Martha Stewart

You can punch little holes with a drill bit to create an outline you like.  Cut a hole in the bottom of the pumpkin, rather than the top.  Stick a string of twinkle lights inside and poke the lights through the holes like a Lite-Brite.

 Country Living

Bigger drill bit and creepy critters.   Mouse motel!

 Martha Stewart

 
Have you ever seen a pumpkin tree before?  Be the first in your neighborhood to grow one!   Use those plastic pumpkins (Funkins) from a craft store - they are very light.   Hang a few lanterns and perch a few black crows.  Very spooky.

 Country Living

 
Forget all that carving.  Why not just adorn your pumpkins with masks and hats?  What a great idea!

Country Living

 Look at these beautiful gilded pumpkins.  Make your own sophisticated display using stickers and gold spray paint.

 Country Living

Squirt some spray mount on small pumpkins or gourds, then sprinkle with colored glitter.  Create a sweet display with silver candlestands or a cake pedestal.

 Martha Stewart

 If you have lots of pumpkins, why not spell out a spooky message?  Just have a few?  Spell “boo.”

 Country Living

 I love these gourd people!  You don’t even have to do the faces, just artfully stack some colorful gourds on your porch.

Martha Stewart

Look how GORGEOUS this is!  Just stick to one color in an assortment of shapes and sizes.  The spider pumpkins are just the right touch.  And that cool moss doesn’t hurt, either.

 Martha Stewart

How about using gourds or mini-pumpkins as placecards at your dinner party?  This could work now all the way to Thanksgiving.  Use a stencil or freehand  an initial with paint or a Sharpee pen.

 Country Living

 Hollow out a place for a votive candle.  Line your mantel with these or scatter across your tablescape.

Country Living

I saved the best for last.   These enchanted toadstools made of gourds are my favorite!  My daughters were a gnome and a toadstool last Halloween – click here if you want to see how hilariously cute their costumes were.

 Martha Stewart

I’m spending a bit of time here in Phoenix doing some great architectural tours – can’t wait to share that with you when I return home!

Lyon Industrial Stool

It’s Dove Gray and comes in heights from 18 to 30 inches.  Great for a contemporory space, a farmhouse kitchen, or even one with a retro vibe, don’t you think?  I read that Martha Stewart herself uses these very stools at her kitchen island at her Bedford home!

You’ll need a small jar – baby jar, olive jar, pimento jar, etc.  Using epoxy, adhere a small plastic or ceramic figurine, animal, or tree onto the inside of the lid.  Some crafters suggest mineral oil in the jar, but Martha says distilled water and a dash of glycerin.  Sprinkle in a little glitter.  Either screw that lid on tight, or put some epoxy on the threads of the lid first to keep it sealed up.  Flip it and shake!

Pretty simple, huh?  How about an idea that’s even easier, but yields a greater effect?  You could use a glass bell jar or apothecary jar to create a snow dome – all you need is the container, some items to go inside, and faux snow.  A modern presentation of the classic snow globe!

Photo Credits:  Martha Stewart, Flickr (fullofbliss’ photostream).

Who doesn’t have at least a few seashells saved from a favorite beach vacation?  Recently, my beautiful friend Leif came over for dinner and brought me these:

I suppose the intended use of these is for serving oysters.  But we both thought these would be great to serve salt and pepper!

Which got me thinking . . . what are some other creative uses for seashells?  I mean, why not put your collections to work in a functional AND beautiful way? 

Who better to ask than Martha Stewart?  She and her minions always have great ideas for crafty projects.  I sifted through her seashell craft ideas and eliminated anything that was cheesy or took any work and chose the ones that I would actually go to the trouble of doing myself.  shell = soapdish.  Easy!

I heart this seashell vase!  Greenery from the yard is tucked in this beautiful shell and elevated with a simple footed dish.

Votive candles nestled between large clam shells set in a sand-filled tray make a romantic centerpiece for a summer dinner table or subtle lighting for an evening on the back porch.

Large, heavier shells make lovely and unexpected bookends.

Glue small shells to toothpicks to make your own seafood skewers.  Perfect for a seafood-themed dinner party.

Hot glue a variety of shells to form interesting borders on your flowerpots.  Grouping them on shelves creates a beautiful display, doesn’t it?

Photo Credits:  Kristie Barnett, Martha Stewart.

Now, I’m not talking fake woodgrain that is trying to fool you into thinking it’s actual wood.  If you think this is going to justify you hanging onto that fake woodgrain paneling from the 1970′s, you need to read this.  These towels from Martha Stewart are available at Macy’s.

Make a great first impression with this woodgrain doormat.

I think it’s kinda cool to see woodgrain on unexpected materials, like this acrylic side table.

Or on this rug.  Beware, don’t lay one of these babies over existing hardwood floors – that would be too, too much.

The designer here made a bold move by papering this bathroom in gray faux bois.  I think it looks fabulous.  If this had been done in brown, it probably would have looked TOO real, and therefore: ugh.

I even found this amazing wedding cake done in faux bois!

What do you think about the woodgrain trend?   Too trendy for you?  Or a fun way to add interest to your decor?

Photo Credits:  Apartment Therapy (1 & 6), Macy’s, Design Sponge, Style Garage, Home Decorators, Sedona Wedding Cakes.

Easter is probably my favorite holiday for decorating my home.  Maybe it’s because I love colors like robin’s egg blue, butter yellow, grass green, and petal pink.   Maybe it’s because I love decorating with nests and birds.  Maybe it’s because I love daffodils and forsythia.  Or maybe it’s because it means that winter really is over and spring has finally sprung!  Let Christ arise!

Photo Credits:  Milliemux, Everyday-Houseblend, Kristie Barnett (3,4), Martha Stewart (remaining).

These wood crates can be stacked randomly to form storage and bookcase space.  Martha says you can find these old wine crates at flea markets and antique malls.  For more bookcase ideas, check out my post on the subject here.

Photo Credits:  Martha Stewart

I’m not much of a cook, but food gifts are always appreciated at Valentine’s.  Especially if they are chocolate!  I thought I’d share a yummy and easy recipe I’ve used for Valentine’s gifting in the past.  Wish I had time to make some this year, but maybe you do!

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package OREO chocolate sandwich cookies, divided
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 (8 ounce) packages semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted

Directions

1. Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; reserve for later use. (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter.
2. Dip balls in chocolate using 2 forks or tongs;  place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs or colorful sprinkles, if you wish.
3. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.

These are really delicious and will be well-received by any chocolate lover!  Make it an even more special gift by placing in pretty paper boxes.  This is a picture of one of Martha Stewart’s Christmas paper box kits, but the colors make it perfect for Valentine’s, too.

Photo Credits:  MorganMoore, Martha Stewart.

It’s October 1st, so you know what that means?  It means Halloween decorating!  With the days getting shorter and the temperature dropping, it just makes sense to start spooking the house up as I mourn the dying of Summer.

Over the last several years, my Halloween decorating has been inspired by two people:  Martha Stewart and Andrea Ferrell.   Both ladies enjoy Halloween decorating that leans towards the “natural macabre.”  Today I highlight Martha, I hope soon to highlight the lesser-known but equally fab Andrea Ferrell.

I’m so excited to try this bleeding candles trick!  Take some white candles, stick them in a bucket of sand, light a red candle, and let the wax drip down the white candles.  Genius.

What’s spookier than silhouettes of feared pests – like bats, rats, and spiders?  And check out the runny black border around the top of the walls – now that’s creepy.

I use tons of the spider-webs-in-a-bag stuff, but this year I bought some cheesecloth like this.  It’s easier than stretching the other to look realistic – you just drape it, maybe rip it a little, and add a few dried leaves like Martha does here.

You gotta think of how you can make the most normal of things a little spooky, like floral decor.  Pick flowers and fillers in black, brown, red, and drab green.  Add in some dark dried pieces and dark berries.  Then arrange it all in old, unpolished silver urns.

Another great effect from a paper silhouette – this time as a curtain!

I love this naturally macabre grouping of vintage silhouettes, a phrenology head, and dried cotscomb under cloches.  Looks like dried brains – how fun is that?!

Simply lovely to spray paint pumpkins in silver or gold.  Orange doesn’t go with my color palette, anyway!

Martha likes the glittered skulls, especially when piled beneath glass.  Believe me, I’m pulling out my cake stands and cloches for highlighting my Halloween decor this year!

What’s easier than grabbing a few dead branches from the yard to create a little Halloween tree?  This one is spray-painted black but natural is good, too.

Black crepe streamers make spooky curtains in your haunted house.

Who thinks like this?  I love it!  So now we’re dying Halloween eggs a mottled brown and using them in this “rotten eggs and worms” vignette.  The worms are old fishing lures.

I love using what you already have and creeping it up.  Like this pewter collection.  It’s all about the context – just add this bat silhouette streamer and some autumn florals.

More spooky silhouettes, this time mounted above votive candles to cast some really scary shadows.

Gather dark fruit and dark-colored candles for a Halloween centerpiece.  Then add some roaches.  Nice.

And don’t forget the spiders!  Some are stickers, others are plastic toys.  It looks like these votives are sitting in some bloody liquid.

Wouldn’t you love to have a dinner in this dining room on a dark, stormy night?

So, are you ready for the spookiest Halloween yet?

.

This is a very comfortable and sturdy vintage chair I found in one of those never-used formal living rooms at an estate sale.  It was actually bought by an antiques dealer before I could snag it – I chased him down the driveway and asked him if he was willing to resell it.  Got it for $60.  It has original upholstery, not a spot on it.

I’ve had this chair in my bedroom for almost 20 years.  It belonged to my parents.  My mom always says, “we started housekeeping with that chair.”  Love that idiom.  Anyway, the original upholstery was a cool retro 1950-1960′s green.  I got it when I was 20 years old and immediately set about to have it reupholstered.  I had it covered in this lavender-bluish fabric, which has actually served me well for all these years.  It’s the perfect chair to curl up in and read a book.  But I often wish I had never recovered the original fabric!

This is a petite “lady’s chair” that I use at my dressing table to put on my make-up.  I found it at my former favorite antique mall in Franklin, TN about 10 years ago.  Alas, that mall has since closed.  Anyway, I fell in love with it and had to have it.  Problem was, my husband hated it.  But he loves me, so I got it anyway.  I can’t remember how much I paid for it, but it was under $100.  The upholstery is an unusual  pink, green, and cream toile pattern.  It’s actually a slipcover that covers over an older, shabby original fabric.  Its seat cushion could use a good re-stuffing, but it’s a good little chair.  But my husband still hates it.

I love, love, love the vibrant green color of this vintage chair to the right.  This came from my husband’s mean old aunt’s estate.  Very comfortable, original upholstery, and absolutely free - what more could a girl hope for?

Here’s a small dining chair from the same old mean aunt’s estate.  The upholstery is delightfully shabby – the shiny green fabric on top splits to expose the dark green velvet underneath.  Couldn’t have made it look any shabby-cooler if I had tried.  It usually sits in a corner for show, but it sometimes serves as seating.

.

Here’s another lovely lady’s chair that my husband abhors.  I found it at an estate sale in Nashville for $50.  It is covered in a vintage slipcover – the original upholstery is faded and hideous, but the slipcover is fabulous.  Look at those colors!  Look at that pattern!  There are a few water stains around the skirt, but they don’t bother me much.  Most comfortable chair ever.

This dining chair is part of a set of eight that I got from my husband’s nicer old aunt’s estate.  She apparently hand-embroidered all of the seat cushions in this sumptuous rosy color.  They replaced another set of hand-me-down Duncan Phyfe lyre-backed chairs that I previously used in my dining room.  These are sturdier and of better quality.  I always make do with what I have until I stumble upon better.

I found this darling wood chair about 12 years ago at a yard sale for $7.  I first painted in lavender and stenciled white polka-dots on it, and I used it as a desk chair in my kitchen.  Years passed, and I painted it Martha Stewart’s Paris Pink to match an vintage hoosier cabinet that I use as a desk.  It’s pictured here in front of the Inspiration Board I just started working on.   Maybe we’ll talk about that someday!

Here’s a very Victorian lady’s chair in a dark green velvet upholstery.  I found this at an estate sale several summers ago and paid $60 for it.  I sometimes like to use it at the head of my dining table.  If you sit there, you have to sit on a pillow to be sitting as high as the other diners – but you feel a little like a queen.  :)

I found this wooden desk chair at a yard sale for $10.  It was already painted cream, and its finish was already just the right amount of beaten-up.  I wanted to use it  for my daughter’s room.  So I found some vintage-looking stickers at Michaels, sanded them slightly to make them look older, and decoupaged them on the top horizontal slat of the chair.

This is another love-offering from the grave from my husband’s mean old aunt.  I love that woman.  Anyway, this chair is a lovely yellow with a tiny pattern in green.  I’ve used it in many places in my home, but it currently sits in my kitchen near the breakfast nook.  It’s the perfect spot to read a design magazine and drink a few cups of morning coffee.

Finally, the chair to the right was a brown 1970′s dining chair I found at a yard sale for $10.  It looked kind of faux medieval.  I spray painted it cream and covered the seat cushion with some left-over fabric.  I love the airy back and the small appliqued medallion.

I hope you are inspired to seek out some fabulous chairs in unlikely places.  Believe me, old chairs are built so much better than the ones they are making today.  And for the price of one new chair, you can buy a dozen or so vintage lovelies!  Even if you prefer a more modern or contemporary look, think about making it more interesting by mixing things up.  Don’t use a complete set of chairs at your dining table – add in a bench or different host/hostess chairs.  You don’t have to have 2 matching armchairs in the living room – think outside the box!!

.