My Fall Decorations – 2015

On September 11, 2015June 5, 2016 By ArlynnIn Seasonal Decor2 Comments

My very favorite time of the year is almost here, Fall! I love this time of the year because of the arrival of cool crisp mornings, the changing of the leaves that follow, and the warm feelings that fill the air with the approaching Holidays. I have decorated for Fall early this year so I thought I would go ahead and share my creations with you here in my brand new Blog. I hope that one of my wreaths, centerpieces, groupings, or cozy corner creations will inspire you to get your decorations out and begin to transform your home into a warm and inviting space with which to welcome your family and friends for the Holidays. My decorations will stay up until Thanksgiving Day, that is the day (literally) that I will start decorating for Christmas. We always decorate the Christmas tree after we finish our Thanksgiving feast and that is the first of many Christmas decorations that will follow.

I always start my change of Season decor with the fireplace hearth and mantel. Just to let you know too, before I change my decor out, I spend a day packing away a good bit of the existing decor so that I can start with a clean slate. Of course there are some things that I leave in place and build upon, for instance regarding the mantel and fireplace, I keep the candle holders and clock on the mantel and the ladders/pip berries/white lights and country crock on the hearth…those items stay in place all year round and I just decorate on and around them. I have also placed baskets and a couple of other items on either side of the fireplace, they too stay in place and I use them as a base with which to build my Seasonal (or generic-depending on the time of year) decor.

When building this look, I take it a “section” at a time, meaning, I’ll start with the mantel, build the decor on that and work my way around the entire fireplace. When working with the hearth, I will usually gather all of the materials that I think I might need, sit down, and just start playing with it; sometimes I can see the end result, sometimes it doesn’t come to light until I’m completely finished. I love the creative process and I love it when I can stand back and be proud of what I’ve created. And trust me, these creations don’t come to fruition at the snap of a finger or the twitching of a nose…haha…sometimes I’ll tweak it for hours until I get it exactly how I want it to look. No, I am *not* anal retentive at all…LOL… <~~~I fib! 😉

This next ‘cozy corner’ was so much fun to create. I had purchased that ladder in Williamsburg over the summer so it was a new piece for me. It presented me with a bit of a challenge as I wanted to hang a rather large wooden plaque on it. I managed to attach it onto the ladder by gluing twine on it to use as a handle of sorts and I attached it with a pipe cleaner. I added pip berries, a few stars and another little canvas picture/plaque (by using command strip velcro to hold those items in place); that canvas actually lights up when turned on. Once I had the ladder the way I wanted it to look, I started to build the rest of the arrangement, when packing up my other decor, I had only left the Longaberger basket and the sewing box in place (that was my Grandmother’s–never gets put away). I added a Fall themed throw and pillows, a Boyd’s Bear that is dressed in Fall clothing, a scarecrow, a rather large “F-A-L-L” plaque.

This is a centerpiece that sits on a credenza in the family room. I use the basic rod-iron fleur-de-lis candle holder throughout the year. For this look I added a rod-iron tray and used pip berries as a candle ring of sorts, added some pine cones, larger berries, a wooden pumpkin and called it done.

I made this wreath; I used a grapevine wreath form, leaf garland, pumpkins, and plaid ribbon. This was not hard to make and it has turned out to be one of my very favorite wreaths. I hung it on the family room door with one of my spiffy wreath hangers that you can get at Grandin Road here.

The pip berries garland will stay on the staircase railing all year round. If you would like to know more about how I came up with that decor, you can reference an earlier Blog of mine entitled “Staircase Railing Ideas” here. I simply made a new bullnose arrangement, and put Fall bows at each swag point going up the staircase to create this look.

This is the kitchen table’s lantern centerpiece. Here is a Blog explaining how to create these Lantern Centerpieces; trust me, they are not difficult.

This is the hutch that sits beside my kitchen table. I changed out pretty much everything on this hutch save the lantern, candles, and lit pip berries garland up top. I gathered all of the things that I wanted to place on the shelves and I started to create, moving from one shelf to the other trying to make it look inviting and pleasing to the eye.

**As you can see, I use the same technique as I work my way around the house. The decorating process is so much easier when I take the time to remove any decor that I will not be using while redecorating.**

This lantern centerpiece sits on top of my kitchen island…I really love creating these centerpieces, so much fun!

This is a corner shelf that sits in the kitchen’s eating area.

Here are my kitchen windows:

This is a shelf and table that is located between my kitchen and family room, I made the pip berry candle rings and the flower arrangement in the basket.

This is the powder room, my hubby made that shelf:

All of the previous decorations are located in the family room, kitchen, kitchen eating area, and powder room, those rooms are located on the back of our home. We also have a living and dining room that are on the front of our home (separated by the staircase). I decided to challenge myself this year. Throughout the year I use a pretty green color as my accent color in those rooms so I wanted to try to incorporate that color into my Fall decor as well. Plus I wanted it to look a bit more polished (if that makes sense) in those rooms…more formal might be a better way to put that. 🙂 So here is what I came up with:

A closer look at some of the decorations that I created for these spaces:

This lamp was my grandmother’s and then my mom’s and now it is mine. It is a very special piece to me, so I always want to do it justice when incorporating it into my decor. It sits on my dining room’s sideboard table and this is how I pulled that green color into the surrounding decor. I used a tray to hold the lamp and the arrangement. I utilized some silver toned pumpkins, berries, and a few flowers:

I found the tablecloth at my local Home Goods store, and then I created a lantern centerpiece for the dining room table, again, trying my best to incorporate that pretty green color:

I got that rod-iron, glass topped table at Kirklands along with the pre-lit hurricane lamp. As for the table top decor, along with the hurricane lamp, I arranged a glass pumpkin in that green color and added Fall’ish greenery to the little mercury glass vase incorporating said things to the existing decor already in place. I found the box that is sitting on the floor at our local Michaels store and the wooden scarecrow head and cream glass pumpkin at Hobby Lobby.

Here is another very special piece of furniture, a glass topped coffee table. It too was my grandmother’s, then my mom’s, and now it is mine. I used a silver tray that was my mom’s as the base for the lantern centerpiece.

So that did it for the inside decorating. I then set my sights at what I might like to do with the exterior space. With that in mind, I finished decorating after making that front door wreath the other day when I met up with two of my very dear friends at a “Craft Day” (when we get together at one of our homes and do whatever craft we want to do as well as talk, laugh, eat, visit, and just enjoy our time together). The arrangement to the right of the front door was started by me gathering up a couple of crates, my grandma’s old milk can, and a wooden red wagon (link to how I switch out my Red Wagon Decor); those three pieces anchored and provided some different height options for me to create the entire grouping. Again, as I described above, I gathered a bunch of Fall stuff that I thought I *might* use and I started arranging it and tweaking it until it was arranged to my liking (that took a while).

I moved down to the flower bed and I added a deco mesh wreath that I made to the light post (subject of an upcoming Blog), I changed out the decorative flags, and I switched out the gazing ball.

I can’t forget about my mailbox…haha…You would not believe the amount of people in my neighborhood who actually decorate their mailboxes for *every* Holiday or *just because*. 🙂 Fine by me, I love to decorate ANYthing at ANYtime…lol…;) Here is a link to my “Seasonal Mailbox Decor” blog post if you are interested in seeing what I do with it for the rest of the months/Seasons of the year.

And here is the house from a distance. The lights stay lit in the windows all year long (we have a “Holiday Light Package” which allows us to flip one switch inside to control all of those window lights…nice little option for a girl who loves to have lights in her windows). 🙂 My hubby has done a great job of installing pathway lights, a few ‘up’ lights, and wash lights to light up the front of the house in the evenings. He has all of those lights on a timer and they go on at dusk and off 6 hours later. Here is a link to how the hubby and I created our “Special Outdoor Lighting”.

Well, that does it for this year’s Fall decorating. I am very pleased with how it all turned out; it did take me almost a month to get it all changed over, but I had to recreate the wheel so to speak in a few places. Also, I decorated the inside and then waited a couple of weeks until we were into the month of September to decorate the outside. I had a great time turning on my creative juices and letting my imagination run a little wild. I hope that any guest who might come to visit feels at home and comfy cozy when they enter; that is always my goal, to have a warm, welcoming, home, one that doesn’t make people feel like they can’t relax. 🙂

One more picture…Here are my pups sitting in front of the Fall adorned fireplace…They sure look comfy huh? 😉 I just love them!! (Left to right: Gracie, Sophie, and Samson) ❤

Until next time!! Y’all take good care! ❤

**In crafting there are no mistakes just unique creations**

Grapevine Wreath Ideas

On September 8, 2015November 11, 2015 By ArlynnIn WreathsLeave a comment

Hi Everyone!

One of my very favorite things to make wreaths out of is a grapevine wreath form. They provide you with a nice sturdy and attractive base for any kind of decor. I’ve made grapevine wreaths for the inside and the outside of my house and for all Seasons. They are not difficult to make and they usually go together quite quickly. I typically will choose a pip berry, leaf, or other kind of garland to use on the wreath to help make it look fuller; I will glue that on first, then I will usually use a picture, plaque, initial, or wooden words and build the rest of the wreath around those choices. I’ll usually pick a coordinating ribbon and some silk or dry flowers to finish off whatever look I’m trying to achieve. I have found that creating the look I want is easier to do when I take the time to place the accented pieces onto the wreath, stand back and look at it and only when I’m happy with how it looks will I *then* use the hot glue to attach all to the wreath for safe keeping. There are a myriad of options out there and the sky is the limit, again, let your imagination be your guide and don’t be afraid to try something new. I will add some pictures of some of the grapevine wreaths that I’ve made in the last couple of years; I hope one of them will inspire you to try to make a grapevine wreath for yourself. 🙂

I’ve made several of these wreaths for gifts and some for my own use. I made the wreath below to hang on my family room door to use with my every day decor. A couple of cousins fell in love with it, so I decided to go ahead and make them each one for a little “just because” gift. As I’ve mentioned before, I love to give homemade gifts, the recipients know that your creation was made with them specifically in mind. ❤

This one hangs in our Powder Room:

Our daughter asked me to make these two wreaths for two of her co-workers. I tried really hard to make them in colors and design specific to each of the recipients. Apparently, they both loved the final products, so I think I was successful. YaY!! 🙂

This was was created for the front door and when I get an itch for a change, I’ll hang this up out there.

I made this one for Fall a couple of years ago…

And I made this one last Fall specifically for the family room door:

The accent color in my living and dining rooms is that pretty green that is seen everywhere I look now-a-days. I made this wreath to hang in my dining room, I really love the oval shape:

This is another wreath that I hang on my front door at times…

As you can see I’ve utilized the basic grapevine wreath form to make some new and different creations. I love country decor and these wreaths lend themselves so very nicely to bringing the country look into a room or onto a door. I really hope that you will give one a try! 🙂

Until next time, y’all take good care! ❤

**In crafting there are no mistakes just unique creations**

Staircase Railing Decor Ideas

On September 7, 2015January 5, 2016 By ArlynnIn Country Decor Ideas8 Comments

Greetings Everyone!

As I have mentioned before, my hubby and I just moved into our retirement home a couple of years ago. We went through the entire building process and waited 7+ months for our new home to be built. The reason we went with the new build is because we found a pretty piece of property with a good many acres (hubby’s wish) in a neighborhood, in a cul-de-sac (my wish) and we were also able to make every single choice that would make it our own. There were many reasons why we chose this model to build not the least of which was this pretty staircase.

I had had staircase railing decorating ideas flying around in my head for the entire time that the house was being built. One of the first ideas that came to fruition was a burlap swag idea that I’d seen somewhere on Pinterest. We did it our way and we started with a bolt of burlap fabric that I found at Joann’s Fabric. My hubby and I laid out burlap on the floor (I wish I could remember how many yards I purchased, but I’m sorry to say that I cannot–we did use an entire bolt though) out into one long piece and folded it accordion style and wrapped masking tape around it every so often to keep it folded in place until we hung it up. Once that was completed (no easy task honestly) we evenly draped it like you would a swag curtain between each post on the staircase and then took the masking tape off and tweaked each swag until it looked like we or I had envisioned. I also made a flower arrangement and attached it to the bottom and on top of the bullnose section of the staircase; that pulled it all together nicely. I then made bows and attached them to all of the swag points; I loved how it turned out and I kept it up for quite some time.

Then Fall rolled around and I decided that I would keep the burlap in place but make new Fall themed bows and a new arrangement for the bullnose. This is how that turned out:

Of course Christmas decorating was next. We removed the burlap and replaced it with pine garland wrapped in white lights, I made new Christmas bows, and a new arrangement for the bullnose. I really loved how those lights looked, so, so pretty. My hubby also attached a remote control to the lights so that we could turn them on and off at will; that was so convenient.

After Christmas my daughter and I were chatting and she reminded me of a new and different staircase railing idea that she and I had discussed around Christmastime. That idea is what my hubby and I brought to fruition and what we have hanging on the railing now. I purchased pip berry garlands from The Pip Berry Barn and this is the garland that I chose to pair with my everyday home decor, it has worked beautifully. (I highly recommend purchasing Pip Berry Garland from this online store; the strands were so full and beautifully made, absolutely awesome) I also purchased strings of 100 white lights with a brown cord and plugs at both ends. These are the white lights that I purchased. We used two strands to do the stair decor, but I purchased extra strands for the inevitable, eventual, and necessary replacement parts. My hubby has attached the same remote control to the lights so that we can turn them on and off at will (I usually turn them on after dark and turn them off when we go to bed)

Of course I made new bows out of burgundy checked wired ribbon which matched the ribbon that I’ve used in many a centerpiece, arrangement, and wreath throughout our home. I purchased the ribbon online too because I couldn’t find what I knew I wanted around here. This is the ribbon that I purchased. And then I made a new flower arrangement out of burgundy and burlap gerber daisies and pip berry picks, wrapped white lights around that arrangement and tied it all together with a bow. This is what hangs in our house for my “regular” or “generic” decor. I only change out the bows and flower arrangements for Fall and Christmas now-a-days; I love the look *that* much!

When I decorated for Fall, I simply changed out the bows and made a new arrangement for the bullnose. Here is that finished project:

I came up with a different idea for the staircase decor for this Christmas (2015). I’ve wanted to create an ornament and pine garland for a couple of years now, but, I knew that it was going to cost me a fortune to do so…not to mention give me a headache or two because yes, I’m a pretty patient person when I’m creating, but the patience required to create such a garland might just push my ‘envelope’ a bit. 😉 Anyway, here are some pictures of what I came up with this year. If you’d like to see how my hubby and I put it together, you can check out my Blog entry entitled: Staircase Ornament and Pine Garland. Here are some pictures of this year’s creation:

Keeping the staircase decorated throughout the year really helps to warm up our space. And with the addition of the lights in the evenings, it really feels comfy and cozy in here. I’ve been so very happy with each and every change that I’ve made to the original idea and I’m sure I’ll continue to tweak and hopefully improve the look as time marches forward. 🙂

Until next time, y’all take care! ❤

**In crafting there are no mistakes just unique creations**

Family Reunion Decor and Craft Projects

On September 5, 2015October 15, 2015 By ArlynnIn Special Occasions6 Comments

Hi Everyone!

I should tell you that I am a very family orientated lady and I am extremely blessed to have the extended family that I have. I am an only child, but I am very close to my aunts, uncles, and cousins, it is almost like the cousins are siblings more than we are cousins. We’ve been brought up with good morals and values and a very strong faith. So, last Christmas (2014) when my dad and I were sitting and chatting and he suggested that I host a family reunion I jumped at the chance. My extended family is scattered throughout 4 neighboring States and we are not able to get together very often; we hadn’t had a family reunion in many years. It was an understatement to say that I was excited that I was going to have my entire family in our new home. So, as I normally do, I went into planning mode. The first thing I did was do a search for some kind of “Save the Date” announcement, I settled on this magnet, and I was able to find it online here. Everyone loved them and I’d venture to guess they are still attached to some of the family members refrigerators as it is on mine here.

Next, it was time to pick a theme, meaning something for me to build my decor around. So I chose, red and white gingham, mason jars, and red and white gerber daisies. While I was preparing for the reunion, I worked very hard to incorporate my “themed” pieces into the decorations, crafts, and basic home decor. I pretty much redecorated my home for this reunion–yes, that might seem a bit over the top, but, I really was excited to have everyone here and I wanted things to be extra nice. 🙂

The next thing I did was get in touch with two of my cousins and asked for their assistance. My cousin Stacey volunteered to make up some games and provide prizes for the winners of said games. She also created “Certificates of Awesomeness”, t-shirts, and plaques specially designed for our family (by her) and gave them to the older generation and our generation (1st cousins). She gave a special trinket to Cori who had made and decorated a gorgeously beautiful and very tasty cake. She also graciously gave a couple of niceties to my two daughters and a very special something to me. Stacey put on a fantastic ‘show’, telling stories and and poking fun as she presented all of her creative homemade gifts. It was a blast, definitely one of the highlights of the day! Here are some of the things that Stacey created for her prizes and gifts–she is so very talented!!

And here is the gorgeous plaque that she gave to me…SO sweet!

Here is Stacey standing beside her prize table and being her animated self while giving out her very special gifts–THANK you Stacey, you did an awesome job! ❤

Here are some pictures of Cori and her cake and the dessert table…YES, we love our sweets! lol 😉 THANK you Cori! ❤

Here are the three of us together…Me in the pink pants, Cori in the middle, and Stacey in the green pants:

Each family that came to the reunion, (I do believe we had almost 40 people in all), brought food to share, good thing we have a pretty big kitchen because almost every inch of the island and the surrounding countertops were full of some of the most delicious food on the planet. I think everyone brought their ‘signature’ dish which made for some good eats that day!

It took me months and months to prepare and I loved every single second of every project that I took on. I thrive on the planning process and to plan something for my family…well, I was over the moon with excitement and motivation. Here are some of the things that I created and a couple of things that I had someone else create.

I made a deco mesh wreath to hang on the light post that sits beside our entrance sidewalk:

I purchased red and white gingham tablecloths and made lantern centerpieces for both the kitchen and dining room tables. I also purchased candle holders and red candles to flank the centerpieces. I also made a lantern centerpiece to be added to the fireplace hearth decor.

I redecorated pretty much the entire lower level of our house including the mantel and the fireplace hearth, a couple of cozy corners, the kitchen hutch, and some other pieces of furniture and shelves. I tried to incorporate the color red, red and white gingham, and added “family” touches (as in plaques talking about family) and our family’s own photos which I placed in red and white frames and some in sweet little clip picture holders. I tried to add special touches incorporating my “theme” here and there throughout the decor. I also had created a slide show and had it playing on the tv throughout the entire day–everyone loved that! 🙂

As the day drew closer, I decided that I would make all of the centerpieces for the outdoor tables. Each arrangement consisted of a quart size mason jar filled with fresh gerber daisies and baby’s breath. I placed the jar on a white ‘charger’ plate, added a red paper doily and surrounded the jar with a pip berry ring (that I made). In addition, I made pint size mason jar fresh flower arrangements to sit around and augment the indoor home door.

I thought and thought about what to do for party favors. I wanted it to be something that they could take with them and use for years and years and that every time they looked at it they would be reminded of the day. So while perusing around the Internet, I stumbled upon this website and they worked with me to create a “mint tin” that I filled with red and white peppermint candies. They were a huge hit at the reunion. **Score**!! 😉

One of the last things that I did was to hang this banner. It really completed the entire look. I did not make this banner, instead I ordered it from this Etsy shop here.

Finally, the day had arrived and it was time to hang balloons out front and out back, set up tables on the patio, and set out a little chalkboard sign on the front porch. We were ready to go!!

We had a marvelous time that day. The feeling that fills the air when we are all together is magical, honestly. We all sing and many play instruments, so we sang some of our favorite old hymns and our grandma’s favorite hymn that none of us can get through without sobbing “Thank You Lord for Your Blessings On Me”, ate ourselves into oblivion, laughed till we cried, and cried when we had to separate at the end of the day. It was a wonderful day, one that I hope will be held closely and lovingly in everyone’s memory. I’m hoping to host a family reunion every year for as long as everyone will be willing and is able to travel to us here in Virginia. ❤

**I love you family!!!**

**In crafting there are no mistakes just unique creations**

Burlap Wreaths and More Burlap Wreaths

On September 4, 2015October 15, 2015 By ArlynnIn Wreaths2 Comments

Hi to all of you lovelies out there!

I am like the energizer bunny, I hardly ever sit still and I am always planning my next project, event, trip, decor change, etc… One of my hubby’s nicknames for me is “The Planner”; I know I must drive the poor man crazy at times! 😉 So, when I was gathering pictures for this blog post, I surprised myself with the sheer number of wreaths that I’ve made this past year . I’ve created some of these for my own use here in our home, and I’ve created a few to give as gifts. My plan for this blog entry is to just *show* you the different wreaths, if you would like to know how to make one you can reference one of my earlier blog posts here. 🙂

So here goes:

This one hangs in our “mud room”, I hung it on the door leading to the garage–I added that wreath hanger that you see in the picture on the left, it is awesome. You can find it online here:

I made this one for one of our guest bedrooms…

I threw this one together because I wanted a little something more for on that corner shelf:

I made this one for a dear friend who loves owls:

I made this one for a friend…She asked me to make her something to hang on her Mom’s nursing home room’s door:

I made this one for another one of our guest bedrooms, I actually utilized an old Boyd’s Bear Bunny that had been stuck in a box in my basement for years:

I hung this one in the laundry room…:)

I made this one to go with the family reunion decor (red and white gingham, gerber daisies, and mason jars):

This one was to add to an Easter grouping that I had put together out on the front porch:

I made this one to be hung on the front door from Memorial Day through July 4th. You’ll also see our pups in one of the pictures below. The Newfoundland dogs names are Sophie and Samson (brown), and the Golden’s name is Gracie. I love them like crazy! ❤

And last but not least, I just made this one the other day. This is for a very dear friend of mine who lives in another State. My hubby is constructing a box for me to pack it up in for shipping…it is 30″ in diameter (as wide as some front doors, in other words, it is huge). 🙂

Well, that does it for the burlap wreaths that I’ve made in the past year. I’ve also made some grapevine and deco mesh wreaths as well–subjects for another blog. 🙂 I hope that one of these wreaths will inspire one of you to try to make one for yourself. You can do it! And I’m right here if you have any questions at all, feel free to leave me any questions in the comments. Happy Crafting!! ❤

**In crafting there are no mistakes just unique creations**

Above the Kitchen Cabinets Decor

On September 3, 2015October 15, 2015 By ArlynnIn Country Decor Ideas6 Comments

Hi All!!

One of the main reasons that my hubby and I chose this model of home to build for our retirement home was because of this kitchen. It is definitely my dream kitchen and I feel humbled and blessed to be able to cook in it daily. While our house was being built, I was doing a bit of building of my own, I was building the decor that I would be arranging on top of the kitchen cabinets. First, I have been collecting Longaberger baskets for decades so I knew that some baskets would definitely be part of the design. I have also been collecting Dickens Houses for decades, and I’ve always added them into my decor no matter the time of year, so I knew a few of those would also be incorporated into the design. I love wooden plates and had collected quite a few of those too. To round out what I needed to complete my vision of the cabinet decor, I spent many a day collecting lanterns and battery operated candles to go in them as well as a *very* large plate and a couple of metal stars (for above and on either side of the hood).

The day finally came for me to arrange the cabinet decor. I truly had no idea where to start, so I gathered everything that I had earmarked for this project and laid it all out on the island.

My hubby went and retrieved a ladder; I sweetly (honest) directed and he placed things where I asked (bless his heart, he had to readjust a few items several times until I was satisfied with the placement). It didn’t take us long to get in a rhythm and we had everything placed in no time. 🙂

I am really happy with how it all turned out! To add, my hubby attached little chargers to the candles and plugged them in up there–during the building process we had arranged to have wall electrical sockets installed above the cabinets and they all run to a switch down on the wall. Because he did that, I never have to replace the batteries in the candles and they stay on all of the time. 🙂

As you will see in future blogs, I love soft lighting and what it adds to the overall feeling of a room. My goal is always for a room to feel warm, welcoming, and cozy, I feel as if I accomplished that goal with the overall decor selections and my hubby’s help with placement and the magic he performed with those battery operated candles. I love it when a plan that has been formulating in my brain comes to fruition! 🙂

**In crafting there are no mistakes just unique creations**

picstitch — Here is a before and after comparison from one direction and then below from another direction:

The Lantern Centerpiece Gift

On September 2, 2015October 15, 2015 By ArlynnIn Lanterns6 Comments

Hi Everyone!

I always enjoy giving homemade gifts to people that I know will appreciate the planning, preparation, and plethora of work it takes to create an entirely new concept just for them. My dear friend Karen is one such person. Karen and I have been friends for over a decade now, our daughters were in the high school marching band together and Karen and I were very involved in the Band Parents Association. She and I had much more in common than just our girls though, she is also a crafter and she can create beautiful things that I admire greatly. So, when she and her hubby built a beautiful new home my wheels started turning and I tried to come up with a new and different Housewarming gift. What does a crafter give another crafter? It can be tricky…luckily, our ‘talents’ lie in different realms of the crafting world. Karen herself actually gave me the idea of what I ended up making for her. She texted me one day to ask me if she could borrow my red gingham tablecloth to use for an upcoming get-together. Well, when she asked me that the light went on in my head and the bells started ding, ding, dinging, I knew exactly what I wanted to make for her; a lantern centerpiece 🙂 First, I purchased her a red gingham tablecloth of her own. Then I made a lantern centerpiece with a red gingham bow, pip berries garland, red and white gerber daisies, black metal stars, a red battery operated candle, and a “Family” wooden sign, all arranged in and around a cream colored wooden tray and cream colored wooden lantern. I also put a red gingham placemat in the tray to serve as a nice decorative base for the design.

**Side note–I love arranging my lantern centerpieces in trays, the tray provides an anchor for the entire design and *bonus* it is easily picked up and moved from place to place**

Here is that finished centerpiece:

I then thought, well, I don’t want to pigeonhole her into having to use the red gingham accents all of the time, so I took it a step further and supplied her with the necessary materials with which to change out the red gingham accents and insert a more neutral design; utilizing the same metal stars, lantern and tray. I made a new bow out of chevron and burlap ribbon and supplied a different colored pip berries garland, a cream colored battery operated candle, different colored gerber daisies, a different “Home” sign, and a neutral placemat. Also, I made it so that she could easily change out the bows by hot gluing velcro on the ends of a piece of the same ribbon and attaching it to the bows; they were then secure when in place, pretty, and functional. 🙂

Here is that version of the centerpiece:

I packed up all of the neutral design materials along with a picture of how she might want to switch out the red and white gingham elements and replace them with the more neutral elements.

I delivered the red gingham version of the centerpiece to her with the neutral version packed in a gift bag. I immediately knew that I had chosen right in giving her a homemade gift because when I handed it to her, her sweet eyes welled up with tears and I got the very best hug ever! My day was made, completely made!

In my opinion, it is *always* better to give than to receive, and when it comes from your heart and is made with love and with the receiver in mind, it makes for a good day all around.

**LOVE you Karen** ❤

Front Door Burlap Wreaths

On September 1, 2015October 15, 2015 By ArlynnIn Uncategorized14 Comments

Good Afternoon!

As is typical of me, I woke up one morning with the idea in my head that I wanted to make something. What I chose to do on that particular day was to make my aunt a burlap wreath for her front door. The only problem with that was that I had never tried to make a burlap wreath and I had no idea where to start. So, I took to google search (one of my best friends…lol) and I started reading and watching tutorials; this gave me the basic idea of how to, at the very least, *start* to make my wreath. I will admit that I spent a bit too much time searching “how-to” blogs and videos and not enough time trusting my own abilities to accomplish my goal on my own. So, I put my computer down, got in my car, and headed to my local go-to craft store Hobby Lobby. We also have a Michaels and an AC Moore here in our town, but I am usually successful at finding exactly what I need to bring a project to fruition at Hobby Lobby. So, anyway, I started walking through the store collecting my needed supplies. When all was said and done, I was successful at making my aunt a wreath and then I made my cousin one too; I gave them to them for Christmas last year. But, I wasn’t exactly satisfied with those two wreaths even though my aunt and cousin loved them and were so sweet with their compliments regarding just how much they loved them. Here are pictures of those two wreaths:

I decided I would try again (I am nothing if not determined to try and try again until I’m satisfied with the end result) and so I set myself to the task of making a burlap wreath for our front door, I wanted it to be quite large because our home sits pretty far back from the road and I wanted to be able to see the wreath on the front door from our cul-de-sac. So off to Hobby Lobby I went yet again and I began to gather my supplies. The first thing I picked up was a 24″ metal wreath form with the twist ties already attached. I then collected all of the other things that I thought I might need to make my wreath. I will try my best to put into bulleted form how I constructed not one but 2 burlap wreaths for my front door…yes, I said 2…lol…I made one for the inside of the door too. We found a wreath hanger that we could manipulate over the door that provided a hook on either side of the door. I was very happy with what I ended up with and I have made many other burlap wreaths since, so many that my hubby has made me a wreath hanging station in our basement. In another blog, I will post a bunch of pictures of the burlap wreaths that I’ve made, some for my own use, a few for gifts, and one or two for friends who sweetly asked me to create one for them.

The two specific wreaths featured in this blog are wreaths that hang on my front door at times of the year when we are not celebrating a Holiday or for times when I am not using a specific seasonal decor…in other words, these are my “everyday” wreaths. I switch out the outside front door wreath A LOT… 🙂 Here are pictures of the finished wreaths:

Here is how I put all online tutorials out of my head and created my own version of a burlap wreath:

*Supplies needed for a very large burlap wreath: 24″ wreath form with the twist ties or pipe cleaners already attached, or you can attach your own pipe cleaners at regular intervals around the form–not hard, 2 rolls of burlap–for these extra large wreaths, I used burlap “runner” rolls, a coordinating colored burlap or ribbon, any accents that you might like to add such as pip berries, silk or dry flowers, wooden words, wooden or metal ‘pictures’, wooden or metal initials, seasonal decor, and so on…Let your imagination run wild

*Find a large surface with which to work and lay out all of your supplies

*Plug in your hot glue gun–I try not to use too much glue on these types of wreaths, but I do glue pipe cleaners to the backs of pictures and/or other accents (wooden initials, pictures, etc…) so that I can tie them onto the wreath frame. And when necessary, I do glue certain things into place if they just won’t stay by attaching them with the pipe cleaners

*Work your way around the wreath form starting on the outside ring gathering and catching burlap into each pipe cleaner and then moving to the inside ring and doing the same thing. I’ve seen some people online who measure the length of burlap that they put between each pipe cleaner, I do not do that, I just eyeball it and go for it. So once you have your outer and inner rows of burlap attached to the form, add your coordinating colored burlap or ribbon catching it into one of the outside pipe cleaners (by untwisting the pipe cleaner and adding it to the burlap that you already caught) and working to the next inside pipe cleaner, then back to the outside and so on all the way around the wreath.

*Take a moment to glue pipe cleaners to the back of anything you might want to attach to the wreath form as you see me doing in the picture below.

Instead of gluing, I just threaded a pipe cleaner through the metal clasp on the back of the picture

*Then start attaching anything else that you’d like to put on your wreath either via the pipe cleaners that you attached, or directly into some of the pipe cleaners (you’ll see what I mean in the pictures below–SO hard to explain). I chose slightly different things for each wreath, I chose to put our last name initial on both wreaths as well as a bow (that I made…I’ll need to do another blog about how to make a bow huh?) on both. Then I chose other specific items for each wreath consisting of pip berries, gerber daisies for the outdoor wreath to match our red door and the coordinating ribbon, other silk flowers and a wooden framed picture for the indoor wreath to match my room decor.

Here is a link for the Wreath Hanger that we used

So there you go, I was finally successful at making burlap wreaths that met with my own approval…haha. Give a burlap wreath a try! Nothing is perfect in the crafting world, that’s what makes it so much fun and unique to just you! 🙂

**In crafting there are no mistakes just unique creations**

Hi Everyone!

On August 31, 2015 By ArlynnIn Uncategorized4 Comments

My name is Arlynn and I’m a housewife and crafter from Virginia. I moved here when I married my soulmate 33 years ago; for the 20 years prior to that I lived with my parents in Maryland. My hubby and I have two beautiful daughters who are now out on their own and thriving in this big world of ours. I’ve done many things in my life, but, most of them revolved around raising our girls and involving myself as a volunteer in their schools. Also, we have 2 Newfoundland dogs named Sophie and Samson and a Golden Retriever named Gracie all three of which I absolutely adore.

A bit about my background, I come from a very loving, God fearing family whose traditions run deep and love runs strong; they are all (aunts, uncles, cousins–I’m an only child) very special to me! Unfortunately, we are all scattered and live in different States, but when we are together we make the most of every moment (we just had a family reunion here at our home last May–a blog for later). Both of my parents were educators, and they raised me up to be a loving and honest woman. My family shaped and molded me into the woman I am today. Sadly, we lost my precious Mom a couple of years ago. My Dad is still going strong, he plays golf daily, travels extensively, and is as healthy as can be.

All of that said, I’ve been crafting for decades…literally…haha. I decided to start this blog because when I would post my newest crafting or diy project on my Facebook page, it seemed like folks were interested in what I was doing. A few friends and one of my daughters have encouraged me to try and start a blog because they feel that I have a lot to offer; I hope that they are right and that there is someone who might take one of my ideas and utilize it in their home. I have no formal education in interior design, but I love to create warm cozy spaces and I love to decorate my home in a welcoming manner. I make wreaths and centerpieces among other things and I utilize my very symmetrical nature to create spaces within my home that are pleasing to the eye. I love to craft and create! All of that said, I am completely new to blogging, so please be patient with me as I am learning as I go.

My hubby and I moved into our retirement home a couple of years ago and I’ve been diligently working on decorating our space. I change the decor as the Seasons change. I’ve included some pictures of just some of the things that I’ve created since we moved in.

**In crafting there are no mistakes just unique creations**