The leaves are already falling here at Royalview, and we are getting in the mood. We love this time of year so much, with the warmer color tones, cooler temps (not yet arrived here in SE Texas), just the whole vibe of the season.
I’ve been trying to decide what color tones I’d like to incorporate for our first Fall season at Royalview. We are decorated in mainly blue, white, brown, and greys, and I did not want to deviate too far from what we’ve just put into place, but rather, add in some warm tones to give it the Fall feels.
After shopping around for ideas, I decided to go with creme, blue, brown, gold, and light rust (with a little bling as well, as in gold glitter and rhinestone pumpkins!).
I shopped at Hobby Lobby, Amazon, Dollar General, and the Dollar Tree for faux florals. (The floral bouquet pictured above is filled with florals from Amazon and Dollar General.)
I purchased this box of very lovely faux floral in cremes, blues, and light rust from Amazon. I thought they arrived beautifully in their box. And I thought it was very unique to have the flowers separated from the stems. At first I wasn’t sure about that, but I quite enjoyed putting the flowers on my preferred stem, or leaving them off a stem to put at the base of my arrangement.
Here is the assortment of faux florals I chose from Hobby Lobby and the Dollar Tree:
Instead of creating new Fall floral arrangements from scratch, I decided to transform already existing arrangements, with the exception of the arrangement on our dining room table (pic 1).
Here is a before picture of two arrangements from our living room entertainment center, and one from atop our grandfather clock, that I transformed/made over into Fall arrangements.
And here is their after photo:
You can see I kept most of their floral white and blue bases. I just took out some of the more Summery looking purples and blue frills, and simply added some creme, gold, and light rust florals, with a hint of acorns in the larger arrangement.
This was such an easy transformation, and I can do the same at Christmastime, with whatever color tones I choose then, and since I kept all the florals that I took out, I can choose to add those back in the Spring, or go in another direction. So many options, but yet keeping our base color tones in the arrangements.
I put the arrangements all back in their places, and added hints of Fall all around. With just a few subtle touches, Royalview is looking lovely, and ready for Fall.
I added some of the warm florals, nuts, and berries to an existing garland atop our entertainment center.
Here is a another (large) arrangement that I added to as well. This one has more of a Winter appearance to me, but I love this look so much, and it may become the inspiration for our Winter palette.
I hope you enjoyed Royalview’s Fall floral makeover, and that it inspires you as well.
Till next time, remember to always follow your joy! God is truly good!
Johanna and Willie
acrossthelake.blog
Making Fall faux floral arrangements, make over existing faux floral arrangements into Fall decor, Fall colors, Fall palette
Can you smell the lavender in the air here at Royalview today? It’s so lovely.
And while it smells, and also looks very lovely, it is going to serve a good purpose in our home living environment.
I encountered a little scorpion hiding in a hand towel the other day. That gave Willie and I both a bit of a scare, and we also inherited spiders that live here on the property, so I began looking into natural ways to sway them away from wanting to live with us in our home. Lavender came up on both counts (for scorpions and spiders) when I did a Google search, and a knowledgeable plant specialist also told me that lavender, as well as fresh mint, and thyme, all work.
I ordered pre-made lavender sachets just a little while back, but they did not seem to be very fragrant, so I decided to search for dried lavender that may be better sealed, and attempt to make my own sachets. I searched lavender farms here in Texas, and also searched my favorite go-to, Amazon. I succeeded in finding a vacuum sealed bag of dried lavender on Amazon, as well as some really nice bundles of dried lavender flowers.
I also found some really cute burlap sachet bags with heart shapes on them which I thought were really pretty, and would be great for putting in dresser drawers, cabinets, and for display as well.
I was very excited when everything arrived. My Aunt Bunny gifted me a beautiful clear glass vase, which is perfect for my dried lavender bouquet.
First things first, opening the vacuum sealed bag of lavender. How would I contain all that, once it’s opened? Luckily, I remembered bringing a metal tub with us when we moved. That will be the perfect size to pour all the lavender into.
Once the bag was opened and the lavender poured into the metal tub, it was time to start spooning it into the little sachet bags. And the aroma… So beautiful! So fragrant! I love it!
In the description of this vacuum sealed bag of dried lavender flowers, the seller suggests gently crushing the dried flowers to release even more fragrance, so as I spooned the lavender into the bags, I would then just gently smash the flowers in the bag. I could smell the fragrance even more after doing this. I spooned approximately 3-4 teaspoons into each bag.
Aren’t these little burlap bags just the cutest? I love that the set came in 2 different tones. 10 in white, and 10 in beige, and they have the little light brown burlap hearts on each. So perfect for farmhouse decor.
Next up, a dried lavender flower bouquet.
This was so simple to do. At first I thought that I would be using both dried lavender flower bundles, but it turned out that 1 bundle was plenty.
I put in a few faux florals with the dried lavender, and added blue satin ribbon (that I had purchased from Amazon previously for another project).
It’s so simple, yet elegant.
I was wondering where I may want to put my new lavender arrangement, and Willie suggested atop the curio cabinet in our dining room. I already had a floral arrangement there, but you know, he may be right. I think it looks really pretty, and the florals fit into the picture frame above the cabinet very well.
Now I can place these cute little sachets all around, filling Royalview with their beautiful fragrance, and hopefully encouraging our little visitors to depart peacefully.
I think I’ll do another batch as well so I can put them in all the closets and cabinets in every room. So fun and easy to do.
Well, I hope you enjoyed visiting with me as I made my dried lavender crafts, and hope this inspires you to do your favorite crafts as well.
Till next time, stay safe, and follow your joy. God is truly good!
Johanna and Willie
acrossthelake.blog
Amazon Home, Amazon Affiliates, Homemade Dried Lavender Flower Sachets, Burlap Lavender Sachets, Dried Lavender Bouquet Arrangement in Vase, Lavender for Spiders and Scorpions
This is a project I had both been looking forward to, as well as being a bit shy to begin. Let me introduce you to Beauty, as we affectionately call her. Beauty has been with us for 20 years now. She was hand-turned on a lathe by Willie, and hand painted by me when we were working together as Studio 3B, creating wooden candlestick holders and candles.
Now that we’ve moved to Royalview and changed our decor, her burgundy and gold colors no longer fit in aesthetically, but I knew I’d never let her go, so she was slated for a complete transformation.
To begin, I used a soft grit sandpaper to remove the varnish. I chose not to completely sand her down (back to original wood), but rather use the deep burgundy as an undertone so she would have an aged look after completion. In other words, I was not planning a “pristine” white look.
This was the scary part. Putting on the first coat of white, and covering up her original burgundy. I used a water based paint (same as my previous project).
Here’s her first coat of white. The burgundy still shows through, but she’ll get a second coat.
Now that she’d had her second coat of white paint, I knew that I wanted contrast in all her gorgeous nooks and crannies. I opted for gray. I considered silver or blue, but I wanted Beauty to have an elegant, yet understated, look this time.
Beauty’s new look.
It really just took patience and tweeking to achieve the look I wanted with the right balance of rustic, but yet still keeping her elegant.
And here she is now in her corner spot. I put a little plant on top. She’s a candleholder, but that looks really pretty! We’ll see what I end up getting for her topper, but for now, I’m liking it!
These are the fun little projects that really make it feel like home here at Royalview. Our own personal touches, and items that we brought with us, that can still be incorporated into our new environment.
Till next time, stay safe, and follow your joy!
Johanna and Willie
acrossthelake.blog
DIY Home Decor Paint Project, Tall Wooden Candlestick Holder, Makeover, Before and After Transformation
Boy, did we have a great time yesterday! The weather was BEAUTIFUL! I cannot recall another May when we’ve experienced temperatures in the 70’s after a cool front moving through, here in Texas. It was the perfect day to travel up to New Waverly and walk around that charming little town, visiting all the spots that were taking part in their special Mother’s Day Event.
We began our day with breakfast at Honey’s Coffee and Biscuits.
We’ve actually been wanting to try Honey’s ever since we saw their menu being printed at our local UPS Store. I knew I wanted to try their Spinach, Egg, and Feta Biscuit Panini, for sure. I ordered it in one of their Brunch Boxes. They are so cute, and it comes with House Potatoes and fresh fruit. Great way to start our adventure!
After our brunch, we walked across the street to New Waverly Antiques and Collectibles. We have been here before, and really enjoy visiting.
There is so much history to browse through here.
Check out their milk glass collection in white. We have a few pieces at Royalview from their stash.
And look what I found for our antique cabinet in the dining room. I was thrilled to find this miniature wooden table and chairs dining room set. I thought it would be fun to paint these white and have a little vase of flowers on top. Christine and Mary both helped me look for a vase, and Mary was the winner with this little cutie, and she even put some little flowers in it. Such a fun time here for sure.
Our next stop was next door at the New Waverly Feed Store. They had a Farmer’s Market going on with vender’s tents all set up in the parking lot.
We looked around here for a bit and then took a stroll across the Railroad Tracks to another favorite spot, Rosey Opals.
Rosey Opals was hosting a Mother’s Day Market and had vendors outside, as well as special sales going on inside, plus the Red Bird Ice Cream Parlor was open. That’s such a fun feature in this antique mall.
The very first booth upon entering is one of my favorites. The aesthetic is definitely my vibe. How gorgeous is this Mora Clock?
Do you spy the little white bird just to the left of the clock? I’ve been eyeballing this beautiful wooden hand carved bird on several of our visits. He was 50% off during their event, so he came home with us.
The real highlight of our entire day came when we decided to venture outside to the vendor’s tents. I spied some cute little birdhouses, so I went directly there and we met two of the most wonderful ladies ever. Mary from The Rusted Crow, and Gloria, from Good Vibrations Furniture.
This is Mary’s Booth (The Rusted Crow). She has a lot of wonderful home and garden pieces that she makes with love and whimsy. She and I talked for quite a while, as did Willie and Gloria. I feel like we became instant friends. These two ladies are what make this type of adventure so worth while. Willie and I love going out and about in our new hometown and nearby surroundings, meeting people, supporting all the local artists and vendors that we can, and hopefully beginning some very valued new friendships.
Gloria specializes in restoring vintage furniture and giving them a new groove. She’s pretty groovy herself!
Check out the paint colors on those table legs. So beautiful. And a gorgeous bumble bee decoupage table top.
After such an exciting day, we were very hungry, so we headed to another new family owned fave in Willis, Pizza Shack.
After living in this area almost 5 months now, I am beginning to feel like a local, as we’re starting to get recognized here and there. This has been a dream of mine and Willie’s for quite some time. Small town life.
The food at Pizza Shack is pretty, and yummy too.
I got the Classic Margherita Flat Bread. Mwah!
The perfect ending to a perfect day.
And here’s our little stash of goodies from our antiquing adventure.
We got the hand carved wooden bird plus that cute little “Queenie” bird, as I’m calling her, with her golden crown. The little miniature wooden dining room table and chairs set with the miniature vase (flowers included, thanks to Mary) and a couple of lace doilies.
I also spied some faux lavender bush stems at Rosey Opals that are perfect for a project I actually dreamed of while I slept the other night. I woke up with the idea to paint a basket that we brought with us from our former home (it’s in our back room with the rest of our stuff to be unpacked), and to lay some lavender in the basket as if someone had been out in a field picking it and putting it in the basket.
You can imagine when I saw these lavender bushes, I knew it was meant to be. Plus these little beauties sparked our conversations with Mary and Gloria outside. Double blessing!
I know I say it on every post. And it’s because it is really true. God is truly good!
Till next time, and new adventures, be safe and please always follow your joy!
Antique Shopping, New Waverly, Texas, Willis, TX, Antique Finds, New Hometown, Craft Vendors, Farmer’s Market, Antique Mall, Antique Shops, Making New Friends, Small Town Life
Another fun crafting project at Royalview! I am certainly making up for lost time.
This project really takes me back… Not that I’ve ever made aroma beads, but I was an artistic candle maker and perfumer for nine years, so in the same wheelhouse for sure.
This all began as I’ve been looking for candles, and in particular, candle aromas for Royalview. We’ve tried several brands and scents since we’ve lived here, but nothing has quite fulfilled the aroma(s) that we’re craving. I have been on a specific hunt for Creme Brulee scent. Creme Brulee is our absolute favorite aroma. I worked with Creme Brulee a lot in the past and it is (in my humble opinion) the best smelling, best lasting, and for sure a favorite in terms of a wonderful and lasting scent throw. Our second favorite aroma is Cinnamon, and it has to be a true Cinnamon with a great scent throw as well.
So after searching and trying others’ candles, I decided I may just have to take a whack at it again to get the scents that we’re longing for. I turned to my trusty candle making supplier that I used for years, and hooray, they still carry my favorite Creme Brulee and Cinnamon aromas.
Thank you Lone Star Candle Supply.
The good news about ordering from Lone Star Candle Supply is that you do not have to be a business. I couldn’t remember if I would have to be in the candle making business to order or not, but nope, it is easy to order in a small quantity.
I ordered a small amount of the aroma beads (one pound), and a few one ounce bottles of scent to give this project a try.
Since I have not made aroma beads before, I was very happy that Lone Star Candle Supply has instructions on their site. The only other items that I had to order were a very specific type of plastic bottles, which I found on my favorite shopping site, Amazon. Here’s a link.
I got all my aroma bead making supplies together, and decided to mix these on my kitchen counter, but on an old thick towel, in case of spillage.
This is very simple to do, and without having to melt anything, bravo. I measured the amount of beads I wanted using a measuring cup. They (Lone Star) recommend weighing the beads, but I do not have a scale, so I did what I could with what I have on hand, just to give it a try. The instructions say that one pound of aroma beads can hold two ounces of scent. So, for my project, I went with 8 ounces of aroma beads to one ounce of scent. One ounce of scent in this regard is one, one ounce bottle, so again, very easy with no measuring of the liquid scent. Lone Star Candle Supply also indicates that these aroma beads can be dyed. I decided not to, since I know that both of these particular scents have a tint all their own. The Creme Brulee has a cream tint, and the Red Hot Cinnamon also has a cream tint leaning on the pinker side. I can definitely tell them apart based on their color, and of course their aroma.
I poured 8 ounces of beads into each plastic container, and then in one container I poured a (one ounce) bottle of Creme Brulee scent, and in the other, a (one ounce) bottle of Red Hot Cinnamon Scent. With the Red Hot Cinnamon scent, I know from experience to be very, very careful, and possibly wear gloves for this one. It can burn really bad. That’s why the scent is so good. It is very strong. So if you would ever want to give this a try for yourself, please use caution when pouring this scent, and wash your hands immediately. I would not recommend children handling this scent.
Once everything was in the bottles, I closed the lids tightly and shook each one very good, and for quite a little while. There was still scent puddling at the bottom, but Lone Star Candle Supply’s instructions said that the beads are very absorbent, so I knew it would probably just take a little time for them to absorb everything. I kept them on the towel, and all through the evening I would give them a little shake/toss to be sure all the beads had a chance to absorb the scent.
I did this for a couple of days, until all the scent had been absorbed, and they seemed dry.
When I knew for sure that I was going to try this project, I specifically looked for little decorative holders, so that I could put them out into my decor. I found some really cute and original items at New Waverly Antiques & Collectibles, as well as at Rosey Opals Collective Market.
I shopped around for decorative items that would hold the little aroma beads, and that would be pretty sitting out with our decor.
This trio of vintage style votive candle holders grabbed me immediately. What could be more perfect?
Creme Brulee Aroma Beads
These are from a booth at Rosey Opals Collective Market in New Waverly, TX (not sponsored, we just really love these shops we’re featuring and love supporting local businesses).
I’ve placed these on a shelf on our entertainment center.
And I forgot to mention, they smell AMAZING!! Willie came in while I was pouring the aroma beads into their holders, and said he could really smell them. My hope is that our home is continually filled with these delicious and welcoming scents, and we are greeted with these aromas upon entering our home.
For the three votive candlestick holders, I put Creme Brulee in all three, so that there would be a good amount of Creme Brulee in the living room area.
Here are the other three decorative holders filled with their aroma beads. You can see the color difference in the beads here. The back two are filled with Red Hot Cinnamon, and the little porcelain basket is filled with Creme Brulee.
I love the slight hint of color on the beads. It’s just enough, and has an elegant look.
Red Hot Cinnamon Scented Aroma Beads
And here’s the cute little porcelain cherub, on our entertainment center as well.
Such a fun and rewarding project. I’m really happy with the results. I’ll most likely get more supplies and keep an eye out for more small decorative bowls to place all around our home. Such a beautiful way to have our favorite scents always present, and I’m thinking in the long run, most probably more economical as well. I plan to keep these scents and the bottles on hand to recharge the beads when needed.
Win, win, win!
I hope this post brought a little DIY scent inspiration your way today.
Till next time, stay safe, and follow your joy! God is truly good!
Johanna and Willie
acrossthelake.blog
Making Aroma Beads at Home, Creme Brulee Scent, Red Hot Cinnamon Scent, Easy Scent DIY Project
It’s craft day at Royalview! I love it! I’ve not dabbled in any sort of craft in quite a while, so I am very happy to be at a point where I can play, and have fun decorating our new home.
As you may have seen from previous posts, Willie and I have been enjoying shopping at our local antique and home decor shops, and I’ve found some really cute items that I thought I could easily use as vases, as well as some actual vases.
The cute blue vase (with the wording Blooming Flowers, Sweet Home) pictured above is one that I found on Amazon a couple of months after we moved in. There was already a pretty blue floral arrangement included with the vase that we’ve enjoyed for a little while now, but with it being floral craft day, it’s getting in on the party too.
We found the stemmed white milk glass bowl at Sweet Magnolia Emporium’s booth at Yesterday’s Treasures in Willis, TX. This is one of my favorite spots to shop. Kelly has a very good eye for home decor items, and she is a joy to talk with. She has stayed in touch with me, and lets me know if she finds anything that will be perfect for Royalview. Check out the very tall, black plant stand above. That’s from her booth as well. I was so ecstatic to find that there.
Now, here’s what the blue vase’s arrangement looked like before (it was pretty as-is), as well as 2 white milk glass vases and 2 vases with yellow arrangements from Yesterday’s Treasures.
I of course knew that the yellow flowers would not be staying. When I shop, I always like to envision how I can work with an item that I like, that may not automatically fit in with Royalview’s aesthetics.
You may notice that the background in these pictures do not exactly match. There were actually (2) floral craft days and some additional decor added during the interim between, like the black plant stand. It’s all a continuous work in progress, that Willie and I are enjoying very much.
This is the first haul of faux florals that I picked up at Michaels in Conroe.
And, my second faux floral haul was from Hobby Lobby in Conroe.
Here’s a closeup of the stemmed white milk glass bowl that I got from Kelly (Sweet Magnolia Emporium), and the 2 super cute apothecary style glass jars that I got from Rosey Opals Collective Market in New Waverly, TX. Another new fave shopping spot! And, they have an ice cream parlor inside. I’ll have to do a post on all these super fun shops that we’ve been finding lately.
You can see that I love making a mess when I work.
It’s a happy mess. When you see this, you know I’m in my happy place.
It even extended out to the kitchen counter. Happy, happy arranging!
The color tones I am using here at Royalview lean heavily toward white, and denim hued blues, with a few added purples. I do have background/furniture combos in gray/white and brown/white, and some bits of black here and there. I carry these color tones throughout our home, and the whites, blues, and purples in our gardens as well. And green, I suppose, with all the greenery.
And here are some of the completed faux floral arrangements. You saw these two already, from the first pic. These are two of my favorites.
Do you remember the two yellow floral arrangements? Here they are now in blue. They are now residing on each side, atop our entertainment center.
And, the super gorgeous black plant stand from Kelly at Sweet Magnolia Emporium. You can also see one of the blue floral arrangements at the top of our entertainment center.
The blue vase arrangement now has a home on our dining room table.
Here’s a cute little purple arrangement that went in one of the smaller white milk glass vases.
This now resides on our coffee table.
I love how the purple helps break up all the blue and white, just a bit.
I’ll show you where the arrangement in the stemmed milk glass bowl, and the two clear glass apothecary glass jar arrangements now reside, in a future post. That’s a whole new story to share. We’ve had some beautiful new antique furniture additions in the dining room.
Do you enjoy making your own floral arrangements as well? What are your favorite color choices? Please feel free to leave a comment.
I hope my floral arrangement ideas inspire ideas for you, and what you may want to design for your home, from both vintage and new finds.
Till next time, stay safe and follow your joy! God is truly good!
Johanna and Willie
acrossthelake.blog
Faux Floral Arrangements, Blue Florals, White Florals, Purple Florals, Making Flower Arrangements at Home, Lifestyle Blog, Lake Life, Conroe, TX
Across the Lake 