Prepping for Fall

I've had a good week. Finished a library book, done lots of shopping and started getting our house ready for fall! 

I finally finished a book! I love to read, but I've found it's been hard to finished reading anything. 

This book is also written by the same author of, "The Time Traveler's Wife," which I have not read myself but am familiar with it. "Her Fearful Symmetry," is about twin sisters who move to London in their aunt's estranged flat. They get close to many of their aunt's neighbors and uncover the truth about their mother's and aunt's relationship. I definitely wasn't expecting the ending, so I would recommend this book!

I was also introduced to Groop Dealz and Birch Box this week. Needless to say, I have two necklaces, 1 bracelet and a monthly subscription to Birch Box coming soon, lol! I also discovered Southern Sisters in Grayson, Ga where I bought my monogrammed 2014 Lilly Pultizer planner. So cute!

It's almost mid-month of September! So hard to believe! I went ahead and got my hubby to get our fall decor out of the attic so I could fall-ify our mantle. I wanted to show you how easy it is to decorate your mantle with things you may have around the house. It's just a matter of jazzing it up for each season. 

Here's a little numbered break-down...

1. A sterling silver pitcher we used at our wedding. I just filled it up with dollar store florals.

2. A used wine bottle, wrapped with string. It makes great decor all year and you have an excuse for a little wine. ; ) I filled the bottle with a little wheat straw that I used when I made this wreath in July. 

3. A glittery orange pumpkin I bought last season at Ross for a few bucks. 

4. A ceramic metallic orange pumpkin sitting on top of a brass candle stick I bought at an antique store for $3. 

5. A floral vase, the ones you collect after you get a floral arrangement, filled with acorns and a dollar store pumpkin to top it off. The acorns I collected outside Ross. I'm sure I looked crazy but there were plenty and FREE!

6. I bought this mirror at the beginning of the years at Hobby Lobby. It was on sale for $15 and has sat in my closet collecting dust all summer. I finally found a purpose for it. 

7. A wreath I made last fall for our front door. 

8. Another dollar store pumpkin. Hey, their decorations aren't that bad! : )

9. A couple thing in 9. Two candles, gold and orange, wrapped with string. In the back, another floral vase filled with potpourri. These all are sitting on top of an old cheese box my mother gave me. 

10. A huge decanter-like vase I bought for $5 and a smaller candy dish from Target for $4. 

Many of these items I leave out year-round. With a few colors and cheap decor, it's easy to dress up your mantle. 

Thanks for lookin'! 

 T

Beaded Arm Candy

I've been really following Pinterest's Women Fashion tab lately. Mostly to get into fall season fashion. I keep seeing these beaded layered bracelets. Now I'll be honest, I haven't beaded in a while. A few years ago, I was beading jewelry almost everyday. Eventually I got so tired of it, I didn't do any bead work.

These are some of my bracelet inspiration pins:

    

I really wanted some of these layered beaded bracelets and was looking to buy, but I'm cheap! I'll say it with no shame. :-) Soooo I decided to start beading again. I made a quick impulse trip to Hobby Lobby, b/c I must execute my plan when I get an idea.

Hobby Lobby's Bead Treasure and Metallic Gallery beads were all 50% off. The charms were not; however, the most expensive charm was $2.99 and it included 2. Overall, I spent around $36 and was able to make 10 bracelets with beads to spare.

Here's how they turned out!

Hope you guys like!

T

It's Fall Y'all!

 I actually can't complain about this summer's weather. This was probably one of the most unusual Georgia summers- rain, rain and more rain.  But I am ready for fall, sweaters, boots and a front yard FULL of leaves. Here's a little re-cap from this summer... Found baby Samuel at the empty house next door. He's been growing like a weed! & into everything!! Braves game, rode Sky View with my mom and brothers, a trip to Alabama and hung out at the pool. Can't complain :)

To get in the fall mood, I made new front door wreath for our front door. It's similar to the July 4th one I made this summer. What I love about these rag wreaths, they're so pretty and intricate but so cheap to make!

 I went to Hobby Lobby and bought 4 different types of fabric, 1/4 yard each. Earlier this summer I invested in a fabric cutter, which saves so much time! I would suggest purchasing one if you haven't already. It's a small 6X6 and only about $20.

Check this link for the FULL tutorial on how to make, step-by-step!

http://dahlinhummingbird.blogspot.com/2013/06/starting-off-with-red-white-blue-b-n-g.html

My total cost of material was $10.76. That includes the 4 fabrics, circular wreath and 2 fall decor stems. Hobby Lobby has a great fall collection out now and it's all 40% off. 

Here's my helper. Samuel was very interested in what I was doing and kept running off with my decor stems. 

Ta-da! While I was making this, I started thinking about a friend at work, Dyanne. She's been such a good work friend and has such a big heart. Her auntie recently had a stroke on her 94th birthday and Dyanne and her mother had to make the hard decision to put her in an adult home. Dyanne reports her updates every week and her aunt is improving everyday. After I started putting it together, I thought Dyanne's aunt could enjoy it more for her door to her new room. 

Thanks for stopping by! I'm thinking about making more jewelry coming up so be watching!

T