Fall Craft Fair!

Today, the weather was wonderful and my youngest daughter and I decided to attend the Kimmswick Missouri Fall craft fair.  I hadn't been there in ages.

It was crazy crowded with lots of quaint little shops and more than enough booths with crafts and food!  I absolutely couldn't leave without a corn dog and a funnel cake, lol.

I found some wooden growth charts made out of wood that I loved -

It would be fun to put these in the playroom somewhere and mark each kids name down like in the olden days!  I also found these shabby looking boards with knobs for hanging whatever on and I loved them a lot.

I think I must make some!  We ended up coming home with some apple butter, pumpkin pecan butter, and some pumpkin potpourri that has little pumpkins in it that I couldn't resist!

Here's a closer picture to show the detail:

Love it! We had some great mother-daughter time!  Have you been to any Fall festivals?  Pumpkin butter or apple butter?  I'm a pumpkin fan myself.

Fall Starburst Stick Wreath

I love the idea of a starburst wreath - love the ones with mirrors on the insides too.  I've seen many renditions of using plain old sticks to make them and thought I would make one for a Fall accent.  I started with a circle cut out of cardboard.

Next, I decided on how long I wanted the sticks to be and went out to the yard to gather them,  breaking them into similar lengths.  They obviously do not need to be the exact same size, the variety adds to the interest and is typical of a starburst anyway.  I attached them with a hot glue gun.  I used the backside of a cookie sheet to keep it stable and portable while it was drying.

I wanted some burlap flowers to go around the center and knew that Pinterest would not disappoint.  I found this one at Crafting Moms.  You can click the link to get the step-by-step directions which were easy to follow.  I then used hot glue to glue them around the middle of the wreath which also served to hide the cardboard base.

And here is the finished product!

I love the warm and cozy look of burlap and I find this wreath very charming and quaint.  Do you love burlap?  Starburst decor?  Have you combined them as well?  Please share.

Mercury Glass Vase

Another garage sale find was this mercury glass vase.  When I saw it, I scooped it up super quick!

It was also one dollar - ONE DOLLAR!  Did I mention this was a fabulous garage sale?  And to top it off, it was a benefit garage sale for adults with special needs!  Since I HAVE an adult child with special needs, this was a definite win-win for me.  I pictured it in the playroom on the shelf in the corner.  I was thinking that it needed something with height in that spot.  I then went to Hobby Lobby and picked up some fall flower stems - all of which were on sale! Now this spot is filled in perfectly.

And here's a shot from farther back in the room -

Yep - it works!  I'm planning on switching out the flowers seasonally.  I'm seeing Christmas flowers, then some wintery sparkly snowy branches, then some kind of spring mix.  I'm loving this mercury glass and am thinking of trying some of the DIY ideas all over Pinterest on some of the votives, jars, and vases I have in my collection.

How about you?  Are you loving mercury glass?  Have you tried any of the DIY ideas to make your own?  Let me know which method worked best for you!

Garage Sale Candle Sticks

I went to a great garage sale over the weekend and picked up a couple of fantastic deals.  Here is the first one - a couple of chunky, wooden candle sticks for $1.00 each!

I love the detail on them -

I've always liked the idea of having black, chunky candle sticks with little pumpkins on top, so I sprayed them with Krylon black satin spray paint and viola!

I added a little green jar to the mix that I picked up from a thrift store for less than a dollar and filled it with some flowers.  They sit on a little piece of burlap for a wonderful fall centerpiece.  Just how I pictured it.

Happy Fall!  Do you like black and oranges in the Fall or do you like more non-traditional colors?  Stay tuned for another garage sale find!

My take on a bundt pan wreath

One of the blogs I love to read is "Chipping With Charm".  Laurel always has a fun and unique way to use everyday items.  Recently, she posted about using a bundt pan as a wreath for Fall.  You can find the link to her post here.  Be sure to visit her site often for inspiration.

When I found this old bundt pan in my dad's basement, I immediately knew that I wanted to try Laurel's idea.  I just painted it "pumpkin orange", tied some twine around it for hanging, and added a book page leaf and a wire spiral for a "stem".  It is a fun and quirky addition to my fall decor.

I love using unexpected items in my decor.  Has anyone else made a bundt pan wreath?  Or a Fall wreath out of something unusual?  Share your ideas here!

Burlap Fall Banner

My mantel needed some extra "Fall", so I made a banner.  I used burlap triangles clipped on to some yellow string with clothes pins.  I then embellished it with both silk and scrap paper leaves.  I also used coordinating scrap paper cut into squares and wrote the words "fall" and "blessings" with marker.  I ran across a paperback book of Charlie Brown's "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown".  Some of the pages were missing so it was not going to be an option to keep for the grandkids, so I cut out the page with Linus waiting in the pumpkin patch and clothes pin clipped it on along with an excerpt from the book:

"Each year on Halloween night, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere and flies through the air with his pack of toys for all the good little children in the world."

Planning to post soon about the bundt pan wreath as well.  Have you made any Fall banners?  Please share!

No-Fuss Fall Table Decor

Sometimes, decor can just be, well . . . simple.  Simple is no stress, simple is easy on the eye, simple is uncluttered.  Simple makes a statement.  For instance, a simple pumpkin sitting on an orange cloth, sitting on a pedestal, surrounded by a grapevine wreath - lovely.  No special skills required, just layer and admire!

What simple ways do you display your pumpkins?

Little White Pumpkin Love

I love little white pumpkins and picked out a cute little one to put under a glass cloche.  I nestled it into a clear custard cup layered with crocheted lace and moss.  A simple but cute vignette.

I love Fall.  Do you like white pumpkins?  Have you used any in your Fall decor this year?