Five Minute Fall Decorating

I challenged myself this year to do 5 minute fall decorating projects using pretty much what I have around me.  

I love fall, but I needed to keep things simple because as most of you know, my house and farm are up for sale.  This is the first house I've lived in in 20 years that didn't have a mantel.  *sigh*  Hopefully, my next one will have a toasty fireplace with a pretty mantel for me to decorate again.  In the meantime, I'll make do with shelves.

I have 3 lanterns, so I filled them with natural stuff....Bittersweet berries, small white pumpkins and buckeyes from my friend Mary at Sweet Little Bluebird.

I love Bittersweet vine and berries and if I were going full out fall, I'd use a lot more of them.  You can read about Bittersweet that grows wild in Missouri by clicking HERE.  Cutting these vines is one of my favorite fall activities and memories of hunting Bittersweet with my Mother-in-Law are some of my favorites.  Thank you Virginia for teaching me so much about Missouri wildflowers, trees and berries!  

I've had this little glass pumpkin votive candle holder since, I think, 1979.  It was something I bought from a Home Interiors party back when I bought my first house and had very little money.  It was a splurge and I agonized over buying it.  I keep it in the box it came in and still treat it like gold every year when I bring it out and put a pumpkin spice candle in it.  Makes me smile every time.  (So do those little buckeyes in that small glass.)

I found this little cornucopia in the thrift store for a quarter.  It's perfect for a sprig of that wonderful bittersweet.  The tiny dried gourd is from my trip to the Gourd Festival in Arizona with my good friend Judy several years ago.

Oh...and that harvest moon that you see in to the right of my shelf in the first picture is really just a box lid that I loved, so, I hung it up on the wall.  Isn't he fabulous?  (I did not paint it, but I was smart enough to use it as a wall hanging instead of a box lid.)

Most of this fall decor will stick around through Thanksgiving, but some of it will be transformed a little for Halloween.  It's killing me not to go crazy for Halloween, but, I'm pretty sure it's not a good idea for your house to look like a haunted house for potential buyers.  I've been advised to be tasteful and use moderation in my Halloween decor.  Do you think I can do it??

Even though it's about to be full-blown fall here, it's spring-time in New Zealand and my good friend Natalie from NorthShore Days is over at the Inspiration Cafe today sharing a fabulous wrap recipe to kick off our new series "Soups and Sandwiches".  Perfect for fall here.  You can check it out by clicking on the pick below.

We'll be having a link party for sandwiches and/or soups at the end of this series, so if you have a favorite recipe for either or both, you have about a month to make it and post about it.

Linkin up to:
 

FALL ALCOHOL 2013...I'll take you there!

Last year when I posted "Fall Alcohol...I'm Goin There", two things happened...1) I lost a few followers ...2) The post was very well received and got tons of views...LOL!  I'll just say this now...if alcohol is not for you...don't read this post...BUT...you'll be missing out on some of the most fabulous fall packaging artwork out there.  Seriously, I love the people who do artwork like this....

Shipyard Brewing Company

I wish my sugar, flour and other groceries came in packages with Kick-a$$ graphics like that!  (Wouldn't shopping be a blast???!!!)  It doesn't hurt that the contents are pretty awesome either.  So, if you just want to look at the artwork, fine...if you want to know more about the contents, I have provided links to the brewers website for you.

Without further adieu, I will give you the latest on the fall alcohol to be found at a liquor store near you.  Speaking of adieu, lets start with France and the French Fall Twins from Pinnacle...

Pinnacle Vodka Pumpkin Pie & Caramel Apple

Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat

 Ichabod Pumpkin Ale - New Holland Brewing

Mr. Pumpkin - Mother's Brewing Company

Pumpkick - New Belgium Brewing

Yukon Jacapple

(Oddly enough, there is no website available for this..seriously.)

Oktoberfest - Shiner (Spoetzl Brewery)

Pumpkin Beer (O'Fallon Brewery

(Ummm this O'Fallon Pumpkin Beer was my favorite last year)

Pumpkin Spice Kahlua

Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest

(I drink this Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest at my local bar on tap..yum!)

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale

And my favorite so far this year...........

Pumpkin Hard Cider - Woodchuck

I swear, I have no idea where the other 4 bottles in this 6-pack went!  But...if you can pick up some of this Private Reserve Pumpkin Hard Cider from Woodchuck, you will not be disappointed.  (And Jean...this one is Gluten Free!  Jean is a good friend of mine who blogs at The Backyard Bungalow..check her out!)
That's about all for Fall Alcohol this year.  There are several others out there, these are just a few of my faves.  I will remind you that you should always check the alcohol content on what you're drinking...some of these ales and beers are 8% or more and they can sneak right up on ya!  (Obviously the vodka's and liqueurs are stronger.)  
Drink responsibly, don't drink and drive, and NEVER drink when you are pregnant or nursing...don't even think about it. 
And just so you don't think that all I do is drink....I'll be posting a little fall decorating this weekend, before I take it down and go all Halloween on ya!

Happy Fall Y'all!!

Linking up to any or all of the fine parties listed below...

WINE CORKSCREW WALL HANGING

I met a blog friend this summer when I went to my family reunion in Tennessee.  Yep...I left my family reunion one day to go play with a blog friend.  Think what you want..but we had a blast!  Who is this person who could drag me away from my 5 sisters and my brother?  It's Deneen, from Dreaming in Color.  

Do you know her blog?  If you don't, you should...she makes fabulous stuff and I do mean fabulous...
She totally knocked off a $2,995 Restoration Hardware Chandelier with grace and style.

How To Turn a Birdcage Into a Chandelier

Seasonal stuff is a snap for her.  You should see some of the stuff she does with just a dollar store pumpkin.  Here's one example....

Flower Covered Pumpkins

Now you may wonder why this post is titled "Wine Corkscrew Wall Hanging" and I'm getting to that.  Today, I'm guest posting for Deneen, who is recuperating from an exhausting trip to Italy. (LOL!)  Please go over and check out how I made this Wine Corkscrew Wall Hanging.  You can read all about it HERE.

Isn't that a fun piece to have hanging over a bar?  While you're over there, you might want to follow Dreaming in Color because I have a feeling Deneen will be posting about her trip to Italy, where she may or may not have seen George Clooney! *sigh*.

FALL...ish!

Fall is coming, I can feel it!  We've had a break in our weather and besides cleaning out some sheds and a little painting, I've been doing some fall decorating, which I promise to share this coming week.  I did revamp a couple of old projects (big surprise there!) into some new fall decor.  Because fall is not quite here yet...it's just....

This little chalk board started out as a whiteboard freebie from my local bank.

You can read about it's first transformation HERE.   But, of course I got tired of it so I cut it down in a cute shape I found as the backing in some sparkly gem packaging. (Because I couldn't throw that cute cardboard shape away....somebody help me!)  I just photo copied it and blew it up a little.

I traced it onto my old chalkboard and cut it out so it looked like this.

Pretty easy and a little smaller and cuter.  
The little leaf garland I made last year and you can read about it on THIS post.   And there you have it..easy as pie.  Some fall...ish decor.

I'd like to remind you all that our Kidding Around Link party starts today at the Inspiration Cafe.  Come link up something fun! AND....the fabulous Kirby Carespodi from Kirb Appeal will be at the Cafe tomorrow with a furniture makeover post!  Don't miss it!
Finally, because I couldn't resist...I'll be bringing you the 2013 version of Fall Alcohol next week.  Uh-huh...we're goin there again!  If you'd like to brush up first, you can read last years post HERE, some of it is back in the stores this year, but I'll be showing you all NEW stuff!

MAGIC CAKE

I know I say how much my crafting is inspired by the blog world all the time, but so is my cooking.  On any given night, dinner is something I found on a blog.  Once in a while it includes dessert.

This is Magic Cake.  It's amazing!  One batter, poured in the pan and it comes out of the oven in three delicious layers.  It makes it's own crust, with a seriously wonderful custard filling, topped by a cake layer.  What could be bad about pie crust, custard and cake all on one plate?
I came across several recipes for it.  I always read all of the comments on a recipe before I cook it because people put a lot of good tips in the comment section.  It was almost overwhelming to read them because people either had a complete failure with this recipe or a raging success.  I was intrigued.  I poured through several different recipes before I found one that simplified it all.  You can find the recipe at Laughing Spatula.com.  I will tell you that I followed the directions precisely and it turned out perfect.  Prep time was only about 15 minutes, tops.  The only thing I didn't do was top it with powdered sugar.  I'm just not a powdered sugar kind of girl.

My husband, who is not a huge dessert fan, ate 2 pieces the first night and it was gone after the second night.  Now he wants to know when we are having it again!  This is absolutely my new "go to" dessert.  I may try a chocolate version next...or maybe lemon.  

Linking to any or all of these fine parties:

I LOVE TRASH!

Remember when Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street would sing, "I Love Trash"?

 
It was always one of my favorites and I sang it to my littlest sister all the time.  I didn't really love trash, but I loved to her face light up when I sang it to her.
These days, I'm loving this song even more.  Especially the part that goes:
                             "Anything dirty or dingy or dusty
                              Anything ragged or rotten or rusty
                              Yes, I love trash!"
Why the sudden love of trash?  Well, because the Goddess of Rust herself is in the house at the Inspiration Cafe and she knows just what to do with trash....and junk...and dingy and rusty stuff!

Check it out for yourself as Donna from Distressed Donna Down Home opens our new monthly series at the Inspiration Cafe.  Just click the graphic below....we'll take you there!

 

GOOD LUCK MEL!!!

It is no secret that I adore my good friend and co-contributor at the Inspiration Cafe, Mel, from Mellywood's Mansion.  She's funny, she has a heart of gold and she makes some awesome stuff!  I know you already know this, but what you don't know is that she's been nominated as one of the Top 50 DIY/Crafty blogs of 2013 at Voiceboks.  This is a great honor and she didn't even know she had been nominated!  Now, they are paring it down to the top 10 and if she is among those, she will get some serious promotion from their blog.  If you have a minute, please click HERE and vote for Mel because she has a great blog and I want her to win!
It's also Mel's turn over at the Inspiration Cafe to share a kid-inspired project and she has a good one.  (Think "Fairy Mist").

Thanks in advance!  Mel...you are awesome and good luck girl!

IT'S MY LUCKY DAY!!

Today is my lucky day for sure, and not just because my good friend and I found these awesome sunglasses when we were poking around in one of our favorite shops yesterday.

No, it my lucky day because I'm being featured by the fabulous Kirby Carespodi on her blog about "Women Who Blog and Bloggers Who Love Them".  Such an honor!  If you want to know some personal non-blogging stuff about me, you can find it over there.  
You may know Kirby from her blog Kirb Appeal, but you may not know that she has this other blog about women who blog.  Kirby claims not to remember how we hooked up, but I know.  I stumbled on Kirby's blog and fell in love with her humor.  I wanted to feature her in my "Bloggers I Admire" series, but I was so nervous to ask her if I could, because I had been stalking her for a while and I thought she might think that was creepy.  Of course she said "yes", because she's nice like that.  If you don't know Kirby, you can read "Bloggers I Admire:  Kirby from Kirb Appeal".

When you're finished with that....you can go read Kirby's interview with me, where you'll find the answers to intriguing questions like what I would do if I found $100 in my dryer!  Wanna know???  Just click HERE!

Three-for-All Thursday!

Maybe this post should be called Free-for-All Three-for-All...anyway, here is some "news you can use".
 
If you are a fan and/or follower of the Inspiration Cafe, you already know all of the awesomeness that is Heather at The Beating Hearth.  Today, she is having her first-ever giveaway....an Amazon Gift Card AND...something else, but you'll have to go over and see for yourself!  I've already signed up and I hope you will too!  It's an easy one! 

I'll also remind you that Suzan at Simply Vintageous....by Suzan is doing some amazing giveaways this week.  You won't want to miss today's!  Her giveaways are Paris-Inspired and hand-made by some of your favorite bloggers!

And finally, I'll kindly let you know that  you that Mel from Mellywood's Mansion is giving you a chance to win a trip to Disneyland (who doesn't want to go there?!) and you can enter that giveaway HERE.  Also, she has a link party tomorrow.  It's a fun one full of inspiration and she even has a place to link up your fails, which we all have.

Aren't you glad I reminded you of all of the above??!!  Now, I'll leave you with this....we celebrated the Golden Childs 6th birthday last night and he got his first "musical" card. It played the theme from Spiderman.

And THAT is the face you make right before you say, "Awesome Dad!"

THE MOST AWESOME WEEK OF GIVEAWAYS.....EVAH!!

My very dear friend Suzan at Simply Vintageous....by Suzan is having the most awesome celebration all week this week!  

 She has a killer giveaway every single day this week!  What is she celebrating???  1,000 GFC followers!  I'm just going to assume you already know Suzan, but just in case you don't, or you missed the fact that she is having this incredible week of giveaways...I'm telling you now!  (I would have told you yesterday, but it was my turn to post at the Inspiration Cafe and I'm a girl who keeps my commitments!)  But....I'm telling you now..so get over there and win something!  Go....don't wait another second!!
Love ya Suzan!  1,000 followers...so awesome and it couldn't happen to a nicer person!

GHOST LEAVES - MY TURN AT THE INSPIRATION CAFE

We're doing kid-themed projects over at the Inspiration Cafe this round and today is my turn!  Come on over and see how I ambushed my awesome nephew into doing a craft with me!

We really had a lot of fun!  You can check it out by clicking on the image below!

Don't forget to come back and link up your own kid inspired project on Monday Sept., 16th.  when we have our Kidding Around Link Party!  Happy Labor Day everyone!