Visions of Fall

Don't you just love this time of year? Michigan has had an amazing Fall. 

Fall Mantel

Fall Hen

The colors have been super and the weather great! Traditionally, I start bringing out Fall decorations after the Labor Day weekend but it was hard this year because it was still summer in Michigan.

Garage sale candle stick, finally put to use!

The 'twig' trees are a year round staple at my house,
changed up each season with different accessories.

Sunflowers turned into a central theme
throughout most of the house.

In fact, mid October and my annuals are still in full bloom. Crazy!

Harvest banner only 4.99!

Love pumpkins, in all shapes and sizes!

Mums are traditional and plentiful!

In everything "Give Thanks"!

Dining room beauties!

Sharing my Fall Mantel and decorations this week at:

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Any Link Goes Party @ Bacon Time With The Hungry Hungry Hypo  

Serenity Saturday @ Serenity You

Show and Tell Saturday @ Be Different, Act Normal 

nifty thrifty things

DIY showoffOverflowing with Creativity @ It's Overflowing 

Sometimes you have to go back to the drawing board

Sometimes you have to go back to the drawing board to turn your nothing into something.

The 31 Days Challenge is a perfect example. I have wanted to do this for the past three years but I could not imagine what I could write about for 31 days.

This year I was determined to try it. But I had nothing.

I kept mulling over ideas and chewing on thoughts. My first idea turned into my 4th idea and I was excited to think I had landed on the perfect subject. 31 Days of Color!

Wow, now wasn't that inspirational? Until I saw that someone had taken that same subject last year.

Back to the drawing board I went until I realized that the very nothing that was hindering me was the something that I could write about.

What do you do when your something turns out to be nothing?

Finding Your Happy Place

Everybody has a Happy Place. Even you do. You might not recognize it as such but it is that spot or that place where you can go where everything seems right and the world can stop revolving.

I love the outdoors. Whether walking through professional manicured
gardens like on our St. Louis trip, or working in my garden at home. Makes my world right again!

Oftentimes, when you feel like you have nothing left and you need to refuel, where do you go and what can you do? Go find your Happy Place.

Your Happy Place might be a certain location whether in your yard, at the local park. It might be a walk in the woods  or it might even be an activity. Maybe you are a painter and when you have that paint brush in hand, everything in the world seems right again.

So whatever it is or wherever you go that relieves the stress of life and rights the world, make that your first destination to turn your nothing into something once again.

Sometimes it requires inspiration

When you are feeling empty like you have nothing left to give you need a little inspiration.

Inspired by the beauty of historic homes.

Inspiration comes in many forms for different people. But all things are inspired by God.

You might find inspiration at a home tour or a garden tour like I did.

Sometimes you just need to get out there and find that thing that inspires you to help you turn your nothing back into something!

To read all 31 Days of Nothing.

Turning your nothings into somethings

 

Somedays I get so overwhelmed that I do nothing.

Yup. N.O.T.H.I.N.G.

Because I have so many somethings that those somethings lead to nothings.

That's when I need my nothing inspired by something.

Something that gives me direction and helps me to take those next steps.

So when I need my nothings turned into somethings I turn to the source of all somethings.

The Peace that passes all understanding that comes from my something with God.

Join me for the next 31 days as I share my thoughts on how to turn your nothings into somethings.

What inspires you?

I love inspiration and it comes from everywhere. Oftentimes when I least expect it and when I am least prepared. Yup.

Inspiration usually hits me at the worst possible moments. Moments when I am weeding my flower beds, or doing the laundry, or cleaning toilets. Toilets are so inspirational ya know?


So I had to think on this and wonder why the greatest of ideas come to me at the worst of times. Times when I can't capture my ideas to remember later. The answer? It was when I was doing everyday, routine tasks that don't require mental energy and my mind is free. Free to dream and plan and plot.

Sometimes though, I get inspiration from others. In fact often I do. So, when that happens and I am out and about and something I see hits my fancy, I snap a picture.

This is the picture of some art that I saw hanging in a cute little gift shop while on vacation in St. Charles, MO.

This was my inspiration. Hanging in all it's beauty in
a pricey little gift shop in St. Charles, MO

So I confidently go out to the shed and dig out some old fence boards, buy the perfect stencil from Hobby Lobby, mix some leftover paint into the perfect color and confidently start what I know is going to be my best project yet!

A few days later I have my biggest mistake yet!

 

 

 

 

 

A big mistake that turned into one of my best pieces!

 

Linking up this week to:

Grace at Home Imparting Grace 

Link Party #121 at Redoux Interiors 

Treasure Hunt Thursdays at From My Front Porch to Yours 

The Power of Paint Party 

 

 





Gardens of St. Louis

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We just recently came back from a wonderful vacation in St. Louis and I had to share all the gorgeous flowers and plants I found in the area.

Hope you enjoy my St Louis garden picture tour!

Happy weekend!

Relandscaping??

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Hmmm, I've heard of redecorating but relandscaping? Why not? That's me. I am relandscaping and redesigning my front. You see when we moved into our home the front was already planted with overgrown plants and bushes that I redid first thing. But then I had to carve out an area on the side of the house cause it looked so barren. Well at least it did after we yanked out all the fat, overgrown bushes!

So a couple years later I did just that. I dug out an area along the side of the house and landscaped it. It is beautiful. I love it. Really. But I always wondered why I didn't just connect the side with the front and flow it all together. You know what they say about hindsight? That is something I've been thinking about for a couple years now but never had the gumption to move ahead.

That is until one day. It was a day like any other day. I had a few extra minutes and was near a TJ Maxx so what do you suppose? I ran into the store and found an amazing round metal globe for only $12.99. I loved it. Had no idea what to do with it but I didn't care. So I bought it and started thinking about all the great things I could do with it. 

Fence post mounted in ground.

So I hauled out an old fence post from the shed. Dug a hole, mixed some concrete and put the post in the hole. Then asked my awesome hubby to attach the metal globe. 

Metal globe attached to fence post.

Finished product.

Of course one thing led to another and...well that's for another post.