~ Christmas ~ Bless The Animals and The Ones Who Love Them

 

We were blessed a few years ago with a rescue puppy who found us right after 

Christmas as many of you know. Probably because he came to us so close to this 

beautiful holiday, it is easy to remember to help out some incredible 

dog rescue people this time of year. The work they do day in and day out is amazing.

The world is certainly a better place for them.

Please consider making a donation to one of your local dog or 

animal rescue people, or organizations this time of year. 

You can save a life!

The cute bottle brush - sisal dog came from Pottery Barn last year. Since they are 

wire and sisal, it was easy for me to curl his tail a bit like our Cody Bear's tail is. 

He also got  some dry brushing of white paint to make him a little whiter.

Our lab mix puppy grew up to keep his pretty white color and the 

white paint made this one look more like our pup. 

And he goes perfectly with the bleached bottle brush trees. 

I hope you are enjoying this wonderful holiday

season. Slow down and eat the cookies and 

kiss your loved ones!

~ See Y'All Soon ~

~ How To Bleach Bottle Brush Trees for Christmas Decorating

Have you fallen in love with these wonderful little bottle brush trees? I haven't seen them in their natural state of creamy off-white in stores, although they can be ordered on-line. However for just a few cents, you can create your own because you can change them very easily. 

The first ones I saw a couple of years ago were vintage, but today you can find them new as well.

The trees on the left are how I found them. They are sold for using in those little villages people put up especially during Christmas time. Look in the area  where you can buy the miniature houses and furnishings and that's where you find those strangely colored blue green trees.

I started bleaching them a couple of years ago, and I haven't seen anyone coming up with a newer idea.  It's all the same very simple process. After they are bleached you can use any kind of dye to make them another color like pink or aqua if you wanted to. Or just leave them pretty and natural.

HOW TO: This is all you need to know! 

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~ How to Make a Pottery Barn Style Pillow with Christmas Wreath - DIY

Handcrafted Christmas Decorating Ideas:

When I first saw the Pottery Barn Pillow, I was smitten. There had been a few copycats and knock-offs but none where quite what I was looking for. Even the Pottery Barn version was the reverse of the colors of what I wanted. So of course, it's time to make your own!

Click HERE For Directions: 

How to Make a Pottery Barn Inspired Wreath Pillow

See Y'All Soon~

~ Celebrating Fall ~ Autumn - Inside Your Home

Fall is loved for its beautiful colors and it is just as wonderful to enjoy those same colors inside your home as well. You can use real and fresh leaves (as in the vase above) or dried magnolia leaves, with their rich color combination of copper and green for the perfect look and colors of Fall. If you use the preserved leaves, you can carry that element into the next season too. Almost everything in the vase is from nature - dried flowers, leaves and feathers along with only a few faux leaves here and there to fill it out. So depending on where you live, you might find everything you need for a pretty arrangement right outside your door!

Previously I have shown you the magnolia leaf candle wrapped with the leaves all facing on the copper side, and also with the with the copper alternating with green. You gather from Nature and your garden to create a simple, or even more elaborate arrangement than this one. Here I used the candle in a white concrete garden container. It was filled with a floral foam so I could easily stick the leaves, berries and picks into it. It was covered with moss so you can't see the foam. The pumpkins can be painted with either flat white paint, or chalk paint.

The candle arrangement  is on the dining table, but it can easily be moved to your coffee table when it's time to get the table ready for a dinner.

For the entry table it was simple to remove all the Halloween related elements and keep everything that felt like Fall. The antique books and rusty lock are a wonderful balance of autumn colors against the shiny silver and the white pumpkins. The pumpkins are a mixed of painted ones, mercury glass, and velvet giving you a nice range of textures to add more interest.

Click the links below to view

How to Make Candle Wrapped in Magnolia Leaves

and

The Candle with Magnolia Leaves - The Decorated House

See Y'All Soon~

~ 50 + Fabulous Fall - Autumn - ThanksGiving Decor Ideas

Fall and ThanksGiving Decorating Pins

I hope you enjoy some of the wonderful things I have pinned 

for Fall and ThanksGiving Decorating.

Click on the picture above and you will usually go to 

the source of each picture for more pictures 

and sometimes tutorials and downloads.

Happy Weekend ~ See Y'All Soon

~ Slipcovers - Lots of Ideas!

Let's explore slipcovers again. 

I've added more ideas to my pinterest slipcovers board. Hope you find something 

of interest if you are looking for some slipcover ideas. 

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Although it would have been much easier to just reupholster the dining room chairs, I wondered if sometime in the future I would really want the pretty green fabric back again. Also since they were going to be white, there was a good chance there would be some spills along the way with this being a dining room. So that's why the decision was made to make slipcovers

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