ETSY!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I have opened a little Etsy Shop! 

I have a few fun Fall decorations up now, but will be adding as the season continues. I am also taking custom Bow orders for tree toppers, garlands, etc. for Christmas! 

Please take a moment to browse the shop! Everything is made by hand and made to order so if you have specific ribbon, colors, etc. please just let me know and I would be more than happy to make it for you! :) 

Here is my latest item! 

You may have seen these pumpkin toppers here too! 

There are just a few left!

You can order by email as well at kellymgoff@gmail.com

Thank you so much! :) 

xo, Kelly

making old new again...

We all have them laying around...and old piece of furniture that was handed down, is outdated, has sentimental value but just doesn't quite fit in your home as is, or even that one piece you have from college when you took just about anything you could get...Whats there to do with it?!?

Repaint, restain, redo! 

 I was asked to do "redo" this dresser for my sweet new nephew or niece due in the next few weeks! My sister in law found a great piece in Roudtop but baby blue wasn't going to work for her! She sent me a few inspiration pics and I started the search for paint.

Here is before:

It is hard to tell but this is baby blue chalk paint.

 This Annie Sloan paint was suggested, but I have used Sherwin Williams paint on some other pieces I have done so I went with the closest color I could find. I ended up using Functional Gray. After the 50 shades of gray saga I ended up having a sample can of that color and got started. 



You can see here where the gray started on the right.

When I was done painting with the flat gray I started with a decorative glaze on the drawers:


before (left) and after glaze (right)

After a few layers of glaze and destressing...

I am pretty pleased with the finish product! :) 

If you are interested in doing this yourself and have more questions or have a piece you would like help with please don't hesitate to ask! 

Happy Tuesday! 

black striped curtains

I have wanted black and white striped curtains for a while now! 

pinterest

Our bedroom is mostly black and white and I have never been able to find just the curtain that I wanted. I had seen horizontal stripes but never in black and white, there are plenty of vertical stripes but that wasn't for me, I am not the best seamstress so I couldn't sew the differnt colored fabrics together. I almost gave up and that is when I came across these painted IKEA drapes. I thought for sure I could do this and so I went and bought these inexpensive curtains knowing that if I totally bombed I wouldn't be out much money!

I started out making 14" stripes using painters tape.

I realized at about this point that I had not taken into consideration the tape and had to start over. Oops! Make sure when you are measuring out your inches that you measure from the top of tape not the bottom and take into account the tape when measuring :)

 Then onto drape two...

This part probably took the longest because I was trying to be exactly even with the first drape. In the big scheme of things it doesn't really matter all that much because if you are like me, you will never fully close the drapes therefore they will never be directly next to eachother. 

Now on to the fun part. Painting! 

I had some flat black paint in the garage I decided to use instead of going out and buying fabric paint. It turned out ok...a little hard, but it got the job done. I also applied the paint using a roller and a spounge brush for the edges. I was so so nervous that the paint was going to bleed through the tape, but it didn't!  It was easy, but time consuming! :)

Here is the finished project...

Betsey approves :) 

In the end for $50 I am VERY pleased with them! They really add to our room and I love having them to look at now! :) 

Happy Thursday! 

dining room transformation

When painting a room it is always a struggle to pick the right color - as seen here! But once that is done it is pretty much smooth sailing...most of the time. :) After the ease of painting the living room I decided I was ready to tackle our dining room. 

pre-move in from HAR

I knew I didn't want to paint it all one color so I started looking into wainscoting. 

I knew I wanted it to be white....

it to be chair rail height...

above photos all from Pinterest
...and for the walls above to be gray. 

After looking at a few how-to sites I just went for it - I measured the ceiling height (8' or 96") and divided it by 3 (2.7' or 32") and that is where I taped for the bottom half or really bottom third. (After reading the sites I totally thought this would be too low, but it isn't! Its a great way to decipher where to put the rail and I am so glad that I followed this rule of thumb.) I knew I didn't want to use the panels so I just went ahead and painted the bottom third white including the baseboards.

Next up was the crown molding...this part almost put me over the edge. I had to do FIVE coats of paint to get it to the bright white I wanted. It took FOREVER and a few nights. Oh and then once I taped it to paint the gray it peeled off and I had to paint it again...good times.

Then it was onto the fun part!...the Gray...I chose three colors to pick from - BM Kendall Charcoal, SW Dovetail, and SW Mindful Gray. I wanted it to be darker than the living room and lighter than the kitchen so Kendall Charcoal was immediately out and I thought Mindful Gray looked too much like the living room so we went with Dovetail. It is still a little darker than what I originally wanted, but I still love it's contrast with the white! 

The paint is not totally dry here so it looks a little sloppy. :)

Next we added the chair rail...

and the finished product...

We are so so happy with how it turned out! A little on the darker side, but it adds so much more character and interest to the room! I love it :) I plan to put a white plate collection on the blank wall above...to be continued...

Have a great week!

pumpkin topiary how-to

Many have commented on the pumpkin topiary from my previous post so I thought I would put the how-to from Southern Living. I wish I had taken pictures when I made it all those years ago, but their description below is pretty easy to follow and I added in my comments and updates in red. It is a pretty simple project and only takes about an hour or so once you have all of your supplies. 

What you will need:

3 craft pumpkins in graduating sizes

1 urn or container 

Drill & 2-3 spade bits

Fall garland/flowers and twine for your base

100 count strand of lights (you could do more, but do not do less)

2-4 yards of ribbon for the topper and swag

newspaper or peanuts  and cardboard for filling - only if your bottom pumpkin doesn't sit directly on the edges of the urn.

Pumpkins With Pizzazz

You'll need to stock up on extra candy--trick-or-treaters won't want to leave this enchanting display.|Julie Feagin Sandner

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For years, the grinning jack-o'-lantern has graced front porches across the South, heralding fall and Halloween. This year, put a twist on this tradition with stylish topiaries.

The Basics
First, select a container for your topiary. We used urns, but clay pots would work just as well. (Be sure to weigh down the container with rocks or sand so it doesn't tip easily.) Choose a few nice, round pumpkins in graduated sizes. Make sure the largest one will fit snugly in your container. I used a black urn that I loved. My bottom pumpkin didn't sit directly on the edges so I filled it with newspaper and then used a piece of cardboard to "flatten" out the top so that the pumpkins could sit nicely on it. I also chose to use  craft pumpkins from Michaels in 3 varying sizes so that I could reuse the topiary from year to year.

Creating the Topiary
The center of the topiary should be open so that a single strand of lights can be woven throughout the arrangement. Prepare the base pumpkin as you normally would--cut the top off, and clean out the center; discard the top. Repeat these steps for the center pumpkin, cutting a hole in the bottom so it will rest securely on the base pumpkin. Prepare the top pumpkin by cutting a hole in the bottom only, and then cleaning out the center. It should fit on the center pumpkin. The pumpkins I bought had large holes in the bottom already so I didn't have to cut them and I left the tops on so that they would fit together better. You can easily use a drill and bit to cut out the bottom enough to sit niceley on top of the other pumpkins. It is also better to keep the tops on so that your lights stay in each pumpkin rather than all falling through to the bottom. 

A Little Power
Using a drill with a 5/16-inch drill bit, make holes in a random pattern over all three pumpkins. We used an apple corer for the larger holes. Once you have enough holes for the lights to shine through, it's time to add the final touches. I had my husband's help on this part. :). I drew on the pumpkins with a pencil where I wanted the small and large holes and then he came back with the drill and spade bits to make them. There was no pattern to it, just added here and there. (I would also take a look at the bits you have and choose two  sizes that you think look good - just don't go too big or too small - you need the light strand to go through the largest hole, but you don't want to be able to see the cords. - the spade drill bits are perfect for this as they create a perfect circle.)

Embellishments
Twinkle lights are a safe option for this topiary. Using a 100-count strand of lights, pull the cord through one of the larger holes in the base of the topiary. Spread lights evenly throughout the arrangement as you stack the pumpkins. (Tip: To secure, use florist tape between each layer.) Add a few branches of leaves or vine to the base to finish the arrangement. I started with the top pumpkin and filled it with lights then strung them down through the middle and then the bottom pumpkin. This is when I actually assembled the topiary. I balanced the pumpkins on top of one another, tested the lighting and then adjusted as needed (it is easy to pull the lights through if one pumpkin needs more light etc.) Once I had the lights the way I wanted I then superglued the pumpkins together so that they were secure. I used the remainder of the lights that were hanging from the bottom pumpkin and strung them through the fall garland I placed at the bottom. The base is a good place to get creative. Add Fall flowers or "picks" to liven it up. I also added a bow and ribbon swag around mine this year to keep it fresh. 

"Pumpkins With Pizzazz" is from the October 2003 issue of Southern Living.

*Please feel free to post questions in the comments section and I will answer the best I can! Good luck and Happy Fall! 

Happy Tuesday! 

fall decor

YAY! It's officially Fall! 

I had so much fun starting to decorate the house for the new season. Chili is on the stove, pumpkin spice candles are lit, and the Halloween candy bowl is filled! Just love it all - now we just need another cool front -this morning was ahmaazing!

Here are a few pics of what I have done so far...

front gate wreath made by my talented Aunt Mel - she is super sweet and makes the cutest things :)

lit pumpkin topiary - I actually made this 4 years ago! I got the idea here and just love it. I added a new bow to it this year to spruce it up. My how-to is here!

corn husks with pumpkins - I decided to try out the corn husk idea this year and I love them! They just scream Fall and give great height :)

colorful pumpkins on an old wine crate  

corn husk detail - I added a bow (of course) and an autumn pick to dress them up

front yard - our standard monogram flag and pumpkins from The Round Top Collection 

back door wreath - this was just a plain fall wreath and I added pumpkin picks and big brown bow

buffet

buffet detail

That's it for now! I will continue to add here and there in the coming weeks, but it's a good start! 

Happy Fall and have a great week! 

wreath alternative

In our new house we have double entry doors and I didn't really want to do the whole double wreath thing. I love to have something fun and inviting at the front door so I started my search for flat back baskets! When we were in North Carolina this summer I nearly screeched when I found these!

bad iphone photo...sorry!

All I had to do was add flowers! Although mine are a little subdued now, I can't wait to decorate them for each of the seasons.

I just love flowers in a basket! Here are a few other pics of other pretty arrangments in hanging baskets and tins:

 I found a few alternative containers that you can purchase online:

               

Kirklands

World Market

Primitive Country

Originally the idea came from fellow blogger Tell it to your neighbor! Thank you Erica for the great idea!

Happy Wednesday!