t they be beautiful added to bows on a present?

The uses for them is really endless.

I hope that you enjoyed learning how to make felt flowers.

Thanks for crafting with me!

Until next time….

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How it’s Made

Yesterday I partnered up with Terrie from Decorate and More with Tip to share how to style a Two Tiered Tray. We both shared  our videos on Facebook. Every Wednesday we share either a craft or how to decorate something in your home. And Every Wednesday we get asked the all important question “Can you tell me how it’s made?”. So this week, as well as sharing the video we thought that it would be fun to share how we made several things that we put on our trays. If you would like to see my video, please go here. Don’t forget to visit Terrie here.

Valentine’s Day Mug

I love the look of the Rae Dunn mugs.

However, I don’t like the idea of storing a ton of mugs for each holiday.

So I make my own holiday mugs by taking plain white mugs and adding vinyl lettering to them.

I have a Silhouette machine that makes it super easy for me to make a design.

Once I’ve decided on a design, it’s simply a matter of cutting it out and adding it to the mug.

Don’t have a Cricut or a Silhouette machine?

No worries!

Your local craft store has a ton of peel and stick lettering that you can use!

Mini Rolling Pin

In my video I had taken one of these sweet little rolling pins, cut out vinyl  lettering and attached it to the pin.

Well, since you may not have a cutting machine I want to show you just how easy it is to use peal and stick lettering.

Simply choose the letters of the word you want to use, the stick them on.

Once I have my lettering on, I like to add a bit of bakers twine tied in a bow for a little extra embellishment.

Seriously, it couldn’t get any easier and it takes very little time!

Mulit-media Sign

A few years ago I made the multi- media heart signs.

If you missed it you can see it here.

I made all sizes, shapes, and colors with a ton of different embellishments.

They are so easy to make and I have used them just about everywhere here at the Castle!

Conversation Heart Mug

The last craft is the centerpiece on the top tier.

It’s a cute mug with a conversation heart.

I found the heart at Hob Lob and it’s originally intended to be used as a floral pick.

However, it was much too long for my mug.

I simply cut it to my desired length using a small hack saw.

Placed a piece of styrofoam into the mug.

Next, add the heart pick to the styrofoam and cover it with crinkly white paper.

The centerpiece is done!

I hope this answered your question “can you tell me how it’s made?”

If you’d like to see just how this two tiered tray was put together, don’t forget to head on over to my Facebook site ( link above).

Also, be sure and visit Terrie @ Decorate and More With Tip to see the cutest tray ever!

P.S. she actually MADE her tray.

You don’t want to miss this!

Until next time…

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Its $10 on the 10th! Where a few blogger friends and I share fun decor, ideas and crafts for under $10.00. This months theme was Winter Blues/ Winter decor. Nothing helps beat those Winter blues like a little decorating that makes you smile. I recently painted a few winter snowflakes and put them in an unusual place!

The best part about this project is that it was super easy, especially since it gave a lot of wow factor to my decor.

This would be the perfect craft for younger children as well as adults!

Here are the supplies that you will need to make your own:

Wooden snowflake cutouts. I found mine here.

Twine

White paint

Holographic glitter paint

Paint brush

That’s it!

Step 1:

Paint your snowflakes white.

I gave each of my snowflakes 2 coats of white acrylic paint on each side.

Since I loved the dark brown edges, I didn’t paint those.

The brown edges give the snowflakes a rustic look that I love at this time of year.

I will admit that my first instinct was to put glue on the edges and dip them in big chunky white glitter.

However, I’m looking for a little less glam and glitz now that Christmas is over.

Step 2:

Paint with holographic glitter paint.

Give each side of the snowflake a coat of the glitter paint.

Make sure to let each side dry thoroughly before painting the other side!

I know!

I said a little LESS glam and glitz, not NO glam or glitz! Ha!

It’s hard to see it in this photo, but the holographic glitter really sparkles and shines!

Step 3:

Thread  twine through your snowflakes, tying off the ends of the twine.

My snowflakes came with 9 pieces of 13″ twine, however you can use twine, ribbon, baker’s twine – basically whatever you have on hand.

Step 4:

Hang your snowflakes!

While I hung mine on my chandelier in my breakfast room, I think these would look super cute in other places too.

Nestled in greenery on a fireplace mantle, string them on a 6 ft length of twine and hang them as a garland on the mantle, if you still have your trees up they would make great ornaments.

How about hanging them from a topiary or potted tree on your porch?

See?

I told you they give  a lot of bang for your buck!

Now, please join me in visiting the other blog hoppers and see what fun Winter blues items they’re sharing!

Allyson @ Southern Sunflowers

Patti @ Pandora’s Box

Anne @  The Apple Street Cottage

Barbara @ French Ethereal

Until next time…

Did you know that a group of crows is called a murder? Truth. And boy do I have a murder of crows in my dining room. I couldn’t be happier. I’m loving my Murder of Crows Halloween Table!

It all started when I was setting my table  for Halloween.

I put down a black polk a dot table runner, added a mercury glass  pumpkin.

Next, the spooky place setting.

The orange placemat reflects the orange dots in the table runner.

Purple glitter chargers were added for a little bling.

You all know I love me some white plates!

To top off my plate stack I added 4 different lacy black and white Halloween plates.

The finishing touch was the napkin and spider napkin ring!

At this point, I knew something was missing.

It needed just a little more fun added!

Adding vintage looking crows for place cards seemed to be just what my table needed.

Using white cupcake stands for my  base, I added cut up cupcake liners to the flat top.

Then it was time to dress up my crow.

For his neck ruffle, again I used cupcake liners as well as coffee filters.

I simply cut them down to the width I wanted, and using a needle and thread, sewed a  running stitch close to one edge.

After gathering the stitched ruffle, simply put it around the crows neck and sew the ends together.

Now, my crow needed a few embellishments.

I added hats, rhinestones, stickers, wooden tags, and crowns.

Anything that looked like it belonged on my crows.

Then, at the base of the cupcake stand I added preprinted cut out names.

The perfect place card  holders for my Halloween table!

Not only were the crows fun to make, but I think that my Halloween table turned out pretty cute too.

I also added a few blingy spiders and glittery decorations to the chandelier.

As well as a few scary things to  my buffet as well.

My murder of crows Halloween table couldn’t be more fun.

Let the Halloween celebration begin!

Until next time….

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Welcome to October’s DIY Challenge.  If you are coming here, from  Corine’s Junk to Gems, I’m so happy that you are here! This month Terrie of Decorate and More With Tip asked us to give all of you lots of pumpkin inspiration. So that’s just what we did! Today I’m sharing  how to make a Faux Sweater Pumpkin.

I’m sure all of you have seen those gorgeous  sweater covered pumpkins.

So pretty.

All you have to do is cut up an old sweater and cover the pumpkin.

But what if you don’t have an old sweater?

Well, you create a pumpkin out of yarn!

Here is how you turn a plain little Dollar tree pumpkin into a beautiful faux sweater pumpkin.

Step 1:

Remove the pumpkin stem.

Which is super easy as it is only attached with a toothpick.

Step 2:

Cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin.

Step 3:

Paint the Pumpkin.

I recommend painting the pumpkin a color close to the yarn you will be using.

Your yarn will leave “holes” where the pumpkins color can peek through.

Step 4:

Braid the yarn.

I started off by cutting 9 – 26′ pieces of yarn for each braid.

Gather the 9 strands at the top and tie them off.

Then divide the 9 strands into 3 groups.

Keeping the yarn flat braid the 3 groups together.

Tie off the bottom of the braid just like you did the top.

You will need approximately 10 – 12 braids per pumpkin, depending upon the yarn you use.

Step 5:

Apply the braids to the the pumpkin.

Put one end of the braid into the hole of the pumpkin, then wrap around the pumpkin and place the tail of the braid into the hole.

Keep doing this until the pumpkin is completely covered in braids.

Step 6:

Give the pumpkin a stem.

Add a wine cork or tree branch to the top of the pumpkin.

Just stick it into the hole, the braids will hold the stem in place.

Step 7:

Add leaves to the pumpkin.

I chose to add these felt leaves, but really any leaf would do.

To attach them I cut out the felt, gathered the end and hot glued it to a piece of wire.

Once dry, I stuck the wire into the pumpkin hole.

As with the stem, the braids will hold the leaves in place.

I made a couple of the faux sweater pumpkins.

One with a variegated yarn and another with a chenille yarn.

Both are cute, but the variegated is my favorite!

It really does look like a cable knit sweater.

I’m a big fan of the faux sweater pumpkin.

No more looking for sweaters to cut up and it’s fun and easy to make!

Now, I hope that you will join me and visit Carol at Bluesky at Home.

I can’t wait to see what pumpkin inspo she’s cooked up!

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Can you believe that October is only days away? Some days this year seems to be flying by and on others it seems to crawl. Luckily I’ve been able to keep busy with lots of crafts, reading and decorating the past few months. One of the crafts I worked on was this Spooky Halloween sign. It is so easy, fun and versatile that I just had to share it with you!

I found this super cute sign at Hobby Lobby.

Did I know what I was going to do with it?

No, but it was so cute I couldn’t resist!

The ribbon is from Hob Lob also, but the cute metal Spooky cutout and the sweet little wooden cutouts came from the Dollar Tree.

Step 1:

Take the sign apart.

That’s right, I removed the sweet little wooden beads so that I could paint them.

The wooden signs tray would need a little paint too.

Step 2:

Painting the beads.

To paint the beads I put them on a wooden skewer like I did  when I made these mini signs.

If you missed it, you can see how I made them here.

Putting the beads on a skewer is a game changer.

Step 3:

Before I painted the sign, I cut the ribbon to fit the tray.

Then painted the sign black and added purple glitter to the frame.

Step 5:

Once both the sign and the beads were dry, I reattached the beads to the sign using new twine.

Step 6:

Next, I glued the ribbon that I pre-cut earlier onto the the sign.

Step 7:

Now, paint the witch hat and ghost cutouts.

If you aren’t comfortable painting the cutouts, I think that they  would be super cute covered in Halloween themed scrapbook paper.

Step 8:

Glue the painted wooden and metal cutouts onto the sign.

Add a cute, simple bow made from Halloween ribbon and your Spooky Halloween sign is finished!

I added my sign to my coffee bar for some much needed Halloween decor.

So cute!

I love how easy, inexpensive and fun this project was.

It was a quick afternoon project that cost me under $8.00!

My kind of craft!

Until next time…

Welcome to 10 on the 10th!  This month’s theme is all things Fall.  Which I love because it’s all things fall here at the Castle. This month I’m sharing a blue and white Dollar Tree pumpkin.

I don’t know about you , but I’m always on the hunt for smaller items to add to my seasonal two tiered tray. All those smaller knick knacks can get a little pricey.

So on a recent trip to the Dollar Tree I spied a few items, that with a little make over, would be perfect for my tray.

Of course, my blue and white pumpkin didn’t start out that way.

This is what it looked like when I bought it.

Well, without the white paint splotches.

(Note to self: Take the before picture before you start painting!)

Cute, but not my style.

So, I flipped it over and on the back side gave it  a couple of coats of white paint.

Originally, I was going to replace the stem with something a little more rustic.

However, I decided  to take a craft knife and mess this one up.

Effectively making this one very rustic.

Once the stem was done, I took some scrap material from my new kitchen valance and used Mod Podge to attach it to the pumpkin.

While that was drying, I painted a dollar tree leaf in a fall design.

After that,  I attached the leaf to the pumpkin using velcro.

A little raffia added to the stem and my blue and white Dollar Tree pumpkin is finished.

Cost for my pumpkin?

Pumpkin: $1.00

Leaf:  There were 5 leaves in a package for a $1.00, .20 per leaf.

Fabric : free

Raffia: free

Mod Podge: free

All free products were already in my studio!

Not only was my blue and white Dollar Tree pumpkin easy to make, but it looks so cute on my fall two tiered tray!

Now I hope that you will join me in visiting the rest of the 10 on the 10th participants to see what Fall things they’ve come up with.

Pandora’s Box

Decorate and More With Tip

The Applestreet Cottage

Cloches and Lavender

French Ethereal

Can you believe that September is just around the corner? With September comes all things fall. Pumpkins, sweatshirts,  leaves, Candy Corn and pumpkin spice everything! On a recent trip to Hob Lob I came across a few things in the Spring section that I thought would make great inexpensive fall decor. That’s right, I said things from the Spring section would make great inexpensive fall decor!

I found these cute little signs.

They had me at wooden beads.

However, as much as I love the beads, the artwork just wasn’t my style!

We all know that I love a good sale.

The Spring shop is now 90% off.

That’s not a good sale, it’s a great one!

It made these cute little signs .69 cents!

So, yes, I loaded them up and they went home with me.

Steps 1 – 4:

I knew that if I fixed them up a little bit, they would be perfect little signs to go on my two tiered tray in my kitchen.

Step 1:

Paint the entire surface with Mod Podge.

Step 2:

Lay pre-cut scrapbook paper on top of the  Mod Podge.

Be sure to gently rub out any air bubbles that you might have.

I use an old credit card to smooth mine out.

Step 3:

Put a coat of Mod Podge on top of your scrapbook paper.

Step 4:

After the paper had dried thoroughly, choose a wooden cut out to put on top of your sign.

What to do with your wooden beads

Step 1:

Flip your sign over and cut the knot holding the wooden beads to the sign.

I wanted to paint my wooden beads to match each sign that I was making.

To paint the beads, I load them onto a wooden stick and then paint them.

This makes it super easy to paint with little to no mess!

Step 2:

Once the beads are painted and dried, re-string them onto a piece of twine.

Step 3:

Take both ends of the twine and re-thread them into the hole at the top of the sign.

Step 4:

Tie the ends of the twine securely into a knot.

Your beads are finished!

Now for the fun part, decorating your wooden cut outs.

This is the time for you to get creative!

Add burlap, lettering, rhinestones, metal, paint, bows, raffia, paper or metallic paint.

Really, the only limitations are your imagination.

I made 4 signs in all.

This cute little fall sign cost less than $2.00 to create.

The leaf came from the Dollar Tree, 5 for a $1.00.

Everything else was leftover from another project.

Once again, my sweet little ghost was a 5 for a $1.00 Dollar Tree find.

Everything else I had on hand.

I bought this turkey cutout last year.

I’ve just been patiently waiting for the right time to use it.

Again, I think he cost less than $1.00.

The Christmas sign definitely cost me more than the other three signs.

I’ve had this Christmas tree in my stash and the sticker said that the tree was $2.00.

Right about now, I’m feeling like a big spender!

You know that you are making super cute, inexpensive fall decor when you can make all 4 signs for under $10.00!

That’s a bargain!

But how do they look on my two tiered stand?

I think they look pretty darn cute!

My head is spinning with all the possible decor that I can add to them.

Did I tell you that I love a good sale?

Until next time….

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Can you believe that it’s August already? In fact, it’s $10 on the 10th! Our theme this End of Summer. Gardening, home decor and back to school. Blogger’s choice. This month I chose  back to school organization.

Whether you are home schooling or actually going back to school this year, the one thing that we all need to start the year off right is a little organization.

Today I’m sharing a few things to help you get started.

Before I start, I just want to say that organizational items for school have come a long way from Trapper keepers.

So many things that are super cute and are functional as well!

Back to School Organization

Let’s start with a few things that you’ve may, or may not, have seen before.

However, by adding some personalization they become one of a kind.

A. Crayon Box Super Stacker -This may just be my new favorite! Add a vinyl decal and you have the cutest way to keep track of your crayons ever. And it’s only .99!

B. Glitter Pencil Box – I know these have been around forever, but there’s a reason for that. Super functional. Again add some vinyl to it and you have yourself a pretty cute box. Also .99!

C. Glam Pencil Bag –This one’s for the not so little kid in your life! What girly teen wouldn’t love her own personalized bag? The monogram is a vinyl heat transfer. Super easy to iron on! The bag was 50% off at $5.00, the matching pencils, also 50% off, came in right at $4.50.

 D. Art Box – This one may be more for homeschooling, but it’s also my favorite! What better way to coral your art supplies? I think it would also be great for a nail polish tote! This one is above my $10.00 limit at $11.99. However, if you use a 40% off coupon it  comes in at $7.20.  Can you say personalize it? Paint pens, stickers, and vinyl are all perfect choices.

E. Stackable Lap Trays – again this might be better suited to the homeschooler, but I’ve always thought these were fun. $7.49.

F. 6 Cup Crayon Caddy – These 6 cup caddies would be perfect for holding tons of things besides crayons. They are a steal at $3.99 and they had me at all the bright colors!

P.S. I found all of these at Michaels!

I saved the best for last.

A personalized memory box.

I was gifted one a few years ago and keep all sorts of fun mementos in mine.

What better way than to remember your school year than by making one of these to hold all your treasures?

Supplies:

1 photo box – $2.99

Scrapbook paper – I had on hand

Mod Podge- on hand also

Peel and Stick letters

Step 1:

Cut your scrapbook paper to fit three sides of your box and lid, leaving 1/4 inch border all the way around.

The front of the box has a metal slot for you to label. I left that one bare.

Also, for the top of the box, I cut two pieces of  co-ordinating paper for embellishment.

1 – 9″ x 2 1/4″

1 – 10″ x 3 1/2″

Step 2:

Next, apply the paper to all sides and top of the box using Mod Podge.

Once those papers have dried, add your two co-ordinating papers to the center of your lid, starting with the larger paper, then add  the smallest.

Step 3:

Once the paper has completely dried, it is time to add your embellishments.

I added my name and of course a few crowns here and there.

Tip: Don’t be like me and spill the glitter on top of the box!

Not a good look.

But it is original.

Here are just a few of the projects I made to make back to school organization just a little easier and a whole lot more fun!

And all were well under $10.00.

Now, it’s time to visit all the other bloggers in this hop.

I can’t wait to see what subjects, and projects, they chose!

Patti – Pandora’s Box

Anne – The Apple Street Cottage

Barbara – French Ethereal

Beth – Creatively Beth

Don’t you love finding something on sale? Then adding one or two little tweaks to your find to make it look super cute? That’s what happen to me recently. I found these super cute beach bags for $4.00! Each bag came with the cutest tassel on it. Cute, but by adding one tiny thing I turned them into totes adorbs swag bags.

I know “totes adores” is so last year, but I just couldn’t help myself!

So what did I do that made the swag bags totally adorable?

I did what any southern girl would do, I monogramed them.

Here’s how you can monogram you beach bag too.

Step 1:

Cut out your monogram on a digital cutting machine.

Don’t have one?

No worries!

I wanted to use a single initial on my bags, so I didn’t need anything fancy.

You could use a stencil,  hand draw your letter or use a pre-cut scrapbook letter.

I sprayed the back of my card stock letter with spray adhesive to ensure that it would stick to my bag.

Step 2:

Next, simply place your letter on your bag.

Make sure to press down firmly to make sure that it adheres well.

Step 3:

Using a pencil, lightly trace around your letter.

This is what your design should look like after removing the card stock.

Honestly, you could skip the spray adhesive if you want, it just helps keep the letter in place.

Step 4:

Paint your letter.

I used an acrylic multi-surface paint and a small paintbrush.

I matched the color of paint that I used to the colors in the tassels for a more custom look.

You may find that you need a couple of coats of paint to achieve full coverage.

Once mine had fully dried, I added a few tiny white accents to give it a little dimension.

That’s it!

Your bag is done.

Such a small thing that creates a lot of bang for your buck!

I did four of these bags for my sisters and nieces, painting each one a different color.

Once the bags were done, I filled them with all sorts of fun goodies.

I do believe that these are totes adorbs swag bags!

Last time I say that…

Promise!

Until next time…

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Welcome to August’s DIY Challenge! This month our challenge was to make something out of dowel rods. That’s right, you read that right. Dowel rods! After much thought I knew that I wanted to add to my gallery wall letters. There are a few spaces that still need a little letter here and there. Thanks to Terrie from Decorate and More with Tip for being our fearless leader! I just love her monthly challenges. Also, if you are coming here from Michelle, Blessings by Me, I am so glad that you are here. Now, let’s get down to business!   Our media room is really a bonus room above our garage. When we moved in last year, a lot of the old house’s decor landed here. So there is a lot of color. I decided to just go with it. This throw is one of my all time favorites and it matches all of the color in the room I used it as my inspiration for my letter. I found this letter at Hobby Lobby, as well as the small dowel rods. The plan was to cover the entire letter with different colors of dowels.

Step 1:

I measured and marked each dowel that I was placing on the letter.

Step 2:

Once I had each dowel marked, I cut them using my mini miter saw. I just love this thing for cutting small pieces of wood! It may just be my favorite tool!

Step 3:

After cutting the dowels, I gave them a light sanding on the ends to knock off any rough edges.

Step 4:

After each of my dowels were cut it was time to paint them. For this next step, I highly recommend wearing gloves! I was going for a distressed, worn look to match the other letters on my gallery wall. With that in mind, I watered down the paint slightly. After giving each dowel a coat of paint, I then wiped them off with a paper towel.

Step 5:

Paint the letter black. My dowels are going to cover most of the letter, however there were a few spots here and there that would show. The black just gave it a more cohesive look and did not compete with the other colors.

Step 6:

Glue the dowels to the letter. I worked in 1 to 2 inch sections. Put on a little glue, place the dowel rod. I continued doing this until all of my dowels were in place. Make sure that you have  plenty of glue to ensure that the dowels adhere well. So how did my dowel rod letter turn out? I love it! It fits right in with the rest of my gallery wall letters. And matches my inspiration pillow and throw perfectly! Plus who doesn’t love an easy, budget friendly project that adds so much to a space? Now it’s time to visit Terrie from Decorate and More With Tip ( you are not going to believe what she made!)  and all of my other DIY Challenge friends.

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Merry Christmas in July!

Honestly, I can’t even believe I’m even thinking about Christmas as it’s hotter than the devil’s back porch here in North Texas! Seriously, while I’m not excited about the heat and humidity, I am excited to be a part of the Christmas in July blog hop!

Thank you Terrie from Decorate and More with Tip for bringing us all together for a little Christmas fun!

If you are visiting from Carol’s Blue Sky at Home, welcome! Yay, you’re here!!!

Did you know that it is only 151 days til Christmas?

Probably didn’t need to hear that.

However, with a lot of us still staying home due to THE COVID, this is the perfect time to break out all of the Christmas projects.

You know, the ones we promise ourselves that we will get done, but never do?

My poject starts with these Mosaic Wooden Plaques from Michaels.

Today I’m sharing how to make a Christmas tree plaque.

Supplies:

Mod Podge

sponge brush

Ribbon

Scrapbook paper

Hot Glue and Glue Gun

Step 1:

First, paint your plaque the color of your choice.

I painted mine black.

Step 2:

Now it’s time to cut out your Christmas trees.

I used my Silhouette cutting machine to do mine.

Don’t have a cutting machine?

No worries, there are a ton of templates online.

Step 3:

Next, make a background for your design using scrapbook paper.

Step 4:

Paint the back of your wooden plaque with Mod Podge.

( I swear I’ve Mod Podged more things since the pandemic started than I have my entire life!)

Step 5:

Lay your background paper on top of the glue,

Tip: I like to use a clean brush to smooth out all of the wrinkles and air bubbles.

Once your paper is smooth, paint a coat of Mod Podge on top.

Step 6:

Place your Christmas trees on your paper where you want them, making sure to smooth out any air bubbles.

Once you have the trees where you want them, give them a coat of Mod Podge.

Step 7:

While my design was drying, I made a bow to go on top of my plaque.

However, you won’t need a lot of ribbon for this.

In fact, I used a lot of scrap ribbon that I had in my craft closet.

Once your plaque is dry, hot glue the ribbon to the top of the plaque.

Your Christmas plaque is complete and more importantly it’s ready to decorate with.

As far as projects go this one is pretty simple and a lot of fun!

So much fun that I made several for gifts!

Now, it’s time to hop over to visit Chloe at Celebrate and Decorate. I can’t wait to see what she has featured.

After that, be sure and check out all of the other wonderful ideas.

 
Decorate and More with Tip | Sew Sassy by Paula | DIY Vibes | Pretty DIY Home

Bluesky at Home | Patina and Paint | Celebrate and Decorate | B4 and Afters
 
A Vintage Flare Farmhouse | LeCultivateur | Country Road 407 | The House House\

Jessica B Simmons | Living Little John

It’s 10 on the 10th! Every month on the 10th, a group of lifestyle bloggers get together and share ideas for under $10.00. This month’s theme is Summer Party! While there haven’t been a ton of parties going on here at the Castle, there have been a few small gatherings. And one thing that always makes me crazy is that the solo cups get knocked over and you can never find where someone left the Shapie marker. So I’m taking matters into my own hands and making a Solo cup holder!

Normally I would have The Hubs make a box for me, however I found this box at Hobby Lobby.

With my 40% off coupon it cost $4.79!

Before painting the box, I filled the staple holes with wood filler.

I added feet to the bottom of the box by gluing on 4 wooden beads.

Don’t you just love E6000 glue?

It works on almost everything!

Next, I attached a metal clip to the outside of the box to hold my Sharpie.

No more excuses as to where the elusive marker went!

Once the glue and the wood filler was dry, I gave it a light sanding.

Then it was time to paint.

At this point I could have called it good and been done.

However, I saw that there was room in the back of the box for straws.

I cut a dowel rod the width of the box interior.

Once the dowel rod was in place, I painted it white to match the box.

This solo cup holder is finished and ready to party!

I’m thrilled that the glasses have a home and hopefully we won’t be on a constant hunt for a marker!

Please join me in visiting the rest of this months bloggers!

Decorate And More With Tip

Pandora’s Box

French Ethereal

The Apple Street Cottage

I don’t know about where you are, but here in Texas it’s hot! I’m talking hotter than the devil’s basement hot. I’ve been inside a lot more trying out a few new artistic projects. Today, I’m sharing hand painted oyster shells.

Before I could start my project, I had to first find some clean, sanitized oyster shells.

Who knew that you could find them on Amazon?

I found some great tutorials on how to use a napkin to decoupage oyster shells.

However, I found that it was hard to find patterned tissue, or napkins, with a small enough pattern to fit the shells.

You can even purchase downloadable chinoiserie patterns here.

Simply, purchase, download and print them off.

Which was fantastic.

However, my printer did not print them in the vibrant blue tones that I wanted.

So, I decided to hand paint them instead of decoupaging them.

After removing any dust from the shells, I painted the insides of each shell white.

Painting the inside of the shell white covers up any dark spots or irregularities.

This may require a couple of coats.

Once the white paint was dried, I painted all sorts of fun designs!

Since I was putting these in my living room, I decided to paint a few chinoiserie designs.

I also decided to paint a few free form designs.

Really, design wise, you are only limited by your imagination.

Since my living room colors are blues and whites I used those colors to paint my shells.

When the designs were dry, I gave them a couple of coats of glossy Mod Podge to protect them.

The finishing touch was painting the edges of my shells with a metallic gold paint to give the them a finished, upscale look.

These shells vary in size from 3 to 4 inches each.

Which would also make them perfect to place them in a bathroom or on a dresser to hold jewelry.

I’ve also seen them used as three dimensional art.

Simply glue your shell to the inside of a deep frame.

Ta-daaaa! Instant art.

I chose to put my hand painted oyster shells in a pretty bowl in my living room on a shelf.

I love all of the color and texture that they add visually.

Even though I hand painted most of mine, I still plan on keeping my eye out for some pretty napkins and tissue paper to decoupage a few more shells.

Maybe even making a few of these for fun gifties!

Until next time…

This months theme on Ten on the 10th is Pumpkins. Which I love! I mean who doesn’t love pumpkins, fall leaves, and cooler weather? Today I’m sharing an easy, low cost way to make a Buffalo Check Pumpkin.

A great big shout out to this months hostess Anne from The Apple Street Cottage. She rocks!

I found this pumpkin and these metal words at the Dollar Tree awhile back.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them, but I picked them up anyway!

The pumpkin was cute, but not quite the look I was going for.

I removed the raffia and the silver leaf.

Once that was done, I flipped it over.

Then I gave it two coats of white acrylic paint.

When the white paint had dried really well, I created vertical stripes using blue tape.

Then, I applied 1 coat of black acrylic paint.

Before the paint completely dried, I gently remove the blue tape.

Once the vertical stripes had dried, it was time to create the horizontal stripes.

Tape off the stripes , then paint.

Ta Da!

Full disclosure, I had planned on covering the pumpkin with buffalo check scrapbook paper.

However, I ran short on time and decided to paint instead of going shopping.

Scrapbook paper would be a great alternative to painting!

Now I wanted a little more definition, so I dry brushed every other square using white acrylic paint.

Next, paint the stem.

I had to do a couple of coats to get great coverage.

To give it a little pop I added a little gold to the stem once it was dry.

Sorry, I thought I had a picture but no!

Once the pumpkin was painted, I added a cute bow and glued the tin “welcome” onto the bottom!

So what did my Buffalo Check pumpkin cost?

Pumpkin $1.00

Welcome sign $.33 ( it was a set of 3 for $1.00)

Paint and ribbon – free! I already had them in my stash.

Total cost: $1.33

Now please join me in visiting my fellow Ten on the 10th bloggers. They are so talented and I can’t wait to see all of their fabulous ideas!

Ann – The Apple Street Cottage
Patti – Pandora’s Box
Terrie – Decorate & More With Tip
Carol – Bluesky at Home
Kathy – Up To Date Interiors

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A few weeks ago, my friend Shelli sent out a shout out on Facebook. Who would like to go to a goat milk soap class with her?

I told her that I would love to take the class with her, but wondered why would you want to use Goat Milk Soap over other soaps?

There are suppose to be many benefits of Goat Milk Soap for skin.

Goat Milk has many essential nutrients and has deep moisturizing properties. ( Which as I get older this girl needs!)

It provides a deep yet gentle cleanse, while providing anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties.

Uh, hello? Who doesn’t need that?

Along with containing anti-bacterial properties, it also protects your skin from the sun.

The people teaching the class were Stone City Farm from Tenino, Washington.

Super helpful and friendly!

They also provided soap and soap holders for sale at the end of the class.

I couldn’t resist buying a few!

When we arrived, the instructors had everything ready for us.

We started by putting on protective eye wear, aprons and glasses.

Next, we were asked to choose an essential oil and an exfoliant to add to our soap.

I chose lavender essential oil and oatmeal.

The first thing we did after donning our aprons, gloves and protective eye wear, was mix the frozen goat milk with lye.

I won’t bore you with all the details but I will say that we spent most of our time mixing and mixing and mixing.

Once the lye and goat milk was mixed.

We took our oil and added essential oil and exfoliant.

Then we mixed the goat milk mixture with the oil mixture.

And mixed, and mixed…..

Once we had it mixed properly, we poured our soap into a mold that they provided.

Ta Da! The finished product.

Now, we wait for 2 days before taking the soap from the mold to cut it into bars.

I have to say that it was a fun class!

It helped that the class was held at a local brewery and there were libations to sample, even though I am not much of a beer drinker.

This is what the soap looked like after 2 days.

I carefully removed it from the mold.

At this point, it is still not totally set.

Then sliced it into bars, using a non-serrated knife.

Now, my soap has to sit for 6 weeks!

I’m not sure I can wait that long!

Until, next time…

It’s Ten on the 10th! I look forward to this day every month because we usually have ten or more super talented women get together and share super cute ideas for under $10.00! This month we are shy of ten because #life. Since September is the beginning of the fall season, I decided to share fall in a jar with you.

Before I go any further, I want to thank Patti from Pandora’s Box for hosting this month!

Our theme this month is upcyled or recycled.

So many things came to mind, however my procrastination reared it’s ugly head and eliminated a lot of things due to time.

I have a closet full of things that I have rescued, pulled out of the trash, or bought at a garage sale.

When I began sorting through my junk I found a ton of Ball mason jars.

Clearly they needed to be used!

I decided to make cute little peek-a-boo jars to give out as happy fall gifts to a few neighbors and friends!

These are super easy to make.

Cut out a vinyl maple leaf, then placed it onto the jar.

Then tape off the areas that you do not want to paint.

Step 2:

Next, spray paint your jar.

Make sure to do two or three light coats in order to avoid having runs.

Step 3:

Once the paint has thoroughly dried, remove the tape and vinyl from the jar.

This is what your peek-a- boo jar should look like at this point.

Step 4:

The plain silver lid looked a little too plain for me.

I cut out a circle from some burlap ribbon I had on hand and mounted it onto the lid using spray adhesive.

Step 5:

Add cute ribbon and your peek-a-boo jar is finished!

Now the the jars are finished you must be wondering what I plan to put in the jars.

Well, I have to admit I had several things in mind.

Maybe a small flicker votive in one to create a nice warm fall look?

However, I went in a different direction.

I mixed half cashews and half candy corn for a wonderful treat that tastes like a Payday candy bar!

Most people use peanuts, but we like the taste of cashews better here at the castle.

I think these jars filled with a sweet fall treat would be a perfect gift to welcome in fall!

How much did these jars cost?

The jars, ribbon, spray paint, vinyl and tape were all things that I had in my stash.

The candy and nuts cost $1.66 per jar.

Fall in a jar y’all!

Now please join me in visiting my fellow Ten on the 10th ladies!

Blue Sky at Home

The Apple Street Cottage

Pandora’s Box

Decorate and More with Tip

Hello! Can you believe that we are days away from September? I know not all of you are football fans, but I can’t wait for football season to start. When it’s football season it’s time to decorate for fall. At least it is here at the Castle! Going through my fall stuff I realized that my pumpkins had lost a little of their orange luster and needed an update. I decided to paint some buffalo check pumpkins!

I’ll be honest, I found this idea on one of my binge sessions on Pinterest.

Jennifer from Dimples and Tangles blog shared the cutest hot pink buffalo check pumpkins ever! She calls hers gingham check. So cute!

Step 1: Paint the pumpkins white!

To get great coverage, I did 3 light even coats of Martha Stewarts Multi-surface paint.

I loved Jennifers hot pink pumpkins, but decided that I wanted to go with blue ones.

I love how navy looks with orange!

Since you need two different colors of blue, I simply mixed white and navy together to get a lighter blue.

Step 2: Paint vertical stripes.

I would love to tell you that I mathematically figured out spacing, but we all know that my math skills are severely lacking.

Using a blue pencil, I light marked off where I thought my stripes should be, then started painting.

Once my vertical stripes had dried, I then marked where my horizontal stripes should go.

This time I did want my stripes to be the same size.

It’s hard to see, but I marked the width on a piece of plastic and used that as a guide for my spacing.

Yes, a ruler would have been my first choice, however mine seems to have gone missing!

A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!

This is what my pumpkin looked like when I was done painting both the horizontal and the vertical stripes.

Time for step 4!

Using the navy paint, I painted the square where the horizontal and vertical lines meet.

Ta Da!!!!

My Buffalo check pumpkin was done.

Time to decorate the front porch.

I love how the navy pumpkin matches the blue of my front door.

It was so much fun painting the buffalo check that I decided to paint another one.

This time with orange polk-a-dots.

Hello pumpkin!

Now to decorate the rest of the porchlette!

On a side note, I am wondering why I always work on the porchlette after the sprinklers have run and the mortar is still wet making it look like icky mold?

I’m filing that under things to improve on!

Hope that you all have a wonderful weekend.

Until next time….

Hey y’all! I have to say that it’s hot. I mean really, really hot. Like 111 degrees hot. Hotter than Hell’s basement hot. It’s so hot here at The Castle we’ve got a whole lot of nothin’ goin’ on! It’s even too hot to get in the pool.

Seriously, I’m so over this heat, I’m ready for fall to hurry it’s self up and get here!

Between the heat and our house being back on the market, yes, I said back on, we are hard pressed to do much of anything.

We did take a few days and head to Oklahoma for my niece, Beep’s, second birthday!

I can not believe that she’s already 2!

She loves flamingos, so that was the theme for her party.

As my Granny used to say, She’s so cute I just want to pinch her!

With the house on the market, I can’t do a whole lot of projects.

Especially those that take any amount of time, you never know when you’ll get a call to show the house.

So, I’ve been doing a little shopping.

I found these sweet Halloween pillows.

Y’all know I have an addiction!

However, the skeleton will be going to my youngest’s house, so I’m not feeling too guilty.

The skeleton came from Home Goods and the Witch Is In came from Sam’s!

My house shoes bit the dust, so I was on the hunt for something cute, light weight, with a hard sole for summer.

Tall order.

Until I found these!

I know, just what you wanted to see, pictures of my feet!

These sweet things came from Amazon!

Totally impractical, but a girls gotta have some glam once in awhile.

Did you know that Bath and Body has been having sales on their Fall products?

Last week if you ordered $25.00 worth of product, you were gifted this pumpkin wall plug in with fragrance refill!

I’m on the fence about the gold leaves, but over all it’s cute .

And the smell is divine!

So what did I order?

Bath and Body Works hand soap!

Next, this may be my favorite thing I’ve purchased this month.

This adorable Fall sign!

Not only is it cute, but….

It is reversible!

One minute it’s Fall, then it’s Boo to you!

So stinkin’ cute.

Too bad it’s not nearly time to put it out.

However, until it is time I’ll be sitting here at The Castle where we’ve got a whole lot of nothin’ goin’ on!

Until next time…