Inspiration: Hearts! St. Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and soon an abundance of hearts everywhere- taking shape in paper cut-outs, sweets, valentines, people wearing their hearts on their sleeves!!! Mostly, I admire Valentine's Day for its cuteness to the point of tackiness! Explore the meaning and history of this day here "a landscape of story and a world of delight in the love and affection human beings have for each other."

Here is some sweet and crafty inspiration for your Valentine's Day ...

Display your love at home ... ranunculus and narcissus blooms floating in a heart-shaped ceramic {Floral by Studio Choo}

{Heart Wreath by Design-Aholic}

Woven heart valentines are perfect for storing secret love letters, candy, and little tokens of your affection.
{Image courtesy of CRAFT NIGHT}

{Vintage Valentines from Carmen and Ginger}


{paper heart valentine garland by Amy Butler}


{I Heart You - Origami Hearts Bouquet by My Bohemian Summer}


{Valentine's Day Treats from Big Sis Lil Sis}

Season's Greetings ... we are slowly decorating our home for the holidays ... here is what we've done so far ...

Fall inspired interiors

I refuse to make my home look like a pumpkin station in order to make it look more appropriate looking for Autumn. I love how the interiors in these images below give that understated feeling of warmth and nostalgia without screaming Autumn. It's amazing how simple things such as exposed wood, touches of browns, leather furniture, a cashmere blanket or pillow could also bring the Fall vibe inside a home.

2 Ryan Korban, 4 Katherine Newman, 6 via The new victorian ruralist.

Loving These Ideas For Fall...

Outside...

And inside...

Simple, yet striking.


~Fall is in the air!~


Photos courtesy of BHG.com

It's Time...

Up until two days ago, I was fine with putting off decorating for Fall just a bit longer. Our Summer was fun and crazy busy and a little too short for some of us up here in the Pacific Northwest.

The past few days have given us quite a bit of rain, the kids are all back in school, orange mums are blooming in the garden, and Pumpkin Spice Lattes have returned.
(YAY!)

But despite all of that, I was still going to hold off on Fall.

Until I saw this...

M-hmmm. I know. It's perfection.

So, thanks to Michelle, my fall decorating has now begun.


What about you?
Are you settling into Fall or hanging onto Summer while you can?

My Clearance Tray - Three Ways...

A few weeks back, I was lucky enough to catch a great clearance sale. I happened to be at Target, browsing and looking for inspiration when I realized that they were rearranging merchandise and putting out their 75% Off signs.

Nice!

They only had a few of these...
A Photo Serving Tray - originally priced at $19.99, but marked down to $4.98.

SOLD!

I knew immediately that I would not be using it for photos, so as soon as I got home, I removed the entire back piece and pulled out the matting. I was left with this...

The perfect blank slate to make it my own!

Over the next couple of weeks I found 3 different placemats to use inside my serving tray - all three within the same neutral color family and all three with lots of texture and interest.

The one on the left came from Fred Meyer for less than $1.00 (can't beat that!) and the others came from Target...

This seagrass one was a no-brainer...

This one was the right color and I loved the embroidered pattern...

And this one, well...I just can't resist stripes...

A quick test run to make sure I actually liked each one in the tray...

Yep - good to go!


I removed the entire back (again), not where the photos would be inserted, but the entire back...

Fourteen teeny-tiny screws later...

finally!

I used the back as my template and used a pen to trace the shape right onto the placemat...

Perfect fit!

Onto the next, using the same process...

It wasn't until after I had drawn the lines that I realized that this placemat was lined. And suddenly I was nervous that without the lining the stitching would all fall out as I cut out the shape...

(Note: I do not sew. I know nothing about fabric and thread and whatever else goes into it. So if this "worry" of mine sounds ridiculous to you, it probably was.)

I used extreme caution with this fabric (whether it was necessary or not) and, luckily, the thread all stayed in tact...

Pretty!


Two down, one to go...

I have to admit, I did feel a little bit guilty cutting up three
brand new, perfectly good placemats...

But I got over it!

I loved how they were turning out...

Now the fun part...accessorizing!

A beachy look for the seagrass...

For the golden embroidery - a touch of nature.

I love how the green Jade plant and the green mussel shells play with the yellow.

And with the stripes - some fun for the kiddos!

Some brain teasers, wooden tic-tac-toe pieces, and lollipops...

And that's my clearance tray - three ways!

The best, BEST part...I can change it as often as I like! And the options are limitless.

This is a Made-for-Karla accessory right here.

:)

My only regret...that I didn't buy more of them when I had the chance!

I think this would make a great gift for someone, personalized to their style and decor.

I'll just have to be on the lookout for more!




P.S. I am linking to:

Metamorphosis Monday, Get Your Craft On, Just Something I Whipped Up, Show & Tell, Before & After Party, Make It Yours, Works For Me Wednesday,