Getting my Fall-On

Starting to decorate for Fall always begins in the sunroom.

My quilts and wreath are changed out first,

then pillows and flowers and tweaking the baker's rack.

Last week on a cool day I made the transition,

which is something I always look forward to

for the change of seasons.

Tuesday it was 99, a record breaker for our town,

but a cool front is coming in to drop us down to the 60's,

so I'm hoping the cooler weather will give me that push

to get things decorated.

Have to have my splashes of orange!

A few weeks ago I finally got around to making

 my feed and grain sack pillows

that had been on the to-do list for quite awhile.

Isn't this one a cutie, with the little chicks?

And this one was an old laundry bag from who knows HOW long ago.

(get a load of that phone number!)

So, this is just the start.

I found my first mums today!!

YAY!! It can't be Fall until the mums have arrived.

The girls are happy that the weather is turning cooler

since they love to lounge in the sunroom.

I'm updating this post for 

Thanks so much for coming by,

Design Challenge: Patty's Niche

Guess what?

It's another builder's revenge post!

Patty has a fabulous Living Room but suffers

from the all too frequent malady of

da da da daaaa......

 Builder's Niche Syndrome

All kidding aside,

I think that a niche can be just breathtaking,

but more often than not, they tend to be challenge to decorate.

Here are some photos from Patty as she shares...

...In Her Own Words:

When Debra over at Common Ground first announced

 that she was  going to start this new feature,

 I immediately sent her an email with pictures

 begging asking for help with this huge niche

above my fireplace.

I do not know what to do with it,

 other than to sheet rock over it,

which my husband and I have talked about.

When we moved in I thought I would hang my clock inside it.

But the clock is so heavy and because of the height involved,

even on scaffolding it proved too much of a challenge

to get secured to the wall.

Plus the mantle sticks out from the wall just far enough

 to be in the way when trying to hang anything.

So there are my challenges with this big empty boxy space.

Weight, height, and lack of ideas...

mostly lack of ideas!

I've included these pictures so you can see the walls

 on either side of the niche/fireplace area.

There is another smaller niche on the left

 where I have hung my crosses.

 I painted the inside of it a grayish blue.

A wall of floor to ceiling windows are on the right.

I would appreciate any input and advice.

 I would like to add that my husband and I

 are long time DIYers  and handy with tools

 and play very well together :)

 so please don't rule out building or making anything.

Thank you so much,

Patricia Ann

OK, everyone, are we ready to help Patty out with some ideas?

Last week we tried not to look at the other comments first,

but this time let's just go with it

and throw out some ideas!

You don't have to be a decorator,

and even if someone else had a similar idea,

leave yours in a comment too.

The more feedback the better!!

thanks so much,

Room by Room; My New Living Room

Today is the second installment of

Room by Room over at Cottage and Vine.

So I grabbed my camera and shot a few photos

from my Living Room.

If you've been with me for awhile you'll know that I've finished

the big job of painting out most of my furniture to white,

the latest being my massive, still hanging, chandy.

It was a huge job and I'm still tweaking,

but I'm beyond happy with how it is turning out.

Comfortable yet elegant,

with a Frenchy flair.

To make the transition I had to paint about 15 pieces of furniture

and countless small changes.

This all started back over the July 4th weekend,

and I've worked pretty much non-stop since then.

If you're new to my blog, I hope you'll follow along

as I'm starting to decorate for Fall.

and come join in for my weekly link party,

Vintage Inspiration Friday

Roomspiration, A View Along the Way

click below

also linking to Kim's WOW us Wednesday

Hope you're off to a great start of the week,

xoxo,

Holdouts

I knew when I took out the paint

and made the first swipe on my coffee table,

that I had a road in front of me

that would take a while to cover.

That was back over the July 4th weekend

and I think I've painted over 14 pieces of furniture

big and small...

plus one huge chandelier.

And countless other changes were made

to get my Living Room to the place it is now.

Then there were these "holdouts".

The two black pieces that were in my bedroom hallway.

I couldn't put it off any longer,

It was a dark reminder of how far I'd come.

I looked for a photo of this hallway with the two black pieces,

but couldn't find one.

So here is how it looks now.

much happier, lighter and brighter!

This lampshade is driving me crazy in this photo,

but it's not wonky in the rest of the photos

so I guess it's just the angle I was shooting from.

This is looking the other direction, toward the kitchen and Dining Room

Here's that blasted shade again,

I'm on the lookout for something lighter now.

I've had this wonderful "Our Father" print for awhile,

just waiting for the right spot.

Fragile and stained,

even more precious.

These are just cheap pieces from Hobby Lobby

purchased when we first moved in.

Something to set a lamp on in the dark hallway.

My vintage tapestry from Belgium circa 1930s.

I still have a few mirrors to hang here

that I think will help reflect the light.

and yesterday I gave an old laundry basket

the French touch paint technique,

much like I did the chandy.

First gray, then black, then almond...

dry brushing and blending as you go.

I'll be linking up with these great parties:

links on buttons on sidebar

Also, wanting to pay homage to those whose lives were taken

and those whose lives were shaken, on September 11, 2001.

For a season we all looked to God,

may we never forget...

much love,