Fall Edge Decoratin' for 2011

I've done a tad bit decorating for the Fall season around The Edge this year. There is this fabulous store that gives occasional classes and I try to take them when they're offered. This year the store had Fall Decorating classes and a few friends and I took a Saturday afternoon with just the gals and had a blast. We went to the class, out to lunch, and shopping for supplies to make our homes welcome the Fall season.

I should have posted this a week or so ago, but things have been really busy around The Edge. I went to a Christmas decorating class this past weekend and when I showed them the pictures of what I did for the Fall (on my phone), they asked that I put them on the book of faces and tag them. I hung my head in shame and said my first loyalty is to The Blog and all pictures go here first. Surprisingly, they seemed to appear as if they understood and so here I am catching up yet again.

Time for show and tell!

I made this all by myself! It was actually quite easy and you can bet your fanny I'm going to store it so it stays all pretty. Next year I foresee that it may be a centerpiece on a table.

 I kept my mantle pretty simple. Don't you LOVE those pumpkins I found in a florist shop? In one of the classes I've taken, we were told to use use use books. Use them to keep things slightly elevated. A couple of books on the right side makes a slightly more interesting look that I really liked.

Set up for making my grapevine wreath. We were told to take the spiral piece of vine that holds it together off. (Do this outside because it gets messy quick!) Then,  you pull and yank and "fluff" it up. It makes it more three dimensional and better looking. By golly, they were right! You take a zip tie to the top to keep it all together and that is covered up with the decorating. I am using my daughter's easel as it makes it much easier. Also, location is by the stove because I use a certain type of glue and it's in the little frying pan on the stove ready to go. (How about that Pampered Chef stone that is older than my 12 year old? Love it!)

 I bought a plain wooden "T" from either Michael's or Joann's and a seventy something cents thing of paint. I wanted an antique color that would scream Fall. Two coats later and I liked how it turned out. I used cheetah print ribbon with a gold color mixed in and picks with different things on them. The "T" is glued on and I also used florist wire just for insurance. I really love how this turned out.

 This is what I had left over. Literally. I got this stuff and really didn't "feel" it for the mantle or wreath. Oh, man, I must have went through four or fives vases I had before finally settling on this simple cylinder shaped vase (from Ikea). It's not glamorous or fancy like professional decorators , but it doesn't look half bad on the dining room table. Next year I'll focus on a more fancy centerpiece for that table.

That's my Fall decorating. I've enjoyed having this stuff around in my home. I find that I'm enjoying decorating more and more now that I know how to make some stuff that I've admired and never wanted to pay the high dollar they cost.

Last year, my full on intent was to get my tree. My beautiful 12 foot amazing tree. The class I attended this past weekend for Christmas opened another door for me decorating wise and I may have purchased many things for the upcoming season. Alas, I had to promise my middle daughter that I would not put up anything Christmas related until after Thanksgiving. She has a valid point and I will respect her wish.  

Got a couple of busy busy weeks coming up. The 18th will by my 3 month Surgiversary. I plan on taking a picture so you can see some of the progress I've made. Happy Fall, Ya'll!!

The Bathroom Project

It was finally time. Time to start making this house our home and putting a solid Edge stamp on the building. For the past two years, I have seen in my mind's eye a beach themed bathroom. Leaning more towards the East Coast as that's the only kind of beach I know and love. This is the first room we have fully completed and I'm happy to show.  I chose this room because I already had the decorations for it in a box. (I was serious about the two year remark.) I have looked and looked at colors and it's kind of funny how I finally found what I was looking for. I was able to acquire a sample of paint from Valspar online. I had to pick a color and I somewhat randomly browsed through the blues. I wanted a happy blue that reminded me of the beach. It's hard to really tell how a color will look online, but I took a chance. When it came in the mail, I slapped some up on the wall and was surprised. It really appealed to me. I went to Lowe's to find the color card and when I did, I bought a sample of the lightest color on the card. I brought it home and put it up against the blue and knew those were the colors I wanted in that room. I also chose to do this room because The Boy lays claim to this bathroom and it's also the guest bathroom. I wanted a nice restroom for my guests to use (even if the guest bedroom is in shambles!).

All in all, we were able to do this room for under $400.00. This is what I had to purchase:

• Paint.
• Primer.
• Paint supplies.
• Shelving.
• Towels, wash cloths, hand towels.
• Rugs.
• Laundry hamper.
• Decorations.

Now, I do have to admit that I am a big fan of Sherwin Williams. I took my paint samples to them and got my paint at that store. They are amazing at matching up paints! I love love love their cashmere paint. It is a self-leveling paint that is amazing to watch. You put it up on the wall and you see streaks and thirty minutes later? It's SMOOTH! I won't use anything else because it's excellent paint and very easy to use.  I used what was left of my trim paint from the office (purchased at Lowe's-next time will get it from S.W.)

My colors are Summer Splash for the walls, Crystalline for the ceiling, and Oyster for the trim. That oyster is a fabulous color. I love a good crisp white, but not "blinding", if that makes sense. This is just the perfect trim color and I will use it throughout my entire home, I love it that much.

Now, let's get started with the pictures!!

Ahhh..gotta love the builder's tan/beige paint. Good neutral color, for sure, but no imagination. It made this small bathroom look like a small box. Note how I tried and failed with the shelves for towels. Not a bad shelf/rack system...just not right for this space. In my opinion, the towel rack was about useless. Away it went!

It really was cramped looking and feeling in there.

Small vanity area to work with here. The bathrooms upstairs are not huge. That's perfectly okay. I have three bathrooms upstairs. The girls' each have their own bathrooms, so they don't need huge space. I tell them to be happy they don't have to share!

I...uh...started taping when I realized I hadn't taken any pictures so I left the roll hanging on the door frame. Those are paint splotches I started to prime. I'm serious about really looking at a color for at least a few weeks to see if that's what I really want.

This was my hands all week long. I ruined a few tshirts while I was hard at work, too.

We let The Boy do some painting. He asked to help and I wanted him to own some of the work it took to make HIS bathroom look good. He got a little slap happy a couple of times, but had a blast. He is shirtless because he had on a school shirt and didn't want to be bothered to go across the hall to his room to get a play shirt to work in. At least he kept his pants on. Please note the tank of the toilet has been removed to paint the wall. What a pain that was, but I wanted it done right.

I told The Boy to show me his muscles. The Man decided to get in on the act and you can see by the reaction that The Boy wasn't expecting it. Love this picture!

We kept a mess going here. Are you as nervous as I am that my son is walking past open paint? Gah, that kid makes my nerves bad some times!

Really look at this picture. On the left is the Oyster color. On the right is the builder's Blah color. You don't realize how dull their colors are until you put something nice and crisp beside it.

There were shelves that needed to be put on newly painted walls.

There were tools involved, which made my husband very happy.

Thank you, Lord, I have a husband who will read instructions before putting holes in my walls!

TA DA!!!!! Hello new bathroom!! Out with the rack and towel bar, in with the floating shelves. I love the way the lines are clean while giving me the storage I need for towels and decorations. (My son has his favorite green and character towels. Those were moved to under the sink and he's happy to still be able to use them.) I found the white wicker laundry hamper at Bed Bath and Beyond and it fits perfectly between the toilet and tub. Yes, we did do a "sit down" test to make sure it wouldn't interfere with personal business.

I took some shells and put them on the ledge around the top of the shower. Makenna discovered that if you bang hard enough on the wall, one or two might fall down. *rolls eyes* I'm not too worried if they fall and get wet on occasion....they are SEA SHELLS, man. Besides, this turned out really cute. I also kept the clear shower curtain. It gives the room a more open feel and keeps people from showering in the dark!

Nice white absorbent rug. I put a matching one in front of the sink that's a little larger. I love the rough woven look. It reminds me of beach houses. Easy to throw in the washer is what I like!

Please ignore the red fan that won't be staying. The fumes from the cleaning supplies I used needed help. The gorgeous shells are from the Florida Keys. Neighbor Debbie has family there and when she was visiting, she picked some up for me a couple of years ago because I mentioned I wanted to do a beach themed bathroom. I 'm keeping it to a minimum on the vanity to keep it clutter free and more spacious.

This is on the top shelf. Oh, how Makenna and I love these shells. We probably spent thirty minutes arranging them in the vase so they would look just right. The shells used through out the room are some we picked up at Amelia Island  beach and others are from The Keys.

SURPRISE!! Did you think I would just keep it all blue and white. No, Sir! No, Ma'am! This was my inspiration piece. This also came from the Florida Keys. I kid you not, Neighbor Debbie is a good woman. She went shopping and must have sent me a dozen or more pictures of the metal art/ sculptures she found while shopping . I finally decided on this one and have been perfectly pleased over it. I love the colors and the blue background had to be perfect for them to "swim' around. It's a good size, if you notice the light switch and top of door. Yes, it's heavy, but it's so cool! You can look at it a dozen times and see something different every single time. It gives the bathroom the perfect snap of color. It does come out from the wall as it is a 3-D work of art. That made me a tad nervous, but it really is okay and works well!

Got rid of the towel bar and put in a nice sturdy hook to hang your towel on while you're in the shower. It may be a little lower than most people would do, but I had to keep my six year old in mind. It's a great compromise, I think.



There you have it! An Edge Re-Do! A completed project in my home! We do plan on putting crown moulding in this bathroom eventually, but there's no hurry. I'm also on the hunt for a white wicker trash can to match the hamper. I now have the fever to get started on my other rooms. BUT.....give me a week to recover and let my shoulders reattach themselves, please. Hope you enjoyed!

Wrappin' Up Christmas

I thought I'd take a moment to wrap up our Christmas 2010 season. (ha ha Get it? Wrap it up?)

This had to be the most stress free Christmas I can remember in a long time. Oh, how wonderful it was to move at a slow pace and just enjoy the two days given to us to celebrate the season. My father-in-law was able to join us and I am so glad he did. Santa even left him a stuffed stocking that he thoroughly enjoyed.

We started a few new traditions that I hope we'll continue to do as the years progress. The Man read the Christmas Story on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day we decorated a cake The Man had baked for Jesus' birthday. We put candles on the cake (no, not 2010..more like 20), sang the song, and all of us blew out the candles. I kept Christmas Tea brewing in the crock pot for a few days and it was heavenly to sip on it throughout the day. (Just realized something...how many times can you legitimately use the word "Christmas" in one sentence or paragraph? I think I just set a record or something here.)

The kids were spoiled rotten and The Man and I totally justified it with two reasons. 1. Christmas last year was a madhouse and we wanted to make up for it. 2. They don't get stuff all year long in our house. Truly. You get a load at Christmas and a present or two for your birthday and the Easter Bunny leaves a goody basket, but that's it. Some times, in September, before Labor Day hits, they might get a little something. That doesn't happen every year, though.

I did manage to get sick on Christmas Day but it was manageable because I stayed right here in my home and wasn't out running here and there. Going to the doctor the following Monday proved me to have bronchitis. Apparently, I contracted a virus and it tore my throat up and settled in my lungs. The doctor advised me not to go visit my mother and grandmother until Thursday to make sure I was clear and full of antibiotics. That put a crimp in our visiting plans, but we readjusted and waited until I felt better so as not to pass the crud along to those who can't fight sickness all that well.

I was a little sad to put away our decorations this year. Now my house looks so bare, but it motivates me to really buckle down and see about decorating earnestly. I'm pretty sure this makes my husband sigh because that means I'll be shopping a tad more. I think I wear him out because I don't really impulse buy. I look and look and look and when I finally find that one thing I know needs to be in my home? I get it. For example, when I finally found the valances for my breakfast room, I got them. My living room window remains bare as I just haven't found exactly what I want to look at every single day. That naked window is really starting to bug me, though.

Hold up! This is supposed to wrap up Christmas, not talk about my decorating woes! I did take a few pictures of my decorating abilities and I suppose I shall share them with you. Now keep in mind, this is my first real bona fide attempt at decorating a mantle, making my own wreath, and such. I have waited so very long to have a mantle to decorate so you know I hated to dismantle it last week.

I'll be sharing some pictures now. I can't promise that they'll be in a good order because me and blogger have issues putting pictures on posts some times. I thought I'd narrate throughout instead of putting all my writing in one place. I hope you enjoy!

This would be the Fearless Two. Climbing the ladder to decorate the tree didn't phase them a bit. I admit to being a little jealous because I am skeered t'death of heights. Get me six inches off of the floor and my head gets all woozy. Side note: the past month has found my son loving to wear his Dad's tshirts. I don't know where this has come from, but as soon as he can, he's gone in our room to borrow one to wear at night.

Would you believe Paige takes after me in the fear of heights? I believe she was was one or two rungs off of the floor when she decided that maybe decorating up high wasn't her cup of tea.

My guys putting the tree together. See how my husband has a grip on my son's hand? That kid gives us a heart attack when the ladder is up. He will be at the top grinning before we can blink. Makes me toes hurt to see him way up there. Oh, and do you see those naked windows? Driving me crazy, man!

Dad turns his back and see what happens? Sweet Joseph and the baby lambs, it's hard to look at this picture knowing how high up he was.

I did the tree topper before they put the top section up on the tree. Normally, with the six foot tree, I would stand in a chair (woozy head and all) and decorate. No way was I climbing up 12 feet to do the topper. I thought it was on the large side....then they put it up and I realized it should have been FOUR TIMES larger than what it was. Live and learn and know what to do next time, I suppose. Also, I found myself gravitating towards white, silver, and red this year. I have no idea why, but everything I bought were mostly those colors.

Another picture with different lighting (will I EVER learn how to operate my camera??? I think not.) Lots of stuff going on here!

Waiting on me to start unwrapping ornaments for him to put on the tree. I also had to put this picture on here because he was just so stinkin' cute.

Soon as we got busy, you know Makenna headed to the kitchen to make the customary hot chocolate for us to sip on whilst we decorated and listened to Christmas music. She never lets us down!

I splurged and bought the 72 inch tree skirt (Lowe's) for the new big tree. This is what happens when the teenager gets hold of it. She is striking the pose for Christmas fashion. I think she's working it well.

Guess who found a new place to snooze? Oh, how that tree skirt is soft and a perfect place for a puppy to take a nap. Of course, this ended when presents started appearing underneath. She wasn't too thrilled about that happening.

Side view of my mantle. A lighted swag going over one edge. I took a decorating class and the instructor said to "think outside the box! Don't make everything in life symmetrical! Do something different!" So, I did. At first, it made me tilt my head because it wasn't even...then it grew on me and I really loved how it turned out. The poinsettias are clip-ons I found at Joanne's. The ornaments are el cheapos (maybe a buck or so a piece?) that I found here and there. The snow flake ornaments were bought last year after Christmas at Cracker Barrel. The red finials were also after Christmas at Cracker Barrel two years ago. This was the first time I got to use them. There is some silver disk garland found on vacation in Nebraska woven in the swag, along with a red berry garland. All glass is stuff I had around the house.

Front view of the mantle. My chair is across the room and I just loved sitting and looking at it during the day and evening. The vases on the table to the left are from Kirkland's and I leave them up year around. I had a few stems of red berries I just plopped in them and it looked good! So good, I left the berries in them when I put the other stuff away. Dontcha just love that magnolia picture? Yeah, I got that bad boy for Mother's Day a few years ago and I just love love love it.

There was a stocking for every breathing being in our home Christmas morning. I found plastic banister hooks at Lowe's and let me tell you, those things are awesome! They wrap around the railing and cause no trouble at all. For those of you out there who are remarking to yourselves, "Why, I would have hung garland from that gorgeous railing." God Bless you. I did think of that and consider it but Miss Hope has to take it one thing at a time. I fully intend to make that area awesome next year, but my decorating funds went towards purchasing the amazing tree this year and I'm perfectly okay with that.

Stupid camera wouldn't take a good night time picture so you can see how pretty it was all lit up. Loved the front porch and I'm standing on the porch at an angle with taking this picture. I have to decorate a little outside because I just dig riding around looking at how everyone else decorates their outside spaces.

This is The Tree. Oh, how I love that tree. Paige made the comment that she felt like Cindy Lou Who when she stood beside it. Heh heh. I know, right?!? I've always wanted a ginormous tree and with the huge open living room we have, I can finally have one. Oh yeah, I fully intend to enjoy that thing for a long time. (Please, Lord, keep my husband around because I can't climb the ladder to decorate it and he'll do it for me without complaining one little bit.)

This is the antique buffet in my dining room. The gold stuff in the pineapple vase were used for the tree topper in previous years. I hated to just keep it all in a container, so I just plopped it in the vase and thought, "Hey! Not bad!"

Here's my very first wreath I made all on my own!! That ribbon was a doozy to work with. It's a burlap material and very thick. I love it, though, and worked and worked until I finally got a bow made that I was good with. Since the ribbon was trimmed in gold, I used gold poinsettias and accents. I kept it on the simple side. I'm afraid the decorating instructor would be ashamed of me for keeping it traditional looking and not thinking outside the box. I'm pretty sure that the more I do stuff like this, the braver I'll get and more outside the box I'll venture. For now, this will do. I kept it on the inside of the front door. Who says you can't have a wreath on both sides of the door, huh?

I think that'll conclude Christmas 2010 for The Edge. It was an extremely blessed time for me and my family full of memories we'll treasure for a long time. I hope you had yourselves a good Christmas Season. Let's get this 2011 started, shall we?