boo take two

I had such a fun time making my Halloween wreath (below), which I wrote about here, that when the Man's Sister requested one I gladly jumped in to another project.

She wanted hers to be a little different from mine and I was curious and excited to see how her idea would look. Instead of using printed fabric, the Sister decided she wanted black and purple tulle.  We bought a few rolls of sparkly black and purple and supplemented it with black felt, and matching solid tulle.

A word to the wise, beware of the sparkly tulle in rolls at Hobby Lobby.  That glitter is serious business.  Both the Man and I have been sparkling for a few weeks now. It looks like we've been to one too many of the clubs over in Columbus (you locals know what I'm talking about.)

The process was pretty much the same-- wrap wreath in felt

 cut fabric into strips and tie onto wreath.

This one was much fuller than my last.  I can only imagine this in pink for a little ballerina or princess themed room, or even in white for a pretty "snowy" effect.

Apparently. I wasn't the only one who loved the fluffiness of it all:

The final step was adding in some fun orange sparkles the Sister found in the floral section at Hobby Lobby.  It really made the whole thing pop and I lurve the way it turned out!

I think the Sister was pretty happy too.. but because I like her, I won't post the picture I made her take with her wreath as she was leaving for class.  (Sister, you're welcome! Don't hate me!) On another note, I have a few more projects in the works-- Mother Dear and I are planning a Halloween craft day and I can't wait to try out some of our ideas we've found out in blogland. Hopefully they'll be spooktacular.

Yes, I know. It was terrible.  But you smiled.... right?  Riiiiight?

pickin' cotton

Hi friend,
It's been a while.
Sorry about the break--the Man and I have been really caught up in trying to get a few projects finished before the Holiday season sets in. (Yes, I realize it's October, but for our family, the Holiday craziness starts right after Halloween.)  We really want to have the kitchen and greatroom finished in time to have a mini-open house for our family and a few family friends before Thanksgiving festivities begin.  Add in the fact that almost every single weekend in October was booked plus we've both been knocking out a little overtime at work and you have two very busy nerdy birds.

Speaking of booked weekends in October, it's been craft festival season around here.  The 2nd of this month I had my first introduction to the amazingness that is the Cotton Pickin' Fair over in Gay, GA.  I wasn't really sure what to expect and suffice it to say: my mind was officially blown.  I went with the Man's mom and his sister and we had a blast. It was a gorgeous day that started off pretty chilly (which is rare around here) but soon the sun was out in full force and it was lovely. I think they grew a little tired of me constantly taking pictures of everything but there were so many inspiring ideas!  Prepare for lots of oohs and ahhs and saying "so pretty!"

The Fair is on an open field with lots of neat buildings throughout. 

 On one of the porches we saw some really fabulous repurposed furniture ideas. 

Planters out of old shutters

Headboard benches

A cute curio from an old windowframe-- it took all the willpower in the world to not break the Man's "no-more-furniture" rule. It was the perfect size for a nook in our new kitchen and I can always use more storage.  But I behaved, it was little pricey and I had to resist (see honey, I can be good.)

Shelves from ladderback chairs.  Overall, the prices were pretty decent ranging from about $30 and up-- not quite thrift store cheap, but if you aren't planning on DIY it's not bad at all.

Another booth had some really fun signs.  I think the vendor made them from 1/2 inch  plywood and vinyl/paint.  I loved the cheeky humor of these and the style and colors are right on trend.

Loved these large-scale frames

I actually laughed out loud at the brown-chicka-brown-cow one. 

And yes, the vendor did look at me funny.

I oohed and ahhed excessively when I rounded the corner and saw this booth.  Beadboard, fresh fun colors and mirrors. I heart mirrors. It was a little embarrassing how much I loved this stuff.  It's a little too cottagy for our home, but I think Layla at TLC might have done a happy dance.

The scale of this mirror was amazing-- I'd say it was about 3x3 if not more.

I've seen this idea in stores, but this is much better than the big box version & such fun colors!

another lovely shabby mirror with amazing details and distressing...

This vendor had a ton of antiques (which based on his prices, he wasn't trying to sell them.) but I loved the worn look of these repurposed candleholders

The buildings there had such character.  The worn metal siding made me think of our neighbors who have been using a lot of rustic materials in their renovations.

Inside another building, it was like a furniture showroom exploded.  I had to be kinda sneaky to take some of these, so pardon the poor lighting.

One of the final stops was this seller who makes custom cabinets-- we're talking dovetail construction here, but he had the prices to match.  Still--fun eye candy!

I had an awesome time and am looking forward to next year.  I picked up a few things, but I was trying to be fairly frugal because of all the other fun things going on in October for this nerdy bird (like an upcoming IKEA trip, Christmas in the South --another awesome craft festival, and the never-ending renovations!)  It was a great chance to get some Christmas shopping done and I can never turn down farm-fresh tomatoes. It did not disappoint and I had such a great time with the family.

 The Cotton Pickin' Fair is bi-annual and happens the first weekend in October and May.  However, I don't like to sweat-- and I'm sure in May it's going to be pretty hot.  I'll keep it as an October treat!