The Decoration

My turquoise wall.

In our entryway.


I'm living with it.

For now.

Don't get me wrong, I like it.

But that's the problem.

I like it. I don't love it.

And, more than anything, I want to love it.

The way I love my family room blue.

In the morning it's such a pretty color, but by the time the afternoon sun hits it, it turns a color that I am just not a fan of.

After I got the paint up on the wall I thought...

"Ok. I'll leave it up for a week and see how I feel about it then."

And then summer vacation took over and my plans have given way to family plans.

But I wouldn't have it any other way!


I will find a solution for that wall.

I considered mixing two colors that I already have and Googled it to see if it was even a good idea. Unfortunately, what I read was just scary enough that it has kept me from moving forward with that plan.

So I have to ask...

have any of you mixed paint colors and been successful not only with the color that you ended up with, but also successful with the application of it? I read things about peeling paint and bubbles and all kinds of crazy things that can happen when you mix paint.

I'm definitely open to hearing what you have to say about that!

For now, it's back outside with the kiddos.

We've had way more rain than sun up here, so when the sun comes out to play, so do we!


I hope you are all having a wonderful summer!

...in a big, bad way!

I want a fun color for our entryway and it's going to come by way of turquoise...

or teal...

or aqua...

or whatever you want to call it!




Something like this...



but with a little gray in it to tone it down just a bit...


I've got my gallon of "Thunderbird" and hopefully by the end of the day my entry will have the pop of color that I've been craving.


I've got all the photos and decor in place to create the new look and feel that I want...

Now...

Before I get started on how ridiculously easy candy corn makes it to decorate for Halloween, I want to be sure to let you know that I have a question for you at the end of this post. I need help finding a recipe and I figured, who better to ask then all of you? But I'll get back to that...


Halloween is the first holiday that I get to decorate for in our new entry lockers and cubbies! When we renovated the dining room, turned it into a playroom, and built ourselves a new organized entryway on the opposite side of the newly built wall, I made sure to design a system that would not only accommodate all of the kids' needs, but my need for pretty as well!

So at the top of the coat lockers, sit three square cubes that I can decorate and change with each season and holiday.

When it came time to decorate for Halloween, I had to consider exactly how I wanted this new space to look and what I wanted it to convey.

It's a kids space, really. So fancying it up with heavy garlands, berries, gourds, candles, urns...you know, all the traditional fall stuff, just didn't feel like it was a good fit for the space.

I wanted to keep the look simple, but fun and most importantly cost effective (translation: as close to FREE as possible!)

And this is what I came up with:

All it took was a big bag of candy corn, some gathering of twigs in the back yard and a little spray paint.

Too easy, I tell you!

I had Ellison help me find as many twigs as we could...

Then I simply spread them out on cardboard...

and sprayed it all with a good coat of black...

I didn't even bother flipping them over and spraying the back side. No need for it since their backs would all be facing the wall.

I filled the glass vases with candy corn and stuck the twigs in...

I wish I could have found twigs that were a little more gnarly, but this was a "use what you've got" project, so the twigs I found in our own backyard worked great!

The kids love it that there is candy corn on the shelves!

And I think the overall look is a good mix of them and me...

It was an easy way to bring orange and black into the entryway!

THE only colors needed for Halloween, as far as the kids are concerned!

And if you're looking for a project you can do in a flash, this is one of them. Waiting for the paint to dry is the only time factor to consider.

The candy corn made it's mark as decor in a few more spots of our home as well.

I gotta' say...I like how it looks!

..................................................................


Now...onto the recipe question!

We're hosting our 3rd Annual Chowder Cook-Off soon and I need to find a recipe.

I've been making the same Chicken and Corn Chowder for our family for the past ten years and last year, it won the Cook-Off!

So this year, I'm ready to try something new...

that's where you come in!

I have to say, I'm not a fan of clam chowder, but I do love a good corn chowder and, if you've got one, I'm totally up for a new take on chowder all together.

So if you have any good recipes, I would love to hear them!

Here's the catch...my competition (yes, they're my friends and family, but in this case - they're the competition!) reads my blog, so if you don't mind, I would prefer it if you didn't post the recipe in the form of a comment. Please email me your recipe at:

ItsTheLittleThings(at)HomeRestyle(dot)net

Thanks a million!

I can't wait to see what great chowder recipes you send my way!

And if I use yours, I will certainly give credit where credit is due!





P.S I am linking this post over on DIY Day at A Soft Place To Land
and Today's Creative Blog for Get Your Craft On Tuesday
and Works For Me Wednesday at We Are That Family
and Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest
and The Fall Festival at The DIY Show Off

Loads of inspiration to be found!

Be sure to check them out!

Custom built storage...

Remember how the wall used to be?

When it was the dining room there was an arch - a walkway, through the room...

When we framed in and closed off the arch to create the new playroom, it presented the perfect opportunity to use the entryway as a truly functional space.

And thanks to my carpenterific husband, the idea of a built-in was turned into a reality!

Three cubbies for our three kids makes storing their shoes in the wire baskets an easy solution to scattered shoes...

Two hooks per locker mean kids and adults alike can hang up their coats and bags when they come in the front door...

And as an added bonus, I got three display boxes out of the deal that I can change with the seasons and holidays...

We built it the same height as the frame around the transom window to give the space a uniform look. This also gives the feeling that the built-in has always been there, from the time the house was built...

I found the hooks at Lowe's and after debating over which color to choose, I'm happy that I went with these one's - I love the black against the stark white...

More often than not, it looks like this:

...filled with lunch boxes,

shoes and coats...

The best part is that we use it every day!

A totally worth while project that made our home a bit more organized and gave it more of a custom feel!





P.S. I am posting this at Between Naps On The Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

and Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage

and Furniture Feature Friday at Mustard Seed Creations

Check them out! You're sure to be inspired!

Story of my life --
I just needed to solve a small problem - no biggie - and it turned into a full fledged makeover...

Last week we noticed that we suddenly have a key snatcher in our house.

While she's super cute, she's also super sneaky!

We always hang our keys up on the hooks just inside of our garage door. They are always there. That way we don't place them somewhere (wherever they land) and lose them.

But Ellison has put a few inches on her height and suddenly her little arms can grab our keys right off the hooks, only to be left....who knows where?

I needed to make new hooks that I could hang higher -
waaaay out of Ellison's reach!

I grabbed a piece of scrap wood out of the garage, found two hooks that were waiting to be used in my toolbox, snagged a few letters from a really old game of Scrabble, and got to work...

It took no time at all and solved the problem!

I loved it!

It was cute, it was easy and I had everything I needed on hand, so...it was free!

However, standing back and looking at the whole picture...

(that's the key snatcher there, jumping into the picture)

...all it managed to do was bring to the forefront of my mind, just how ignored and boring this spot in our home really was.

So, thanks to my new DIY key holder, our most-used entry was on it's way to a makeover...

I have no idea why I hadn't paid more attention to this spot before. It is right off of our garage and it is the door that we use all day, everyday!

Of course, I made sure to dress up our front door as soon as we moved in! I wanted it to be inviting and decorated, so that our friends and family would feel welcome as they entered, all while giving the house some much needed curb appeal!

But why did I not make the entry that the five of us use, feel just as loved and inviting?

I have no idea!

But, those days are gone and I was on a mission...

I started "shopping" my house and after I had everything in place, I stepped back to take a look. I LOVED it! But there was something missing...

I found another piece of scrap wood in the garage. This piece was too perfect! Like it was just waiting for me to realize what I was going to use it for...

I gave it a quick coat of one of my favorite Benjamin Moore colors...

(Stratton Blue)

And printed off my letters on the computer, to create my sign...

I needed to make some cuts on the end though...

Ughh.

I don't do power saws.

That's what the Carpenter is for, right?

Right.

Until yesterday, that is!!

The Carpenter was on a trip and coming home in a few short hours. I wanted to do my "big reveal", but it wasn't going to be complete without this sign!

So, with this post in mind, I headed out and took on the compound mitre saw!

Was I nervous?

YES

Did I do it anyway?

For sure!

And I am so glad that I did! It was a huge step for me! I can't tell you how proud I was of myself, and how proud my husband was of me!

And best of all, I was able to continue with the makeover...

After painting on my letters, I just had to wait for it to dry...

(insert sound of tapping fingers on the counter top, here)

After I hung up my sign, I gave everything a once over to make sure it was ready for my "big reveal"...

And "ta-da" - our once neglected, yet most used entryway, gained a new look and finally fit in with the rest of the house...

Remember the pair of oars that I bought from my friends garage sale?

I finally found a home for one of them and I love how it looks up there!

The table was built by my husband about a year and a half ago, but had always been sitting on the front porch. I like having it inside because now I get to appreciate it, instead of just the people passing by!

The best parts of this newly decorated space:

The keys are way out of Ellison's reach.

The mirror reflects the whole space back to us as we're walking through. We see glimpses of the front door entry, the dining room and the living room.

I used what I had! Nothing was purchased for this!
(that just might be the best part! As far as my husband is concerned, it IS!)

I got to use one of my oars!

The palm leaves in the striped vase hide the big, ugly box for the alarm system!
(Bonus!)

The space still functions exactly how we need it to (notice the shoe basket under the table? That has always been there), so it didn't require a change in habit to get used to it. It was strictly a chance to bring some beauty to a neglected space!

The absolute best moment of the entire makeover was when my husband walked through the door!

He loves it!

*sigh*

Don't you just love being able to do the "Big reveal"?


So, it all started with our keys, but it ended with a very happy makeover!

P.S. To see more makeover's, head over to Between Naps On The Porch where Susan hosts her weekly blog party!

And to see even more DIY inspiration, check out Kimba's "DIY Day" over at A Soft Place To Land!