Fall Decorations, Three easy projects

I've been looking at Pinterest and Instagram and seeing all the beautiful fall decorations. The thing is where I live it is spring! I haven't seen any spring decor only autumn or fall as some call it.
I decided to join the throng and make my own fall decor. I suppose the way the weather has been worldwide, heat waves in autumn, hot winters in Oz, floods and fires, anything goes!

I don't have any pumpkins, real or fake, we don't decorate for our seasons as much as our northern counterparts, so I'm using colourful autumn leaves to decorate. I must admit I love the velvet pumpkins. I went to a fabric shop to buy some velvet for another project and because of our hot climate they don't stock velvet! I was not impressed to say the least! I will probably order some online.

I have three quick and easy fall decorations to share that I made using these leaves. These are the supplies you will need to make them:

Finished wreath

               For Wreath

A Packet of fall leaves from the $2 shop
Hessian (burlap) roll
Twine
Hot glue gun or similar
Scissors  

               For Branches with fall leaves

Branches. I got mine from a tree in my backyard

Leaves (as above)

Glue or hot glue gun 

               For Welcome Sign

A piece of scrap wood

Leaves (as above)

Glue

Stenciled or stick on letters

Roll of hessian ribbon or wire

White homemade chalk paint

For the wreath I started with an old plastic covered wire coat hanger bent to the shape that I wanted. I used the hessian roll to wind around the coat hanger

Plastic covered wire coat hanger

Starting to roll hessian (burlap) onto hanger

I had already made a garland with twine and I glued the leaves onto the twine as shown 

Leaf garland

I then wrapped this garland around the wreath but you can simply glue the leaves straight onto the hessian wrapped coat hanger. 

As you can see above these are the branches I cut from a tree in my backyard and using the same leaves I glued them onto the branch where I wanted them.

Branches with glued on leaves

 The welcome sign was made using a scrap piece of wood to which I gave a very light coat of white chalk paint. I then wrapped a 2" piece of hessian (burlap) around one end and glued the leaves to it. I had a piece of ribbon left over from another project and I simply nailed it onto the back of the timber. I nailed it a part of the way through and bent the last bit of the nail over with the hammer. I did this because I didn't want it to come all the way through the piece of wood and hammered it over so it wouldn't stick out.

Welcome sign

Sorry this picture is sideways and I know a few of the letters are wonky but I quite like it like that.

I hope you enjoyed the fall decorations, I had fun doing them and they were really easy to do. If you make any I would love to see them. Have a great day  

Table Centrepieces, 7 simple, easy and inexpensive ideas

Hi there everyone. It's winter here in Queensland and we've had temperatures of 27 degrees (celsius)! It hasn't really felt like winter which I love because I hate the cold. I know I say that a lot! Sorry! In a few more weeks it will be spring which is one of my favourite times of the year. Flowers and trees blooming and nothing is nicer than having beautiful flowers in the home. Life in Queensland is very casual and we do most of our entertaining outside on the patio or deck taking advantage of our  beautiful sunshine and gardens.

Anyway I was picking some lovely pink roses from my garden and decided to put them on my dining table which started me thinking about table centrepieces.

I thought I'd share with you some of my ideas for simple and affordable table centrepieces. Sometimes for special occasions I might do something a bit more elaborate but mostly I like to stick to simple. 

I have 7 quick and easy styles to show you, that anyone can do, even with no money! I've been reading quite a lot lately about simplifying our lives and getting rid of unnecessary items. I have made one rule in my home and that is if I haven't used it in 6 months then I don't need it. It is amazing how getting rid of excess can free our minds and emotions too. I've been slowly purging my cupboards and wardrobes of what I rarely use. I find as I get older comfortable and casual is more important than glamorous. That's who I am and who I've always been so why change myself?  I can't believe some of the clothes I have kept for "when I lose weight"! Ha! I decided if it hasn't happened in 10 years it's probably not going to happen at all!  Does anyone else do this? Kitchen items? I have a cupboard full of serving plates and dishes that I keep for "good". Not anymore! Instead of having them sit and take up space I have kept a few and use them daily. It makes me feel rather grand eating a meal off my "good" plates! Table centrepieces? Again simple and inexpensive. I love going outside and picking flowers or branches to use as centrepieces. I also love using recycled items and turning them into something beautiful. It feeds my creative side and I love creating on a daily basis

Without further ado I'll show you my ideas!


1.

   

I painted the 3 cans with blue homemade chalk paint then tied a piece of twine around them. I've taken a couple of pictures of how I made the board that they're sitting on. It's and old piece of timber I had on hand and covered it with blue burlap which I also painted with white chalk paint. I wanted it to look "distressed" so didn't cover it completely with paint

As you can see from the picture I cut the burlp 2" bigger than the board then cut and folded it. It actually reminded me of covering my school books, back in the dark ages!

2.

This was really easy to put together. I placed a mixture of shells in the bottom of the vase, wrapped burlap then white rope around the candle and glued a shell to the rope. The base was a concrete pot plant holder that I paid $1 for at KMart. I had a container of the blue glass stones and decided to use them to give it that beachy vibe.

  3. 

  

Again I used a tin which I painted gold and added faux flowers. I sat it inside 2 gold frames that I already had from the thrift store

4.

This is a farmhouse style container that I found at the thrift store. I'd already distressed it with white homemade chalk paint, then I cut out a piece of burlap, frayed the edges by using a pin or toothpick and pulled a few threads out. I stuck it on with concrete glue and then stuck the word plants on but you could write whatever you like on it. Quick and easy

5.

These are the pretty pink roses I cut from my garden and put them in a blue glass. You can't get much simpler than that!

6. 

Again a brass vase I found on a recent thrift store visit with yellow flowers. It's funny but I'm not really a fan of yellow which is strange because I love the sun. If it's cloudy for a few days with no sun I tend to get a bit depressed. Ah well it's a girl's prerogative!

7.

This is a soup tureen that I broke the lid on so decided to pop a plant from Ikea in it and use it as a centrepiece. No work needed on this!

I hope you like my ideas and maybe try some for yourself. Have a great weekend everyone

5 minute DIY decor projects

Hi friends, today I wanted to show you my 5 minute diy decor. I think many of us are time short but we like to make our homes cozy and pleasing to the eye. Of course if you are also on a tight budget these ideas are right up your alley.

Do you love the beach? This only took literally 5 minutes to make! I already had the frame. Next I put in the paper which is cardstock that I also had in my stash. The shells were from the $2 store. I simply glued them onto the cardstock with cement glue. Cement glue is cone of my new favourite things. It sticks absolutely anything. I always seem to have problems with  my hot glue gun, does anyone else? I believe it is also Martha Stewart's favourite so it must be good!

I started this quick 5 minute mosaic {which doesn't include the drying time} because of the ornaments and crockery I always seem to be breaking!

I already had the tray and had been thinking of different options to decorate it. Then I had the brainwave to do a quick mosaic. The blue petals of the flower were from a lovely teal vase that I had broken, the white petals from a broken plate and the centres were polished stones I bought from a local hardware store. It was simply a matter of mixing the tile glue and putting it on the back of the pieces and placing them in position. I left it until the next day to apply the tile grout which was surprisingly quick to do.



My last 5 minute diy project was a timber square that I found in the Salvos. I think it was actually a serviette holder but I'm not sure. Does anyone else have an idea what it could have been used for?

I decided I wanted it as a small display shelf.

I already had the small terracotta pot and saucer which I dry brushed with white paint and bought a faux plant from the $2 shop. The shelf itself I simply dry brushed  with white homemade chalk paint. I tied a piece of yarn around the pot and it was done.

I hope these 5 minute DIYs have inspired you to get creative. Who knows what you can accomplish! Until next time, take care and I'll have some more craft ideas for you to try

Easy Vintage Thrift Store Upcycles

Last week I made a deal with myself I wouldn't go to the thrift store until I had finished a couple of other DIYs I had planned. Does anyone else do that? I was being very good until my friend Martha rang and asked me to go with her. Such a bad influence! I said no at first but by the end of the conversation, it changed to yes, but I was only going to buy some books. Famous last words! I started off well, but it didn't take long before I spotted some great timber pieces to upcycle. I was arguing with  myself that they were a real bargain and they would look great after a redo!  So again... I gave in. I know, I know! I also said I would spend my time finishing these projects before I started on anything else! We'll see how it goes.

The great thing about these projects is that they take very little time to do. So for me that's a win! If you are unable to spend any money but would love to update your decor, vintage thrift store finds are the way to go and you can decorate them in your own taste.   

Firstly this timber framed vintage pears print. I've always loved these and I loved the timber frame but I wanted a lighter fresher look. I knew I could give it a new lease of life so into my stash it went.

Wood framed Pears print (before)

Here is the "after". I decided to give it a more distressed look. I did this with dry brushing. I start with a dry brush and only a tiny bit of paint on the end of the brush. If you feel there is too much paint just wipe the brush on a paper towel until you have the desired amount. 

After

I gave it two coats but even so it was a quick makeover.


The next vintage item is a jewellery box. It was a bit bland but I knew I could jazz it up with some paint and paper

I decided to paint it a soft pink colour with a distressed finish. Again I used my homemade chalk paint which is simply acrylic paint, or latex in the USA, and Plaster of Paris mixed together. I mixed about 2 tablespoons of POP into a small amount of water and added this to half a cup of paint. Stir well. Chalk paint is rather expensive and I didn't want to spend money on my vintage thrift store finds plus it is so easy to use

Next to give it some extra character I painted a stencil on the lid.

I had some wrapping paper I'd already used so decided to line inside the top and the drawer on the bottom. I used mod podge, again homemade, to glue it in place. The last step was to spray inside and out with a sealer and I was finished.

If you would like to make your own Mod Podge it's simply mixing a cup of craft glue with a cup of water and storing it in a recycled glass jar.  

Before

After

DIY beach decor

Beach decor mail and key holder

Mail and key holder (before)

Well I'm finally back after a busy christmas with my friends and family. It was extra special this year, my daughter and 2 grandchildren who live in Rome came to Australia for Christmas. Lots of food, sun and laughter! I'm missing them a lot and planning their next visit! Despite another daughter (I have 4) and myself both being in hospital we weren't going to let it get us down. She was found to have two brain aneurysms and just had the second operation. If she hadn't slipped on the bathroom tiles and banged her head she may not be here with us today. They gave her a CAT scan to be on the safe side and that's how they found them. After the first operation they said she was a very lucky girl because it was ready to burst. Frightening but it was another lesson in life to remind me to always tell those close to you that you love them. Please never take each other for granted. I feel grateful for so many things especially my 4 amazing daughters and precious grandchildren.


  Now I can breathe again! I know all mothers will relate to this, when our children are suffering so are we! I ended up in hospital because I have a hiatus hernia and an ulcer which bled. I did not want to go to but I have very bossy children and they say they have a very stubborn mother! I thought about others who may be in a similar situation, ill in hospital away from loved ones. The positive is  our problems could be fixed for which we are both very grateful but so many others can't because their illness is terminal. I thought of mothers and fathers who had to watch their child die and my heart goes out to them.

 We're all well now and enjoying our beautiful Queensland summer and feeling very grateful to be alive.  It's been a hot one, perfect for the beach and water sports, but not so great for those working outside.

Anyway while I was second hand shopping (again) I found a few little treasures that I knew would make perfect DIY beachy decorations. One was a 70s style letter and key holder and the other was a keepsake box with the cutest little sailboat on the front. Rust and all! Loving the beach and DIY I grabbed them both.

I started with the letter holder and painted it a beautiful shade of blue (of course). The beach is where I feel peace so looking at blue/green colours calms me. It's my favourite colour and this is a pale teal with white panels.I used chalk paint,

Dark blue beachy mail and key holder

a mixture of white and blue and gave it a distressed finish. I couldn't decide between a deeper or lighter blue, so I'm going to show you both. I would love to know which colour you preferred. I'm leaning towards the lighter.

This is the lighter blue, it still has some of the dark blue showing through to give it more depth.

Light blue beach mail and key holder 

Ok what do you think? Let me know in the comments section, I would really love some feedback.

Next I painted/distressed the beach keepsake box in the same dark blue. I have some of my shells in it but you could use it for anything you like. I was going to say love letters but that's really showing my age! Does anyone still write these or is it all electronic? Kind of sad, it's just not the same is it? Or am I alone in saying this?

Dark blue beachy keepsake box

I know many love old rusty pieces, in fact the rustier the better! I'm not sure if I'm one of them. I do love the little sailboat on the front, it adds some character and some beachiness! Thoughts?

Again I painted this in the lighter blue and the rusty bits a white wash.

Light blue beachy keepsake box

I have in my stash some more wooden decor items to show you next time. One of my favourites is a timber 3 tier candle holder, very 70's style. Please give me your feedback in the comments section, I would love to hear from you. Have a wonderful weekend and keep safe