A Fabulous Twist on your Fall Favorites!

I love decorating for the Holidays!

However, I have been craving a twist on the traditional fall decor!
This is what I came up with for my front porch...

As badly as I wanted to go to Michael's Craft store and drop $100 on really cool Fall Decor, my tiny budget said

USE WHAT YOU'VE GOT!

So, I whipped out my can of white paint and got busy Shabbying the lighted pumpkin I already had. 

(The pink pumpkins I leave inside they have more detailed painting and I will show you more pink on Saturday.)

I also slapped a coat of white paint on my basket and the gourds to help them blend.

 Underneath I added my spooky black house, a thrift store find,painted black with a shabby birdbath.

On the front door I used a fabulous feather wreath I found last season at a garage sale for a couple of bucks and tied a black ribbon at the top to give it a little spook effect! Yummy!

I had a leftover spider from my sons costume several years ago, I hung him in the corner.

 To the left is a chippy very old wicker rocker with no seat.

To re-purpose this rocker, I added a board to the bottom so I could fluff it up with a cheese box holding a birdouse and lots of faux greenery!

Make it Fabulous for Less Tip~ Look for neat old chairs without their seat. You can find them super cheap in flea markets, thrift stores and abandoned next to a trash can. Seatless chairs make fabulous outdoor holiday displays! They can be painted and fluffed to match your favorite time of year!

 Don't ya just love new twists on an old holiday favorite!

Well friends, I hope you have a lovely day!

Smile and be a blessing to those that cross your path!

This week I am so excited to be partying with the 
The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursday
http://www.theshabbychiccottage.net/ 
Time Travel Thursday at the Brambleberry Cottage

http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

and 

Romantic Homes Show and Tell Friday

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Hugs,
Olivia

Fluffing and Shabbying!

Ooooh La La!

I have been busy Fluffing and Shabbying over the weekend!

Oh yes, an innocent cheese box Shabbied white and decoupaged with one of my all time favorite vintage ads for Scott's Roses...

 The wood on this cheesebox was very porous, I had to use about four coats of paint it turned out so pretty...

I bought a roll of white tulle and fluffed up a shabby bird...

The Shabby bird is perched on top of this neat bottle my husband brought home from the restaurant, I added a pretty Victorian label. This could easily be used as a center piece by adding a candle to the top of the bottle.

 

This sweet shabby frame got a couple of coats of white paint and a printed image and wa la! Tickle me roses!

Make it Fabulous For Less Tip~ If you are dying for some beautiful vintage rose art but can't afford the framed prints in the Shabby Chic specialty store, search out your tag sales and thrift stores for paintable decorative cheap frames. 

(I found this one for $1) 

Add your favorite free printable rose image! 

Wa La, beautiful art for less! You can even change them out seasonally!

 I found these beautiful images over at Miss Rheas's 

 http://www.sweetnshabbyroses.blogspot.com/

where I also won a beautiful rose template! 

She is a doll and her creations are oh so inspiring!

 I hope you get out there and make something fabulous for less!

I am partying with Toot your Horn Tuesday at
http://www.sillylittlesparrow.com/
and
Funky Junk Interiors Gitter Done
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/ 
 and Rose Petals and Rust
http://stefanie-rosepetalsandrust.blogspot.com/
 and Faded Charms White Wednesday
http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/
 Have a lovely and blessed day!

Squishy Hugs,

Olivia

Set a Pretty Table!

Do you ever do anything fancy, just because?

Last week I set a pretty table for dinner...

I used our regular dishes, but I set them all out and lit some candles...

 The kids wanted to know what the special occasion was?  There was not a special occasion, just a pretty table. 

They were excited anyway.

 That night our hamburgers tasted magical, we all talked about our day and we worked on using good manners.

Sometimes it is fun to make it fabulous ~Just Because~.

Do something unexpected to make your daily routine a little brighter! 

Join us at Cielo's show off your cottage Monday

 

http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/

 Have a lovely and blessed day!

Hugs,

Olivia

Remembering 9-11 on Pink Satuday

 I will never forget walking into work and standing there watching the t.v. as the events of September 11, 2001 unfolded. I was pregnant with my first child and fear welled up inside of my heart. 

At that moment I wondered what type of world am I bringing my precious baby into? As the days passed I watched our country come together, I watched heroes form in all different ways. I found peace in the courage of so many people.

 Today we pray for and remember the brave firefighters, police, office workers, families and country that will be forever changed by the events of Sept 11, 2001. 

  We also remember and pray for the soldiers and their families who fight and have fought with so much courage to protect the United States of America.

~God bless America, protect our families, hearts and homes.~

Please stop by and say hi to our lovely hostess Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday.

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Hugs,

Olivia

Darling Shabby Romantic Suitcase!

Oh, I just have to share with you this darling Romantic Suitcase!  

Try as I may to leave items as is...my sneaky white paint brush whips out and takes over! 

The old brown suitcase I found at the Pink Door Resale shop for $1.50 was no exception...it got a royal shabbyin!

I painted the suitcase with a white semi-gloss latex paint.

I thought I might leave it white until, I was so inspired by this beautiful romantic Victorian card, I found at

http://thebestheartsarecrunchy.blogspot.com

I just knew it was meant for my suitcase!

 The card reads 

~Loves Message~

This is so sweet and romantic to me...

I distressed the suitcase with some light sandpaper to give it a little  shabby imperfection.

It rained alot today so out came my hot glue gun and glitter and I crafted up some darling Victorian tags.

Embellished with fabric roses, glitter and vintage music paper...

I still need to add the ribbons at the top, I used all my crafty odds and ends to fluff them up!

I want to thank all of you lovely bloggers out there who are so inspiring to me!

I will be linking up with the lovely Cindy at Romantic Homes for Show and Tell Friday

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/ 

and 

the beautiful Connie at Beautiful Living
http://connie-livingbeautifully.blogspot.com/

for Frou Frou Friday!

Squishy Hugs,

Olivia

My Cottage Kitchen

Good Day!

Let's sit for a moment and have a cup of coffee!

Ahhhh, that's better. 

I had a little get together at my home yesterday I will share with you a sweet photo of my dad 

(he's single ladies )holding my first nephew..

For dinner we had smoked pork sandwiches...

Yum!

My project for the day is creating a faux fireplace mantel in my living room! I am letting my hubby sleep in so I can surprise him with our project! (Giggle)

 Since I am still on the couch in my pjs, I will share with you a bit of eye candy from my cottage kitchen...

 A darling vintage scale topped with a tea cup and vintage linen

 This is the view out of my kitchen window

One of my favorite finds, a darling chippy hoosier cabinet

S

Shabby Chippy goodness you know I love...

One day I will get to visit Paris, my husband made me this sign

 Well, you know I can't sit around in my pjs blogging all day, 

time to paint and create! Cross your fingers and toes my hubby will help me with my faux mantel project today!

Hope your day is Fabulous!

I am joining the beautiful Cielo for Show off your Cottage Monday

http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/

Squishy Hugs,

Olivia

Oh La La Pretty in Pink...Plus Chocolate!

Oh my heavens, Chocolate and Pinks who can resist!

That's right, I baked up some delicious double fudge chocolate chip cupcakes to celebrate Pink Saturday! Yum!

I was also in the mood to whip up some pretty in pink treasures and look what I came up with...

this adorable vintage dolly we named Rose~

 In case you thought pink pumpkins only exsist in fairytales, welcome to my fairyland powder room! 

 

That's right I have one bathroom dedicated to my favorite color...PINK!

 

 

 

I also needed something in my powder room to hold my fresh linens so I crafted up this darling little basket...

 

 A lovely pink lady planter...

 

Well, I hope you have a lovely day and Happy Pink Saturday to all of you pretty in pink lovers, please stop by and visit our lovely host Beverly at How Sweet the Sound http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

for more pink goodies!

Squishy Hugs,

Olivia