How to create a neutral fall mantel using symmetry for simplicity and texture for interest.

Hello friends! Last week marked the official beginning of fall according to the calendar. Thanksgiving is just around the corner in Canada. It’s time to get our fall decor on! If you’re here as part of our week long #FallFestival blog hop then welcome! Did you see the gorgeous mantel Jamie created over at Anderson & Grant?  I hope you’ve been as inspired as I’ve been by the beautiful ideas and recipes all week so far.

Canada Day Backyard Campfire Party

Host a campfire party in your own backyard for Canada Day, or any summer celebration.

(This post has been sponsored by Giant Tiger.  Content and opinions expressed are all my own.  Thank you for supporting the brands that make Personally Andrea possible!)

Hi! Welcome to Personally Andrea! If you’re new here, or visiting as part of the Year of Feasting series, it’s nice to meet you! Please sit back and enjoy a taste of summer, and be inspired for some summer entertaining. At the end of this post, you’ll find links to more party ideas from some beautiful Canadian blogging lovelies. Big thanks to Dannyelle at Life is a Party for hosting us!

Before and After: Bedside Tables Whitewashed with Chalk Paint

How to whitewash dated pine bedside tables with white chalk paint for a fresh farmhouse look. Includes before and after photos.

Hello friends, and welcome to Personally Andrea. If you’re new here you can poke around and find some recipes, crafts and projects, even learn a little more about me.   I hope you’ll stay awhile, maybe even sign up to receive my posts in your inbox, usually a few times a month...

Hurricane Lanterns Decorated for Winter

How I decorated my large hurricane lanterns for winter with some leftover Christmas decor and found items from around the house.

We’re in that lull after Christmas holidays, where decorations that were named cozy and cheerful in December are now called clutter. Some people love the tidy-up and back to minimalism. Some people hate taking everything down and find it depressing. I think I fall somewhere in between those two extremes. 

Reclaimed Barnboard + IKEA Brackets = Display Shelf

First of all I just have to say thanks to everyone for their sweet feedback on my last post To Blog or Not to Blog.  As one friend mentioned, maybe it resonates with all of us, that we need to take stock once in a while of the stuff we work hard at, remember why we’re doing it, and make sure that it’s still important.  Then either keep on keeping on, or switch directions and work hard at something new.

* pin me *

Ornamental Corn Arrangement in a Cylinder Vase

Ornamental corn in one of the prettiest elements of fall decor.  Simply arranged in a cylinder vase tied with rustic twine keeps the corn contained but still highlights the beautiful colours and shapes of the cobs and husks.

* fall prettiness on my desk *

Rustic and Cozy Winter Plaid Wreath Trio

This has been one of the most beautiful fall seasons around here in recent memory.  The colours continue to hang on to the trees or make beautiful carpets on the lawns and walkways.  The temperatures are getting colder and colder though, and with Halloween now celebrated and behind us, I think it’s okay to start transitioning our mindsets toward winter. 

* rustic & cozy winter plaid wreath trio *

Kate Spade Inspired IKEA Desk

A plain white IKEA desk hacked into a Kate Spade inspired glamorous desk, with some gold spray paint and striped wrapping paper.  Read on to find out how...

So this is part of the ongoing story of me trying to make life happen a little bit better.  Everyone has this story, so hopefully you can relate.  My goal is always function before form.  In other words it’s more important for it to work well than to look beautiful.  But it kinda has to look beautiful too.  Here's how I came up with a functional IKEA desk made to look beautiful, inspired by Kate Spade.

Using a Free Printable to Make Coffee Station Art

Hey there bloggy friends, it’s been a bit of a long break around here!  It wasn’t totally intentional, but once August came around, summer hit me fast and hard and I suddenly found a lot of other things to do besides blogging.  I missed you, but I hope you found a few other things on the internet to entertain you…

* do you have a coffee station yet? *

How to Decorate a Summer Mantel with Nothing New

I’m just loving this summer, I hope you are too!  We’re at that point where we sometimes forget what week it is, what day it is, what time it is…  and that’s okay with me.  We’ve had a couple of trips, visits and weekends away, but right now everyone’s home.  And school still seems far enough away.  Perfect.

* summer mantel *

Pottery Barn Inspired Rope Hurricane

There’s always a place for some coastal or beach-y decor during the summer, don’t you think?  Either at home or cottage or cabin, or for your summer special events.  These are inspired by a Pottery Barn hurricane, but you can make them for a fraction of the cost.  Come and see how.

* pin me *

Dollar Store Easter Craft Goes Shabby Chic

Hey there friends.  Long time no see!  Maybe some of you have been hit by spring fever like I have? And now suddenly the end of the month is in sight and Easter is quickly approaching.  How about a little Easter craft?

* pin me *

I don’t know how you feel about Easter crafts.  A lot of traditional Easter stuff like flowers (too early where we live), pastel colours (not a fan), rabbits (they eat my favourite grape hyacinths to the ground as soon as they finally bloom) doesn't really work for me.  But for whatever reason eggs and nests and such do work for me, and I love to decorate eggs in lots of different ways.

Inspiration for an Eclectic & Affordable Tween Boy’s Bedroom

There’s something about a long winter that makes me go a little lot stir-crazy.  Staring at the same four walls day in and out, I start to get annoyed by things that didn’t seem so bad in the lazy hazy days of summer.  Half-finished projects, stuff accumulating in dark corners.  Once the Christmas stuff gets cleared away the momentum continues to tidy and organize and update and fix.  Does anyone else have the same situation?

Two Ways to Paint Lettering Onto a Rustic Sign

Well it’s no secret that I like to have signs and labels and pretty lettering in my home decor and on the gifts that I give.  And there are enough different way of accomplishing it that you’re sure to find a way that suits you, if you like it too.  For this project I used two different ways to paint lettering onto a rustic board to make a sign that hangs in this newly decorated space.  You can read about the whole transformation here.

Big Box Store Furniture Goes Shabby-Chic with Chalk Paint®

gonna try something new

I’d love to say I’m one of those funky, cool chicks that shops vintage and antique, and pokes around flea markets on the weekends.  But sadly, that’s not true.  I’m a full-on suburban mom who hangs out at the big box stores like Superstore, IKEA and Costco.  And while I’m there I buy everything from milk to dishes to furniture.  So now my house is home to a lot of big box store furniture which seemed practical and functional at the time, and came at a decent price point. 

Story of a Fireplace Wall & A Fall Mantel

what to write on the chalkboard…?

Have you ever started out with any kind of project not knowing where it would end?  This is one of those.  Both the mantel decor and this blog post, so wish me luck…here goes…

Tips for Photographing a Tablescape

Wow can you believe the Easter season is right around the corner?  I’m sure many of you are making plans for family meals and traditions, or casual entertaining, or maybe a kid’s party.  It’s a great reason to get out some spring-time decor and put some beautiful and delicious food on the table.  And some of us will have our cameras in hand trying to capture it all.

DIY Rope Detail Chandelier

Well it feels like we are in a full-on race and the finish line is March Break.  Is anyone else feeling the need for a chance to change the pace and regroup?  And what are the chances that we’ve seen our last snowfall this winter?…except maybe on the ski hills so the kids can still ski and snowboard during the Break…fingers crossed.

Hemp Cord and Button Wrap Vases

So did we all have a super weekend?  (See what I did there?)  January is finally over, Groundhog Day and Superbowl excitement…something for everyone I’d say.  To mark the beginning of February I decided to lighten up the decor around here a bit with some fresh flowers.  I’m not up for redecorating the house because of Valentine’s Day.  But there is a bit of a decor lull after Christmas, and a few spring-like hits of red and some hand-made-ness don’t hurt. 

Simple Christmas Florals: Carnations & Candy Canes

It’s so great to have a little floral arrangement to brighten up a corner of your countertop, kitchen table or desk.  There’s just something cheerful about having a bit of greenery and fresh floral scent nearby.  And guess what?  It’s super easy to put them together yourself.  Here’s what you do…