First, I've wanted to replace my front door for several years now so I set out on a mission, which was quickly halted by my budget. I could, replace the door and end my transformation there. Or, I could paint the door and have plenty of money left to do other things. I opted for painting! Simple fix, right?! Well, I really wanted a wood front door, but I didn't want it to look "fake" and "cheesy", so I was pretty skeptical about the wood graining tool the lady at Home Depot suggested. I have to admit though, it was easy and it turned out fantastic (and it cost less than $70)! Step one of my fall transformation DONE!
Onto the fun part... DECORATING!! The trend this fall is linen and burlap so I knew I wanted to incorporate some on my porch and the easiest way is pillows. Except going back to that budget thing, I didn't want to spend $80+ on pillows. So I decided that for under $10 and a little imagination I was going to "try" to make some myself. I already had outdoor pillows that I use year round so I bought some burlap from Walmart ($2/yard) and sewed a very simple pillow cover. Seriously, it was so simple you could do it by hand. I then used some black fabric paint and painted some Halloween designs onto the burlap, stuffed my existing pillows into them and put them on the porch... I LOVE THEM!
In fact, they were so easy and I loved them so much that I decided to make a matching banner to hang above them...
All that was left to do now was to add some basic fall items... corn stalks, mums, hay stacks, and pumpkins! I also threw in some lanterns I had and some candles.
So what do you think? I'm quite pleased with how it all turned out, especially on my tight budget. I hope I've inspired you to do some decorating this holiday season.
Happy decorating!!
Beautiful! The pillows look great, and I'm jealous of your lantern collection. I'd love to know how you did the wood grain effect!
ReplyDeleteLeslie... I've acquired my lantern collection over the past couple years and through various sources (mostly on sale or clearance)... Pier 1, Marshall's, Home Goods and even our Salvation Army! I love to mix & match them.
ReplyDeleteAs for the wood grain... I used the Martha Stewart wood graining tool available at Home Depot for about $5.00. I then painted my door with a deep wine color (I wanted a Cherry Wood effect). I let it dry for 24 hours, then I painted over it with a dark walnut mixed with some glaze. I put that coat on thick and used the tool. In the spots that the tool wouldn't fit I just used a dry cheap brush to lightly add strokes which looked like grain. I let the whole thing dry for another 24-36 hours and then I went over the whole door again with the dark walnut color (this time glazed down 50/50) using a dry brush and just lightly covering it until the desired color and effect were reached. You can always youtube it and find some great tutorials. I hope that helps!
GORGEOUS!!!!!
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