Use What You Have Fall Arrangement

Oh so many years ago...20 in fact....one of my favorite TV shows was The Christopher Lowell Show.

 Do any of the rest of you remember this show?

It had to be one of the first home improvement, DIY, lifestyle shows.

I loved his quirky point of view and sense of style.
HMMM....sound like anyone you know?

I would have to say that many of the things that Christopher featured on his show are things that I still do.


One of those things I remember was the suggestion to copy the look of  hotel lobby floral arrangements.  These displays tend to be done on a grand scale.

This is a photo of the lobby of the hotel we stayed at in Manila...
I couldn't find the photo of the hotel lobby in Bangkok with the boat made entirely out of orchids!
That probably isn't something I could pull off....but it was gorgeous and certainly GRAND!

This week we had our family room, hallway, entryway and kitchen painted.


That meant taking every speck of "decor" down in those areas.









This photo is from the post I did about the RULES for a mantel.
I did this in April....so you know it was time for a change.

Once I took the tall dried materials out of the vases, it was time to  go into a "Use What I Have" mode.

Preserving Cattails for Indoor Decor!

This post involves blood and gore!

What? 

This is supposed to be about preserving cattails. 

How could that involve blood and gore?

It all started when I asked Mr. S to come along to the countryside to collect some cattails.  

We do this every couple of years.  

 

It is a simple matter of climbing down the embankment and cutting the cattails before they get to "ripe" and start to puff.

 

Well.....

it would be simple enough.....

Simple Boxed Corner Pillow Instructions

Fabric junkies know what a dangerous place a wholesale fabric store can be.


The Sweetwater Daughter and I took a trip to the fabric store with no real "need" in mind.


Of course....
what should my eye spy....?


This remnant was only $5.00 a yard and has all the right colors for our family room.





I knew it would be the perfect way to make the two Malabar chairs coordinate with the room.

Simple Boxed Corner Pillow Instructions

Fabric junkies know what a dangerous place a wholesale fabric store can be.


The Sweetwater Daughter and I took a trip to the fabric store with no real "need" in mind.


Of course....
what should my eye spy....?


This remnant was only $5.00 a yard and has all the right colors for our family room.





I knew it would be the perfect way to make the two Malabar chairs coordinate with the room.

Dropped Ceiling Panel Update

The latest project here at Sweetwater is a cosmetic update of the lower level bathroom.

This turned out to be one of those projects that reminds me of the book If You Give A Mouse a Cookie. 
If you aren't familiar with the storyline....it goes something like this...
"If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk.
When you give him the milk, he'll probably ask you for a straw. When he's finished, he'll ask you for a napkin.
Then he'll want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk mustache. When he looks in the mirror, he might notice his hair needs a trim. So he'll probably ask for a pair of nail scissors...."  and so on and so on.

The Sweetwater version goes something like this!