Weekend Pinspiration: Thanksgiving

The countdown for Thanksgiving is ON! There is some much to do in just a week and a half- here are some of my favorite Turkey Day Ideas from Pinterest

1// Outdoor dining area with pumpkins & fall chandelier

2// a table runner out of book pages, with paper lace punched edges

3//  using gourds for decor in bowls, window boxes, stacked in an urn, or hung from branches

4// a great buffet or bar display with a chalkboard platter as art

5// wreath filled with autumn leaves, pinecones, and red, orange, and yellow flowers

6// my favorite velvet pumpkins with real pumpkin stems

7// a linen pillow with Thanksgiving words painted on

Washi Tape accents from Rhonna Designs

Kitchen Revival: Whole Wheat Bread

Which room do you spend the most time in? I find that most people admit it is the kitchen. I feel like I'm in mine all day long from sun up to sun down always getting someone drinks or preparing meals, eating, crafting, cleaning- you name it. The Kitchen is my favorite place to be. So when we talk about a "Kitchen Revival" we're talking about putting lots of positive energy into the heart of our homes. Revamp it, organize it, or just devote some quality time developing your cooking skills will go a long way in enhancing your relationship with your Kitchen.

I realized that in this day and age many people have very streamlined diets and eating regiments. So we are working on embracing everyone's different diet fundamentals and bringing you recipes that are healthy and still delicious.

Today we're getting very nostalgic by baking our own whole wheat fluffy bread. Perfect for sandwiches, french toast, and just all by itself; this bread is a delicious staple for anyone to bake in their homes. It's also the easiest and fastest recipe for bread I've ever seen, and believe me with a little apple butter or some raspberry jam it's like eating a piece of heaven. My Aunt gave me this recipe, and she got it from her Mother In Law, who got it from a women's group so it's been passed around and loved for a while. Make some today!

Garden Seeds: Indoor Succulents

I am brand spanking new to gardening, so naturally I started looking for plants that were low-key and eas to maintain. Back in July, we gave away some mini succulents for our Make & Take at our Meet 'N' Greet and I had some extra mini pots left over. I had spray painted the pots platinum already, and had some burlap flags already made up, so this project was a piece of cake.

The fantastic thing about succulents is that they come in all shapes and sizes. Prickly, round, tall, pointy, spiky, non-spiky, smooth- the list is endless. Collect a whole bunch for a fun indoor display that only needs a smidgen of water each month. My very favorite is the Lola Succulent, which looks like a rose.

My Lola was $2 at Home Depot, and I've seen tons at Wal-mart, A & P, and you can even order some from our Handmade Brilliance guest, Succulent Designs.

The pots are $0.79 at Joannes, and you can make banners from anything extra you have. These would be adorable as place settings for Thanksgiving, no?

D.I.Y. Tutorials: Herb Labels Free Printable

Hot on the heels of yesterday's Watson Abode herb garden post, I'm sharing a free printable with you all today for your herb gardens!

All sorts of herbs are included in this printable with a burlap background, so run on out to your local garden center {my favorite is A & P Nursery} and grab some herbs to plant today!

Tutorial:

For the herb pot flags, print out the printable on some white cardstock or a manila folder cut to 8.5" x 11".  For extra protection outdoors, I ran mine through a craft laminator but these are cheap and easy to replace in case of rain if you can't laminate them.

Cut them to size and cut notches to make the flag shapes. Once cut, just hot glue to a wooden skewer cut to size. Hint: the best way to cut wooden skewers cleanly is with a wire cutter.

And that's it- now just stick into your potted herbs or garden beds for a little garden flair.

You can also use this printable to label your jars of dried herbs, just print on sticker paper from Office Max and you have instant cute labels!

The Watson Abode: My Herb Garden

Welcome to the first Monday at My House! Here at The Watson Abode, we always have a home & garden project cooking up that we love sharing with our friends. Our house is forever a "work in progress" so it's nice to see the changes and transformations as they happen here. 

After the hello there! house event in October, I was completely inspired to get my garden going. Using Kelly's advice to "start small" I grabbed a bunch of terra cotta pots {sizes 6-10") and filled them with various herb transplants from the garden center at Wal-Mart and A & P nursery. After a few nervous weeks, they are all staying healthy and growing. Hip hip, hooray for my first garden project! 

I added some lovely little laminated flags to the pots to add a little of my design flair to my garden. I used some Rhonna Designs kits too {shout out to our sponsor!}- see the feature on my personal blog tomorrow!

Color Your Fancy: Copper

Welcome to our very first Color Your Fancy Post! The weather here in Arizona has FINALLY gotten chilly, which puts me in the mood to share one of my very favorite fall colors

1// copper tile backsplash  2// copper island lighting 3// copper farmhouse sink  4// copper kitchen options  5// copper, platinum, pearl, & gold floral display

6// copper bar {or island!} 7// copper pots in kitchen  8// copper window box  9// copper bathtub  10// more copper pots in kitchens

See more copper faves on our Pinterest Board, Favorite Colors. 

Handmade Brilliance { local } : Succulent Designs

It's time to start sharing the love! There are many handmade artists and business owners out there who deserve to be in the limelight. Naturally, we are starting local! Get to know your talented Arizonan neighbors! Our very first Handmade Brilliance feature is of Patti Smith with Succulent Designs. We are absolutely honored to share her remarkable and elegant work with you.

Tell us your story. What brought you to now?

My name is Patti Smith, and I’m a creator of living succulent wreaths and topiaries. I live in Arizona in the Superstition Mountain foothills with my hubby Rusty and our two crazy dogs. Robin and Ryan are our amazing kids who are out of the nest, but they do visit us pretty regularly. I think home-cooked meals might have a little something do to with it.

I had a career in the public sector for 25 years, and although the money was great, it took a toll — not only on my health, but on my spirit. “Life is too short” may be a cliché, but the older you get, the more you realize how true it is. I decided to take a huge risk, forego the big paycheck and jump into Succulent Designs head first.

Apart from creating, what do you do?

Cooking for my family is something I love to do, whether it’s tacos and pizookies on Sundays or gathering together in December for our annual ravioli-making day.

We’re outdoor enthusiasts. Since we live so close to a wilderness area, we’re able to walk to hiking trails and camp. We also really enjoy watching birds and local wildlife. There’s a koi pond in our front yard, and we’re always receiving visits from coyotes, deer, and bobcats that stop by for a drink.

What does handmade mean to you?

Handmade is an act of intimate, heartfelt expression.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

My most cherished handmade possessions are the box of Christmas ornaments that my children made when they were little. Every December we pull the boxes out of storage and decorate our hodgepodge tree with these precious trinkets, and it brings back memories for all of us. We always take a moment to mourn the loss of the pretzel ornaments that were eaten by one of the dogs back in the ’90s (culprit unknown to this day, although we have our suspicions).

What's your secret in life? Any words to live by?

Don't be afraid to take risks!  One thing I've learned over the years is that you'll never get anywhere unless you step out of your comfort zone and take chances.   If you're unsuccessful, consider it a learning experience rather than a failure.  It's much easier to be persistent and maintain a positive attitude that way, which is absolutely essential,  in order to pick yourself back up and try something else. 

Where do you draw inspiration?

My inspiration comes from nature. When I’m designing a piece, I think about all of the hundreds of outdoor experiences we’ve had. Whether I’m on top of a mountain looking into a canyon, or crouching down to marvel at lichens growing on a tree stump, the random beauty of nature constantly amazes me. Plants in the wild are not lined up in rows or perfect circles, so I don’t use formulas when designing. Even though I place everything carefully, the idea is to make it appear that it’s just naturally growing that way.

Share with us your top 5 favorite websites:

http://www.etsy.com/buy?ref=si_buy

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/

http://www.faroutflora.com/

http://www.marthastewart.com/

http://www.hgtv.com/

Where did creating start for you?

I’ve always felt the need to express myself in a creative way, and my love of flowers and plants has provided the artistic niche for that expression. My first recollection of playing in the dirt was in Chicago back in the ‘60s, helping grandma plant marigolds and Johnny-jump-ups in her garden beds every spring, and harvesting tomatoes from mom’s veggie patch. As time went on, every apartment and house I lived in would be packed with plants on tables, shelves and hanging in all the windows. Relocating to the southwest 35 years ago allowed me to discover the very different world of cactus and succulent plants, which was my path to creating succulent wreaths.

Where do you sell your items?

Most of my items are sold through Etsy, although many people have found me through the Phoenix Magazine feature article that was published in 2010, and through the succulent wreath tutorial that I wrote for Birds and Blooms Magazine.  In January 2012 I will be hosting a booth at the Arizona Bridal Show in the Phoenix Convention Center, so that anyone who would like to see my creations "in person" will be able to do so.

Give a shout-out to a fellow handmade artist like yourself!

One of my favorite shops is this one:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/EnchantdMushroomLand

I often use miniatures in terrariums and dish gardens, and Sandy at Enchanted Mushroom Land on Etsy is my favorite shop.  She is so talented and just a delight to work with!