Gnome for the Holiday! A Tutorial

 Gnomes or Tomte or Nisse.....Oh My!
Whatever name you give them, you have to admit they are awfully cute!

I guess I am a little "GNOME obsessed" this year. 

When you see how easy it is to make your own Tomten I am sure you will want to join in the fun!

Festival of Trees 2016

Every year the Sweetwater Daughter and I have the delightful task of creating a tree for the Auburn Homes Festival of Trees event.  We have so much fun designing something unique for this wonderful charity.  The theme this year was "A Moravian Woodland Christmas".  Here is our take on "A Walk in the Woods.

Sorry that the photo doesn't show how interesting all the elements were.....but I took the photo with my phone.  I guess I was more interested in doing the "job" than recording it.
The project comes with a hefty budget.  This is a big switch in thinking for me....to actually NOT have to think "thrifty"!

Cornucopia 2016

Source

What could be more iconic than a cornucopia at Thanksgiving?

The cornucopia (from Latin cornu copiae) or horn of plenty is a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers or nuts. The horn originates from classical antiquity, it has continued as a symbol in Western art, and it is particularly associated with the Thanksgiving holiday in North America. (Wikipedia)

This is the 2016 version here at Sweetwater.
I used a collection of artificial fruits and vegetables
with bittersweet, magnolia leaves and pheasant feather accents.
It is finished off with a burlap bow.

Texas Road Trip -Fixer Upper Fix!

A couple of weeks ago Mr. S and I took a trip to Texas.
We flew to Dallas, then drove all over the place!

I am a regular watcher of the HGTV show Fixer Upper.  It made sense to take the time to stop in Waco on our way from Dallas to Corpus Christi.  I wanted to go to Magnolia Market and see how those Silos turned out.

It was a rainy Friday morning.  There was a large crowd gathering at 10:30.  HMMM.....there didn't seem to be any dedicated parking other than some smart folks like the neighboring church who were "letting" you park for a mere $10!  Since Mr. S is less of a fan of the show....he dropped me off and went to find a spot to sit for a spell!

Let me start by saying that I am still a fan!

BUT...I left the Silo's thinking.....

How to Clean Cast Iron

The pots and pan cupboard here at Sweetwater is really pretty basic.
We have a set of Calphalon cookware that has been around for a lot of years.
We also have some great cast iron pans that are real work horse pieces.
These have been around for even more years.

 These pans, a frying pan, a round griddle and a reversible double burner sized griddle get a fair amount of use because of their versatility.

A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet is naturally non-stick. ...

Cast iron cookware retains heat — that is, they stay hotter —

Cast iron pans can be used on the stove top as well as in the oven.

And did you know that cooking with cast iron pots and pans can boost your iron intake.

Burlap Ribbon Wreath

This project is so simple.
All I did was take a grapevine wreath and loop some wired burlap ribbon all around it.  I did secure it in a few places with some hot glue.  Then I tucked (stuck) some artificial leaves and berries .

I would admit that this is hardly worth blogging about.....unless I had a tip to share!
AND....

Do I have a tip for you!
That tip is about where to buy your wired ribbon on the cheap!

How To Preserve Fall Leaves Repost

The Sweetwater Grandboy has been helping Grandpa S with some raking.
The colors are changing and the leaves are oh so beautiful.
I picked up some really colorful leaves on our walk a few days ago.
I knew I wanted to preserve them.
AND I got to work doing just that.
How? Well let me tell you by reposting the instructions from last year.
 

How to Preserve Autumn Leaves!

Keep Artificial Pumpkins in Place Outdoors

Isn't this quote from Anne of Green Gables apropos for the second day of October?

Once October arrives, it is definitely pumpkin time.

If you want to have your pumpkins on display for the whole month, you probably need to opt for the fakes! 

Then in a couple of weeks you can buy the real thing for your Jack-O-Lantern.

  

Artificial pumpkins have come a long way.

AND

There are hundreds of ideas for making those fakes look more real.

Mostly I just do a dry brush of gray or white craft paint to soften the harsh and shiny orange.

It can be a challenge to get a natural looking arrangement when you use artificial pumpkins.

AND

Fake pumpkins are real "light weights"!  

When the wind blows....your arrangement will crumple at best and be all over the neighborhood at worst.

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.....