This season's table scape

For some reason, fall seems to be the only season that I can decorate my table completely (what does that say about my favorite season? fall it is!). I changed it up a little this year versus last year, which was really one of the first years I'd ever done a full table scape. Or even had a table. Well, that's not entirely true. Here's a shot of the $100 Wal-Mart table set we had back in the rarely seen North Carolina house. Fancy, huh??



Here's how it looked last year.



Muuuuuch more colorful and put together! And here it is this year.



The only thing I changed were some of the glasses and added some $2 places mats from Bed Bath & Beyond (subsequently where I got the pumpkin colored ones as well last year). Overall, I added it up and each place setting cost a whopping $12. The chargers were in a pack of 6 for $14 (from BB&B). The pumpkin place mats were $2, the napkins were $2, the napkin rings were $3 (all BB&B items). The glasses I picked up at IKEA for a whole $0.57 a piece (and I freaking wanna sky write how much I love them). The vintage place settings I ordered on eBay. I got almost 300 pieces for $20, effectively making them about $0.07 a piece! That's less than a dime folks!!



When I saw these laser cut leaf mats at BB&B I was hooked. Granted, they make me want to sing "O Canada!" but by adding that extra layer to the table, it instantly made it more colorful and fall-ish.



I wonder if I can make them work on top of some gold place mats for Christmas??

Fall decorating part three: the master bedroom

Wreath I made with Dollar Tree supplies, $7 total.


Mini-pumpkins from Tuesday Morning, $3 and $4. Switching out the wooden roses for leftover floral picks, $0.





Grapevine pumpkin from Michael's, $14--way cuter, cheaper, and the same size as Pottery Barn's small grapevine pumpkin. I actually bought another small one and a large one with a 20% off coupon! And it does actually light up, but the cord is too short/my dresser is too tall for it to reach the outlet.




And this is probably about as far as I'll get with my fall decor before Jason gets back. But that's okay because in this house fall lasts all the way until Black Friday. ;)

I'm linking up to:
The Project Parade @ The DIY Show-Off

$0 fall decorating part two: the guest room & bathroom

Last time, I shared how I did our downstairs for one of my favorite seasons. I made the decision (as I was dragging everything out of their boxes) that this would be the year that I actually extend my holiday decor into the other rooms of our house. I've always hated having the downstairs so warm and cozy and full of the seasonal colors, and then the upstairs is blaaaaaaah. Insert the sad trombone sound here.

So I decided, in small doses, I would bring the seasons throughout the entire house. I started with our guest bedroom. I'm so happy to chose to go with yellow in this room. Granted, I have no idea how it's going to look come Christmas, but throughout spring, summer, and fall this hue has been perfect.



I used jute twine to tie some fall foliage to the frame. Not too much, but just a little crown at the head of the bed.



The side table also got a little autumn warmth injected into it. The lamp was remade with the addition of a burlap shade from Pottery Barn, and I switched out the (non-working) copper clock for the basket that used to be on our dinning room table. With a small bunch of the leaf garland and a few lemons added, not only does it feel more fall-like, but it still plays into the lemon theme this room ended up with.






Next year I might consider making a new cover for the pillow, but I'm trying to do this on as close to a $0 budget as I can. So I just pulled out this itty bitty burlap pillow I had laying around in a box. Layers and texture: isn't that what it's all about?




Last but not least, my DIY-etsy-knock-off rack also got a few new accessories. The straw bag is actually a beach bag that I picked up at Target's $1 Spot over the summer. I threw in some decorative twigs I had and draped a faux-fur scarf in it. I don't know how set I am on this look, but for now I think it will do! I really like that all three pieces are varying shades of light brown.



I knew the guest bathroom was going to be a little bit harder since it's done in shades of blue and white, and it has more of a coastal feel to it. But, being inspired by my white on white pumpkins from the living room, I figured hauntingly ethereal was the way to go...with just a pop of color.



I love the round shape of this vase. It reminds me of a pumpkin.




Although it's a little early to whip out the ghosts and goblins, I love this old white figurine my grandmother gave me years ago. I found him hiding out in a little box.



The little white pumpkin actually came off a floral pick. I just gave him a shot of primer. I didn't even bother to paint him another color--I liked the dull flat look of the primer.



And there you have it! Two more rooms completed and $0 to do it! It's amazing how far a few springs of leaves can go and what a little spray paint can do. I'm definitely inspired to try and keep these updates as free as possible. Of course, I have three more rooms to go and I'm running out of decor! Guess a trip to the Dollar Tree is in my future! ;)

I'm linking up to:
Domestically Speaking
The DIY Show Off

$0 fall decorating part one: the downstairs

Just before the death of flowers,
And before they are buried in snow,
There comes a festival season
When nature is all aglow.
- Author Unknown
I really can't decided which is my favorite season: spring or fall. Spring would be a natural as I'm a spring baby (born in mid-May), and I love that it's the time of year when everything seems to be waking up. But never have I heard fall described in such a way as nature being "all aglow--" and I'm sorry, how can you not love a season with that kind of imagery?

But I do know that I want to experience as much of the season as I can before Christmas butts her big fat nose in and turns the world green and red, so my fall decorations have been brought out of storage! It's so funny for me to look at the pictures from this time last year (when we were first moving into this house) and see how things have changed.

Last year, my shelves were still in their infancy and I used a dark red leaf garland attached to "?" hooks to hang it. This year, to keep it simple but change it up just a tad, I added a red apple and a pine cone to the mix (BTW, the little silver box the apple is sitting on? Jason sent that to me from Germany!). Looking at these shelves a year apart makes me feel like I've learned to layer better (thanks Pottery Barn classes!). ;)





Last year I strung garland all the way up both of our banisters. But after my tumble earlier this summer, I thought just a simple bunch at the top and bottom of each rail would do the trick. I snipped a small section and secured it with twine.



Last year, my wall unit was still in its awful pre-make-over state. The good news was it's orangey color fit right in for the holiday season. But gah! I can't believe we lived with it this way for as long as we did! This year, not only does the wall unit look fan-freaking-tastic, but I think my white pumpkins on my (Heirloom)white thrift store candle sticks have a sort of ethereal ghostly appearance (and I like them much better on the thin candle sticks than the chunky ones).



This was also the first year I decorated the cubbies. During spring and summer, my book ends are a blue Ball mason jar and a nautical rope. But I switched them out for something a little more seasonal. These are actually tea light holders.



It was time for my little bird's nest to migrate elsewhere (the decor cabinet) until next year. These great brown candles you see were $3 at Michael's. Their texture is amazing.



Another easy switch from summer to fall. All the pine cones I picked up last year on clearance from Michael's as well. I will go back for more this year as I use them well into January.



This cubby is only partially finished. I'm going to make a new sign for it. Sweet tea is a summer drink. I'm thinking an apple cider sign is in order for the last part of the year.



My little green fern was outgrowing (and dying in) his little bucket, so I transplanted him outside. Until I find something to replace him, fall themed Reese's cups make a cute (and delicious) filler.



My newly acquisitioned table centerpiece also got a makeover. The pumpkin basket was a gift from my step-mom when we were back in our every first base house in NC as little newlyweds.



Not to be left out, my $5 side table also got a face lift for fall. Normally it's decorated with a fancy twig ball and green apples (which dwell inside an appetizer dish I bought for last Thanksgiving). With the addition of a large scale candle holder (a wedding gift, which Jason just LOVES), new picture frames (which will be filled soon), and more apples and pine cones (noticing a theme?), the new decor really warms up this little corner.



I tossed some leaves onto my Tuesday Morning Ralph Lauren cakestand, and then left the tower the way it was. I love how my granny's old pot ties together the white cakestand and red vase. And it wouldn't be fall if I didn't hang the wreath I DIY'd last year on our door. This was my very first project in our new house and I remember being so pleased that we had such a pretty brown door.



Outside, I hung a little welcome sign which my sister Alyssa bought me several years ago from the local pumpkin patch. And I grabbed this $5 scarecrow from Joann's when I was there getting supplies for our headboard. I still have a few more things I want to put out here, so I don't think I'm quite finished yet.



And there you have it. What The Nut Shell currently looks like in the midst of my autumn decorating. I still have things I need to do upstairs for sure. This is the first year that I'm trying to distribute the decorating throughout the whole house, not just a single floor. I already have ideas of how to spruce up the guest room, which I'm probably going to go run and do the minute I hit PUBLISH! Mom and Kenzie (my step-sister) are coming over this weekend to help me with a few of my other projects--time seems to be flying by now in the last few weeks of this deployment. My deadline just got very real! ;)

Leave me links so I can see how you're decorating for fall too!

I'm linking up to:
Domestically Speaking
The DIY Show Off

Happy 4th of July!

Bless the men and women who continue to defend our nation.


picture courtesy of alakabawey via Photobucket


Can't wait to hold my own Yankee Doodle Boy in my arms again!



(Homecoming 2007)

Semi-homemade Mother's Day

Over the weekend we went to a local village fair, and it was SO much fun! Unfortunately, it's also one of the largest in SoCal, which meant a ton of people--and our little group made up just 6 of them (my mom, my step-dad, my brother, my sister, and our neighbor's daughter)! I felt so bad for my brother because at the end of the day he was going crazy from so many strangers touching him. I was rather annoyed as well, but we all had a blast either way! Mom and I stopped by this great booth that they called the "Ladies Therapy" booth; it was all wine themed!




I picked up this adorable shirt for my wine-aficionado mom for Mother's Day, and that immediately started giving me the idea to put together a themed gift pack for her. Since she's coming to stay the weekend with me, she'll technically get them before Mother's Day, but if you know anything about our family you know we love giving presents early! ;) So yesterday while perusing the ESW for my lamp (that I neglected to hunt for over the weekend) I ended up finding the perfect items to complete Mom's gift pack (and a bunch of other amazing stuff too, but we'll save that for another day)!



This tall hurricane candle holder used to have a brassy base. But a couple coats of Rust-Oleum's espresso spray paint, some corks I've been saving for the perfect for-my-mom project, and a dark brown candle makes this into the perfect piece for one of my mom's end tables.


I have no idea what this adorable little guy was before I met him. He kind of reminds me of a soup tureen, but he's way to miniature, and there's no slot for a spoon. Now that I think of it, he was probably a sugar bowl. Either way when I saw him in the display case, right away my mind shouted, "MINE!" He has one tiny little flaw, which is a chip near the lid. But that was just fine because I knew exactly what I wanted to do with him. Pop off his little lid and...



You have a tiny little flower pot! Mom loved the narcissus that I grew inside this spring and transplanted outdoors. So I thought I'd give her a bulb of her own, plus this little pot will be perfect the next time we stock up on the mini-plants we love so much from Home Depot (my little palm tree on my coffee table is one such example).


I'm so pleased with the way the gifts turned out! I'm even more please that when I told my mother where I was shopping for her gifts, she was absolutely stumped as to what I could be buying. That's the beauty of getting out of the retail stores!

How about you? Are you making your mom/aunt/grandma anything for mother's day? Share your links in the comment section if you are! I want to snoop! ;)

I'm linking up:
Hooking Up with House of Hepworths
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage

happy easter

Hope your Easter is very sweet! Here's yours truly in her new Easter dress sporting her new spring/summer hair color.




PS: We just totally had an earthquake!

happy anniversary

Four years ago today, I was walking down the aisle stairs at my step-mom's house, to "Opera 68, Number 5 (The Humming Song)" by Robert Schumann.



I was about to marry the most wonderful man I'd ever met--or could ever imagine meeting. It was raining outside, but inside the living room was warm--packed with 25 members of our friends and family, the only ones who could make it on 48-hours notice.



My grandfather had his old weathered bibles...



...and we had each other. Forever.