Thanksgiving Light

I'm so delighted to be included in the 
Thankful at Home Tour. 

From November 4th through the 8th, 25 bloggers will be sharing ways in which they add personal touches to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. Speaking of gratitude, a big thank you to Julie of Lilacs and Longhorns and Kelly of My Soulful Home for organizing this tour!

Don't Miss a thing! 
Click Here for a complete list of  participating blogs.

As part of the tour, I thought I'd share a quick and easy DIY that won't take too much time away from the turkey

While Thanksgiving is a holiday which focuses on traditions, sometimes adding a new element can create wonderful new memories to accompany the time honored turkey and pumpkin pie. 

With a few simple supplies you can add a little glow to your holiday decor while letting friends and relatives take a moment to express a personal timely message of thankfulness and maybe even start a new holiday tradition. 

You'll Need

Clear clean jars in any size or a variety of sizes

I had some mason jars and also reused tomato sauce and baby food jars (we had an aged cat who ate baby food) 

(*With baby food jars make sure votive fits properly inside some have smaller openings)

Assorted light colored scrapbook or white paper cut to the appropriate size(s)

Faux leaves, ribbon or twine

Decorative accents

Flameless votives

Basic art supplies

While kitchen duties, football, conversation and catching up often keep many revellers busy on Thanksgiving, a decorating station set up in a quiet area with precut paper strips and simple art supplies, allows guests to come and go and get creative at their own pace.

Laying a sheet of freezer paper down first prevents oopses on your furniture

I slipped a swatch of ivory burlap under the glass of a thrift store frame and penned a sharpie (easily erasable) message for inspiration.

In keeping with the season, I chose scrapbook paper with Autumn tones, family themes and nature inspired patterns

Oh so basic supplies include: sparkly gel pens, colored pencils, markers, scissors and glue sticks
tarnished pieces from an old tea set and a rustic basket keep supplies in easy reach.
Last years DIY burlap banner adds a festive touch

Simply have guests write their name,

date, and a quick word or phrase on the cut paper strips or let we artsy types create an image representing something we are grateful for, anything from serious or sentimental to silly. 

Once done, slip paper into the jar, pop in a flameless votive and replace lid. 

I spruced up the lids ahead of time with some simple faux leaves, rustic natural accents and hot glue and spritzed a few with hammered metallic spray paint

As daylight wanes and plates are cleared (weather permitting) lanterns can be displayed outside on a patio....

inside on a windowsill,

or mantel,

or hung from a porch or tree

If planning to hang lanterns you can place a loop of twine over jar opening and carefully screw on lid, securing in place or attach hanger using a strong glue or alternately wrap with wire.

Wishing Everyone a 

Wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!

and for foreign PennyWise readers and friends

a Happy Fall!

Pennywise Tips

After the holiday, if desired, you can remove and keep gratitude messages and place in a scrapbook or keepsake box, reusing jars for next year.
 Have fun seeing how the messages change from year to year.
   

Or send guests home with their lanterns as a memorable favor 
   

Assign Kids or bored Tweens the job of helping to  assemble and hang or display jars

For more Thanksgiving projects and ideas pop over and visit

previous Pennywise posts.

Fall in love with Burlap

Fall into Sweet Treats


Thanks to all my readers

for making my first year of 
blogging such a delightful experience!

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!