Bring the indoors out!

Chandeliers are for outdoors too! With the weather cooling down, it is time to open up the windows to let the fresh air in and invite friends over to enjoy the beautiful weather outside.  I love the idea of adding a chandelier to outdoor living spaces.  Whether it is illuminated with candles or electricity, they really add a nice touch to your space.  When decorating your outdoor living area remember to treat it like an extension of your home and decorate it like you would a room in your house.  I have been using my outdoor living space lately,  enjoying the company of my neighbors and my hubby.  Pass the ice tea please!

You can even make your own chandelier.  These projects above will require a little dexterity with wire cutters and the needle-nosed pliers, but the end results are cool.  Hang your fixture from a tree branch or porch roof for your next outdoor dinner party. Better still, fill your jars with soy citronella tealight candles (they burn cleaner) or add some drops of clove oil to the candles to keep the bugs at bay.

image source: country living, potterybarn, hgtv

Pretty Pastels

A lovely collection of ETSY items.

shell mug. mint villarrealcera... $27.00	Spring Leaves earrings ... BeautySpot $24.00	Cloud mobile.... Rain o... leptitpapillon $24.00	Ruffled Baby Bloomers (... bonbonLand $19.50
Romantic rose-Handmade ... HansHolzkopf $26.00	SALE Mint Green Bib Nec... mojospastyle $36.00	Teething Necklace Nursi... boorashka $24.00	vintage car photo - Kod... honeytree $30.00
Long Dangle Earrings Li... daimblond $19.00	Mint and Pink Flower Dr... JewelryDeluxe $11.00	Mint Green Cotton Satin... digforvictory $120.00	SALE-Pink Patent Leathe... Justlena $18.00
The Birds - 5x5 Fine Ar... ellemoss $15.00	Eco-friendly Handmade P... SimplyInviting... $20.00	25% OFF Pink Flower Pho... Maddenphotogra... $18.75	Handmade lamp, lamp sha... FiligreeCreati... $40.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

A Lovely Halloween Party

Who would not want to have a halloween party with these great party ideas! Maybe this will inspire you to invite some friend over for a little Halloween Cheer!

 Yummy Caramel Apples!

May I hold your lollypop please???

 Halloween cookies made out of refrigerated cookie dough!  My kind of cookie!

 Turn a pumpkin into a chip holder!

image source: cupcakes, apples, lollypop holder, candy corn cookies, pumpkin bowl

A Beautiful Handwritten Thank You Note

Recently I had the pleasure of writing a thank you note, and in the process I had the thought that, like letter writing, the practice of writing thank you notes may be a dying art.  Let’s face it, most people don’t handwrite anything these days. We email, we text, we pick up our cellphones, we even Skype. We communicate in all kinds of ways, but we just aren’t handwriting much of anything anymore.

What I know for sure, is nothing can replace for me the simple pleasure of receiving a simple handwritten thank you note.  And, in today’s noisy, electronic world, a thoughtful card, with a few lines of “thanks” handwritten inside, is a stand out symbol of caring and personal attention.  If you are an artisan seller, include a short thank you note with every purchase you mail out.  Your customers will love it!

Here are some great thank you notes I found on Etsy.  Maybe they will inspire you to pull out your pen and write a thank you note!

Letter Press Thank You from PistachioPress

Kraft Paper with Pink Bows from ShintaShop

Polka Birdy Collection from RachelKDesigns

Quilled Paper Thank You Card from LicenseToQuill

Simply October

 

image source: leaves, acorns, pumpkins, dancing skeletons

Outdoor Fall Decor

Fall is the time when people move indoors and welcome guests to warm visits over cider. Greet your guests with a beautifully decorated front porch. I have put together a beautiful collection of beautiful and simple decorations for the outside of your home for fall. Using materials you may have in your yard or can pick up at the market, the outside of your home will look as warm and welcoming as it is inside!

Get some Mums! This is the time that most stores do away with the regular perennials and it becomes mum time. You'll be able to find pots of mums at the grocery store and home improvement stores. A few pots of mums go a long way in the porch decorating scheme of things. The mums can be an accent or a focal point.

Pumpkins and Gourds are the king of fall. They're also pretty cheap. Add some small pumpkins and a few large pumpkins for a splash of fall color. Put them at the base of your pots of mums and you've got a good start on a fall porch. Put them on the sides of your porch steps to direct folks to your front door.

A large porch can handle a couple of bales of hay. You can get three stack them up in a ragged pyramid with a top and two ledges on the side. Add your mums and pumpkins to your stack of hay and you've got a classic fall porch.  

Not Your Ordinary Pumpkins!

Don't just carve your halloween pumpkin the same old way this year.  Try something new and different.  Here are a few that I really like.

image source:  legs, bats, cake, owl, scary pumpkins

Paperless Post, What a Great Way to Send An Emailed Invitation

Now that we are fast approaching the Party Season I thought I would share one of my favorite finds, Paperless Post.  I just love a cute invitation.  They really set the tone for the type of get together you are planning.  These days, most people are sending emails to invite friends to a party.  My new favorite thing to use it Paperless Post.  You can email the cutest invitations!  When your guests receive their invite via email an envelope will appear with their name on it.  When they click the envelope to open it, the cute invitation pops out.  Your guests can also respond to an RSVP.  Click HERE to see for yourself how this works.  Here are a few examples of their invites.
 

Get Yourself Out Of Your Creative Slump

Do you ever feel like you sit down to start your project and your creative juices are just not flowing??  I know it happens to me in both my Interior Design Business and in my Jewelry Business.  Personally, I just can't force creativity.   Sometimes I just say "Ok, this is not working today" and I will try again tomorrow.   I usually try to find something to refocus my energy.  Occasionally I will go for a run and ideas will pop into my head.  I think it is just a matter of not forcing the issue.  If your creative juices are just not flowing, take a break, turn on some music, go for a walk, refocus your energy, take a breath and creative juices will start flowing again.  What do you do to get your creativity flowing again? image source