I know September is brand new, but allow me to introduce you to Miss October.

She couldn’t wait in the wings any longer.

Here is the October floral design from my book – My Soulful Home ~ a year in flowers.

Miss October & I were so flattered that the very talented Kim of Savvy Southern Style created her own Miss October from the book.  Click HERE for Kim’s review & more photos of her Miss October.

Kim did a fabulous job! She used the tutorial as a spring board for her own design based on flowers she had available.

Love it Kim!

October is a favorite month of mine.  My husband & mom are both born in October and our wedding anniversary is October 3rd.

It is a special month in my heart.  I like to enhance the feel of October with flowers, crafts, decor & recipes of the season.

Fall florals, crafts, decor and recipes

Here is a few of things I do around my house in October:

I craft, display & stack all things pumpkin.  My favorite  pumpkin craft is this darling re-purpose from scrubber pads.

Click HERE to get the easy tutorial.

Having friends over for a casual supper of soup, a hearty salad and crusty bread is a simple way to celebrate the season.  Try making the table special with my cinnamon stick place cards.

Visit HERE for the quick steps to create these for your table.

Scenting your house with orange peel, cinnamon sticks & cloves simmering on the stove goes a long way to evoking October.

Click HERE for my October simmer recipe.

No fall is complete without an apple pie, so I bake a few this month each year.  Sometimes I make them in ramekins.  Just the right single serving size.  

I like to include rosemary from the garden for depth of flavor.  Click for my Apple Pie with Rosemary Recipe.

There are so many lovely ways to decorate for fall.  

Using natural elements if my favorite way to accent the season in my house.  Yvonne & Anita do the same and more.  We share loads of tips for fall decorating here in episode #93 of Decorating Tips & Tricks ~ the podcast.

Simply click the arrow to LISTEN!

Glad you met Miss October today ~ both of them!

Hey, I was thinking of an idea and wanted to bounce it off you.  

I was thinking of maybe having some note cards made up of the florals in my book.  Do you think you might be interested in a set of those?  Could be a nice little holiday gift.  Let me know what you think of that idea.  Be honest!

** Kelly **

The post Fall Flowers, crafts, decor & recipes appeared first on My Soulful Home.

What an honor I recently received!

An invitation to contribute to P. Allen Smith’s e-Magazine “Naturally“.

Naturally, I was thrilled.

Come on in and I’ll tell you the rest…

Of course I said yes immediately – then thought...YIKES this wreath needs to be fabulous!!!

To me feathers & fabulous not only start with the same letter, they are inextricably linked.  I mean really, when are feathers not fabulous? Think Peacock…

So with feathers on my mind and the instructions to make the wreath “simple and natural”.  

Simple – natural and fabulous ~ definitely feathers!

So I set out and found some feathers HERE…

Then dove into my stash for some of THIS…

Bought two of THESE – two is the key,

…and began to design this “simple, natural” and fabulous wreath.

The feathers became feather flowers & needed a center.  Craspedia or drum stick flower answered the call.  

See where these yellow globes started out by clicking HERE.

You can get the full tutorial and enjoy the rest of P. Allen Smith’s fall issue of Naturally right HERE.

While you are flipping through each stunning page, click SUBSCRIBE so you can get every issue.  I did! 

This issue is chock full of inspiration, recipes, gardening advice, entertaining ideas…and, dare I say, a pretty fabulous wreath!

**  Kelly  **

The post A Simple Fall Wreath ~ an honor and feathers appeared first on My Soulful Home.

Did you see the goose that followed me home from an estate sale?

I have grown quite attached to her so I figured I would make her some gold Easter eggs.

Really any excuse for a touch of farmhouse glam around here!

Truth be told, in all my crafting days I had never blown out eggs. 

I knew I was going to love the decorated eggs therefore wanted to be able to preserve them for years to come.  So I took the extra 15 minutes or so to hollow out & clean a dozen under the gaze of my goose.

It is much easier than I thought to clear out the inside of an egg.  For other newbies I will give the steps below. 

On a side note, deep respect for the egg as a little miracle. 

Seemingly so delicate, but in reality pretty sturdy, for an egg that is!

My goal was to clean out, spray paint & glitter spray a dozen eggs in under an hour and I did it with time to spare.  So don’t think you don’t have time for this little project before Easter.  

The project idea was hatched with the finding of the goose and elevated a bit when I found this pedestal bowl at my local thrift-y. ~ somebody call the pun police please!

I decided on a pop of green moss to pick up the green of the freshly snipped boxwood cuttings I have tucked in little vases & pitchers around the house.  ( Do you know the right way to prune your boxwood?  I can help you HERE. )

I think the gold Easter eggs on the green moss are stunning & oh so spring-y!

Ok, so first thing to do is blow out those egg yolks & whites. 

Let’s get to it!

Fast and Fabulous Gold Easter Eggs

Supplies:

• one dozen eggs
• a sharp pointed skewer or some other pointed sharp tool
• a long straight pin
• egg cup or tiny bowl
• bowl filled with clean sudsy water
• a colander
• metallic gold spray paint, glitter spray paint
• moss
• a bowl or lipped platter to display the eggs 

affiliate links  for supplies

Steps:

• place an egg in the egg cup, small bowl or simply your hand

• using the skewer or tool make a hole at one end 

• enlarge the first hole by twirling the sharp tip around a bit

• make a hole at the other end, but do not enlarge

• stick the long pin in the holes & swirl around to break up the egg

• clean off the egg around the holes

• blow through the smaller hole 

• the contents of the egg with come out the other end

• swirl with the pin as needed

• wash the egg off under running water

• blow the water & remaining egg out

• place the hollow egg in the sudsy water

• same steps second egg

• move the first egg to the colander 

• once all the eggs are hollowed out blow each out one more time & give another rinse 

• leave in the sun to dry for a bit and/or hand dry each

• put all the eggs back in their carton and spray exposed parts with gold foil metallic paint, let dry

• turn eggs over & spray the other side

• decide how many eggs you want glittered & spray over the metallic – let dry

• position your eggs on the moss

Fast & fabulous, don’t you agree?

A few tips I figured out as I went along today:

When you are finding your sharp tool, think bird beak. Sharp, pointed & thin.  If you think it could break open from the inside it can make the holes you need on the outside.

After spraying the eggs the first time, turn them over and wipe dry any residual water that has leaked out with a paper towel.  Let air dry for a few minutes before the second shot of spray paint.

Spray paint the egg carton as well so you have a pretty gold carton to store your eggs in until next year.

The glitter spray paint goes on thicker than usual spray paint, is forceful out of the can & takes longer to dry.  Have your eggs in a secure spot & start the line of spray before pointing the can at the egg.  Spray several light coats to avoid drips

If you are using a bowl you can supplement the moss with easter grass or crumpled up paper towel in a sandwich size plastic bag.  Then top with a generous amount of moss.  Saves on moss you can use for another project.

I hope you have a wonderful Easter and/or Passover & if you are lucky enough to get one, a terrific spring break!

Here is another of my takes on Easter eggs – neutral with yarn.

Remember my two special give aways end tonight at midnight PST.  My floral creative challenge give away HERE and my Steele Canvas $175 give away HERE.

As there is still time to create these gold Easter eggs there is still plenty of time to enter both give aways!

Good luck!

** Kelly **

Click to get your supplies here:

Metallic foil spray paint

Glitter spray paint

Green moss

These are affiliate links to Amazon as I am an Amazon Associates participant.  Purchasing thru these links adds no cost to you. 

The post Fast & Fabulous Gold Easter Eggs appeared first on My Soulful Home.

Spring & Summer bring many events for which a flower crown is appropriate. So today I will teach you how to make a flower crown!

(read on to see who won the Steele Canvas give away!)

Graduations, christenings, weddings, little girl birthday parties, garden parties – grocery shopping on a Tuesday, hey, why not?  

I made my first flower crown when my older daughter graduated from middle school.  It is the tradition for the girls to wear white dresses & flower crowns for the ceremony.  

Last spring, my younger daughter graduated from the same school.  Of course we would make her crown too!  … And one for her best friend.  My mom was here to help ~ we had a wonderful afternoon designing with bunches of beautiful blooms. 

I taught them how to make a flower crown just like I am teaching you today.  They thought it was easier than they imagined it would be.

Even if you aren’t in need of a flower crown to wear, these easy to make rings of flowers can grace the back of a chair, be used as a small wreath, to encircle a trio of candles and more. 

Let’s get learning how to make a flower crown.  And I urge you… don’t discount the boost you’ll get from simply sporting one around town

How to Make a Flower Crown

Firstly, choose 3 -5 types of small blossomed, sturdy, long lasting flowers, such as:

• spray carnations
• alstroemeria aka Peruvian lilies
• statice
• tea roses

You can choose to create a flower crown with one type of flower, but I think the mixture of dainty blooms is prettier and gives the crown a loose natural appearance.

Obviously, the flowers will not be in water once attached to the crown, so make sure you hydrate them well for before creating.

To hydrate the flowers give the stems the appropriate fresh cut, place immediately in a bucket of water that has been treated with flower preservative.  Then put the bucket in a cool dark place for several hours. 

For more information on how to care for cut flowers check out my book, My Soulful Home ~ a year in flowers HERE.

What you need to make a flower crown:

• 3 – 5 types of flowers as described above
• thin gauge wire
• wire cutters

What you need to do to make a flower crown:

• Double the wire and fit to the wearer’s head, leaving one inch on either end for twisting close – this forms the framework of the crown.

• Cut another piece of wire one and one half as long as the framework of the crown.

• Twist the single long wire round an end of the framework one inch from the end.

• Plan the design of your flowers before cutting so you can move quickly to attach the flowers.

• Cut the flower stems to about two inches keeping them in shallow water.

• Lay the flowers on the framework one at a time heading in one direction and over lapping the stem of the flower put on right before.

• Wrap the single wire around each stem securing it to the framework – two wraps should do it – then layer on the next flower, wrap it and continue until you have gotten to the opposite end.

• Once at the opposite, end twist the single wire to the framework as you did at the start making sure the wire lies flat.

• Twist the two 1 inch ends together to form a circle and put on your flower crown!

Making a flower crown is easy, fun & very special. 

I hope you have an occasion to make one, or better yet, wear one!  I am sure you’ll need to go to the grocery store this week

And the winner is…

I know you all wanted to win, but please do join me in … congratulating our Steele Canvas Give Away winner, Penny C.! 

Sorry everyone couldn’t win, but I can offer you 10% DISCOUNT off your purchase at Steele Canvas when you use the code SOULFUL at checkout.  This offer is valid only until Saturday April 14 so head over now! Go to Steele Canvas HERE.

And there is more… For my fellow Bona floor care product users – I have $5.00 off when you visit BonaFide Fanatics HERE.

** Kelly **

This post contains affiliate links: MSH is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn small fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  This program does not increase the cost of any item to you.

The post How to Make a Flower Crown appeared first on My Soulful Home.

I love to make homemade gifts for the special people on my list.

My friend Stephanie at Garden Therapy is helping to make sure those DIY gifts are fabulous, all natural and easy to create.

Stephanie’s new book Home Apothecary is a wonderful guide to whipping up gifts from the heart & treats for yourself.

Read on for a chance to win a copy Home Apothecary

My daughter Lara and I are really enjoying making our way through all of the projects in the book.

Each one has easy to understand directions, clear supply lists, beautiful photos as well as packaging ideas.

The first project we made from Home Apothecary was the Lavender & Cocoa Butter Bath Melts.

These melts are luscious in feel, scent & oh so, wonderful in the bath ( we had a try a few before giving them away! )

Lavender essential oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter – oh I feel my skin hydrating just typing those words.

You will want to try these for sure! 

Pick up Stephanie’s book HERE for the easy to follow instructions.  So you are prepared when the book arrives these are a few items you may want to have on hand.  Just click the words to go to the item.

• Silicon molds
• double boiler
• dried lavender
• lavender essential oil 
• small boxes/packaging

If you’d like more information about the lavender oil and the oils I choose to use click HERE.

This Sunday Lara and I are making floral bath bombs, honey dandelion lip scrub and calendula lotion bars.  Can’t wait!

Stephanie’s book has not only given us wonderful gift ideas, but the gift of time together in the making of each project.

That is the best gift of all ~ thank you Stephanie!

If you’d like to win a copy of Home Apothecary simply follow Garden Therapy on Instagram & then leave me a comment here with your Instagram name. 

To follow Garden Therapy on Instagram click HERE.

The winner will be chosen by random on December 20th at 12:00 am PST from the entries following Garden Therapy on Instagram and notified via email.

Best of luck!

I hope that each one of you gets to spend special time with the ones you love this season.

xx Kelly xx

The post DIY Gift Ideas & a Give Away appeared first on My Soulful Home.

No one group of people deserves to be treated better than Mothers.

We, who specialize in doing for others all year long, get a day to be pampered.  (maybe we need a union – lobby for a long weekend at least! )

This year we have a day.  So let’s get it right!  In case your others need little help in knowing what to do for you, I am sharing…

Six Perfect Mother’s Day Ideas

Leave this post pulled up on your computer screen, forward it anonymously … or use the inspiration, tutorials & recipes to treat your mom or anyone who is like a mom to you…oh gosh, even treat yourself !

Mother’s Day is a holiday so why not celebrate with a sweet treat first.  Cheese danish anyone?

These cheese danish from Susan at Love of Home are easy to make, beautiful and delicious! Perfect for brunch ~ the quintessential Mother’s Day meal.

Anita from Cedar Hill shares her beautiful tablescape. Fit for brunch with the queen of the castle – YOU! 

Check out this sweet mason jar gift idea for Mom from MaryBeth at Cupcakes & Crinoline.

This is the perfect gift for any Mom who loves gardening!

Everything tucks neatly into mason jars. 

My Frittata is the perfect meal three times over. Breakfast, lunch or dinner and especially perfect made-a-head for a holiday brunch – a 4th meal!

This one, made with sweet potatoes, arugula & goat cheese, is very light, yummy and easy to make.

Perfect for a Mother’s Day meal – especially if you are not only the star of the day, but the cook!

Make it ahead & put your feet up on Mother’s Day. Get the simple recipe for my sweet potato arugula frittata.

How about the gift of beautiful glowing skin?  Truly a gift that keeps on giving.

This moisturizing DIY Coconut Lime  & Mint Sugar Scrub from Heather at Settings for Four not only exfoliates like a dream, but it’s like a tropical vacation in a jar – with scents of coconut, mint and lime!  Two gifts in one ~ a scrub & a virtual trip!

The scrub is super quick and easy to make. Add it to a mason jar, tie on some ribbon, add a DIY gift tag ~ perfect! 

Breakfast in bed sounds dreamy especially when served these super easy, healthy and delicious banana oatmeal pancakes!

Lilacs and Longhorns shares a recipe that has become a family favorite!

I have one more…so make it 7.  Another gift in a Mason Jar – my Mother’s Day Embellished Tea Bags.

These are also terrific as hostess or teacher gifts.  The kids can help make the tags & put them together.  

Any special wishes for Mother’s Day?

** Kelly **

The post Treat your Mamma Right – Mother’s Day Ideas appeared first on My Soulful Home.

The season of holidays, festivities, parties, open houses and gatherings of all sorts is quickly approaching. 

We want you to be ready & fast, so here is another edition of 10 Minute Decorating!

I want you to be ready to head out to all those parties.

Ready to whip up a hostess gift in 10 minutes or less.

Ready to spend time getting ready, rather than running around looking for wrapping supplies.

Ready when someone calls & says “pop over for dinner tonight” ~ ” no don’t bring anything”  

Well, you have to bring something! 

Did you ever hear that Irish saying?  Never arrive at someone’s door with both arms as long as each other.  

Get it – you should be holding a hostess gift! 

So be ready – be ready with my quick hostess wine gift bag.

I call it Pant Legs to Wine Bags – you might call it brilliant ~ not kidding some people actually have!  That is a bit much for a craft, but I’ll take it!

So simple to make.  All you need is an out grown or thrifted pair of jeans – skinnies are best – and the embellishment of your choice.

Cut, sew a bottom seam, slip in the wine or olive oil or special vinegar and tie on the pretties.

From cutting to tying 10 minutes.  Then just assemble when you are ready to party!

Hostess Gift: Pant Leg to Wine Bag Tutorial

The simple instructions are here: Pant Leg to Wine Bag Tutorial.  

This is a set I made for Christmas parties.

Make up a batch of 6 or 8 bags & have a ziplock with the embellishments stashed with them – so you’ll be ready in 10 minutes or less.  

Use the extra time to get dressed, or more likely get the kids feed, dog let out, dishwasher unloaded….

But at least the gift takes care of itself ~ almost.

Hope you enjoyed this installment of 10 Minute Decorating.  Visit my partners in speed below!

** Kelly **

ROOMS FOR RENT

REFRESH RESTYLE

IN MY OWN STYLE

SETTING FOR FOUR

CLEAN AND SCENTSIBLE

STONEGABLE

KELLY ELKO

MAKING IT IN THE MOUNTAINS

  LOVE OF HOME

UNCOMMON SLICE OF SUBURBIA

MY SOULFUL HOME

The post Quick Hostess Gift – Ten Minute Decorating appeared first on My Soulful Home.

When I make things I very often think of you.

Would they like this, how can I explain how it make it, maybe I should make a few & give some away.

These thoughts ran thru my head as I created sets of my fabric pumpkins.

I love making these.  From gathering the perfect stick stems on walks with Emmett.  To rummaging through my stash to find just the right fabric & embellishments to make them special.

If you want the tutorial to make your own pop over to my Fabric Pumpkin Tutorial.

If you’d like to win this trio read on a bit to enter.

Fabric Pumpkin Give Away

The world has no shortage of fabric pumpkins in all textures, but none in the world are exactly like mine.

The suede tassels are fringe vest from one of girls’ Halloween costume.

Strips of plaid fabric from an estate sale remnant.

Yarn flowers left over from a Girl Scout craft.

The quilted fabric of the medium pumpkin from a little girl’s skirt.

All in I made 9 of these pumpkins – 3 sets.

One set I gave away, one I kept and one I am giving to one to you.

To enter simply follow me on Instagram or let me know that you already do.  

Leave a comment here with your IG name. Then I know you entered and I can visit you there.

Good luck!

** Kelly **

winner chosen at random & notified on 10/27 thru Instagram. 

The post Trio of Fabric Pumpkins – for you – a give away appeared first on My Soulful Home.

Spring is fleeting in Southern California.

Really fleeting…

I think spring came and went from about 8:30 am to 11:45 am yesterday.

Then it was super hot and I was moving the umbrellas on the patio to shade my potted hydrangeas.

With this kinda of springtime, I have to move fast.

Fast like the Easter bunny looking for cover!

So I keep it simple.

**  read on for a beautiful Springtime giveaway **

Today I am sharing three fast, simple, yet lovely ways to decorate for Easter – our springtime holiday.

Not only am I sharing, but three of my dear & talented friends are too and we have a wonderful prize for one of you!

Simple Fast & Lovely Easter Decor Ideas

Let your eggs go au’ natural in browns & whites.

Mix them in with skeins of yarn for a simple twist on an Easter basket.

For more on this simple combination of eggs & yarn visit HERE.

Forcing branches is a wonderful way to bring the Spring indoors.  

But what if you don’t have budding branches outside your door?

Follow my super simple tutorial ( Got glue? Then you can do this. ) and you will have flowering branches every year.

( tip: I store mine in one of those wrapping paper plastic bins )

Click HERE for my tutorial on faux flowering branches.  That sounds like I am forcing you.  No pressure just pop over if you’d like!

The idea for a carrot arrangement came to me when I had no flowers for a impromptu Spring weekend lunch.

Sometimes great ideas spring forth from less then ideal circumstances.

I had a six pack of lettuce ( gardeners know I am not talking about a new veggie beer ) on hand to plant in my garden.  And I had felt in my stash and some carrots in the fridge…

Sooo, those things turned into a carrot centerpiece in about 15 minutes.  You can skip the felt tops and get it done in 5 minutes. Simple, fast and in this case, lovely and whimsical !  Get the tutorial HERE.

My friends have wonderful Springtime and Easter ideas for you too.  

Make sure to visit everyone today through Wednesday. Their posts are all linked below so you can easily click through.

Scroll down to enter to win the beautiful April Cornell hostess set.  

Again so simple & easy to enter.  Visit April Cornell HERE. Then come back and tell me your favorite pattern. Done – entered!

The winner will be selected at random at the end of the week and notified by email.  Good Luck & enjoy the rest of the tour!

Oh, one more thing…if you’d like to listen to more ideas on adding Spring to your home click the little arrow below to listen to episode # of Decorating Tips & Tricks, my new Podcast.  For those who have heard this episode a new one came out this morning!

** Kelly **

Monday

Celebrating Everyday Life

Cupcakes and Crinoline

My Soulful Home

She Holds Dearly

Shabby Art Boutique

Tuesday

Redhead Can Decorate

Garden Therapy

On Sutton Place

Debbiedoos

Wednesday

StoneGable

Housepitality Designs

FrenchGardenHouse

Duke Manor Farm

Love of Home

The post Easter Inspiration from bHome appeared first on My Soulful Home.

It is a great idea to have some handmade gifts on hand this time of year.

I have 4 to share today that are inexpensive, easy & fun to create and are sure to please the recipient.

Mother’s Day present, teacher or hostess gift ~ all 4 are perfect.  Make a few extra to have on hand throughout the summer.

Each of the 5 are less costly & more personal than the $40 candle or last minute bottle of wine. Not that I would ever turn you away with a bottle of wine in your hand.

Come on, let’s get our crafty on together today & whip up some gifts!

One of my all time favorite gifts to give the lovely ladies in my life are my Lavender Bath Salts.  It is a repurpose project, super simple & really pretty.  Get the tutorial HERE.

It truly is the “little things”.  My Embellished Tea Bags in Mason Jar are tiny presents your favorite tea lovers can enjoy for days & days, each time they brew up a cup.

I made these for Mother’s Day, but you can create yours for any occasion, person or event. Would be darling as a favor for a tea, luncheon or shower.  Get the tutorial HERE

Specialty foods are always a wonderful gift, especially when homemade.  

This recipe for Roasted Cashews in a Mason Jar is simple to make and addictive.  Such a yummy flavorful teacher or hostess gift, you’ll want to make extra! Get the recipe HERE.

For the person who has everything and loves their dog, why not spoil their furry bff with my Dog Biscuits & Bandana Gift.

This gift can also suit any occasion or time of year.  For example, make the bandana red, white & blue for the hostess of a Memorial Day BBQ.  

There are so many cute fabrics available you’ll have fun finding the perfect pattern for the pooch you have in mind.

It is very satisfying to create something with your own hands and sharing it makes it even better.  

Take some time this summer to get creative.  Get lost in the process, enjoy ~ then share!

** Kelly **

The post Four Easy Handmade Gifts: Mothers, Teachers, Hostesses appeared first on My Soulful Home.

I know September is brand new, but allow me to introduce you to Miss October.

She couldn’t wait in the wings any longer.

Here is the October floral design from my book – My Soulful Home ~ a year in flowers.

Miss October & I were so flattered that the very talented Kim of Savvy Southern Style created her own Miss October from the book.  Click HERE for Kim’s review & more photos of her Miss October.

Kim did a fabulous job! She used the tutorial as a spring board for her own design based on flowers she had available.

Love it Kim!

October is a favorite month of mine.  My husband & mom are both born in October and our wedding anniversary is October 3rd.

It is a special month in my heart.  I like to enhance the feel of October with flowers, crafts, decor & recipes of the season.

Fall florals, crafts, decor and recipes

Here is a few of things I do around my house in October:

I craft, display & stack all things pumpkin.  My favorite  pumpkin craft is this darling re-purpose from scrubber pads.

Click HERE to get the easy tutorial.

Having friends over for a casual supper of soup, a hearty salad and crusty bread is a simple way to celebrate the season.  Try making the table special with my cinnamon stick place cards.

Visit HERE for the quick steps to create these for your table.

Scenting your house with orange peel, cinnamon sticks & cloves simmering on the stove goes a long way to evoking October.

Click HERE for my October simmer recipe.

No fall is complete without an apple pie, so I bake a few this month each year.  Sometimes I make them in ramekins.  Just the right single serving size.  

I like to include rosemary from the garden for depth of flavor.  Click for my Apple Pie with Rosemary Recipe.

There are so many lovely ways to decorate for fall.  

Using natural elements if my favorite way to accent the season in my house.  Yvonne & Anita do the same and more.  We share loads of tips for fall decorating here in episode #93 of Decorating Tips & Tricks ~ the podcast.

Simply click the arrow to LISTEN!

Glad you met Miss October today ~ both of them!

Hey, I was thinking of an idea and wanted to bounce it off you.  

I was thinking of maybe having some note cards made up of the florals in my book.  Do you think you might be interested in a set of those?  Could be a nice little holiday gift.  Let me know what you think of that idea.  Be honest!

** Kelly **

The post Fall Flowers, crafts, decor & recipes appeared first on My Soulful Home.

What an honor I recently received!

An invitation to contribute to P. Allen Smith’s e-Magazine “Naturally“.

Naturally, I was thrilled.

Come on in and I’ll tell you the rest…

Of course I said yes immediately – then thought...YIKES this wreath needs to be fabulous!!!

To me feathers & fabulous not only start with the same letter, they are inextricably linked.  I mean really, when are feathers not fabulous? Think Peacock…

So with feathers on my mind and the instructions to make the wreath “simple and natural”.  

Simple – natural and fabulous ~ definitely feathers!

So I set out and found some feathers HERE…

Then dove into my stash for some of THIS…

Bought two of THESE – two is the key,

…and began to design this “simple, natural” and fabulous wreath.

The feathers became feather flowers & needed a center.  Craspedia or drum stick flower answered the call.  

See where these yellow globes started out by clicking HERE.

You can get the full tutorial and enjoy the rest of P. Allen Smith’s fall issue of Naturally right HERE.

While you are flipping through each stunning page, click SUBSCRIBE so you can get every issue.  I did! 

This issue is chock full of inspiration, recipes, gardening advice, entertaining ideas…and, dare I say, a pretty fabulous wreath!

**  Kelly  **

The post A Simple Fall Wreath ~ an honor and feathers appeared first on My Soulful Home.

Did you see the goose that followed me home from an estate sale?

I have grown quite attached to her so I figured I would make her some gold Easter eggs.

Really any excuse for a touch of farmhouse glam around here!

Truth be told, in all my crafting days I had never blown out eggs. 

I knew I was going to love the decorated eggs therefore wanted to be able to preserve them for years to come.  So I took the extra 15 minutes or so to hollow out & clean a dozen under the gaze of my goose.

It is much easier than I thought to clear out the inside of an egg.  For other newbies I will give the steps below. 

On a side note, deep respect for the egg as a little miracle. 

Seemingly so delicate, but in reality pretty sturdy, for an egg that is!

My goal was to clean out, spray paint & glitter spray a dozen eggs in under an hour and I did it with time to spare.  So don’t think you don’t have time for this little project before Easter.  

The project idea was hatched with the finding of the goose and elevated a bit when I found this pedestal bowl at my local thrift-y. ~ somebody call the pun police please!

I decided on a pop of green moss to pick up the green of the freshly snipped boxwood cuttings I have tucked in little vases & pitchers around the house.  ( Do you know the right way to prune your boxwood?  I can help you HERE. )

I think the gold Easter eggs on the green moss are stunning & oh so spring-y!

Ok, so first thing to do is blow out those egg yolks & whites. 

Let’s get to it!

Fast and Fabulous Gold Easter Eggs

Supplies:

• one dozen eggs
• a sharp pointed skewer or some other pointed sharp tool
• a long straight pin
• egg cup or tiny bowl
• bowl filled with clean sudsy water
• a colander
• metallic gold spray paint, glitter spray paint
• moss
• a bowl or lipped platter to display the eggs 

affiliate links  for supplies

Steps:

• place an egg in the egg cup, small bowl or simply your hand

• using the skewer or tool make a hole at one end 

• enlarge the first hole by twirling the sharp tip around a bit

• make a hole at the other end, but do not enlarge

• stick the long pin in the holes & swirl around to break up the egg

• clean off the egg around the holes

• blow through the smaller hole 

• the contents of the egg with come out the other end

• swirl with the pin as needed

• wash the egg off under running water

• blow the water & remaining egg out

• place the hollow egg in the sudsy water

• same steps second egg

• move the first egg to the colander 

• once all the eggs are hollowed out blow each out one more time & give another rinse 

• leave in the sun to dry for a bit and/or hand dry each

• put all the eggs back in their carton and spray exposed parts with gold foil metallic paint, let dry

• turn eggs over & spray the other side

• decide how many eggs you want glittered & spray over the metallic – let dry

• position your eggs on the moss

Fast & fabulous, don’t you agree?

A few tips I figured out as I went along today:

When you are finding your sharp tool, think bird beak. Sharp, pointed & thin.  If you think it could break open from the inside it can make the holes you need on the outside.

After spraying the eggs the first time, turn them over and wipe dry any residual water that has leaked out with a paper towel.  Let air dry for a few minutes before the second shot of spray paint.

Spray paint the egg carton as well so you have a pretty gold carton to store your eggs in until next year.

The glitter spray paint goes on thicker than usual spray paint, is forceful out of the can & takes longer to dry.  Have your eggs in a secure spot & start the line of spray before pointing the can at the egg.  Spray several light coats to avoid drips

If you are using a bowl you can supplement the moss with easter grass or crumpled up paper towel in a sandwich size plastic bag.  Then top with a generous amount of moss.  Saves on moss you can use for another project.

I hope you have a wonderful Easter and/or Passover & if you are lucky enough to get one, a terrific spring break!

Here is another of my takes on Easter eggs – neutral with yarn.

Remember my two special give aways end tonight at midnight PST.  My floral creative challenge give away HERE and my Steele Canvas $175 give away HERE.

As there is still time to create these gold Easter eggs there is still plenty of time to enter both give aways!

Good luck!

** Kelly **

Click to get your supplies here:

Metallic foil spray paint

Glitter spray paint

Green moss

These are affiliate links to Amazon as I am an Amazon Associates participant.  Purchasing thru these links adds no cost to you. 

The post Fast & Fabulous Gold Easter Eggs appeared first on My Soulful Home.

Spring & Summer bring many events for which a flower crown is appropriate. So today I will teach you how to make a flower crown!

(read on to see who won the Steele Canvas give away!)

Graduations, christenings, weddings, little girl birthday parties, garden parties – grocery shopping on a Tuesday, hey, why not?  

I made my first flower crown when my older daughter graduated from middle school.  It is the tradition for the girls to wear white dresses & flower crowns for the ceremony.  

Last spring, my younger daughter graduated from the same school.  Of course we would make her crown too!  … And one for her best friend.  My mom was here to help ~ we had a wonderful afternoon designing with bunches of beautiful blooms. 

I taught them how to make a flower crown just like I am teaching you today.  They thought it was easier than they imagined it would be.

Even if you aren’t in need of a flower crown to wear, these easy to make rings of flowers can grace the back of a chair, be used as a small wreath, to encircle a trio of candles and more. 

Let’s get learning how to make a flower crown.  And I urge you… don’t discount the boost you’ll get from simply sporting one around town

How to Make a Flower Crown

Firstly, choose 3 -5 types of small blossomed, sturdy, long lasting flowers, such as:

• spray carnations
• alstroemeria aka Peruvian lilies
• statice
• tea roses

You can choose to create a flower crown with one type of flower, but I think the mixture of dainty blooms is prettier and gives the crown a loose natural appearance.

Obviously, the flowers will not be in water once attached to the crown, so make sure you hydrate them well for before creating.

To hydrate the flowers give the stems the appropriate fresh cut, place immediately in a bucket of water that has been treated with flower preservative.  Then put the bucket in a cool dark place for several hours. 

For more information on how to care for cut flowers check out my book, My Soulful Home ~ a year in flowers HERE.

What you need to make a flower crown:

• 3 – 5 types of flowers as described above
• thin gauge wire
• wire cutters

What you need to do to make a flower crown:

• Double the wire and fit to the wearer’s head, leaving one inch on either end for twisting close – this forms the framework of the crown.

• Cut another piece of wire one and one half as long as the framework of the crown.

• Twist the single long wire round an end of the framework one inch from the end.

• Plan the design of your flowers before cutting so you can move quickly to attach the flowers.

• Cut the flower stems to about two inches keeping them in shallow water.

• Lay the flowers on the framework one at a time heading in one direction and over lapping the stem of the flower put on right before.

• Wrap the single wire around each stem securing it to the framework – two wraps should do it – then layer on the next flower, wrap it and continue until you have gotten to the opposite end.

• Once at the opposite, end twist the single wire to the framework as you did at the start making sure the wire lies flat.

• Twist the two 1 inch ends together to form a circle and put on your flower crown!

Making a flower crown is easy, fun & very special. 

I hope you have an occasion to make one, or better yet, wear one!  I am sure you’ll need to go to the grocery store this week

And the winner is…

I know you all wanted to win, but please do join me in … congratulating our Steele Canvas Give Away winner, Penny C.! 

Sorry everyone couldn’t win, but I can offer you 10% DISCOUNT off your purchase at Steele Canvas when you use the code SOULFUL at checkout.  This offer is valid only until Saturday April 14 so head over now! Go to Steele Canvas HERE.

And there is more… For my fellow Bona floor care product users – I have $5.00 off when you visit BonaFide Fanatics HERE.

** Kelly **

This post contains affiliate links: MSH is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn small fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  This program does not increase the cost of any item to you.

The post How to Make a Flower Crown appeared first on My Soulful Home.