Welcome! Can you believe that it’s already September 1? I would complain, but for the first time that I can remember I’m ready for fall. With the first of every month comes the DIY Challenge and I’m loving this months theme – Fall inspiration! Nothing makes me feel like it’s fall until I get my kitchen decorated. One of the things that I love best is pulling out fall themed kitchen towels.  Which is why I’m sharing how to make fall kitchen towels with you today!

A great big shout out to Terrie from Decorate and More With Tip. She’s our fearless leader and  I can’t tell you how much work she puts into hosting each month. Thank You Terrie!

Also, if you are visiting here from Blessings by me, I’m so glad that you are here!

Now, let’s get started!

I love cute flour sack towels.

Especially the ones that have fun quotes.

One teeny tiny issue though, sometimes they can get pricey.

So, I decided that I could make a few of my own.

In some ways this craft is so simple that I’m almost embarrassed to share it with you.

Simple, yet time  consuming!

Supplies:

1. Cutting Matt
2. Vinyl
3. Scissors
4. Iron or Heat Press Machine
5. Computer
6. Flour Sack towels. I found mine here.
   

   
   Step 1:

Before I go much further, I realize that not everyone has a cutting machine, however I plan to offer you what I think is a cute alternative at the end of this post!

I used my cutting machine’s software to upload a design for my kitchen towels.

Step 2:

Once my design was finished, I loaded my cutting machine with vinyl and let it do it’s magic!

This particular design has several colors.

Each color was cut out separately.

Step 3:

Iron on your design.

In my case I had 4 different colors, so each color would have to be ironed on separately.

Honestly, I know that there is a way to put all of the layers together before ironing them on, I  just haven’t had the time to watch a tutorial to figure it out!

I ironed mine on with my new heat press machine, however an iron works just fine.

Here’s how my Fall kitchen towel turned out.

I love it!!!

So much so that I think that I will be making some Fall and Christmas ones for gifts!

Now what if you don’t have a vinyl cutting machine?

I have two ideas for you.

Did you know that you can buy precut vinyl decals?

Well, you can!

You order, then simply iron on.

And what about stencils?

How simple would this be?

All you would need would be kitchen towels, paint and a brush!

I love making kitchen towels, but I also like that I can choose my design, color and theme to perfectly match my kitchen.

Making Fall kitchen towels have never been so much fun!

Now it’s time to head on over to visit Liberty at B4 and Afters, I can’t wait to see what she has made!

Also, be sure to visit all of the other DIY Challenge participants and their wonderful Fall projects!

Decorate and More with Tip

Jessica Simmons

Cloches and Lavender

Bluesky at Home

Bushra’s Lifestyle

Pretty DIY Home

A Vintage Flare Farmhouse

Blessings by Me

B4 and Afters

As always, if you loved it, be sure to Pin it!!

On a recent trip to Hobby Lobby, I was lucky enough to come upon their 90% off isle. It was suppose to be a quick run in, run out  trip, but I made the time for a quick stroll. I found several things that just had to come home with me, including the cutest bamboo candleholders ever!

Each candle One of the candleholders was missing a slat on the bottom for the glass cup to sit on.

However, I knew that would be an easy fix.

Each candleholder was$4.49 each.

I grabbed all four that they had left.

I love the look of bamboo, but I’ve never really known where to put it in my home.

While I think of myself as an eclectic decorator, bamboo always seemed a little too Gilligans Island in my home.

With the recent trend of gold bamboo picture frames, trays, and all things chinoiserie I knew that I could finally find the perfect place for a little bamboo.

Once the broken slat was repaired, I gave each of the candleholders a couple of coats of gold spray paint.

I was so excited.

Until I set the candleholder next to the picture frames that I already had.

The gold on the candleholder didn’t seem gold enough and looked really flat.

And even though the candleholders might never be next to the picture frames, the gold color just didn’t work for me.

My solution was to give the candleholder a quick coat of Rub N Buff.

The new gold color  had  the luster, warmth and shine that I had envisioned.

The gold candleholders pair well with my white pumpkin, fall leaves and berries.

I love this fall vignette.

My sofa table sits in a walkway, so I put potpourri in the glass cups instead of candles.

Less chance of a lit candle getting knocked off.

Plus, it smells heavenly!

I love this how well the gold looks in my blue and orange fall living room.

But I can’t help but wonder how they might look in a different color.

How about a bright hot pink?

Maybe a bold navy blue?

A deep emerald green might be nice!

No matter what color my bamboo candleholders eventually end up, right now they are perfect just the way they are!

Until next time…

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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….

Remember, if you liked it, be sure to PIN it!

Let’s be honest. While I love the 4th of July, I’m not one to do a lot of decorating for the holiday. I’m not really sure why. I justify my non-decorating with the thought that it’s a lot of decorating for one day. But Christmas is only 1 day! And let’s get real here, I spend WAY more than a few days decorating for Christmas. This year we are have a few guests over for the 4th, so I was determined to get into the decorating spirit. At least a little. Today I’m sharing how to put together a 15 minute 4th of July Mantle.

I started with a freshly dusted, mirror cleaned mantle.

After pulling out my meager 4th of July decor, I found this fabric banner that I had made a few years ago using fabric scraps, ribbon and jute.

On top of the banner, I hung a string of red pom poms that I picked up at an after Christmas sale.

Tip: I use small clear Command strip hooks to hang my banners.

On a quick trip to Michael’s a few days ago, I found this red, white and blue decor kit.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, but I picked it – and a couple of others – up just in case.

FYI – Michael’s is having a huge sale right now on their Spring, Summer and Red, White and Blue items.

This kit is normally $9.99, but with a 60% discount the kit came in right at $4.00!

The kit came with 5 hanging fans.

Putting the fans together was super easy and took a whopping 3 minutes.

The fans came with double sided padded sticky tape to attach the paper medallions to the middle of the fans.

I cut the tape in half to adhere the medallions, leaving me with 5 more pieces of tape which I used to stick the fans to the mirror above my fireplace.

Once the top half of the mantle was complete, it was time to bring a little color down to the lanterns on the hearth.

I added simple red and white pom ribbon to each lantern for a tiny splash of color!

And my 15 minute 4th of July Mantle is complete.

I couldn’t be happier with it.

I love that it’s super cute and bonus – it was super fast and easy.

My kind of 4th of July decorating.

Until next time….

Today I’m sharing how to give an old tray a makeover. Nothing earth shattering, just a reminder that a little spray paint can go a long way!

This is what my coffee table looked like this morning.

Kind of summer casual in style.

But, just like the dog days of summer, it was looking a little tired.

Definitely time for a refresh!

After digging through my stash of decor, I found this pretty mirrored tray.

I love it, however I was looking for something gold to go with the rest of the gold in the living room.

My solution?

Spray paint it, of course!

Before I spray painted it, I needed to tape off the mirrored section.

For years I would tear off an inch or two of tape, slide it up as close as I could to the edge and repeat this process until I had the entire mirror covered.

It took forever!

Then one day a few years ago I had a “Duh” moment.

If I just taped the area off in larger sections, then burnish the edges I could do this:

I could use a very sharp craft knife and cut away the excess tape.

This method takes less than 5 minutes!

So much easier.

Moments like these make me wonder why I am left alone unchaperoned!

Once I have the edge taped off, I usually use newspaper or scrap paper to cover the center of the mirror.

Literally, the entire process took about 5 minutes peeps!

Now, I’m ready to paint!

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times Rust-Oleum metallic gold is my favorite all time spray paint!

For this project it was a “one and done” coat of gold spray paint.

That’s just how great the coverage is!

After letting it dry for awhile, I pulled the tape off and it was time for the fun part.

The decorating!

I love my new tablescape!

You can’t see it here, but the gold ties in with the rest of the gold I have sprinkled around the room.

See? A little spray paint really does go a long way and I think my old tray makeover was a success!

Until next time…

I’m baaacccckkkk…. I took a fun filled week off to have fun with family and recharge. Of course, one of the first things I did when the dust cleared was head to Hob Lob to pick up supplies for a few projects. If you haven’t heard, Hobby Lobby is having a sale. Holla!

A BIG sale.

75% and 66% off sale.

So, today, I thought I’d share a few of my finds with you.

First up, silver napkin rings. Regularly $3.99, for a $1.34!

I like to take these and glue retro jewelry on them.

I bought two big items that I am in love with.

This painting of colorful flamingos was one of those.

It makes me smile every time I look at it.

Where am I going to put it? No idea, but I’ll find the perfect spot.

Grand total? $13.60!

I’m always on the look out to add fun things to my blue and white collection.

This cute jar was 75% off and came in at $8.50.

I just noticed the tiny fingerprint smear next to it.

The littles were here last weekend, don’t judge me!

If you are a Cricut/Silhouette junky like me you will hear the heavenly choir sing when you see this sale.

While not part of the BIG sale, their patterned vinyl is 50% off.

Normally $8.99, this cute vinyl is $4.50!

And now, for my favorite, this metal cabinet!

Normally $100.00, on sale for $24.99!

I actually bought this for a PoKeeno gift, however I’m loving it so much it may become my new paint bin.

Truth be told I had to restrain myself.

So many good things….

Honestly, it was so hard to leave things at the store.

Did I mention, Hobby Lobby is having a sale y’all!

Until next time…

May waved good-bye in the blink of an eye and June has waltzed her way in! Which means it’s time to bring out the summer decor. Sometimes that means a big change, sometimes a subtle one. Putting seed packets in the kitchen is definitely a subtle one!

This is what my spring white kitchen hutch looked like.

Honestly, I still loved everything on it, I just felt like it needed a little color added.

I found these seed packets on Etsy and knew that they would be a perfect addition to the hutch.

My plan was to hang the seed packets from some twine and make a banner.

Right off the bat that plan changed as the unsealed flap was on the bottom.

Then, I thought that I would cut a slit on both sides of the packet and run the twine through the packet.

However, as you can see, all I did was tear the seed packet! Not good. Ugh.

Then, I remembered these cute black and white paper clips that I use to hang pictures in my office.

Genius, right?

Except when I tried to hang the seed packets with the clips, they hung funny.

The clips were too heavy!

So, I grabbed a few small clothes pins that I had in my office to try and hang them.

Ding! Ding! Winner, winner chicken dinner!

The paper clips were the perfect solution.

My only reservation with them is that I didn’t have 4 that were all the same size.

However, I’m not sweating it. I’ll keep my eye out for a pack of small clothes pins on my shopping adventures.

I love that the seed packets in the kitchen add just the perfect amount of color AND they really are the perfect representation of summer!

Until next time….

I feel like I blinked and Spring snuck out the backdoor, while Summer is racing in the front! The past month has been crazy. We’ve had a ton of rain, which has made getting the outside ready for Summer a challenge.

The Hubs and I replaced our fence. The good Lord is my witness that I will never put up another fence. Yes, I’m projecting Scarlet, but I feel it is fitting for this situation. This girl is way too old for those kind of shenanigans!

Once the fence was up, I knew that we needed to add a few trellises for our passion vine.

We found this one on Amazon and I am in love with it.

I was just telling The Hubs that the good news was that it has been raining and everything is lush, green and growing like weeds.

The bad news is that it has been raining and everything is lush, green and growing like weeds.

However, if it ever dries out enough to get out and cut things back, do a little dead heading, mulch some beds and catch some rays I will be one happy camper!

Okay, this is the plant that I am most proud of!

These glorious, brightly colored Zinnias! Girl squeal!

Why you might ask, because up until this moment in my long gardening history I have been unable to grow them.

I know that everyone else in the great state of Texas and all of its surrounding states can grow them. I can not. Don’t judge, I can grow just about anything else!

Except hydrangeas… sigh.

Not only are the flowers going crazy, but so are the Anoles.

This baby lizard was hanging out by my back door. Scared. Me. To. Death.

I think they are cute, however, I prefer to enjoy them at a distance.

In all fairness, the Anoles are everywhere, so I should be more aware of them.

Since it was raining, we decided to put in new carpet in the upstairs bedrooms and media room. Yikes!

We were to remove everything from all rooms, except the large furniture.

There is a silver lining to this huge rain cloud.

This mess of nick, nack paddy crap led to the biggest purge the castle has seen to date.

Not only are we decluttering, but we are doing a little refresh in a few of the rooms.

I promise to share that with you soon!

Cindy from County Road 407 calls her front porch a porchette.

If hers is a porchette, mine is so small that it may qualify as a porchlette!

Not only have I been planting here, but I’ve also been working on giving it a much needed refresh.

Slowly, but surely, we are getting ready for Summer here at the Castle!

Are you getting a lot done? Or, are you like the rest of us in North Texas and waiting for a dry spell? Here’s hoping we all get more done!

Until next time…

This is the story of how to make your kitchen table into a coffee table. I know, it sounds crazy, but it worked! Here’s how it all came to pass.

A few months ago I bought this chair. Which led to multiple changes in the living room. New rug, new ottoman, new curtains, and new accessories.

This was my old coffee table. Which was fabulous back when the castle was rocking the old world style. Today? Not so much.

Plus, the shape was all wrong. The new chair and ottoman took up a different foot print than our old chair did. Which meant no room to walk between the coffee table and the ottoman.

I looked high and low for a round coffee table in just the right size and of course, the right price. No luck.

Once day I was feeling all out of sorts about it and all I could think was that I needed a table the exact size as the table in our kitchen.

Lightbulb moment!

So, The Hubs and I moved our kitchen table into the living room to see if it would work there.

We lived with it in the living room for a few days and fell in love with it!

The Hubs removed the table from the base to make sure that he would be able to cut the table base to a shorter height.

Yes, it was a go!

We removed 10 inches from the top of the base, then reattached the table top. This made the coffee table 20 inches high.

Which is perfect for my oversized, taller furniture!

And I love it. I mean I really, really love it.

It’s perfect. It’s not too new and shiny, as I like a little bit of wear and tear.

I love that there is plenty of room to walk all the way around the furniture.

And best of all I love that, other than cutting it down to size, I didn’t have to do anything to the finish to make it perfect for the living room.

I honestly don’t know why I didn’t think to do it sooner! I mean not many people would be willing to make your kitchen table into a coffee table, so I’m giving myself a small pass.

Now, I know what you are thinking. What did I do to replace the table in the kitchen?

Well, that my friend is a story for another day!

Until next time….

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