~ Velvet Pumpkins for Fall Decorating

It's beginning to feel like Fall in many parts of the country, and it sure seems to bring out

that desire to fluff the nest and make a few pretty things to decorate our homes with.
One of those absolutely lovely things is plush velvet pumpkins. Of course
 you can purchase some pretty ones if you are short on time,
but you can also make one, or a few, with some simple instructions. 

Click this link for full directions on how to make beautiful plush pumpkins

 to add to your home this year.

How to Make Plush Velvet Pumpkins 

See Y'all Soon~

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Click on any of the pictures below to shop  art from The Decorated House 

~ Magnolia Leaves & Burlap Flowers - Fall Decor ~ Natural Elements

 Magnolia Leaf Wreath 

and Burlap Ribbon Rosette w/Lace

Magnolias leaves, one of Mother Nature's best inventions are such a perfect natural element in Fall decorating with their beautiful shiny green leaves accented with rich velvet copper on the underside. This is my inspiration for Fall decor this year.  No wonder people have been decorating with them for so many years. And now it's Fall...well kind of. It's still quite warm, but you can fell the change in the gentle breeze during a morning walk. From now through the holidays the magnolias have wonderful seed pods in addition to the pretty leaves, and that makes them so perfect for decorating.

So while we were out walking the last few mornings  we also collected some natural elements to add to our home for Fall. I can remember when we were first starting out Sweet Hubby used to go out on bike rides and bring me back bags of weeds, flowers and pods to use for arrangements. This year I decided it would actually be fun to do much the same thing, and to  mix it up with a few things that I already have or a few things to buy, like this darling burlap ribbon with white dots!

This is another take on the fabric flower rosette that you all like so much.  You can find the directions of how to make it HERE. This time I used a burlap ribbon. So there is no need for you to cut fabric into strips, the ribbon is ready to go. It's the same technique, roll the middle bud, then fold the ribbon away from you and roll it around the bud, fold backwards and roll...and just keep going until it is the size you want. Add a drop of hot glue or stitch it to keep the rose in shape. 

I'm loving the copper and lime green this year. Perfect Fall colors for me. And then Halloween just around the corner. The last days of each year go so quickly don't they?!

See Y'All Soon~

~ Decorating with Shells - Gifts from the Sea

Living Room Mantel 

Moss Ball in Vintage Milk Glass Urn

Starfish, Shells and Antique Blue Bottle

Living in a sub-tropical beachy location for almost my entire life means that shells bring back lots of memories.

~ New Ottoman From An Old Wicker Trunk - Chest

Make a Pretty Ottoman Coffee Table from a (Wicker) Trunk:

~ Bringing Summer Inside with Flowers & Seashells

You would think with the heat outside that it would be a really good time to give the inside of the house some attention. Sounds so logical doesn't it?  But the projects and repairs seem endless outside as well. For a breather from the dust, dirt and heat, I decided to just bring out some pretty shells and think peaceful thoughts of the beach ... at least for a moment or so. Shells can help you do that. Some of the shells we collected on vacation; mostly they were purchased since so many incredibly beautiful ones are found all over the world. This is the one time of the year that I really enjoy having shells on tables, on the mantels or gently piled in a dish. It helps bring the love the ocean home since the beaches become way too crowded this time of year for me.  

The hurricane glass in a vintage milk glass bowl with the seashells around it is such a simple idea and very easy to put together. A pair of them  would be pretty on a table for a coastal, beachy dinner or lunch. Bringing blooms in from your flower garden or from flowering trees is another very simple and totally free idea for spreading summer sunshine inside your home. Add a few star fish and sea shells and you can almost smell the the ocean breeze as you just take a moment to relax. 

See Y'All Soon~

~ Summer Gardening and Succulents

It's been a race to get the flowers in the ground before the worst of the heat is here for the summer. Since today and tomorrow it is supposed to hit 96 to 97 degrees, I tried  to finish up with all those little pretties who convinced me to bring them home when I went to the nursery and garden center. 

Along with the flowers and annuals, I like to add some flowering succulents. The succulents lend the beauty of their green leaves, and are so little work, so they have become a staple of gardening. And the fact that you can find some that either have really pretty blooms or in the case of the lovely stonecrop, its fabulous bright green works so beautifully with the greens of coleus and sweet potato vine.

Have a wonderful weekend!

See Y'All Soon~

~ Happy Flowers & Gardening Weekend!

The heat is setting in  quickly here. Of course it usually does this time of year, but since we had a brief heat spell and then a slight cool down, the new round of heat seems a bit hotter and sooner arrived than usual. The dance of finding the right flowers in April and May was much the same again. When it is a tiny bit cooler, it is the perfect time to start planting but the flowers aren't in the nursery or big box stores yet. As soon as it hits 90*, sure enough, the plants are there and we are ready to wilt in the heat even before the plants get in the ground. None the less, it is a dance well worth working at and we just hope we get a bit better at it each year. 

The last month or so all my energy has been filling the kitchen side courtyard with flowers That often means a lot of annuals, which a swear I won't "waste" the money each year. Seasoned gardeners will always say to spend the money on perennials instead. Mostly I agree, but a pretty little lovey wearing an annual tag will reel me in every time if the color and shape is perfect for my mood that day. And so the dance will probably continue for many, many more years if I'm very lucky. 

This is a little look at what is in the raised berm in the courtyard this year. Many of the tried and true friends from past years. They sometimes have the same companions, and sometimes they get a new friend or whole group to try on the colors with. 

In the front it starts out with Lime Green Sweet Potato Vine and the Dark Purple, Blackie Sweet Potato as well. There are Fan Flowers growing between them which will show pretty purple flowers as soon as it catches up with the length of the vines.  To the right of the Blackie, is Stonecrop, and some Pink Zinnias.

Above the vines are planted  (from the left) Torenia, also called the Wishbone, Angelonia in white and lavender. The middle and back has White Pentas (the tall ones), Caladiums, and the beautiful deep purple Persian Shield, which is a tender perennial. 

Behind the caladiums and Mystic Spires Salvia. And there is a taller yellow blooming bush behind that. 

The work now is to keep it all watered and to accept that some of these annuals cannot make it through the whole summer with our extreme heat. I hope your gardening adventures are going well!

See Y'All Soon~

~ A Little More Easter Decorating

The weather has been so nice out it is perfect for getting some new flowers in the ground. And lots of shrubs and things need a trim. So it's been a little hard getting any decorating done with Mother Nature calling so loudly to come out and play. 

It has been fun to find the bunnies and see exactly where they would like to go for Easter this year. I'm always happy that I didn't give away all of them when  Easter and Spring arrive, and they do brighten up the holiday so nicely.

The entry table this year is host to my other favorite bunny who is charming in his cute little jacket. He's been around for a few years and it's always easy to find a spot for him. The cement garden bunny came along and is joined by a sweet bunny inside a the large covered jar.

New to the Easter party this year is Abigail Bunny holding her little friend Chicka Dee and in her basket is a delicious chocolate bunny along with some decorated eggs. (She is available in the etsy shop.) I used the gray painted eggs with lace with some spring lime green eggs, and the color combination is a new love.

The paper flower wreath is wearing a white dotted burlap bow and another little bunny nestled in the  center of it. The Easter display is finished off with a succulent  and a moss ball both in sliver cups. And a little crown just because .......

See Y'All Soon~

~ The Decorated House - Easter Mantel 2014

There was a time when there were a lot of bunnies around here. None of them were real rabbits; those do not come to play in my garden. Which is probably a good thing since I've heard they like to eat a lot of plants and flowers that you did not intend growing for them.

But when Easter and Spring come along each year, it seems that the my bunnies have multiplied even though  I haven't bought one in years. And I swear I gave a bunch away. None the less, this time of year, I'm usually surprised and delighted to see them and quite happy some have stayed around.

The mantel is dressed this year with an Art Print from my Shop, The Bunny Chandelier. Printed in gray, it looks really wonderful in that old gray painted frame that I used the chalk paint on. The altered - decorated peat pots and the paper and fabric covered eggs with the leaping bunnies are also being used again this year. Along with the vintage style bunnies, I've added a couple of hand made clay mushroom houses that I  have had for 30 years. They stay in a cupboard with glass doors so dust doesn't settle on all that intricately made elements.

The Bunny Chandelier is available in 8 x 10 in or 5 x 7 inch in my shop

by clicking on this word link.

The Decorated House Bunny Chandelier on Etsy
It is available in Tiffany Blue, Pink, Black and Gray.  

You can click on the picture link below for last Easter's decorations and

some directions on how to make you own pretty peat pots.

This little Easter bunny is my favorite. The plastic gray egg next to him is painted with Paris gray ASCP. From the closeup of the mushroom house you can see how fantastic details the artist gave to each of her magical creations. Perfect for welcoming the magic of Spring!

See Y'All Soon~

~ Decorating for Easter

It's time for Easter decorating this weekend, I hope! Here are a couple of pictures from a couple of years ago. One of the best things about blogging is that you can go back and see images from other years. I totally forgot about that cute garden bunny. Wonder where he is? He might hop back inside again this year.

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The bunnies are running wild in the house this year. Even this little old garden bunny is inside. I think he has been somewhere on the porch for couple of years, although he was an outside bunny once upon a time. He is sitting beside a reindeer moss ball in a slightly tarnished bowl. Together they are perched atop a beautiful antique Italian vellum book from 3 Fine Grains.

Thanks for the nice comments on the last post, but I deleted the whole thing due to an overactive spamming party over the weekend. Thank goodness blogger has that spam filter now. I've included the same picture below that was in that post. An open shelf cupboard with drawers in the kitchen. It won't be there forever since open shelves are too much work to keep clean for me.

This coming week I'll add a few more pictures of Easter decorating around the house.
Thank you for stopping by!

Have a Great Weekend 
See Y'All Soon~

~ Milk Glass & Succulents and a Little Green for Spring

The Spring Equinox! It always brings out that longing for the green of Spring and Summer. The heat will be here soon enough, so I'm not trying to rush Summer. It does however make me want to bring more green inside for a little while.

Milk glass is one of those old fashioned goodies that I wish I had seen the beauty of years ago.  But in the past, there was so much of it at the thrift shops, it made it seem just to grandma-like for my taste. Whatever pieces I used to have were long ago given to the Goodwill. In the last few years however I have picked up some here and there if it had really nice lines. Today, you can think of so many ways to incorporate this simple and beautiful white glass into your style even if you haven't quite embraced the grandma style. The lines of the ruffled pieces are so beautiful.

I'm still experimenting with succulents inside the house. They are so extremely easy to grow outdoors, but are a bit more difficult to grow indoors. The ones on the chest right by the window are doing very well. This one  is sitting on the coffee table further away from direct window light. So we will see how it does with less light that the other plants get. For many years I always had house plants, and just got away from tending them because there was plenty of work to keeping the ones outside alive and well.  Now it's one of those things that I miss having so I'm looking for some easy to keep green lovelies this year. 

Also some green pillows are on the sofa at the moment. What is easier that changing out pillows with the seasons! Since pillow covers are so inexpensive and easy to make, just this simple change can keep your interiors looking fresh to you. 

Again after ignoring milk glass for a while, I fell in love these ruffled bowls. Instead of too old fashioned, they actually look quite modern to me.  They remind me of some of today's lovely blown glass art pieces.

I'll let you know how all these succulents do inside. They may need a bit more attention than I seem to give indoor plants. I also brought in some bromeliads from the gardens, after washing them very well, which are doing fabulous. They are air plants after all, so other than giving them too much attention, they should be very easy to keep inside.  So far all I did to them is stick them in a container, pretty them up with a bit of moss, and remember to water  the little "cup" in the center before it gets dry. Now anyone can do that!

See Y'All Soon~

~ 101 Easter and Spring Decorating Ideas!

101 Easter and Spring Decorating Ideas : CLICK HERE
curated by Donna ~ The Decorated House ... Enjoy!