Carving Pumpkins

Last weekend when the fam was over for Harvest Dinner, Nana was kind enough to provide pumpkins for all of us to carve.

Yes that's Larry and Eugenia in the background. They don't have any fall clothing, or summer for that mater. They have been hanging out au natural. Perhaps they need some camo since goose season is open..

Some of us were to busy watching foot ball to bother with pumpkins. Or don't like to touch the gooey insides (Mr. B).

This belongs to the self proclaimed un-crafty sista.

Can you tell what it is?

 

Not a bad cat for an un-crafty carving free hand.

DIY Planter Box Centerpiece and Burlap Runner

As promised, more details on the burlap table runner and planter box centerpiece.

I've been seeing allot of this look on Pinterest; I thought it would would be perfect for our ginormous table. And this was totally something I could do on the cheap for our dining room. 

I bought a few 1x4s and gave my basic instructions to Mr. B of what I  wanted, I was going to do it myself but no sooner would I have gotten the out the saw and stated my first cut then he would have rushed it to do it for me. I was saving us a step. I asked him to build me a three sided box with a bottom that was 38ish inches long and primitive, no fancy mitered corners etc.

He got it spot on. He filled in the screw holes and gave it a quick sand. Then that's were I come in. I picked up some of the sample size jars of paint in the oops section, fifty cents a piece, total score! So I had a shade of white and a rust color. Using mainly white with just a tiney-tiny corner of my brush in the rust to give it some depth and antique-y look, I gave it a few coats of paint. Then I took the sander and roughed it up along the edges. Finally I took some stain and went heavy on the exposed wood and gave the rest of the paint a wipe down with it, you know to complete the aged look. 

I filled it with a garland of leaves and some blue mason jars. I filled the jars with corn. Everyone has a 50lb bag of whole kernel corn laying around their house don't they? If you don't I suggest you run off to your nearest farm supply store and purchase one. Best $11 investment; you never know when the need might arise. You know to feed your critters, make bags for corn hole toss, or use in your totally amazing fall centerpieces. Once the jars were filled I topped them each off with a tea-light to complete the look. 

As far as the table runner. It is as simple as cutting your burlap to size and gently fraying the edges. Easy-peasy. I do have a bit left over. I bought three yards so my runner would be a continuous strip (my table is 8 feet long, three yards is 9 feet, 6 inches of over hang on either end). It comes in 40 inch widths and I only needed it a foot long. I better start stalking Pinterest for some more crafts.

Autumn in the Dining Room

After three years in our house, I decided it was time to start decorating for the seasons. I started to to this last winter with my giant snow flakes and sweater pillows. But I haven't done anything seasonal since then. The Harvest Dinner this past weekend gave me some motivation. I decided to stick with one room, baby steps people. I can't go all out at once and have my entire house festive including the bathroom towels, you know who I'm talking about Mary. I decided to tackle the dinning room. It was a harvest dinner, the main event would be eating. 

With out further ado I give you the end result.

Fall vignette set up on the buffet, check.

Bunting banner over the mirror, check.

Handmade farmhouse table, check.

Restyled thrift store chairs, check.

Burlap table runner and rustic centerpiece, check. (more on this tomorrow)

Take that Pinterst!

Catching Up

It's been awhile. Like almost two weeks awhile. It's not that I have nothing to share with you. Oh there has been lots happening around here. Mr B and I have been busy turning our to do-list into a to-done list. I haven't had the camera out, nor the ambition to write something. It seems like we have been go go go from the time we get home till the time we go to bed. But now that the list is relatively small I think we shall be able to catch up on things.

You see my family was here Sunday for a 'Harvest Dinner' and I can get slightly neurotic about having people over. Let's just say I was barely holding it together on Friday night, then the drill slipped and I caught my finger. Full out sob fest. Like sitting on the floor balling my eyes out snot running out of my nose holding my wounded finger. All the while Mr. B is calmly sweeping up letting me cry it out. That man is my rock, I don't know what I would do without him. But let's keep that between you and me. OK. Don't worry I pulled my self together, almost to lose it Sunday morning frosting a cake, that in Mr. B's words we were just going to cut and eat any way. But I wanted it to look like the picture, not the corners crumbling in, barely held together by sticky gooey icing. I want everything to be perfect. I blame my mother, but mainly pinterest, and the create channel. 

While I sit here now eating my beets. (yes just a bowl of beets for dinner. I truly am becoming my mother) You know I had a nice pail of the last of the garden put together Saturday. It was sitting outside by the garden. All I could think about at work today was coming home and having fresh garden beets. While silly me I shouldn't have left it all outside. The geese got to it. Don't tell but I scavenged the pile to find a few beets that hadn't been chewed on. They are delicious. Now wonder the geese and probably the squirrels like them. 

But any way, sitting here eating by beets it all seems trivial. My family isn't going to care if my registers are painted oiled bronze including the screws, or my fall vignette is set up. Nope not one bit. So guys thanks for coming Sunday and not minding that I never got around to scrubbing the toilet!! 

Trio

Over the weekend our quartet of geese became a trio. We came home Friday evening after an enjoyable family dinner to find we were missing a goose. We did a quick scan of the yard hoping the missing bird was hiding somewere. 

Not so, Arlo is no longer with us.

He has been burried in the goose graveyard, near the apple trees. Several of his flight feathers have been added to the memeoral with all the other geese I have loved and lost.