Fall Color on the Mantle

In the last post, I used the Fall colors of the Pashmina for the sofa table. Now, I'm using the same colors on the mantle. Duh! Who would have thought? :)

As you can see, I still haven't changed the mantle or painted the brick. 
I can't make up my mind what I want to do, so I just piled on the mantle decorations, did the Scarlett O'Hara thing, and said, "I'll think about that tomorrow."

I love traditional looks for Fall...candles, books, Fall foliage, and of course, antlers.

Slightly off center, I put a painting of the Clan Gregor badge that our son did. It usually hangs on the opposite wall above a bookcase, but now that I've moved it to the mantle, I kind of like it here for a change.

The floral arrangement is made from odds and ends I've used in old Fall wreaths and baskets, etc.
The container is a thrifted ceramic planter, but it was cream with a pastel della robbia swag on it...not terribly fallish, so I spray painted it ORB.

Here, you can see the different elements in the day time...

...and at night, with the candles lit...

...ahhh...the warm glow of Autumn.

Hope y'all like my Fall mantle.
Hugs,
Babs

Let's party! See ya there!
Funky Junk Interiors ~ Saturday Nite Special
The Tablescaper ~ Seasonal Sundays
The Dedicated House ~ Make it Pretty Monday
Between Naps On The Porch ~ Metamorphosis Monday
A Stroll Thru Life ~ Table Top Tuesday

Fall Sofa Table

There's nothing like a little nip in the air to get me thinking about Fall decorating. 
I'm loving the cooler temps, and this morning, I started dragging out totes and boxes of Fall stuff to see what I had from last year.

One of the things I found was a Pashmina scarf that I had, but never wore.

I really like the colors...and thought it would give a little old world feeling to the sofa table in the living room.

I used some of my favorite things to make a reading table...not that I would actually read there, but...you know what I mean.

...the two little dogs sit faithfully on the edge of the ash tray...

...but I use it to hold my tea mug. 

Other faves are an old cast iron bookend...

...some old leather bound books, and a seashell on a wooden box that used to hold tea bags.

It's starting to look like Fall already!
I'm still working on the mantel, so I'll show you that next time.
Hugs, 
Babs

Let's party with~
The Dedicated House ~ Make it Pretty Monday
A Stroll Thru Life ~ Table Top Tuesday
Coastal Charm ~ Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays
Savvy Southern Style ~ Wow Us Wednesday
Ivy and Elephants ~ What's It Wednesday
2805 ~ Potpourri Friday
Funky Junk Interiors ~ Saturday Nite Special

Squirrel Frame Chalkboard

Hi, Everyone!  
The kitchen island is back out on the deck, with the last coat of sealer. While it's drying I've been playing in the kitchen...which is a mess because I had to take everything out of the drawers and off the shelves again. So, here's what I've been working on...

I found this photo frame several months ago, but couldn't decide what to do with it. 

It has squirrels, acorns and leaves running all around the frame...

...I didn't want to use it as a photo frame, so I decided to make a faux chalkboard by cutting a piece of black poster board from my stash of paper goods. 

I took out the glass, cut the poster board to fit, put the poster board and the glass back into the frame, with the poster board on the outside so you can write on it...closed the back, and ta-da! Instant chalkboard...and no painting!...

...next, I added  a wrought iron pine cone lantern...

...Hawthorne berries from the yard...

...and a few more berries...

...added a leaf from the yard, and a Fall colored dish towel.  

The hutch is finished for now, but you know me...I'll probably change it again in a couple of days.
Guess it's about time to bring in the island, and put everything back in place.
                                             ~ Happy Fall! ~
Hugs,
Babs

StoneGable ~ Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits At the Picket Fence ~ Inspiration Friday
The Thrifty Groove ~ Thrifty Things Friday
Funky Junk Interiors ~ Saturday Nite Special

Kitchen Island Project

The kitchen island is finished...almost. 

This is the new look...

Here's the before with Hubby sanding it on the deck.

 

Umpteen years ago, we bought the island from a furniture store that was going out of business, and although it was a great price, perfect in size and style, the light color didn't work well with the kitchen hutch.

I'd always planned to do something with it...paint, darker stain..something, but never could make up my mind what I wanted to do. You know, one of those things you just keep putting off.

After so many years, the top developed a "worn patina"; and the other day, Hubby couldn't stand it any longer, got out the sander, and the project was off and running. We didn't have any paint or stain that would work so, we headed off to Home Depot!

We wanted a paint and stain that would work with the floors, cabinets and the hutch. The color is more cream than it actually looks in the photo.

The paint color is Rust-Oleum Heirloom White, and the stain is Varathane stain plus poly, in "paprika".

Here's the kitchen/breakfast hutch I was trying to match. This photo is from a post in January. Click here in case you missed it. 

After three coats of paint and one coat of clear sealer, it started raining, so we had to haul it back in the house. You wouldn't believe how heavy that little island is.

Anyway, I wanted to show you how it turned out, so I put a few cookbooks on it, and did a quick photo. 

The only other thing I want to do, other than put a second coat of sealer on, is to put a towel bar on the right side. 

And, although I'm thinking about doing a glaze on it, I'm going to take my time deciding about that. I'm terrible at doing faux painting techniques. :)

What do you think? Should I try a glaze, or leave it like it is?

Hugs, and y'all have a great week.

Babs

Let's go party with:

Between Naps on the Porch ~ Metamorphosis Monday

The Dedicated House ~ Make it Pretty Monday

Savvy Southern Style ~ Wow Us Wednesday

The Shabby Creek Cottage ~ Transformation Thursdays

My Romantic Home ~ Show and Tell Friday

Common Ground ~ Vintage Inspiration Friday

2805 ~ Potpourri Friday

Planting and Painting

The last couple of weeks, I've slowly gotten out of "beach mode", and started thinking of Fall.
Here's a quick plant pot I did in the foyer a couple of weeks ago and forgot to show you.

I'd bought two Crotons to put in the outside urns, but it was so hot, I didn't want to deal with them at the time...so, I brought one into the house and made a quick arrangement by putting it into an old McCoy planter, adding some Nandina, Lantana and Sassafras to fill in around the Croton. 

A decorative acorn and two books with Fall-ish colors finish the look.
Since then, I've planted the crotons, but I need to add some mums, etc. to the urns, so they aren't "blog ready" yet. 

The last couple of days, we've been working on a painting project I've been putting off for years...

Here's a hint of what I'm doing...

...well, actually, what Hubby and I are doing. 
Hubby did the hard part...moving and sanding the kitchen island, and I'm doing the staining and painting. 
I'll show you how it looks on the next post.

Hope y'all have a great weekend,
Hugs,
Babs

Fall Project for the Front Door

Have you ever gotten an idea for a craft project, and it seemed like it took forever?  Well, when the gift of patience was "passed out", I must have been out to lunch, because I'm awful at making things that take a lot of time, or require repetitive tasks.
Having said that, you probably wonder why I did this Fall craft project for the inside of my front door...

...I got an idea to make leaves from an old paperback book, and attach them to a vine, to wrap around the twiggy cone... 
it sounded easy enough at the time, and I could whip out this craft project in no time...

...so, I started cutting leaves...and I cut leaves..all yesterday afternoon and part of last night...and again this morning...and I was cutting six at time...

... I ripped off the leaves from an old garland, and cut the garland to fit the top of the twig cone. 
Then, I hot glued the paper leaves to the little plastic parts where the original leaves were attached...sandwiching two leaves together.

They're a little hard to see, but I glued some acorns to the spots that needed filling in...oh, and I left some of the small leaves on the garland for a bit more color. Then, I added three faux hydrangeas. I would have liked dried hydrangeas, but none were to be had this year, so faux it was.

Then, I wrapped a brown satin ribbon around the cone to hang it, and added some twigs from the yard. Done! Whew! 
I'm liking the Fall cone now that I'm finished with it, and I'm liking the soft creams and browns for now. I'm not quite ready for reds and oranges just yet, and I've definitely had my fill of cutting out paper leaves. :)
Hope y'all had a great weekend.
Hugs,
Babs

Let's go party with
The Dedicated House ~ Make it Pretty Monday
Cedar Hill Ranch ~ Cowgirl Up Tuesday
Coastal Charm ~ Nifty Thrift Tuesday
House on the Way Twirl & Take a Bow
Savvy Southern Style ~ Wow Us Wednesday
Debt Free Mommy ~ Making Space Monday

Collegiate Logo Pop Tarts

This morning, I ran to the store for a few things for the weekend, and there they were. Collegiate logo Pop Tarts! Have you seen them yet? 

Five schools have partnered with Kellogg's to have their logos on limited edition Pop Tarts.
College football fans get ready for flavors like...

Arkansas Razorback Red 
Florida Gators Strawberry 
Georgia Bulldog Berry 
Michigan Go Blue Strawberry 
North Carolina Tar Heel Berry

I haven't had a Pop Tart in years, but I know which one I'm gonna  try...
                                  
                                 

...I have my flag flying...

                                                 
                                                                Go Dawgs!

Y'all have a great football weekend! Hope your team wins...unless your team is Missouri... ;)
Hugs,
Babs

Tomato Pie

We've been back from the beach almost a week now. The temps are getting cooler, and I'm starting to think about Fall. At least now, I can turn on the oven and do some baking without heating up the house. The garden tomatoes will soon be finished...we're getting lots of little ones, now, so I decided to make a tomato pie.

This is a great way to use up excess tomatoes...really easy to make, high in flavor, but definitely NOT low in fat. 

Ingredients:
1 pie crust
4 or 5 large tomatoes
Basil 
1 onion  
1 cup of mozzarella
1 cup other cheese...cheddar, Swiss, etc.
1 cup mayonnaise 
Season salt or salt and pepper

Here's how it's made...
1 pie crust...you can make your own, but I'm a terrible pie crust maker...and lazy...so I get the rolled up kind in the refrigerated case at the store.

Line a 9 or 10 inch pie plate with the crust. Prick it gently all over, and bake at 350 for 10 min. or until it's lightly brown.
While the crust is baking, slice 4 or 5 large tomatoes...or more if they're smaller like mine were.
Lay the slices on paper towels to blot some of the excess juice.
When the crust is lightly brown, thinly slice one onion, and lay it in the bottom of the crust. 
Layer the slices of tomato over the onion. Sprinkle with season salt, or salt and pepper, and add two or three torn basil leaves, between  the layers of tomatoes. 
Now, mix the cheese and mayonnaise together and spread over the top of the pie.
Bake at 350 for about 30 min. or until it's lightly browned.

Note:
You can use cheddar or similar cheese, with the mozzarella. When I made this one last night, I had swiss and mozzarella, but only about 1 and 3/4 cups, so I added grated Parmezan to make the 2 cups. Cheddar is prettier since it's yellow, but I just use what ever I have. I'm a spur of the moment cook, and improvise a lot.
I also use "light" mayonnaise to lower the fat content...just a little. LOL 

Garnish with tomato slices and basil.
Hope y'all enjoy the tomato pie. It's one of Hubby's favorites.
Hugs,
Babs

Let's visit
Savvy Southern Style ~ Wow Us Wednesday
2805 ~ Potpourri Friday
Stone Gable ~ On the Menu Monday