Nevermore

"Once upon a midnight dreary…"

When I was in the 7th grade, I had an awesome English teacher, Mrs. Jeanne Rowland. I don't think I was ever bored in her class. (insert gasp here) She brought literature to life and made it interesting! Although I enjoyed many aspects of her class, her poetry lessons were my favorite! She had us memorize and recite many poems. These included the classics like, "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost and "The Night Before Christmas" by Clement Clarke Moore. She even had us recite this silly little poem about a two-toed tree toad and a three-toed she-toad. Talk about a tongue twister! Ha!  

She introduced us to many great poets, but by far my favorite poet was Edgar Allan Poe. (I can still recite most of "Annabel Lee.") Mrs. Rowland really brought this poet to life by telling us about his strange life story and how his poetry was inspired by it.  This was the first time I was able to truly analyze poetry and see it as more than just words on a page. 

So…In honor of Mrs. Rowland, I have created Poe-inspired Halloween decor this year!

Quoth the Raven...

I think Mr. Poe would approve. Ha! 

I got the birds at Dollar Tree and the birdcage at Target. I  printed the "Nevermore" sign using a cool font. 

This was not a part of my original design, but I'm glad I added it!

I got the raven picture and apothecary jar in the $3 section at Target.  

I made this label! Read it carefully...

If you're going to create decor inspired by a writer, writing utensils are necessary! I made the ink bottle and quill pen using a black feather, small glass jar, and black paint. I think it looks pretty cool sitting on top of the old book. 

Another $3 Target find! 

Spooky… 

Happy Halloween! 

You Can Never Have Too Many Pumpkins!

Fall is almost here! Well…"FALL" has been at my house for over a week because I could not wait to decorate! I love this time of year! I have pumpkins everywhere…in all shapes, sizes, and colors! 

Check out my fabulous FALL decor! 

I use a mixture of real and artificial pumpkins. These, of course, are not real. However, I think they look really cute!

Mums, pumpkins, and scarecrows…Oh My! I love a welcoming front porch. 

I collect Peter's Pottery (beautiful Mississippi-made pottery).  I have a lot of it around the house, so I  incorporate it into my fall decor. 

Pumpkin...

Another pumpkin...

And another pumpkin! Yes, that's Sam in the background. He's only a fan of pumpkins in a pie. Ha! 

The Living Room

This is my everyday decor. I just added two burlap pumpkins! 

The Dining Room!

I love white dishes!

Look, another pumpkin! This one has glitter! Ooh la la! I think it looks great with the Peter's Pottery and cotton. I'm also really proud of the chalkboard sign. My lettering skills have never been great, but I think I did a pretty good job on this sign. However, I'm afraid to erase it because I don't think I could letter this well again! Ha! 

Wine crate, basket, and more pumpkins! I really love these silver pumpkins! 

Fall wreath for the kitchen!

And…a pumpkin candle, of course! 

Happy Fall, Y'all!

but first, COFFEE!

"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy coffee. And that's kind of the same thing." 

If you want to make me smile, bring me fried okra or a cup of coffee…but not at the same time! I start every day with a cup of coffee. Yes, I do have a slight addiction to caffeine, but that's not my main reason for drinking coffee. I love it…the smell, the taste, the way it makes me relax. Coffee makes me happy! So…I decided to create a coffee bar for my kitchen! 

I searched for awhile and finally found this console table at TJ Maxx for a great price!  Perfect! 

I made this three tiered stand out of vintage pie plates. It will hold the coffee. 

This is a Nespresso espresso maker. It's kind of like a Keurig. We also have a Keurig. In our house, we need options! The milk bottles came from Magnolia Market! Yes, we made the trip to Waco this year! No, we did not see Chip and Jo. :-( 

I love these coffee cups! They actually have fake coffee stains to make them look like they came from a diner! Ha! 

This shelf is a work in progress… I like the mason jars, but it needs something else. Hmm…  

Yes, those are tea bags. My husband and daughter drink tea occasionally, so I added them.  Aren't the crates cute, though! These were on clearance at Target because they were damaged. I painted them and added the words and pictures. Not bad for $1.25 each! 

This one has a special meaning. Big "B" Valve was the name of my grandparents' oil valve business. I've seen this logo often throughout my life. I thought it would be neat to have it in my house. I transferred the image using graphite.  Thanks, Pinterest! 

I love white dishes!

We bought this art print on Congress Street in Austin, Texas. The original was  painted with coffee! Cool!