Fall in the Heartland

That buffet project must have plum tuckered me out, because I have no gumption this morning.  Yesterday, I spent the day catching up on the five ten loads of laundry that I got behind on when I was focused on turning the beast into a beauty.  Does anyone else see if they can turn 10 loads into 5 by cramming the washing machine so full it gets off balance?  I do.  All the time.  You'd think I'd stop, but I don't.  At least all but 2 loads have been folded.  Put away?  Now that's another story.

I feel like I'm wasting precious time by doing things in the house when I could be outside sanding and painting away.  Before I know it, Canada will be sending us her cold north winds and I will be freezing my southern tail off.  I have plenty of time to do all the boring inside stuff for the 6 months we have winter here.  I feel like I'm a squirrel hurrying to get things accomplished with the refrain, "Winter is coming!  Winter is coming!" pushing me to try to accomplish the impossible in just a few short weeks.  Y'all still in the south don't know how good you've got it!  :)

However, I can't deny the beauty of a heartland fall.  We do get the true seasons here even if they are June, July, August, and Winter.  Although this year, we've had a beautiful indian summer.  Thank you Lord for this beautiful fall weather!

I snuck outside this morning and took a few quick shots off my back porch and even opened the window next to the computer to take a few when the rising sun on the golden corn caused me to catch my breath.  That is what I have to share with you this morning...

I count my blessings that we have such beautiful views in each direction.  I can look north and see fields that reach as far as the eye can see...

I always love gazing east in the early morning, before the fog burns off the fields.  Its like looking at a living painting...

And looking towards the south, I see rolling hills of color...

But our growing woodpile to the west reminds me that soon, I'll be seeing a different view.  One of stark blue skies and blowing white snow.

Aren't we so very blessed?

I used this shot as a backdrop to a Fall poem I found online by using Picnik.  I plan on printing it out and framing it.

I've always said that there's nothing more beautiful than the sun rising over the ocean, but this is pretty darn close.  It just makes you want to take time to take a deep breath and breath it all in before winter sends her icy cold gusts.  The heartland in the Fall is one of the most spectacular places in the country.  And while I do long for the crisp sea air and salty scents of home, I'm pretty blessed to have these views out my windows each morning.  Aren't I?

DIY. . . Changing Seasons Placemats & Tutorial

A huge reason why I don't change my decor with each season is because it seems like a waste of money to change things every couple of months.  Don't get me wrong ,I used to have decorations for each season - Summer, Fall, Halloween, Christmas, Winter, Easter, Spring, 4th of July. . .  That was six kids and what seems like a lifetime ago.  Now, I pretty much stick with Christmas.  Its just more budget-friendly that way.

Looking all over blogland, I see tons of way cute ideas to dress up your home for Autumn.  And I'm jealous.  Being there is so much work to be done on this little big house, I can't really justify going out and purchasing items to decorate my home for two and a half months.  And since its been YEARS since I've really bought anything Fall-ish, my seasonal decor is sorely depleted.

So last night, while I was trying to figure out a DIY craft I could blog about today, I hit on this idea.  What if I made something that not only would work for Fall, but also for every other season too?  That way, I wouldn't feel so guilty about spending money that could be better spent on home improvement projects!
WIN, WIN!

This is what I came up with. . .

Changing Season Placemats.

And better yet, it cost me $2.00.  Woo-hoo!  I found the placemats at a local thrift store for $0.50 each.

Materials:

4 Placemats

Chalkboard Paint

Painter's Tape

Burlap Fabric

Cotton Fabric

Glue Gun

Seasonal Decorations 

First, I taped off all the edges of the placemats.

Then I coated it well with black Chalkboard paint.

To speed up the drying process, I hung them on the line to dry.

While waiting for them to dry, I made fabric rosettes out of some burlap that I bought for another project, as well as an old white bedskirt.

When the paint had dried, I attached the rosettes to the placemat on the upper left-hand corner.

And in the spirit of the season, I tucked some faux Autumn leaves in amongst the rosettes.  Instant Fall placemat!

The thing I love about this craft is that you can change out the wording and the seasonal decoration that you tuck into with the rosettes.  Just don't glue them down and change the word that you write in chalk.

So now you have placemats for Fall. . .

For Christmas . . .

For Spring . . .

and for Summer .

Now, I can have my dining room decked out for Fall and not feel a bit of guilt over any money that I've spent.  :)

Each placemat says a different word - Fall, Autumn, Leaves, and Harvest.

In the interest of full disclosure, the only thing I would probably do differently is use either a tighter weave or attach a thin, flat board to the top of the placemat and paint that instead of painting directly on the mat.  One, the weave absorbs a lot of the chalkboard paint and that stuff ain't cheap.  Plus, this particular weave makes it difficult to write on with the chalk.  But oh well, I used what I had and I think it turned out pretty swell!

Speaking of harvest, its getting to be that time again.  Here's a couple of pictures I took from the upper deck on the back of our house.  There's nothing prettier than Fall in the heartland (except maybe summer in the heartland).  What a view, huh?

Its almost enough to make me forget that the plumbing guy delivered the news today that we have to get a new hot water heater...  Yeah, the one we just bought brand new four years ago.  So, no hot water for tonight.  Errrrr...  Five kids, no bath.  Grrrrreat.
At least Marathon carries a lifetime warranty, so its just an inconvenience until it can be replaced.  Hopefully, soon!

Until then, I'll just enjoy my DIY Fall Decor.  And that makes me happy!

 I'm linking this craft up to:
The Vintage Farmhouse: Creative Things Thursday