Lucky Charm-ers

I found the sweetest little lucky charm nestled among nature's wee blooms --dropped there, no doubt, by those partying little leprechauns from last week.

So lucky was I, in fact, that I found three Irish charmers expressing different aspects of this fun holiday season: luck, joy and laughter.

Leprechaun Kisses: An Irish Fairy Tale

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A walk in the woods revealed that March has truly arrived. There, sitting on a tree stump, a sweet treat had been arranged by little leprechauns!

I gathered up the Giant Kisses and continued on my walk only to discover other little playful hints of leprechaun activity. 

Cupid-In-The-Box

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Here's a Valentine "card" that will pop out and grab your heart! 

Made to fit in a party favor tin {you could use any tin you have on hand}, this little sentiment packs a lot of punch!

Simple Holiday Napkin Rings

Use ingredients from your kitchen to whip up beautiful and inexpensive table napkin bling!

This recipe calls for the cardboard tube from your paper towel roll, a pat of tinfoil, a few raffia 'noodles' and a pinch of hot glue. Make them simple, or....

glam them up!

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Simple Napkin Rings

Simple and organic materials of raffia and cardboard create pleasing napkin rings or place cards... AND in the coming days it will serve as the sturdy base of a splendid little project I will be unveiling.

This project couldn't be thriftier or easier. Just cut the cardboard tube from your paper towels, wrapping paper, or what-have-you, down to the width you want for the place cards / napkin rings. Put a little hot glue on the tube and wrap raffia around it. You could tie it off in a bow or knot as in this photo, or hot glue into place a little cardboard leaf that can pull double duty as a place card. Options are endless!

I cut my tubes wide enough to accommodate the leaf punch/embosser I used for the place cards. 

But what I'm really going to use these for started with a field trip my hubby and I took a couple of weeks ago.

I bought some pretty little gourds.

The next weekend, when we worked in the yard, I started looking at the 'fall debris' in a whole new way.

You may have seen some of the results of that in this post.

These are seed pods from the locust tree.  Deer love to eat these. Once we had a deer munching on some no more than 8 or 10 feet away from us as we sat on the back patio. What a treat! {for all of us} 

Tons of them land in our yard each fall. See? There are still plenty waiting to fall. 

And all the threads of this little story will fall into place here with Part 2 of this story!


Here's a MUST-see the December holiday version. Click HERE. 

{Hint..You have a secret ingredient in your kitchen right now to make the holiday version even more amazing}

A yummy Fall treat:

Peach Crisp baked in Mason Jars

Kiss the Cook!
3 free printables

{I host a linky party every Wednesday. More info *HERE.*  I'm sharing Simple Fall Napkin Rings with these fine folks, whose links open on ~ Sunday:  Sew Darned Crafty, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, Making Monday Marvelous, Brassy Apple, Craftomaniac, Alderberry Hill, Under the Table & Dreaming, Making the World Cuter ; Monday: Skip to my Lou, Cherished Bliss, The Rustic Pig, Sugar Bee Crafts ; Tuesday: Not Just a Housewife, Carolyn's Homework, Elizabeth & Co., The DIY Dreamer, Tip Junkie's Tip Me Tuesday, Savvy Southern Style, What we Wore & Made, Uncommon, Gingersnap Crafts, The NY Melrose Family, Today's Creative Blog ; Wednesday: I Gotta Create! ,  All Star Block Party, The 36th Avenue, Live-Laugh-Rowe, Handy Man Crafty Woman, The Trendy Treehouse ; Thursday: Scissors & Spatulas, My Repurposed Life, Frugal Girls, Shabby Nest,  Romantic Home, French County Cottage, Stuff & Nonsense ; Friday: Funky Junk Interiors, Happy Hour, Anything Goes, Finding Fabulous, My Simple Home Life, Tatertots & Jello, Thirty Handmade Days, One Creative Mommy ; Saturday: Be Different Act Normal, A Bouquet of Talent, Tutus & Tea Parties, Six Sisters Stuff, Sew Country Chick, DIY Showoff, Positively Splendid , Nifty Thrifty Things; Seasonal: Better Late Than Never}

Join The Wildly Original Crowd 
linky party Wednesdays at 7pm CST!

The Scarecrow That Didn't

A hat is one accessory no scarecrow should be without! For this Bold Crow, it made the perfect platform to build her nest. 

But wait a minute... that's no egg she's tending. Shiver me timbers, that's frightening!

Bewitched!

Obsession is perhaps too light a word for what happened to me as the inspiration for these pillows took hold!  These enchantresses will help you celebrate Halloween in high style.

It started with one, and quickly became two, then a third demanded to be created. By this time, I had half a coven completed.

Vintage photos had me under a spell and were perfect for this project!

Pretty soon, pumpkins, ravens and pitchforks demanded their familiar place in the lineup.

Q: What's been your latest creative obsession?


Here's how you create these bewitching pillows:
(Be sure to click on the link to see more photos!)

Raven Lantern

 "And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting...
...just above my chamber door...
and the lamp-light o'ver him streaming throws his shadow on the floor..."
Edgar Allen Poe "The Raven"

After transforming last week's jar with fall flowers, I started seeing halloween-inspired versions in my mind's eye. My hubby liked how the glow lights created the perfect little night light, so I made The Raven version just for him.

In this one I included glow-in-the-dark stars and wooden balls, along with a few black glass marbles to play off the raven.

 In the dark the lantern glows an eery electric blue with ghostly green suspended stars and 'planets.'

back side of Raven Lantern

I have no idea how to capture the glowing effect you see in the dark while having enough light to show the decorated top of the jar. So, these photos are the best I could do. It's way cooler in person!

"Quoth the raven: 'Nevermore.'"

Q: What's one of your favorite halloween poems or songs?

Here's how you create The Raven Lantern:

Fireflies & Candy Corn Inspirations

Nothing says fall has arrived like a bit of crispness in the air, the leaves starting turn, and... candy corn!  After a productive weekend of Fall Cleaning, I wanted to do a quick little recycle project to kick off the fall decorating season. Inspiration was provided by a craving for candy corn plus this shapely little jar that used to hold spaghetti sauce.

Of course, if you wanted to be a little healthier, you could fill the jar with a good trail mix! Aren't these colors just gorgeous together?  But wait!  Inspiration hit again as I felt a strange mix of wistfulness about summer fireflies disappearing and anticipation at the thought of halloween around the corner:

Clear glass marbles and a couple of glow sticks transform the jar into a lovely little lantern. Doesn't it harken to those childhood dreams of a firefly lantern? I found a tube of 15 glow bracelets for a buck. Or, you could put one of those battery-operated tea lights in the bottom and fill the jar with the marbles.

Sure looks good as part of a fall montage.  Who knew an old spaghetti jar could have so many fall outfits?  


Q: What inspires you about fall?


Making this dressy little jar is so simple, it literally took me maybe 5 minutes once I'd gathered the supplies.


Here's how you do it:

On Pins & Needles

Have you ever seen a peanut butter jar lid look so elegant? This one takes on a new function as a pincushion, embellished with gold ribbon and a beautiful gold button in the center.

It now sits atop an upcycled steel can that can hold thread, buttons, or whatever your heart desires. A strip of muslin, a fancy ribbon and a flourish of velvety flowers with a pearly gold center transforms what once had been a can of pineapple. 

I've been taking cans, glass, paper and plastic to the recycling bin for well over 20 years now, and sometimes can't help seeing some of these objects as opportunities to create art!


Q: When's the last time you saw something extraordinary in the ordinary?


Here's how you make ordinary cans and lids into extraordinary storage containers:

Work Your Imagination

Summer bliss has me imagining how to incorporate more of that playfulness into my work days throughout the year.  I decided to inspire myself by altering a little notebook.

 I saw a card similar to this once and loved the idea of the child riding a fish - so whimsical! And it reminds us to 'go with the flow.' The wings whisper of our beauty. They show how our ideas and ideals elevate us and allow us to take flight. Of course, there has to be a magic wand! If we remember to pay attention to life's synchronicities and serendipities, we stay tuned in to the magic. 

 Tying the spine with colorful ribbon provides a final soft touch to what can otherwise be a hard-driving work day.

This little notebook makes it a joy to create your 'to do' list!






Q: If your "To Do's" start feeling like "have to's," what strategies do you use to shift that and see them as opportunities to express creativity?