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28 October, 2012

Getting Cozy...Sweater Pillows and a Burlap Rose Tutorial

Fall Sweater Pillows There’s an unmistakable crispness in the air and that smell that says fall is here has finally arrived! It’s my favorite time of year…time to get cozy and pile on the blankets and sweaters…in the form of pillows!

Ozzie Our CEO Ozzie loves this time of year, too. She’s no spring chicken, but in the last week she has been spotted chasing butterflies and even climbing a tree! It’s time to enjoy being outside!

Confessions of a Plate Addict - Cozy PatioSooo…with that in mind, I have set up a cozy little corner on the patio for soaking in all of that fall atmosphere…even when the mornings are chilly. There are lots of comfy sweater pillows and a blanket or two to keep away the chill. I will be having my morning coffee out here every chance I get!

Fire Bowl It’s also time to bring out the fire bowl with its pretty copper finish and get ready to gather around with the grandchildren to roast marshmallows and make S’mores! So much fun…I can’t wait!
 Confessions of a Plate Addict - Sweater Pillows And nothing says cozy like a fun sweater pillow! They are so easy and inexpensive to make!
Here's what you will do:
  1. Find an old sweater…mine came from Goodwill for under $5.00 and it’s cashmere!
  2. Cut it to the size of your pillow form. 
  3. Stitch on three sides, pop in the form and hand-stitch closed. Goodwill is also a great source for the forms where you can even find the down-filled ones for under $3.00!

Burlap Rose Tutorial For a little added contrast and texture, just add a burlap or fabric rose…super easy to do!
  1. Start with a strip of fabric that is 2 inches wide and 36 inches long. You can make it shorter if you wish since the length determines the size of the rose. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise and tie a knot in one end.
  2. Next, begin twisting the folded strip, winding it around the knot as you go.
  3. Continue winding, occasionally securing the fabric with hot glue to hold it in place.
  4. Wind until your rose has reached the size that you want, then fold the fabric end under the rose and secure with hot glue.
Fall Sweater Pillows Finally, stitch or hot glue the rose to your pillow and taa daa!…there you have it! You can add them to lots of other things as well. I especially like the look that they add to wreaths. Now…there’s one last cozy thing that I love and I am waiting for. Can you guess what it is?

Baby Kitty Yes…that’s it! It’s almost time for the first fire of the season! Baby Kitty is also a huge fan as you can see from last year. Temperatures will be approaching freezing on Tuesday night and I have a feeling that you will find us in front of the fire getting cozy. Coziness…my favorite thing about fall! How about you? Do you love fall like I do? Have you had your first fire yet?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my project! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday

Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up! on Tuesdays

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
DIY by Design for Fall into Fall

The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays

Stone Gable for Tutorials. Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday 

2805 for Potpourri Friday
At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Craftberry Bush for Happy Hour on Saturdays
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
The Everyday Home for the "Better Late than Never" Fall Party 
See you next time! A la prochaine!



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25 October, 2012

My Fall Dining Room…Bittersweet, Burlap and Pumpkins

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Fall Dining RoomWith Halloween almost here and Thanksgiving just a month away, I want to show you what I have been doing in my dining room. For the time being, it is very simple…bittersweet, burlap and pumpkins.

BK Our co-host Baby Kitty looks wistful but has to admit that this is his favorite time of year. Nothing is more interesting than fall leaves blowing in the wind!

Fall Centerpiece 2The star of my fall centerpiece…fabulous long-stemmed natural pumpkins that I found during our family outing to the pumpkin farm over the weekend! I also scored those wonderful little pumpkins with dried tendrils…cute! The middle pumpkin is elevated on an overturned terracotta flower pot topped by a larger saucer…both painted a cream color…and surrounded by faux bittersweet.

Burlap Table RunnerServing as the anchor of the centerpiece is the ruffled burlap table runner that I made several years ago. I love the texture that it adds and the way it looks with fall and winter decor! For a detailed tutorial click here.

Hutch for Fall In the background you can see my hutch all dressed for fall. I love the contrast of my blue and white transferware with the pops of orange from the pumpkins!

SideboardOn the sideboard is my grandmother’s dough bowl filled with fall color and a faux pumpkin topping my silver champagne bucket….a great thrifting find!

Dough Bowl Here’s a closer look at my dough bowl…filled with pretty faux gourds from Tuesday Morning, dried magnolia pods and miniature Indian corn.

Vintage French Pumpkin PillowAnd on my frenchy chair…my burlap and linen vintage French pumpkin pillow! I love this one because it’s good from September to Thanksgiving…my kind of decorating! You can find a full tutorial including the graphic ready for transfer by clicking here.

Fall Centerpiece 3 Here’s a final look at the centerpiece. This will remain in place until we get a little closer to Thanksgiving. I have another more elegant look in mind for that! What about you? Are you starting to think about Thanksgiving yet?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my dining room! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday

Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up! on Tuesdays

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
DIY by Design for Fall into Fall

The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays

Stone Gable for Tutorials. Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday 

2805 for Potpourri Friday  
At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Craftberry Bush for Happy Hour on Saturdays
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
The Everyday Home for the "Better Late than Never" Fall Party 
See you next time! A la prochaine!



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20 October, 2012

Easy Halloween Sock Pumpkins

Halloween Sock Pumpkins 4 Are you ready for one more fun pumpkin project? Can we squeeze it in before Halloween? I think so! This time it’s mini-pumpkins made with…Halloween socks! Fun, huh?

Sweater pumpkin They are sort of a miniature version of the easy sweater pumpkins that I showed you earlier this fall…only made with Halloween socks!

BK Baby Kitty really enjoyed the process of making these little guys…especially the part about the pipe cleaners…but I am getting ahead of myself!
 Supplies for Halloween sock pumpkins Here’s what you will need…a supply of Halloween socks (mine came from the dollar aisle at Target), faux mini-pumpkins and some Halloween-colored pipe cleaners (I found mine at Michaels). I have had the mini-pumpkins for several years and never really liked the colors so I was happy to cover them. You will also need some squares of felt for the leaves that I will show you later.

Halloween Sock Pumpkin Instructions And here’s all you do:
1. Cut the sock into two pieces. You can really make two pumpkins from each sock…four from a pair!
2. Turn the sock half inside out and tie off the toe and cut it. This will achieve a more all-over pattern. You can however, skip this step and just pop the pumpkin into the toe of the sock if you don’t mind having a two-toned pumpkin like the one I will show you in a moment.
3. Pull the sock over the pumpkin and cut it to fit. It’s OK if you cut it small since you want it to stretch.
4. Hand stitch the pumpkin closed with a gathering stitch.

Step 5 Now you are ready to add the pipe cleaner stem. Curl a little circle in the pipe cleaner and hot glue it to the sock. Then…just start winding until you achieve a stem.

Halloween Sock Pumpkins 3 You can finish off the final part of the stem by winding it around a skewer to produce a tendril. At this point you can add pumpkin leaves made of felt if you wish. The two-toned black and orange pumpkin was made by keeping the toe of the sock as a part of the pumpkin rather than cutting it off.

Halloween Sock Pumpkins And here you have them! Fun, huh? I think my grandsons will enjoy these since they fit into little hands and are soft and colorful! Now…maybe I am ready for Halloween…well, except for the candy! Can’t buy that too early or I will eat it! How about you? Are you ready?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my project! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday

Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up! on Tuesdays

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
DIY by Design for Fall into Fall

The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays

Stone Gable for Tutorials. Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday 

2805 for Potpourri Friday
At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Craftberry Bush for Happy Hour on Saturdays
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special

See you next time! A la prochaine!
 

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18 October, 2012

A Botanical Tea Towel for Fall and a Fabulous Surprise!

Chinese Lantern Tea Towel squareI have a new fall-inspired tea towel for you…starring one of my favorite botanicals…Chinese lanterns! I remember being fascinated by this lovely plant as a child and my love for them has not diminished!

Chinese lanterns transfer So I was really excited to find this wonderful vintage illustration here and it just seemed natural to me to choose them for my fall tea towel design! You know me…I couldn’t resist adding a little frenchiness to the graphic, too. The plant is actually called  Physalis…or more popularly, Chinese lanterns...and in French…lanterne chinoise, amour en cage or coqueret du Pérou. I have already flipped it for you to use as an iron-on transfer. I just followed the directions on the package and applied it to a vintage-y flour sack towel from Target…4 for $4.00…an easy and inexpensive way to add some fall to your kitchen!

bk Now Baby Kitty wants you to see my fabulous surprise…a sweet gift from Jackie, one of my wonderful readers…

tablescape …lovely vintage silverplate in my favorite grapey pattern! Grapes are my favorite motif...so much that I think you could sell me grapes on a stick! Does she know me or what?

Silverplate2 Just look at the detail on the handles…little clusters of grapes surrounded by leaves and even tiny tendrils…amazing! Don’t you love the patina on old silverplate? They date from 1912…one hundred years old and lovelier than ever! Thanks so much to sweet Jackie for thinking of me! I am overwhelmed by her thoughtfulness and generosity!

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Chinese Lantern Tea Towel Here’s a final look at the tea towel…fun and full of fall color!  And I have made a decision…I am definitely planting some Chinese lanterns next year! Have you ever tried them? I’d love to know how they did!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my project and my wonderful gift! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!  
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party  
Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday  
Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday  
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday  
The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday  
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday  
Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up! on Tuesdays  
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures  
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays  
DIY by Design for Fall into Fall  
The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays  
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays  
Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays  
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday 
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday   
2805 for Potpourri Friday  
At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday  
Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday  
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday  
Craftberry Bush for Happy Hour on Fridays  
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special  
See you next time! A la prochaine!

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Subscribe by email or in a reader 
Also find Confessions of a Plate Addict on:

14 October, 2012

Antiquing for Frenchiness and Fall Inspiration

005I love fall…and frenchiness…and antiquing! Sooo…you can imagine how much fun I had heading out with my friend Linda from Nina’s Nest with a little of all three in mind! And since our Goodwill hunting netted nothing, we made a stop at our favorite antiques and interiors shop…the Queen of Hearts in Alpharetta, Georgia where we can always count on some inspiration! One of these finds came home with me! Can you figure out which one? First, look at this fabulous frenchy two piece armoire…love it! Now...I just need a bigger house!

003And…I love this secretary! Look at those fabulous lines and those mirrored doors...gorgeous! I am picturing it painted and slightly distressed...and I’m not usually one to paint furniture.

016Here’s a dresser that is already painted…looks like some Annie Sloan colors to me. You have got to love the lines on this one…fabulously frenchy!

006 Also frenchy…this wonderful French couple in the form of candlesticks! I have a thing for provincial costumes…and pairs…so I love them!

023More provincial costumes…are you beginning to see that I photograph in patterns?…then throw in some farm animals!  I love the idea of framing these vintage cheese labels mounted on ticking! And…goats are a special favorite of mine…I want one!
 
013And who can resist this vintage-looking bull decorating a wooden bowl? The bull is huge and so is the bowl!

011And what search for frenchiness would be complete without a rooster? I haven’t seen this particular grain sack in red…fun! And you might recognize it because I showed you my version here!
 
019And I was also happy to see some favorites of mine are still going strong! Love the mercury glass pumpkins…or is it a gourd?

001 And Santos cage dolls are still popular! Great…

santos3…because I love mine…a little less primitive and always the star of my Christmas decorations! To see more of last year’s Christmas tour click here.
 
010 And we can’t forget fall…with these great felted wool acorns…

024 …and these acorns made of birch bark and pussy willows…so different!
 
021I love this fabulous chippy urn! Just add more Indian corn, some pumpkins and gourds and maybe a few deer sheds…perfect for fall!
 
017 Speaking of deer, I love this vintage clock! It just says fall to me!

020And now for a little fun…a little wooden pumpkin man sitting on a little chair! He wants to know…which of these things actually jumped in my car and came home with me? What do you think?
 
Breton Candlesticks and Quimper wareIf you guessed the frenchy candle stick couple, you are right! Don’t they look fabulous with my Quimper plates? To see more of my collection, click here. Sometimes things just have to come home with someone who will love and appreciate them, don’t you think? That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my finds! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!  
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party  
Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday  
Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday  
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday  
The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday  
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday  
A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday  
Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up! on Tuesdays  
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures  
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays  
DIY by Design for Fall into Fall  
The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays  
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays  
Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays  
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday  
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday  
2805 for Potpourri Friday  
At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday  
Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday  
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Craftberry Bush for Happy Hour on Fridays  
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special  
See you next time! A la prochaine!