Shaking My Tail Feathers with More Fall Florals

This is just the start of  my fall decor.  Believe me, it WILL change as the months progress.  Right now, I'm in "semi-Fall" decor mode.  This means that I'm darkening my colors up a bit, adding more textures and layers, and adding other fall items like pumpkins, feathers, etc. to my decor.  At the first of October, I will change some of this out and add Halloween decor.  After Halloween, it's back to fall. 

I love, love, love feathers.  I made this arrangement last year.  It was my first try at adding feathers to fall arrangements.  I also added them to my "fall tree".  I haven't put that up  yet, but it's on the way!!!!  I am waiting on September 1 to roll around before I do that. 

BTW, I dabbed Mr. Roo with a little white paint today if you notice that he looks different. LOL!!

I made these two feather arrangements yesterday.  LOVE them!!

Here's a look at my kitchen table arrangement that I finished late last night.  It also have LOTS of feathers!!

The colors in it are VERY "fall", don't you think?  I know it's not "traditional" fall decor, but it fits my style perfectly.  Here's a closup of my bronze Mercury glass candleholders from Michael's....

I added a real antler of my husband's to the base of each with pinecones from our yard.  He and my boys are all big deer hunters, so we have LOTS of antlers around here.  (If you notice, I never spend  much on my decor.  I'm all about reusing and repurposing things!!)  I added some of my mother's silver to the bottom.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's been shaking her tail feathers around this weekend feathering the nest!!  Can't wait to join up to some great bloggy parties this week in hopes of finding some more fall inspiration.  

I was SOOOO EXCITED to be one of Debbie Doo's top picks for last week!!! Thank you, Debbie for hosting such a great party!! Linking up again this week to Debbie's Newbie Party!
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Shake Your Tail Feathers....It's Almost Fall, Ya'll!!

I've been busy shaking my tail feathers this weekend getting ready for fall!!  One thing that I love, love, love is feathers!!!!!!  I love to mix in feathers with my decor during all of the seasons because I think feathers add that little extra "sass" that I like for things to have.  This weekend, I gave my kitchen a few more touches of fall and added some feathers here and there for a little fall flair! 

I have thought about giving Mr. Roo a coat of white paint, but I haven't done it just yet....Still contemplating that one!

I just added this picture below....I had bought these pictures from Kirkland's.  I got to thinking about it during the night and thought they might look great here in the corners instead of my wine bottle pictures.  I really think I like them with my feather arrangements better...What do you think?

I also made a couple of small feather arrangements for my kitchen.  I am still playing with where to put these.  I do kind of like this one over here!  I really like these pictures...the stamped burlap + metal , well that just has to equal......L-O-V-E!!!!

I am still loving the black chest decorated with the Pottery Barn Mercury glass pumpkins!! I love the layered beans and pasta in these Kirkland's canisters.  It reminds me so much of fall!

This is something I've been working on for the kitchen table.  As you can see, it has feathers, too!!  I'll share more of this end of the kitchen later on this week.

I hope that many of you have been shaking your tail feathers, too, because I can't wait to see what everyone's doing for fall decorating.  I am ready to get some great ideas!

Leopard Print and Pumpkins

A combination you definitely don't normally see together, but anyone who knows me very well knows that I've always got to have a little bit of animal print everywhere!!!  Hence, my new fall sideobard decor.  Remember these little beauties?

They are from the Family Dollar....$2 each.  I rarely use candlesticks for candles.  LOL!!  So, I could just see my pretty little pumpkins perched atop my silver candlesticks for fall on the sideboard. 

Now, isn't that much more ADORABLE than a candle???  Oh, yes it is!  Not everyone has a mini pumpkin on their silver candlestick!!

Don't you love my leopard print tray from Hobby Lobby?  I have two of these.  I love, love, love, love them because they are leopard print AND have a fleur de lis!!!!!  Did I say LOVE???

I love fall.  Have you figured that out yet?  I love traditional fall decor, but I like for it to have a little twist!  It's a little early, I know, but I need to get it finished to where I can enjoy it and have time for outside decorating in September. 

I'm linking up to Debbie Doo's Newbie Party, Coastal Charm's Thrifty Treasures, Tabletop Tuesday at a Stroll Through Life, and with Terri at It's a Party at A Creative Princess!!!  (Thank you, Terri, for telling me about your AWESOME party!!! 

Hope to see you there!!!

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Mercury Glass Lamps

I got these gorgeous Mercury glass lamps at Kirkland's quite awhile back, but I just have not had the opportunity to put thm out.  They have been sitting in the corner in my bedroom.  I also have had this bedding awhile (still in the box), and again, not one bit of time to play!!  Last night I just couldn't stand it any longer!!  I needed decorating therapy!!!!!!!!

I had wanted the Pottery Barn Mercury glass lamps forever, but they were over $200!!!  NO WAY am I spending that much on a lamp!!!  When Kirkland's came out with these for $50 (not to mention the AWESOME coupon they give every week..), I was DE-LIGHTED!!!!

I really like this bedding for fall.  I know it's not fall yet, but I was ready to put out some color in the room.  I still love, love, love my white chenille bedding.  I've just put it away until spring.  I do miss it!!

I have thought about stenciling these shades or adding some type of graphic....hmmm...probably a project for another weekend, but not this one!!!  Love how they look at night!

Well, I'm off to clean the rest of the house I demolished while working on the bedroom.  (Is that like a law of decorating or something??) 

HAVE A GREAT SATURDAY!!!!!



Ye Without Decorating Sin, Cast the First Pumpkin...

Ye without decorating sin, cast the first pumpkin if you dare.  I have started decorating for fall!!!   I couldn't stand it any longer.  I broke down.  I did it.  Call me crazy, but I could not stop myself.  I love, love, love fall.  It is my favorite season to decorate for.  This all happened because I bought the Mercury glass gourd from Pottery Barn and also two small MG pumpkins.  They kept calling my name from the box.  It just didn't seem right to leave them in there!!!!  So here's where they live now....

They are so much happier after being freed from that prison of a box!!  I'm in love with how it turned out.  I have to confess....I have done more than just the sideboard.  Am I the only one who has issues????  Yes, I have decorated more in the kitchen.  And, yes, other places, too....BUT, I won't share them just yet for fear that some of you are going to call the little men in white coats with nets!! LOL!!

One last pic of a little vignette in the kitchen...Love the fall colors...

More, much, much more, to come later!!!

Happy Day-Before-Friday!!

I'm partying over at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday!!!

Bargain Shopping

I found a lot of good deals today!  I like to call it the "$7.99 deal day".  It seemed like everywhere I went, everything was $7.99!  I went to Ross, Pottery Barn (where I really did find some good bargains in the closeout section), and Michael's.  I am ever the bargain shopper...Look at what I scored today!

Mr. White Chippy Bird...$7.99 @ Ross!

ADORABLE white plates (reminded me of Willow House products) @  Ross for $7.99!

I could NOT leave this behind....Hanging fleur de lis @ Ross...$7.99 again.  I should buy a lottery ticket with 7-9-9!!!

This was from Family Dollar.  I needed Clorox wipes and Febreeze.  I am addicted to both....I should buy stock.  I passed by these and could not resist them..  $2.00 each!!!!  Don't know where I'm going to use them yet.  Wouldn't they make really cute placecard holders on the table?  I have some other ideas, too, but I'm not telling them just yet!!

This is just a glimpse of something I'm working on.  I bought these today, too, but I'm not sharing just yet.  Am I the only crazy one who has fall on the brain??  It's still way, way, way hot outside but it is fall in my heart!!

I also got some cute mercury glass votives at Pottery Barn for $3.00 and also a couple of mercury glass lanterns for $6.99.  I'll share those later with my fall decor. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

What's your What?

I've been thinking a lot lately about "what" would I do with my house in the next ten years.  I have always had a "what" list as long as I have lived on my own which has been since I was 18.  The "what" list has sure changed over the years as my taste and income have both changed. 

I remember at 18 my "what" was a pair of those double ruffle country curtains for my very first dining room.  I REALLY wanted those soooooo bad!!!  I put them on layaway at a department store called Gayfers.  Anybody remember Gayfers???  I loved that store.  They were EXPENSIVE curtains, I do remember that.  I saved and saved for those things and was so very proud to hang them in my front window and tie those big bow tiebacks very high and fan out those curtains.  I also remember my mother-in-law telling my husband that his wife had spent all his money on some 'high dollar' curtains.  I rememeber him telling her that his wife worked and had saved her money to buy those 'high dollar' curtains.  I don't have the curtains aymore, but I do still have the mother-in-law, and let's just say that some things (unlike big bowtie country curtains) don't change.  LOL!!!

So, in thinking about my "what" list, I have two biggies that are goals in the next ten years.  Don't know if these will really come to pass because they are a lot more pricey than my country curtains, and they don't put these on layaway!! But...a girl can dream, can't she?

First off, my biggest "what" on the dream list is an outdoor fireplace.  I have been in love with these as long as I can remember.  Believe this or not, but my parents had a small brick outdoor fireplace when I was little.  It was much smaller than those today, and it was under our patio.  I thought it was so stupid back then and hated when it was time for us to clean that thing.  BUT...I would sure love to have it now.  These are my dream photos of outdoor fireplaces that I look at and DROOL over.

This one is from Southern Living, and I adore it.

Pottery Barn, of course, is my FAVORITE!!!

My other "what" is a media room.  I want, want, want a media room!!  BUT..I have nowhere to put one.  LOL!  My favorite thing to do when I'm not working is to relax and watch a movie.  I LOVE big screen tvs, and I love popcorn.  It is difficult for me to go to an acutal movie theater.  I know so many people, and people do not leave me alone when I go.  My  husband gets VERY aggravated with this, and he'd rather just not be bothered with me being stopped fifty times.  So, we don't go to movies unless we go out of town.  I did get to see Transformer 3 recently, but we had to be fifty miles from home.  I NEED my own media room, right?  Drool over these with me!!!

Here's a garage turned into a home theater...Now there's an idea!!

I can taste the popcorn now!!!  Enough dreaming for one night.  I really should get to some real dreaming since I have to be at work in just a few hours!!!  Somebody's gotta make the dough for the "what" list!!  It's looking kinda pricey.  LOL

That Which Does Not Kill Us Makes Us Stronger

My Dear Friends,

I owe all of you a sincere apology for not blogging in the past month.  However, my life has changed so much in just a matter of a few days.  So much so that it is truly impossible for me to even explain in words.  The same week that the refrigerator and air conditioner all were struck by lightning at  my house back in  June, my dear step-father (who was my father in my heart) was placed at the Hospice House because his fight with cancer was nearing it's end.  Just a few short days later, he lost that battle, leaving a huge hole in our hearts forever.

My children have never known another grandfather other than him, and he is responsible for our lives being what they are today.  One day soon I will post the eulogy I wrote for his funeral that details how he affected my life.  It's still very painful right now, but it is important to know that I would never have gone to college or done half of the things I have done in my life if it had not been for him and his influence on me.  He was always the very best grandfather to my children, and we will forever hold his memory in our hearts.  We love and miss you, PaPa, very, very much. 

My mother has come to live with us because at 80, she is not able to stay by herself any longer.  So, there have been many adjustments around my home in the last few weeks.  We are making it, but it is day by day.  Every day we get a little better.  We watched Steel Magnolias together the other night, and it definitely brought healing and comfort. 

In the midst of all this craziness, I have continued to work and have been moving my mother out of her home.  What a task that was!  Several times I thought I was trapped on the "Hoarders" show.  LOL!!

Even with all of this craziness, I have been thinking about fall decoarting, and I have "tweaked" a few things in the kitchen.  My mother has given me several tubs of her old silver that she was not using any longer, and she also handed down to me my great-grandfather's dough bowl, a couple of churns, an antique crock, and some other pieces.  To make it feel more like home to her at my house, I have changed some things around to incorporate her things and mine. 

I'm not finished with my silver tray collection wall YET, but here's the start of it....I have my plans for my fall display below it, and I can't get that out of my head!!  So, this will do **for now** until I can get the items I need!

I'm loving the blingbling the silver trays give to my walls!  I did this how I do all my power decorating....in the middle of the night!  When my mother woke up the next morning, she said, "WOW!  I heard you beating and banging around in here, but I had no idea THAT's what you were doing.  Who knew I had all those trays!!"

I decided to spread the love around the other side of the room, too, and I changed my buffet as well as the wall beside it. 

Here's a closer look at the tea set.  I didn't polish it on purpose.  I LOVE the look of tarnished silver.  Looking back through my old Pottery Barn catalogs, I have noticed that they like it, too.  So..... if tarnished silver is good enough for  PB, then it is SURELY good enough for me!  HAHAHA!

Did you notice my leopard print tray back there?  ALWAYS gotta have my leopard print somewhere in the room.  LOL!!  Here's a closer look at my tea set.

If you look closely into the mirror, you can see the reflection of the silver tray display wall.  LOVE it at night time especially.  The best part is, my new look has made my mother very happy and hasn't cost anything other than a little rearranging and a few more plate hangers.

Hard to believe that these two tubs were in the BACK of her garage underneath a TON of other tubs/boxes just last week. 

My decorating therapy has certainly helped me these last few weeks.  I'm hoping my mother gets her love for decorating back as well.  My dad was sick for over twenty years, and she has worn herself down taking such good care of him all of this time.  Please pray for her a renewed spirit and comfort.

I promise I won't be gone for very long.  I'm getting back on track now.  How I have missed blogging!!!!  I have still been spying on you gals, though!!  Thanks for inspiring me to get back on the horse again. 

Love to all!!!