Fall Decor

My favorite season is almost here! I've put together a list of my currant projects and inspirations for this years decor.

This will be in 4 parts
Part 1: Outside Decor
Part 2: Inside Decor
Part 3: Entertaining
Part 4: Recipes

 Start now so you can enjoy these from Oct 1 to Thanksgiving.

Lets start outside............

This for the court yard entry: corn husks layered and topped with a pumpkin, I'm thinking I might alter this with a white pumpkin and WELCOME FRIENDS or our INITIALS painted on it.

You can paint this by free hand with acrylic paint OR If you are not that comfortable  print your font on the computer trace it to freezer paper ,cut it out with an exacto knife and spray the back with 3m spray adhesive. Using acrylic paint dab a dry foam brush and stencil your image....peel off paper and your done.

Something like this in the court yard on the bench if you do not have an old cart or bench try your entry steps or a large hay bale.

And this for the table outside....lanterns + gourds= love

And for the front door one of these................

Start with a simple grapevine wreath add brown moss, grasses, berries, leaves, pheasant feathers and pumpkins. Play with the shape don't just follow the wreath make it cascade down and out on the sides for more interest.

Using a cardboard circle or foam wreath hot glue green moss all around then hot glue real or faux pumpkins in any color ...I might try this with white pumpkins!

Silk leaves glued to a cardboard cut out letter

Paper flowers on a grapevine wreath

This is clever : Use an embroidery hoop with fabric stretched inside and using freezer paper put your initial on the fabric!

Don't forget to add some outdoor lighting

Fill a mason jar with dry beans or sand add a votive candle hang with jute from tree branches....great ambiance!

 The next post will be on the inside FALL DECOR!

All Sources here

Updated Dresser

 I finally decided to give some attention to some much needed rooms in our home. I can say I am satisfied with almost every room in our home except ...THE KIDS BEDROOMS....I would be so embarrassed for any to know I was a designer if they new what my children's rooms looked like!

My inspiration photo for my son's room

We started with this FREE find at a home we were remodeling. They homeowners gave us this after I maybe.... mentioned it once or twice that I really liked it.

Our fabulous FREE find!

At first We thought White Lacquered or Dark chocolate. My husband and son voted Dark chocolate. SO I went and bought the paint for it, but as usual I changed my mind half-way through the project.

Here is what I did..........

 Supplies needed for this project:

Drop Cloth

320 grit sandpaper

old cloth (3)

Wood stain

White spray Primer ( 3 cans for ours)

Grey spray primer (3 cans)

Pencil

STEP 1: We started by numbering the drawers as we took them out. *Sometimes with older furniture the drawers only fit where they belong and I hate puzzling them after, so I took this extra step.(with pencil write on the bottom TOP Right or Right 1 and so on)

STEP 2:Lay everything on your drop cloth. Next with your old cloth clean any dust and dirt from all surfaces, let dry and with your sand paper give it a light sanding.

STEP 3: You are ready to apply the first coat of white primer......let dry 2-4 hours before applying a second coat.Let your second coat dry for 24 hours.

Step 4: Now you are ready to apply 2 coats of grey primer, allow 2 to 4 hours dry time in between coats. Wait 24 hours for next step.

Step 5: With your sandpaper, sand off softly a few layers of grey primer... depending on how much white you want to see. I barley sanded mine just enough to give it a softer grey finish and to smooth out the look. You need to use your old cloth here - it gets very messy and you must keep wiping off the grey primer dust as you go.


This is where I changed my mind..I really liked the look of the grey primer...... which I bought after the white primer(?) thinking it might help when I applied the Dark chocolate paint. Are you still following me? I often do things backwards:)


Step 6: Once you reached your desired look, you are ready to apply a stain I used Dark Walnut. Carefully load a small amount of stain on a clean old cloth and wipe in one motion all over your painted surfaces.

I chose not to seal my dresser..."if" it gets scuffed, it will only add character to it as it ages. Or..... I might change my mind and who once to strip furniture? NOT ME!

Let it dry completely and you are ready to re- assemble.

 What do you think? I will show you the rest of the room makeover soon!

 

Are you Pinterest-ed?

Have you heard the word about Pinterest?  It's a social sharing site where you can create inspiration boards by pinning all your favorite photos from around the web to your own custom albums.  You can create boards (albums) for whatever you want...food, fashion, decor, travel, or whatever.  It's a great tool for gathering decorating inspiration, recipes, or party ideas, or just admiring all the great things in this world.  Like other social sites, you can follow people and the pictures they pin will show on your home page.  If you like one, you can like it, leave a comment, or repin it to your own board.

 Something To Celebrate - I have a collection of tablescapes and party settings for inspiration.

  

Lunch Anyone? - My collection of beautiful places to imagine myself enjoying lunch(my own silly enjoyment)

For The Home - This is my more practical inspiration board for my home and my clients homes.

The best part about Pinterest is that you often find your true sense of style through your boards.  After pinning several pictures, you usually start to notice a certain furniture style pop up multiple times or that you continually pin rooms that have bright colors in them.  It's neat to see how you subconsciously put things together.  I've learned that I'm definitely color obsessed and that industrial decor and graphic patterns tend to catch my eye.

This Is Me - My eclectic board defining myself and my style(my favorite to pin)

Let me tell you right now, once you get started, YOU CAN'T STOP!!! Pretty soon every time you see a new picture you'll have an urge to pin it to a new board.  Pinterest auto-updates so your home page is constantly filling with new pictures from all the people you follow.  The most addictive pins are food.  Seeing all the yummy pictures that people post almost sends you into a food coma!  It's also inspirational...you can click on the images to go to their original websites.

What Smells Good - All my favorite recipes and newest must try gems all in one place.

 Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest.  I've got 24 boards going so there's always something new coming up!Let me know if you need an invite.Contact Me

                   Found on Pinterest....Here

Kitchens

Just a little eye candy today "Kitchen Envy" from my pinterest notebook. Enjoy the weekend.

This is on my to-do list! I LOVE this personalized caddy

Remember to add flowers and fruit

An inexpensive table & chairs can look great if done right

Same table & chairs...different look

Are you brave enough for that back splash?

Again, revamp your kitchen with flowers and fruit

All great kitchens have french doors

Beautiful lantern and a herringbone patterned floor...LOVE

On my wish list: 2 upholstered wing chairs for the dining table!

 Images found here

MUST TRY RECIPES

My Currant Favorite

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars



Ingredients:
Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:
10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8" square baking pan with parchment paper or foil allowing a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to a cooling rack. Leave your oven on while you prepare the dough.
3. While the crust is cooling, prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed, and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust. Using your hand to form clumps, distribute the cookie dough onto the top of the cheesecake batter in teaspoon-sized clumps. Be sure to use all of the dough.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm (the cookie dough) and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Chill in refrigerator overnight or for at least a couple hours.
6. Lift the bars out by the overhang and cut into squares for serving.

Source:  very slightly adapted from My Baking Addiction
(get the printable recipe here)

They were AMAZING!

Mini Snickers Caramel Cheesecakes

2 c. chopped Snickers Bars
2 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbl. granulated sugar
5 Tbl. melted butter
2 8oz packages softened cream cheese
1 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbl. pure vanilla
3 Tbl. caramel sauce

**The original recipe suggests making these in a  muffin top pan, but I used a mini muffin tin pan and they worked fine!  If you are using a regular muffin tin, use a little bit less than 1/4 c. when you are pouring the filling into each tin so they don't overflow.**

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place chopped Snickers Bars into a bowl, set aside for now. Place graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter into a mixing bowl to combine. Spoon a couple spoonfuls of crumbs into each section of the muffin pan and press down and up the sides. Bake for 5-6 minutes or just until browned. Remove from oven.
In a stand or electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined, scraping sides of bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in caramel sauce until well combined. Pour about 1/4 c. of cheesecake mixture over each baked crust then top evenly with chopped Snickers. Bake for 23-26 minutes or until cheesecake edges are just starting to brown and centers are nearly set. Remove and let cool completely. While still warm, loosen all edges with a plastic knife to make for easier removal from pan. Refrigerate once cooled then top with caramel sauce and whipped cream to serve!

12 individual cheesecakes
Source 

Always a Fall Favorite!

 PUMPKIN COOKIES WITH CARMEL FROSTING

Ingredients
Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Frosting
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Pinch of salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in pumpkin. In a medium bowl, sift together the baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, salt and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.  Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
 
To make frosting: In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cream, and brown sugar over medium heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture just begins to boil; remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool then stir in confectioner's sugar.  Spread frosting over cooled cookies.
 
Let's Dish
The frosting is the star of these cookies, and it's a nice change from the cream cheese frosting that often accompanies pumpkin desserts (I love that version too, though).  Really, they're more like little pumpkin cakes. They're so moist, I've left them out on the counter overnight and they were still fantastic the next day.  These don't flatten much during baking, and the dough is a bit sticky to flatten it before baking.  I flatten mine slightly with the bottom of a glass just as they come out of the oven.  Once they're frosting, no one knows!  This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies.
 
Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from allrecipes.com

PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE 

My Kids Love These!

 BACK TO SCHOOL PIZZA PUFFS

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
• 4 ounces pepperoni, cut into small cubes (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup store-bought pizza sauce
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through, then stir in 1 tablespoon basil. Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining 1 tablespoon basil. Serve the puffs and red pepper slices with the pizza sauce for dipping.
   
   NOTE: All my batter did not fit into the 24-mini muffin pan. So I made a full size muffin with the leftover batter. Some pans are larger than others so you may not have have an issue.

 SOURCE

PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE 

 

Fellow Bloggers

I found this picture awhile back and pinned this to my Pinterest folder marked "Family Photo Ideas" HERE (I will be explaining Pinterest soon) And a few days ago I found the blog this picture belongs to

 Written by Cherish a local mom and D.I.Y.er! What a cute blog and Cherish is very down to earth. She has some great pictures on her site like these new ones I found and will be adding to my folder of "Family Photo Ideas"   

How Cute!

Adorable

Great Location

Some great recipe links HERE

A cute silhouette project HERE

See what she's doing Today Kiwi Freckles

   

POTATO PANCAKES

Old Fashioned potato pancakes

AKA: Latkes or Latkas

From the dining tables of France to the farm tables of almost every country in the world, potato pancakes make a great breakfast dish or a side for any meal.

If you have no left-over mashed potatoes on hand, start by mashing some freshly boiled ones or using ones of your favorite mashed potato mixes.

4 cups cold mashed potatoes

2 large eggs

1/2 package real bacon bits or leftover bacon, crumbled

2 tablespoons chives

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the two eggs until the yokes and whites are thoroughly mixed.

Add the mashed potatoes, salt and pepper and stir until the ingredients are combined into a smooth batter.

Add the bacon bits and chives and stir again until thoroughly mixed.

Cover the bottom of a large skillet with cooking oil and heat on high. Place dollops of the batter in the skillet and let spread until they form pancakes about four inches in diameter.

Fry until the cakes are firm. Turn them and cook on the other side. The pancake should be golden brown.

They should be accompanied by bowls of apple sauce and sour cream for tasty toppings. Serves four.