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Versatile Decor

I love the idea of having items that are versatile.  The ability to change a tiny detail and the item becomes something entirely different is exciting.  Do you remember my multi use pillow?  Well I bought some candles at Ikea a long time ago.  They are perfect for dressing up because they are neutral colors. 

Add a little tulle and ribbon and you are set.  I have the cutest ribbon that I am planning on using for Christmas.

I also thought I would share how I have my house decorated.  I don't decorate for many holidays, but there is something about Halloween/Fall that gets me excited to decorate.  Maybe it is the colors.

You can buy large glass jars like this one at Wal-Mart for $6.  It is also a very versatile item to have around.

My mother in-law hand painted this cute wooden basket.  I have it by my Halloween table runner.

I love decorative dishtowels.  They are so cute plus you can actually use them, or at least I do!

I found this metal pumpkin at a boutique in Gardner Village a few years ago and fell in love.  I think this might be my favorite fall decoration.  I embroidered the framed 'Boo to You' art at a girls night I had with my sisters.

The 'Fall' sign was put together just a couple of weeks ago at a girls night Jennifer, Shauntel and I had with our families.  It was so much fun.  I also have my Halloween throw on the couch.

Halloween Throw

I came across this gorgeous thick woven fabric at Joann's.  I loved how the fabric looked great on both sides.  I knew I wanted to add a little something to the edges and keep the fabric as is without adding a backing. 

I bought some black polka-dot material to use for the edges.  I wanted this to be a fast and simple project so I took the laziest approach that I could.  I cut out the spiderweb material to be 45" by 55".  Then for the side binding I cut 1.5" strips of the polka-dot material.  I wanted to add a wider strip to the short ends of the throw so I cut out 3.5" strips of the polka-dot material.



Here is where my lazy approach comes in.  I didn't want to make my own bias tape so I just ironed the 1.5" strip in half then cut the edge like shown above.  Since they were only going up the sides this is how the end will look.  I decided I wanted to keep the edges raw, it would add to the look of frayed spider webs.

I sewed the 3.5" strips right sides together then ironed them wrong sides together to make a sort of sleeve.  I sewed this to the top inch of the spiderweb material, yet again leaving the edges raw.  This took a little finagling but I like the length that it added.  Finally I sewed the binding up the sides.  I love the look of the raw edge, it will look awesome once I wash it.

This was so simple and I love how it turned out.  It will look so cute by my table runner.  Don't you love my cute little puppy peeking her head out wondering what I am doing?

Halloween Decorations

October is already here, it is bitter sweet for me. I have absolutely loved my summer and hate to see it come to an end but on the same note, oh how I love fall! 

This week at The Polka-dot Umbrella all us gals will be posting around a Halloween theme as there are so many things that come with this fun holiday. 

We have all seen some great things already out there on craft sites and blogs. I have done a bit of "taking ideas" from such creative people. 

First, my favorite site, countryliving.com had a fabulous bat door idea. 

I was a bit apprehensive about duck tape that the site suggested. The last thing I wanted to do is have to paint my door at the first of November because the paint was ripped off while taking off the bats. I did a bit of research and found there is a duck tape for stucko. It looks like this.

It is a pretty light tape and it isn't quite as sticky as others. I also have a metal door so all the bats directly on the door I hot glued magnets on the back. I did a tester on the inside of the door for a week and these ways seemed to work just fine. 

I made a broom out of a branch and twigs. I thought this added just the right touch. Now I just need some pumpkins sitting on the steps.

I used Make-it and Love-it's tutorial to make this darling pumpkin for my kitchen table.

I usually shy away from popular things that are out there but I had to make an exception. The candle stick jars and tiered serving trays are super creative and can be quite cute. I decided to start a search for candle sticks at the thrift store. They were hard to come by. There must be someone getting to them before me. I finally came across some last week, what perfect timing with all the fun Halloween decorating. I haven't painted them yet (in the air on what color) but they will look great when they are finished.   

Add some halloween candy to the jars and paint the candle sticks and the table will look just right.

The spider bowl is my kids favorite halloween decoration.

Have you been pinning lately? What have been your favorite fall decorations? Have you had a good experience with any fall tutorials?

Happy Fall to everyone!