This fall has been the season of decorating with fresh flowers for me. I can't seem to get enough of them and I wish I had discovered my love of decorating with fresh flowers a long time ago. I think most people tend to accessorize their homes with fresh flowers during the springtime because it's a way of welcoming new life and the new season. This autumn, I'm decorating with fresh flowers to bring in the warm colors of the season and celebrate my favorite time of year. 

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Fall is my favorite time of year to decorate the house. I think the biggest reason is because it's the one time of year that the decor can be up for a very long time. You get the biggest bang for your decor buck. I usually keep my fall decor up thru Thanksgiving weekend because I use a base decor that can used for both Halloween and Thanksgiving. Then if I want, I can add a few Halloween or Thanksgiving themed pieces into the mix. The ideal base fall decor for me are faux pumpkins. They can be used for both Halloween and Thanksgiving because they make sense for both. 

A few days ago I shared on my Instagram the faux pumpkins that I had recently spray painted white and although I love the color white, the crisp, bold color was not working on our rustic TV console table. So instead of finding something to replace them with, I made them over with a bit of wax, a paint brush, and a rag.

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I'm a 4th of July lover. When it comes to holidays, the 4th of July happens to be at the top of my list. It's a holiday that you spend with family and friends, yet there is very little stress involved. Aside from deciding what food to make, and what fireworks to attend.....

This 4th of July we are having some friends and coworkers over to celebrate and I plan on going all out. I usually end up doing more for the 4th than I do any other holiday. I'm a first generation American. This is my country. And I'm damn proud of it. 

I saw this idea for the painted bushel baskets on the Michaels website and I fell in love with them. I knew this was something I could whip up in just an hour or so and then share with you all. You will have no problem getting these done by the 4th. And they hardly cost anything. 

You need very few supplies. Be sure to use a Michaels coupon to really keep the cost down. The handkerchiefs can be found in the t-shirt aisle at Michaels as well. 

Simply paint the wood bands on the sides of the basket alternating each band with red and white paint. I used a 1 inch paint brush which seemed to work really well. When the paint is dry, arrange the handkerchief in the basket and you are done! 

You can use these basket for so many different things at a BBQ or picnic.

Here are some ideas:

• buns
• chips
• plasticware
• serving utensils
• plates
• napkins
• put an ice bucket inside of it
• make it a centerpiece and add a flower pot
• juice boxes for the kids
• soda or beer

When you are done using the baskets, you can easily pull out the handkerchief and then shake it out, or wash if necessary. The less clean up involved the better. 

I have a feeling I'm going to do this for Halloween too! It would be a great way to hand out candy since the basket has a nice handle! And Halloween themed handkerchiefs are easy to find! 

If you like these baskets, be sure to share with your friends on Facebook, or pin on Pinterest! I really appreciate it! 

Here are more July 4th ideas:

4th of July Red, White, & Blue Sangria and Dessert Cups

All American Cookie Burgers

I have a confession to make, I LOOOOVE a good wreath. And I love making them as well since you can create them yourself for considerably less than what they charge in the store. I like to be able to change them out with the seasons and holidays for a new look. It's an easy way to change up the decor without spending too much. Remember, the DIY Robin's Eggs Tutorial? Well, I decided to incorporate a few of those eggs into a Rustic Easter Wreath for Rose's living room to go with her Chalk Painted Furniture.

I have come to realize I’m not so good at taking a picture of what supplies you’ll need because once I start making the wreaths, ideas just pop into my head and I start adding stuff that I was not originally planning to.  But that usually works in my favor and it turns out looking better than what plan A was!  So I apologize for not having a complete picture of the supplies I used. You should definitely use items that match your decor & style. The photo below is just a starting point showing you how easy wreaths can be.  

Supplies:

• Grapevine wreath (Hobby Lobby has the cheapest ones.  The one I used here was $5 and was on sale for 50% off so it was only $2.50!)
• Hot glue gun
• A few flowers, twigs, and/or berry-type stems.  I used 4 different kinds.
• Spanish Moss
• Wire cutters
• Robin’s Eggs 

So this might be the shortest tutorial ever, but you’ll see why.  The grapevine wreaths are my favorite to work with because it’s so easy to just stick the flowers, picks, and stem right in it and hide the wires without needing to glue anything. I usually wrap them around a twig or two in the wreath to make sure it’s secure, but they stay pretty well.  Not using glue gives you the freedom to change your mind too in case you don’t like where you put it.  

I start by cutting the branches off the stems so I can put them where I want.  I like to lay the stems on top of the wreath in different ways until I like how it looks.  Then I take a picture of it so that when I take them all off, I know where to start sticking them into the wreath.  Here’s where it gets fun and it starts to come together.  Use the picture as a reference and start putting the stems in and tucking the ends in and around the twigs in the grapevine.  I left a little spot empty in the bottom right because I knew that was where I wanted to put the nest and have it hanging over the front.

The nest is the only part I used any glue for, and it was the last step I did.  Once your stems are all in place, just start taking chunks of moss and use the hot glue to hold it in place and make a nest shape, leaving some moss to hang down.  Once you have the moss glued on, just use a little hot glue to make the eggs stay in the nest and you’re set.  

I told you it would be fast!

I don’t know about all of you, but I’m in desperate need of some reminders that this long winter WILL finally end someday and the snow will be gone soon (although not soon enough!)  So I decided it was time to start making some Easter and spring decorations to remind me the end of these snowstorms is in sight. These robin’s eggs are SO cute and can be used with so many different decorations.  Here is a an easy tutorial on DIY Robin Eggs! 

What You Will Need

• Plastic Eggs – I got mine from Hobby Lobby but they can be found anywhere that sells craft supplies or Easter decorations.  Or you can use up old ones in that box in the basement you haven’t opened in years to make for an even more inexpensive project!
• Newspaper
• Paintbrush
• Acrylic Paints – I used white, blue, green, gray, and brown but they would look great with any color to coordinate with the other décor in your home.
• Spray Paint Primer – This is optional but after trying the first round of eggs without it, I found it made quite a big difference in the number of coats I needed.

You’ll want to cover your work space with newspaper to contain the mess, and get all your supplies together. I chose to separate the eggs to paint them because mine had holes in them where I could put a toothpick in to hold it in place so I could get the painting done all at once! You could also put them in an egg carton and paint what you can reach, then turn them over after they dry to finish painting. 

I sprayed the primer on and let that dry for 10 - 15 minutes before I started to paint the color on. The primer really helped grab the paint instead of just painting right on the plastic where the paint would just slide around on it because it would not adhere very well - plus it would take a few coats (and waiting for it to dry between coats!). The primer allowed me to get a solid color that actually looks realistic.  I didn’t even wash my brush really, just mixed a couple different colors and went to town.  Once they were mostly dried, I mixed some brown paint with a little bit of water so it would splatter easier.  You just dip a toothbrush in the brown paint and use your thumb to flick the bristles over the egg to get the splattered look.  

After they dry, and really make sure they’re dry, you can put them in a vase with some rocks and moss for a simple decoration that looks like you ripped the page right out of a Pottery Barn magazine.  And you can look at it everyday to remind you the birds will soon be here and before you know it, people will start complaining about how hot it is.