#demijohn Archives - Slave to DIY

How To Stage Your Kitchen Like A Pro

Posted on October 2, 2020October 22, 2020 by admin

I have officially reached the end of Pinterest. I have saved every kitchen that I love in my kitchens folder. I AM NOW READY TO START RENOVATING MY KITCHEN. (Do you think he heard me?)

As you already know: I am ALWAYS in design mode on my own house and looking for ideas for clients. I’m also sort of a real estate junkie and I make it my business to know the local market and am always scouting for real estate deals! What do those things all have in common? KITCHEN OBSESSION. (Yes, I love that million dollar home but the kitchen… IS… AWFUL).

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

Yes, I am obsessed with kitchens. Recently, as I was staging for photographing our project in Vermont, something occurred to me: STAGING IS EVERYTHING.

Check out the before and afters on our Vermont Kitchen Project!

Whether you’re entertaining or showing your house that’s on the market, staging is the make it or break it of beautiful (or even MEH) kitchens. If you sift through your Kitchen board on Pinterest, what you’ll discover is that the ones you REALLY love are staged really well (which is why you saved it, whether you realize it or not!). They have been tricking you all this time… You saved a beautiful flower or branch arrangement that happens to be in a kitchen. But, you saved it, which is the important take away!

Don’t believe me? I’ll show you!

This kitchen, though probably stunning in person, would be a washed out BLAH in photos without the greenery and fruit. Notice how the big tin bucket with branches anchors the right side of the photo.

Just like the photo before, this kitchen is stunning. However, it has the potential in photos to appear too monochromatic and kind of cold. The branch arrangement, once again, anchors one side of the photo.

Look carefully… If you removed all of the accessories, would this space be very memorable? It’s not that it’s not an amazing kitchen, it’s breathtaking. But, in photos, it really needs some visual interest to look like a DREAM kitchen… which it certainly does here. They have arrangements on both sides here providing an interesting frame.

Would you save this photo? Of course you would!

And, wait, if you saved it… SO WILL YOUR FUTURE BUYERS! They’ll save it to their Pinterest board and obsess about it until they make you an offer over asking price and want to move in, like, yesterday!

So, how do we do that, Campers? Well, I’m going to tell you. I promise.

Step one: take everything off the countertops. Take everything off the shelves. Then add a few, specific things and shop your own stuff!

It’s really that easy: I’m going to show you how and provide links for everything we used here! Altogether, we spent $350 on staging, not including dishes (shhh, don’t tell!!!) and here is how it turned out:

Before and After Pictures of Grandma's New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest. — Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.

A mirror in a kitchen you say? I say YES. A blank wall in between two windows was begging for a mirror. Mirrors brighten small spaces and reflect light. Win, win. Scale it BIGGER! (Unexpected can be GOOD and in this case, it’s kind of awesome). If you have a tiny kitchen, or a dark kitchen, I’m talking to you.

This mirror we found on Craig’s List for $60. (“If you stalk long enough, you will have success,” I always say!)

Kitchen Herb Kit from IKEA: The Complete Kit For Staging Your Kitchen Like A Pro

Don’t judge me. I have a thing for herbs in the kitchen, and this one wasn’t going without! The rails and bins are from the Kungsfors IKEA Collection. They are both beautiful and functional, and make the kitchen feel that much more cozy. The window is wider than the rails so we used scrap lumber and a Kreg Jig to install them.

Fresh herbs in the kitchen say, “There is some serious professional chef level cooking going down in this kitchen. You must buy this house.”

Don’t want to deal with hanging all those spice racks? Some fresh herbs tied with ribbon on the counter (in front of the chopping block) serves the same purpose for photos.

HOW CUTE IS THIS???

Demijohn: I’ll admit, I’m a little bit of a demijohn snob. What is a demijohn, you ask? I’ll tell you: What is a demijohn and how to use it in your decorating… I like them enough I wrote a whole post about them, because I’m an obsessive nerd. We found this perfect little demijohn at Hobby Lobby for around $20 and it’s perfect for this application!

Candlesticks: Also shown here, these TOTALLY AWESOME real Iron Candlesticks from Hobby Lobby are about $20 each (which I just went on and purchased more of because they’re on sale). Score!

Tree branch: Scalped right out of the woods on the kitchen property. FREE! (Visualize the clients AND Rainman looking at me sideways on staging/photo day walking toward the woods with pruning sheers in hand… “Where are you planning on putting a branch that big, Griswold?” But, I’ll leave it there, and keep it PG).

And that’s all you need for the corner of the island! As the photographer moves around, move your arrangement around so it’s anchoring the outside frame of the picture.

For this next corner I borrowed some items that belonged to the client (shop your own house!)… The little silver tray I used to hide the cord from the lamp. The little vases and tiny plant were also hers, and they look adorable in the spice cabinet!

And that lamp? I looked at about 500 lamps before I found this one with just enough fancy and just enough cottage-style to be convincing. And after I spent hours looking… I finally found it no place other than Amazon: The Perfectly Sized French-Style Countertop Lamp for around $30. (Some of the other sites are REALLY proud of their lamps and I’m just trying to be reasonable here).

The little oil paintings with gilded frames were a bit of a splurge and I found them on Ebay. I’m pretty sure there are some fairly convincing knockoffs at Target if you don’t want to be too extravagant and you’ll ultimately achieve the same look.

Notice how we moved the demijohn and candles for this shot? We moved them just enough so they’re anchoring an uninteresting side of the room and creating balance.

Every time we changed the camera angle, we repositioned the candles and spun the branches so they looked nice and full, but also just wild enough to be wonderful and daring.

Another angle for good measure! (Aren’t those fat candles just the coolest? Also on Hobby Lobby, if you’re looking).

Now, if you haven’t mastered the art of the shelfie, here’s a quick crash course:

Arrange in threes and in triangles. Okay, so we have a couple “twos” but it’s all about balance.

Here, everything but the new blue stripe dish towels and the White Pantry Soup Bowls and Plates from Williams Sonoma the client already had! It’s just a matter of arranging them in a pretty, uncluttered way.

There is a triangle of “tall items” and a triangle of bowls and a triangle at the top of crocks and teapots.

Believe it or not, those shelves used to be the temporary stair treads to the basement. You can find the black metal shelf brackets here if you’re looking to open up some space on your own wall!

Is your kitchen atrocious and preventing your house from selling? Check out our ideas on The Best Ways To Transform An Outdated Kitchen On A Tiny Budget.

Butcher block, cutting boards, and charcuterie boards, (Oh My)… How To Stage Your Kitchen Like A Pro. Designer: @callsigndesign (Instagram). Photographer: @loganbspring (Instagram). Cabinets @lilyanncabinets_ (Instagram)

The perfect cutting/charcuterie board corner: every one of these the client already had!

The Cambria Stoneware Kitchen Utensil Holder was from Pottery Barn but I think they may have been discontinued in that color. We displayed her wooden spoon collection in them and I think they look perfect!

Shades of blue created perfect, subtle pops of color in our staging. Wouldn’t you like to do some cooking in this kitchen?

If you’re in the market for quality RTA cabinets go to Lily Ann Cabinets and use offer code SDIY2018 to get 5% off! (The cabinets pictured are Grey Shaker Elite).

Have a house on the market? Download The Ultimate Home Showing Checklist FREE on how to get ready for and nail your real estate showings!

Can you think of some other important parts of staging a kitchen? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks for hanging out today! Cheers!

*All photos by @loganbspring on Instagram

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links. Each of your purchases via our Amazon affiliation links supports our cause at no additional cost to you.

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Before and After: Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen

Posted on September 27, 2020October 5, 2020 by admin

Who doesn’t love a good before and after reveal??? We teamed up with Lily Ann Cabinets to do this awesome project for my mother’s forever home and I’m super happy with how it turned out. We used their RTA Cabinets, Lily Ann’s Grey Shaker Elite (and you’re going to love them!).

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

The kitchen turned out beautifully and the carpenter was super impressed by the quality of the RTA cabinets. That helps a LOT when the carpenter happens to be your brother AND he’s a meticulous and dyed-in-the-wool wood snob.

Quick story:

My family has been playing musical houses for almost my whole life (I’m an army brat). So, when my mom finally decided to pick a house and stay in it, my sister reached out to me to help with the kitchen design (they were really busy renovating the whole rest of the house). The place had great bones, but was really ugly. One little problem: I am in North Carolina and they are in Vermont. To any lesser team this would’ve been a problem (working with family and from a different state… what could go wrong???).

I sent my initial design which was nixed by my incredible carpenter brother who wanted to knock down walls and move stairs (who am I to argue with that?). So, I worked up a moodboard and completely new design and sent it to my sister and brother.

Then there was the issue of finding a cabinet company that wasn’t going to break the bank. I looked and looked, but everything I liked was super expensive! And since I had added a huge island, the cabinet total had about doubled. Then I stumbled across RTA (ready to assemble) cabinets. I found them on sale (even though they were already significantly cheaper than the other cabinets I had found before the sale), and I sent the company my design. My brother said, “that’s fine, but you guys are putting those cabinets together.”

Almost ALL of this was carried out without me physically at the property because suddenly there was a pandemic. Yup. Perfect timing. I corresponded with a Lily Ann kitchen designer in Michigan that was working from home and had the details and 3d renderings in just a few weeks. A skeleton warehouse crew got our order out and it was delivered about a month and a half after we first contacted them.

Back to the house: imagine my delight when my brother (who had said NO WAY was he assembling RTA cabinets) called me to say he had assembled and installed them and the quality was amazing. Oh, and they went together super fast. I was in shock. I will save the rest of that story for another post. This is a simple before and after, remember?

If you love this look, you can find these cabinets from Lily Ann Cabinets. My readers can get a 5% discount by using the offer code: SDIY2018 at checkout!

Grandma got to see her almost finished kitchen on her birthday in July and I think you’ll appreciate the video (it still makes me cry every time):

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYK1UD7tQXY&w=560&h=315]

All that was left (after the first reveal) for install when we arrived in Vermont (two months later and on re-scheduled trip number three) was hardware, the backsplash, the shelves, and crown molding. Still, five full days of install while trying to persuade my six year old to do her virtual school independently was a bit challenging. And, to be perfectly honest, my brother had told me the quality was good, but the cabinets were even better in person. The finish was beautiful and I quickly realized there was nothing “discount” about these cabinets other than the price.

The after photos were all taken by @loganbspring on Instagram, so give him a follow! I think you’ll love his work as much as we do!

Drumroll please!!!!

This is looking through the front door at the door that went down to the basement:

Before and After Pictures of Grandma's New Vermont Cottage Kitchen — Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.

Here is the front door now:

This is looking from the corner of the kitchen back at the front door:

We couldn’t REALLY get this “before” shot because of the wall, but you can see where the new front door is now (the wall started roughly where the island begins):

This is standing by the front door, looking at the kitchen.

And here is the after:

This is a shot of the space after the walls came down, but before the staircase was moved:

And after:

And just for fun, here are some more detailed shots of the kitchen we took during staging:

This was quite the journey, but it was all worth it to see how happy my mom was at the end. What do you think of our design and renovation? What is your favorite part? Please let us know in the comments below!

Once again: If you love this look, and want to pay less for awesome cabinets, you can find these cabinets from Lily Ann Cabinets. My readers can get a 5% discount by using the offer code: SDIY2018 at checkout!

Special thanks to my brother and sister for all of the hard work and making it so easy for us to look good!

Thanks for joining us on our adventures! Cheers!

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is a paid affiliate for Lily Ann Cabinets and received discounted products to provide this review. As always, our opinions are honest and we promote only quality products that we use ourselves.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.

The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update

Posted on January 17, 2020January 31, 2020 by admin

If you follow us, about a year ago I started thinking about the fireplace (and how NOT enamored with it I was). I dug up some fireplace inspiration in the hopes that I would find something awesome and reasonably cost friendly. The thing is, we have some really pretty millwork around the fireplace, but over the fireplace is an awful TV space, meant for one of those gigantic tube TVs. Aside from the part where it a terrible waste of space, it is a complete eyesore, as well.

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

The more I looked, however, the more I realized that I have REALLY expensive taste. The fireplaces I love would require a complete gut, a big mess, and a LOT of money (like upwards of $3000 just for the fireplace surround). So, the alternative is to keep what I have and build upon it. I came up with a design that I think I’m really going to love, that’s very US, and added to it a bit. Rainman is going to kill me when he sees what I added to the project (but ultimately he’ll love how it looks).

This is what we’re starting with (the before):

The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update, Before We Started

Okay, so it’s not really that bad. I should stop my crying and just stay with what I have, right? (insert evil laughter). We both know that’s not going to happen. And, is there a reason that I’m showing the whole wall and not just the fireplace? Oh yes, there is. But, we’ll get to that.

Right now, it is a very classic-ish, plain fireplace with some pretty mill-work and a crazy, giant opening up top. This is a shot of it with the cabinet doors that I ordered from Cabinet Door World. So, yeah, you can make cabinet doors (pretty easily), however, with no working wood shop currently, and very little time, I ended up ordering them instead. The quality is very good and the ordering process was easy. I got them exactly the size of the opening, so I’m sure we’ll need to do some sanding once we dry fit the hardware.

For the color we chose Benjamin Moore’s “wrought iron” and I think it will be fantastic. I’m planning on using it for the cabinets we’re moving out of the kitchen into the mudroom area, also, so this will be a good test run. Check out the tutorial on how we used a great, super cheap spray gun to paint the cabinet doors!

Project tip: We were painting over a semi-gloss, so we sanded with a sanding block first, then wiped down the whole thing and let it dry before painting (a good three coats because of the color!).

The cabinet hardware, from House Of Antique Hardware is still backordered, so I will update once that comes in and we get the doors up, but for now, I couldn’t WAIT to show you how amazing the fireplace looks with a fresh coat of paint! Drum roll, please.

It blows my mind sometimes how much a simple color change can transform a space! (And yes, I’m planning on painting the walls… but there are more dining room projects that have to happen first, like the new doors and the stone veneer on the wall to the left of the fireplace… Welcome to my project A.D.D.)

And one more, just because I’m so in love:

Project Update:

You’ll remember that we weren’t actually done, I just had to show you the paint because I was way too excited. The most difficult part of the project was still to come: actually installing the doors over the fireplace.

A quick word of advice: If you have to work with your spouse, find something that works for you. I find a combination of wine and a mute button work best when he’s doing something for me. I throw in some compliments and thank yous about the awesomeness of his work and shut my mouth. If I have the urge to OPEN my mouth and say something, I open it and insert wine. It has worked out pretty well thus far and has yielded tremendous results.

I ordered the doors so they exactly fit in the opening. That means that in order to account for the fact that the opening is not square and unlevel areas on the mantel, the doors had to be dry-fit, then trimmed down. Now, let me tell you, this is the most Rainman-iest project in Rainman land. It also means that we couldn’t paint them until they were fitted and trimmed.

Full disclosure: I love this man.

First, was the problem of explaining why we needed to build trim above to act as a stop for the doors and fill in the dead space above when the doors are closed. It’s not that he doesn’t understand my “I don’t want a gap above the doors”, it’s just that explaining something conceptually doesn’t always translate to something concrete in his brain. So, a little while later, he devised a solution.

“YES, my love, that will fill in the gap. It’s perfect. What’s the next step?” (sips wine)

Back to Rainman Land:

This installation involves a plumb-bob, multiple levels, obsessive measuring, remeasuring, shimming, shimming again, dry fitting, shimming again. Measuring again. Splitting the difference. Rainman muttering about the lack of squareness in the opening. Let’s just say that I may or may not have started drinking before 5 PM that day (but once again, in my hurry to slap it up there and be done with it, I’m quite sure it wouldn’t have been so downright balanced and lovely in the end).

After it was shimmed (I don’t mean to undersell the length of that process), I held the doors while he aligned the hinges (more wine, more wine, more wine), and eventually, after much careful sanding and trimming, the doors were hung, and had all the clearance they needed to open and close.

Now, we are waiting on it to be not blustery weather so we can take the doors down and paint them. And then we will actually be done.

Update: Finally painted!

Check out our post on how to use this awesome little paint gun and get that professional, WOW finish! You can find the paint gun we used, the critter spray products siphon gun, on Amazon.

I’m really fond of drum rolls, so let’s do that again. Here’s a shot with the doors on and DONE!

And one with the doors painted, on, and CLOSED. WOOT! (Can’t see the TV, can ya, Russ?)

It may seem like a small thing to other people, but this project has been on the list for a long time. It’s just a matter of making it a priority and having the time to do it. But, of course, that makes each little change that much more awesome!

Here is the breakdown:

Project Cost:

Benjamin Moore Paint and supplies: $96.66
Two Cabinet doors: $149.57 (delivered)
House of Antique Hardware 2X Pair of 9″ Smooth Iron Flush Mount Spear Strap Hinges: $43.94

Total: $290.17

And just for fun, let’s see that before and after one more time:

It sure is amazing what some doors, paint, and a light fixture can do to a room, right??? And, here’s a shot with what it looks like with the dining table and chairs (which will soon be replaced, but that’s a story for another day!).

I would love to see before and afters on your own paint projects! Thanks for playing with us and, of course, cheers to all of your updates in the New Year and check out more project awesomeness on our blog.

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.

How To Use All of Those Wine Bottles You Saved

Posted on November 25, 2019June 16, 2020 by admin

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I collect things with some vague notion of re-purposing them in the future. Well, I’ll have to admit, I may have let the wine bottle collection get a little out of hand. So, I came up with a few ways to use them and even smuggle some of them out of the house, legitimately. Check out this inspiration and maybe you too can get your collection under control.

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

The first step was gathering all of my collected bottles in one place and doing a mini-inventory. With the few ideas I had, I needed to sort them by shape, size, and color… and of course figure out what I was gifting and what I was keeping for me.

How To Use All of Those Wine Bottles You Saved

Having a usable workspace in the guest bedroom gave me a little time to be in work on this and not have to put everything away again.

1: Holiday Decorating

The first thing I did was weed out the bottles that I want to keep. I like interesting shapes and, of course, different heights, etc. I like a varied collection that adds interest in the display. I did a test order of some SUPER inexpensive fairy lights and used a few of the bottles in my fall decor.

Saved Wine Bottles: How To Use Them This Holiday Season: As you can see by our cork collection, we’re committed to the process

They are really pretty! But, the real thing I’m looking forward to is seeing them in the Christmas decor. I think these will look spectacular on the stairs, especially once I get all of the greenery up! I used to sometimes think big foyers were a waste of space, but the look during the holidays makes it all worth it!

Now, we’ll see if the cats leave them alone. My guess is I’ll have some smashed glass to contend with, but we’ll see.

Here they are with some eucalyptus/fir garland! What do you think?

2: Holiday gifting

I’m always in search of Christmas gift basket ideas throughout the year, and I found a brilliant way to make my problem someone else’s. For my “extras”, *cough *cough, I’m going to do gift sets with tabletop wine bottle lanterns. There are very reasonable wick kits on Amazon to make these, and with bottles of lantern fluid, and a cute wrap job, what’s not to like? If you want to go SUPER thrifty, skip the lantern fluid and basket… a bottle with wick kit, a pretty ribbon, and a handwritten note works just as well!

3: Backyard lanterns

I’ve seen these lanterns mounted with brackets on backyard fences and I dig that too (especially with our evening mosquito problem)! I found some brackets that I am going to try with the smaller bottles around the interior of the pool enclosure and see how it looks, and more importantly, if it works. Of course, you can bring your bottle down to the hardware store and just fit the pieces together there. I had to laugh, finding these for sale without bottles was challenging. Me: Um, we’re good on bottles.

They also work brilliantly as tabletop outdoor lanterns.

4) Watering your plants!

With a wine bottle, and a terracotta watering spike, you can forget about your plants for weeks and they’ll still be going strong! These are essential for people like me, who have trouble not killing plants inside.

Winebottlewaterer

I know if I don’t get this wine bottle habit under control I will never hear the end of it. So, here goes!

Do you have any great uses for wine bottles? Please share in the comments below! And, of course, check out more great content on our blog!

Cheers!

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.

Classic, Elegant Christmas Decor Inspiration and Ideas on a Budget

Posted on November 21, 2019 by admin

I’ve been sneaking Christmas decor out of the closet, but I guess I’m not super stealthy. The thing is, I don’t have a lot a lot of energy, and I really have to pace myself. So, if everything but the tree is up before Thanksgiving, so be it. This is my favorite time of the year, and the little white twinkling lights just give me the Christmas feels! So, here is what I have done so far:

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

The exterior: If it was up to me, we’d be done. I have wreaths with red ribbons and window candles with automatic light sensors and flickering flames (for about $5 each, I thought these were a steal). Okay, maybe some lighted garland around the porch would be cool, but, we’ll see. Clark Griswold is already harassing me about adding more lights, but I’m standing my ground.

Classic Christmas Decor: Wreaths with red ribbons in the windows and window candles

This is a great example of the unpredictable weather in Coastal NC: My roses are still blooming, my hydrangea leaves haven’t wilted yet, my Christmas stuff is out, and there are still tons of leaves falling.

This is a close up of the basic wreaths: Very basic but should hold up well outdoors, and they were cheap enough that it won’t break my heart if they’re ruined. They’re perfectly matched with the window candles!

This is a great example of “be where you are.” I am not in love with my fireplace set up currently, but it’s where we are, so I just decorated the crap out of it. I am REALLY proud of my garland I put together, with a willow/eucalyptus garland combined with a basic fir garland (if you don’t have any of these, go to Michael’s after Christmas when they’re pretty much giving them away. They’re on racks on the wall and I got the basic lighted garlands for about $5 each. The faux silver dollar eucalyptus and preserved roses arrangement I added as an afterthought and I love the combo. (Check out our great post on how to preserve roses!)

This awesome Ethan Allen Vase I use for every season with different stems because I ADORE it! The faux cranberries make a gorgeous, simple seasonal arrangement (tip: open them outside and let them air out a little… they have a heavy chemical scent but are beautiful once they’ve breathed a little they’re great!).

For the story of why our turtle inspires us, check out the story on Our Instagram!

And finally, I’m still in work on these faux eucalyptus mixed garlands, and there is a great garland tutorial on our blog so you can make your own much more cheaply than buying them! And I’m just loving the cool led cork-bottle fairy lights, if you’re looking for what to do with all those bottles you saved.

How To Make Your Own Eucalyptus-Fir Mixed Christmas Garland For A Fraction Of The Price

I would love to hear what you think about our Christmas style in the comments below! Do you have any Christmas decor traditions at your house?

Check out more of our decor and project inspiration over on our blog. Cheers!

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.

Mastering The Scene: Fall Decorating on a Dime

Posted on September 16, 2019September 17, 2019 by admin

It’s that time of year again! The rest of you up North are probably enjoying cooler temperatures and those of us down South are decorating for Fall and still sweating our butts off. Anyway, by putting out my Autumn inspired decor it gives me hope that we will soon have cooler temperatures. Check out this awesome, easy entry table set up!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

Here is the breakdown on the big pieces:

The demijohn is from Pottery Barn, but you can get an Imax Recycled Glass Demijohn quite a bit cheaper (but watch Pottery Barn for sales and free shipping)! The glass pumpkin cloches are also from Pottery Barn (I picked them up around March last year in their clearance section and they were a steal!). The lantern is also from Pottery Barn that I bought about ten years ago.

That beautiful black entry mirror you can get on Amazon now and it is REALLY a great find. I love it!

The faux olive branches, faux eucalyptus stems, and white pillar candles are all from Amazon. The pumpkins I got on sale last year at Michaels half price, and they’re always a steal at half off!

Fall Entry Table Decorating on a Dime, from Pottery Barn, Michaels, and Amazon!

The other item you’ll see here is the linen tablerunner that I recently picked up, which gives it the right subdued hue and backdrop for a whitewashed pumpkin arrangement!

Fall Entry Table Decorating on a Dime, from Pottery Barn, Michaels, and Amazon!

Then there’s the EVER versatile Faux Eucalyptus Arrangement that I use in pretty much EVERY season because it just works! It doesn’t get much easier than flattening out the leaves and arranging them a bit in a recycled florist vase. Simple. Easy. Classic.

What are you doing for Fall Decorating? Where do you stand on the neutral pumpkin debate? Let us know in the comments below!

Thanks for stopping by and check out more DIY and great projects on our Blog! Cheers!

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.

How To Preserve Roses

Posted on October 29, 2018February 17, 2021 by admin

I’m so excited. I got BEAUTIFUL roses for my birthday. I know we’ve all lied to our significant others at some point, and told them we didn’t like flowers, but if they were smart, they knew it was a lie and bought flowers anyway. Because there are significantly fewer tears that way.

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We won’t talk about that time that I cried like a little girl because, even though I had dropped copious hints, I didn’t get flowers for my birthday. We’re complicated creatures, women. Poor Rainman.

Yeah, I’m that girl. (If you are in the dog house, and need to buy flowers, this is a great service).

Ugh, they’re just gorgeous from every angle. But, I have a secret. These are in the process of “preserving”. Did you know that you can prevent those gorgeous roses from keeling over on you?

There are two really good methods for doing this and I’ll go through both!

Method One (best for roses that you want to use in arrangements later… more finicky than method two):

This is pre-preservation. I always love the arrangement from our local florist, although I don’t love their choice of cheapo vases. Even the “budget” line shouldn’t be a throw away. Anyhoo, when I get to the preserving phase, I’m really only interested in the roses. I love them at Christmas for their deep red and am looking forward to bringing them back out.

You really only need a couple of things to do this:

Your preserving vase (mine is an antique but I have these also, which are super cute and very reasonable)

Vegetable Glycerin

Florist shears/ scissors (as you can see, I was using the poultry shears instead of going to get my nice florist shears which drives Rainman totally NUTS)

Small hammer

Fill your vase with about 1.5 – 2 inches of glycerin.

I start with the longer roses in the arrangement. Holding the vase next to the edge of the counter and the rose stem next to it, I eyeball where I want the cut. Snip! Take your little hammer and flatten the end of the stem. Roll it and flatten again. Mash it up so it opens up (this helps the glycerin get into the stem).

I do the center (long pieces) first, then fill in around the edge with the shorter stems. For mine, I remove all of the leaves and toss everything other than the roses.

Move them to a location out of the sun to start the preserving process.

Preserving Roses: Red rose bouquet, beginning preservation.

I have to be honest: I adore how these are turning out. They will be gorgeous for my Christmas scenes. These can possibly last years if handled carefully and are such a better option than silk!

Tip: Make sure to add glycerin over several weeks until the stems stop absorbing, then dump out any excess (the glycerin will start gelling on the petals and getting goopy if you leave it).

Method 2 (My Favorite):

This is the PERFECT preserved roses in a hatbox method!

You’ll need:

Floral Shears
Activa Silica Gel for Flowers
Hat boxes
Gallon/2 gallon ziploc (depending on your number of flowers)
Roses

Step One: Snip off the leaves

Step Two: measure how long to cut your roses! Then cut them at that height at an angle (check your height by putting it in the box).

Step three: Remove the three outermost petals on your roses.

Step four: Put your roses into the bag and pour the silica beads over it. Gently shake it to completely cover and get it inside the petals. Once they are covered, put them into a cool dark place for about a week. (Don’t worry about using all of your silica, you can re-use it!)

Step Five: Once all of the petals are preserved, shake the silica off carefully, and place them gently into your hatbox. These can last more than a year if you preserve them correctly!

Thanks for checking out our little tutorial! Feel free to comment and ask questions below and check out more of our great projects here! Cheers!

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I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

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Mastering the Scene: Demijohn And Classic Black, Round Mirror

Posted on September 25, 2018March 19, 2019 by admin

What the heck is a demijohn anyway? Well, it’s a big bottle. It’s the old version of our current jug- used to transport oils, wine, etc. In its “natural” form it often has a wicker encasing. It’s thought to possibly be a corruption of the French word dame-jeanne… but whatever they are AWESOME. They are a perfect foundation piece to style around for lots of different holidays.

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I’ve been dying to get one of these for a while but didn’t want to get a knock off with a seam down the side (that’s how you can tell the real deal from the reproductions). I ended up ordering one from pottery barn (here’s a link) when they had a good sale and free shipping (you can find good ones on Etsy, but the shipping almost doubles the price). It’s hard to give up the control, but you don’t get to choose your color, just the relative size.

I recently found another similar Demijohn from Amazon, recycled, with no seams. It’s pretty awesome, too, and about $50 less.

This beauty was clear (I was sort of hoping for a colored one but it’s really gorgeous) with some bubbles seeded in the glass. Very nice. Absolutely authentic. I think it is cool they tell you where it comes from. Mine was from 1950s Hungary.

Large Demijohn from Pottery Barn, 1950s Hungary

I currently have a Spring/Summer scene styled with cherry blossoms and a burlap runner.

The cherry blossoms are silk (the curse of having cats, everything real is poisonous to them), but the pricier ones are quite passable. You can get them here from Amazon. I have a set of these pink ones, also.

You can see the nice detail on the silk blossoms here.

The burlap runner, which had to be hemmed, I purchased here. It came with three (which I have on my piano and other entry table).

The mirror I got from Hobby Lobby on sale (just google a coupon). You can buy it here. I really wanted to check it out in person because I didn’t want one that felt cheap or like rubber/plastic. These run REALLY pricey from RH or Pottery Barn and I don’t have an extra grand to drop on a mirror. Just be patient, they often have 40 or 50% off at Hobby Lobby.

The lantern is from Pottery Barn and can be purchased here. They are nice and solid (I’ve had that lantern for years). The Stress Relief candle is my FAVORITE from Bath & Bodyworks, available here from Amazon.

Thanks for checking out one of our awesome decor scenes. Read more about our home project wins and fails here.

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.