Happy Thanksgiving

May you have a day filled with family and friends, love, good food, and thankful hearts!

<3

Hattie

Turkey Table

Brad and I got into the Thanksgiving spirit a little early this year due a fun and yummy Friendsgiving hosted

by our friends Tracy and Tim.

In addition to cooking, eating, and game playing, Tracy invited me to help her jazz up the table.

Decking out this beautiful table with my best friend? Sign me up! Tracy had a great base going with a simple burlap runner and three wonderfully chunky candles.

To add a little extra Thanksgiving punch, I brought out the twine, a vintage thesaurus, and a leaf plucked from the yard.

We traced the leaves onto the yellowed pages and cut them out. I also free handed some more whimsical-looking leaves to breakup all the maple shapes.

Then, it was as simple as twisting the paper stems around a long length of twine.

We looped the garland around and in between the candles until we liked the look.

Easy peasy! This look could easily be changes up with tree or snowflake shapes for Christmas or hearts for Valentine’s Day.

The muted colors and fun textures played nicely with Tracy’s formal family china.

Of course, the friends and food were what really brought the table to life!

Tracy, I think Friendsgiving should be a yearly tradition – hint, hint!

<3
Hattie



a little trashy

When Brad and I gave the bedroom a mini-makeover, it left us without a spot to hide a trash can. So, I’ve gotten to look at this little guy everyday – yay!

I decided this IKEA cheap-o deserved a mini-makeover of his own. I wanted to make a slipcover, but I only had random scraps of drop cloth fabric left from the bookcase skirt project, so it was hot glue to the rescue!

I cut strips of fabric and glued them around the trashcan in rows.

Next, I took coordinating ribbon and glued it around each row of fabric. I also added a fold of fabric to the top rim of the trashcan to help hide the trash bag.

This was a super easy way to spruce up an otherwise utilitarian eyesore.

I think my new motto may be, “If you can’t hide it – make it cute!”

Any other trashcan dresser-uppers out there? Or maybe you use an unusual container to stash your trash?

<3
Hattie

Along came spider...

Hello, blogland friends!


I missed posting last week thanks to a nasty little sore throat and ear ache, but now that I’m back to normal, I have some fun stuff to share with you this week.

I actually got to pull out my sewing machine this weekend and work on a few projects, this one is all thanks to a spider.

You see, our bedroom closet used to have louvered doors, but when we moved in we replaced them with hanging curtains from Plow and Hearth.

I love how they add some softness to the room and take up much less space than folding doors. The curtains were working great until a very brave and stupid spider decided to take a little climbing expedition up the left curtain. Spiders don’t really bother me, so I would have had no problem plucking him from the curtain and sending him on a little water thrill ride to the septic tank. Unfortunately, I didn’t spot him first. A shrill, “Spider!” alerted me to the fact that Brad saw the spider. While I’m pretty Ok with them, he hates them with every fiber of his being and likes to set an example for other spiders by dramatically killing any he finds. This particular spider met his end by a powerful whap from a men’s dress shoe. Brad hit the spider with such force, that two of the curtain tabs came loose.

So, for the last week a few clothespins have been holding our curtains up.

The repair job was pretty simple. I stuck the tabs right back in the top of the curtain and sewed them back, then I reinforced the whole thing with heavy thread to protect against any future spider incidents.

Now our curtains are back to work and the spiders around the roost are shaking in their imaginary boots.

Have you ever had a home improvment project resulting from ridiculously improbable circumstances? Any other home destruction by spider stories?

<3
Hattie

Thrifty additions

Real life is seriously interfering with my creative/blogging life. This is the busiest and most exhausting fall I’ve had for a long, long time. I really, super really, want to carve out some time and energy to make some fun décor and clothing items to share with you, my blogland friends. In the meantime, I thought I’d share some recent thrifty additions to the roost.

My parents, knowing my love for all things nautical and paint-by-numbers, picked up with awesome piece at a thrift store this summer.

I gave the frame a few coats of white paint, and now it’s happily balancing the other side of the valance turned shelf.

I think this wall is complete, which means no more paint-by-numbers for me until we build our house.

I’ve been hunting for a globe for almost a year now, so when I found this one at a thrift store for five smackers, I had to bring it home.

I can’t believe how much the bookcases have changed in just a year!

I’m really digging the much improved new look!

Have you found any awesome thrifty treasures lately?

<3

Hattie

I Love a Parade

Last weekend Brad and I scoped out the Richmond Parade of Homes for fun house ideas. I covertly snapped some our favorite designs. I apologize in advance for some blurry, “hurry up before the realtor starts talking to us," pics!

Our favorite exterior

Really, what’s not to love here? From the pitched roof, to the red window panes, to the big front door, I swooned over this house from the curb.

Our favorite entrance

Bead board? Check! Hidden storage? Check! Bench for shoe removal? Check!

Our favorite sink

Love, love, love the simple vessel sink and custom cabinet. I’d swap out that granite for something more marble-like, but otherwise I’m a big fan!

Our favorite shower

Two, count ‘em, two shower heads. Built in benches. Built in shampoo nook. Marble. ‘Nuff said.

Our favorite closet

This thing was bigger than our office. I love that it’s all wood, no plastic or wire shelving. Tons of hanging space and lots of room for shoes and bags sealed the deal.

Our favorite pantry

The organizational nut in me loves this. How great would it be to easily see all your dry goods in one glance? Pull out shelves and baskets make me extra happy.

Our favorite door

I feel for the details on this simple, yet classy, door. I know it’s just a door, but ::sigh::

Our favorite foyer

The lovely grey/blue/green paint had me liking it. The beautiful molding had me loving it. And the awesome mercury glass stars had me grabbing for my camera.

What details make a house stand out for you? Do you go nuts over beautiful floors? Do custom cabinets have you drooling? Spill the beans on your favorite little extras!

<3
Hattie

EarthPan Update

Remember my free Earthpan I reviewed back in August? I thought y’all might like to see how it’s holding up after over two months of heavy use.

After cooking lots of eggs (over easy and scrambled with cheese), chicken, shrimp, taco meat, pancakes, and veggies, I’m happy to report that the pan still looks brand new!

I will admit that it’s not the best for flipping over easy eggs, but it does just fine with pancakes. I love that I haven’t had to buy non-stick spray in forever because the pan doesn’t need it. It cleans up beautifully, heats evenly, and is making this cook pretty darn happy!

I would definitely add to my EarthPan collection in the future!

What’s your favorite green cookware? Please spill the beans!

<3
Hattie