I love a great challenge!  Last week Katie and friends announced the second Pinterest Challenge (Fall Edition) and since I missed it the first time around, I decided to hop on board this time.  A few weeks ago I had cozy accents on my mind, specifically sweater pillows.  Pottery Barn has made versions of these in the past and there were a few DIYers who came up with their own interpretations too. I loved Megan’s version from Brassy Apple so I pinned it. (Don’t you love the ability to comment on Pinterest too?  Thanks Julie, you made me laugh!)

I also loved Megan’s button center and floral accents too!  I went down to my local Goodwill and saw at least a dozen sweaters to choose from.

I bought the center one for $3 bucks and brought it home.  Then I pinned this:

And a few days ago I made this! 

The flower is a lapel pin I’ve had for awhile that suits the pillow perfectly. 

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I saw a great project on Pinterest a few weeks ago and I’ve had in on my mind ever since – it was these fabulous dot painted plates and bowls by Ashley Ann at Under the Sycamore.

The idea of dot painted porcelain dishes sat with me for weeks until I decided to play off the same idea and make some accent plates of my own. These versions have a delicate falling leaf design, as an autumn themed appetizer plate or for our Thanksgiving place settings. 

Get all the details on how to dot paint porcelain over at Ashley Ann’s, she has a detailed step by step. Basically, it’s the process of using paint pens designed for porcelain or ceramics to create your design, then baking your finished design in the oven. You can find inexpensive plain white dishes in a lot of places from Walmart to Target to IKEA.

I’m experimenting as Thanksgiving gets closer with some leaf designs formed with a gold paint pen for ceramics.  I used craft foam leaves as a template to form my pattern.

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It’s June, at last!  I love this month so much.  June is when we celebrate graduates and Dads, and when the kids gleefully bust out of the doors of their school with such vigor and excitement for the weeks of fun ahead.  I love how all of a sudden the days of summer seem to run into one another.  When you can’t remember what you did yesterday or the day before unless you really think hard about it.

Other than a few home improvement projects here and there, I plan to spend my summer days at home investing myself in the following activities at a very leisurely pace (images courtesy of my latest source of inspiration, Pinterest).   

This summer I will  . . .

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