Here's to Halloween!!

Happy Halloween!!

I haven't been in much of a spooky mood lately...I've only done a little fall decorating this year...



I even let nature decorate my pumpkins...



But really...I couldn't have done better!! :-)))

My leafy outdoor bouquet was about as Halloweeny as I got...



But I did have a lot of fun making these autumn cards...I used an old Mary Engelbreit desk calendar that I cut up then added a little embellishment...







I am definitely not selling these (actually, if you are family, you might see one soon!! :-))...so don't worry, Mary, no copyright issues here!! :-)) It was a fun way to recycle some adorable little images and spread some autumn cheer!!

Here's to Re-Use!!

I LOVE finding great new uses for things that have outlived their original intent, AND I have limited funds for fall decorating...so this post is all about reusing some items that were no longer suitable for their original purpose to make my house reflect the beauty of this lovely time of year!!

The first item was the cream candlestick holder that I mentioned in my first post...the one that I couldn't glue a plate to because it was cattywhompus...



Here is my attempt at showing its cattywhompusness...didn't really show the angle like I'd hoped...



But trust me...its NOT level!! It is, however, hollow through the middle...



Perfect for its next life!!

Then there is the pretty gold glass candlestick that got broken...





So sad...:-(( But now, ready to be somethin' else!!

Finally, there is the toothbrush holder that has been passed between myself and my Mom for several months now, neither of us having a spot for it in our bathrooms!! But I did think it was cute...hmmm...



SO...

I told myself that I couldn't keep these lovelies if I didn't find a good use for them...and how fun is this!! They all worked wonderfully around my house as vases for oh-so-cute autumnal bouquets!! Yeah!!

Here's the cream candlestick...



So pretty with an olive, plum , and cream palette. And here is the gold glass candlestick...



Gorgeous warm colors with a hint of shimmer!! Love it!! And I got that ribbon at the dollar store...great for the budget!!

Finally, the toothbrush holder...



Such a cute little bundle of classic fall colors!! Easy to tuck into a corner somewhere for a shot of warmth!!

And here they are in situ...









Much more interesting than plain glass vases, and I get to re-purpose the items while making my house look great!! I purchased the fall stems on sale today at my local craft store, so the total cost of the three bouquets was under twenty dollars...a fantastic deal!!

Even better, I can easily replace the fall bouquets with Christmas ones when the time comes, since I use the tried and true stuff-and-fluff method of flower arranging!!

These would even make great gifts...if I could bear to part with them now!! :-))

Here's to Fall!!

Alright...it has only taken me three months to get this far...we shall see how this little blog proceeds...I just have so much darn time on my hands to devote to this endeavor...:-))

I am just really motivated when I look at some of the great blogs out there, and wanted to give this a try!!

My first project was inspired by a plain cream candlestick that was given to me, and about which I decided (although I liked the lines of it) to keep ONLY if I could come up with a great use for it...so began the mental challenge...

I came up with the great idea to re-purpose it as a pedestal base by super gluing a plate on the top to make a cake-plate-like display piece. In short order, I found a lovely plate all on its lonesome in a local thrift store...so here are the two items *before*...



Except here's the funny backstory...the original plain cream candlestick that I was going to use turned out to be cattywompus (yeah, that's not in spellcheck :-)) on the top, making the plate not so level...hmmm...

So I then went out and found ANOTHER plain cream candlestick in a thrift shop...really totally invalidating what I was trying to do in the first place, and causing me to have to come up with another use for the cattywompus candlestick...(ooh, ooh, I just got a great idea for my next post!!...)

ANYWAY, when I finally had a level candlestick bottom, and gorgeous, lonely plate, I washed and dried the two items, then played around with how to put them together.

The candlestick was square on its downside, and circular on the top where the candle was supposed to sit...I just plopped the plate down on the top, thinking I would super glue it like that, but the square base and round plate weren't jiving too well, sooo...I turned the candlestick upside-down!! TaDa!!



I know, I know...all the bloggers out there who use power tools are giving me little electronic pats on the head right now...

But I MADE it...and I loved how it turned out!! And it is useful and lovely, and I might or might not give it to my Mom...:-))

Here is a close-up of the oh-so-pretty flowers on the plate...



And one more look at the final project...