Plastic Pumpkins Go Glam

I realize that painting plastic pumpkins is not a new and exciting idea 

but this turned out pretty cute 

and took about 5 minutes so I thought I would share.

We had an event at church and I wanted some Fall-ish decor

 but I wanted something a little different and fun.

And very inexpensive.

I bought plastic pumpkins for a dollar. 

(I saw them at the thrift store today for a quarter 

so you could really create these for a bargain.)

 I used my favorite gold spray paint to change their look from plastic orange to classy gold. 
It is amazing what gold spray paint can do!

 Then I drilled a hole in the bottom the same size as a bamboo garden stake I already had. 
Make it a snug fit.
 I pushed the pumpkins on to the stake and used a little bit of black tape to wrap around the stake right under the pumpkin so it would not slide down. I used a 1/2 inch wide strip so it blends in with the bamboo markings. 

Then I went to Lowe's near the house and bought all the clearance mums they had!
I paid a dollar per mum so this was a pretty big look for not much money. 
Everyone kept talking about how fun they were and because they were so inexpensive we put them everywhere and then I sent them home with the volunteers at the end of the event!

Everyone had a big smile on their face!

ORC Pre-Party...

Here's a little One Room Challenge Recap:
If you aren't familiar, the One Room Challenge is a blogging event that takes place biannually. Within a five week  period those participating completely transform a space and give weekly updates on the progress. The sixth Thursday is the Big Reveal!! 

My first ORC was also my most recent ORC.

Wait, what?

I really had no idea what I was jumping in to when I did my first ORC- our Guest Bedroom. I never quite "finished" it so I went back last Spring and crossed the T's and dotted the I's.

Spring 2017 One Room Challenge:

Here it was after the first time it was an ORC room:

I definitely "punched things up" the second time around. It just needed a little more attention!

My Fall 2016 One Room Challenge was our Master Bathroom:

It was all about the coral faux bamboo china cabinet.

(You have a china cabinet in a bathroom?  Yep!)

And before the Master Bathroom I redid our Library.

 It was formerly the Dining Room

 but turning the room in to a Library several years ago made the room more useful for us.

Spring 2016

It's all moody and glossy black with lots of bamboo and blue and white touches.

The only room in our house that doesn't have white walls!

Before the Library ORC, Mollie and I did a Mother-Daughter ORC project and gave her bathroom the bohemian chic look she loves.

So this is from Fall 2015 One Room Challenge:





And Spring of 2015 the One Room Challenge was the Guest Bedroom which was the most recent ORC as well. 



The One Room Challenge is a great motivator.
 Jump in if you are thinking about it- You'll have a fresh new room for the holidays.
Most of the time there is a lot of support via positive comments on your posts
 (last time was sadly not the case but I'm back anyway!!)

I'll see you on Thursday with the "reveal" of what room I've chosen for my 6th ORC!!

The Little Gold Nativity Ornaments

Mollie and I wanted a little surcie

 (Surcie: Definition (n): word used in the South to mean a small, thoughtful gift, unexpected gift, just because.)

for the guests at our Ladies Christmas Brunch

 that we hosted at the beginning of December.

This is what we decided on...

A little handmade Nativity ornament.

We needed to make quite a few so something we could mass produce was key.

We started out with a 4x4 canvas from Dick Blick.

I drew these free hand but you could trace pencil lines or even use a stencil. 

This is just white glue. Plain old Elmer's or something equivalent to that. 

Practice on a scrap of paper to get the feel for the flow and line consistency. 

Then just draw your image on your little canvas and let it dry completely.

Then we chose to spray paint ours with our favorite gold spray paint that we have talked about here and here and here.

I glued a little gold ribbon hanger on the back.

I love cello bags ( which I order from Nashville Wraps)

 so we packaged them up,

 put them in a bamboo basket on our doorside bamboo cart,

 and handed them out with a hug as our guests left!

Five Dollar Santa and a Can of Spray Paint.

I bought this Santa at Goodwill for $4.94.

In October.

He is almost my height.

(Which is not saying a lot.)

  

And then I decided to spray paint him.

(I almost forgot to take a pic - I had already started!)

And now he is as good as gold!

He's either really awesome
 or I've lost it and he's on the front porch looking like a giant foil wrapped chocolate.

He's at his best at night!

Whose sweet face is that looking out the door at the lights?

We are waaaaay up on the hill. 

We didn't get the greenery on the picket fence this year.

 Last year we didn't get the lights on - just the greenery.

 Maybe next year. 

Fall 2016 ORC - Week 2

I'm working on  our Master Bathroom as we discussed last week.
And I have the greatest inspiration pic - do look back at it!!

What IS going on in there right now?
Anything? Nothing? 
What's going? What's staying?

Black and White tile floor.

Staying.
This photo with the black and white tile floors and white wall. And palms. Love it.

Actually a lot is staying or not changing.
Keeping the floor and the cabinets, the layout, etc.
This is really just an attempt to update and decorate a bit but no major remodeling changes. 
#workwithwhatyouhave

Fabulous Faux Bamboo China Cabinet turned linen closet.
Staying. Definitely staying.

This is the "before" discolored yellowy finish.

I actually started painting the cabinet and it's the best coral-y color ever!!

 It's Ravishing Coral by Sherwin Williams.

 It was September's Color of the Month

 but that has not stopped me from using it in October!!

Like, I could eat it with a spoon.

Since the cabinet has glass doors, which I love, I have been searching the thrift stores for vintage bamboo and wicker storage containers like this suitcase.
 I'm using them to hide anything and everything.

It's not the final "zhush" of the inside but I have found some great bamboo and wicker suitcases and none of them were over $4.00 at the thrift stores!!

You may remember the gold pineapple not-really-a-DIY!!

I found a pair of bamboo mirrors  in a thrift shop in Charleston last Thanksgiving.
 They are finally going to take their rightful place above the vanity.

Do I have bamboo mirrors in all of my other bathrooms?
 Yes. Is that a problem? Not for me! 
Can you have too many bamboo mirrors? I can't.
 Do I hoard them? Yes. Especially pairs.

(These pictures are like airing our dirty laundry for all to see. Yikes!)

I also have that large mirror in there now in a deep coral . I hope it stays. 

There is a white garden stool next to the tub. I think it's staying.

I have a lot of beachy art that isn't hanging anywhere right now so I think a gallery wall is a possibility above the tub. It'll  be interesting when (and if) I soak in the tub.

Or maybe a cleaner look with a large black and white photo.

Or single piece of art.
#obviouslyundecided

I have a metal hanging shelf. 
It may be staying or it may be replaced by a bamboo one. 

The walls are white. Staying white.

The  Master bathroom ceiling is already a very pale turquoisey blue. It's a Lowcountry thing. And it's staying.

This room. The ceiling is only part of the fabulousness!


via

We have shower doors.
 They are staying but I hope a shower curtain is coming to hide them.


(I think I could DIY a handpainted shower curtain. Palms. Or blue coral. Hmmm)

or
maybe banana leaves....



or classic white with a monogram is always. always fabulous.



So many possibilities.
And in the case of this long neglected bathroom, anything will be an improvement.

Be sure to check out all of the amazing design work taking place on all the other blogs by visiting Calling It Home Blog. 

All images via my Pinterest pages or photos taken by me!

Reveal: Black Is Back Library One Room Challenge!

I'm late posting and super impressed with the 150+ bloggers who posted bright and early on "reveal day."

I hope you like the quote above and I hope you agree that while the post is late,

The Black Is Back Library did not arrive "ugly!!"

At least we don't think so.

We are #obsessed.

Some things changed, some got dropped, some evolved,

but let's face it, at my house everything is a work in progress... including me!

Enough with the chatting.

Here goes photo overload.
(and this room was tough to photograph - it doesn't get much sunlight and it was pouring rain when I finally got it together to take some pics. 
Oh well, #cozy )

The walls were already black (and it was a Dining Room in it's previous life.)
They have been black for over 10 years. In a house with white walls everywhere else!
But I painted the trim, including window trim,
 the same glossy Sherwin Williams Tricorn black.
#gamechanger

Everything is black including the bookshelves.



The view into the Library from the front door!

There was a plan for a certain art project to hang above the family heirloom desk.
 It didn't happen yet so the big gold frame is going to hang there for a while until art happens.
 It's kind of like the unfinished portrait of George Washington except way less impressive.

Well, the unfinished part is the same :)

We had the books but pretty much everything else was thrifted!! I know, right?

We painted the existing chandelier a fabulous Rustoleum pinky-coral and updated it with round bulbs.

The zebra rug from the original plan was awesome but Mollie and I found this rug a few days ago and she said, "Get it now. It's perfect for the room!!"

 I did not know that the coffee table or the bamboo bench would end up in this room until one week ago today. They just worked and both were currently homeless and needing new spots in the house. Who knew?
#usewhatyouhave

And a little teaser of how cozy it will be to read a good book in front of the fire 

when Winter rolls around again!

 These bookcases are meant to house our books but they also work as my command center to handle all the details and mounds of paper that are part of everyday life. The bamboo office organizer and baskets were bought at thrift and consignment shops to hold all of our "stuff" in an attractive way.
So our shelves aren't just for books or shelfies - they are hard workers.

This chairs' seat fabric was inspired by the "palm leaf trend"
(I'm  always about palm leaf fabric trend or not!) all over One Kings Lane  right now. 
And by the fact that I already had it and have dragged it out for 2 previous ORC's. #usewhatyouhave

The curtains are a Bermuda Triangle type event where bad math done while rushing through a store, IKEA curtains that shrunk unevenly and blue ikat fabric that I already had intersected. Even though the bottoms were supposed to be the coral buffalo check I am very pleased with the post- Bermuda Triangle curtain disaster :)
#usewhatyouhave

I knew I wanted to cram the mantel full of blue and white but since each chair needed good reading light I knew a lamp would have to perch on the mantel as well. It is "camouflaged" with a new chinoiserie shade in blue and white!
#tricky

The chinoiserie pillows are made from fabric that I fell for at a local warehouse.

I wish the pictures really did this glossy black library justice but we love it and can't wait to use it on a regular basis. 
If anyone is interested in sources I'll be happy to post them soon. 
Whew!!!! This ORC is finally finished!

Thank you Linda for such a fun "challenge!!!"