A Secret Sewing Project

A couple of weeks ago I shared this photo over on the Facebook page and hinted at a sewing project I was going to be working on.

Some of you guessed that maybe it was going to be a fall quilt.  I sure wish I knew how to quilt!

Then a few days later I shared this photo and told you that I had the next step of the project completed, but that it would be a couple of weeks before I could share the whole thing.

Well, now I can share.

I was working on making fall themed pillow covers!  I made 13 in all and the reason I couldn't share them yet was because they were going to be gifts.  In my last post I told you that I'm on a little vacation in Tennessee with my mom and her sisters this week, and 8 of these covers were coming with me to be given out to my aunts, my mom, and two of my cousins.  Whenever they get together like this they have what they call Scarecrow parties and gifts are given out all around (the scarecrow brings the gifts instead of Santa).  : )

I decided the cheapest most cost effective thing I could give would be something I had made.  And since I have TONS of scraps leftover from my shower curtain business I decided to use some of them up and make pillow covers.  I made 2 more that won't be pictured here because they were Christmas ones and I'll share them another time.  I also made one for myself and one for my sister.  The total cost of 13 pillow covers was a whoppin' $8...and I still have plenty of fall fabric left over to make even more if I feel so inclined!

I was a busy bee trying to get these all completed before my trip, plus keeping up with making my shower curtain orders.  We pretty much didn't see the top of the dining room table for about 2 weeks, lol!

Let's take a look at what I worked so hard on.

Some of the covers have a pumpkin shape on them and some have a fall leaf.  I used a variety of fabric styles since I don't know the decorating tastes of my extended family members.  The pumpkin up there at the top though, I made that one with my mom in mind.  She wants to change her living room decor over to a lighter color palette of greens and blues and do a coastal theme.  So I made that one to coordinate with her upcoming decor change.  I love the combination of the 3 different patterns, but yet they all coordinate.  I don't know if you can see it well enough or not, but the aqua one has little white polka dots on it.  So sweet.  :)

The other ones I made were more traditional fall colors and patterns.  After I cut the patterns out of the fabric, I then used a spray adhesive on the backs of them and followed the directions for a temporary bond.  That allowed me to move them around and get them centered just right, but yet it held them in place strong enough to allow me to get them stitched all around.  I purposely left the very edges unstitched so that when they got washed they would rough up in a cute rustic sort of way.

I love the paisley and flannel pumpkin!  I made two of those, one for me and one to give away.  I already had two pillow covers that were two different style fall leaves that were done in the paisley fabric, so then I made the pumpkin to go with them.  I wanted it to coordinate, but not be completely matchy matchy.  I think the addition of the flannel pattern helped achieve that.  It's a warm olive green color that matches the green in the paisley fabric.

So....13 covers in all.  Eight were made to give away as gifts, 1 I made for myself, 2 were Christmas ones to be shared later, I doubled up on one of these patterns and made one for my sister....that accounts for 12.  So what about the 13th one?

Well, remember in my last post I told you to be sure not to miss this post?  

That's because.......

SURPRISE!!!

I'm doing an unannounced giveaway of the last pillow cover!!

I made two of these sweet little pumpkin designs and I decided to give one away to one of my faithful readers.  I appreciate you guys so much and I'm so thankful you've stuck with me even though I haven't been a very regular blogger these past few months.

I didn't announce it anywhere and I don't plan to because I want only my faithful readers to be on this.  I don't want any freeloaders hopping over here just because they think they can get something for free and then I never hear from them again.  This time its just for you guys.

All you have to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post and you'll be entered!  Be sure I have an email address to contact you at in case you're the winner.

This giveaway is for the pillow cover only, you'll have to supply your own 14" pillow insert.  It's an envelope style closure, and its made out of drop cloth.  They're easily removed and very washable.  

I apologize for all the wrinkles.  I was running out of time and light to get these pictures done so that I could schedule this post before I left and I didn't take the time to iron them, but you get the idea.

There's just one thing we gotta get straight......I don't claim to be much of a seamstress at all, I can accomplish basic things, but I'm certainly not a professional.  SO....if you happen to be the winner you have to promise me that you won't make fun of my lack of skills....mmmmm-kay?  Just remember, it's the thought that counts and I made this with love for my faithful readers.  : )

So just leave me a comment below and include your email address and in a week or so I'll do a random drawing and let you all know who won!  

Happy Fall Y'all!

 *This giveaway has now ended*

                                                               

A Vintage Farmhouse Fall Vignette

I'm so excited y'all!!  Tomorrow I'll be taking off for a few days of R&R in beautiful Pigeon Forge, TN!  I can't wait!  My mom and her sisters get together every year for a few days for a Sister's Retreat, and this year they rented a snug little cabin for 3.5 days.  I invited myself along.  : )  The kiddos are spending the week with my husband's parents, Hubby is fending for himself, and I am SO looking forward to a few days without responsibilities.  And nice chilly weather.  And hopefully some beautiful fall foliage.  And maybe even some hot chocolate.

But....I didn't want to leave you hanging for the whole week without something from me, SO....to make your life feel complete I'm treating you to some fall decor pics while I'm away.  : )

Today we'll be focusing on this little corner of the living room in between the two couches.

I've created a cozy little vignette on top of my crate I rescued from the curb.

I replaced the cheery and colorful red and yellow lamp with a black one.  Black pairs so nicely with fall colors and helps tone them down a bit so your eye doesn't get overwhelmed.  It gives your eye a place to rest so to speak.

Typically with vignettes you always want to work with odd numbers.  Things always look better grouped in 3's or 5's and so on.  Evenly paired groups never look quite right.  When I first started putting this little grouping together I didn't have the old mirror underneath and it didn't look right because the lamp made the 4th item.  I liked the grouping though, and didn't want to get rid of anything.  So, by placing the mirror underneath the other items it gives them their own boundary and the lamp is no longer part of the grouping.  The eye sees it as a separate thing.

I love how the mirror takes the place of a tray that you would usually see used in this sort of a display.

For the other items in the group, I placed some faux bittersweet in a thrifted pitcher that's sitting on top of a an old book with its cover removed.  I also added a vintage Bingo card under there for added interest.  Even though technically the book and the pitcher are two items, because they're stacked together they become one in the vignette. 

There's also a little chicken wire basket I found in the craft section at Walmart.  I added a candle and some hickory nuts to it.  I love using real gourds in my decorating and this little splotchy one with its curvy stem was just perfect here.  They make for an added expense each year, this is true, BUT at the end of the season they're ready to be pitched and I don't have to take up valuable storage space finding a place to keep them.

Tucked in the back there is my old orange grove ladder that I've had for 13 years now.  I love changing out the quilt on it from season to season.  During the summer months you might remember I had the red and white penny square quilt here.  Now I've replaced that with one that has a more warmer and more subdued color palette.  

I absolutely love this little corner and am really happy with how it turned out.

As you can see, I'm not one who loves the all neutral fall style.  I still love the warmth and coziness of the reds and yellows and orange.

Even though I'll be away from the computer for a few days, I have a post scheduled for later in the week, on Thursday, so check back for that.  If you follow me over on Facebook then you know I've been hinting at a sewing project I've been working on.  I'll finally be sharing what that was all about.  

Sharing over at:

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays #245

Farmhouse Fall Decor {Part 2}

 So...I finished up a project this week that I am SO excited to share with you!  I can hardly wait, but wait I must because it was a Christmas project and I never did finish showing you my fall decor in the dining room and kitchen so I feel I need to do that first.  

On the table I have a set of place mats that I thrifted years ago.  We alternate between these and a pretty fall tablecloth that I also thrifted.  When the 4 year old spills something (and he always does) then we switch them out.  I also have a cute little leaf S&P shaker set given to me by a friend a few years ago, along with a fall themed silverware caddy.  Though we're using it to hold napkins and seasonings that Hubs likes left on the table.

Behind the table in the buffet area I hung my fall picture I love so much.  Of course,  I love old red trucks for sure, but it's also really special because it belonged to my grandparents before they passed away and the truck has the name of the town where they lived on it.

The plaid runner was thrifted a couple of years ago.  It was actually just a strip of fabric that I turned into a valance to use in our 2nd bathroom at our last house.  In this house I don't have any place to use it as a valance so I simply folded it in half and used it as a runner.  I added the Rub-N-Buff made over candleholders set and some pillar candles with a bit of moss around them.  I really wanted to find pretty fall candles to put in these, but I couldn't find just the right ones like I had in mind.  I already had these ivory colored ones so I ended up using those instead and just added a bit of twine and an old key to make them a little more interesting and a little less "vanilla."  : )

Here's a reminder of what these candleholders looked like before.

A bit of silver Rub-N-Buff and then some Spanish Copper over top of that gave them a perfectly aged looking patina.  A 5 minute project with wonderful results.

My $1 rusty rooster makes his appearance again.  I love this little guy!  

Some faux bittersweet tucked in around it finishes it off.

I tucked in a berry vine around my Mason jars that are lined up in the big dining room window.

Above the kitchen cupboards I added a few touches of fall as well.

This end has a Pilgrim couple that my mom gave me and one little faux gourd.

In the middles hangs a vintage looking sign that I got several years ago, probably from Home Goods.

On this end, I took away the little stack of towels on the scale and added a small faux pumpkin, and I replaced the bright red geraniums with a fall colored bouquet.

The cookie bucket belonged to my granny back in the day and my mom just gave it to me recently.

Beside the sink I have this little touch of autumn.

It's a vintage potato masher.  

I added a small berry vine around it and tucked in a tiny little jar candle. 

Above the sink in the window I have this little arrangement.  I took the picture in the dark because it looked so cozy with the candle lit.

I keep this little feeder jar that my sister found at a thrift store on the counter within easy reach.  We added some candy corn to it for fall, and then for Christmas we'll change it out to some green and red M&M's.  Ain't it so cute?!?

And then I just had to show you our painted pumpkins from this year.  In my last post I shared a picture of our pumpkins from last year, but I never did show you this year's.  My daughter decided she wanted to make hers a minion this time around.  Well, when my son heard that he decided he wanted his to be Gru.  So, then we decided well if we have two Despicable Me pumpkins then we might as well go ahead and do all of them as characters from those movies.  So here's what we came up with.

This yellow minion pumpkin is my daughter's.  I drew in the parts for her and she did all the painting.  We glued on canning jar lids as his goggles.

Here's Gru, done by my 4 year old.  He painted the whole thing pinkish, I drew in his main parts and he painted them, and then I finished off a few of the details of the eyes for him.  I molded his nose out of Play-Dough and we attached it with a skewer.  A thrifted scarf finished him off.

The kids decided that mine should be a purple minion.  I found this fuzzy purple hat at a thrift store for $1.  I tucked the brim under and it made for the perfect crazy purple hair for it.

We all decided that Hub's had to be an El Macho pumpkin since Hubs has a big mustache, too.  :D  It ended up that he was too busy to paint his pumpkin this time around so I did it for him.  I thought it turned out pretty cute.  :)

 This last picture has nothing to do with decor, but I wanted to share one more thing with you.  We hosted a fall festival on Halloween night at our house for our church's youth group and one of the things I did was to make this Pumpkin Puke chip dip.

It was just spinach dip, and I wasn't sure how the kids would react to it but they loved it and thought it was the coolest thing ever and gobbled it right up to the last scrapings.  Brave bunch.  :)

That's it for my fall posts for this year.  Later today I'm off for my weekend trip to Mt. Dora, FL for the Renninger's Antique and Flea Market Extravaganza.  I am SO very excited to be going again!  I went about 5 years ago with Hubby for my birthday, and it was 8 solid hours of walking to booth after booth after booth and we didn't even get to them all!  This year I'm going with my mother-in-law, just us girls, no men, no kids, for 2.5 days.  It's in celebration of both of our birthdays this month and it's gonna be some serious junkin' fun!!!  

And when I get back from that.....the Christmas decor is coming out!  I am so excited for Christmas this year for some reason.  I just love love love it and it never lasts long enough for me.  So this year I'm breaking my rule of waiting until after Thanksgiving to decorate and we're gonna get our jingle on a couple of weeks early.  I can't wait!!

How about you?  Are you already decorating for Christmas?   Or are you a die hard for waiting until Thanksgiving is over?  Has anybody else ever been to the Mt. Dora Extravaganza?

I'd love to hear from you!

                                                                 

How to Get the Most Out of Your Fall Pumpkins

This week I've been helping my kiddos paint their pumpkins.  It's a yearly tradition that we do instead of carving them, partly because we don't really celebrate Halloween so carving them into scary faces is kind of pointless.  We like to do happier and more creative things with them.  But also because the pumpkins last a whole lot longer this way.  Once they're carved they start rotting and only last a few days and that seems like a waste of money to me.  Keeping them whole makes them last quite a long time.

So, I got to thinking about what we did with ours last year and how I got my money's worth out of them and I decided some of you might like these ideas, too.

So here's what we did last year.

Sometime in October we have a family night and we break out the paints and brushes and go to town creating faces (or in the case of the 3 year old's pumpkin, lots of random colors mixed everywhere).  : ) The kids loved my Mike Wyzowski pumpkin and that inspired them to want to do a whole set of Despicable Me characters this year.

Three out of the 4 pumpkins were still good by Thanksgiving time in November so I spray painted one of them white and we toted it along on our trip to visit family.

I took a permanent marker and set it up in my mom's living room and it became our "thankful pumpkin."  Throughout the day everyone wrote something they were thankful for and signed their name.  It was really fun to turn it around and around and read what everyone added.  I made sure to take a picture of each side to help us remember.

By December we were down to 2 pumpkins that were still good so I let the kids paint them again and this time they turned them into "snowmen."

The 3 year old's looked a little more like a melting snowman, lol!  : )

If we had enough pumpkins that were still good we may have tried this stacked snowman from Sweet Pepper Rose.  Isn't he adorable?

Here's another cute Christmas pumpkin idea from Club Chica Circle that I like. 

 (They also have a cute idea in that same post about using "snow" paint to do a snowman pumpkin.  We might try that one this year.)

You could even do the ornaments first for December and if your pumpkins are still going strong you could do the snowmen for January.  

So there ya have it.  Just a quick post to give you some ideas on how to get the most out of your fall pumpkins.  Not only are you getting your money's worth out of them, but it makes the fun last that much longer, too.  

Do you guys have any additional creative ideas on how to repurpose your fall pumpkins?  

I'd love to hear about it!