Tulip, Table, and Candlesticks Makeover

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

Ours went well... and I even actually managed to get the turkey
out of the oven without catching my hair on fire! 

 (I actually did one year, can you believe it?!)

I really enjoyed decorating for Fall, but I admit I couldn't wait to get started decorating for Christmas!!

A couple of painting projects helped to get me motivated...

So here it is my first Christmas vignette for 2011! 

I'm really happy with how it all turned out...

Now to show and tell you how it began!

I bought this table at a thrift store for a bargain price! 

Even though the finish was in bad shape I was pretty sure it would look great with a coat of paint.
Also, two out of the four original decorative metal hardware pieces

were missing and there were large holes where they had been.

What I'm pretty sure is leather on the top was also in bad shape as well.

I was also pretty sure also that I wouldn't be able to find duplicates of the hardware,

I decided that wood appliques would make a great second choice. 

I found these shown above in a package of four at Lowes.

PERFECT!

First I cleaned the table with a mixture of TSP (Tri-sodium phosphate) and water

(great for removing dirt and grime!)

( I prefer TSP in powder form, shown above),  rinse and let dry.

Next, I applied a coat of primer sealer.

Then a final coat of Country White paint. 

I use a stippling technique with a regular paintbrush when I paint

because I hate trying to deal with brush strokes. 

 It also kinda gives a textured appearance.

Then I sanded for a for a bit of a distressed look and added a bit of antiquing

 to bring out the design of the medallion.

These candlesticks were also a thrifting find...

I was definitely not crazy about the finish on them, but knew with a little paint they'd be great also!

First I went over them with a mix of black and burnt umber crafting paint, let dry then applied a coat of Country White (leftover interior satin house paint) allowing the dark paint to peek through in the crevices.

I did the same technique on the small finial.

Now for the final exciting detail! 

The framed picture started out as a gift bag from the

DOLLAR TREE!! 

Omgosh! I always find gorgeous gift bags there,

and for just a dollar I don't mind cutting into them to frame them one bit! 

I did the same painting technique on the frame that I did on the candlesticks which was originally gold.

Pulled it all together with this red striped tablerunner, dove, nest, and pine greenery,

...and there you have it!

Now it's time to grab a fuzzy blanket, some magazines, and sit by the fire 

and start browsing for some more inspiration. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

I love hearing from you!!

Warmest Wishes!

~Sherri~

I'm linking to :

"Metamorphosis Monday"

"Tabletop Tuesday"

"Wow Us Wednesday"

A Fall Thrifting Find and Vignette

It's been such a busy month for me, how bout you?

I told my hubby yesterday that I needed a clone of myself, so she could do

all those chores that seems to take up so much of my time...

and I could spend MY time doing what I love,
like decorating, shopping, creating, and blogging! 

 Do ever feel like that too?

I did manage to get a couple of Christmas makeover projects
and vignettes finished that I'm pretty excited about...

But before I show you them, I still a few Fallish things left to share.

Luck was shining on me yesterday when I made a quick stop at the local Goodwill...

First of all have you ever been browsing and then see someone else toting around something you would have probably arm wrestled them for?   Well thats just what happened when I saw a lady with this candle holder in her hands as well as a couple of faux berry candle wreaths.  After I walked around a few minutes looking at other things I discovered she had put the candleholder back!! Yippee!

She probably put it back because she didn't notice this glass hurricane

that was covered in dust and hidden on the back of a top shelf. 

Or maybe she just didn't want to touch it because it was so filthy! 

I often wear gloves in the thrift stores or keep a pair handy in my purse just for this reason. 
At any rate I stood there contemplating whether or not I should also purchase

the filthy hurricane to go with the candle holder,

I wasn't sure if the size was correct and kept thinking if only I had that candle wreath it would be perfect!

So I go up to the cashier and I ask for her opinion on how they look together,
and I tell her it I think it just needs a faux berry candle wreath...
Then just like a magician pulling a rabbit out of the hat, she then reaches down underneath her counter and,
pulls one up and says... you mean like this one?!

Uh... YES just like that one!! 

So okay, I'm thinking that same lady must have gotten up to the register and decided

she didn't need the two that she had been carrying around (or the cashier really was a magician!).

Isn't that something? 

 If I hadn't of said anything to the clerk, she would have never shown it to me.  

 Don't ya just love it when things work out like that!

As you can see the hurricane also cleaned up beautifully too!

Lucky me! 

This is my last Fall... I mean Autumn vignette for the year.

After all it IS still Fall...In fact winter doesn't even start until Dec. 22nd.

...and since we've been having beautiful sunny weather here, 

 I think I'll just savor Fall for as long as I can...

P. S.  Have you gotten your Thanksgiving shopping done yet? 

Hubby and I already made sure to get a couple of turkey's so far at 48 cents a pound

with each 50 dollar purchase at our local grocery store. 

I love those kind of deals, and am VERY grateful for them!

I just put the extra in the freezer and cook it later on in year! 

We are going to try and get one more turkey as well to donate to the local homeless shelter also...

Well friends,

I hope all is going well in your lives, and that you have much to be grateful for too!

Take care, and as always I'm VERY grateful for your visits and comments too!

~Sherri~

Linking to:

"Tabletop Tuesday"
 "Wow Us Wednesday"
"Vintage Inspiration Friday"

Eevy "Ivy" Overs

Hello friends :)

I managed to get my Halloween things put a way and I even

actually got them down to one storage container like I wanted to

without having to buy a new larger one!

So there I was again with an empty iron rack to re-decorate
The challenge was to come up with something Fallish

and to use things I already had on hand.

I love a challenge...;)

Of course I would love to be able to afford to always use

fresh floral arrangements in my decor,

but of course that would be quite expensive. 

So when I use silk flowers or floral picks I always try to add some

fresh greenery, berries, or pinecones, from the yard for that fresh natural element. 

There is no shortage of Ivy growing around my house.

See what I mean... here it is growing all over the backyard fence...

I love how the Ivy has intertwined around this tree too.
We've already trimmed away a lot of it, and
 we still need to trim much more that is growing up in the tree.

So anyway,
Ivy was my choice to add to this display...

I think it really adds that special touch and

will also last quite long even without water before it wilts.

Ivy always looks very lively and green year round

so it's especially great to use in the Fall

when almost everything else is dying back.

looks great with pinecones too!

I thought I would wheel over this Ivy topiary to show you that I made from a large tomato cage.

I turned it up side down and wired the prongs together to create a pointed top 

then added a rusty rooster ;)

Well, that's it!

I'm so glad you stopped by for a visit today,

and I always look forward to hearing from you!

Have a wonderful week!

~Sherri~

Linking to

"Tabletop Tuesday"

and

"Wow Us Wednesday"

Halloween Display and a Bit of Nostalgia

Halloween has been one of my favorite holidays for as long as I can remember.
 I imagine it has a lot to do with allowing my inner child out to play...

 Not that I need much of an excuse to do that, lol!

But I haven't had the Halloween decor out for many moons now,

and pretty much stick to Fall decorating these days.

So I decided to drag out my Halloween stuff,  thinkin maybe

I'd go through it and my Christmas stuff too

and have a holiday sale and downscale a bit and try to make some extra money.
Since it had been so long since I had gotten the Halloween stuff out, when I opened the storage container

all of the sudden that inner child decided it wanted to come out to play again!!

Oh look at this... I had forgotten all about you lol!!

I told hubby about my plan for a sale and much to my surprise he said he thought
I should put it out the decorations instead,  I guess men get a bit nostalgic too...
aint that sweet?
So with that I was off and running... I mean decorating!

It also helped that I had this wrought iron rack that I didn't have before.

So I actually had a place to display them. 

Do you remember it?  It WAS painted orange...

 (and actually might have been great with the Halloween decor).

But it was one of the things I had decided to paint over the summer.

 Luckily the dark bronze still worked well.

Here is the before pic

I had a great time putting this together and it brought back a lot of good memories from Halloweens' past.

I get so nostalgic, especially around holidays...

probably why I have a hard time parting with certain things.

Eeeek a spider!!!
Yep, thats ALMOST what my hubby shrieked when he first found it under the covers...
I'm such a little stinker!!

Here's a faux pumpkin I painted and was going to do one of those cute
decoupaging projects from

"Country Living Magazine"

(like so many bloggers have been doing),
but I couldn't decide what design to do... no surprise there!

Still love this... how could I part with it?

Oh gee, what about these above??? 
I definitely still love the garden imp on the right and,
 the "trick or treat pumpkin on the left.

...and who could resist all these happy smiling faces

Here's Miss Oct. 31st, and Witchy-poo riding a crow, and a couple of spooky cloches.

I actually did decide that I could part with a few things that aren't pictured

But I'm determined to have only ONE storage container instead of two!

Hey, I know... I'll get one larger container...

Ya,  that's the ticket!!

Boo wahahahahahaha... ;)

Have a Happy Halloween y'all !!!

I'm joining these blog parties: 

"Met Monday"

and

"Tabletop Tuesday"

Having a Ball Decorating for Fall!!

I know I've been away forever it seems,
 and I'm sure ya'll have probably forgotten about me,

....but I hope not :)

I really didn't mean to be gone for so long but I've been on a mission
for the past few months trying get things done around the house...
well mostly outdoors and in the yard.

We have a very large yard and have let the pruning go for much too long.

We managed to get a lot done over the summer
but still have more pruning and painting to do...
boo hoo!!  

I can hardly believe how fast the time has gone by,
and now it's already the end of October!  How did that happen??

We had a really nice summer here
and for once I really kinda hated to see it come to an end.

The weather still continues to be very pleasant but the mornings and evenings are definitely showing the cooler signs of Fall...

I'm lovin it!!

There's nothing like a change in the season to get me in the mood to decorate,

so I decided to take a break from working outdoors to have a little decorating fun!

I have several vignettes I've been playing with and today I'm gonna share my
Fall tablescape with you.

Hope you enjoy it!

Candlesticks make a great base for a cute cloche!

A little Lantana bouquet picked from my neighbors flowerbed
next to my driveway, ...shhhh ;) 

This glass pumpkin was a recent thriftin find... perfect for some Fall potpourri!

It didn't have a lid and I'm not sure if it was supposed to, but I thought it needed one and happened to have one that was a nice fit.

You may recognize some of these pretties I've used if followed my blog for long.
I still love them though, and like to mix them up for a bit of a different look.

Thank you for stopping by,
I always appreciate your visits!!
Also, thanks to those of you who didn't give up on me:)
You're the best!

Warmest wishes to you all, and Happy Fall!!
~Sherri~

I'll be joining Linda at "Coastal Charm" for
"Thrifty Tuesday"

and Marty at "A Stroll through Life" for

"Tabletop Tuesday"

Also, Kim at "Savvy Southern Style" for

"Wow Us Wednesday"

and Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for

"Tablescape Thursday"

Please stop by and visit these fun events for some great inspiration!!