DIY Vintage Inspired Florals!

This fall arrangement speaks to me all wrapped up into a vintage bundle...well I'm not vintage YET!

I love antiques, items that were well loved and used so that they now show a sense history.  I also collect vintage tins and lunch boxes...I display them all around my house & like to use them in vignettes as much as I can.

This arrangement cost me a big fat $0 LOL..everything was FREE!

So use what you have in your yard and woods and see what you can create!

I have quite a few pics in this post...feel free to scroll thru.  But I'm learning how to use my new Canon Rebel T51 and so I'm having fun with it :)  Bear with me...I'm a picture kinda girl!

This is what some of my hydrangeas look like currently in my front beds.  I clipped bunches of them already to dry in the garage for later use. Tulips and Hydrangeas are my absolute favorite flowers...I ADORE them.  And hydrangeas look beautiful dried so I always dry bunches over the winter.  And when fall comes my bright blooms turn into these beautiful soft, muted colors...perfect for fall arrangements.

And the woods behind our house are starting to turn beautiful fall colors as well.  So I went forest foraging and found some great dried branches from felled trees, delicate wheat grass and golden leaves to use.  And they were all FREE, nothing better than free!

I've gathered all the elements I want onto my countertop and get started.

My kitchen countertops get a lot use for cooking AND all my projects.

My studio is for my papercrafting mainly and hubby's garage is my spray paint & painting command center!  Next house I want a HUGE studio where I can have many different areas...hubby laughs when I say that..but a girl CAN dream right?

I use small plasticware containers inside my tins to hold water so the blooms stay fresh for awhile longer.

I liken flower arranging to how I make my cards...layers...lots and lots of layers and textures.

Not that I'm a professional floral arranger by any means...but I can do enough to get by for what I like.

I knew I would set this on my family room coffee table so I wanted some height but not too much that it blocked the TV viewing...gosh forbid anyone cannot see the TV in my house ;)  Especially during football and hockey season..I mean "c'mon man"..repeating a phrase often uttered by the boys and ESPN!

So I wanted some graphic branches, some fall leaves and something a bit delicate to add to the arrangement.

I love the fall colors of the hydrangea blooms, so soft & vintage feeling.

A view of the arrangement against the fall afternoon sky..loved the background for this!

How can you not love hydrangeas?  Lil' blooms of four leaf clovers I used to tell the kids when they were young.  They so believed me that Riley brought me a bundle one day years ago and said they were "LUCKY" and he picked them just for me...out of my garden...sweet boy that he was is ;)

Here is what it looks like on my coffee table.  Those fab glass blown pumpkin & gourd came from 

Pier One Imports...love the amber color.  The much LOVED tv is to the right in this picture.

PS--the arrangment gets put in the study at night or when no one is home...remember I have flower eating cats that see this as a great snack..arghhhh!

Playing around with the aperture on the camera a bit...and one of my ever present lit Yankee Candles o the table.  This coffee table is getting painted soon...stay tuned for that.

The ruler crate was a fun purchase from Hobby Lobby for 50% off..it holds all my current magazines that I haven't read yet and catalogs neatly.

Just something comfy and cozy about warm colors, wood, antiques, fall blooms and candle light that gives me a good feeling.  I always want my house to feel comfy and cozy and hope people feel that when they visit.

And some fun with Photoshop of course...love a middle range between sepia and black/white.

Not quite either but a nice blend for a different look.

I hope this post inspires you to look around your house, yard and woods for some elements that you can use inside this fall.  Nothing better than natural elements that cost little to nothing and put together lovingly by you!

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I'm entering this into the following Linky Parties:

Its Fall Y'all
Or So She Says
Your Homebased Mom
What's Cooking with Ruthie
It's Overflowing-Share Your Creativity
Serenity You
Common Ground:  Be Inspired
Remododelaholic
Uncommon Designs: Monday Funday
Home Coming: The DIYers
Home Stories A to Z
A Bowl Full of Lemons- One Project at a Time
Give Me the Goods Monday
DIY Dreamer
Stone Gable - Tutorials & Tips
Centsational Girl
Thistlewood Farms

Treasure Hunting!

Treasure Hunting Time 

 Do you thrift?  Meaning go to thrift shops to search for fun treasures?  I do, in fact the ladies that run the local church thrift shop know me by name, know what I usually look for and will set things aside for me and email me.  Gotta love that!

I like to take Alexa with me sometimes...when I'm in the mood lol...and she helps me hunt for things.  We bring her friends in too and show them what they can find...the other day each of the girls found new Abercrombie sweaters with tags on, never worn for $5 each...those are $50 items usually.  The girls were thrilled...apparently its quite "hipster" and "trendy" amongst teens to get unique items at Thrift Shops that no one else may have as they picked up some cool totes for $3 each too. 

 Guess I'm in style now hahahaha!

I know some people have an issue with things that have been handled before, used or touched.  I don't have that issue and I would never buy anything like undergarments or shoes and I wash everything I bring home really well.  There is so much STUFF in this world...lord knows my family contributes to it and it just doesn't make sense to always buy NEW before at least considering some thrifty finds to mix in. And I also am an antique junkie...so many cool things out there just waiting for another new home and life!

Now some of you may NOT agree with me and that's ok---

I have a friend that will not go to the library because she refuses to touch books others have touched.

I have another friend who thinks I'm NUTS for thrifting..but same friend came to my house and admired a thrifty find that I redid and had on display...HA!! ;)

I have heard that Nicholas Cage has a phobia to antique furniture because he believes its haunted.

I nicely respond with "it takes ALL kinds to make this world go round eh?" because I'm PC like that! Whatever floats your boat I guess! <wink>

But if you are OPEN to the idea, you can really find some great things.  Another place to stop is Habitat Humanity's REstore shop...we have one in Purcellville.  You can find great things for you home on the cheap...shutters, sinks, faucets, tile, granite, etc.  People that gut or redo their houses donate the old materials and the REstore shops sell it...some amazing deals and some things are almost brand new.

These are my treasures I got the other day for $34.  I'm working on a project I will share soon with old frames..stay tuned.  

NOTHING here will look like it does currently...it will be transformed!!

And you dig that bread box? ME TOO...I LOVE IT..$8 was a steal!  Its in my kitchen now but it will be getting a bit of a redo as well...yes I like the wood but I have other ideas for it!

{my photos came from my phone so please forgive me}

The bread box is HUGE...it will hold all our desserts, donuts, rolls, etc.

I have a huge bread drawer in my kitchen so this will be used for other pastries :)

These beautiful mirrors were $6 each...yes the frames are pretty if you are looking for that style.

I however have other ideas for them...stay tuned.  But for $18 it was pretty good deal!

So I have some fun projects to work on next week and get photographed and I will

be sharing them with you all next week!

Do you Thrift Shop?

What has been your favorite find so far?