Quick, Cheap and Easy Thanksgiving Tablescape Ideas {Our Friendsgiving}

We've recently moved to a different city- one I lived in about 5 years ago and it holds my HEART.  We are SOOO happy to be back here and loving our more laid back life style.  For our housewarming party it was perfecting timing to host it as a Friendsgiving. {Not familiar with the term "Friendsgiving"???  Its basically Thanksgiving, but with friends and each person brings a dish- the host only does the Turkey.}

I was so excited to reconnect with all my friends in this City and host them in our new home, but was worried I wouldn't have time to make the gathering as beautiful as I wanted to.  Thankfully, the day before two friends came up from Seattle to help us celebrate and I had extra help to put together a pretty environment for our guests.
This is Ashley [I've written about her before here]

We had four different tables to sit at to accommodate everyone coming- it is important to me that everyone have a space to sit and enjoy their meal and the company.  This ended up being helpful when I didn't have 20 of the same type of table settings.  I was able to set and decorate each table a little differently and tied them all together with a few special items:

I'm Thankful For.... Kraft Paper Place-mats

Because I didn't have enough of one type of place setting to make each on the same, the placemats Ashley and I created helped to tie everything together.  I purchased a roll of Kraft Paper at Fred Meyer and used my rotary cutter and cutting mat to cut 20 rectangles the size of place mats.  Because the paper came on a roll, it REALLY, really wanted to roll back up- so we placed some heavy tool boxes from the garage on them over night to flatten them out, worked great!  

Once they were flat, Ashley used my acrylic stamp pad and my letter stamps to create a "I'm Thankful For" stamp and stamped each place setting.  We also included a nice pen so that our guests could jot down a few things they were thankful for, if they wanted.  Most did, and I enjoyed reading what they wrote as I cleaned up!

I also used wood rounds as part of the centerpieces left from our wedding to tie most of the tables together-

The four tablescapes

Vintage Rustic

An unaltered vintage wooden table with a white linen table runner, Autumn China, Beaded Leaf Centerpiece and Candlestick.

Breakfast Bar Leaf Plates

A cozy spot for two- I got to use my beautiful leaf plates at the breakfast bar setting, with a gold charger, cloth napkins and Mason Jar Mugs.

Felt Leaves and Candles

Beautiful felt leaves, Autumn China, my vintage candle stick holder, White-Trash Wine Glasses with tea light candles and some ANTLERS!!

Linen Forest

This table is three card tables with ONE LONG linen table cloth (that I quickly finished the edges of off of an interior decor fabric bolt).  Wood rounds, two rustic urns with moss and pumpkins, and a rustic green glass vase with some grape vine pumpkins and my square modern plates finish off this woodsy table.

The ONLY item I purchased to make these tablescapes for our Friendsgiving was the Kraft Paper, and it was $3.99 for the whole roll.  I encourage you to get creative with the items you have around your home, and outside your home to create some unique, and unforgettable tablescapes for your Thanksgiving Celebrations tomorrow.

I am so thankful for all of my friends that read my blog, THANK YOU-  and Happy Thanksgiving!

My First Curated Collection

I am a Looksi Square Curator.  That means, once a quarter I get to put together a collection of what I consider to be the finest of ANYTHING.  I've been loving the idea of chillin' in the evenings this autumn in the back yard, by the fire, with yummy food, drink and a beautiful atmosphere so I decided to use that as a theme for my first Curated Collection:

The look, feel, and taste of this setting is what I will be creating with this collection of other blogger's DIY posts, stay tuned until Friday!

p.s.  Our little family is in the process of a BIG move- my apologies for being more absent than I'd like for the last little bit and through the end of this month.  Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers that we can get everything done!

How I {Ombre'} & our Late Summer Mantle

Ombre' was all the hot talk for a while there {maybe it still is?!}... but the only way I ever really got into the style was through my painted signs.  I've experimented with blending colors to create a Ombre' look with many colors now, and always LOVE how it turns out.
Here's what I do:

I start with 4 equal sized wood boards, sanded smooth with finished edges.  You could experiment with different sizes, as well!

I pour a good sized amount of paint in a paper plate.  [side note: I LOVE the paint mistake section at hardware stores!!!  Have not heard of it?!  Well, you need to find it!  Most of the time there is a shelf behind the back side of the paint mixing counter where you will find all different sizes of "paint mistakes".  They are priced amazingly and you will often find fun colors that freaked someone out and they decided not to buy.  My lovely husband is such a good sport letting me buy 1 or 2 almost every time we go to the hardware store... consequently I have a pretty fun selection of paint colors in the garage!  You need to check it out if you have not already.]  I always start with the color as it comes out of the can for the first board.

It is important to get a really good coat on the first time, because you WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DUPLICATE THESE COLORS to paint a second coat.  Make sure you don't miss any spots!

Then, I add a small amount of either a light or dark base depending on if I want a darker color or lighter.  I went with a cream for this project.

Stir it around well (I use disposable foam brushes) and then paint the next board.  You want it to be a subtle change in color, but enough to notice.

Now you just repeat that process 2 more times (or however many Ombre' shades you are going for).

And you end up with this...

I usually start and end with my two mixing colors so there are two MIXED colors in the middle- but there are no RIGHT ways to do Ombre'... just have fun!

Here's what my sign looked like all put together-

And here's a shot of the back so you can see how I hold them all together.  I do have a KREG Jig- that I could use to pocket hole screw them together- but this was a just a quick project- (I usually make a sign for every mantle change- so it has to be quick).

I wanted to use this sign to pull together some beautiful finds from the Sequim Lavender Weekend we brought home for a Late Summer Mantle.  I roughed up the edges a bit and added some vinyl.  Then a tied a quick burlap bow and glued together a mini paper bunting!

Here's how it all came together- Fresh Lavender, Bunnies, unique Urns, Wine Corks and Wicker Balls- all somehow say "Celebrating Late Summer" to me!

I'd love to hear about or see How YOU Ombre'- please share with comments!

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My tips and tricks- WORKING WITH BURLAP and a bonus project idea

Kyle and I have some really special friends named Andrew and Ashley.  Oddly, Kyle actually met Andrew online in one of those really manly "diesel truck forums".  They've turned out to be true blue friends- that time and time again always are there for each other when they need something.  Kyle and I have really valued their friendship.
Recently, Andrew and Ashley joined one of two of the best clubs on earth- MARRIAGE (the other is parenthood).  I was honored to get to help Ashley with some of the planning of her wedding decor.  And I had so much fun keeping my eyes peeled for "lavender and rustic" themed details.
When Ashley came across the concept of a burlap and wood ring bearer pillow, I jumped at the opportunity to make one for her ceremony.
It turned out so cute, I wanted to share it with  you and a few tips to working with burlap.

Tip #1

Burlap stinks, is messy and itchy.  I've learned a trick to helping with these three issues. The first is ALWAYS WASH AND DRY IT BEFORE DOING ANYTHING!!!  I stand by this piece of advise for almost all fabric, but in the case of burlap it is especially important.  By washing and drying it-most of the stink, stiffness and excess fibers and dust are removed.  It will leave less of a mess on your work surface and be much more pleasant to work with- after being washed.  You can even wash and dry it a couple of times if you'd like it to be even more pleasant!

Tip #2

SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE.  After I wash and dry my burlap, I always take it outside and shake it as hard as I can to remove any of the residual dust.  I have TERRIBLE allergies, and as strange as it sounds, burlap makes me sneeze, my nose drip and my eyes itch.  So the more I can do to make it pleasurable to work with, the better!

Tip #3

Cutting burlap can be a challenge- it can be super frustrating to measure out the piece you need, use a hard edge to cut and then end up with 18 frayed edges that seem to pull all apart when you start to work with it.  I'll illustrate my solution to this problem using photos I took while creating my gift for Andrew and Ashley.

I started with a strip of scrap burlap, about six inches wide.  So then, to make a square for the pillow, I needed two pieces that were 6 inch square.

To create the straight line at 6 inches, find 1 strand of jute that looks to be right about 6 inches and give it a little tug.

Because this was a thin piece of fabric I was working with, I was able to pull the whole string through at ease.  If you are working with a wider piece of fabric, you may need to use a tool to pull the string up in the middle of the fabric, cut it and then pull on the two strings you've created out through the middle.  

You can see at the left of the fabric, that the void that is being created by the 1 piece of jute being pulled out, is enough to follow with scissors to cut a straight line.  That is EXACTLY what we are going for!

Now, you can use this void to cut along and have a perfectly straight edge!

Now, in this case, I wanted to have slightly frayed edges.  But at least I had a straight edge to begin with to pull some jute strings out to create the fray!  

That concludes my tips to working with burlap- I hope you learned something, try it out and find it useful!  

Below are photos of my finished project- a gift to our dear friends on their wedding day.  

Love it, have to have it and don't want to make it?!  No problem- I'd LOVE to make one for you!  Find the listing in my Etsy Shop here.

Do you have any other tricks or tips to working with burlap?  I'd love to hear about them, please comment below!

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Photo Storage Cabinet and Print Display

{Photo Storage Cabinet and Print Display} has been made possible by Shutterfly and Looksi Square.

This project was, by far, the most rewarding project I've ever completed.  I was challenged by Shutterfly and Looksi Square by this:

And well, to be completely honest, I have been seriously lacking in physical prints lately.  It is sad when I think about it, how the once suspense of picking up a set of prints is completely non-existent anymore.  

I can remember how exciting it was, before digital cameras, to pick up the prints that were created from a roll of film you dropped off two weeks earlier.  And now, I almost never even print photos anymore, even with how convenient it is.  

So, with this challenge it gave me an opportunity to have some of the THOUSANDS of photos I have of Madisyn's first year and a half of life printed.  The prints I received from Shutterfly were high quality and came SOOO FAST!  I ordered them online and they were at my door step so quickly!  

For my answer to the challenge, I wanted to create a cabinet {using as many re-purposed materials as possible} to house all things "photo".  I LOVE photos and scrap-booking and creative photo displays and albums and collage books (the ones you can create so easily at Shutterfly) and I have A LOT of "photo stuff".  When my project was complete, I was able to condense the items I had on 3 book shelves onto two and move one of them out of our living room all together because this cabinet neatly, and beautifully holds IT ALL!  

It also doubles as a display piece.  I'll show you how below!

The Process

Materials:

• 1 -Vintage 8 pane window (I originally intended to use two {as you can see from my Introduction Post } but it would have been a MASSIVE piece of furniture- and that was not the intent)
• 1 -1"x12"x12" board 
• Spare 2x4 wood scraps
• 2 - Hinges
• Killz Primer
• Paint
• Wood Stain
• 8- Magnetic Paper Clips
• E6000 Glue

The first step of the process was the hardest, by far---> coming up with plans and measurements.  

I outlined the planning process in my Update Blog Post-but I will do a quick review for you here as well.

Serena and I started by measuring the vintage window-{ the cabinet had to fit around it} and we simply used a tape measure to figure out the height I knew I wanted the top of the cabinet to be.  We modeled our plans off of Ana White's Ikea Hemnes Linen Cabinet- I liked the basic farm style and knew I wanted the finish to highlight this design.

We quickly figured that we could make ALMOST the whole cabinet from the one 1x12x12 I wanted to use- and that was SOOO exciting to me!  We worked together using the scary table saw, to rip down the 1x12 into 2x2's for the frame.  

We used the 2x2's to construct a frame using the Kreg Jig to create pocket holes for wood screws and Gorilla Glue, of course.

Once the frame was complete I was able to set the vintage window inside to make sure it would fit- calculating the space needed around the window including space for the hinges was super nerve racking for Serena and I.  Its so scary to create a frame for a door {and have it Gorilla Tough} and just HOPE you allowed enough space for the door to open.  Needless to say {even with the vintage-completely un-square nature of the window} it seemed to fit!

Having already decided on a finish style (two toned wood stain and paint- as inspired by The Golden Syacmore), we were able to start cutting the boards needed to fill in all the empty space.

We measured the space between the sides of the frame that we would fill with the rest of the 1x12 ripped into boards about 3/4" thick and the width of a 2x4.  I wanted to get a similar look with these boards as we achieved with Madisyn's Farm-Style Toddler Table.  

After cutting the boards for the sides, we finally ran out of wood from the 1x12x12.  So I went "shopping" in our reclaimed wood stash and pulled out some 2x4's that were long enough to rip down to make the top and shelves.  

With all the measuring and wood cutting complete, it was time to start finishing!  I gave the frame a good coat of primer with Kilz.  And then two coats of a beautiful Blue.

I also took all of the wood to be stained {side panels, shelves and top} out onto the grass with a tarp underneath and stained both sides of each board.

With all the wood finished, it was time to assemble! We used finish nails to attach the top, sides and shelves to their support pieces. And I was nervous AGAIN.  This would be the first opportunity to see if the door would actually function.  

Kyle and I struggled with the best way to attach the hinges.  I originally wanted the hinges to be internal (mounted on the inside of the frame and inside of the door- so all you might see from the exterior would be the round spine of the hinge).  It was quickly clear that we had not allowed enough room for this style of mounting.  So, we improvised (as the two of us are GREAT at doing) and mounted the hinges on the outside of the door and inside of the frame.  This gave us an extra 1/8" ish for the door to swing.  I ended up liking the look of the exposed hinges.  What do you think?

Even with the hinges mounted on the exterior of the door, I still had to do some adjusting due to the vintage nature of the window.  IT IS NOT SQUARE IN ANY WAY.  It actually was wider in the middle than on the two ends, so in order to get it to close well, I had to do some sanding.  Well, maybe a lot of sanding (but only in the middle of the window).  Since I was already sanding, I decided to rough up some of the edges a bit and release any paint that was chipping and loose.  I loved the way it weathered with a little sanding.  

I also forgot to mention, that the window needed A LOT of cleaning.  I use these windows for various projects and the best system I've come up with to clean them is to put them in the bath tub.  Spray with the shower.  Douse in Dawn.  And use a stiff wire or plastic bristle scrub brush.  It does a great job.  This particular window had a TON of white over-spray on one side of the glass- so I also spent about half an hour with a razor blade getting as much of that off as possible.

Anyway, now that you've seen it finished, you are most likely wondering how I achieved the Display Frame Concept.  I took the magnet part off of these handy-dandy clips using a screw driver.  

Then, I glued the clip to the inside of the window/door in the center of each window pane using E6000 {by far my favorite glue for purposes such as this- see how I used it to create my beautiful Apothecary style Candlestick Vases here}

With the clips attached to the door front, it allows the openness I wanted to be able to view the pretty contents inside the cabinet, and the versatility of being able to switch out the prints whenever I want!

Inside the cabinet, I made the bottom shelf a good height for two metal bins I had to contain mini-albums.

The next shelf up fits 12x12 scrapbooks perfectly.  And the top shelf houses two pretty photo boxes to keep my prints {that I will be printing frequently from now on} safe until I scrap-book them or put them in albums.  

Serena and I had fun arranging a vignette on the top of the piece as well. 

Thank you Serena and Kyle for all your help- it was a lot of fun!  And thank you to Shutterfly and Looksi Square for the opportunity to have my first sponsored blog post!

 I LOVE IT and can't wait to show it off in my home!

Looksi and Shutterfly have invited me to participate in a creative brand collaboration.  I have been provided with product compensation for this post, but all opinions are my own.

Some of my blog world friends also participated in this challenge and came up with some amazing ideas.  Please take a look at their challenge posts!

One Artsy Momma

'A Casarella

Create and Babble

Fancy Shanty

No 29 Design

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