Happy Fall Y’all 2016 Series: Kitchen, Centerpieces, & More – Video Included

On September 4, 2016September 4, 2016 By ArlynnIn Country DecorLeave a comment

As you all know by now, I love to redecorate and create new cozy corners and more, so I’ve really enjoyed switching things out and transforming the house so that we’re ready to greet those cool, crisp morning and usher in the changing of the leaves. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, the warm colors speak to me and help me get inspired to create. I will admit that I was well-prepared for this year’s decorating, I had organized myself pretty well when I packed away all of my Fall stuff last year so this year’s decor went together rather easily—*except* that I had to dig into my bins a little too much. When it is time to put this decor away this year, I am going to try to make myself a label and a sketch of what is where in each bin…that way I won’t spend half of my time digging and grumbling to myself that I can’t find this or that. 😉

Let’s get started, I did make a little video to accompany my explanations in this the body of the blog, it is located down below. The first thing that I started working on was this cozy corner that sits to the right of the family room’s credenza:

Next, I moved on around and put up a wreath that I made last year–It truly was so easy to make…It is nothing more than an oval grapevine wreath with a leaf garland glued on, a plaid bow, some pumpkins, some acorns, and a welcome sign:

Next was the “Ivy Table” so named because it used to have ivy stenciled on the door fronts before Chris repainted it a distressed black to match the black Hooker furniture that sit in the rest of this portion of the house. I got the shelf above it at one of our local craft stores.

I moved on into the kitchen next, the first thing I did was to make a quick centerpiece for the Island by using a tray, a Yankee Candle and rod-iron holder, and accent pieces that I had saved from last year:

Next I tackled the windows–Let me let those of you who might have just found my crafting blog know that I typically will keep “staple” <~~generic decor such as lanterns, tins, vases, ladders, and the like ~~ in place and just switch out the accent pieces to bring in whatever Season/look for which I’m going. In the kitchen windows, I leave two plate holders, two tins and a vase in which I make small flower arrangements. You’ll see below what I’m speaking about–And I explain further in the video:

And the kitchen was completed:

Next, I worked on the kitchen table. I switched out the tablecloth for one with a fall motif, then I made up the lantern centerpiece for Fall. I replaced the candles on the flanking candle sticks and added Fall candle rings and called it finished. 🙂 Here is a link to my blog where I explain how I create my lantern centerpieces: A Lantern Centerpiece For All Seasons

To finish up the kitchen eating area, I created a cozy corner, changed out the decor on the kitchen hutch, and on a corner cabinet:

I switched out a few things in the Powder Room:

I then took a moment to take a few pictures of what I had accomplished:

AND then I literally collapsed for the rest of the evening…haha. As I mentioned in my previous blog, this is not hard physical work for me, but, boy oh boy does it take some brain power. I’m a creative person by nature, but, it is still a challenge to do so many things in one day—BUT, of course, I’m anal retentive and want it all done sooner than later. 😉

One more thing that I show you and talk about in the video below is this spiffy little remote controlled outlet package that Chris installed for me–I show you how it works in the video. Here is a picture:

And here is that little video:

Next up, I’ll be showing and telling you how I transformed the living and dining rooms over to Fall—I utilized that pretty green color that I have been using in those rooms to bring Fall to life in a softer and gentler way.

*In decorating there are no mistakes, just unique creations!*

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

~Arlynn ❤

Fall Colors Around the House

On October 29, 2015October 29, 2015 By ArlynnIn Home Tour6 Comments

Cool crisp mornings and the changing of the leaves usher in one of my favorite times of the year, Fall. Since I’ve lived in the South, I am so very grateful when the humidity of summer dissipates and sitting outside becomes pleasurable again. While my hubby and I were out enjoying the cool weather last weekend, we took some time to click off a few pictures of our home, the dogs, and a battlefield. We live out in the country and with each passing year, the trees that surround our house get prettier and prettier, the first couple of Falls that we were here I think our trees were not happy campers because they had been ‘disturbed’ by the building of our home, but, now, it seems that they have settled down and are starting to fill out with more foliage and hence presenting us with a colorful little show this Fall. 🙂

My hubby took these next pictures with the wide-angle lens on his camera:

And then he took some shots of the dogs and I snuck in there with them for a one…

We decided to take a ride around our town into one of our Civil War Battlefields; wow, what a gorgeous ride that was!

As we were pulling back into our driveway I took a moment to reflect on how lucky and truly blessed we are to be living in a place that provides so much beauty as each season passes. If I’m honest, I’ll admit that winter is not my favorite season, I don’t care for looking at baron trees especially after seeing the trees that have just given us a beautiful show as they trumpeted their last hurrah. I do enjoy November and December because Thanksgiving and Christmas are my two very favorite Holidays and I get to see my family, eat way too much, laugh, cry through laughter, sing a few carols and exchange gifts (although, I dislike wrapping said gifts…<erg>). In December we always take many evening rides around our town to see the Christmas decorations and lights…Ahhhh yes, we do see quite the array of decorating styles, some absolutely gorgeous, some just good, some bad, and yes, some just plain ugly (haha). Of course I love to do my own decorating and this house presents me with new and exciting areas with which to display my creations. But, ugh, January, February, and March are pretty bleak and very cold (relatively speaking). Ever the optimist and one that tries to find the positive in any given situation, I will say that I do enjoy a good snowstorm and hunkering down with a nice pot of homemade soup and watching my dogs romp and play in the newly fallen blanket of snow. Also, snow is always pretty to photograph, so bring on Winter, I’ll be ready for you when you arrive. 🙂 Anyway, I digress…;)

Here was our view as we pulled back into our driveway…

<Sigh> Life is good and I appreciate and am so humbled every single day that I wake up, put my feet on the floor, and maneuver through my day with only small normal aches and pains, ones that seem to be arriving a bit more frequently as I age…haha. Regardless, I’m so very grateful.

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

~Arlynn

A Fall “Spray” For The Wagon Wheels

On October 14, 2015October 24, 2015 By ArlynnIn Seasonal Decor3 Comments

Hi All,

I woke up this morning thinking about making a mailbox spray, that said, I’ve never made a mailbox spray, so I thought I would go to the craft store and buy some materials and try my hand at making one for myself. So, off to my happy place I ventured (Hobby Lobby), and I started to search for something that might work; I was definitely winging it and really didn’t have a clue what I might come up with.

Okay, I’m driving home, and as I’m pulling into my driveway, I looked at my mailbox and decided that I was quite happy with how I had decorated it already and I decided that it didn’t need a Spray…

So I decided that instead of a Mailbox Spray, I’d make a spray and hang it on our wagon wheels (that hide our well pipe/head). Of course, again, I really had no idea what I’d come up with, but here are the materials that I purchased (all on sale for 40% off) and that I would be working with:

This ‘wreath’/’mailbox’ form:

One roll of deco mesh and one roll of Fall ribbon:

Leaf, Berry and Leaf, and Pumpkin picks:

I also went and collected some pipe cleaners from my craft supplies and I dove right into this project. The first thing I did was twist pipe cleaners around each crossbar of the ‘mailbox’ form..Like this:

Once all of the pipe cleaners were in place, I started to attach the deco mesh in each pipe cleaner…making pretty large loops as I worked my way down one row…

Then working my way to the next row until I completed all three rows…If you try this, don’t be afraid to make your loops large, the bigger the better in my opinion…it gives you more to work with and manipulate.

Okay, so that worked out well, I was ready to start adding a bit of the coordinating ribbon. The first thing that I did was cut 12-12″ strips:

Then I cut points into the ends of each side of the ribbon strips…

I then put them in 4 piles of 3 and tied a pile into each corner’s pipe cleaner–spreading them out once they were attached.

I then made a bow (see my Bow Tutorial Video) and attached it to the center of the spray by using the pipe cleaner that I used to close the bow…

Now it was time to add in the Fall picks, I quickly realized that I was going to need to hot glue them into place, it was way too poofy for me to add them into the existing pipe cleaners (which is what I sometimes do on my Deco Mesh Wreaths).

There was no rhyme or reason to how I arranged the picks, I just stuck them where I thought they looked nice and then I put glue on the stems and that held them in place very nicely.

And this is what I came up with, I was pretty happy with myself… 😉

I used tie wraps to attach the Spray to the wagon wheels:

And here it is on the wagon wheels:

Considering that I had never made what I’m dubbing a “Spray”, I was pretty pleased with my accomplishment. It just goes to show you, if you just give it a try, you might surprise yourself as to what you come up with in the end. 🙂 Please don’t hesitate to leave me any questions that you might have in the comments below. 🙂

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

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

Not Just Fall A Grapevine Wreath

On October 1, 2015October 15, 2015 By ArlynnIn Seasonal Decor, Wreaths3 Comments

Hi All,

There are days when I wish my “off” switch was more easily found, lol, my brain is always going a million miles an hour and it is hard to harness its energy and focus on tasks that need to be or that I want to get accomplished. 😉 Of course I’m teasing–well mostly. 😉 My brain really has been working overtime since yesterday afternoon though after I found a rather small, oval shaped grapevine wreath when I was wandering aimlessly around Hobby Lobby.

Here it is along with a bunch of other Fall accent pieces that I will be using to show you how to make a small oval wreath and then use the *same* wreath to make 3 different centerpieces. I’m all about using the same basic staple pieces and building and layering on different decor to change the feeling, for instance, from casual to more formal or from one Season to another.

Some of the accent pieces that I gathered include a oil-rubbed bronze metal tray, various wooden pumpkins, Fall floral picks, a Fall themed pip berry garland, Fall ribbon, a scarecrow, a leaf garland, a wooden basket, a couple of candle holders, and a battery operated candle.

So the very first thing that I did was to make a pipe cleaner ‘hanger’ and I glued that to the back of the grapevine wreath; it is not hard to do, just make a loop and hot glue the heck out of it.

Next, I made a bow–I really am going to make a bow tutorial for y’all one of these days…honestly, I promise!

After the bow was made, I grabbed up the pip berries garland and started to lay it onto and around the wreath form measuring how much I needed.

Then I trimmed off the excess garland and proceeded to hot glue it into place on the wreath.

The only other things that I glued into place on the wreath were these two Fall leaves picks, one at the top and one on the bottom.

After that, I attached the bow simply by wrapping the pipe cleaner that I used to tie the bow shut around the wreath and twisted it closed to hold it on the wreath (I did not use hot glue), and I added a Fall sunflower pick that had some larger pip berries and leafy accents on it; I didn’t glue it on either, instead, I stuck the pick in between some of the twigs of the grapevine wreath. That is *all* I put on the wreath and I called it done.

I carried it around my family room and kitchen trying to figure out where I wanted to hang it, *if* I decided to use it as a wreath–I’ll explain that statement after I show you the different places the wreath landed.

The first place I tried it was on this corner shelf …hmm, yeah, it looked okay there, but, nah, let’s see where else I could put it…

How about on my hearth, hmmm, nope, it’s busy enough on that hearth as it is…It looked cute there though, but, I tried one more place…

The last place I hung it was on that lamp…yep, looked really cute there, but I was already admitting to myself that I did *not* need yet *another* wreath hanging anywhere…so…I decided to do something different with it…

Here are three different centerpieces made with this wreath and a oil-rubbed bronze metal tray.

First, I took the leaf garland and wrapped it around the inside edge of the tray. Then I placed the wreath into the tray sideways (I removed the bow and that sunflower pick). After that, I placed the hurricane lamp candle holder into the center and started to surround it with Fall picks, then I placed the bow where I thought it looked pretty and added a little resin pumpkin…too cute!

Okay, I really liked that one, but I thought I might try to make something a bit more casual, so here is what I tried second. I removed the hurricane lamp, bow, pumpkin, and picks. I then snugged a wooden basket into the center, placed that sweet scarecrow into the basket, placed the bow, and then filled in and around the basket with additional Fall picks. Then I sat the resin pumpkin on the scarecrow’s lap:

And here is that finished centerpiece, more casual, but cute as can be. 🙂

I liked that one just fine, but I thought since I had gone to the trouble of digging out that black candle holder that I might as well try to do something with that as well. So, I once again went into “deconstruction mode” and reconstructed the third centerpiece like this:

Honestly, that was my least favorite design ^^^^

This is what I ended up creating and where I chose to place it:

I placed it on our desk that sits in the kitchen eating area, it is going to look pretty in the evenings with that candle glowing in that hurricane lamp.

So, for now, my brain is at rest, goodness knows what I’ll come up with next! I hope that this little post has shown you that if you have an old wreath laying around or if you find a neat form to use to create a wreath, that there are other things that you can do with it instead of hanging it on a wall.

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

~Arlynn

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

The Ever Changing Kitchen Window Decor

On September 30, 2015October 15, 2015 By ArlynnIn Country Decor Ideas3 Comments

Hi Everyone!

I think we are having a monsoon here in the South, it has been raining for days and it is predicted to rain for many more days to come. I am one of those people who really likes to see the sun shining, so all of this rain has me clambering to do something productive inside; I will definitely get to that productive project soon (maybe..haha), but in the meantime, I thought I’d show y’all how I decorate my kitchen windows throughout the year. I love my kitchen windows, they open by using a crank so that design lends itself to me being able to place decor on the wide window sills.

I have tried really hard not to over-decorate this new house, in the past at our previous home, I *might* have been known for decorating every available wall and surface and admittedly, it got to be a little overwhelming. So when we moved here, I’ve tried to minimize my decor yet still put a touch of *somethin’-somethin’* on most available spaces; this house has a very open design so there really isn’t a lot of wall space to utilize and I don’t have a ton of tables just sitting around to be used solely for decorating upon, so these windows are a pretty place to pull some seasonal accents into the kitchen.

So here we go, this is how I had them decorated in the Fall of 2014:

I placed plates at either end to anchor the look, in this case I used very cost friendly plastic chargers–I think I paid $1.99 for each at our local Michaels. I also have 2 tin ‘boxes’ for lack of a better word, and I change out the flowers/pip berries to match whatever decor feel I’m trying to capture. The lanterns on the two end window sills stayed there for a while, but honestly, I removed them when I decorated for Fall this year because the complete look was getting too busy (I’ll show you a picture of this Fall’s window decor at the end of this entry). In addition, the country vase and candle holders are always there and I change out the candles and the vase contents as I go through the year.

Next was Christmas, as you see, I changed out the chargers for Christmassy ones; still plastic and bought at Michaels as well. I changed out the flower/pip berry arrangements in the tin boxes and the vase and just added a few little snowmen wooden plaques and ceramic snowmen ornaments:

After Christmas was over I wanted to create a look that would carry me through the winter months. I found those two awesome wooden plates at a local craft store, so I placed them to anchor the look, and then I just changed out the arrangements in the tin boxes and vase for something a bit more generic, added stars and some wooden words and called it done. (I did take the lanterns away for this look, they were blocking too much of the windows)

Now it was time to decorate for our family reunion/spring/summer (haha…I really did leave the same stuff up there from May-September). By now, y’all know that my theme for the family reunion (see link for all of that decor) was red and white gingham, red and white gerber daisies and mason jars. I made new arrangements in the tin boxes and the vase utilizing burlap and silk gerber daisies and pip berries, and I added a resin cream color gerber daisy (found at Hobby Lobby for 1/2 off) in front of/beside each tin box. Yep, those lanterns showed back up for this grouping…;)

Last but not least, I just decorated for Fall and I’ve changed out a few things. I found 2 wooden Fall themed plates at a local country store and bit the bullet and purchased them (they were about $15 a piece, I rarely spend that much on a Seasonal decor accent, but I couldn’t resist and I will reuse these every year moving forward). I, again, changed out the flower/pip berry arrangements in the tin boxes and vase, changed out the candles, and added a few scarecrows and fabric pumpkins here and there. I’ve removed those lanterns for good now, I’ve found that I like it much better without them.

I’ll be decorating for Christmas next, so I’m on the lookout for a couple of wooden plates with which to replace those Fall themed ones. And who knows what else I’ll come up with once I get started designing; I try not to look back on past design pictures, instead I start each new project by gathering everything that I want to use for any certain grouping and let the creative juices flow…I love the process and will tweak and tweak until I love the end design. 🙂

Well now, there we go, I did do something productive inside…I wrote a blog entry…Each one of these is a little project in and of itself. 😉 🙂

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

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

My Little Red Wagon Decor

On September 19, 2015December 7, 2015 By ArlynnIn Country Decor Ideas6 Comments

Hi Y’all!

As is quite often the case, I tend to stumble upon the best country craft decor items when I’m not really searching for them. This red wagon was one such item and I found it at our local Plow and Hearth Outlet. Trust me, it took me about 10 seconds to decide to shell out the $$ for this. And yes, to let you know, it was a little pricey, <sigh>, it cost a bit over $100, but it was well worth the cost as I will utilize it greatly as each Season passes for many years to come.

To say that the creative juices started to flow when I laid my eyes on this beauty is an understatement. I knew that this awesome find would take permanent residence on our front porch and it would become one of my “staple” (my word for an item that remains in place as an anchor piece within or on which I build Seasonal decor) pieces moving forward in time.

It didn’t take me long to get this sweet little wagon out onto my front porch and decorated up for the winter months. Notice the gerber daisies, I swear I use those puppies all through the year because I love them so much. 😉 Regardless, I did utilize my grandmother’s milk can by placing a wooden crate on top of it to help me add a bit of height and structure to my grouping. (You can see a milk can on the left side of the front door in the picture below–the one behind the wagon looks exactly like that one) I also placed another wooden crate on the back corner edge of the wagon, again to help with height and to add interest and depth to the final decor. Those crates and that milk jug have become staples for each and every wagon grouping that I’ve created so far. Knowing me though, I will eventually use different staple items to change up future groupings within the wagon, but for now, I’m quite happy with the diversity that the milk jug and crates provide while bringing all of the finalized creations to fruition.

As far as the grouping inside and around the wagon goes, I truly just gathered a bunch of stuff out of bins that hold all of my extra generic country decorating items, hauled them all out to the wagon and started placing them in the wagon and on and in the crates. I placed the red and white plaid throw blanket first, then the wreath and bear which is sitting on a little red stool, and then I added the other items. A couple of lanterns (one of which is solar and I have a battery operated candle in the other one) rounded out this grouping. Oh, one more thing, there is a battery operated candle sitting on the large burgundy candle stick that is sitting on the crate and in front of the big star.

**A little note**– I did make that burlap wreath that I placed in the wagon. I had some ribbon left over from making the front door wreath so I decided to make one to match to use in the wagon. Here is a close-up of that wreath:

Patriotic decorations are some of my very favorite items with which to utilize. And there are times of the year that I will pull out the patriotic decor just to have something different to gaze upon.

I decorated the front of our home with a patriotic theme starting on Memorial Day and I left it up until after the 4 of July. The first thing I did was to make a new burlap wreath.

After the wreath was completed, I used some of the left-over chevron and burlap ribbon and added it along with flags, stars, hearts, and red, white, and blue flowers to create the wagon decor. **And yes, I did indeed mix checks and stripes…;) 😉 **

I think I should let y’all know that I am forever taking pictures of my pups and this day was no exception. I brought all three of them out front and clicked off a few pictures of them in front of the decorated porch. They were so good, and they actually obeyed me when I told them to “stay”! Yippee skippee!! 😉 Here is just one of the photos I clicked off of Sophie, Samson, & Gracie. ❤ ~~~>

To finish the off the front porch, we added a patriotic bunting to the porch overhang. Notice I said “we” ^^^, I should have said “my hubby” as I do not climb up very tall ladders no matter how badly I want something placed somewhere..haha. Thank goodness, my hubby is willing to take care of such precarious tasks. 😉

Here is a shot of the house decked out in its patriotic garb right at dusk:

Between Seasons Decor:

What did I do when I found myself between Seasons (after Labor Day but before Fall decorations go up) and I was itching for a change of decor for out on the front porch? Well, to start with, I decided to make yet another wreath, there it is on the door behind Samson and me.

I then decorated the wagon with some more generic feeling items using the left-over wreath ribbon as an accent. This decor held me over until it was time to decorate for Fall…

Fall!

The first thing I did was to start digging through my old Fall accent pieces. I found that throw, and I had made that wreath last year, so those were two of the first things that I placed in the wagon, and then I added scarecrows, a fall leaf garland, some pumpkins, a couple of scarecrows, and a picture/plaque with a Fall theme depicted. Then I added that “Welcome” pumpkin plaque on the ground in front of the wagon and it was done, done, and done. 🙂

I found that large “Count Your Blessings” fence plaque (sitting on the left of the front door) in Hobby Lobby for 40% off. I made a new burlap wreath to finish everything off and it all came together quite nicely.

The pups and I took advantage of another photo opportunity…haha…They are such sweet, loving puppy doggies! ❤

Here are a couple of pictures of the Fall adorned house at dusk.

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As y’all can see, I have already utilized the little red wagon in 4 different ways for 4 different Seasons so to speak. I can’t wait to decorate it for Christmas! The creative wheels are already turning as I contemplate what might end up in there to celebrate that glorious Season! 🙂 The possibilities are endless…

Fast forward 3 months…

AND I finally got to decorate my little red wagon up for Christmas! YaY!! Here are some pictures, and here is a link to show you how I arranged it and the other Outdoor Christmas Decor:

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

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

A Lantern Centerpiece For All Seasons

On September 17, 2015December 9, 2015 By ArlynnIn Lanterns11 Comments

I cannot express to y’all just how much I love lanterns; they provide a wonderful basic piece with which to create so many pretty groupings. I use them to accent my decor inside and outside as well. I felt so fortunate when I stumbled upon the lantern that I will be highlighting in this post; actually I own two of the exact same lanterns and I purchased them in two different local craft stores, unfortunately, I cannot find these lanterns anywhere online or I’d leave y’all a link…my sincere apologies… <sigh>. I buy my share of lanterns in places like Hobby Lobby, Home Goods, and Michaels, all three stores usually have a wonderful selection and I can almost always find one on sale. I use them in several different ways; some for centerpieces, some for accents in groupings, and some for side or accent tabletop decor. For the purposes of this post, I am going to focus on this one type of lantern and show you how I use it to create my kitchen table centerpieces.

I will start with the very first lantern centerpiece that I created; last January. In addition to the lantern, I’ve used a metal mirrored tray, and a black candle holder as the anchors of every one of the centerpieces. Here is the lantern, (it is metal btw), I’ve measured it for you so that you can see that it is quite large, I love to have a big centerpiece on my kitchen table, I’ve also measured the tray for you:

The first thing that I did was to place the candle holder and a battery operated candle inside of the lantern, then I started to build the surrounding decor. I realize that gerber daisies are more of a Spring flower, but I love them so much and I found some made out of burlap, so I went ahead and used them along with a few burgundy and gold ones, and I added a resin cream colored daisy at each corner as well. I nestled all of the accent pieces in a bed of pip berries–I used a pip berries garland that matches my stair decor highlighted in my Staircase Railing Ideas blog post. OH, btw, I did cut a section of pip berries off of the garland and I wrapped it around the candle holder inside of the lantern before I started to create the surrounding decor. (I plan to give you a basic step by step “how-to” below):

That centerpiece stayed up through the winter months until it was time to switch out the centerpiece accents to match my Easter decorations. Here is what I came up with:

As you can see, I used the very same lantern, tray, and candle holder…and I actually did use the same pip berries garland as well. I changed out the battery operated candle and the flowers. I purchased the tablecloth, the plates, and napkins at our local Home Goods store. I made the little napkin rings as well, I chose a pretty ribbon and tied a bow around the napkin and then hot glued little flowers to the tips of the bow…easy peezy. 🙂

A close up of the Easter lantern:

After Easter, I simply removed the “Happy Easter” words, but I did leave the rest of it alone until it was time to switch things out for the family reunion/summer centerpiece:

I changed out all of the decor accent pieces for this centerpiece and I created and added a top bow/pip berries piece which I’ve found that I love now. I feel as if it pulls it all together. I used a red and white pip berries garland (trimming a section off to go inside the lantern and another small piece that I added to the bow topper), gerber daisies, a “Family” wooden word sign, and I threw in a couple of burlap birds for something a little different.

That centerpiece stayed in place until it was time to decorate for Fall. Now, I will walk you through how I created that Fall centerpiece…Here goes:

Here is the lantern, tray, and candle holder. I used a new pip berries garland for this arrangement and again, I trimmed off a section so that I could wrap it around the candle ring inside of the lantern and another small section to be used on the bow topper:

Next, I wrapped the rest of the pip berries garland around the lantern:

Then I created the bow topper and pip berries design:

I made the bow and simply attached the small section of pip berries into the pipe cleaner that I used to hold the bow together (behind the bow). Then I took a piece of the same ribbon and attached it to the back of the bow with the pip berries. I kind of held it up to the lantern and figured out how big of a “loop” I wanted and then hot glued it shut to that size. I then slid the entire bow topper onto the top piece of the lantern. You can see what I’m talking about here:

Then I arranged some glass pumpkins at each corner and filled in the spaces in front, back, and on either side with Fall floral picks and a few Fall colored sunflowers:

And here is the finished centerpiece:

I have really enjoyed creating a new centerpiece as each Season has passed while utilizing the same basic designs and design pieces. I will admit that I spent a good chunk of change on this particular lantern (and I use one just like it on my dining room table, but, it was so worth the cost. I’ll write another post showing you all of the different Seasonal centerpieces I’ve created for the dining room table). I was able to get the tray for 1/2 off at Hobby Lobby, and I’ve been able to get each Season’s accent pieces for a discounted price. It hardly costs me anything to change out the decor and of course from now on, it won’t cost me a penny because I will reuse the same accent pieces in the coming years. That said, I know myself and I’m sure I will be adding or changing some things out for new things, but, I’ll already have all of the basics that I need. 🙂

Fast forward 3 months and I have now completed a lantern centerpiece for Christmas utilizing the basic pieces that I’ve used for all of the other centerpieces. Here is a link to my new Blog post describing how I created the Christmas Lantern Centerpiece. Here is a picture of the finished product:

I hope upon hope that one of these ideas inspires y’all to try something like this for your home. They are not hard to create and all you need to do is to trust yourself to choose accents pieces that look pretty to you and hence would look amazing in your home. I’m always here if anyone has any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section. 🙂

Let me take a moment to thank every one of you who has stopped by to take a peek at this blog, feel free to look around at my other posts; I have found that I am really enjoying sharing my creations with you and if one person is inspired to try their hand at creating something similar to what they’ve seen here…well, that would just touch my heart of hearts!!

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

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

Deco Mesh Wreath Ideas

On September 14, 2015October 15, 2015 By ArlynnIn Wreaths3 Comments

I love a challenge and I love to try my hand at new creations. Deco mesh has been around for quite some time, but, I had never tried to create anything with it until just recently. Goodness knows, I had made plenty of burlap wreaths and I felt as if I’d mastered how to make one of those, so I thought, how hard can it be to use deco mesh in the place of the burlap? So, I tried it and it turns out that I am able to use the same burlap wreath making techniques as I described in this blog post. The meshy material is very easily manipulated and it provides a beautifully full background for any other crafty components that might be added, i.e. a wooden or metal sign, an initial, flowers, birds, etc…

I have not made many of these wreaths and of those I’ve made, I have only hung one on the inside of the house; the deco mesh colors are rather bright and vibrant, not that that is a bad thing at all, but the words, “bright and vibrant” don’t necessarily describe the rest of my interior home decor. The one pictured below hangs in one of our guest bedrooms that we’ve dubbed “The Happy Room”, so dubbed because the decor I’ve chosen for that particular room is very bright and vibrant and hence very suited for a wreath made out of deco mesh…;).There is the finished wreath in the picture below hanging above the little vanity:One day when I was in what my hubby calls my happy place (Hobby Lobby), I found that “Happy” sign, so I knew I just had to make something for the Happy Room with it, so, I attempted to make my first deco mesh wreath; it turned out to be so cute and whimsical. I surprised myself! Admittedly, I stepped *way* outside of my proverbial country box, but I really like the end result and how it fits into the Happy Room’s decor:

I used a 16″ metal form for this wreath and I hung it outside on our light post; I paired it with my late winter/Easter decorations. These wreaths are great to use outdoors, they hold up to the weather quite nicely, and they are so very colorful and can easily be seen from the road.

So, now I’ve gotten into the habit of making a deco mesh wreath to hang on the front light post for each Season or for whenever I change out and to match my decorative flags that I display in the front flower bed. For this wreath, I wanted to make something that would pair nicely with all of our family reunion red and white gingham decor. You can imagine my delight when I found the red and white gingham option in deco mesh. Yippee!! 🙂 (The link will lead you to my blog post describing all of that fun decor and craft projects that were created for our reunion). 🙂

Next, it was time to make a Patriotic version to pair with my decorative flags. 🙂

And last but not least, I made this deco mesh wreath to hang on the outdoor light post, it pairs nicely with the Fall decorative flags that are seen while walking down our front sidewalk.

I am thrilled that I trusted myself enough to go ahead and step out of my box and attempt to utilize deco mesh for my wreaths. I am especially happy with how they look on that light post and I know that I will be making more and more of these wreaths as we go forward in time. They are so easy to make and they make a big, bold statement. I love them!

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**

⚜️ Arlynn's Country Craft Corner ⚜️

Tag: Fall

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