Our Thankful Tree

In my never-ending battle to raise my children to be upstanding citizens of the world, I was inspired by other blogs I had seen to start a new tradition in the month of November.

Our Thankful Tree...

I had cut down a few birch branches that were breaking from an especially windy storm we had in October. Up until very recently, the leaves stayed fairy intact.

This week, however, they were falling like crazy. I got a little annoyed with picking them up constantly before the dog would eat them. When they would fall, I would just put them in the bottle for later.

I printed up tags and cut them out {and used a decorative punch on the corners}. They say "I'm thankful for..." I started in a print font since my daughter is just learning her letters, and then realized my son is learning {and surprisingly loving} to write in cursive. So I added another version with cursive - and got extra creative with the next version - I added a bokeh overlay. It looks so pretty and soft.

The thoughts we each write on the tags can be very meaningful. For example:

I'm thankful for...
"... the saleswoman today who reminded me of something my grandma would say to me." {She has passed away, and it was such a bright moment in my day to hear her words.}

"... everyone helping to feed Molly." - that's from my husband regarding the dog duties.

"... us having enough money so I can play hockey." ~from my son {he plays semi-travel - apparently, our comments about not taking it for granted are sinking in}

Or somewhat simple and even silly at times, such as:

I'm thankful for...
"... my sweet baby girl" ~ I also did "... my wonderful son"
"... goggles" ~ 3 year old - she tends to wear them around the house, to the store, and every now and then in the pool :)
"... ice cream" ~ BOTH kids - and who am I kidding? - me, too

I don't want my kids {or husband} to think it has to be profound each time. We should be thankful for everyday things, as well.

I have put all the extra tags in a vintage silver sugar cup. I punch holes and hang them with twine when we are done. 

I think I mentioned once before that I wanted to make my own velvety pumpkins this year. Well, I did it! ONE! One lonely pumpkin! :) But he's awfully cute, don't you think? Real stem again and a real dried leaf. 

As I said, I was inspired by many different blogs, but the most recent post that spurred me to action was Jones Design Company. 

So to all of those wonderful blogs and to all of my wonderful readers, I would like to say...

I have added an image below with the tags I used for our Thankful Tree. If you click on the image it should appear larger and can be printed or downloaded. 

To you and yours from me and mine...

Sometimes I link up with the following fabulous linky parties: The 36th Avenue, A Ruffled Nest, At the Picket Fence, Atkinson Drive, Be Different Act Normal, Between Naps of the Porch, Beyond the Picket Fence, Blissful & Domestic, Bowdabra Blog, Cheerios and Lattes, Coastal Charm, Common Ground, Country Momma Cooks, Crystal & Co (The Mommy Club), The Dedicated House, DIY Show Off, Elizabeth & Co., Embracing Change, Faded Charm, Family Every After, The Farmhouse Porch, Finding Fabulous, Fine Craft Guild, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Free Pretty Things!, French Country Cottage, Ginger Snap Crafts, High Heels and Grills, Home stories AtoZ, House of Hepworths, I Heart Naptime, Lil' Luna, Ladybird Ln, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Little Becky Homecky, Mandatory Mooch, Milk & Cuddles, Mod Vintage Life, My Repurposed Life, My Romantic Home, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Nap Time Crafters, The Nature of Grace, Nifty Thrifty Things, Not Just a Housewife, One More Time, Primp Your Stuff, Redoux, Savvy Southern Style, Shabby Art Boutique, Simple Home Life, Six Sisters' Stuff, Skip to My Lou, Someday Crafts, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Stone Gable, Tatertots and Jello, Thirty Handmade Days, Timewashed, Tip Junkie, Twigg Studios, Uncommon Designs, Under the Table & Dreaming, The Vintage Farmhouse, ...

Thrifty Find: Royal Kent China

I just found a gorgeous set of Royal Kent china at Goodwill this week. I couldn't pass up such beautiful and classic china for the price. I got 54 pieces for $28.00! I just think it is crazy the amount of quality that can be found for so little money. 

It inspired me to start getting ready for hosting Thanksgiving dinner. This is an old bookcase that I use for extra surface in my dining room when we host a lot of people. It's one of those pieces that you've had forever and you don't LOVE it, but it's practical. 

{Please excuse the photos, the weather has been overcast around here all week. And I do not like using flash at all. So, I did my best with natural light and brightened them up a touch in photoshop.}

Told you it was dark outside (this was mid-day, too!) I threw in a few pumpkins for color. I adore white pumpkins, but unfortunately, our local farmers did not have a plentiful crop this year. The handful I picked up have mostly rotted by now, with the exception of the two shown here.

Normally, I am not a very gold kind of girl. Silver, preferably antique, is my thing. But the gold rim was so pretty on this set. Not heavy or overpowering.

Is it just me, or do these photos with the pumpkins look like something from a 1980's Better Homes & Garden magazine shoot? 

Not for their styling or expert photography - hee hee - but for their coloring {soft and washed out}. 

A few pieces from the set were missing, which doesn't bother me a bit. But there were 8 berry bowls. I love berry bowls! These would be perfect for holding jewelry on a vanity. Very shabby chic.

I didn't find the cream and sugar pieces for the set, so I added some mismatched ironstone to the display. I prefer my ironstone as mix and match actually. 

I used a small collection of vintage doilies as a makeshift runner. I'm still not feeling 100% yet, so this is as far as I have gotten with my inspiration I mentioned in my last post about decorating with doilies. :)

The set I found included 8 demitasse cups and saucers. I love teacups, but demitasse teacups are so stinkin' precious! This pattern is so dainty, that the diminutive size makes it so much more pronounced.

This photo is much larger than actual size, but it shows more detail of the pretty raised scrolls. Whether you prefer tea or coffee, this cup requires pinkies in the air. Wouldn't you agree?

Funny thing - I realized after I set it all up and snapped a few quick photos, that I was less concerned about my 3 year old breaking anything - and more concerned about the dog licking the plates on the lower shelves! Agh! So, they are now stacked on the top until turkey day arrives.

Further inspiring my doily obsession was this beautiful glass platter I also found at Goodwill. Look at that intricate white doily pattern! And the gold trim works perfectly with my new-old china! As I was paying, the clerk at Goodwill said to me, "Wow, you came in on the right day!"

Yes, ma'am. Yes, I did. :)

Have you had any great thrifty finds lately? Or a new inspiration to get you started on your holiday decorating?

Sometimes I link up with the following fabulous linky parties: The 36th Avenue, A Ruffled Nest, At the Picket Fence, Atkinson Drive, Be Different Act Normal, Between Naps of the Porch, Beyond the Picket Fence, Blissful & Domestic, Bowdabra Blog, Cheerios and Lattes, Coastal Charm, Common Ground, Country Momma Cooks, Crystal & Co (The Mommy Club), The Dedicated House, DIY Show Off, Elizabeth & Co., Embracing Change, Faded Charm, Family Every After, The Farmhouse Porch, Finding Fabulous, Fine Craft Guild, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Free Pretty Things!, French Country Cottage, Ginger Snap Crafts, High Heels and Grills, Home stories AtoZ, House of Hepworths, I Heart Naptime, Lil' Luna, Ladybird Ln, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Little Becky Homecky, Mandatory Mooch, Milk & Cuddles, Mod Vintage Life, My Repurposed Life, My Romantic Home, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Nap Time Crafters, The Nature of Grace, Nifty Thrifty Things, Not Just a Housewife, One More Time, Primp Your Stuff, Redoux, Savvy Southern Style, Shabby Art Boutique, Simple Home Life, Six Sisters' Stuff, Skip to My Lou, Someday Crafts, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Stone Gable, Tatertots and Jello, Thirty Handmade Days, Timewashed, Tip Junkie, Twigg Studios, Uncommon Designs, Under the Table & Dreaming, The Vintage Farmhouse, ...

oh... hello fall

I have wanted to try a few handmade pumpkins for fall. So, I decided to do whatever I had on hand - all in one naptime. I am hoping to make a few more this week. Possibly a different color scheme for a different room.

I bought decorated store bought orange pumpkins last year on 75% off. So about a quarter a piece. I spray painted some white before decorating them.

I made 2 different burlap pumpkins. The larger pumpkin has a tighter weave. This one is actually a plastic ball (like the ball pit kind) wrapped in a little polyfil and then covered in burlap. The smaller burlap pumpkin has no filler. It is just a puffy empty sack sewn together at the top and bottom. It is from a wide roll of burlap ribbon. 

burlap pumpkin wrapped in twine with tag

I added a wooden tag to the larger one that said, "oh... hello fall" in a coordinating ink color.

Some of the painted pumpkins have jute or twine around them for depth. For the littlest 2 white pumpkins, I wrapped their plastic stems in jute.

The remainder of the pumpkins have real pumpkin stems. They are hot-glued on to each pumpkin. I saved them after last years pumpkins were getting thrown out. My husband thought I was Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. :)

But I have a vision! It just might take me 10 months to get around to accomplishing it.

The other littlest pumpkin in wrapped in twine and then I wrapped it around the pumpkin vertically as well to add definition, because once wrapped, the little pumpkin lost its shape.

I wrapped a medium plastic pumpkin in linen ribbon and then added the twine for definition again.

Also, during the same naptime, I decided to roast my acorns I had picked last week from my neighbor's driveway. Shhhh.... But really, will they miss them? They were just going to drive on them and smash them to smithereens.

When I was looking for something to put a couple in, I realized the my little Chevrolet truck was the PERFECT shade of aqua to compliment the pumpkins. So stinkin' cute!

If you want to try this, just set your oven to 175 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. It is recommended to crack the stove door to let moisture escape. I have seen online that you can bake them anywhere from 20 minutes to all day. I did it for about 3 hours, since I had them sitting in a bag for a week. I wanted to make sure to dry out any moisture and/or critters. {eeeeewwww}

I wanted lots of different textures. I think I'm happy so far. Next, I want to make some out of velvet. I might add some glitter or epsom salt to the plain white pumpkins to add a little more character.

Have you made any new fall decorations? Share with me - I need some more inspiration. :)

Sometimes I link up with the following fabulous linky parties: The 36th Avenue, A Ruffled Nest, At the Picket Fence, Be Different Act Normal, Between Naps of the Porch, Beyond the Picket Fence, Blissful & Domestic, Bowdabra Blog, Cheerios and Lattes, Coastal Charm, Common Ground, Country Momma Cooks, Crystal & Co (The Mommy Club), The Dedicated House, DIY Show Off, Elizabeth & Co., Embracing Change, Faded Charm, Family Every After, The Farmhouse Porch, Finding Fabulous, Fine Craft Guild, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Free Pretty Things!, French Country Cottage, Ginger Snap Crafts, High Heels and Grills, Home stories AtoZ, House of Hepworths, I Heart Naptime, Lil' Luna, Ladybird Ln, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Little Becky Homecky, Mandatory Mooch, Milk & Cuddles, Mod Vintage Life, My Repurposed Life, My Romantic Home, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Nap Time Crafters, The Nature of Grace, Nifty Thrifty Things, Not Just a Housewife, One More Time, Primp Your Stuff, Redoux, Savvy Southern Style, Shabby Art Boutique, Simple Home Life, Six Sisters' Stuff, Skip to My Lou, Someday Crafts, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Stone Gable, Tatertots and Jello, Thirty Handmade Days, Tip Junkie, Twigg Studios, Uncommon Designs, Under the Table & Dreaming, The Vintage Farmhouse, ...