Fall Decor on the Door

Fall is on it's way! It becomes official on Thursday (Sept 23). Despite the ninety degree temperatures, I thought if I decorated in the theme of autumn, perhaps the weather would follow suit. It's a nice thought at least! I thought I would share my decor with you today, but first an apology and a plea to ignore the fact that I deperatly need to pressure wash. My brother in law, "The Artist" currently has possesion of the pressure washer, in which we are desperate need.
For my outdoor fall decor, I found two long sticks in my backyard and added them to my planter pots that I painted black with white polka dots,some time ago. The pots already had some Creeping Jenny plants in them. I transplanted some mums to it too, but they have yet to take root. I have faith.
To the "trees" I added several "old crows" that I found at the Dollar Tree. I might even hot glue some fall leaves to the "trees" before it is all said and done. Finally, for my door a found fall basket of flora that was a find at the thrift store. I plan to begin my inside decor soon. Have you begun your fall decorating? If so, what have you done to "get in the mood"?

Thanks for dropping by! I hope to see you tomorrow.

Open House-Gallery Hallway

I have shared with you my gallery wall in the hall before, but I made a few changes and added some additional photographs. So, thought I would give you one more hall tour on the Open House Tour Segments.

I added the pictures to the wall above the gate leg table (that was a gift from my cousin Becky). They include a photo of my family's shadow. Pictures that my uncles drew (they were both artist). My son's artwork that is a sunflower. Personal items. Pictures I took of places I love to visit. And old family photos.

These are all things that I love to look at. I will now allow you to look around, but before I do I invite you to visit more of my hall wall gallery by clicking here. By clicking you can see more close ups of photographs and memorabilia.

Hope to see you tomorrow!
Have a wonderful day!

Open House- Sister Sledge's Room

HI! I am late getting things posted today. I have had back to back to back photo shoots and a wedding. Which is great....but I cannot seem to get caught up. Anyway.....I am happy to have you back to my "Open House" segments.
Today I am sharing the room of my only daughter and tween going on twenty....Sister Sledge.
It wasn't long ago that I redid her room. But I like change... which I knew so I didnt have to change the paint color. I am loving the color I have painted in much of my home. It is a greenish, greyish...it changes with the time of day and I like that because I do not tire of it. Its a "colored" neutral and it reminds me of the coast.

You can click here for the before picture of Sister Sledge's room.
(She likes that bedding but wanted something she can swap out for different looks)
And there was also this (which she learned to hate). It was to "grown up looking".
I will wait here until you come back for the "after"








Good! Alrighty then, now for a little something different. I wanted something feminine and cottagy. She wanted pink and green. And here is what we have in there...for now. Because women change their minds.

















The bed was a find at an antique store. It was outside against a wall. I paid $75.00 for it and painted it a glossy white. The bedding was purchased on sale at Belks...MaryJane's Home Cottage Hill Bedding Collection.
The initials were found on seperate occassions to the Thrift. You might remember the sheet music wreath I made. It was perfect for Sister's room, who is a music nut (like her momma). (In fact that corner to the far left contains her guitar collection.....) I still have a crystal chandy to put up that I found for $25.00. And it is my hope to paint her ceiling the same as the walls. But hey, we're all friends here...right? I also have some curtains to put up...I have them-sheets I found at the thrift.  I will do that and hope to get in a post for the next week sometime.
Hope to see you tomorrow.
And be sure to check out my Outdoor Wednesday post direct from Pepper Place Market-it's eye candy!
Love!
Leigh

Open House-My Bedroom

Well, Hello! And come on inside! I am thrilled to have you join me today. I hope you made it in for the open house segments last week. My house is nothing extraordinary. Its simple.....like me. No fuss and fluff. Just thrifty finds that make me happy...but most importantly its where family resides. Where ever that may be.
Today I am sharing my bedroom.
I shared once before in a post from over a year ago.
GO on, take a look at the before. I'll wait here until you come back. That way you get a before and after .....









Alright then. Well. I made a few changes. I have yet to get to the wall color. I plan to paint it a very light blue. Like soft blue in a morning sky. Or the shallows of the Gulf of Mexico in Cozumel. You know that color?
Well. It's coming. But for now, I thought Id share with you what I have done.....
Come inside....

















The curtains are "mistreatment's". I found the panels at TJ Maxx for three bucks a panel. I used furniture tacks in the wall until...
The chair was a garage sale find that I purchased from a neighbor. It was almost new, but didn't match. I used an antique spread as a slipcover. The antique linen pillows, gifts from my cousin Becky.
The decorative wood piece under the window sash came from an old Victorian home.
The sticks are ones that I collect on my hikes in the mountains and driftwood on the beach.
























This rocker is over one hundred years old. A gift that's been in the family. It was from Big Daddy's grandparents. It needs recovering. But it too has to wait. College tuition takes precedent these days.
The mirrors: The top one was a $8.00 find at the Ross Bridge community yard sale. The bottom has been in the family longer than I.
























Now, the mantel. It was once in the home of my great grandparents. My grandmother lived in the home as well. When she passed and we prepared to sell the home, I went in and took one from the wall. They were in all the bedrooms. I just recall as a child loving the look of it and the old mantel clock that sat atop that would lull me to sleep. It was the last thing I would look at as a drifted to sleep, and the first thing I saw when I awoke.
And I wanted to have that tangible piece of history from their home. So I took it.
I lugged it around for years. Plum near twenty. And finally found a place to use it in my home. It's my favorite thing in the room.
























I was so thrilled to see it again when I sleep and wake. Such memories.
I forgot to mention that the picture was a thrift store find for $3.88. The mirror below (until I find a perfect fire screen) is an antique ceiling tin made into a mirror that I scored at a garage sale for $5.00.
And please, take notice of the monogram on the mantel......
























It was a gift from a TFB reader. She combined mine and Big Daddy's initials into a vinyl monogram. I am so often overwhelmed at the thoughtfulness of bloggers. It really is an incredible community. But I digress....
 I love the monogram and wanted to feature it somewhere special. When I put up the mantel, I thought of  that monogram that I wanted to use i a special way and put it on. I think it really personalizes our space, as do the wedding pics of us from long ago that sit atop.
























I need to hide the lamp cord. I was in a rush when I took these pics...waiting for guest to arrive.
And now....Big Daddy's favorite decor in our bedroom...

















He just thought it a hoot for me to hook a stick on our wall. And he admitted he would've never thought or had done it. But he loves it. As do I. I love the southern moss still clinging to it's branches.
























I think I need to loose the brown silk ruffled pillows. Though this pic makes them look lighter, they are really darker. I think the before photos with all white. The other pillows, from At Home in Homewood.

And there you have it. The tour of the bedroom. I hope you will join me tomorrow for more of my open house segments!

You can find previous segments here:

Big Daddy's home Office
My Kitchen
The Living Room
The hallway/gallery

In the meantime....Live, Laugh and Love every moment!
Leigh

PS: You might be missing something good!  Be sure to read more of my post on my other blog spaces!
Plates and Places
Picture a Day
Photographic Memories

Home Tour-Hallway

I was chatting over the phone with blogger Laura Beth a few weeks ago and she said, "I'd love to se you house. Your always finding cool thrifty treasures.I'd love to see what you do with all of them and how your home is decorated." Well Laura, I am almost to embarrased to show you my home. Almost.
It's no accident that my thrifty post are close ups rather than with big views of my home. I have a house full of children and dogs, so you can understand that my home is well lived in. Very well lived in. But, I am also trying to live my the Erma Bomeck poem more these days and understand the real important things in life. Like inviting friends over more often. Real Important things do not include laundry, though try to explain that to an eleven year old girl who has to wear "These" jeans tomorrow. But I digress.

You're all friends to me! So, I welcome you in.....koolaid stains and all. Come on in.....
(Click photos to enlarge)

Lets begin at the entryway of my home.

I shared that I painted much this past summer. That included the entry and hallway. My hallway is filled with much loved mementos and treasures, pictures and mirrors. Many of my wall treasures have been passed down, while others are thrifty treasures picked up at yard sales and the thrift store. In this photo I added in text what was on my wall and its significance. You can click on the photo to see it.

I love to mix mirrors in with my photographs. This is a steep and narrow hallway so I incorporated the mirrors to help reflect some additional light in here. I cannot stand a dark house. I like light!
I failed to show you in main entry my chandelier. See it there at the far left top of the photo? It's all glass crystals. It was a house warming gift to Big Daddy and I when we moved into this home 10 years ago. It was from Big Daddy's paternal grandparents and was a twenty fifth anniversary gift to them. They have now been married over seventy years and are still very much in love. I gotta hand it to them. Love aint always shiny like glass chandeliers. But like glass chandeliers, if you are certain to give time and polish to it, it will sparkle just much as it did so long ago.

Here is the view looking up the hallway...

This is the same view with text of some more mementos on that wall (again if you care to read you can click to enlarge).

This letter "B" was a Hobby Lobby find, very cheap. It was gold, but I added some white paint to age it a bit. I like things that are or appear to have some history to it. To me, it is those things that have a story behind it.

This framed needlepoint came from the thrift store. It was actually in a different frame, but I took it out and put it in this one, which was gold. I spray painted it back and while it was still wet took a paper towel and lightly wiped off the relief areas. I love that needlepoint print. It was $1.98 find but it reminds me of how priceless good friendships are. And when I look at it, I think of my special friendships. I am richly blessed and I honestly thank God each and everyday for my special people-and this includes you too!

This is my fathers cradle roll certificate that he received when he, I assumed, moved into an older aged  Sunday school class. I blurred out his name. I just love this certificate! I think it's so sweet!

I found this family tree poster many, many years ago, I dont even remember where, its been that long. It's been in a closet and needed some new family members names added. I recently found it and added the new baby names. The frame used to have a Kirklands print inside, but I took it out and added the family tree. I like it much better. I do think I will treat the frame as I did in the last photo, with some black paint.

Remember that Sheet Music book from my Thrifty Thursday post a few weeks back?

Here we are at the landing at the top of the stairs. My mother purchased the mirror for my daughter when Sister Sledge was much younger. My mom thought it looked like a "Mirror Mirror on the wall" mirror. It is now, obviously in the hallway and I like it in this spot.
The "B", was a thrift store find last week for 79 cents, it still needs some painted love and attention...in due time. The lamp came from Kirklands several years ago. I have been wanting to change out the shades and actually paint the base white, but haven't gotten to it yet. My cousin Beckie gave me this gate legged drop leaf table. I just adore it!!! I think it's just precious. It's very special to me because she gave it to me and seems happy in it's current spot. Thank you, Beckie, I love you!

On the table is a framed 50th anniversary celebration invitation of my late great grandparents, Its dated 1953.

And finally on the table, yet some more family photographs and a small globe inheirited from my late Aunt Merle. (J Smooth collects globes and LOVES geography and world history. He likes to play with this globe)

And there you have it, a tour of my hallway. I will continue to show you more of my home, if you promise to step over the piles of laundry and overlook the love notes and grocery list written in dust atop the furniture.

Thanks for dropping by Bloggeritaville today. I genuinely appreciate you taking time from your busy day to stop by Bloggeritaville. It's always a treat when you do! Come back soon! Won't you?

If I Had My Life To Live Over by Erma Bombeck
The following was written by the late Erma Bombeck after she found out she had a fatal disease.


If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.
I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television - and more while watching life.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.
I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."
There would have been more "I love you's".. More "I'm sorrys" ...
But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute... look at it and really see it ... live it...and never give it back.
Erma Bombeck