The Beauty of Hedge Apples

One of the greatest benefits about Fall is that Mother Nature provides us so many beautiful things to look at AND decorate our homes with....and they are FREE. If you just look outside your window you will see so many things you can bring inside to use in your decor, and they don't cost any money at all.

 

In my earlier post from a few weeks ago I posted here about using the orange berries called bittersweet in your Fall decor but did you know that you can also use hedge apples?

 

If you are unfamiliar with hedge apples, you can read more about them here. There are various myths about hedge apples being an insect repellent and what they can do for your home, but more simply put these are just round seed balls that fall off of the Osage Orange tree in the fall.

 

Here are some inspiring images I found on the Internet (sources unknown) that I would like to share with you. These pictures are eye candy for inspiration!

 

 

Hedge apples in an enamel bowl.

 

 

Hedge apples with pomegranate or some sort of fruit.

 

 

 

Great display of hedge apples in a centerpiece with a candle.

 

 

Since I am partial to antique bowls I couldn't resist sharing this photo :)

 

Gorgeous vignette with hedge apples in an urn next to a lamp. Simply GORGEOUS!

 

 

Lined upon a windowsill.

In a distressed urn with flowers....very cottagey/shabby chic.

 

Hedge apples displayed as a centerpiece with lanterns and foliage. Beautiful!

 

 

And last but not least here is my little basket of hedge apples from a few years ago that I displayed on our front porch. Very simple but traditional fall decor, and best of all it was FREE!

 

 

 

Here in the Midwest the hedge apples have just now started to fall. The bulk of them will start falling in about a week or two and they will continue to fall for about a month. Many people find them to be a nuisance so if you spot a tree along the side of the road or notice that your neighbor has hedge apples in their yard, don't be afraid to ask for them because most people WANT you to take them, and that is PERFECT for you! Their loss is your gain!

 

Just like with Bittersweet, hedge apples are another FREE gift from Mother Nature that she provides us, like a door prize for welcoming in fall!

 

I encourage you to get creative and look beyond the big box retail stores for your decorating/craft supplies.  All you need is right outside your door! 

 

 

Jennifer

 

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Fall Decorating Sneak Peek

I am still in denial that it is September! This year has flown by and I hated to see summer unofficially come to an end, but Fall is a great time too so I decided to embrace it and do a little early fall decorating.

 

Here is a sneek peek of what I have done so far.....

 

 

 

 

and I have a lot more left to do......but as I was putting up the summer decor and digging through my Fall and Halloween stash I started getting a little pumped for all the fall festivities and then it manifested into redoing my entry way table.

 

Right now I'm on the first phase of it and wanted to give you a little peek. 

 

Thats all for now! With Labor Day behind us and the swimming pools closed, I hope you get an opportunity to make some headway on your fall to-do list.

 

Have a great day!

 

Jennifer

 

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Ask And You Shall Receive-Free Wine Crate

I have seen a lot of decorating and organizing using wine crates, in fact many out there have made their own wine crates with pallet wood or scraps, and they all look so beautiful, so I was on a quest to find one for myself.

 

I don't really have the tools to cut wood at the moment and I don't have enough scrap wood to make an entire crate, soooo.....I did what any other thrifty chick would do and I drove over to my local liquor store and simply asked if they had any extra crates they were going to throw out. And to my SURPRISE, they said YES!

I was only able to snag one (I really wanted three) but beggars can't be choosers, right???  :)

So now I'm on cloud nine with my FREE wine crate, and to top it off it was made of raw wood!!! There was no painting or staining I had to deal with so it was like a blank canvas ready for me to make my own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a few days of brain storming and viewing several pictures of wine crates on line for inspiration I decided that what I wanted most was for it to be stained a medium to dark tone stain. This was exciting for me because I had never worked with stain before so I now had a reason to buy some and try something new. (yay!)

 

So off to the store I went.

 

I learned a lot about stain on my shopping trip too....there is plain traditional stain in various colors that require you to use polyurethane if you want to seal your project and protect it, then there is stain that comes in a tube that you rub on, there is stain that comes in an aerosol can that comes out foamy like hair mousse (weird I know LOL), and then there was the PERFECT product for me.....traditional stain WITH polyurethane all in one.

 

...........One step???? I'll take it!!! 

(Minwax did not pay me to say any of this...I wanted to show you the product I used)

 

 I  chose the color "Antique Walnut" in a satin stain. I didn't want the matte look nor did I want high shine so I chose satin for a medium sheen.

 

 

So first things first and I lightly sanded the entire piece to take off any dirt or surface oils. Then I wiped it all clean with a cotton towel and began staining. I started with the bottom and worked my way around the sides using one of those cheap natural bristle paint brushes. I applied the stain in long strokes in one direction. That is the key. GO IN ONE DIRECTION otherwise you will see patches of brush strokes and where you started and stopped.

 

 

 

 Here is the bottom after one coat of stain.

In this picture you can see a close up of the side and slight sheen of the stain as it is drying.

 

Here is the inside floor of the crate. Nice and smooth and you can see the wood grain through the stain too.

 

 

 

 

 

And voila! Here is the final product. I have some minor drip marks but it was my first time working with stain so I am very please with how it turned out. The stain gives such a rich color.

 

 

The nice thing about a project like this is that by staining a wine crate your stain does not have to be perfect. An old wine crate should show some signs of wear and have variations in the stain, so it is VERY forgiving if you make a few boo boos which is why I HIGHLY recommend doing a project like this if you are a first time "stainer".

 

Not bad for a FREE wine crate!

 

I {LOVE} IT an can't wait to show you how I will incorporate it into my fall decorating.

 

Have a wonderful day!

 

Jennifer

 

 

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