2 New Additions For The Butler’s Pantry & 1 For The Kitchen

One of my favorite rooms in the Dollhouse is the Butler's Pantry. A few weeks back I shared in a post that I was thinking about purchasing a toaster oven since the oven that's here in the Dollhouse kitchen takes absolutely forever to pre-heat. I'm used to my double oven back in Georgia which heats up super fast. I ended up buying the toaster oven (that's also an air fryer)  I mentioned in that previous post … [Read more...]




Adorably-Scary, Figural Halloween Pillows at Budget-Friendly Prices

A few years ago I came across these adorable fuzzy pumpkin pillows in Pottery Barn. Though they were a bit on the pricey side, I couldn't resist collecting one or two.   They came in three sizes/colors and I liked them so much, I ended up collecting the whole bunch. Hard to see but the smallest one is a deep green color.   They seem to end up in a different place in my home … [Read more...]




Porch Decorated for Autumn With Hints Of Halloween

Welcome to the 767th Metamorphosis Monday! I had a bit of fun out on the front porch this weekend.   Having just purchased these black and white striped bench cushions this past summer, this is their first autumn here on the porch.   The cushions are currently on sale in several colors/ patterns here: Bench Cushions and here: Bench Cushions.   Since were only a … [Read more...]




Entering Into the World of James Bond for Halloween This Year, Happy Halloween!

Welcome to the 718th Metamorphosis Monday! Happy Halloween! Did you go to any great Halloween parties this year? Jackie, a lovely BNOTP reader who has become a friend over the years, hosts an amazing Halloween party each year! She always chooses a theme for the party, then completely transforms her home around that theme. You may remember last year's theme which was Star Trek.     If … [Read more...]




A Spooky, Fun Halloween Dinner Party, Plus, Some Clever Ideas for Your Halloween Decor

Welcome to the 735th Tablescape Thursday! Norma, a lovely BNOTP reader whose tables I've shared before, recently had friends over dinner. She created a whimsical table setting with a fun Halloween theme.   Norma always finds the neatest things in her local charity shops in France, so many of the items she used in her decorations were thrifted.   Norma said, "I made the napkins … [Read more...]




Autumn Foliage, Sunshine Puddles & Last Minute Inspiration for Your Halloween Porch

Happy Autumn! It's definitely looking like fall here in Ohio. Our unseasonably warm temps have vanished and we're back to cooler weather now. The trees are so beautiful, they take my breath away!   I love driving down the tree-lined neighborhood streets and soaking in all this glorious autumn color!   Speaking of autumn colors, Hobbes, one of my son's kitties, is dressed for … [Read more...]




Take a Tour of This Beautiful Home Decorated with Lots of Halloween Whimsy!

Welcome to the 717th Metamorphosis Monday! Recently, my friend, Teresa, who lives in the great state of Texas, was invited to tour a beautiful home that was all decked out for Halloween. Teresa asked the lovely homeowner, Ann, if she could take photos of her fun decorations and Ann graciously agreed. Thanks so much to Teresa and Ann for sharing this wonderful tour!   Ohhh, I think I see a … [Read more...]




Decorate Your Home for Autumn with Whimsical Touches of Halloween!

Welcome to the 715th Metamorphosis Monday! Happy New Week! I have a delightful fall decor makeover to share for this week's Met Monday! Jillian is all ready for Halloween and Autumn and the fun starts right here at the front door.   Please note: This area is designated for "Broom Parking Only, Violators Will Be Toad!" Ha!   Eeek! Bats everywhere! Love the cattail … [Read more...]




A Fun Halloween Night!

Welcome to the 666th Metamorphosis Monday! I feel a bit jet-lagged this morning from all the fun and festivities last night. I was working at my computer yesterday afternoon and suddenly realized it was four o'clock and I didn't have the spiders up on the porch columns, didn't have the pillows out on the benches, and hadn't lit the gas lantern. I usually light it for Halloween and let it burn all through … [Read more...]




Do You Ever Get The Feeling You’re Being Watched?

Welcome to the 683rd Tablescape Thursday! Halloween is just a few days away now. Are you all ready for your Trick or Treaters? I have my little treat bags filled and ready so I think I'm all set. I have such a fun Halloween table setting to share for this week's Tablescape Thursday. Jackie has a blast of a Halloween party every year for friends and family. Recently, I shared a few photos of how she … [Read more...]




Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before: A Star Trek Themed Halloween Party!

Welcome to the 665th Metamorphosis Monday! Are you a Star Trek fan? When I was growing up, we didn't have a TV for many years and when we finally got one, it would only get two channels. So I missed out on a lot of the shows I would hear my friends talking about. Sadly, I've never seen an episode of Star Trek, but in doing a bit of online research this morning, I discovered that Star Trek was a science … [Read more...]




Come Into My Parlour, Said the Spider to the Fly

Welcome to the 664th Metamorphosis Monday! Okay, I may have paraphrased that first line of the poem, The Spider and the Fly, just a little. I'm still trying to figure out exactly how to position all these legs! This was a bit of a dress rehearsal for Halloween night.   Getting dark now...   Would you brave these creepy crawlers and trick or treat at this house on Halloween … [Read more...]




In the Mood for a Little Autumn-Halloween Decorating

Welcome to the 662nd Metamorphosis Monday! Still nice and warm here and the trees are all still green, at least in my backyard, but I decided this weekend that it was time to do a little bit of fall decorating. Last year I purchased the white pumpkin in the photo below from HERE. Or, maybe it was the year before, I think it was the year before. Anyway, I loved it so much when it arrived, I ended getting … [Read more...]




Nancy’s Beautiful Porch Addition Helps Keep The Snow at Bay

Welcome to the 631st Metamorphosis Monday, a blog party sharing fabulous Before and Afters! I love it when I open up my e-mail Inbox and find emails like this one I received recently from Nancy, a reader of BNOTP. Nancy wrote: Dear Susan: I hope all is well. I'm one of your fans and blog subscribers. I have owed you this thank you letter for a long time. I moved into my current house 5 years ago in … [Read more...]




Decorate for a Spooky Halloween Dinner Party: Cobwebs, Catacombs and a Model Train Village

Welcome to the 611th Metamorphosis Monday, a blog party sharing fabulous Before and Afters! For this past week's Tablescape Thursday, Jackie welcomed us into her beautiful home. There was a big surprise waiting just inside the front door!   Yikes! Jackie will be having a small Halloween dinner party this year instead of the big Halloween party she normally hosts. I love how she has … [Read more...]




An Autumn Fireplace & A Realistic-Looking Artificial Christmas Tree

My daughter-in-law, Nancy, has the fireplace all decorated for autumn. In the evening the flameless candles glowing in the fireplace are sooo pretty, much cozier and inviting than photos can really show. For many years the chief decoration in front of the fireplace was a baby gate, but with the youngest now 3 years old, the baby gate is no longer needed.   I asked Nancy where she found the … [Read more...]




Easy, Last Minute Outdoor Halloween Decorating Idea, Great for a Halloween Party!

Years ago I came across this awesome "haunted" house while on a tour of historic homes in Atlanta. This home wasn't on the tour, we just walked by it en route to one of the tour homes. I loved it and thought it was one of the most cleverly Halloween decorated homes I had ever seen! Looking more closely at all the components needed to create this look, I thought this really wouldn't be that difficult to … [Read more...]




Inside Marie’s Home for Halloween & What Happened to the Porch Column Dilemma

Thanks so much to everyone who left a comment on yesterday's post. The information you shared and your suggestions were outstanding! Unfortunately, I'm having to start my estimate process all over again. My porch was due to be painted yesterday, but the company that was scheduled to do it blew me off after the project manager came out on Monday and he saw the peeling paint on the columns. He informed me … [Read more...]




A Few of My Favorite Halloween Decorating Ideas & Detailed Tutorials for Creating Them

Happy weekend to you! Are you busy decorating for fall or Halloween? I'm not doing any decorating right now because I'm having the whole house and both porches pressure washed early next week, hopefully on Tuesday if it doesn't rain. After that, the front porch will be getting a fresh coat of paint. So the most I've done so far is hang a wreath on the front door, but I thought it would be fun to share a … [Read more...]




Halloween: Imagine Being 8 Years Old Again & Trick-or-Treating Here!

Oh, to be a child again and get to visit Marie's house at Halloween! Imagine being 8 years old and trick-or-treating here on Halloween night!   If you made it past the fire-breathing dragons...   ...with massive wings beating back and forth to scare you away...   ...would you be brave enough to walk under this guy to collect a treat? :)   Marie's … [Read more...]




A New Autumn Wreath for the Front Door

Summer is still very much with us here in Georgia with temps in the upper 80's and low 90's every day. I love the hot weather so I'm not complaining. Though it's not feeling one bit like fall, I came across a beautiful fall wreath recently that I couldn't pass up. I usually have a hard time finding a wreath I like because often they are just too small. I like a nice big wreath that fills out my … [Read more...]




A Visit to Marie’s on All Hallows’ Eve

I'm working on a little project inside one of the closets in my bedroom, and as usual, I've run into a little snag. It wouldn't be one of my projects without at least one complication popping up involving a need for a mere 1/4 inch. It's always those little quarter inches that get me! lol Looking forward to sharing this little update soon.   In the meantime, let's go visit my friend, Marie! … [Read more...]




Visit Marie’s Victorian Home Decorated and Lit for Halloween

It's almost that time! Do you have your candy ready for all the ghosts and goblins who'll soon be visiting your home? My friend, Marie has decorated her home for Halloween and it's over-the-top awesome! I've featured her home in the past decorated for Halloween and this year she's added a lot of new things to her exterior decorations. If you want to trick or treat here, you must first get past the big, … [Read more...]




Tour the William Root House In Mourning, Oldest Home in the City of Marietta

Recently a friend and I visited the William Root House Museum & Garden. The Root House was almost demolished back in the 1980s because it had fallen into terrible disrepair. Fortunately, some savvy folks realized it was the oldest known home in the city of Marietta and preservation efforts got underway just in time. In 1989, the Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society acquired the home and it was moved … [Read more...]




Decorate Your Porch for the Autumn Season

Welcome to the 402nd Metamorphosis Monday! Linda has a beautiful 3-season porch that I've shared before here at BNOTP. It's so much fun seeing how she decorates it for the seasons and holidays. When we last visited Linda, her porch was all set for summer, decorated in a wonderful navy and white nautical theme. (See that post here: Nautical Decor & Tablescape)   With the arrival of … [Read more...]




Decorate Your Porch for Autumn & Halloween

Welcome to the 401st Metamorphosis Monday! How was your first weekend of October? When the calendar says "October" I guess there's no denying fall is here. Everything is still lush and green here in Georgia but I know that's about to change. Blog Update This weekend I had a big update come across for my blog. After the update had completed, the slider that's normally at the top of the blog was … [Read more...]




Halloween Craft: Mummy Candle Holders

Halloween is almost here and I have a super fun, easy craft to share. I've been itching to make some Mummy Candle Holders for Halloween for a while now. They always make me laugh when I see them in magazines around this time of year.   I didn't have a tutorial to go by, just gathered together the items that I thought I'd need: pint size mason jars from True Value, gauze, glue gun and some … [Read more...]




Decorate a Porch or Sunroom for Autumn

Welcome to the 351st Metamorphosis Monday! Earlier this year in June, I shared Linda's beautiful 3-season porch. You may remember that this space was once a concrete pad with just a pergola overhead. Linda and her hubby transformed it into a porch they now enjoy almost all year-long.   They kept this room and the adjoining living room light and bright by using a clear, acrylic roof … [Read more...]




7 Ways To Decorate Your Home for Autumn & Halloween

How did it get to be October so quickly?! With fall here and Halloween just a few weeks away, how about a little inspiration for your autumn and Halloween decorating. Thanks so much to Town and Country Magazine for sharing my Chinoiserie DIY pumpkin craft in their article titled, "Everyone is Turning Their Pumpkins Into Chinoiserie Pieces of Art." Also, thanks to House Beautiful for sharing that project … [Read more...]




What I’m Loving For Fall & Halloween

We've been having some really wonderful fall-like days here lately. It's hard to believe this is August because it has felt more like October. How has it been where you live?  I've been throwing the doors to the porch open every morning, letting all that cool morning air into the house, then I close them around 10:00 when it starts to warm up a little. With the cool temps, I'm starting to think about … [Read more...]




Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Wool of Bat…

Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog... Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble. Macbeth (Act IV, Scene I) ~William Shakespeare Eeek! It's like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's movie, The Birds! Only, in this case it's The Bats! I've had this image saved on my computer for a year or two. I've always wanted to duplicate the look on my front porch for … [Read more...]




Frightfully Fun Tablescapes For Halloween!

Welcome to the 317th Tablescape Thursday! Ever since I met Marie a couple of years ago, Halloween has taken a huge leap forward in the FUN department. Marie lives life with tremendous joy and I have to tell you, it's contagious! Recently I took you on a tour of the outside of her home all decorated for Halloween. We're going inside this week for Tablescape Thursday and I can't wait to share the tables … [Read more...]




Halloween Fantasy In Lights

Do you have a friend who is a joy to be around...someone who truly loves life and when you're together, you always have a blast? When my friend, Marie and I get together, it's always non-stop fun and laughs. Marie's enthusiasm is contagious and everyone who meets her is better for having known her. Recently, Marie and I got together for one of our play dates which usually involves a little lunch, a bit … [Read more...]




A Spooky Halloween Hutch

Welcome to the 296th Metamorphosis Monday! Did you have a good weekend? I spent mine getting a few things done here around the house. I also played a little out on the porch, changing the hutch from its summertime look to something fun and just a tad spooky!   Postcards From The Porch Before I share the hutch update, I wanted to say a big thank you to all the lovely folks who took time to … [Read more...]




The Witch is In!

Welcome to the 246th Metamorphosis Monday! I last posted about the front porch when it got a good bath and was relieved of all that yucky mildew and dirt it had accumulated during the intense rains we had all summer. Afterwards, I dressed the door with a fall basket. With October almost half over, it was time to change out the basket for something with a bit more of a Halloween … [Read more...]




Beautiful Victorian Home Aglow for Halloween

A couple of weeks ago we visited Marie's beautiful Victorian home to see how she had decorated for Halloween. The porch was festooned with lit garland and fun Halloween bunting. It was great seeing it in the daylight... ...because it gave us a chance to really see all the fun details awaiting guests and trick or treaters. But we wondered, "What does it look like at night?" Several of … [Read more...]




Halloween Decorating and Table Setting Ideas

Welcome to the 264th Tablescape Thursday! I'm sharing lots of Halloween inspiration in today's post starting with this fun display. I encountered this unfortunate fellow just inside my local Pottery Barn store. So what do you think he was reading at the time of his untimely demise? I'm looking forward to your comments! This table setting from Martha Stewart online would work well for Fall or … [Read more...]




Halloween Decorating and Dining

Welcome to the 244th Metamorphosis Monday! Holiday Before and After: Since tomorrow is the 1st day of October, I thought it would be fun to share some older posts filled with lots of Halloween decorating inspiration and ideas. This photo and the next one are from Pottery Barn a few years back. I love this porch!   Doesn't this make you want to paint your door orange just for the … [Read more...]




Decorate Your Porch for Halloween

Welcome to the 243rd Metamorphosis Monday! Thanks so much for sharing so many great "blue" colors for painting a porch ceiling "haint blue" in the comments on the recent haint blue post. I'll try to create a post soon sharing all the ones you named in the comments and on Facebook. That should come in handy for anyone trying to find the right shade of blue for a haint blue porch ceiling. My friend … [Read more...]




Decorate in White for Fall

It's late summer and the temps are still warm here in the south, but in the evenings there's a hint of fall in the air.   Yesterday I shared a new lamp I had just added to the porch. It's painted one of my fave colors, a soft green. I love the color combination of green and white. It feels so fresh and so alive.   I have a hutch here on the porch and it's painted in the same pretty … [Read more...]




A New Lamp for the Office & A Little Halloween Fun

Before I share something fun and lighthearted (a nice distraction on this day) I just wanted to say my heart and prayers go out to all effected by Hurricane Sandy. ♥ A Little Halloween Decorating & A New Lamp for the Office If you've been following the progress of the office, you know I've been hoping to find some new lamps better suited for this space than the polished brass lamps I'm currently … [Read more...]




Make Pumpkin Topiaries for an Autumn Porch

Welcome to the 195th Metamorphosis Monday! Right after I added a front porch onto my home around 4 years ago, I bought some faux topiaries from a local store here in Atlanta.  I would have loved real topiaries on the porch, but I knew I'd never remember to keep them watered and they probably wouldn't survive in the shade of the porch. The faux topiaries turned out to be an expensive mistake.  They … [Read more...]




A Fall Door Arrangement You Can Make in 5 Minutes (or less)

Earlier in the fall I made this arrangement for my front door.  It can be viewed in more detail in this post:  An Autumn Basket for the Front Door   For Halloween, there's some strange things happening on the front porch.  The earlier fall arrangement just wasn't working anymore.  It was a bit too dressy/formal for Halloween.   I decided to create  something a little more casual … [Read more...]




Make a Crow Tree Centerpiece for Halloween

Welcome to the 194th Metamorphosis Monday!  So, tell me!  How was your weekend?  It was really pretty here in Georgia, perfect fall weather.  I've been finishing up some last-minute decorating on my porch...I'll be sharing that soon. A few days ago for Tablescape Thursday, I shared a fun Halloween inspired table setting with a crow tree centerpiece.   For Metamorphosis Monday I'm sharing … [Read more...]




Decorating the Screened Porch for Fall & Halloween

Welcome to the 193rd Metamorphosis Monday! Greetings!  How was your weekend? If you follow BNOTP on Facebook, you know what I was up to this weekend and WOW, am I tired!  It's a good tired, though.  I spent much of the weekend decorating the porches for fall and Halloween. For this Met Monday, I'm sharing some fun changes I made to my favorite "room" in the house, the screened-in porch.  It was … [Read more...]




DIY Frosted Candlelit Lantern for Halloween

  I know Halloween is still a good distance off, but if I share this too close to Halloween, you may not be able to find one of the "ingredients" I used.  So, bear with me if I share some things with you a bit in advance. I've been itching to try my hand at making a frosted lantern with Krylon's Glass Frosting.  Have you ever used it? To make a Halloween lantern, you'll need a few basic … [Read more...]




Front Porch Decorated for Halloween

Wow, what a fun night! I love, love, love Halloween. I have so many wonderful memories from my childhood of trick-or-treating with friends, so Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I decorated the porch pretty simply for Halloween this year. I covered the front door with the "creepy cloth" used as a tablecloth in THIS previous Halloween tablescape.  (You can see the door minus the … [Read more...]




Halloween Table and Mantel…Spooky!

Happy Weekend! Are you making final preparations for all the goblins and ghouls who will soon be knocking on your door? I'll be heading out today to buy candy.  Then I'll be trying hard to not eat it all by Monday!    What's your tactic for not digging into the candy and eating it before Halloween arrives? Some folks purposely buy stuff they don't like, but where's the fun in that? lol My friend, Bonnie, … [Read more...]




Decoupage a Blue and White Pumpkin

  A couple of weeks ago I posted about these wonderful découpaged pumpkins I found in the October issue of Country Living.   That previous post contained a detailed tutorial I created showing how you could découpage a "craft" pumpkin.  You find the full tutorial in this post: Country Living Inspired: Découpage a Pumpkin   You may remember the pattern I chose for my pumpkin … [Read more...]




Découpage a Pumpkin

There is sooo much inspiration to be found in Blogland these days, the cover of a magazine has to REALLY grab me to convince me to buy the magazine.   The October issue of Country Living did just that. I loved the toile covered pumpkin on the cover. I glanced inside and saw there were directions with the "how to."  I couldn't wait to give it a try.   Another pumpkin inside was decorated using … [Read more...]




Decorate Your Pumpkin with Ribbon for Halloween

Welcome to the  142nd Metamorphosis Monday! How was your weekend? I've had a busy one. Saturday, I drove down to Macon, Georgia and attended a class for "extreme couponing" with my sister and niece. I watch so little TV, I didn't even know what extreme couponing was. It was really interesting. If you have a good size family, I can see how the savings could really add up. I'll share some of what I learned … [Read more...]




Halloween Decorating & Party Ideas

I haven't decorated my front porch for Halloween, yet, so I decided to go through some of the pics I have stored on my computer for a little inspiration.  These are definitely some of my faves! We decorate our front doors with garland for Christmas...why not do the same for fall?  I absolutely love this leafy garland!  I so want to make this!  Notice the scary "curtains" on the door.  Those would be easy … [Read more...]




Warming Up on the Porch

Welcome the the 163rd Tablescape Thursday! Cool fall nights are perfect for hot chocolate out on the porch. Where would you like to sit?   How about on the swing?  There's a soft, warm blanket to keep you warm and a great book awaits.   The late afternoon sun is so wonderful streaming in across the porch.     The evening breeze carries the … [Read more...]




Pumpkin Carving Tips and Templates

Do you ever see intricately carved pumpkins and wonder how they did that? Well, it turns out, the trick is using a tool like you see on the left and not like you see on the right... So, where do you get those teeny little saw cutting tools? I found mine many years ago at Williams-Sonoma. I think this kit was around $20, which seemed like a lot at the time...but it was totally worth it. You can … [Read more...]




Decorating for Halloween

Welcome to the 92nd Metamorphosis Monday! Recently, I mentioned on Facebook that I'd love to see your fall and Halloween decor. Three BNOTP readers sent some fun pics showing the metamorphosis of their homes for the season. Pinky shared her front porch all falled up. Love the scarecrow! Beautiful wreath! Perfect for fall! Marian who lives in Lousiana knows just how to … [Read more...]




Decorating for Halloween, Mice on a Staircase

Welcome to the 91st Metamorphosis Monday! I don't know if you've noticed, but there seems to be a mice/rat infestation going on around Blogland.   I bought these a few weeks ago but just had a chance this weekend to open them up and play today. My staircase has gone through an interesting metamorphosis.   With the light in the entry on...   Here's how the … [Read more...]




A Halloween House…Spooky!

Here's something for fun as you continue enjoying all the great posts linked for yesterday's Met Monday. A friend and I went on an historic home tour in Atlanta on Sunday. We came across this house all decked out for Halloween... Let's take a closer look... Hilarious! My favorite part is the boarded up windows! I saw some giant spiders when I was in Pier 1 the other day. Wonder if that's where … [Read more...]




Six Feet Under, Awesome Porches and Bats in the Belfry

Earlier this year, actually around mid-summer, a friend and I had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Atlanta, Six Feet Under. They have the BEST fish tacos and their potato chips are beyond yummy.  I think they make them in-house. You may wonder how this restaurant got it's name. Six Feet Under is located directly across the street from this. Yup, it's a cemetery...but not just … [Read more...]




A Little Decorating for Halloween

Come on in! Welcome...so glad you are here! I've been decorating for Halloween...would you like to see? Stole the plant from the upstairs family room...it balances well with the height of the lamp. Found the scary ghost about 20 years ago in a Hallmark store. I warned you...he is scary! Yikes! When I first took a test pic, I was trying to get a shot with all the lights in the Entry … [Read more...]




Decorating the Porch for Halloween

Welcome to the 39th Metamorphosis Monday! For this Met Monday, I thought I'd share the transformation my front porch goes through each year around Halloween. Normally it looks something like this...   But, then.................... On a dark and shadowy All Hallows Eve, a ghost, a witch, and a goblin cast long, dark shadows as they glide past the open flame of a lit gas lantern. The … [Read more...]