Outdoor Lighting Ideas...

Yesterday I was visiting the blog, "Finding Fabulous," when I came upon this post about innovative outdoor lighting. Jane creatively revamped some thrifty finds to resemble the Pottery Barn Mason Jar votive holders below.

Pottery Barn has a way of making even canning jars look chic and sophisticated. Amazing. And luscious. This post reminded me of some of the candlelight lighting we used at our daughter's wedding reception last August. Five of our children have married in the last seven years. Four of those wedding receptions were held in our backyard. Several weddings back I made the votive holders you see below out of inexpensive glass vases. I hung them from hooks I bought for that purpose at several of our children's weddings since then...

Photos courtesy of Angie Wilson Photography

About a year before the wedding last August when the idea of a wedding wasn't even on the radar screen, I came upon the mini-lanterns below at our local grocery store. It was the end of the summer, and they were selling all their seasonal items at a fraction of the original cost. I bought bunches of these little lanterns for $1 each because I knew someday another wedding would be scheduled, and I could just imagine them hanging from the tree off our patio for just such an occasion. We used them a year later at our daughter's reception. We hung them from very thin wire from the tree branches. As the evening grew darker the wire seemed to disappear, and the lanterns were beautiful as they magically hung below the tree.

One last idea. We have a birdbath underneath the tree where we hung the little lanterns. I asked our amazing florist Sarah, from Painted Primrose, to build a wreath to put in the birdbath. We placed a candle inside the wreath for an additional light source for the garden area. Breathtakingly beautiful!

I hope you enjoyed these outdoor lighting ideas!
Here's to warm summer nights
with family & friends!

Linked to:
Get Your Craft on Thursday @ Life as Lori
Get Your Craft On Tuesday @ Today's Creative Blog
Toot Your Horn Tuesday @ A Silly Little Sparrow
Bloomin' Tuesday @ Ms. Green Thumb Jean's
Anything Related @ All Thingz Related
Trash to Treasure Tuesday @ Reinvented

First Impressions...

They say a first impression is made within the first few moments of an encounter. It appears people really do make up their minds that quickly about strangers or situations. It's human nature, I guess.

I'm thinking that's why an entryway is an important feature of a home. It's what the guest sees first and an impression is immediately made. It sets the stage for the rest of your home. It makes your guests feel welcomed, or not. The decor might even be a safe, ready topic of conversation as someone walks through the door which puts your visitor at ease. Mind you, I have no level of expertise here ... just a few years of experience and a little common sense.

That's one of the reasons I wanted to change up my entryway. I wanted a more welcoming feel than I felt it had previously. As usual I wanted to create a new atmosphere on a budget, and incorporate a few of my own projects.

This redo was influenced by many of the beautiful shabby chic and decorating blogs I've been reading lately. From those who refinish furniture to those who make fun, creative, frugal decorating projects I've been impressed by the creativity and imagination of many. I'm so appreciative of those who share their talents and creations so willingly.

The area I wanted to redecorate is a landing on our curved staircase going up to our second floor. The landing is one of the first things that is seen as one walks through our front door. I started the rejuvenation project by making pillow #1, pillow #2 and pillow #3 (see below). I already owned a metal urn (Pottery Barn) and some "cherry branches" (Restoration Hardware) that have been the focal point on the landing for a couple of years. I used pillow forms from pillows that I already had, and I purchased the fabric for the new pillows on sale, so the total cost of all three pillows was under $10.

From there I collected a few more items -- mostly purchased at a franchise store called, Real Deals. It's been my favorite go to store for home furnishings lately. They have fabulous prices on home decor. For me part of the challenge of redecorating an area is finding great deals or using or refurbishing already purchased items in a new way.

We'll start with the candleholders that I posted about previously. I refurbished them from black to shabby chic white.

candlestick holder @ Real Deals, $6; candle @ Hobby Lobby, $3 (50% off)

candlestick holder @ Hobby Lobby , $2 (90% off); candle @ Hobby Lobby, $3 (50% off)

The following items were purchased @ "Real Deals"...

clock , $10. 49 (30% off)

nest, $2.69

white wooden platter, $4.99

three ceramic spheres, $3.49 each
two formerly purchase "wooden" spheres, $0
keys, $7.49

Total cost of landing redo approximately $50. Yay!

Below is a shot of the entire entryway.Because the landing was decorated with tone on tone neutrals, I moved some cream colored items from my buffet cabinet in my dining room to my curio in the entryway. The mostly white objects in the curio now reflect the landing above. No cost added there! Yay again!

Love the soft, cream colors in this redo. It makes for a calm, relaxing, welcoming feel which is exactly what I was hoping for!

Linking to:
Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple
DIY Project Parade @ The DIY Show Off
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
Craftaholics Anonymous Support Group @ Craftaholics Anonymous

Best Ever Guacamole...

Over the years some of my fondest memories are times shared in our backyard at BBQs with family and friends. It's not unusual for us to invite over a passel of people and fire up the grill. It's all very casual -- the kithen countertop becomes a buffet table laden with BBQ'd items, summer salads, fruit, and chips.

There are recipes that become family favorites quickly. This is one of those recipes. It has accompanied every BBQ that our family has had for years. Since warm weather is fast approaching and you might be having a BBQ of your own, I thought I would share this "Best Ever Guacamole" recipe with you!

I realize that by saying this is "the best", that I'm bragging a bit. So be it. Any guacamole is delicious, but this really is the best -- at least I think so. It has just the right amount of kick and lots of flavor. Don't be misled by the jalapeño -- the avocados tone down the jalapeño considerably. So delicious!

"The Best Ever Guacamole"

Prep time: 15 minutes
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 jalapeño chili, seeded and very finely chopped (use gloves)
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Maui)
1/2 tsp. salt
3 ripe avocados
1 rounded tbsp. mayonnaise
1 plum tomato (cut off top, squeeze lightly to deseed)
plain tortilla chips

1. Place jalapeño, cilantro, and onion in food processor and chop only until they are small, but not pureed.
2. Peal avocados. Chop into 1/2 cubes and put into a bowl. Mash avocados with a potato masher or fork -- have some chunks remaining.
3. Add onion mixture and mayonnaise to avocado; fold in diced tomato and salt.
4. Guacamole is best if served soon after it's made, but if not serving right away, press plastic wrap directly onto surface of guacamole to prevent discoloring; refrigerate up to 1 hour. Serve with chips.

Here's a photo I took of my "Best Ever Guacamole."

Enjoy!

Linking to:
Share Your Recipes @ Remodelaholic

Friday's Fabulous Finds

I spy with my Etsy eye something...

sweet as honey.

Clockwise, starting top left:

Bees Knees Ceramic Necklace
Oatmeal Honey Soap

Napoleonic Bee Note Cards
Print from Original Oil Painting
Bee Perfume Oil

Have a wonderful weekend!

Finding the perfect foundation...

Let's hear a loud and raucous "whoot-whoot" for 90% off sales. Ninety percent off is what you will find some selected home accents for at Hobby Lobby this week. Mind you, they are slightly picked over. Mmmm-kay, they are mostly bottom of the barrel ugly, but with a little imagination they can be changed to body beautiful. At least that's what I was hoping when I bought a candleholder yesterday.

As you will remember from previous posts, I'm in the process of redecorating a ledge-type landing in my entryway. I finished three pillows earlier this week that will take up residence there, but I needed a few more objects to place around them. Ergo, a stop at the 90% off sale. I also went to Real Deals and bought the cutest little chunky black candleholder that I loved.

The 90% off item (that only a mother could love) is the item on the left in the photo below. Yikes. Fancy schmancy. It's kind of over-the-top for my taste, but I hoped with a new application of makeup she would take on new life. By the way, she was $2 on sale. I considered that a little high considering her appearance, but I could see potential, so I dropped the cash. Quick like. ;o) The beautiful, chunky candleholder that I purchased for $6 at Real Deals is on the right in the photo below...

The shabby chic look I am trying to capture calls for a lot of tone on tone creams and whites, so the black needed to go and white needed to replace it. I started by doing a little sanding, and then I grabbed some Rust-Oleum American Accents Heirloom White spray paint and went to work. They became white as the driven snow. Pasty white. Too white. Like my winter-white legs. Hmmmm...

They needed a little bronzer, as do my legs. In the past I've used a glaze that I've tinted brown or smoky gray to add a little character and "history" to a painted white object, but this time I just bought some craft paint (color: Raw Umber) and thinned it with water to make a runny mess. It makes a "poor man's glaze" that works perfectly. I applied the glaze to the areas that I wanted to accent and then rubbed some of it off with a soft cloth. Reapply if more is needed.

I've found it best to cover small areas at a time with the "glaze" when adding this detail. Otherwise, it's difficult to rub the paint off before it dries. After I completed the glazing, I sanded a few of the edges to reveal some of the black paint underneath. It's amazing what the right color foundation and blush will do for a girl. It brings out all her best features...

Mama Mia, they're cute!

Monday I'll post the finished landing redo.

Until then.. have a great weekend!

Linking to:
Show Off Your Stuff Party @ Fireflies & Jellybeans
Creative Cats @ Poppies at Play
Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Remodelaholic's Anonymous @ Remodelaholic

Last, but not least... my shabby chic creation

This week I've been creating some pillows to bring a little springtime and softer colors to my entryway landing. As I said yesterday when I showed you pillow #2, I've chosen to "lighten up" this area of my entry and give it a tone on tone, cream-colored, monochromatic feel. It's easy on the eyes.

After making pillow #1, I decided the next two pillows had to be less busy, more simplistic designs. Even though pillow #3 is stenciled with an intricate scrollwork, the monochromatic feel of the design lends itself to a more simple approach.

I started by finding a damask scroll on the web that I liked. I copied it and enlarged it a bit to make this stencil...

Then I spent about an hour cutting out the stencil whilst watching Bill O'Reilly. It was torture. Feel free to take that any way you want. (I'm a big fan of Fox News -- Bill O'Reilly not so much.) Anywho, it did take some time to cut the stencil out and was a little grueling, but I'm cheap frugal and I'd rather make my stencils this way than spend $30-$40 purchasing one. This stencil cost nothing but the paper and my time.

I chose some paint, Apple Barrel Craft Paint in "Country Tan" that would give a tone-on-tone feel for the project. I ended up cutting the color of the paint even further by adding some white to it, so it ended up just a shade darker than the fabric I was using. For more detailed information on how to stencil on fabric, check out this post that I published last week. Suffice it to say this project required a little more skill because of the intricacy of the design, but I just worked a little faster (before the paper curled from the paint as it dried). I wanted a kind of softened washed out effect for the stencil, so I didn't worry about getting the coverage of the paint exactly the same all over.

I pumped up the color on this next photo a little so you could see the scrollwork better. It's much more subtle in person. Mmmmm-kay. We're ready for the reveal...

This morning I put the pillow together. Here she is in all her glory...

I know I've made about a bazillion pillows lately and you are probably getting sick of viewing yet another one.

Next week I'll move on to something different. Probably. Maybe. Most Likely. By the way, the statistics for this baby: $2. (I already had the pillow form.)

I have gotten some requests to make a tutorial about how I gather my fabric for pillows and other projects, so I'll whip a post up along those lines next week too.

I'll also show you the redecorated landing with the pillows and a few other items I'll be collecting today...

Have a great day!

Linked to:

Friday Fun Finds @ kojo designs
Show Off Your Stuff Party @ Fireflies and Jellybeans
Get Your Craft On Thursday @ Life as Lori
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage