acorns a mast.

if you are as blessed (or cursed) as we are when it comes to oak trees, you may have noticed this is a mast year.

mast year = a lot of acorns.

running in the dark over acorns at six in the morning to get the garbage out in time may be the equivalent to running over your children's wood blocks or legos.  the curse of acorns.

but, you know me...i harvest what i'm given.  this is the blessing, free/cheap material for fall decorations.

different oaks produce different acorns.  if dendrology is not your thing, just keep searching on the ground under oaks until you find the ones you like.

or for $15 you can get 54 plastic acorns from pottery barn.

i've collected enough acorns to cover five jelly roll pans.  however, i'm down to one pan.  i had to toss most of them. who would have thought such things as acorn weevils exist. within a day or so after collecting, all the acorns had holes in them with ugly, little larva slithering around.

getting rid of them was easy.  lightly cook them in the oven. really, you should do this if you want to use acorns for any decor.  even if they don't have weevils in them, they are still full of moisture and have the potential for getting green and fuzzy.

spread acorns out on a pan and put in an oven set at 250 degrees for 30 minutes.

if you are using the acorn caps, a glue gun may be handy to have to keep them together.

so, you have your acorns...now what?  here are some ideas i found.

i love wreaths, so naturally i used the acorns to make one for our front door. it can easily be transformed into a Christmas wreath by choosing Christmasy spray paint colors.  

disclosure: this is not my front door, mine is in the process of getting a facelift. much needed facelift.

or filled up a jar with a teal pillar candle.

living in the pine barrens has surely given me ample material to work with.  some more desire than others ie moss over half my lawn.  what have you found in nature that has made it's way into your home as decoration?  i'd love to hear about your finds.  

hope everyone has a safe and relaxing thanksgiving week.  enjoy your family and friends and remember to give thanks each day to the lord for what he has blessed you with.

jill

chalkboard paint magic.

i love. love. love chalk board paint.

i see it all over the craft blogs.  people use it on their fridge. their walls. jars. lamps, pumpkins. coffee tables.

yes, pumpkins.

say goodbye to that hideous almond colored fridge!

love this.  a lot.

cute wedding place "cards".

ahhh.  organization.

crib ends turned into an easel.

i really can't get enough of it.  i may have gone overboard with all the pics, but you gotta agree...these are some great ideas and so fun to look at.

now, if i can get my hubby to agree to paint an entire wall in the kitchen.

back during mother's day, we helped the 217church tots make special chalkboard paint flower pots for all the mommies.  they came out super cute.

you can get the terra cotta pots at any craft shop.  i bought the chalkboard paint, rhinestones, and pink paint at wal-mart...may be a bit cheaper there than at michaels or ac moore.

just use the sponge brush to paint a coat or two with the chalkboard paint.

let it dry completely so you can hold the pot to paint the top lip.  pink would definitely not be my first choice of color, i'm more of a turquoise-kind-of-girl. or you can paint the whole pot black.

once everything is dried, rub chalk all over the chalkboard paint to "cure" the writing surface.  

just from my own, personal experience, i can offer you these two very, very important suggestions...

tip 1:  do not paint over white carpet.

tip 2:  do not let your pre-schooler help. 

just sayin.'

traditional chalkboard colors green or black don't tickle your fancy, but you'd love to have a chalkboard wall in a more desirable color?  good ol' martha has come up with a recipe to make your chalkboard wall dreams come true.

what's your favorite chalkboard use from above?  have you used the paint before?  how did it work out for you?

thanks for stopping by and be sure to stay cool...this heatwave is sick.

jill