Fall Fun

Happy Hump Day! Are you ready for Halloween? I'm not sure what is happening with trick-or-treating tomorrow. The forecast is not good... 90% chance of rain. Boo!

Our side porch is ready for trick-or-treaters...

And the ghosts have reappeared...

We went to Chicago a couple of weekends ago for the kids' Fall Break. On the way there, we stopped at Fair Oaks Farm in Fair Oaks, Indiana.

We took the kids to the birthing barn, and we were able to see 3 calves being born. Twin girls...

which is pretty rare. Only 6% of the pregnancies result in twins. And, this big boy...

who weighed 110 pounds. The poor mama! It took 2 men pulling with all their might to get him out. One of the workers said this was the biggest calf he'd seen. And, there are calves being born every half hour at this place!

This was such an amazing thing to witness. I highly recommend Fair Oaks Farm if you ever find yourself in Northern Indiana. Their grilled cheese sandwiches and milk shakes are darn good, too. :)


Last weekend, I took my 13 year old to Nashville, TN. His band played an acoustic set downtown on Broadway and made $185 in an hour. Not too shabby :)

(The kid with the sax is mine.)

They played at Pumpkinfest in Franklin, TN on Saturday. It was a really cool festival with food, music, games, and vendors. I bought myself some "utensil" jewelry. 

A ring and a bracelet made out of 1930s spoons... love!

In between running kiddos around the country, I'm working on a few decorating projects. I'll share soon. 

Have a safe, dry Halloween. Hope you get lots of treats!!

Updating an Old Picture Frame

The other day I came across my son's preschool picture from last year. I had intended to frame it, but since he's the 4th child, his picture ended up in a stack of papers stashed away in a closet. I know. He will need therapy someday. I haven't been in the running for mother-of-the-year for a long time.

Anyway, I decided to assuage my guilt and frame my poor baby immediately. I found an old picture frame (stashed away in another closet). The frame was dark and outdated, so I decided to give it a little facelift.

In my haste, I forgot to take a "before" picture, but you can get the idea from the "during" photos.

Dark wood, leaf pattern around the edges...

I painted the outer edge with ASCP "Old White" and the inner part with "Louis Blue."

I rubbed a little dark wax over the top.

And voila... my son's sweet face is out of the closet and on display!

I love using chalk paint for quickly updating outdated accessories. I need to go see what else is hiding in my closets.

What are you up to this weekend? I'm heading down to Nashville, TN with my 13 year old son. His band is playing a couple of gigs there. I'm hoping to squeeze in a little antique shopping in our free time. Planning to go to City Farmhouse in Franklin. If you know of any other places I should check out, please let me know!!

Pink & Gold Pumpkin

I realize pink is not a traditional Fall color. But, I couldn't resist painting a pumpkin in one of my favorite color combinations... pink, gold and white.

I used acrylic craft paint on a faux pumpkin. I'm not spending all that time painting just to toss out a pumpkin when it rots :)

Are you painting pumpkins this year?

Updated Cabinet Hardware

Changing hardware is one of my favorite ways to get an updated look for a small amount of cash.


Yesterday I replaced the shiny 80's brass "colonial" cabinet pulls on the built-in hutch in my dining room. This is what I started with...

Enter these pulls ...

I ordered them from coolknobsandpulls.com. They were the right size to fit the holes, and were a bargain at $2.74/piece + free shipping. I had seen similar ones for upwards of 20 bucks.

I like the more sleek, modern look with the warmer gold tone.

The new pulls are also longer and more substantial than the old ones.

Just a small change that puts a big smile on my face :)

How I Found My Style Sundays

Happy Sunday! I'm over at From My Front Porch To Yours for How I Found My Style Sundays. Pamela invited me to share my style story, and I don't think you want to miss it.

It might involve red shag carpet and a doll with a swiveling head. Confused? Head over to Pamela's to see what I'm talking about.

Thanks, friends! Hope you're having a fabulous weekend.

Dining Chair Slipcovers

I am on a serious mission to complete my dining room. And, today I am one step closer!

New slipcovers are finally in da house!!

You may recall that the chairs originally looked like this...

They are Ethan Allen, and I found them at a consignment shop. I always intended to have slipcovers made. It just took me awhile.

The fabric is 100% cotton (Diversitex Prairie) from fabric.com.

Mary Ann from Classic Casual Home wrote a great post about slipcovers HERE. I've referred to it several times.

I took Mary Ann's advice and pre-washed the fabric to prevent shrinkage. Let me tell you... washing 11 yards of fabric is no easy feat. Mary Ann's workroom does it for her. Mine did not.

I ended up sweet-talking a local dry cleaner into washing it in an industrial sized washer for me. When I picked it up, he was none-too-happy that he only quoted me $20.  Oops! :)


I'm so thankful to be able to cross this off the to-do list. My window treatments are being made now, so hopefully, the final reveal will happen soon! Stay tuned...



Sharing at Wow Us Wednesdays, Tuesday's Treasures

Craigslist Find: Love It or Leave It?

I was checking out Craigslist today (hoping my dream china cabinet would magically appear) when I spotted an ad for this vintage lawn furniture ...

Do you see the potential?



Maybe this will help...

Designer Krista Ewart via House Beautiful

I'm digging it! If you're in Indy, you may want to snatch it up. 12-piece set: $550

Have you found anything cool on Craigslist lately?

Modern and Fresh Fall Home Tour

Good Monday morning!

I want to thank Kristen and Lindsay for inviting me to be part of their Fall Home Tour series. So many inspiring bloggers are part of this series, so be sure to check them out. Yesterday, Julia knocked it out of the park with her creative and creepy Halloween decor.

I love Fall and everything associated with it... jeans and boots, a crackling fire, the smell of cinnamon, a cozy throw, football, soup, hayrides, pumpkin farms, apple picking, cool air and changing colors.

Fall is the perfect time to cozy up our home by adding some elements from Mother Nature.

Pumpkins, dried hydrangeas, a painted gourd and some birch logs add texture around the fireplace.

I love clipping branches from the yard and bringing them inside.

In the living room, I simply added cable-knit pillows, some stacked books and more pumpkins.

Thank goodness for small, white pumpkins. They go with any decor and can be stashed anywhere.

Thanks to its earth tones, our side entry lends itself well to Fall decor.

I keep it pretty inexpensive and uncomplicated using pumpkins and branches again.

Since we're talking about "fresh" Fall decorating, I thought I'd take advantage of Fall's fresh air and create an outdoor gathering space to enjoy a glass of wine with friends.

I simply gathered some items from around the house and brought them outdoors to create a cozy, comfortable, alfresco Fall table.

An old rug was the perfect size for a tablecloth, and gives off a boho chic vibe.

You can't go wrong decorating with nature.

"Shut the Box"... my kids' favorite after-dinner game :)

In case anyone wants to do a little light reading about hunting... ha! :)

Lindsay and Kristen... did you notice I have a glass of wine waiting for you? Cheers to you for coordinating this fun series, and allowing me to share how I cozy up our home for Fall.


I hope you all will visit Jennifer at The Chronicles of Home tomorrow to see what fabulous Fall ideas she has in store for you.

The line-up for the month of October ...

1 – Kristen and Lindsay 

2 – Sarah from Sarah M. Dorsey Designs

3 – Gabbi from Retro Ranch Reno

4 – Brittany from Brittany Makes

5 – Jesse from Scout & Nimble

6 – Julia from Cuckoo 4 Design

7 – Carolyn from Sweet Chaos Home

8 – Jennifer from The Chronicles of Home

9 – Bethany from Dwellings by Devore

10 – Carmel from Our Fifth House

11 – Kristin from The Hunted Interior

12 – Annekke from This That & Life 

13 – Michelle from Décor and the Dog

14 – Cassie from Primitive & Proper

15 – Ally from From the Right Bank

16 – Shannon from Shannon Berrey Designs

17 – Danika from Gorgeous Shiny Things

18 – Kristin from Bliss at Home

19 – Jenna from Rain on a Tin Roof

20 – Jessica from Dear Emmeline

21 – Kelly from View Along the Way

22 – Sarah from Lacquer and Linen

23 – Eileen from A Creative Day Blog

24 – Sarah from Royal Marigold

25 – Lori from Lori May Interiors

26 – Jennifer from Dimples and Tangles

27 – Caitlin from Desert Domicile

28 – Sherry from Design Indulgence

29 – Lakeitha from Lakeitha Duncan Lifestyle Blog

30 – Shavonda from A Home Full of Color and Whitney from The Curtis Casa 

31 – Angela from Number Fifty-three and Jennifer from Brave New Home