Family Chic

My collection of corks are housed in an apothecary jar so that all of their interesting details can be seen clearly.

Mussel shells, saved from a dinner with good friends, are on display in a silver compote. To clean shells - soak them in bleach and water. Drain and boil in water for 1 hour to remove any residue and odor.

Jute and plain white string look great on their own - or grouped together in a large glass jar.

In our home paintbrushes are frequently used and always on hand. I love the way they look and drop them into all types of vessels around the house.

I found this amazing branch while on a walk with my daughter - we both agreed it needed to come home with us. I attached it with a hook to the wall above our fireplace. I can imagine it wired with vintage Christmas ornaments in December.

This looks great from all angles.

I chose a brightly covered afghan to cover the seat of this chair. The drab green paint against the vibrant colors of the afghan create a nice contrast.

When I purchased this tweed slipper chair at a rummage sale I decided to leave the body as is and just recover the seat cushion. I chose to work with a tartan blanket and add on my favorite Union Jack pillow.

The curves found in this leaf grabbed my eye.

To me, this leaf looks like flames.

We found this Robin's nest on the ground. To study it closely is mesmerizing! It's a true work of art.

The plant known as Chinese Lantern bears a flower that dries to a bright orange, paper thin lantern shaped seed pod. My kids love to collect these brilliant treasures.

I find heirloom pumpkins to be so striking, they deserve their own display stand. Here I have used some silver plated casserole stands to show off my favorite variety - the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin.

Casserole stands are lovely, but I never use them for their intended purpose.

The loose weave of a cotton soup sock resembles a spiderweb - and fits easily around a glass vessel that holds a candle.

The top of our china closet - decorated with pumpkins, gourds, branches, newspaper garland and silver.

Skulls on a silver compote.

Triangles cut from newspaper and stapled together, make an easy garland.

Miniature white pumpkins gathered around the base of a statue create a simple fall centerpiece for our coffee table.

Inspired by Dutch still life paintings, I created my own tableaux with a monochromatic palette perfect for Halloween.

I spray painted the tray, candlestick and even my miniature pumpkins with a flat black paint.

I used silver plated pieces that were heavily scratched and of lesser quality. Each piece was cleaned and fully dried before painted with several coats.

Another thrift store find.

Blue Gatorade in stylish goblets that are sugared with green cake crystals are a huge hit with kids.

Contrasts interest me - I enjoy the surprise of unlikely duos. I used newspaper and wrapped it around the stems of these Gerbera daisies and also tucked it in between the stems.

The colors I've chosen, added to the fact that I used the financial section, help to make this arrangement scary enough for Halloween.