Make Mine Pretty Please!!

 

  

12 Pretty Ideas for Halloween

Halloween can be scary, fun, and frightening, but this girl likes her Halloween to be pretty. 

I have never enjoyed the scary side of Halloween so I am always on the look out for the non-scary side of Halloween.

Also Halloween can be a bit over done!! If you are not doing the Haunted House for the neighborhood, may I suggest......

KEEP IT SIMPLE!!

Let me show you some of the ideas I found that are appealing to me…….

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Black and white lace covered candles, elegant, pretty and appropriate for a Halloween house.

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A trip to the thrift store might be in order to find some pretty black goblets for votive holders.

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Simple cans covered in Halloween paper covers become a pretty centerpiece when flowers are added.

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Black and white with  a little sparkle added always looks elegant in my book.

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I really need to take a trip to the Thrift store!

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Some matte black paint, and a black crow will make any book shelf ready for Halloween.

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Now this is what I call an inviting Halloween entrance! Two things I might eliminate..... 

the fleur-de- lis and the spanish moss around the base of the pumpkins. Spanish moss always looks dead and unappealing to me, but that is just me.

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There are so many free printables on line, I am sure this would be an easy one to do. How about this hanging on the door instead of a seasonal wreath?

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A little more black lace makes these white pumpkins, “Pretty Pumpkins!”

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Speaking of pretty pumpkins!

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Diamonds are Pumpkins best friend!

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Just add your address to personalize your elegant pumpkin!

For more Halloween ideas go to my Pinterest boards:

 HERE!

 HERE!

HERE!

Hopefully this post will give you a new and pretty perspective on Halloween….. 

The Pretty side of Halloween!!

 

 

A Touch Of Black and Chippendale Added To My Porch

 

October is the perfect month to do some Fall planting and updating in the yard. I usually start my seasonal changes out on my front porch and the flower beds leading up to my home.

Since I live in California we have a longer planting season than a lot of areas in the country. For Fall I like to use cyclamen , that will last through the winter and some pansies, just because they make me smile.

This year I am doing a purple and white color scheme. I usually choose my plantings that are annuals in a certain color scheme. 

Purple and white will work nicely with the colors I like for Fall since I am not a true autumnal color gal.

My home is a soft creamy yellow with white shutters and black trim the little dark centers in the pansies really work well.

I have white chairs on the porch with black cushions trimmed in white…..

Two of the best things I ever did after many years of waiting was to order custom cushions in sunbrella fabric and to get a black and white side drapery panel for my porch. I should have done that years ago.

This is under the living room bay window, I think when they fill in the carpet of white and purple is going to look so pretty. It makes me smile!!

We have a row of small violas, backed by the purple and green Kale then the rest of the flower bed is all purple pansies and white cyclamen.

Before you ask the big octopus plant is a Meyer fern. It is huge, much larger than it is suppose to get, evidently it loves it there.

This planter is at the very front of our walkway. Hopefully all the little flowers will be happy there and fill in the space.

Now for the update on the porch!!

 

Two of these babies are coming home to Mama……

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There will be one on each side of the door.

This picture was taken at Christmas, and I photo shopped the planters in place to see if one, or two would be best. 

Definitely two and they are actually black not charcoal like they look in the picture.

We purchased two teenie genie brush cherries that we will be pruning into a rounded dome to place in the new Chippendale black box planters…

These are a nice alternative to a boxwood. They have a smaller dark green leaf, and are easy to grow and manage if you keep them pruned.

I have three in my yard, two on each side of my garage door that are a double ball topiary, and one that I let grow into its natural form which is a large rounded dome shape. 

So there you have it, the latest going-on’s at my home!!!

Are you sprucing up your home for Fall?

 

 

Getting MORE For LESS!!

 

Designers are often considered lucky people because they have resources at their finger tips that the consumer, or home owner does not have access too.

This is true BUT it is their keen eye to detail that sets them apart. 

I loved the saying above because it does not  always take a lot of money to design, or decorate a room.

However, it does take a keen eye to see the special detail, or quality in pieces that might be passed by because of the store, or the preconception that it could not possibly be worth buying because of the pricing.

This is where a good designer can really save you money on your project. 

When it comes to quality in furniture that you want to  keep long term, it is wise to invest in good solid pieces, especially in a sofa, but if you find that you like to change things up a bit more often, or maybe your budget won’t allow for the best quality piece at the moment, at least go for something that has good lines, and proportions.

A friend of mine taught me a saying a long time ago that I like to use when I find something at a great price that looks like a much more expensive piece……

LLM can be a challenge at times, but if you keep your eyes, and mind open you will be surprised at what you can find. 

Sometimes it might even be in your home already.

By placing a piece in a different room, or displaying it differently it can become a piece that you admire and enjoy having in your home.

If you are not familiar with the blog Copy Cat Chic you need to start putting it on your daily blog list.

Reichel Broussard has a keen eye for style, and design, and she is decorating her own home with her keen sense of design and style on a tight budget.

On her blog she will show you a piece that cost more and then a piece that looks very much like the more expensive piece for less.

Here is an example that caught my eye this week……

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Urban Outfitters Ava Velvet Tufted Sleeper Sofa
^$749

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Walmart 9 by Novogratz Vintage Tufted Sofa Sleeper
^$349

Neither piece is terribly expensive, but if money is tight you can get the same look for $349 instead of paying $749. 

Do the math!! That is a $400 savings.

 LESSON TO BE LEARNED!

The lesson in this post is to not limit your creativity by where you will shop. Stay open to all possibilities.

I hear people say all the time, “ Oh I can’t afford anything in that store so I never shop there!”

BIG MISTAKE

The only way to educate yourself is to study good design at higher price points so when you see something that possibly cost less you will know it has good proportions, design, and it is worth purchasing.

This will be like an adventure! I call it treasure hunting!!

PRACTICE THIS….

……I want you to find a piece that you absolutely love! You probably already have one in mind. Maybe it is a piece that you can not afford at the moment.

Now I want you to look at the silhouette, the overall design and proportions. 

Next I want you to go perusing on line to find a piece similar at a less costly price. Don’t limit yourself by not looking at all different online shops. Remember the goal is to find something that LLM!

You will not only have fun, but it will be so rewarding if you find something you love that you can actually afford now.

CHANGE THIS WAY OF THINKING

So many people only think from the perspective of, “I will never be able to have anything that nice!” 

That is such a sad way to look at your life, and it actually closes you off to all the possibilities that are out there for you to enjoy now.

One last thing for you to do…….

Look at the room you want to change up a bit, and think of new ways to arrange the pieces. De-clutter, and maybe add something from another room to give it new life. 

OPEN UP YOUR MIND!!

THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS