A Shabby Pumpkin made from a brown grocers bag!

Hi there! You probably guessed that it was a brown bag craft right off the bat, right? I am so liking working with brown bag paper it is so darn pliable and vintage , rustic looking . I find myself mapping out projects in my head that I will try out next. I figure if I run out of the bags the brown paper packing roll is really cheap cause you all know that I like to project for little or no money. Any way I simply took a large grocer brown bag cut the square out of the bottom then cut strips like about 3 to 4 inches the whole length of the bag. Now you kind of fan them by taking one end and spread them around once you have them fanned well take the ends together and twist , dampen your hands a bit when the paper is a little damp it becomes more pliable. I took a few big pieces of newspaper and made a ball not too tight but loosely . The newspaper ball will be the base so what your holding is something that looks like a wicked witches broom with a much shorter handle. Place the stem you have made and let the cut pieces dangle now you need to staple or hot glue them all to the bottom in place so you have covered the newspaper ball completely. I used a stapler it worked the quickest and best. I also made a couple of leaves and crumbled them and shaded them green. For the stem I just wrapped it with cording. Once everything is in place You can add some paint shading ,I say shading because painting the whole thing does not work ...the paper gets too wet and loses life. once I got it shaded with some white I just picked it up and shaped it a bit till I got the look I was going for.

 

All and all this may be a little too shabby for some but I can tell you they are so cute if you decorate with vintage style, country or rustic. Its free to craft except for the paint cording and ribbon... so give it a try it's a very forgiving craft which means you can't go wrong. Thank you so much for visiting Sweet Tea N' Salty Air , it's been fun having you!

Come party with me for some great Fall inspiration over to     www.thegrantlife 

Tired dull endtables get a new look!

Hi everyone!  I was recently in Home Depot  and of course I always hit the Opps! paint counter. I usually buy up any good colors but I found this special Martha Stewart paint for only 2.00 a finishing metallic paint and just the color I was looking for to fit well with chocolate brown walls. Its a pretty very light blueish.

here is the tired old end table.

That's a little sample I was trying out . It goes on smooth and adds that special flash of goodness I was looking for.

I found some new material for 2.00 about a yard at Good will and replaced the tired gold material. After giving the table 2 coats of the finishing paint I took some dark stain for a stressed look to bring out all the grooves and nooks and cranies.

 

I would definitely buy this Martha Stewart paint full price it goes on smooth and the metallic shine is just enough not to be too flashy. I would recommend this to everyone and I definitely am no getting paid in any way for saying so, it is one of the very best paints I have ever used so if you have a piece of furniture that needs a little lift give it a try you won't be sorry. Good luck painting! Thank you so much for visiting Sweet Tea N' Salty Air!

Pumpkin and spice garland made from brown paper bags!

Hi everyone! I've been at my brown paper bag crafting again! I thought I would make a garland for the front of my fireplace. I started by making one good pumpkin ,I used it to trace the rest. I cut the bottom of the grocer bag out completely so I could have 2 folded sides. When you make the pumpkins they have to be joined at the fold I did mine at the stem. I cut out 7 for harvest. I didn't want the typical orange pumpkin so I used a white shading. I attached each pumpkin on the cording at the stem. For the stem piece I took pieces of bag and kind of rolled it till I had the look of a stem. For the leave I made 1 and traced 6. I shaded them with a bit of dark green. I attached the stems and leaves. I used black and gold for the harvest lettering. The brown paper is so pliable you can bend and twist until you reach the shape you want. I also added a little butterscotch colored ribbon. I  wanted to add a little fall scent so I gave it a spray with some cinnamon oil and it seems to distribute a nice scent when you walk by.

 

I couldn't resist to turn the fireplace on, my son said mom, what the heke are you doing now? They should all know just step aside and let the mom do what she does. Thank you so much for visiting Sweet Tea N' Salty Air!

 

 

A table setting for an anual Fall lunch!

Hi everyone, hope you are enjoying the weekend. I am trying to say bye to summer and welcome the Autumn season. I have my  oil burner lite ,the sweet smell of cinnamon is lifting my Fall spirits. I have always enjoyed decorating for fall oh heke truthfully I just love decorating... for any reason or season . Today a very good friend is coming for lunch ,she is an old gardener from way back. She will bring her harvest such as potatoes and leeks for some super creamy potato soup and an array of vegetables to create a colorful salad. And I will supply the desert. I have set the table with a little whimsy in mind ,my dear friend will get a kick out of it!

We will have some white wine so I attached a pretty fall flower with some raffia.

I used a pinecone to hold the fork and knife in between the ripples. The rooster dishes are from The country Door....I bought them about 10 years ago. They are  my favorite!

Deep caramel colored bowls are set with a spoon rested on a fall leaf. A raffia wreath sits in the center that holds a piece of carnival glass that will soon be filled with fresh watermelon.     

The wine is chilling and soon my guest will be arriving through the gate only wish you could join us! Thank you so very much for taking a visit to Sweet Tea N' Salty Air!

 

The cutest Rusty shabby little wrought iron bench gets a well deserved makeover!

Good day everyone! I am so happy today to present the cutest little garden seat ever and a very nice lady offered it for free from Craig's list. When we drove out to pick her up, meaning the bench , I often refer to my furniture makeovers as men calling them him but this my friends is a lady. The bench sat rusty and tired but I could see past all that and couldn't wait to take her home and clean her up. The first thing on my list was to softly brush and sand. Then a good spraying of Rust lock so those dirty old rusty 's never come to her again. I pondered for a couple of days on what color I would spray her and I finally choose white. So a good spraying she got!  Then I wanted to accent her a bit so I chose some blue and I just let the paintbrush lead the way.

It is just the cutest even when she was wearing rust, kind of like a small child playing in mud I guess! It is the perfect place to sit in the garden with your morning coffee and your daily news paper.

Paper or plastic? Always take the paper to create lots of free projects such as this Fall garland!

Hi everyone !I have heard that it is Autumn here in blog land so I have to get my Fall game on. Does your local grocery ask if you want paper or plastic? Many do not except one of our local grocers which is Publix. I always say paper, the projects are endless and brown bag paper has a certain vintage quality. To make this paper bag garland I just used some twine and I cut about 25 small circles folded each in half twice and hot glued them to form a little flower and added a button in the center.  I cut out six huge leaves but left them joined at the top. I freehanded the lettering and added some cute red bows. I crinkled the leaves to give them "life". I have them cascading across a vintage cabinet in my dining room.

 

I have pulled out the Family "String Bean" table and gave her the makeover she deserves!

Hello friends! It's Monday and back to business as usual, Monday is always a rush rush day for me. You know the heavy cleaning, changing bed sheets etc. , etc. I managed to get this make over completed. I inherited this very old "string bean table" , that is the name my dear late mom called it. From what she said this table was used to clean the tips of garden grown string beans by the farmers wife. The tired table is overworked but still sturdy. I had it in my sons room with a cloth on it for him to build his military models on. I know ....shame on me, but it was just the right size. When he was sleeping I tiptoed in and pulled a table napping. Don't worry I replaced it with something that will work for him. This table even has square topped nails in it.  I happened to hit the oops counter at our local Home Depot and scored some great quarts of Martha Stewart Paints so I put them to good use.

 

I used a deep gold color , the thing about oops paint is you have to give them a name so I'll call it Happy Moon it reminds me of the golden color of the midnight moon. I also used jet Black and two different stencils.

This table replaced my Bakers rack. It will be a great desert/coffee station.

I have a favorite sign that I purchased in Fort Myers at a cute little shop and it is a perfect match almost the same exact colors of gold and black.

 

 

I couldn't resist using my bird/branch stencil. The Hot Coffee pot was an old steel pot that I painted. Now to rustle up some desert to serve up on the new "Old " table. As always thank you so much for stopping by Sweet Tea N' Salty Air!

 

A cute Autumn wreath for no money at all! Everything is from the earth except paint

Hi all, happy Friday to you! Finally got the dried out Mexican Petunia wreath decorated, thought that I would somehow incorporate pinecones in the mix. Remember the wreath went from...

To this after it was completely dried out....

And now to this after it was slightly white washed and decorated.....

 

I decided to make the flowers out of Pine cones, wow what a job trying to cut them in slices. First I tried a good sharp kitchen knife...no way. Then I tried this-

And voilà, finally the electric meat slicer worked but be careful trying this at home you could burn it out quickly, I love the pine cone flowers so much that when I venture out Saturday I will buy the proper tool to cut them efficiently. I will have to let you know when I find out. So with all the stuff I needed to do this wreath was actually in my own backyard so to speak...free of charge.

 

One of the sweetest kids ever Shayla wanted to make a little something for her mom so she painted the flowers . What a great way to welcome Autumn with a wreath. Once I get the cutting of the pinecones down I will definitely be making some more of these very pretty pinecone flowers. As always thank you so very much for visiting Sweet Tea N' Salty Air!

My family thinks outside weed wacking but......I have a little craft I do out there on the side!

Hi everyone so glad you stopped by Sweet Tea N' Salty Air. Lets go on outside I want to show you some stuff around my yard and a cool craft that's completely free. Shhh lets move it while the movins good. I am actually weed waking but not the whole 2 hours my family thinks it takes me. If you recall I introduced you to the Mexican Petunia that I had cut and brought in on my mantle display.

They spread like wildfire but that's a good thing because I have made this terrific discovery...seeing that the plant is stemmy somewhat like a grapevine. So when I began plucking them back I took some stems and began to create a wreath such as a grapevine you just start with a round shape whatever size you desire and keep weaving in and out around and round. So before introducing this to the world I did a trial test to see if they dry such as the grape vine do. Take a look just after I put them together.

 

 

 

The leaves will dry out and fall off. But all and all it is the same look as a grape vine wreath maybe even better. This is what it looks like when al the leaves have fallen off and it drys.

So with a little tucking and shaping I have a fall wreath to decorate. My neighbor sees the Mexican Petunia as a nescience but I see it as upcoming craft project. So when my family sees me coming in all sweaty from making wreaths weed wacking you all know what I'm up to. Let me show you some other goodies but watch carefully for snakes they creep up on you quick. My daughter and I had to shoot a poisonous one a while back it was wrangling the cat and was very aggressive so we had to, normally we would not harm any of the wildlife we have. We have had our cat for 12 years so it was either him or the cat and we love our little "Pumpkin", did you guess he is orange? Ok this is Aloe Vera, I grow this for a few reasons:

We often have guests from up north that sit in the sun too long and end up with a terrible sun burn so I take a piece of my Aloe and slit it to get the gel substance out and they can put it on the burnt skin and it will automatically become soothed. I also make soap and incorporate Aloe in my soap. I have many things that just pop up in the gardens such as this very pretty plant

When I went to check on some other stuff I came across this, I don't know what it is but I never planted it. We have so many birds around so that is how these odd plants come about. Such as this tree that appeared in the front walkway.

I was going to pull it up but I noticed these tiny pink flowers on it so I left it ,don't know what it is but it looks like an oriental tree and lends a little privacy to the patio sitting area. So I guess Ill keep it for a while. Her are some other things around such as limes, they are my neighbors but he wouldn't mind if we picked a few. And the lovely Hibiscus.

I do grow some pineapples but they take allot of time to mature. And also my little garden buddy who rests on a piece of citrus wood he is so darn cute! Southwest Florida lends allot of greenery some I plant others that just pop up. Some that grow too much such as this tree would you believe it started out in a dish garden, we had a mini tornado come through 2 years ago and it pulled this out of the ground so we re planted it and it grew crazy. 

Thank you for touring the grounds here at Sweet Tea N' Salty Air, it has been fun!

Before you kick your dining table to the curb such as I was try some paint!

Hope everyone is doing well, I will be so happy to say good bye to this steamy humid summer weather. I look forward to pumpkins corn stalks and fall décor. I am so glad that after reading some other amazing blogs that I might be quite ordinary as a DIYer and Excessive redecorator as well as a paintaholic because in blog land this is the normal life. So very cool, of course people that are my friends in the real world do not understand why the heke I pick up junk, paint everything I get my hands on and rearrange my house weekly. Getting back to the painting part....hope they never come up with a paintaholic class, they will bring me there with the quickness I painted my dining set a orangey color maybe because it was autumn at the time but I grew to hate it, see....

So I thought it was time to get rid of the set but actually I really liked the style and the size is perfect to fit 8-10 easily and my 2 big brown wicker chairs fit graciously at the ends, so painting came to mind. I checked out all the paints on the oops counters at Ace Hardware , Lowes and finally at home depot I came upon this light airy color I 'll call it baby bird blue. So I painted the table and waxed her over with a good coat to protect her from water spills etc. The with the chairs I just painted the detailed middle design, what do you think?....For me it's like a breath of fresh air. I am so glad I tried a different color before I kicked my set to the curb, so give your old set some new life with a new potion of paint either mild paint or gritted paint or just a regular smooth finish such as I did.

 

 

 

 

 

A very ugly roadside mirror turns to a beauty & some summer mantle decor!

Hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday, I am going out to the Everglades through all the back roads so I can share the native beauty with you all. You can spy Alligators sunning on water banks ,so many species of birds, along with some exotic plants and if we are lucky we will see a Bermese Python that is quickly populating the glades. More on all that in the near future. I was trying to find a large round mirror to put on my fireplace but had no luck then when I did a little shopping out in my back shed I found this scalloped mirror that my neighbor was throwing away that I took out of the trash. Someone took care to make this they cut out each piece and put it together with lead. I just simply painted a checked border and highlighted the lead with black paint. Now I love this reborn mirror and it is a perfect fit for the mantle.

The wispy purple flowers are so lively , they are Mexican Petunias and they grow crazy here in the deep south . You can cut them and put them in a vase and new flowers will bloom for a really long period of time. The glass egg dish was my grams and is one of my favorite things. I have not been able to decorate my mantle for a long time due to a TV invasion . Finally we got a ridiculous 72" TV and it won't fit any more so I have my mantle back, yaaaa. Love to decorate it for the holidays and seasons. Please keep in mind that anything you see in my posts are free or bought with very little money. So remember keep your stash don't throw it to the trash. Thank you so much for stopping by Sweet Tea N' Salty Air it's been great having you!