Showing posts with label Late Summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Late Summer. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Late Summer Sunflowers and Bees/Summer To Fall Transition

Hello, Friends,
How are you? I hope you are well. 
It's been a long time since I've blogged. I started a post in July for the Fourth but I never got around to finishing it up. 


Here in East Texas, we have had a pretty mild summer, however, I get tired of temperatures in the 90s by August. 
In the transition from summer to fall, I always pull out some sunflower decor. If you have been around for a while, you might remember that my classroom decor was sunflowers and bees for many years. I love this type of decor to bridge the summer to fall decorations in the house. 

Let's have a look around. 
I'm going to start with my cute Honey Pie. I had no idea that a honey pie was an actual recipe but in my search of images for inspiration, I actually found that there is such a thing. 
So I created a faux pie using a mini pie dish from Hobby Lobby, foam, muslin and paint. 
Don't forget the glitter! 


As far as I know, there isn't another one like it on the internet. I love making these faux pies. I adorned it with a little "prim" tag, some scraps and a cute little bee button. I didn't move a lot of my craft supplies so I've had to essentially start over. I'm sure moving a few little bee buttons wouldn't have loaded down the moving van but they did not make it to the new house. I have no idea what I was thinking except I was feeling overwhelmed with the move. 


I copied the recipe onto a bee recipe card and created a vignette on a wood riser that was made by my brother in law at  Zander Wood shop. This was a birthday gift from them. 


I added a little prim bee and a decoupaged sunflower box. This was my fourth attempt at a bee that I loved. The box was made from a Michel Design Works napkin. 

Because we never use it, the breakfast room table has become the location of some large centerpieces that are changed for the seasons. 


The sunflowers were ordered from Walmart. My collection did not survive the summer of our construction. I guess there were just a few too many Daddy Long Legs on them for Bill's liking. 
The lights came from Hobby Lobby online. 

I adore the little pillow. I used transfer paper to copy an image from The Graphics Fairy. 


This other little pillow is one in which was successfully printed directly onto fabric. 
 This is the best of the lot because it is printed instead of using a transfer method.
 It was nerve wracking experience because I didn't want to jamb the printer. 
I styled it in the gravy boat painted by Bill's grandmother. My Le Creuset pie bird is nestled in with paper shreds and a crochet sunflower. This is my second pie bird because I broke the first one. I found it on eBay. 


I usually dangle an ornament from the knobs on the corner cupboard. These are a set from The Round Top Collection. 


The theme would not be complete without some honey pots. 


The breakfast room buffet got a vignette. 


The bee hive ornament came from Hobby Lobby. I found the glass bee and sunflower garland last summer. I cannot remember where I found it but I love it so much. 


I created a couple of vignettes in the living room. 


The clock faces came from an antique mall in Sulpher Springs. More paper shreds elevate the clock faces. I got the idea from the YoUniquely Vintage You YouTube channel. 


The new little shed porch got a sprinkling of decor. 


The screen porch got redecorated. 


The potting bench had been tucked back in the new shed. It needed a thorough cleaning but I'm so glad it's out in the open again. 


The front porch got some pillows 


and a few faux sunflowers. 


Here are some more photos. 





Finally, say hello to the newest member of our family. 
Rufus showed up at the beginning of May. According to a comment on my Nextdoor app, he had been dumped or abandoned by his previous owners because they moved. He could have been hiding that day but who really knows. He showed up in the yard. I think to eat birds feeding at the feeder. Bill fed him (saved the birds) and the next day he came right up to me. He was very thin but he is in good health. We got all his shots, flea and tick treatment and got him fixed. The vet thinks he's about a year old. 


He spends a small part of the day outside and the rest we've transitioned him to indoors.


He and Caroline are getting along great. 
They love to wrestle. 



He is a keeper! 
I hope to continue blogging. It is rare, though, that I sit down at the computer. 
You can follow me on my Instagram because there I post frequent stories. That is the best way to see what I'm up to. 

Katie

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Transiting From Summer To Fall In East Texas With Sunflowers


I almost bought a house sight unseen in Indiana on Saturday. I'm about done in with this heat. It is relentless.I have no money of my own and Bill wasn't sold on the idea. Why? He thinks this has been a normal summer. Ha. No! 
A lot of my family is from Indiana. The high on Saturday was 80 there. The high in Texas was 110. It is supposed to be in the 60s in the morning. I will think I've gone to heaven. 

Hi, Friends, 
How are you? I think that I've given you a taste of how I have been. There are a lot of grumpy Texans this summer that is for sure. I feel very sorry for those that have moved from California. 

While I wait semi-patiently for the cool front to arrive, I painted the inside of the lower cabinets in the kitchen out in East Texas. I painted the inside of the uppers about a year and half ago. I did that for aesthetics. This was for my safety. Ha. I've spotted my fifth scorpion so far this season. I refuse to stick my hand in a cabinet that is the same color as a scorpion. No more! 


It was so dark in these cabinets. They stained them but didn't do a finish coat so they were rough and splintery feeling. They are the most inexpensive cabinets on the market according to Bill. He hopes to replace them all at some point. 


The pot and pan cabinet is the one that I use the most, so I started with it. It is much better and it's all organized too. The cupcake tins belong in another cabinet that is currently drying. 
I don't scream anymore when I see them. I just calmly smash the living daylights out of them. 
We are on our third summer of extermination. We need new exterior doors because those scorpions are waltzing right in our current doors. 

Let's get to the point of this post, shall we? 

Sunflowers are such a good bridge between summer and fall. The golden yellow tones help usher in the warmer hues of fall. They speak the language of late summer as they mimic the summer sun. 


I pulled out the calendar banner from 1967. It is identical to 2023. How fun is that? 
I wish I pulled it out earlier in the year. 


A calendar towel from a recent antiquing jaunt sports a pretty sunflower. 
The yellow checked towel was a clearance find last summer. I've been very into yellow so sunflowers are a perfect addition to our decor. 


We took down a huge upper cabinet the first day we stayed here. I love having wall space for art and accessories. I don't miss the cabinet at all. This kitchen is well designed and it has tons of storage. 



I noticed that a little metal pitcher has a sunflower motif. I love this super tarnished piece. 




The little plate is Blue Ridge Pottery. It's a darling. 


Taking down the microwave made room for a cute little shelf. We picked it up at the neighbors garage sale and I like having it for seasonal tidbits. 

The dining area got a few things. I received the napkins from a friend as a hostess gift. 


In between real bouquets, black eyed Susans pounce in a pitcher. 


The little hanging shelves also get some seasonal bits. 


I love saving seed packets and using them for reference but also for display. I didn't even try sunflowers this summer because they just don't work for me for some reason. 


A little corn teapot belonged to my husband's grandparents. Dried sunflowers rest next to it. 


In the living room. I displayed my favorite primitive sunflower. I picked it up last year at a craft mall. 



I have tried to make prim flowers but they do not turn out like this one but mine are cute anyway.


The mantel got another piece from Blue Ridge Pottery and some faux posies in a pitcher. 
The pattern is called Yellow Nocturne. 



A beautiful pillow from Pottery Barn rests on the couch. 


The screened in porch got the rest of the sunflower pillows. 




Finally, a bouquet from the farmer's market is displayed in a milk glass pitcher. 


That does it for me. 
Have you done any transitional decorating? 
I just love sunflower time. It gives me hope that fall and fall weather aren't far away. 
See you soon. 
Katie