Happy Thanksgiving and DIY Play Kitchen Project

I'm so thankful today to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my extended family in New Jersey.  (I'm also thankful that our drive here last night was rather quick and uneventful!)  I hope each of you had a lovely Thanksgiving with friends and family!  

Pumpkin sugar cookies decorated by my sister!

I am also grateful each and every day for my readers!  I live for your comments and support.   I was so excited when I hit 300 followers recently!  I feel like maybe I'm actually a "real" blogger now.  :)  I promise that a giveaway for you fine folks is coming soon…

Since we are "officially" entering the Christmas season now I thought I would share with you what the elves are working on for the big Christmas morning surprise!  Remember this nightstand I plucked from sister's apartment dumpster?

Well combined with this laminate cabinet I snagged for $10 on (what else?) Craigslist...

You are looking at my kids' new play kitchen!  Right now I have only managed to get both pieces painted a glossy, cherry red (for that retro feel).  I'm estimating the entire kitchen will cost about $75.  Waaaaaay less then this adorable PBK model.

Until the kitchen is ready for the big reveal, here are a few inspiring play kitchen projects from some talented bloggers.

Elegant grey kitchen from Dwellings by DeVore

Delightful retro redo from Miranda at Narrating Life

Girly pink & green kitchen from Shelley Inspired

Cherry red number from Mommy Words - this one gives you the best idea of the direction I'm heading

I'm totally excited that I can help Santa bring my kiddos a handcrafted play kitchen.  Do you have a little one in your life who would love a play kitchen made by you?

Thanks for visiting!

Wedding Wrap Up

Most design blogs are serving up gorgeous Christmas decor and crafts this time of year.   But not me - I've got wedding on the brain.  If you're looking for a little break from decking the halls then this post is for you!

Last Sunday my husband and I had the honor of participating in the wedding of two of our closest friends.  

*Photo courtesy of Jeremy Wade

My husband was the best man and I helped out with the decorations and flowers.   (You can read more here and here.)

I love an Autumn wedding- the beautiful foliage, the cool weather, the pumpkins!   Here's how we made this "Elegant Autumn" wedding come together on a dime. Warning tons of pictures ahead!

The bouquets: All the flowers were ordered online from Sam's Club bulk flowers.  Hydrangeas are so full and fluffy the bouquets were fairly simple to make.  I'm so grateful the bride chose flowers that are easy to work with!  These how-to videos from Monkey See were also really helpful.

The ceremony site: Flower arrangements in Target vases I bought ages ago on clearance.  Columns were rented from Craigslist for $20.  Coffee filter wreaths tipped with blue used as "pew bows".

Seating card table: Click here to see how I made the chalkboard menu for the seating card table. 

Gift table: The card box is made out of stacked hat boxes, tissue paper, doilies, ribbon and Mardi Gras necklaces.

Table decorations: Half the tables were decorated with an assortment of pumpkins in the center and blue hydrangea arrangements and the other half had dollar store hurricanes clustered in the center with white hydrangea arrangements.  The Mr. & Mrs. pumpkins decorated the bride and groom's table.

*Lower left photo courtesy of Jeremy Wade

I was pretty busy the week before the wedding with all the last minute details.  There were time when I was nervous I could really pull it off - I sure didn't want to screw up someone's wedding!  But I'm so glad it all came together and the bride and groom are happy with the results!  

...and they lived happily ever after...

* Photo courtesy of Jeremy Wade

Thanks for visiting!

Thrifty Finds Monday - Gobble, Gobble

Garage sale season may be winding down, but that doesn't mean that I've stopped thrifting and Freecycling!  Here are a couple of my recent thrifty finds.

At the thrift store I found this seasonally appropriate Turkey Platter (Made in Italy) for $3.91.

It's a smaller version of the platter that hung in my grandparents' kitchen when I was little.  Once my Mom tried to give me the original, but my Dad is not ready to part with it.  Of course, when I saw the matching platter at the thrift shop, I had to have it!  I'm very excited to display it in the dining room as part of my Thanksgiving decorations.

Perhaps the coolest thing I've ever scored on Freecycle - an antique scale.  Totally free!  

Please excuse the photos- the garage was the only place with a sturdy hook to hang it.

Rusty goodness

I have no idea what I'm going to do with this scale but it was too interesting to pass up.

I could use some creative suggestions...  How would you display this scale in your home?

Thanks for visiting!

Her Library Adventures

Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday

House of Grace, Twice Owned Tuesday