FAll is in The Air

The changing of seasons is very dramatic in the midwest. Warm days turn into chilly evenings, and chilly evenings tease of frost at night. Flowers and gardens are covered with blankets to keep them warm, to save them from demise. A blanket; a protector, a shield. For my family, this was a summer we would like to forget, but living with the loss of a loved one daily, does not allow. Cool evenings, covered with a warm blanket, holding on to those who are so dear, helps us forget...for just a moment.  

So, I have never been more ready to show signs of changing seasons in my home. It was time. Time for the pumpkins to arrive. 

Gone are the days of the indoors orange plastic pumpkins. Pumpkins come in all types of textures, shapes, and colors. My favorite, velvet pumpkins; luscious and dramatic just like the change of seasons. It oozes warmth.  


Peacock Blue Velvet Pumpkins

 

Caramel Colored Pumpkin

Visit www.etsy.com for some great handmade pumpkins.....and take time to snuggle with your loved one.

xoxo, Ele 

Changes and Balance

What has been going on in your life?
My Life in the Fall:  harvest time, dinner and supper in the field (LOVE), hauling cows and hay home, moving vehicles, giving rides, Mr. Pink Heaven's political trips- which means movie nights with my Pink Girl, trips to town, (which includes waiting, but I always have my craft supply bag with me), spending time with my mother, trying to avoid the horrid flu, but my household did not escape it. Thankfully, everyone is well right now.  
Like all of you trying to maintain the balanCe when life gets busy. 
Just remember to stop and look for God's blessings along the way. 

Oddly enough to help me "feel" balanced, I like to move furniture, take away decor,  and add decor. The changes don't have to be huge or costly, just change.
Changes= (satifying attention defeceit) Balance

I have shown you bits and pieces of the changes in my main floor family room, but had not shown you proper before and afters.
BEFORE:

Objective #1
Eliminate Smaller Items (so the eye is not traveling all over the place)
This was achieved by taking away the antique buffet and adding a higher black curio so the eye has a place to rest. Do-dads, plates, and some pictures removed. The picture of my three kids on the wall stays. They are the heart of my home. I also moved the Kennedy rocker and added the black and white chair. A coffee table was added . You know I'm not matchy matchy, so I added a coffee table that is different then the curio. It works because the wood grain top coordinates with the floor and the black legs coordinate with the curio. The antique Chinese buffet was moved to the opposite wall. The area rug with the   hideous country nice blue border  was removed, and has new life in my son's basement. 

Objective #2

Update Lighting (HELLO, Can you hear me? It's not the 1980's)

Mr. Pink Heaven and son changed out the SOLID GOLD (pun intended)  light fixture with this chandelier.

Objective #3

Warm up the floor

I LOVE the original hardwood floors in this house. They are a beautiful golden color, but with cold weather on it's way, I wanted to warm things up. Winter time is a time for layers, even when it comes to floors! When it came to the bottom layer, the large area rugs I looked at where not the size or color I wanted.  A visit to the carpet store took place, and I chose to have a solid taupe carpet cut and bound to exact size of my choice.  The multicolored top rug, which adds a pop, was purchased at a discount store. It is placed directly on top of the taupe carpet, and under the coffee table. I was thrilled to find this rug as it matches the chair in the last post. Would you believe I trimmed the chair BEFORE I bought the rug. Sometimes things just work.

Objective #4

Fall it Up

Adding touches of Fall completes this room. I left the perimeter of the hardwood exposed, and added a few accessories. The gold pillow was replaced with a black and white chandelier pillow. A white pumpkin, Autumn  bouquet, and black crow candle were added to the coffee table. All give a sense of Fall and harvest, and life on a farm.

AFTER:

I like the changes. I feel balanced. For now.

Fall blessings to you,

Ele

Halloween Party

Welcome to the party hosted by A Fanciful Twist. Visit her right hand sidebar for more participants.
Since my camera is unavailable at this moment, we will be visiting some rooms posted at Rate My Space.
You can NEVER go wrong with black and white. Classic style mixed with a little glam. Take a look!

I'm not a huge fan of skulls, but I like this glittery gal hanging by a bow, on the mirror.

White pumpkins that say, "boo" make a grand entrance. Simply draw or stencil a design on with black permanent markers. Easy as pie, (pumpkin pie that is!).
Adding a little color to a predominately black and white color theme looks great. The black and white grounds the look, and a little bit of color makes the arrangement pop. My favorite decor item, a glass jar. Grouped together with a little splash of orange.
Purple is also a good choice for an accent color with black and white. The silver goblets and candleholders add a sleek texture to this tablescape by Steph at Angelic Accents.
Orange....what is fall/Halloween without orange? Even if you prefer the classic black and white look, somewhere in your home you have to have orange. Just look at how inviting these large vases look filled with water and apples.


  HAPPY FALL!

Decorating with Pumpkins

I really like pumpkins. They just look happy to me and each one is different. What other vegetable gets the pleasure of decorating our lives for three whole months? That's the great part about it. Pumpkins can be displayed all Fall, from Sept.through Nov.

A very large pumpkin sits on a chippy cement flower pot throne.


How did I put this planter together? First, I removed the spent summer plants from the planters. I also removed a little of the dirt, and added a grapevine wreath, (this gives the pumpkin a place to sit). I stuck in a few sprigs that I cut from my German Statice plant. German statice is a bushy plant that dries in perfect condition. You can buy a bunch at most craft supply stores.


Miniature pumpkins stuck into pots with blooming flowers add such great color.


Farmers markets and even grocery stores carry gourds in many shapes and sizes. I picked up a few miniature gourds and pumpkins and placed them in my favorite black tiered centerpiece.


Happy Pumpkin hunting to you all, and hope you too will share some of your pumpkin decor!

Halloween Kitty & Banner Tutorial

In the last 10 years, I have brought home 6 pets; 3 dogs, 2 cats and a guinnea pig. When Pink Girl found a little black and white kitten in a parking lot, it was not a surprise that she could not leave the poor thing there and I could not say no. Noone has claimed this little one, so Mittens has a new home.

Isn't it cute how she matches the little glass Halloween kitty on the pin cushion made by Elizabeth Holcombe?



Look how Mittens matches this dress from Hannah Banana Baby!


I've been sewing fabric banners lately to offer on A Bit of Heaven Creations by Eleanor Erickson.



In case you want to make your own banner, here are the instructions:
* You will need 2 different types of fabric, 1/2 yard each. (This banner is two sided)
* 1 yd. Heat and Bond (the type you use for applique)
* Iron Heat and Bond to the back side of one fabric following instructions on pkg.
* Remove paper from Heat and Bond
* Position the back side of the second fabric to the backside of the first fabric. (Heat and Bond will be in the center). Iron together.
* Cut Material into desired triangle shape with a pinking sheers. I always make a pattern out of paper.
* You will have a two sided flag. I like to sew a decorative stitch about 1/4" from the edge of each flag, to make sure that the two fabrics stay bonded.
* Position flags as you want them. I like to alternate fabarics.
* Sew decorative trim across the top of each flag to attach the flags together.
* Sew ribbon on the ends so that you can tie it up!







Happy beginning of Fall!