fall porch and patio...

Our fall weather has been a little toasty in Denver, but this week cooler temps are in the

forecast and I'll finally be trading in my sandals for boots! I just might sit on our patio,

 sip a Pumpkin Spice Latte, and enjoy the crisp air. (It's highly unlikely, but it sounds nice.)  

This year I went simple and brought out my new Otomi pillows, a cozy blanket and a few

 pumpkins, quick and easy additions, but it feels festive.

I'm always drawn to pinks when I plan our flowers for the summer and by fall they're 

loving the cooler weather and still looking good, so I go with it. Not your typical fall

 colors, but one of my favorite combos, I love the pop of orange pumpkins with the pink.

  

The sassy, unexpected Tanzania Wallpaper Knock Off in our entry still makes me happy

whenever I walk in. 

I kept our front porch simple, too. I get these Kimberly ferns every year in the spring

 from Walmart, they're $13. I use them on our porch, three front window boxes, and two

 other large urns at the edge of our yard. They get huge, so I take them out of the pots and

 cut them in half with a serrated knife for our window boxes, otherwise they take over.  

(The photo is deceiving but the window boxes are four feet long, and that is half of a plant.) 

This flagstone patio is in the front of our house just off to the side of the porch.  

 I completely forgot to mention a great feature of the Otomi painted pillows that I

 stenciled the other day, they give you simple instructions to waterproof them for

 outside use. You still have time if you haven't entered the giveaway here,

 it closes on Monday at midnight.  

We've had this wood and iron bench for years, I love the weathered look.

 The small folding table was a thrifting score last year, and easily moves wherever

 you need to set a beverage. I nabbed Mr. Simple's wine just as he was ready to sit

down and enjoy...I need it for my blog photos, just watch some football and I'll bring

 it back in a few. Ha, that got some eye rolling. :)

Btw, if you like my worn out all-time favorite Frye boot knock offs 

check out this post with all the details here. 

I change my outdoor decor a bit every year, here is a previous one 

with my go-to pink and orange color combo.

Thanks so much for stopping by,

 hope you're enjoying beautiful fall days wherever you are!

best of the nest september link party

Ahh, Happy Friday, friends!! 

Thank you so much for popping over to share your latest creation with all of us. I'm

 glad you're here and can't wait to be inspired by more of your projects. My sweet friends

 knocked it out of the park this month, all of their projects were simple but packed a punch,

don't miss checking them out! 

Pam @ Simple Details

Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram | Bloglovin' | Twitter

Out of the blue I decided to cozy up our bathroom for fall and winter by covering

 up the light colored stripes. A coat of dark charcoal paint and an unexpected

door knocker turned towel ring and it feels like a completely different room.  

Lisa @ Shine your Light 

Blog | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram | Bloglovin' | Twitter

Our girl Lisa needs her own Etsy shop! She made a wax paper graphic transfer look

 so easy I'm dying to try it. This beautiful cutting board is just one of the results, doesn't
 it look like a French antique? 

Kris @ Driven by Décor

Blog | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram | Bloglovin' | Twitter | Google+

Kris came up with one of those "Why didn't I think of that?" ideas. As if her clever

 idea to drape fabric over her chair back to add some pizazz wasn't enough, she added

 pretty hand made tassels!! 

Jennifer @ Dimples & Tangles

Blog | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram | Bloglovin' | Twitter

Jennifer worked her DIY magic on this cute vanity bench, don't be fooled it was sad
 and nasty! Give the girl some gold paint and she can turn anything into pretty and
 stylish!   

Now it's your turn:

Bring your Best of September - Anything from your nest aka home - DIY, craft, room design, recipe, etc.

Anyone can enter - not just bloggers!

Enter through Instagram by using hashtag #bestofthenestparty and tagging at least one of your hosts.

Enter through Pinterest - follow the simple instructions here.

The party ends on Tuesday at midnight.

Party Rules:

Only one link per person to show your best work from September 2014

Only those with a link back will be considered for features.

If you're linking up with a blog, link back with a text link or grab the party button.

We'd love you stop back next Friday when Lisa, Kris, Jennifer and I will feature our favorite links.

paint a pillow - review & giveaway

I'll confess I was a tad leery, envisioning more crafty than classy, when Cutting Edge
Stencils asked if I'd like to try a new product they were introducing through their
 sister company, Paint a Pillow. 

But after looking through their extensive collection of stencils, paint colors and ideas
 I was impressed and anxious to get my kit and start creating some custom pillows.
 I'll get to the details in a sec but first I want to show you these fun pillows,
I chose the Otomi stencil, rich vivid prints are based on ancient cliff drawings of the
 Mexican Otomi Indians.     

Pretty neutrals for fall...

I didn't see it recommended anywhere, but I turned the pillow over and did a design on the
 back, a lively mix of colors, so I would have another option to show you how easy it is to
combine patterns. The 100% cotton canvas is great quality. I used the foam roller for the
 solid color pillows and the stencil brush for the varied colors. (Both are included with the kit)

Vibrant colors for fall...

I added the coral chevron pattern ~ a fresh combination for spring.

It was packaged so nicely I kept thinking was what a great gift it would be.
Perfect for any age, I think anyone 8 - 80 who likes being creative would enjoy it.
 Paint a Pillow couldn't make it easier, it comes just as you see it below the pillow cover
and stencil attached to a frame, and ready for you to break out the paint!
You can view the easy instructions here if you'd like.

 

The quality of all the supplies is impressive, great stencil brushes and
foam roller, zippered pillow cover and a choice of nice inserts.

 

A bonus - it's super easy to clean, just rinse off in your sink.

You can order decorative embellishments for more customization.

Thank you, Paint a Pillow!

Paint a Pillow is generously offering one lucky reader a Paint a Pillow kit
 of their choice. US Residents Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

dark moody bathroom...

Happy First Day of Fall, friends!

  We had glorious weather over the weekend and ended with my favorite way to spend

 a Sunday ~ a family get-together to celebrate September birthdays, eat, and watch football.

 I also fit in time to finish up our dark moody bathroom, I'm loving the warm, cozy vibe

 for fall and winter.    

I've been smitten with Behr's Mined Coal, charcoal colored paint, since using it in one of

 my all-time favorite makeovers, Detail Boy's bedroom redo. I found some leftover, so I

 went with it on a whim one day. I envisioned a quick afternoon paint job, but after getting

 the first coat on I noticed the tape lines from the previous stripes were visible, so I had to

 go back and sand them all down...ugh!  

Awhile back I found this lion's head door knocker at Homegoods, I thought it would be 

a unique towel ring, and added some gold gilding to the ring. Of course, a new towel

ring calls for a new towel, a rich color with stripes and tassels, yes please. They have

 a great collection at World Market right now.    

On the opposite side of our DIY dresser turned vanity I hung one of my simply framed

flamingo prints. It had been in the dining room but made its way back to the bathroom

 to change things up.  

I still love our Hampton Bay Swing Arm wall sconces from Home Depot. 

I gave them a custom look with a simple narrow gross grain ribbon in dark charcoal

 when we first got them. They give off a beautiful glow in the evening. 

As you can tell, our painted vanity and painted fixtures are still holding up great after 

a year and a half.     

More fall tweaking is on the way, are you in the mood for any changes yet? 

the $89 (in gas money) nate berkus knock off

You've probably seen the new Nate Berkus Fall Line at Target, this Serpent Bowl in 

particular has been all over blogs, and it's a beauty at only $20. I'm cursed blessed with

that DIY mindset that cannot look at anything without wondering if I could 'make it'

on my own for less. Add 'Blogger' to that and in my mind I have to 'get on it fast'

or someone else will come up with the same idea, post it first, their idea will set Pinterest

 on fire and I'll be sitting there holding my $1 DIY Gold Serpent!   

It couldn't be easier - find a toy rubber snake, paint it gold, coil it up 

 and glue it to a bowl. Done in about an hour! 

How it really went down... 

I found a snake at Dollar Tree, but it was smaller than I was hoping for, more stiffly

 coiled plastic vs flexible rubber, and a hollow underside. So, I proceeded to hunt down the

 perfect serpent, and went to Big Lots, Walmart, Target, Disguises Halloween Costumes,  

Petco (where they looked at me like I was nuts) and a second Dollar Tree. 

This is beyond embarrassing - I also went to Ross, TJ Maxx and Goodwill looking 

for the perfect bowl. At this point I began wondering about my sanity and if this was

what my life had come to and went home and used the Dollar Tree snake and a vase

I had. I could never get the bowl right so it isn't even a 'true' knock off, the snake is just

wrapped around a vase. But, I'm good with that because I love Nate and Target and I was

feeling really guilty trying to knock off his $20 bowl. It's not a $1,000 Horchow table!

 As you look at it I'm sure you're in awe of how much time and gas I wasted on it.

Thank goodness for styling and flowers from my garden, which make it look somewhat

ok. Also, I'm sure a huge percentage of you are just cringing at the thought of using a snake 

in your decor! Not one of my most efficient uses of time, but I truly love the edginess of it

 against my more traditional pieces, and the serpent was only $1. Woo hoo!

And, the detailed tutorial if you'd like to make your own... :)

Paint a plastic coiled snake from Dollar Tree, I used Martha Stewart Liquid Guilding

because it was what I had on hand, but you could easily use spray paint. Coil around

your favorite vessel.

     If you'd like to check out some of my 'true' knock offs just click on the title:

Howchow $1,000 Table - Ikea Vittsjo Nesting Tables

Restoration Hardware Garden Spheres

Faux Ostrich Nightstands - Ikea Rast Nightstands

Arhaus Inspired Weathered Table

Arcadian Home $700 Light - Sunburst Flush Mount Light

Tanzania Wallpaper  - Cheeta Spots Stencil

Pottery Barn Pillows

busts are all the rage...

I'd planned to have a fun Dollar Store DIY for you today, think gold knock off, sort of! 

 It was a bit uncooperative, and my day ended early to head out to our soccer match,

 which left no time for photos, :( but it's up for tomorrow. In the meantime I'm chatting

about one of my favorite accessories...busts.

I was tempted with a few witty titles, but decided to save myself from being inundated

 with spam. I love them, I've heard people say they're trendy, but they're a timeless, classic

in my book. A versatile accessory that can be moved from room to room, and looks as

interesting in a kitchen as bath. I've purchased two and found them both at Homegoods.

But, beware they go quickly if you're on the hunt.  

Here are some favorite ways to use them in your home...

thedesigndaredevil.com

 bhg.com

 refinery29.com

 traditionalhome.com

 decorpad.com 

 Bruce Shostak's Home - Architectural Digest

 thisivyhouse.tumblr.com - Veranda

 Timothy Corrigan's LA Home 

 bhg.com

 theviewalongtheway.com  

 lonny.com

 thezennest.com

What side of the fence are you on, trendy or a classic?

dark moody bathroom on a whim

On my 2014 To-Do List I mentioned I wanted to paint something black, like a room. :)

 On a whim I went for it today, and shared a peek of our bathroom, you may have seen

 it if you follow me on Instagram. I didn't have a plan to paint the bathroom, but I started

 thinking a moody, cozy space would be perfect for fall and winter. Before I knew it it was

 2:00 and I hadn't changed out of my pjs that I wore to the bus stop at 6:30 but my

 bathroom was looking nice and moody. I chose Behr Mined Coal because that's what I

 had in my stash, it's a dark charcoal. I'll share next week, I still have another coat to go!

My talented friends have a love for dark and moody too, and I'm so excited to share

 their beautiful dining rooms are both in the running for

  Apartment Therapy's Color Contest 2014 in the Dark category!

It's fun to check out the other categories as well, and vote for your favorites here. 

 I've featured both of their rooms on my blog and LOVE the different vibe of each one.  

 Dana @ Make them Wonder

Cassie @ Primitive & Proper    

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!