Simple Gifts

So don't you just find that sometimes the simplest things can bring you so much pleasure? This past week I received a birthday gift from my husband's Aunt 'Nay as we call her. She is my MIL's (mother-in-love) sister. Aunt Nay and her husband, Uncle Larry, sent me a lovely fall runner. I had a burlap runner on my table and it was fine. But it wasn't great. But now, it is great. And it's lovely. And it is warm. And I just love it. 

Fall to me means football, fires, jeans, boots, and soup. Not necessarily in that order. Oh, and red wine.  I'm a seasonal eater.  Nary a bowl of soup or stew or chili will be cooked in my kitchen during the spring and summer. But come that first cool snap and out comes the kettle and the crock pot. I love to make big batches of warm goodness. Eat on it and freeze some of it. And then on those days that I am runnin' like a chicken with my head cut off, I love to pull out some home cooked happiness.

A few years ago, on another birthday when I was much younger, a good friend, knowing my weakness and love for all things warm and soupy, gave me this set of bowls. Each one is painted with a different veggie. Now these bowls get used all year, during the summer months they serve up giant salads with all sorts of fresh garden veggies. But during the fall, I like to set my table with them as the colors are warm and inviting. Kinda like a bowl of soup.

 Thanks Aunt 'Nay and Uncle Larry, my dinning room is warm and inviting, much like the two of you!

Enjoy,

ginger

A Change Is Gonna Come

Here's a little before and after that I whipped up. Found this little diddy at my local Goodwill, which side note, is it just me, or is Goodwill the most expensive of the thrift store variety? I always find stuff there but sometimes, I gotta step back and think a moment about the price and effort it will require to make it into the jewel that I know it can be. But I digress, back to this little ditty. See below the fine treasure that I came across. Now Miss Priss didn't see a thing wrong with the current state, but I saw a better future for it.

Off came the feather boa and away went the purple, red and pink polka-dots. On went some chalk paint, stenciled numbers and some trim. The only part that gave me a little headache was the hot glue that had held on the feather boa, didn't want to come off and needed a solution. First I applied some twill tape (which is really just like a thick cotton trim)

A few vintage buttons and some burlap trim finished it off.

So she's all ready for her next stop.....The Savvy Shanty at The Queen of Hearts. Which brings us to our next little bit of goodness that I am super excited to share; The Queen of Hearts is a local vintage/antique resale store that was voted Best of Atlanta. And little 'ol me is opening a booth there. This has been a dream of mine for awhile and Big Daddy has given me the go ahead and is excited for me to share my talent and treasures and of course make money. So wish me luck, I've got a ton of work to do to get her up and running. Alright, I'm off to go sand some furniture!

Enjoy,

ginger

Linking up to:

I Heart Nap Time

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Tuesday Treasures

At Home with K, Terrific Under Ten

No Minimalist Here

If I Had A Million Dollars....

How many of your projects have started like this; a pile of crap stuff from the Dollar Store? My SIL (sister-in-love) was coming over from Craptacular Tuesday. (When Miss Priss was little bitty she couldn't say crafts, it came out craps which has sense been known in our house as arts and craps which as we all know is sometimes the absolute truth) But I digress. A pile of crap stuff. Hum...how to make these look less Dollar Store, more million dollars. Or at least Target quality and maybe if we are lucky, Pottery Barn knock off. Bring on the paint, ModPodge, glitter, sticks, arsenal of craft supplies.

Mixed a little "vanilla" paint with MP and gave all the gourds a good healthy coating. Let dry for surprise result. Kabob them with chopsticks, removed the plastic stem, inserted sticks from the yard.

I already had the urns and the moss. Plop they went into the center.

I didn't want to coat them all white, liked the colors of the gourds, just needed to be toned down and a little a lot less plastic looking. Just ditching the plastic stems were a giant improvement.

I think I'm diggin' the colors.

This last one is a little change of speed.  But figured I'd toss it in as well seeing as it was created on Craptacular Tuesday as well. My SIL made three of these to take back to her hacienda as well.

These are a few others we did with the glitter method. MP and chocolate glitter. Once again, rip out the plastic stem and insert stick. Instant improvement. These are kickin' it in my living room while the others are residing on my dinning room table. Ahhh, a few little inklings of Fall are cropping up around the Savvy Shanty.

Well whats the vote, Dollar Store, Target or Pottery Barn knock off? Let me know what you think.

Enjoy,

ginger

Linking up to:

Sunday Showoff @ Under The Table and Dreaming

I Heart Nap Time

Hooked on Houses

Censational Girl It's Fall Y'all Party

At Home with K, Terrific Under Ten Tuesday