Decorating for St Patrick's Day

All of the Valentine decor has been packed away and I brought out a few St Pat's decorations!

There are a lot of Santas around here....

      Santa Claus

One of my favorite holiday collections are the Possible Dreams Santas.....

Easy Fall Decor...

            Fall is right around the corner...

Are you ready to put your summer decor away and pull out some warm fall colors?

Do you need a little inspiration for your fall decorating?  Here are some easy and creative craft ideas to keep you busy, just follow the links:

The MacKenzie-Childs Farmhouse

    The Farmhouse

This is the only original building from the Highbanks Farm.  It is a "museum of sorts" and has some lovely pieces from the past.  The house was recently painted yellow:

Paper Goods....

      Paper Goods

Upcycling Wine Corks....Do it Over Designers

I am joining the Do It Over Designers and sharing some ways to upcycle wine corks!

Many wineries are switching to synthetic corks because they are cheaper. They’re not made from wood, so they don’t degrade or dry out and there’s no need to store bottles on their sides to keep the cork damp. Synthetic cork also won’t break apart, so there’s no risk of cork crumbs to fish out of your wine.

 Cork is made from wood, which dries out and crumbles with time.  Cork is a natural product, and each is slightly different. Cork brands and their porousness vary, which affects the rate at which air interacts with the wine in the bottle.   Wines cellared for long periods of time must be kept on their sides to keep the cork damp.

I prefer to save real corks rather than synthetic, mostly because of their imperfections!

 There’s something romantic and ceremonial about popping a champagne cork.  Champagne corks, which expand upon removal and cannot be placed back into the bottle.  

One way to upcycle these corks is to add an alligator clip:

...and use them as place cards....

...or to label food at a party...

One of a few ways I have used traditional corks in the past is to make a small bulletin board.  The corks can simply be glued onto a strip of wood, ruler or yardstick

A few years ago I made my daughter a cornice for her wine-themed kitchen, again they were just glued onto a thin sheet of wood:

I used wood glue on each cork, but applied them to the wood backings with a dab of hot glue to secure each until wood glue dried.

Cork wreaths can be made by attaching the corks to a straw or

styrofoam wreath:

I also made a removable backsplash for a small counter in my kitchen to cover electrical and telephone plugs:

We enjoy wine, I like white and my husband likes red!

When the pandemic ends I look forward to enjoying a glass or two with girlfriends!

Hop on over to these blogs to see the makeovers they created:

The Apple Street Cottage

Birdz of a Feather

Cloches & Lavender

Little Vintage Cottage

Pandora’s Box You are here

Chas’ Crazy Creations

Unique Creations by Anita

Modern on Monticello

Purple Hues & Me

Doodle Buddies

Do It Over Designers....An Old Smoking Stand...

This is an old "Smoking Stand" I bought at the Regional Market in Syracuse:

I painted it white....

...then decided to add a little harlequin and stripes...

...then some fringe and a cute knob.

This sites in a funny corner of the hallway to the guest rooms with a battery operated candle that lights up the hallway at night:

It's a fun, little piece that I love!

Joining these clever designers for a blog hop ..... visit and see what they have refurbished:

Apple Street Cottage

Little Vintage Cottage

Purple Hues and Me

Exquisitely Remarkable

Our Hopeful Home

Modern on Monticello

Cloches and Lavender

Southern Sunflowers

10 on the 10th - Dollar Tree Makeovers and a GIVEAWAY!...

It's 10 on the 10th again and I am sharing a few Dollar Tree ideas!

The three crafty ideas I am sharing cost a total of $7.00 + tax

I bought 2 placemats at Dollar Tree for a fall tablesetting....

...I drew a pumpkin on paper and cut it out to use it as a pattern to trace onto a corner of each placemat.  And then I drew grid lines:

Because the placemat was white, I only had to paint the black checks:

I painted the pumpkin in the top corner with shades of oranges and greens:

They are perfect for a fall place setting:

Remember the sunflowers I made last month?  Go HERE to see how they were made.

These are also great for a little appetizer buffet for two on the kitchen counter:

I am giving these 2 placemats away!!  Just leave a comment below and you will be entered!

Two years ago I shared how to dress up Dollar Tree stemware with a little enamel paint.  I painted only the stems and base:

Here is another Dollar Tree idea I made last year and thought it was worthy of sharing again:

I simply wrapped a fleece scarf around a wreath, tied it with a twistie tie and added a few sunflowers!

So, what did I spend?

$2.00 on the placemats

$2.00 for the wine glasses

$3.00 for the wreath

If you would like a chance to win the 2 placemats, just leave a comment below!

The Dollar Tree is a fun place to get some crafty inspiration!

Joining these crafty ladies....stop by to see what they created while spending under $10:

Apple Street Cottage

Patina and Paint

Decorate and More with Tip

Cloches and Lavender

French Ethereal

UPDATE: Congrats to Theresa2012Ball - winner of the placemats!

My favorite season....

If you ask me in February what my favorite season is, I will certainly say SPRING

BUT  

If you ask me the very same question in August, I will certainly say FALL!

Today I bought a magazine, Autumn Cottage, and I look forward to fall colors, crispy leaves, colorful foliage, apples and pumpkins, sweaters and jeans, and crisp mornings!

This magazine is loaded with inspirational ideas and bloggers and IGers are beginning to share their fall decor, too.

I decorate for fall after September 1st (and I don't pull out any Halloween decor until Oct 1st).

I love the colors of fall: deep purples and aubergine....  

...mustards... 

...oranges and yellows, ...

...reds and burgundy and shades of greens! 

I hate to wish summer away, but fall in Central NY is often a beautiful season!

When do you start to decorate for fall?