Fall Buffet

It's beginning to feel like Fall ... yay!  How about where you are?

 

Don't you just love being able to create seasonal vignettes out of things that you already have on hand?  That's exactly how I created our Fall buffet:

 

To give our lamp a little bit of Fall, I framed a leaf in a frame I already had (from Dollar Tree) and rested it on the lamp's ledge:

 

 

A beautiful handcrafted velvet pumpkin (that I won last year from my sweet and talented blogging friend, Lu) rests alongside of a lantern filled with leaves, burlap and candle:

 

 

A simple bowl filled with leaves, pinecones, pumpkins, guords and, of course, a starfish.  I found the fun subway art on Pinterest (click here for source) ... and simply printed it off and *lazily* mounted it to the back of a leftover piece of beadboard since I didn't have a large enough frame on hand:

 

Fall florals fill a pitcher I also had on hand:

 

I love the ambiance that the lit branches and candles add in the evening:

And, while I love battery operated candles, there's nothing like *true* candlelight, is there?

 

 

The best part of our Fall buffet?  The total cost to create it was $0.00!

 

 

Well, I'm off to slip into some super cute elastic waistband pants and overindulge on chicken chili and football.  Have a great day, everyone ... thanks for stopping by,

 

Becca

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Pop Of Color In My Living Room

This weekend gave me joy of  some 'Me Time'. I spent lot of time in my small terrace garden cutting, dead heading, pruning, pinching and  re-potting followed by painting some tiny pots. These tiny pots are up-cycled plastic containers :)

I potted the plants in a manner that the most striking color of a tiny pot will going to match with flowers of the plant. Pink one is having pink Impatiens sapling. These tiny beauties are spreading happiness in my living room.

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$50 Changes!

You are in for a real treat!

 I am so excited to show you all the changes and you will see the domino effect of what $50 did in my home.

I will entice you to stay awhile by showing you the final outcome!



 

 Okay, here is the back story...I went to an auction and spent $50 on this 6 1/2 foot buffet!

 No, I didn't realize that it was that big!






It had so much character but had seen

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Announcing Winner!!!!

First of all a BIG THANK YOU to all lovely people who participated in a giveaway and celebrated my blog's second anniversary with great zeal. Thanks a lot for pouring all your love and for showering your blessings on my blog and my Facebook page too :)
As I promised to announce the winner on 26th September of very first giveaway on my blog and here I am.
So are you ready all lovely readers and fellow bloggers out there to know who is the winner. Lets start by playing all the drums, trumpets and vuvuzelas .....................
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And the winner is.......................

On 18th number in my comment list is Azra :)

Azra send me your shipping address as soon as possible.  

Rest of you all amazing friends don't loose your heart as one more giveaway is on the way :)

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A story of TWO Night Stands

The story of these

 two night stands


 is quite weird.






Initially, the one on the right was purchased at a garage sale. I can't keep these in my mall booth, they sell fast, but I was going to paint this one for my daughter's bedroom in her new house. This is what it looked like when I got it...


Before I even got a chance to paint it, I happened upon a thrift store giving away

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Breakfast Area Gets A New Look

TGIF, everyone ... hope you all have fun plans for the weekend!

 

Recently, we finished a mini-facelift to our breakfast area (you're shocked, I'm sure).  My goal?  To create more of a "French Country" feel.

 

So, here is what our breakfast area looked like this time last year:

Annnd, here it is today!  First, our walls were painted Manchester Tan.  Then, we added a new farmhouse table ... beautiful French Country chairs that I painted (AS Pure White) and stained the seats (Walnut).  We also lowered the chandelier.  A new rug was in order, too.  I love the one that Karianne (from her fabulous blog, Thistlewood Farm) has in her kitchen, and she was kind enough to share where she bought it (Home Decorators) ... thanks again, Karianne! 

I later decided to add "Bessie Mae" (from our dining room) on top of the new rug.

 

We also added microfiber parsons chairs to the heads of the table for added interest, along with French down pillows (from Home Goods).  Annnd, I simply couldn't resist the beautiful fabric that you now see framing the windows.  Afterall, it *does* tie in nicely with the chairs and pillows ... right, right??

 

 

We also had fun with the dry bar, too, by adding beadboard to the backsplash:

A few Fall embellishments were in order, too:

 

 

We're really enjoying the new look!  Eventually, we plan on adding two more French Country chairs OR a bench ... decisions, decisions! 

 

As always, thanks so much for stopping by ... have a great weekend!

I'm linking up with:

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia/Tuesday's Treasures
Coastal Charm/Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
A Stroll Thru Life/Tabletop Tuesday
Savvy Southern Style/WUW
Kristen's Creations/Share Your Creations
French Country Cottage/Feathered Nest Friday
At the Picket Fence/Inspiration Friday
2805/Potpourri Party
Thrifty Decor Chick/Before and After Party
No Minimalist Here/Open House Party

 

Becca

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Hepplewhite ShieldBack Chairs

Oh how ugly and worn out these chairs came into my possession!


But I have given it away on what I did to them, haven't I?

I didn't want to paint them because...



These chairs are Antique Hepplewhite Shield-back solid mahogany chairs!










But, I didn't want to strip them and one of the chairs had a broken shield back and I knew I couldn't fix it to where it wouldn't be noticed with

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I WON a world map mural!

I won a world map wall mural from Stuff and Nonsense and was able to gift it to my daughter for her first home. Actually, it came from Wallpapered.com in London and there was a $60 shipping charge that the original winner didn't want to pay. So she offered it to me, the second winner! I put it up today on the wall behind my daughter Lisa's sofa and I think it looks great!




You may see some

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Minnesotan Ganesh Chaturthi....

I was overtaken by a huge wave of 'festive nostalgia' as I posted a photograph of our last years eco-friendly Ganesha on Facebook this morning. Instead of basking in it too long I decided to celebrate my favorite God and festival the Minnesotan way!

Rummaging through drawers I found a small packet of sandalwood powder tablets that I seem to have brought from India along with few incense sticks.

Thus in the late afternoon today in my kitchen I decided to mould my dear Ganesha with fragrant sandalwood powder, turmeric and water and captured the process to share with all of you.

The paste took form gradually...

...and a pebble forms His throne.

Peppercorns and cloves...

Vibrant colours enhance the features...

I 'paint my prayers' on a pebble and offer it to the Lord.

In the absence of my favorite Frangipanis I offer Him flora from here, a few pine cones, acorns and grass from my front yard.

Wishing all of you a very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi from Minnesota! May Lord Ganesha remove all your obstacles and shower his blessings on all of you!

P.S. The readers who entered in the Artnlight Blog Anniversary Giveaway, do stay tuned as Vineeta Nair announces the winner on 19th September, 2012.

(Images by Arch)

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The Cottage House, Minneapolis.

Our quest for finding the right kitchen table for our new home has yielded in some delightful treasures.

The Cottage House on Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis is one such.

Every month they open only for a couple of days unraveling some amazing vintage finds under different themes. This month it is French Country.

 The Cottage House owned by Ted & Tim has a team of designers who refurbish antique and vintage finds.

Funky yellow chairs hang from trees...

Chrysanthemums bloom along with whimsical metal blossoms...

Iron flower pot holders.

I stopped in my tracks at the entrance of The Cottage House when I saw this beautifully hand-painted floor poster  about Squashes.  I got to know later that Ted hand-paints the floors every month with different themes!

Ms. Ellie Rose English.

The peeling paint on the ceiling and the golden hue of the lit chandeliers was alluring...

The wooden shutters so reminded me of Calcuttan homes back in India.

This was one serene corner in the house.

Salvaged painted iron window grills.

Yes. Something I completely believe in.

It's a treasure trove for magical garden accessories.

Hand-painted brick flooring and a basket full of vintage crockery.

I longingly stood in front of this huge framed blackboard for a while and promised to come back soon for it:-)

A wonderful sunny Sunday spent in a delightful 'home decor market' called The Cottage House.

Do check out their website for their upcoming sale for October. You can also keep updated on their Facebook page 

(Images by Arch)

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