A $45 CSN Store Giveaway….and My Fall Wall

Okay, so I was wondering what the problem was….I had announced my giveaway and little linky party so that I could get a peek at some decorated tables and there was very little participation compared to my last CSN giveaway. Had I made it too hard or confusing? I didn’t think so…Then I talked to one of my married daughters who was on her way to pick up,of all things, a console table that she had found through Craigslist. That brought up my giveaway and I told her she needed to enter. To make a long story short, she thought that this giveaway was for a console table…not a gift code like last time! I told her no, that it was a gift card like last time and then wondered how she got that idea anyway. I hung up the phone and quickly went to my blog…OOPS!…nowhere had I mentioned that my giveaway is for a $45 CSN Stores gift code! :(
I hope this post will make it clear…the giveaway is for a
$45 CSN Stores Gift Code to be used at any of their 200 online stores!
****ETA**** The Giveaway is closed***Winner to be announced Monday, October 11, 2010 To enter, please leave me a simple comment,By Clicking HERE do you decorate, or would you decorate a console table if you had one. For a second entry, link up a picture of your table (I love visuals) or one you would love to have (check out some of CSN’s console tables). For a third chance let me know if you are a follower and lastly leave  a 4th comment if you share this giveaway on your blog or Facebook. So you can be entered up to 4 times with 4 separate comments! :-)
Sorry for all the confusion…when I get excited, I forget what I am doing, like forgetting to take “before” pictures when I get started on a project!
Now, on to my “Fall Wall”! I am amazed at how my tastes have changed since I started blogging! There was a time I thought that I would never have a topiary in my house….but then, I fell in love with this one, and had to make one of my own! Next, I started seeing empty picture frames hanging on walls or standing on shelves, and I thought “what a waste of space”. I should have known better! Slowly, I was drawn to large empty frames at the thrift stores and admiring them hanging on walls or on mantels in blogland until last week I bought one! Then I was inspired by Roeshel’s fabric wreath  and knew what I was going to do!
First, I have a long wall in my “dining area”. We are living in our basement and our living and dining areas are one large “room”. There has been a quilt rack (with one of those awful heart cut-outs in it) hanging there for the whole 10 years we’ve been living here. I’ve been out of love or even like with it for years, but it never occurred to me that I could take it down! Silly huh?
I realized that wall was the perfect place to hang a framed fabric wreath. The  quilt rack came down quickly and easily and I had a fresh space to work with.
I sanded my .75 frame and gave it several coats of ORB.

While it was drying I got started on making a wreath like Roeshel’s

over at The DIY Showoff. Click on the picture above to go to her excellent tutorial! There are a few differences in how are wreaths came together. First, I started using the Gorilla Glue and then changed my mind…that was gonna be a lot of time and glue if I glued each one of those little fabric pieces, so I skipped that step. It is holding together well. Secondly, I had to use 2 yards of fabric to cover my wreath. I don’t know if Roeshel’s fabric was wider (mine is 36”)or if she used less, but her wreath called for one yard. She also found fabric that “looked good on both sides”. If I do this again, I will look for that type of fabric. I was going for the look of fall leaves on the wreath, so I think it is okay, but you do see a lot of the backside of the fabric. I tried putting it in the wreath with both sides in and it didn’t really seem to make a difference. 

I didn’t stop to take a bunch of pictures as I went along, so let’s just “skip to the end” (has anyone else watched The Princess Bride enough times to quote most of it? LOL) Here is my Fall fabric wreath hanging in my “empty” picture frame.


I moved my twig candle holders to either side of the frame and gave the candles a fall makeover by tying leaves around them with twine.


I’m tickled with my Fall Wall and so glad that quilt rack is finally gone! I have some more fall projects happening too. I’m a little late to catch most of the Fall Festival linkys, but I will be showing this at the weekly parties listed in my sidebar as well as any special events still going on and listed below. Check some of them out for some other fall inspiration!
I found a few Fall themed parties still going on, like the Fall Get-together at It's a Blog Party!
Maryann at Domestically Speaking is having a wreath party! Come check it out!



 
I'm also sharing this at Today's Creative Blog Get Your Craft On!

And I found a new (well, new to me, Tuesday Party)