DIY Autumn decor

So it's full on autumn here in northern NY- actually, most of the leaves are already on the ground! Unfortunately, we don't get much of a "fall" around here- usually in about 3 weeks we go from the beginning of leaves changing to no leaves on the trees! Anyhoo, let's go for a little tour of some of the autumn decor we have going on in the SK household :) {I apologize in advance, some of the photos are a tad dark!}

Let's start in the kitchen area, since it IS the heart of the home :) Here the table is all decked out with acorns, squash, and candles- oh my! I got the beautiful leaf dishes from The Christmas Tree shop for a few bucks a piece {love that store!}.

The beautiful metal candle holder is from PartyLite that I got on clearance last Thanksgiving.

DIY:: I wrapped the candle in some super cute Charlie Brown fabric- LOVE it! I folded the top and bottom edges of the fabric under {so they're against the glass and you can't see any fraying!}, and then folded under one of the side edges and hot glued it on top of the other side edge- voila! No frayed edges to be seen :)

I draped our server side table with some autumn colored plaid fabric and tied some other autumn fabric on the handles of our patriotic basket. With DH being in the Army, everyday is patriotic in our household ;) We used to have a LOT more apples- 27 lbs! - but that's all the remains!

And our home wouldn't be complete without the Reason for the ultimate thankfulness, our Lord and Salvation. The DCWV wall art is new, and I just wanted to share, hehe!


So scooting around the corner, we have our book nook. I have this lil display on top of the one bookcase- the pumpkin charms and raffia were off of some candles I bought recently.

DIY:: I made the fabric balls in the larger vase with the gourds. Super simple- just cut some 1"ish strips of fabric, wrapped them around styrofoam balls, and pinned the ends with straight pins! So I spent a few bucks on fabric swatches and the balls, and got a great "designer" look without the cost!

So we used to have two other orange pumpkins as part of this display- but they rotted, whoops! Anyhoo, another fun display that I really like- wrapped some more of that great Charlie Brown fabric around the larger haybale {using the same technique as the candle in the kitchen}! Instead of hot gluing the ends together, I stuck some straight pins right on into the hay. I also added some pins on the two sides to keep the fabric more flush with the haybale. Throw a few acorns and pumpkins in, and done! This is on display on our side table in the living room :)

On the coffee table, just a few more of those super pretty leaf dishes with a few scattered acorns {LOVE those acorns- you see them a lot around our house, hehe!}. Oh yea, and those books {retail now for $10+} I got for $1 a piece at a garage sale a few years ago- bargain! They're not only decor, but practical classic reading material :D


And our "mantle" {since we don't have an actual fireplace}. Some sprigs off the top of cornstalks can be seen peeking around the edges of the long candle holder front and center. Wrapped the candle, to the right, in more festive fabric. A few more scattered acorns and I also created a little autumn display in a mason jar, to the left.


DIY:: This display was pretty cheap- the large mason jar was a few dollars, I bought two small bundles of grapevine {about $1 a piece} and untied those to spread around the bottom of the jar. Added a few faux leaves and tied on a bit of festive ribbon. The twigs are a group of three different bundles, each bundles was a few bucks a piece. So I'd guess this display cost ~$20-25 which can a bargain compared to what they charge if you get one like this pre-made!


If we go upstairs, there's a long hallway between the bedrooms, and I spruced it up with some more acorns, grapevine, pumpkins, and soy candles- wrapped with festive fabric, of course. And that's the grand tour of our autumn decor in casa SK :)



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homemade waffles= YUM!

DH and I recently moved into a new home, and we finally have a patio! This was our first meal using our new bistro set out on the patio- perfect Sunday morning. This is the recipe that came with our GE waffle maker- I must admit, I'm rather a fan :)

MAKES:: 10 medium-sized waffles (may vary by waffle maker)

.:Ingredients:.

2 c. flour

2 TB sugar

1 TB baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 3/4 c milk

1/3 c vegetable oil

2 eggs

.:Directions:.

Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Gradually add wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir until just blended- do NOT over stir. Pour batter into waffle maker.

.:Notes:.

- Follow your waffle maker's instructions as to how much batter to add at once.

- We use spelt flour for a low-gluten option.

- If you over stir {aka. create too many bubbles} it will cause problems... I may have had my waffle maker sort of explode on me once- woops! Anyhoo, yea, there will be some bubbles from mixing, of course, but if there's a LOT, just let the batter sit for a little while until it settles down a bit.

- For a blueberry option, after pouring batter into waffle maker, sprinkle fresh blueberries on top! Note, this may cause the waffles to stick to the waffle maker, so putting a little olive oil on the maker before you start may be advised (check your waffle maker's instruction guide first though- not all models may advise using olive oil on the maker).

cross-posted on::

>> Comestibilis

link par-tays at::

>> Craft-O-Maniac

moving, new home, coming soon!!

Some new home decor I posted up on my crafting blog! It was created for our Battalion Commander and his family as they're moving into a new home/moving from here to their next Army post. Check out the full post {here}

Coming Soon!!!

oh! and by the way! in about a month and a half, I'll be back in gear and posting regularly again! Thank-you to each and everyone of you who has stayed faithful and checked back here during my hiatus. I know I wasn't around very long before I had to take a break :-/ But I'll talk to you all again really soon :D *huggs*

summer pasta

This is a favorite in our household! It's perfect for summer when you're looking for a light meal on those hot days, and when the tomatoes are in season. Take this recipe and make it your own- if you want more basil, add more! If you want more tomatoes, add more! This can be served hot as a main meal or cold as a side salad.

Recipe::

1 serving of pasta

~6-10 cherry or grape tomatoes

~6-10 small mozzarella balls

3-4 medium-sized fresh basil leaves

2-4 TB extra virgin olive oil

a few dashes of Adobo (optional)

Instructions::

Boil the pasta as indicated on packaging. I like to add some Adobo to the water to add a little extra flavor. While the pasta is boiling, cut the tomatoes and mozzarella into halves and mince the basil leaves. Drain the pasta and combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix. I usually put everything back in the pot that the pasta cooked in- it softens the mozzarella really nicely. Serve and enjoy!

Notes::

- the pasta seen above are gluten-free trumpets, but feel free to pick any shape you wish!

- this is for a single serving- double, triple, quadruple, etc as needed!

- you can substitute 1 medium tomato (diced) for the cherry tomatoes

- you can also substitute 3/4 cup mozzarella (cubed) if you prefer buying the larger mozzarella balls, which I usually do as it's more economical

- although I prefer fresh basil leaves, you could substitute dried crushed basil- start at 1/8 tsp increase the amount to your taste preferences

cross-posted on:: Comestibilis

peach sorbet

My husband and I have been on an ice cream kick lately, but we wanted to have a healthier alternative for our post-dinner snack. This is what we came up with!

MAKES:: ~4 servings

Ingredients::

2 peaches (pitted and sliced)

1-1 1/2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt

2-3 TB agave syrup (optional)

2-4 TB fruit juice (optional)

Directions::

Put all ingredients in blender. Mix on "pureé" setting until smooth (30 seconds - 1 min). Pour into freezer-safe containers. Let sit in the freezer for 4-6 hours. Enjoy!

A Note On Texture::

To make your sorbet more creamy and less icy, take it out of the freezer every 1-2 hours and stir it up- this will break up the ice crystals and give you a smoother final product! Honestly, we don't have that kind of time and don't mind the ice crystals, so we don't mix ours.

{***notes***}

- we used peaches, but you can certainly substitute any fruit you want!

- agave syrup is an alternative to sugar. it has a low glycemic index and is naturally sweeter, so you use less than if you were to use sugar. if you don't have agave syrup on hand (or don't want to buy some just for this recipe), substitute with sugar. You'll likely have to add a bit more than the recipe calls for- just increase the amount of sugar in small increments until it reaches your preferred level of sweetness :)

- the mixture will seem pretty thin and should pour well into your freezer-safe container. that's ok!

- my husband used blueberry-cranberry juice (I did not). I used agave syrup (my husband did not). You can use both or neither, it's completely up to your taste buds!!

cross posted at:: Comestibilis

linked up at::

Ultimate Recipe Swap @ Life As Mom

elephant alphabet baby shower

So I hosted my friend's baby shower last year {originally featured on SK Studios} and wanted to share the photos!! It's a grey & yellow "Elephant Alphabet" theme {they didn't know the gender}.

Click on any photo to bring up a larger photo!

Favor cake: inspiration from Dicut Diva. Note the little elephant sock under the cake :D It rattles too... hehe! I had cute baby rub-ons on the cake, but when I assembled them, I realized they were on the wrong side- whoops! So I used the Hero Arts baby feet stamp on the tops. I handmade the elephant on top- loved them!

Made this in Photoshop. Framed it with a simple white frame from Michaels. Original inspiration found on stem parties.

The guestbook, where guests could leave words of wisdom for the mamma-to-be!

Game cards I made up: Baby Bingo {where you fill in with items you think each guest gave as a gift} and Baby Word Scramble. Just whipped these up super quick in Word.

Towel cake- top layer is onesies surrounded with burp cloths, bottom is a baby blanket I made {see post here} surrounded by burp cloths. Here's the second elephant I sewed, so cute :)

Baby letters I found in a discount bin at Michaels- painted them up in the party colors

Cupcakes made from scratch- third ever attempt at doing fancy icing with a piping bag :D dyed the icing deep yellow and sprinkled with grey sugar glitter

Altered tea tins, we stuck a few gerber daisies in each and guests got to bring them home as door prizes! We had to cut the bottom off plastic cups and stick them inside the bottom of each tin to hold water for the flowers- we found out the hard way that the tins themselves are not designed to hold liquids :P

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cross-posted on::

SK Studios

baby cards

It's a "baby idea" link carnival over on Somewhat Simple! Here is a repost of some baby cards I've made over the past months, originally seen on SK Studios!

{Baby Onesie}
can be custom ordered via my Etsy site
{directions} 1. cut out onesie shape 2. dry emboss front of card 3. stamp and fussy cut airplane image 4. color airplane and adhere to card front 5. rub-on star shapes


{Baby Girl}
special order for my aunt


{Gender-Neutral Baby card}
currently on my Etsy site


{Thank You}
for baby shower gifts
{directions: bottom 3 cards} 1. cut card base to desired size 2. cut designer paper slightly smaller than card front 3. dry emboss designer paper 4. cut circle and stamp baby feet 5. adhere circle to card front with 3-D adhesive 6. stamp sentiment 7. tie on ribbon

{Tab-Pull Baby Card}
can be custom ordered via my Etsy site

.: materials :. {cardstock} DCWV {kraft} Bazzill {ink} stampcraft {stamps} Hero Arts "baby feet," studio g "alphabet" {ribbon} michaels {button} doodlebug design inc {floss} DMC

{Pink Baby Rocker}

.:materials:. {cardstock} my stash {DP} JoAnn {rub ons} white blossom @ $1 bin at michaels {twine} martha stewart {button} doodlebug design inc {sticker} my stash

submitted to::

cross-posted on::

SK Studios