Glittery Stacked Pumpkins

I’ve been wrestling with my boring mantle for weeks. It just isn’t the fall splendor that I’m looking for. I found these stacked pumpkins at a craft fair. I thought they were perfect until I got them home and realized they were way too bright-orange for my décor. The putty colored pot didn’t do a thing for them either. So, I decided to modify a bit. Check it out…

Before…

I brushed each pumkin with Mod Podge. You could easily use watered-down white glue, but I like Mod Podge because it’s already the perfect consistency for brushing.

Next I sprinkled it with glitter. I love Martha Stewart glitters! They come in the coolest colors and are super-fine texture. This color is Fire Opal, the stem is Peridot.

Voila! The finished product is exactly what I wanted. I spray painted the pot using Krylon Flat Black Indoor/Outdoor #51602.

I’ll show it to you on my mantle in the next day or so. Be sure to check back!

I'm linking up with...

Sugar Free–Day 5

I can’t believe I’ve gone 5 days! What surprises me the most is how often I was gravitating towards sugar. I’ve stopped myself several times from grabbing something sweet. I walked in the house and without even a thought, reached for a cookie from the cookie jar. Now I’m not talking about sitting down with a couple of cookies and a glass of milk and savoring the experience. I’m talking about mindlessly going to the cookie jar and grabbing a cookie – just out of habit, or boredom, whatever. It’s been very eye-opening. I can honestly say that I feel better. I can also say that I still want something sweet. Every. Day. But not as much as I did on the first day, so it is getting better. And my headache is finally gone. I’ll let you know how my week progresses. Please feel free to comment; I'd love to hear from you!

Sugar Free–Day One

I’ve decided that it’s time to get serious –seriously. I wake up thinking about my weight, I go to bed lamenting about my weight. Whether you have five or fifty unwanted pounds, I know you get it. I think Oprah said it best: “after all these years, I can’t believe I’m still talking about this.” “This”, of course, being her weight. One of the richest and most powerful women in the world, and even she can’t get a grip.

Why am I blogging about this? I’m really not sure. It’s a deeply personal battle – one that has been going on for most of my adult life. I don’t think I’ve ever been comfortable with my body. It’s sad – I look at old pictures and want to scream at my young self “why are you wearing that baggy sweatshirt?!” If I had that body now, I promise I would appreciate it more. Really.

I’ve been on Weight Watcher’s since March and I’ve lost 19 lbs. I know, “great job!” Um, did you hear me? I said since March. That’s 8 months! I should be at my goal, but like Oprah, I’m still talking about it. The thing is, I know it works so I’m going to stick with it. And I’m actually going to follow the plan – every day. I’ve also come realize that sugar is a huge trigger for me. No, I’m not sitting around eating cake all day, but I do like some sort of sweet at some point during most days. The thing is, it tastes good but it almost always makes me feel crappy. And it makes me want more. So, I’ve decided to eliminate sugar from my diet until Christmas. I’m normally not a fan of any sort of deprivation, but I think this will be good for me. Call it a sugar detox.

Today was my first no-sugar day. I have a screamin’ headache, but I will not cave. I have the Def Leppard song “Pour Some Sugar on Me” stuck in my head. Coincidence? I think not.

So, if you’d like, you can follow me on my journey. Comment if you’d like, or not. I will post as the need arises and keep you updated on my quest. Wish me luck and say a prayer!

Boring Mantle Rescue?

I came across this awesome garland idea from Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage. If you haven’t seen her, then you are missing out! She is crazy-creative!!

She made this garland from book pages that she coffee-stained and stapled together. I love this! How do you think it will look on my (currently) boring mantle? I think I’ll give it a whirl. Thanks for the idea Gina!

“Fall” in Love

Fall is by far my favorite season. I love the cooler weather, the turning leaves, fall decorations, soup on the stove, fire in the fireplace – I love it all. Check out my dining room table centerpiece. My friend Joy made it for me; she is a true talent!

I think my mantle needs a little help. What do you think? I dig the center floral, but I think I need something running along the length of the mantle. Check out the sugar pinecones in the bottom right. Brad (hubby) risked his life to grab these off the side of the road for me – on a hairpin turn! I need to figure out a way to display them more prominently because I really, really, love them!

Just in case you can’t see them clearly above…

What are your favorite fall decorating ideas? I’d love to hear them!

Family Rooms

My backyard patio is one of my most favorite "family rooms" to hang out in. I love being surrounded by nature, even if it's in a small space such as this one.


When we first moved into our house 20 years ago, the yard was nothing but dirt. My husband, Brad planted every plant that you see. He is a master in the yard!



We never thought we'd be able to fit a pool in our small yard! It measures 14' x 34' at it's widest points and is a perfect size for us. Brad carved and painted most of the surrounding rocks himself.


I love to sit here in the mornings with my coffee and the paper. What's your favorite family room?

Blog Sugar 2011

What can I say about Blog Sugar? It was inspirational, educational, mind-blowing, super fun ~ the list goes on and on…

I was so nervous to attend by myself. Would it be clicky? Would I fit in? Is my outfit cute enough? My experience started in line when I met my new BFF's Heather from Mosaic Momma and Lori from Snap Candy Photography. (Do yourself a favor and check out Heather's post about her experience at Blog Sugar – she is a talented and prolific writer). They graciously allowed me to bond/hang-out/stalk with them all day! We even took pics together!

We're no dummies, we sat right in front of the dessert tables… cupcakes & truffles & donuts, oh my!

I got to meet Maggie Whitley from Gussy Sews!! She is so genuine and oh so knowledgeable about all things blogging & running a craft based business. Oh, and she knows a lot about terrariums.

Disclaimer: I don't know what in the heck is going on with my hair! It looks like I ran through the sprinklers. Ugh. I'm never wearing that blouse again.