It's officially fall! We always look forward to the cooler weather, football, family dinners, a nice fire in the fire place, hot chocolate and cozying up with a soft  blanket and a good book......It's also that time to add sprinkles of fall through out the house.
 
                                         "EVERY LEAF SPEAKS BLISS TO ME.
                                     FLUTTERING FROM THE AUTUMN TREE"
                                                         Emily Bronte



                           

When we purchased our home which was built in 1964, the blue prints showed this small room (I guess they can call it a room because it has a window) as a "sewing room". And if you know me, I have zero patience, so sewing was out of the question.  We  called it the "craft room".  In reality is was a room where we stored STUFF with no rhyme or reason.  It was OUT OF CONTROL.

We finally had a few weeks to dig into this project.  I designed and Gary built.  I decided I needed a place to store the usual;  candles, votives, vases, paint, glue, glue guns....you get the picture.  However the one thing I wanted the most was a place to wrap gifts.  That meant a place for wrapping paper, bags, tissues and ribbon.  Gary knocked it out of the ball park, again!!

This is what I learned which I call my Dirty Truths:

1.  I may have a slight case of hoarding.
2. I'm obsessed with ribbon, gift bags and wrapping paper.
3. I found brand new items that I have never used and have no intention of ever using. I guess my daughter in laws, the church or having a yard sale will fix that. 
4. I don't remember when or why I bought a bazillion decoration pieces.

I'm chalking up the dirty truths to the OLD craft room that was OUT OF CONTROL!

We hope this inspires you to take a look your storage area that needs some help.  Just realize, you may uncover your "Dirty Truths".

It's hard to believe FALL is right around the corner so it's not too early to start planning.  I have put together a very quick and easy fall wreath that can be used in several ways.  The hardest part of this project was collecting pine cones.  The possibilities are endless.  Let us know what you think!
Materials:
Drop Cloth
Pinecones
Moss
Grapevine Wreath Form
Hot Glue Gun
Spray Paint (your choice of colors)

I found the cones needed two coats of paint
Next, I just started hot gluing.  I added the pinecones first, then I added the moss to fill it in

It can be used as a wreath
or.... a centerpiece

or.... to dress up a candle

I have always wanted to paint a piece of upholstered furniture, but frankly, I didn't buy into it 100% nor did I have a piece I was willing to sacrifice.......until now! This old green chair served it's purpose for eight years but it needed to go...or did it?  This project was much easier then I anticipated and it was  completed in one weekend. Do you have a great piece of furniture but tired of the look?  This might be the project for you! 



The sacrificial chair - it served it's purpose for 8 years and clearly still in good shape...


This is what I used:
1. Annie Sloan Paint - pick any colors (I chose two since I wanted to add a stripe)
2. Annie Sloan clear wax
3. Paint brush
3. Container to mix paint and water
4. FROG tape




Add 20% water to paint and mix.  This will help the paint soak in.


First coat..........Yeah was worried too!
The second coat, This gives you a better picture of the original versus the painted. I'm feeling more confident.....kind of.
I position my tape where I wanted the stripes.  Before I painted the grey, I made sure to rub in the tape, especially on the edges. 
Pulled off the tape................next step is to wax the fabric with Annie Sloan's clear wax.  I found this step really softened up the fabric.
Here is the final product and I couldn't be happier!! This piece is going in my soon to be remodeled "girl's" room. 

I feel like we have all owned (those of us who may be a bit older) or have been handed down a wonderful and sturdy oak table and chairs.  To find a solid dining table now a days is going to cost you a pretty penny....  This project was a labor of love.  Kristi and her family moved into a beautiful new home.  We all know how expensive moving into a new home, let alone furnishing it can be. The oak dining table, although in great shape was tired and wasn't working in the new space.  I call this a labor of love because Kristi's mom and sister got in the action and we got it finished in one afternoon.

You all know by now I LOVE Annie Sloan paint and wax!  Kristi opted for the top to have a dark stain.  It matches her cabinets beautifully.  If this is something you are interested in doing and are nervous, let us know, we can talk you through it.  Speaking of Annie Sloan paint, I'm going to paint an upholstered chair using her paint.  It's my first fabric painting project!!!  I hope it have it on  the blog by next week. 

This isn't her ACTUAL table but almost exactly like it.  The picture of the "before didn't turn out.
Remember, there is no need to sand.  This paint goes over it beautifully.

This is the first coat of LINEN.  We found we needed two coats to get the look we wanted. 

As I mentioned, Kristi wanted the top to be stained as opposed to being painted,  In this case,
this particular type of stain required a light sanding to remove the shine.  This was the easiest stain
I've used to date.  Again, this was the first coat and we opted to do two.

                                                                Stain before and after

                          The chairs before and after using "Linen" from Annie Sloan

                 Final Product!!  It matches her new home beautifully and cost about $150.00 to do.
                 Note: The buffet is a match to this set which was stained with the same color. 

What does an Italian family do when their son gets engaged?  Well of course, they throw an Italian themed party! 

With wine flowing and lots of laughter, it warmed our hearts to witness both families breaking bread at one long dinner table.  With music playing in the background and great homemade Italian food on the table, it was an evening for the memory books.  Now, that's AMORE!!

It's a win - win when a project can be used twice.  I used these terra cotta pots for centerpieces at my son's engagement party ( coming on a future blog) and luckily used them again for hostess, housewarming and birthday gifts.  This is a simple and inexpensive project that anyone can do. 

Materials:

Terra Cotta Pots (your choice of size)
Paint (3 colors work the best)
Paint Brushes
Tape
Flowers of your choice (we got ours from Trader Joes.  We ordered them a week prior)
Spanish Green Moss
Super cute helper (optional)