Thankful at Home Tour

Does the idea of planning your Thanksgiving holiday have your feathers ruffled?
Join us for a tour of twenty five inspiring blogs celebrating a season of Thankfulness with their favorite projects, recipes, decor and more, all while keeping the simple spirit of the holiday in mind!

A Special Thanks to Kelly of My Soulful Home and Julie of lilacs and Longhorns for putting this tour together!

Tour Schedule

Monday

savvy southern style

finding home 

lilacs and longhorns

The Inspired Room

the crafty woman

Tuesday

Stone Gable
Debbiedoos

What Meegan Makes

Maison de Pax

Confessions of a Plate Addict

Wednesday

Thistlewood farms

Eclectically Vintage

My Soulful home

Cedar Hill farmhouse

Southern Hospitality

Thursday

the Lilypad Cottage

a little claireification

Fresh Idea Studio

Pennywise (that's Me!)
the Rustic Pig

Friday

Housepitality Designs

Mom 4 Real

Country Design Style

The Everyday Home

Unskinny Boppy

and the winner is....

Recently I was delighted and honored  to be awarded the "blogger to blogger" Leibster award by the charming blog The Eclectic Shorebird. This award specifically recognizes and helps promote  those blogs currently with smaller followings.

In keeping with Liebster tradition it's now my turn choose creative and unique blogs that have been inspirational to me but might still be undiscovered by many. My first award recipient is the enchanting Botanic Bleu.

I knew I'd adore Judith's blog when I popped over to her site and was greeted with a most sublime photo of a charming outdoor table set with delightful objects and mismatched chairs all with a seemingly effortless and very French flair. Just the way I would outfit my (dream) house in Province.

Botanic Bleu brims with charming ideas, travel tips (she could write a book on Paris), holiday ideas (she has a special fondness for Christmas) and tutorials for crafts and projects that add that je ne sais quoi to your life and home.

Judith is also a shop owner (sadly I'm no where near Texas) and seamlessly combines her blogging and retail talents in a wonderful resource for design inspiration dedicated to living every day with joy and grace.

Here are just few teasers

beautiful French inspired Fall Vignette

September's Vintage Bird Prints

Indulge in delightful armchair travels and exquisite photography in her series 

A Moment in France

Part of the award involves a series of get to know you questions which the recipient will answer in an upcoming acceptance post and though I am no Barbara Walters he's a go:

How did you come to start your
Blog?

If you could meet one person from history, who would it be?

What's your favorite flower?

Your favorite book?

What four words best sum up your style?

If your life was a movie, which would it be?

Your favorite place to shop?

How do you de-stress from your busy schedule?

How would you spend a perfect day? 

Who inspires you?

For more inspired projects, lovely decor and general joie de vivre pop over and pay Judith a visit!

Nevermore.....

This time of year, I sometimes wonder if Edgar Allen Poe would be pleased that, more than 150 years later, his poem's namesake would be such a wildly popular Halloween accessory. 

Since I tend to embrace the eerier more mysterious side of the holiday, eschewing obvious ghoul and gore motifs, the raven is the perfect accent to lend a slightly spooky and otherworldly air to my decor. 

Last year I created a raven wreath so I thought I'd continue that theme this season with easy DIY accents featuring October's favorite feathered friend.

5 minute Raven Feather Globes

Seems the aisles of the craft stores are already filled with Christmas cheer so when I noticed the classic empty globe ornaments on sale, I figured I'd snatch up some early and put them to use before December rolls around.

I made two versions but there are infinite possibilities.

 For one, I popped in a printable raven image and feather and topped with a black bow. For the other I simply added a feather or two and topped with a gold ribbon and a printable "Nevermore". 
I rearranged the "fillings" carefully using a long skewer and suspended with fishing line.

Glass Globes,printout images, black feathers and assorted ribbon make up the supply list but glitter, beads or faux cobwebs would be fun too!

 made with images from the graphics fairy

Raven Cupcake Topper

A simple cupcake topper adorns store bought treats. 

Super Easy Supplies

Of course if unlike me you have a talent for baking, by all means use homemade cupcakes. I found black candy melts at my craft store and they are usually on sale around halloween.

I melted chocolate according to instructions and poured it into a ziplock baggie. (be careful it gets hot) After snipping a small hole in corner of thebaggie, I then traced free handed small ravens on wax paper (adding a "stem" to insert into cakes) 

I roughly outlined shaped on white paper and slid under wax paper as a guide. As always I made plenty of extras as these are very fragile and break easily when handled. When chocolate is completely cool carefully peel from back of paper. 

Have fun experimenting with words and shapes

Bon Appetite

I'm so delighted to be featured on
Rooted in Thyme's

Simple and Sweet Fridays!

Since PennyWise was brand new last October I thought I'd include

a quick Halloween Flashback

for Pennywise Readers who missed last year's post. Halloween Fun features the easy instructions

An easy DIY using Dollar store wreath and boas

A raven perches on white faux pumpkin which got a speedy makeover with temporary dollar store tattoos. 

A dollar glass globe becomes a crystal ball when filled with faux cobwebs and a flameless votive. Add a topper and set on a painted terra cotta saucer to complete the look. 

CPaul2013

Wishing Everyone A Magical Holiday!

Pet Ghost in a Jar

While October conjures up all things ghoulish, having grown up in the era of Casper the friendly ghost, the idea of spooky specters bopping about can sometimes posess a certain undeniable charm.
Recently a late night pet food run brought me to Walmart and walking passed the Halloween display, I saw an adorable 
Pet Ghost in A Jar. 
An online search found more delightful versions but with a price of $9.97-$29.99, I figured I'd scare up my own easy DIY version, with supplies I already have on hand. 

  Ghosts by Night or Day

You will need

Large clear jar or container

Fiberfill or faux cobwebs

Glow in the dark spray paint
a wire coat hanger 
(I used a white one leftover from the dry cleaner)

Scrap paper, paint, craft supplies, 
beads for eyes
flameless votive

Printables 

I painted the top and bottom areas of the jar with a brushed nickel paint which works on glass and covered the lid with paper.
 With a piece of coat hanger, form a spooky friend and attach to cardboard base so he stands upright without support. 

The creepy/cute label featuring a Victorian cemetery is from the The Graphics Fairy. I cut an opening in the center area large enough to easily see the ghost through the glass.

 Cover your pet ghost with fiberfill or cobweb, layering to camouflage the wire base. I added bead eyes and spritzed him with glow in the dark paint, using several light coats as not to flatten texture

I inserted silver tone scrap paper and propped it behind the ghost to help reflect light. I centered the opening of the label to highlight the ghost and glued it on.

 A cut section of paper plate serves as a support for a flame-less votive which when popped in upside down,  casts a fun light and is easy to turn on and off. I simply poked a hole for the "flame" to fit through and taped the paper on to the inside top of jar. Don't worry, it is camouflaged by the jar lid.

Display with eerie accessories

Old photographs and daguerreotypes are one of my favorite affordable thrift store finds and sometimes the "blooper" shots are the most interesting. Passing years have left this well dressed young lady with a ghostly countenance perfect for a Halloween vignette

Play with different vignettes: Though not spooky, per se, an owl adds a touch of mystery
  
*Just display out of reach of small kids or mischievous pets
My cats found this little ghost intriguing and were ready to pounce
Wishing everyone a Bewitching Holiday!

Blessing of the Animals

When Jeanette Chaney of Country Design Style suggested a group of pet-loving bloggers get together for an event benefiting shelter animals, I knew I'd want to be involved. 
Having lived with, and loved, many furry rescues over the years, this was a cause after my own heart. The tour involved shopping at a local thrift store which supports an animal shelter and creating a post about how you incorporated your item in your home. 

Sadly the nearest such store was a bit far away from me, but it just so happens there was a fundraiser at nearby Animals in Distress, (a local rescue sanctuary) where I was able shop the "flea-less" market, buy homemade treats and participate in the Blessing of the Animals in their wonderful facility, all proceeds benefiting their four legged friends.The delightful minister blessed the shelter residents as well as the visiting pets and the blessed furry friends received their own St Francis medal.

For more info on the tour and to see the schedule of bloggers click HERE

clockwise from top left: the shelter is nestled in a beautiful park-like setting; a pool for the animals' hydro therapy, Anton; now a happy rescue success; was brought to the shelter ill and unable to walk; in the lobby delightful pet themed goodies and handcrafts for sale all raise money for care of the cats and dogs.

A feline friendly kitty room with steps to a ceiling high glass enclosed kitty catwalk lets feline residents explore from above. Genius!

   

Boo Bear Blessing Keepsake

When our Boo Bear arrived one day in our yard, injured, aging and as we later discovered, deaf, we knew she was ours for keeps but she would need lots of extra TLC. Fortunately, she acclimated quickly to indoor life; she now rules the roost, demanding only certain flavors of food (salmon yes, flounder no), hogging the blankets and holding her own with four other very feisty felines. Though happy, advanced years and a rough start have brought on health problems, so I figured she'd be a good candidate for some divine intervention. Not keen on traveling, and to avoid any unnecessary trauma for all involved, I substituted her photo to be blessed in her absence.

Using the medal Boo Bear received, photos, scrapbook supplies and images from the Graphics Fairy, I decided to create a keepsake for my furry friend.

Shop windows, Venice Italy CPaul2013 background imageitalophiles.com

Just returning from Italy, I used the beautiful and whimsical dolls, cards and puppet theaters I saw there as inspiration. I found a small shop in a side street featuring everything cats! Cats!

I spray adhered the images to sturdier paper board and cut an opening out of the large image, creating a frame for a diorama, leaving about two inches on either side to fold back.

 I added some color accents to the frame image with light watercolor washes and painted in Boo's pupils to avoid a zombie look! 

With the magic of hot glue, I added feather wings and some accents to the frame. Layering the image of Boo with rolled up cardboard as a spacer, created a dimensional effect. I then simply glued the front and back together.

A simple white bow and faux pearl accent the medal

image Graphics Fairy

Though most notably associated with the feast of St. Francis, the Blessing of Animals is a tradition celebrated by animal lovers from a variety of faiths and cultures around the globe and often coincides with 

World Animal Day. 

Catnip tea anyone?

Cardboard Box turns Kitty Suite

  Crazy for Cats? Pop over and see more pet themed projects at   PennyWise's post from earlier this year  Creature Comforts