A Rustic Fall Front Porch, using Some of my Favorite Antique Pieces!

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Sarah

I’ve been waiting all summer to get out there and decorate my pretty front porch for fall! To start off, I decided to head out to the old junk pile… ahem… I mean Project Pile, to sort through and pull out some of my antique pieces that I haven’t got to use yet…

This old ladder was actually the main inspiration piece for this fall front porch design! I had purchased it a couple of weeks prior to use in the new baby’s room to hold quilts. My main intention was to chalk paint it white, but I really just didn’t have the heart to paint over it’s beautiful, old-looking patina, so I decided to use it for fall instead! I may or may not end up painting it in the future… we’ll just have to wait and see!

I grew up on a cash crop farm, so of course, I am quite partial to beautiful cornstalks. Since my family’s farm is about six hours from our home, I ended up purchasing these beautiful stalks from a local farm market in town.

Same with these giant, gorgeous pumpkins, and the straw bale. Do you like my fall wreath on the front door?!

I made it just last week and I think it really works well with the rest of my décor. You can find out how to make one just like it, here!

Last summer I found this big beautiful picnic basket at a garage sale for five dollars! I haven’t had a chance to use it yet, so I was really excited when I came up with the idea to set up the straw bale as a picnic area! All that I used was my fall-ish blanket from the dollar store (total score!), my picnic basket, a lantern, for some romantic ambiance… and some of my antique bottles in the beautiful wire basket that was given to me by my wonderful sister-in-law, Julie!

To dress it up a little, I added in my antique wagon wheel from my parents 180-year-old farmhouse, a piece of rustic barn board from the gorgeous barn that used to reside behind my neighbor’s house (The Creek Line House), and of course, some mini-pumpkins and gourds!

More mini-pumpkins and gourds were placed onto the ladder, because let’s face it… you can never have enough mini-pumpkins and gourds!

My lovely antique milk-can is also from my parent’s farm! It’s extra special, because it’s one of those projects that my dad and I did together when I was younger… Painting it white and blue! To keep it simple, I just added in some sunflowers in a mason jar, for an extra pop of color! (Just ignore that green extension cord hanging out in the background!)

After finishing up decorating, I noticed that I was missing one key element… A door mat – and did I have the perfect one? Of course not! So I needed to be a little bit creative here, and put on my thinking cap… Then it came to me! I had a couple of pieces of barn board cut into the perfect shape for a mat in the garage… I wasn’t quite sure if it would work or not, but decided to at least try it… And, I love, love, love how it turned out! Definitely extra-rustic!

And well, that’s about it… my very rustic fall front porch. Antiques, plus fall harvest items, plus fall foliage, plus a pop of color and a little bit of creativeness!

How to make your own Monogrammed Twine Letter for Less than $2!

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Sarah

I’ve always wanted a monogrammed letter for my home… the letter ‘G’, to be exact, for our last name, Griffore! For years and years, I have been looking every time I hit up a Michaels or Winners… but every time that I found one that I really liked, it was just a little bit more money than I wanted to spend on a single letter. Especially when I kept thinking how easy it would be to make one…

Finally the other night, the perfect opportunity to make my very own monogrammed ‘G’ presented itself! Baby Gri-Gri #2, is due to arrive any day now, and we are so excited! So excited, that we decided to purchase a brand new crib for her! Now, purchasing a crib is one thing… putting it together is completely another! However, while my husband was busy putting it together, I couldn’t help but notice all of the beautiful pieces of Styrofoam packaging, that was just begging to be made into something!

Our crazy little helper!

The first thing that I had do was steal the perfect piece of Styrofoam from our crazy little helper, before she completely destroyed it all!

Next I opened up ‘Microsoft Word on my trusty old lap top, and started flipping through different fonts until I found a ‘G’ that I liked to use as a guide. Now if you were really smart, you could just print your ‘G’ out, cut it out, and trace it onto your Styrofoam! However, my printer has been out of ink since the last school year ended, and I can never-ever remember to buy some more – or even remember to put it on my shopping list… So sad, I know! 🙁

Due to our major shortage of printer ink, my crazy little helper and I, had to get a little more creative! We ended up using a marker and a small Styrofoam plate to trace around. We then connected the top part of the ‘G’ to the bottom part, and used a straight edge to finish it up.

The Styrofoam was a little bit tricky to cut, and I found that a paring knife worked best. I kind of used the same technique that I use to carve my pumpkins… push it straight in, and pull it straight out!

After I finished cutting out my letter, it was time to make it pretty! I decided to use twine from the dollar store. It only took me one full roll of twine, plus about a quarter of a roll… so really, less than two-dollars’ worth!

All I did was use a hot glue gun to tack on my twine as I wrapped it, here and there, to help keep the twine in place.

And then, I just kept wrapping, and wrapping, and – wrapping! After my ‘G’ was completely covered in twine, I went back over any “skinny” looking areas, to thicken them up, to keep the overall shape of my letter consistent.

Ta-da! Here it is! Not too shabby, right?! I mean it’s not perfect, but that’s ok… it’s just very rustic looking! And I mean, like it only cost two dollars! You totally can’t beat that!

It turned out just perfect for my Ten-Minute, Two-Dollar Wreath!

So go ahead, give it a try! And remember, you don’t have to just use twine… try burlap, or your favorite ribbon! Post your pics in the comments below, as I would love to see them! 🙂

The 10-Minute, 10-Dollar Pretty Fall Wreath!

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Sarah

Have you ever heard that saying, “Sometimes less, is more?” Well that is the basis of this ten-minute, ten-dollar pretty fall wreath that I’m about to share with you!

Short, simple and sweet!

Here is what you will need:

Grapevine Wreath (Walmart for $5)
Fall Leafy Thing (Dollar Store for $3)
Monogrammed Letter (I made this out of $2 worth of twine from the Dollar Store! Learn how to make your own $2 monogrammed twine letter – coming soon!)
Scissors
Hot Glue Gun
Shim (for extra support)

The very first thing that I did was start playing with the layout of the leaves and my letter “G”. I decided that I liked the “G” placed the best on the bottom left hand corner of my wreath.

I then started pulling of the leafy pieces from my dollar store fall leafy thing, and started just sticking them into my wreath. I added just a few before placing my “G”.

When placing my letter, I noticed that it might need just a little bit of extra support…. I went out to the garage and found this handy-dandy shim which worked just perfectly. Even a paint stick, or anything that you can find will do!

After inserting my shim into the wreath, I then hot glued my letter to the shim.

The really great thing about this wreath is that nothing is actually glued or permanently fastened. This means that you can switch out the décor for the next season and reuse the wreath!

(I think maybe for spring I’ll leave the letter and add in some pussy willows that I have saved from our tree on the front lawn! I just have to actually remember this plan when the time comes, lol!)

Next I inserted the rest of my fall leafy things underneath my letter, and really – that’s it!

It only took about ten minutes to complete this wreath, (if even that)! And I mean for ten dollars? You can’t go wrong! I love, love, love all of the pretty fall wreaths that I always see at Michaels and Winners and other gift and home décor shops, but I just can’t ever justify spending forty to one hundred dollars, plus! And personally, I think my wreath turned out just as pretty – for a lot less!

So go ahead…. Give it a try! Post pictures of your very own beautiful homemade wreath in the comments below!

A Quick & Easy Fall Buffet Makeover!

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Sarah

This year I could not wait to start decorating for fall! And even though it’s still a little early, I just don’t care – I’m going for it!I actually started stock-piling up my fall decor in early August…. but I am just starting to organize and put it out now…. Sad in more ways than one, yes I know! 😉

My first task of every season is always to start out by decorating my favorite antique dining room hutch – or the “Buffet”, as I like to call it.This buffet was in my parents dining room for the whole time that I was growing up in their 180-year-old farmhouse, and then was eventually banished to live in the barn for a few years.

Since I have always been super in love with this beautiful piece, I decided to bring it home and give it a makeover. (You can check out the entire process, including before and after photos of the makeover, here!)

Now…. Back to decorating!

Step One: Clear off entire buffet.

Step Two: Add a pretty runner.

Step Three: Ignore the dirty mirror… for now!

I always, always find that the best way to start decorating, is to start with a clean slate!

After creating the perfect blank slate, the next step that I like to take, is adding my larger “background” décor pieces. And…. What I start out with is not always what I end up with, as you’ll soon see!Like my pretty runner?! I found this little guy in a super cute antique shop in Campbellford, Ontario…. I actually picked up two of them, so I have a matching one for my dining room table. Hopefully I’ll get to my fall table setting sometime soon! (If you are looking for ideas for the perfect fall table setting, check out my post on How To Create The Perfect Table Setting!)

Again… ignore the dirty mirror – we’ll fix that guy later! 😉

Next I start dressing up my larger pieces, by adding accents and playing around with the details.

I actually used all Dollar Store stuff to dress up this piece! Dollar Store, pinecones, flowers, and the leaves off of the flowers. I just jumbled them altogether in the baskets until I was happy with them!

I even got the pretty fake gourds and pumpkins from the Dollar Store!

I just dressed them up a little…. (How To Transform Dollar Store Pumpkins!)

Once I was happy with the above piece, I started sticking in other pieces of my fall décor, and switching things out, just to see what I liked the best! As you can see below, I ended up switching out the clock for my most favorite vase ever…. A decorative tin vase that I purchased at an annual flea market for a whole five dollars!

After I decided to use my favorite vase, I then had to find something to put in it…. It took me a few minutes to come up with the perfect thing that I have been waiting to use for a long time now!

You see, I have this crazy monster-tree in my front flowerbed! It was only supposed to grow to 4 feet, but it’s more like 10 feet, since the pieces on the top grow straight up. The last time that I trimmed it, I thought hmm…. I’m going to utilize this monster-tree and make it work!

The final steps for decorating my beautiful buffet for fall, were to add pumpkins, and a few pops of color! I know that neutral whites are really in this year, but I just had to add the bright orange pumpkins…. And I do love how they look!

I also added in my lovely antique insulators…. Three of my favorite pieces!And that’s basically it! Recap! Start with a blank slate, add a pretty runner for a backdrop…. Add in some larger background pieces, some accents, some favorite pieces, and a pop of color!

How To Transform Dollar Store Pumpkins!

Posted on September 3, 2016 by Sarah

You know those super-ugly pumpkins and gourds that you can get from the dollar store?!

OK, well maybe they aren’t that ugly…. Perhaps they just aren’t quite the right colors for your home décor? Well, guess what! You can transform those dollar store pumpkins into something beautiful that will work perfect for you!

It’s really way easier than you are probably thinking, too! I used chalk paint and acrylic paint, but really any type of paint that you have on hand will do!

Umm…. Step one – Ditch the toddler!!!! Just kidding! (Maybe!)

Ok, step one for real now! The first thing that you want to do is mix up your base coat. I had some white chalk paint on hand, so I just simply added some dark green acrylic paint to it, until I created a color that I was happy with. Kind of like a mossy-mint green, I guess?! Next I applied this base coat to all of my ugly dollar store pumpkins. I actually applied two coats of paint for my base coat. This may vary depending on what type of paint you are using…. Just keep applying paint until you have full coverage!

Looking pretty good, right?! Definitely much better than before, but I still wanted to add a little more detail, so they looked just a little more realistic. Now you may think this is the tricky part, but really it’s quite simple, so don’t panic!

(Hey! Looking for more great pumpkin decor ideas? Check out White Painted Pumpkins and Milk Glass!)

I just picked out the accent colors that I wanted to add to my mossy-mint pumpkins, and put a dab of each color onto my pallet – uh, I mean mason jar lid! I then dabbed a little of each color onto my paint brush. The secret to get everything blended so well is to keep using the same paint brush for all of the colors, without rinsing in between.

I then started applying the accent colors inside the grooves of my pumpkins. Then I went back to each groove and “brushed it out” across the rest of the pumpkin, using vertical strokes only!

I just kept repeating this process for all of my pumpkins…. Playing with the accent colors until I was happy with them. I then went back and repainted my stems. Being the sloppy painter that I am, any extra paint that I got onto my pumpkins, I just “brushed it out”, and blended it in!

I then let my pumpkins dry.

And added them to my décor….

And I really couldn’t be happier with how they turned out!

Umm, are those fake or real?!

So go ahead and give it a try! Remember, if I can do it, you can do it! 😉

[Psst! Check out: The Very Best Tips for Cleaning Paint Brushes Quickly and Easily, from the creeklinehouse.com!)

HERE ARE SOME MORE POSTS TO ENJOY!

Faux Pumpkins for Early-Fall Lovers! (Like Me!)

Mason Jar Pumpkin Candle Holders

A Quick & Easy Fall Buffet Makeover!

Get This Burlap Printable Set for Fall, for Free!

A little fall here, a little fall there, 2016 Fall Home Tour!

*This post may contain affiliate links.

10 of the Best Wine Cork Projects!

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Sarah

Do you have a bunch of left over wine corks, like I do?! I have so many saved up from over the years, and they are just so pretty that I never have the heart to throw them out! Well it’s finally time to figure out what to do with these little guys, so I started taking a look on Pinterest.com, and boy… the options are endless!

There are so many great ideas out there, that I actually feel even more confused on which one I should try! I did however, pick out my top ten favorites to share with you! So take a look and let me know which one is your favorite!

This simple DIY Cork Wreath is absolutely stunning! It’s beautiful earthy feel would surely compliment any preexisting home decor!

2. Ah, the classic DIY Cork Coasters…. They are so modernly chic and are really simple to make too!

3. I am SO in love with this beautiful Cork Planter Box!

4. This gorgeous Wine Cork Backsplash would make the perfect addition to any kitchen! This picture is actually of the inside of a cabinet that was done… So beautiful!

5. How cute are these Wine Cork Keychains?! And what perfect gifts they would make!

6. These Wine Cork Candle Holders are so easy to make, yet add such an elegant ambiance to any room in your home!

7. Ok, ok… I know that it’s not quite fall yet, but this Wine Cork Pumpkin was soooo cute, that I just couldn’t resist adding it to this list!

8. Check out this fantastic Wine Cork Table Top! It would go perfect in my living room!

9. Ok, if you ask me, this Dart Board Surround Cabinet is just brilliant! Not only does it completely serve a purpose, it is also a super chic piece of wall decor!

10. This Wine Cork Letter Decor is so cute and creative! Perfect for weddings, or even just to spruce up your home bar.

Well, like I mentioned above, I love ALL of these beautiful wine cork projects! I guess I’ll just have to keep drinking so I can make them all! 😉

If you aren’t a wine drinker, but still love the look of wine cork decor, you can purchase wine corks from here!

Master Bedroom Dream Makeover Mood Board

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Sarah

So I’ve been wanting to re-do our master bedroom for a few years now…. We’ve been in our house for about six years, and I’ve got a few rooms finished (or almost finished!), but I have been completely putting off the master bedroom because it is just a huge room to paint! It has beautiful vaulted ceilings, and the color it is right now really isn’t that bad, (beige), but I feel like it needs a little more pizzazz!

I’ve finally been able to decide on a color pallet, somewhat similar to the colors that I’ve painted my kitchen, living room and dining room. (Surprise! Surprise!)

My amazing friend and neighbor, Courtenay from over at The Creek Line House suggested that I create a “Mood Board” for my master bedroom…. I wasn’t really sure of what exactly a mood board was, so she sent me her mood board that she created for her beautiful master bathroom as an example! She’s just so helpful! (Psst! Take a peek at The Creek Line House Master Bathroom Renovation Mood Board…. It’s really quite fantastic!!)

Sometimes you just need a little inspiration or motivation from the right people to get the ball rolling! So, without any further ado — I present to you, my Master Bedroom Dream Makeover Mood Board! (Click here to view the full PDF version: Master Bedroom Mood Board V04)

This mood board is a collection of inspiration colors, textures and pieces for my future master bedroom makeover! I love the look of a cooler aqua and grey color pallet, mixed with warm cream tones…. The assorted textures of wood, rod iron and lace will give the room a softened, yet slightly bold look! In case you can’t tell, I love the “old-world-antiquey” feel, and I feel like this unique mood board reflects my tastes perfectly!

Now, notice that I used the term “future” master bedroom makeover…. We’ll see how long it actually takes before I get around to it! I’m currently 7 and a half months pregnant and spend most of my time chasing my 2 year-old, wild-child, beautiful little Miss Lacee Grace…. Plus I think I’ll wait until I’m not pregnant to climb 20 feet up on the ladder to paint the walls! But — that doesn’t mean that I can’t start shopping! 😉

If you like any of these items, here are the links to all of the sources for my inspiration pieces!

Vintage Wallpaper With blue floral victorian pattern – Inna Felker
Tranquil Color Scheme Paint Colors – Benjamin Moore
Luxury Beige Ruffled Ruched Blackout Tulle Thermal Rose Curtain – Lovely Decor
Cream and Pink Patchwork Quilt – Bay Tree Home & Decor
Vintage Crochet Lace Bedspread – Laurel Leaf Farm
Tufted Round Storage Ottoman – Threshold
Transitional Cyrus 7’9″x9’9″ Rectangle Camel-Aqua Area Rug – Loloi Inc.
French Vintage Vuitton Style Travel Trunk – Jean-Marc Fray
White Mother of Pearl Scalloped Mirror – Iris Furnishing
Teal Rustic Scrolled Metal Wall Art Medallion – Pink Island Luxury
Wood And Iron Nightstand – HF
Wood Slab Head Board – Remain Simple
Marsten 8-Drawer Tall Dresser – Restoration Hardware

DIY Tin Wall Art!

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Sarah

Sometimes it can be a little bit tricky to find the perfect piece of art to fit a specific wall space in your home, or if you do find the perfect piece, it can be pretty darn expensive! If this is the case, than you might be better off to just DIY it!!!

I’d been searching high and low for the perfect pieces of tin to hang on the giant wall behind the couch in my living room… and finally, I found them! You could actually say that I’ve been searching for a couple of years now, checking local antique shops and flea markets on a regular basis. The actual product change-over rate in these places can sometimes be slow, but they are always getting new things in, so you just have to be patient and keep on checking!

They wanted $25 per panel, so I picked out the four best ones (in my opinion), and made a deal to take the four for $80.00 — Total Score!! This is what they looked like… A little rough, but lots of great potential!

The first thing that I did was flatten them out by placing a concrete block on them and pressing down. This actually helped to chip off some of the old paint too!

Next I took a wire brush and removed the rest of the old chippy paint! Then I used some good ol’ WD40 and a rag to polish them up.

I then used chalk paint to coat my tin panels.

Warning! I was aiming for the old, distressed look, so the WD40 actually worked out in my favor. It caused the paint to to peel up a bit on some areas of my tin panels. So if you’re going for the distressed look, go ahead and use the WD40, but if not, I would NOT recommend using it! (You can see in the below picture where it is starting to peel up.)

After my paint was dry, I took some coarse sand paper, and went-a-sandin’!

I just played around with it until I got the desired look!

I must say that I am absolutely thrilled with the end result! It is the perfect fit for my wall, and even though it took a very long time to find the perfect pieces, it really only took one afternoon to complete the entire project!

Easter Bunnies — Dollar-Cheap to Super-Chic!

Posted on February 14, 2016 by Sarah

Easter bunnies! Dollar store Easter bunnies! Ok, so the little Easter bunnies that I picked up from the dollar store are so, so, so cute…. however, their cute little pink ears, and their cute beady little eyes just weren’t one-hundred percent meshing with the rest of my Easter decor…. I was looking for something with the same cuteness level, but slightly more neutral. (Yes — even more neutral than an already white Easter bunny…. silly, I know!)

Lately I have been on a “White-Ochre” chalk-painting spree…. I’ve recently painted my antique-tin-ceiling wall-art, my serving tray, my buffet, and even my giant spoon and my giant fork! So I thought — why not?

It took two coats of chalk-paint to get the perfect look. The already-white surface covered super-easy, but the eyes and ears took a couple of super-thick coats. And just an FYI, when painting on this type of material, you have to wait for the paint to completely dry in between coats, or else it won’t stick properly.

I originally saw this idea over at The Creek Line House! Only instead of using chalk paint, she used this really neat “Mirror Effect” spray paint…. and wow — did those bunnies turn out amazing! (Check it out here!)

So basically, you can update your dollar store bunnies with whatever paint you have on hand, and you can use any color you like too! It’s such an easy, simple and cute way to customize your very own home decor!

I personally think that these cute little bunnies turned out amazing! I couldn’t be more happy with them, and I can’t wait for you to see them incorporated with all of my other Easter decor…. but, we’ll save that for another day…. So make sure you stop back by The Project Pile to check it out!

HERE ARE MORE DIY IDEAS TO TRY!

An “easy as pie” DIY Rag Wreath for Spring!

DIY Barnboard Bunny Family Art Deco

Easy, Breezy, Beautiful Easter Décor! (All you really need are a few good pieces!)

DIY Distressed Pillar Candle Holders

Hutch Make-Over with Chalk Paint!

*This post may contain affiliate links.*

Home Office & Command Center Organization (tricks from the dollar store!)

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Sarah

Since my latest and most exciting career change of becoming a college instructor, I must admit…. our home office has become a little — actually, a LOT, out of control! My poor husband…. I pretty much took over his desk, his computer, and his home office has now been re-titled as “our” home office.

As you can clearly see, I had to do something…. especially before the next semester started. It was a little difficult to figure out where to start with this home office project, so of course I decided to start it with a little bit of shopping! My budget for this project was extremely low…. (like $20 low!)

So I headed to one of my favorite stores ever, The Dollar Store! Instead of starting in the more traditional “office supply” aisle, I started out in the “kitchen” aisle, and boy, did I hit the jackpot!

See that super cute fruit basket?! Well guess what… now it’s an office supply basket! It was just so pretty, I had to have it!

See this super chic napkin holder?! Well now it’s a letter/mail holder! A little bit brilliant, if I do say so, myself…. 😉

My new pen/pencil holder is actually a kitchen utensil holder…. I chose it over a typical stationary holder because it is much larger, and it hides everything…. so much prettier!

See this cute little cube wire rack organizer? Dollar Store! And the same with these cute little floral print baskets…. perfect for hiding those messy file folders and great for extra storage too!

This cute little 3 drawer organizer also came from The Dollar Store! Its perfect for hiding my paper clips, USB sticks, and any other super tiny “office-junk”.

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I also found this 5 hook hanger at….. The Dollar Store! And its chrome — it totally matches the rest of my new organizational items!

This giant calendar is definitely an organizational must-have! Although, I did accidentally by the French version (oops!)…. I guess it never hurts to learn something new! 🙂

So here is my cozy command center/home office that I was able to carve out of a corner of “our” home office…. Not too shabby! Even though I had to wheel out the kegerator and wine chiller, I’m sure my husband will be so happy to have his desk back! 😉