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Monday, December 10, 2012

Wreath with Burlap Bow


I finally got around to adding a bow to my wreath.  I didn't add any more decorations because the bow is large and, like the Gingerbread Men, I like the simplicity.

I used burlap garland and instructions from the blog, "On Sutton Place"

The post with the instructions can be found here.

This is a great blog with so much inspiration!  I encourage you to visit if you haven't already.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

The Joy of Baking (Even when it's not from scratch)


Oh, the joy of baking (even when it's not from scratch)!  I don't know what it is about baking.  Maybe it's that what I usually bake isn't necessary to living.  You don't need cookies.  But they're one of life's little perks.

I love making Gingerbread Men.  One of those simple things for winter.  Like Blackberry Cobbler during summer.



I never decorate my Gingerbread Men.  They never look right when I do.  And, I kind of like the simplicity.


Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Shopping in Historic Downtown Senoia, GA

My mom and I had a wonderful weekend shopping in historic downtown Senoia, GA.  If the name sounds familiar to you and you're not from the area, it's probably because many movies and television series have been filmed there.  Movies include Fried Green Tomatoes and Driving Miss Daisy.  The most recent television series has been the third season of Walking Dead.

Aside from the cool factor of being a film town, Senoia also offers great shopping and wonderful restaurants.  Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.

Most of the stores offer antiques, home decor, and locally handmade crafts.  There are also some women's and children's clothing boutiques.

Here are a few of my takeaways from the fabulous shops.

A wreath hanger.  Difficult to believe but I've been in my house four years and never had a wreath on the front door!

I went to my local garden store and bought a natural wreath.  The good thing about decorating with natural elements is that you don't have to store them somewhere in your house for the rest of the year and they can go straight to the compost pile when you're done with them.  I haven't had a chance to decorate the wreath yet but I'll post a picture of the finished product once I do.


Every year my great-aunt throws a family Christmas party.  At this party we do an ornament exchange. I like to bring one ornament that the men in the family will like and I thought this one would be perfect.


I was excited to find these 100% bees wax candles.  I've been looking for some for a long time but couldn't find any that I liked.  I love the little bees.  I'll put these away for now and pull them back out in the spring.



Wednesday, November 28, 2012

My version of "Black Friday" shopping

For some people "Black Friday" or "Cyber Monday" shopping has become a ritual.  I don't really participate in either.  I prefer buying from brick and mortar stores because I like to see what I'm really getting before I hand over hard earned cash.  Who wants the trouble of having to ship something back if it wasn't what you were expecting?  And shopping at the malls or big box stores during the holiday season is stressful.  Traffic, parking, crowds, lines... Who needs it?  For those of you who love it, that's wonderful.  It's just not for me.

However, after spending Wednesday and Thursday in the kitchen cooking and cleaning for Thanksgiving, I was ready to get out of the house.

I spent Thanksgiving with my parents in South Carolina.  They live in the vicinity of a fabulous shopping district called "Ram Cat Alley" located in Seneca, SC.  This is not a sponsored post by the way.  But if you ever find yourself in the area, I highly recommend checking this place out.

There are shops which sell antiques, vintage items, and hand made items.  They also have some good restaurants to stop in if you get hungry or just need a break from shopping.

I found some handmade items for myself.  As well as some cool vintage finds.

Soap dish





Yellowware Bowl.  This might be my new thing to collect!



I added a Christmas themed tea towel and some pears and key limes for seasonal decoration.




Salt and Pepper Shakers


These needed a bit of cleaning up when I got them but look great now.

Hope your Thanksgiving was great and if you did the "Black Friday" thing, I hope you've recovered!

Chalkboard Pots

I've wanted to try chalkboard paint for a while and I finally decided to give it a try!  For my first project I chose to do chalkboard pots since I can re-use these year round for fresh herbs in the kitchen.

I bought two terracotta pots and the corresponding dishes at my local hardware store.  I don't know if it's because it's the off season but these were really cheap.  $1.49 each! 


I then bought some chalkboard spray paint from my local craft store.  They carried a number of color options but I chose classic black because it will look good regardless of season.

I followed the instructions on the can of spray paint by doing two coats and then letting them dry for 24 hours.

Once dry, I seasoned the paint by rubbing a stick of chalk along the entire surface.


I picked up a couple rosemary topiaries from my grocery store and thought that they looked like small Christmas trees so I just removed the packaging they came in and dropped them into my new chalkboard pots.  I also wrapped some burlap garland around the bottom to give them a finished look and drew evergreen trees on the pots.


The Advent calendar is one that my husband's grandparents had hand painted for him as a child.  I can't believe it still has all of the pieces!  While I was at the craft store I also bought some Christmas themed ribbon.  Looking forward to coming up with something for these!

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Vintage Scores from the 2012 Country Living Fair at Stone Mountain

Last weekend I had a great time at the 2012 Country Living Fair in Stone Mountain, GA!

This is the third year Country Living has hosted their fair at Stone Mountain and I've been fortunate enough to attend each year.  This year I found a couple Flower Frogs and a Down Spout Cover.   What drew me to these pieces is their sculpture-like qualities.


I also bought a coffee table but I wasn't able to get that home in my car.  Why didn't I take the truck?  Rookie mistake...

Anyway, the coffee table will be picked up in a couple weeks then I'll post it here!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Cast Iron Wall Art

Okay, so by now you may have noticed that I like decorating with cast iron accessories.  The two pieces below are painted in blue, green, and red which are good colors for me.

The item on top is a Parrot Door Knocker.  The item on bottom is a Match Safe.


I like that these items have dimension and are shaped differently than what you would normally find on someone's wall.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Cast Iron Turtle Sprinkler

Here's a cast iron turtle sprinkler that I couldn't pass up.  I found it at the same antique store that I found the Kreamer Tin Melon Mold.  He was too cute so I couldn't leave him there!  I'm using him as a book end for now.


Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Kreamer Melon Tin

I found this at one of the antique stores that I frequent.  It's a Kreamer Melon Tin mold used for pudding or ice cream.


I don't buy a lot of vintage kitchen accessories but I was drawn to the patina and the shape of this mold.  Sometimes you find unexpected things that you love which is part of the thrill of shopping in antique and thrift stores.  I like that not everyone I know has one of these in their home and that this item has a previous history.

I'm still working on my husband's dresser but I'll definitely have many posts before I can show the finished product.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Kudzu Elephant...The Beginning!

Hello and welcome to Kudzu Elephant!  I've started this blog to record my progress in making my home a refuge from the everyday.  I hope that you are inspired to do the same to your home!

Though there are many different aesthetics, we can all find inspiration in unexpected places.  Most of my inspiration comes from publications like Country Living and Better Homes and Gardens.  It's not that I want my house to look like a picture in a magazine.  Okay, maybe a little.  I want my home to feel like me.  I get inspiration from the articles and the wonderful photography from the afore mentioned magazines.  But let's face it, most of us have to work with what we've got.

My husband and I bought the house we currently live in in January 2009.  This is our first house and it is a lovely house.  But it's new construction which means that it lacks some character of older homes.  Also, I've found out the hard way that I don't like its open floor plan.  Mental note for the next house...

After living here for almost four years, I'm ready to finally make it ours!