Boo, Easy & Fun Spooky Kitchen Decor

I fully believe that we should have fun with our decor, be playful and not take it too seriously. So, a couple wood, drawing figures from the thrift store have made their way into my kitchen decor this past year.

This smaller one is magnetic and hangs out on my kitchen cupboard hardware.

And this larger one hangs out on the counter by my vintage spice rack. I decide to give these two figures a makeover for Halloween. I started with very simple supplies that I had on hand.

I simply put the white muslin over each figure to make sure I was cutting the fabric long enough and then I rounded the corners, drew on a face with a sharpie, and tied the necks with black and white kitchen twine.

Ten minutes later I had a couple cute ghosts in my kitchen!

Now let's take bets to see how long until the hubby notices!

Remember to find the kid inside and have a little fun with your home styling!

Newly Sourced Items for a Cozy Home

My next POP-UP SHOP is October 18th and 19th and I am calling it "Cozy Home". 

As I shared recently, coziness is in the eye of the beholder. But, I look for certain items to create a cozy, personal space: warm colors, textures, organic elements, layers, and vintage, unique items. Here are some recently sourced, cozy home, decor items for my pop-up shop.

I wouldn't use ALL of these items together like this in the home, it is a bit too much and cluttered. But, I would put several of these items together. Also, some of these curated items still need upcycling and fixing. Keep reading to see the details.

This vintage art piece is really just a picture from a book. I found it loose in the basement of a thrift store and the owner gave it to me. Putting it in a fantastic, antique frame elevates it. The warm colors are perfect for fall. The bottles will both have bottle lights and the wood trough holds faux grapes that I will use in holiday arrangements.

The old wood wheel base will get a crate on it. The pom-pom pillow is just right for a chair to add a bit of color for fall or winter. The bird?? IDK. but I liked it and got a few of them. I washed the the wool rug and love the green in it.

The large, vintage pastel art with autumn trees reflecting in the water, needs a frame. The fall birch tree painting is an acrylic that I painted. The frame and matte for it came from the thrift store. The pastoral cow farm print is so warm and the burnt orange candlestick adds height and rich color to a space. The leather 8mm camera case may get flowers in it.

The cozy blanket is so warm and cozy and washed up beautifully. The unique bench or stool will get refinished and recovered. I loved its unique shape. An olive green basket holds small pumpkins.

The wool pillows not only introduce lovely fall colors, they are 100% wool, a fantastic organic element in home decor.

I absolutely so enjoy sourcing and curating goods for my shop and I am always so happy when I can help my friends and customers create cozy personal home spaces that they love.

Thrift Store Sofa Table Makeover

It seems harder and harder to find good, solid, used furniture pieces to makeover. So, when I do spy one at a good price, I most often buy it. Such was the case with this solid wood sofa table at the thrift store. (This was quite the cart load as I spied and bought a card rack for a friend who makes and sells cards.)

You can maybe see in the above photo that it had a dark line down the middle where it looks like something sat that got too hot.  I decided to sand the top down to the raw wood and paint the legs.

I did give the legs a rough sanding before painting the legs a sage green color. These tables are great pieces behind couches or sofas (thus the name) to hold lamps, books, and other decor items. 

The skinny width means the table doesn't get in the way. These tables also work great in entryways for a spot to drop off keys and mail.

I finished the table with two coats of MinWax Polyacrylic in a matte finish. 

I like the straight lines on this table. It is a piece that works in so many spots in the home and I am glad I was able to save it from the thrift store. 

Autumn Entryway

With the cool, rainy weather we have had this week, I have definitely been in the mood to add some simple autumnal touches to our home. Today, I fallified the entryway to create a cozy and inviting space.

Keep reading to learn about the details.

A fall painting that I painted replaced the flower painting that has been sitting here since spring. A thrifted, velour pumpkin, and a flannel shirt in fall colors add cozy textures.

A faux orange flower stem was added to the antique gold growler jug that sits in the other corner of the entryway shelf. 

An antique, water damaged photo that looks spooky to me was added, along with a vintage needlepoint piece on browns and oranges. The old, brass school sits next tot he baskets and photo.

My statue head that usually has a mossy brain is now sporting a fall floral skull. I thrifted the velvet tapestry last year. I love the colors in it and the warm texture it incorporates into the space. The yellow or gold thrifted pillow is also velvet. Textures and different materials keep a space from looking too flat and really help to make it feel cozy.

My goal for my entryway is to not only provide a practical space for guests, a place to sit to put on shoes and somewhere to hang coats, but to also welcome guests into my home with a cozy, warm feeling. Oh, and the seasonal decor that I am not currently using gets stored in the gold, metal suitcase that sits under the bench.

Fall Decor Upcycled from the Thrift Store

 OOPS, I did it again, I bought a thrift store wreath, deconstructed it, and upcycled it into fresh, fall decor!

I am sharing TWO projects I made for fall with thrift store finds. First off, let me tell you deconstructing these wreaths is messy business. If you can work outside, do. I sat down in the middle of my family room floor and did it. At lest the wood floor was easy to sweep. 

The first project I created was with this hammered copper pot. I think it is a hot cocoa pot missing its lid. But, I love copper for fall ad thought of a few different ways to use it. I decided for now to use it as a container for a fall centerpiece or arrangement.

I used the yellow and faded pink flowers, some sticks, and the straw from the wreath. 

Using both natural and faux elements gives the arrangement a more realistic look. I also used the fuzzy, stringy, vine things and a just a few of the burgundy eucalyptus leaves (I threw most of the eucalyptus leaves away--they were tired and dated). I did put a floral foam block in the copper pot to hold the stems.

A long, velvet ribbon tied to the handle finishes this piece.

This centerpiece is smaller so it looks great on a shelf, entry table, coffee table, or breakfast table.

For the next project, I completely cleaned up the wreath and added thrifted, fall stems.

I also used some of the yellow flowers that were originally on the wreath. TIP: cut apart bouquets to mix up fake flower bundles.

I put stems together , with more on the bottom half, wiring them with floral wire as I went.

I then hot glued some jute or rope around the middle of the bundle to hide the wire. 

I wired the stems onto the wreath and then made a "bow" with strands of velvet ribbon and jute twisted onto the fall florals and wreath with the wire.

The wreath is cleaner, neater, and fresher!

It is perfect for hanging on a door or a porch chair or on a hook in an entryway!

Keep your eyes open at the thrift store for wreaths and other fall foliage that yo can repurpose and upcycle into something new to you!

DIY Witch Broom From a Thrift Store Wreath

Yesterday I shared this thrift store wreath that I deconstructed.

I took it completely apart and made a centerpiece with some of the faux stems.

I was left with a rather wild and unkept wreath.

I cut the wire that was holding the wreath together, grabbed a dead branch from the yard, and made a spooky, wild, witch's broom.

I used the wire that held the brush to the wreath form and securely wrapped it around the branch.

This is such a fun decorative piece for fall. It is fun propped in a corner on a front porch or can hang on a wall or door. The scrappy, dark colored brush is perfect for any witch!

Upcycling a Thrifted Fall Wreath

When I spied this wreath at the thrift store for $3, I knew I could do something with it. 

After taking it apart, I had 16 pumpkins (!), several leaf stems, white berry stems, straw picks, and a great wreath. I ill show you tomorrow what I am doing with the wreath.  I also thrifted a $2 vintage gravy boat with a fall motif.

I combined some of the faux stems and pumpkins with the gravy boat to create a centerpiece perfect for the fall season.

I used a floral foam block to secure the stems. I started with three smaller pumpkins and then added the foliage around those.

The mix of colors and different leaves adds interest and texture to the centerpiece.

This smaller sized centerpiece is perfect for a coffee table, a shelf, or a smaller dining table. 

The centerpiece will work great in the home throughout the entire fall season.

I put the extra pumpkins and leaves from the wreath in a 99 cent thrift store basket for now. They will probably get painted and used for other projects.

I think the white berries will be used for Christmas decor and the straw picks may show up in a scarecrow project.

Remember to see the possibilities when thrifting. The craft supplies that I garnered from a $3 wreath would have cost $30+ brand new. Not only did I save money, but I saved something from the landfill as well.