Up on a Pedestal

Don't you just love a good pedestal? I have been looking back over the pictures I have taken over the past few weeks and decided it was high time to feature one. Is it wrong to put a pedestal up on a pedestal???

Anyway, being the SLAH gal that I am I of course will be highlighting our Barley Twist Pedestal. Check out all the duties one little pedestal can fulfill...

Adding height to create interest on the mantle...

Paired with an ever-popular cloche to highlight a fave item...

Picture Courtesy Shelly @ Another Day at the Freemans

Sitting out at a friend's home waiting for something yummy.

Hanging out in Kimberly's home with a fluffy friend.

Displaying your faith in a sweet and beautiful way...

Picture Courtesy Southern Living at HOME Fall 2009

Interjecting a playful pop into your holiday decor.
(Wouldn't this work perfectly with my
candy cane centerpiece and easels?)

Speaking of putting important "things" up on a pedestal, that is something I want to get better at with my Southern Fried Friends. I'm going to add a feature day and regularly link back to all your creative ideas.

Momma always said there is no time like the present, so please allow me to put my bloggy friend, Shelley from Another Day at the Freemans, up on a pedestal this week. I found Shelley in the blogging world and quickly realized she is also an Arkansas gal. SO I have had the great fortune of meeting her IRL as well!

Picture Courtesy Shelly @ Another Day at the Freemans

Shelley blogs about her family - she has one of the cutest little boys! She blogs about her passion for scrapbooking. She blogs about fun time with her friends. And she puts together some of the most fabulous tablescapes - which most often include a SLAH product or two! When you run over to visit Shelley please tell her Southern Fried Gal sent you her way!

Hope you have been inspired to dust off your pedestals and put them to work. I would love to know how you use yours. Please leave a comment with all your fab ideas! Have you posted about it? Even better - be sure to include the link in your comment!

Gail Pittman Sale - Last Chance

A friendly reminder that our Gail Pittman sale will be officially ending on Wednesday, September 30. I will be taking orders through noon on Wednesday. Some items have already sold out but there are still more amazing deals to pick up.

I personally recommend two GREAT deals. The first is our Rectangular Baking Dish in Provence for only $25*! This is a perfect way to dress up a potluck casserole! Or use it to spruce up dinner for your family. Makes a great gift, too!

I also highly recommend the Veranda Platter also priced at $25*. This platter is 18 inches long and over 10 inches wide - very generously sized! It is perfect to tuck into a hutch or shelf for a pop of color and then pull out for special occasions! Don't you think this is darling for a little (or big) girl's birthday party. Make it even more special by writing the date and occasion for which it is used in permanent ink on the back of the platter.

You can check out all the remaining deals here. Don't forget if you spend $29.95 or more you can also pick up our customer specials! Contact me at j.fryar@comcast.net to place your order by noon on Wednesday, September 30. Spend $40 to save BIG on shipping, too! Happy shopping!

*Shipping and taxes not included

Cheri's Big Announcement

Cheri at Its So Very Cheri asked me to help spread the word about her "big, no Huge, maybe GINORMOUS is big enough", announcement. I'm always glad to help other bloggers!

So please MARK THIS DATE - October 1. All I know, is that you need to head over to Its So Very Cheri on October 1 so you don’t miss out on this big event. She says she has never done anything this big. Grab the button and place it on your side bar so you don’t forget to check it out, plus your friends will be glad you let them in on it too.

I know she has my curiosity soaring...can't wait to check it out on October 1!

More Fall Decor

I was hoping the sun would come out today so I could get better pictures but it continues to be gloomy. Good thing I have all this fall cheer to keep my spirits high! Here's how fall looks in my living room this year...just a few updates from last year.

Looking in from the den...

F is for Family...
F is for Fun...
F is for Fabulous...
F is for FALL!

This hurricane is fun to switch out with the seasons...

I "scrapped" another page to hang on my towel holder...

BBC is out of school on Friday for parent/teacher conferences. It's our first and I'm not quite sure what to expect. He is going to Mamu's for the weekend and we are painting this room the same yummy color as the den. I think that will add more depth and warmth to this room. These two rooms open up to each other and that's how I plan to keep them tied together. Then I will almost be rid of the flat, boring builder's beige in my home!

We painted another room last week and as soon as I get it put back together I will share the results. I think it turned out awesome and I can't wait to share! I also have a few other fall decorations to show you and pretty soon I'll have my spooky door decor ready to show. That's enough to keep this southern fried gal busy! What are you up to this weekend?

I'm Back and Crazy for Fall!

I'm back! I didn't mean to take a break. I think it was divine intervention -seriously. My computer would not boot up all last week. DH was off last week due to a company cost cutting initiative. So we enjoyed the week together and knocked out a few projects around the home.

I LOVE fall - I think it is because I was a fall baby. This season just warms my soul! I always use my birthday money to fund more fall decor. This year I went way overboard but I don't care. I LOVE it. So now I'm going to share it! I'm going to start with the den today and move around the house in the next series of posts.

Walking into the den...
And yes - I changed the window treatments for the season!

Love the mantle...

This is my favorite group of built-ins.

Not loving this group as much - still need some tweaking.

My favorite fall frame...

A sneak peek into the living room...

I'm linking up with Cheri and Rhondi to celebrate the official arrival of fall! Head over there and check out other fall decor. And be sure to check back here for the rest of mine! Happy Fall, Y'all!

Galveston Hurricane Style Ideas

I had the good fortune to get together with two groups of Southern Living at HOME sisters over the weekend. I attended both of the September Seminars offered in my area. I am blessed to have such sweet friends AND they are stylish and creative to boot! I thought I would run a few posts with the ideas we shared there (as I prepare my home for a fall nesting party). It has been gloomy in Arkansas so the photos are a little dark but you will get the idea, hopefully!

Today's post is centered on our Galveston Footed Hurricane. We now have two sizes! All the ideas featured today are styled using the smaller size which is one of our best sellers! I swiped this photo from page 9 of our gorgeous catalog. Simple, cheap, and elegant! I WILL be copying this idea in the future!

This was created by our Star Director, Sue. She not only used beautiful fresh flowers from her own garden - she went for even bigger impact by flipping the iron piece upside down and putting the glass cylinder on top. LOVE it!

My dear friend and sister director, Kimberly crafted this sweet (pun intended) look. Are you noticing how inexpensive the filler items are in each of these looks?

I crafted this one using several ideas from magazines and last year's blogosphere. There were too many individual inspirations for me to remember! If you see your idea claim it in the comments and I will update this post! I started with a bag of nuts (nuts that I have had for a while - I just keep using them for decor) and a few sticks. I think you could stop there. OR I even contemplated spraying my sticks with oil-rubbed-bronze paint - but I resisted! I twisted on a few silk leaves that I had on hand. You could leave the look like that for now. Add an owl or crow on one of the stems in October to add a little spook to the look. Then come November, find some pretty paper, a pen, and some raffia to create a thanksgiving tree. Be sure to get the family involved as well as any guests that stop over during the season! Make it a new tradition!

Another simple, cheap, and cute idea!

I have a few more ideas for Christmas that I will share as we get closer. For now to show off simple (did I mention cheap) elegance, we just added a few red and green glass balls.

And if you have been around this blog very long you probably saw what I did with it in early spring. As we got closer to Easter I removed the paper, plopped in those eggs (along with a few more), and kept the same sticks. Then in summer it was filled with white sand, small sea shells we collected over the years and a candle.

So as you can see this piece is an investment that will keep giving with each season. We covered all four here and then some! Its uses are endless! In fact I would love to hear how you might style this beauty - you all always have the best ideas! If you have pictures let me know! I would love to link up or add to a future post!

Fall Cloche Party

Marty @ A Stroll Thru Life is hosting a fall cloche party today! I joined the spring party with a bit of humor. I SO wish I had a pumpkin spice latte right now - ha. Anyway, I decided to keep this post on the up and up.

I found this cute acorn at a flea market last year and couldn't resist. It is one of my favorite fall treasures. I wanted to give it a little more presence this year. It has a weird weight distribution and I could not get it to look cute in here so I ripped my coasters out of their stand and plopped the acorn in. Perfect!

I am so stinking excited about my next little cloche. I actually have several of these. I LOVE iron on my walls and these are my favorite sconces. I would cover the entire wall with them if I had a little extra cash - ha! For now I just have four of them. I love that the cloches are removable so I actually got 3 products with each one! So I have eight of those little baby cloches around here!

I'm still working on fall decor so for now I just have this sweet little display under one of them. I am planning to have more fun with them as we get closer to halloween! Thanks for taking a look.

~Southern Fried Gal

p.s. If you want to own your own beautiful iron sconce with tiny cloches you can pick them up from me anytime! Check out our online catalog - sconces are on page 51. Don't forget to check out our September customer specials! Great savings and these make great gifts! Want more information on how to order? Shoot me an email at j.fryar@comcast.net with subject Order Information.

Transitional Fall Wreath

This post reworked to join in the Fall Wreath Party over at Red Writing! If you are joining me of the first time - welcome! Door Decor is one of my biggest passions! I've linked to several other past posts so be sure to click through for more fall door/wreath inspiration!

This was my fall wreath last year. This year I have more of a spooky-inspired idea (Chas is wearing off on me) that I want to put up in October and of course the turkey will be up for November. So I decided to rework an older DIY project.

So I shopped my junk, er, I mean creativity closet for a few items. I wanted to keep the items somewhat natural so they would blend nicely with what I already had on the door.

I pulled out the toad stool and tucked a pumpkin down in the bare spot. And then I tucked a seed pod here and a feather there...

My original plan was to rip out the impatiens. The fern is a fall fern and it will turn a coppery color when the first cool night comes. I planned to keep that and maybe tuck in a small mum or two. But those impatiens still had blooms and buds and I didn't have the heart to do pull them. I added a few sticks and found a raffia bundle and tucked that in one side.

And here's how it turned out. LOVE it! I even like the impatiens mixed with the fall items because that makes it truly a transitional look. Don't you just love it when a project turns out even better than you expected!?

This post is also linked to Kimba's DIY party and Transformation Thursday party. Be sure to head over there for more inspiration!

Thank You and a Winner

Thank you for celebrating one year of blogging with me! I hope to have plenty more to share this year and can't wait to get my fall decor picture-ready. I'm not quite there, yet. Right now it looks like a pumpkin whirlwind went through my den!

Now on to the winner. I used random number generator to get the number. I counted down the pre-entries and then the comments to get to the winner. Congratulations - Shannon @ Bless Our Nest! I stalked Shannon a bit before I put up my own blog. I love her sense of style as you will see in her post today. I'm also very excited about the news she announced last week! If you aren't already a follower please pop over to congratulate her on and let her know that SFG sent you her way!

I had a big task of naming a winner in Kimba's DIY giveaway last week. There were over 170 entries to visit - oh my!! I'm working on visiting everyone that left sweet comments here last week. I can't wait to see what you all are up to this week! Have a blessed one! ~Southern Fried Gal

Great Dip Recipes

Oooh - so excited that BooMama is hosting a DipTacular Party today! I wanted an excuse to repost both of these recipes for fall and now she has given me the perfect venue to do so!

I know BooMama is a Mississippi State fan and I won't hold that against her. I'm a Razorback Fan through and through but I can also support my other SEC teams so long as we are not playing one another! A friend gave this recipe to me last year. It is so yummy and perfect for tailgating. I decided to call it...

Wooo Pig Sooie Dip!

16 Oz Sour Cream
Package Bacon Bits (I use real bacon pieces)
1 Package Ranch Dip Seasoning
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Mix together and serve with chips - Fritos are the best!

And because I believe you always need at least one salty and one sweet item when entertaining, I'll share my Apple Toffee Dip recipe as well.

This is one of those yummy recipes that gets me in the mood for fall. It's my kind of recipe - few ingredients, quick and easy prep, and FABULOUS results! It always receives rave reviews and it is so very easy!!! I originally received the recipe from a cousin - not sure of her source.

Apple Toffee Dip

1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 pkg almond toffee bits (found in the baking section)
5-6 large sliced apples

Mix together first four ingredients until well blended and fluffy. Fold in toffee bits. Serve with sliced apples.

And finally I already posted about my favortie hot dip this week - Spinach and Artichoke. Yum!

Have fun checking out all the yummy dip recipes! Oh and before you head back to BooMama's to do so be sure to pop over and enter to win my blogoversary giveaway! Oh and Go Hogs!

DIY Day Giveaway

Welcome DIY friends! I'm so excited about this post! Thank you, Kimba, for allowing me to sponsor this week's giveaway for DIY Day!! I just love going over there each week and adding to my project wish list. At this rate I should have everything on my list as of today completed by 2020 - ha!

It's all about Gail Pittman this month with Southern Living at HOME. Talk about a real DIY gal. She started hand painting pottery right out of her home so that she could stay home with her children. Now she designs for the stars and is our FABULOUS creative director for Southern Living at HOME.

I love how she plays with color combos and especially her attention to detail in design. I also love that she decided early on that she not only wanted her products to stand the test of time in design but also in quality. Our dinnerware collection is chip resistant, microwave, oven, and dishwasher safe!

Some of our Gail Pittman Pottery Line is on Sale in the month of September. There are over 30 items priced below $20! These items are beautiful, versatile, and make GREAT gifts! In addition to the AWESOME prices on these pieces, I am offering a $12 flat rate shipping fee for any order over $25. That includes drop shipping to your home! So the more you shop the more you save!

And don't forget to take advantage of our customer specials this month. These prices are available with any order of $29.95.

I am excited to announce that I have simplified the ordering process. You can check out the sale items here and the full catalog here. When you are ready to place your order, simply email me at j.fryar@comcast.net with the subject line DIY Day Order. I will calculate your total and send payment options. How easy is that? And how hard is it to find personal customer service these days???

Happy shopping!

p.s. I am hosting my own giveaway to celebrate a year of blogging. Be sure to get your name in the drawing!

Fall Nesting - Front Doors

Melissa over at The Inspired Room kicked off her annual Fall Nesting party today. The weather has been hinting at fall which is wonderful! I'm hoping to get some nesting completed this week. I can't wait to get lots of inspiration from this party!

You know I'm all about my front door (just don't drive by today because there is a bag of potting soil and a bright blue water hose out there right now). I wanted to share what is inspiring me this year.


I always start with what I did the previous year. Last year I put up the grapevine garland with harvest colored lights. I loved it and will definitely be starting with that and building from there this year.

This was the harvest wreath that I started with last year.

(It has been around the block a few times. I add to and rip out. Those pumpkin are picks just tucked into the wreath. A few didn't have picks, so I just stuck a wooden BBQ skewer in to create one - easy!)

Last year I ripped out all the pumpkins and wired this gobbler to the wreath - love it! It will stay this way for a while. So now I will need something else for the interim. I'm playing around with my living wreath hoping it will serve as a good interim before I bring Tom back out to greet in November.

I loved this planter and pumpkin vignette at my friend Chas' home last year. I'm not a spooky girl so I would have to lose the spiders. She has the BEST tastefully spooky decor I have ever seen. I can't wait to see what she comes up with this year!

LOVE that Jack's Lantern Company sign!

This is a neighbor's front door. I loved the simple and cute idea of painting boo on the pumpkins going down the step. You could also paint your house number on the pumpkins. Here's a fun twist on that over at The DIY Show Off!


I hope you have been inspired today and I know you will be if you check out all the other links over at The Inspired Room. I will be sharing my actual decor over the next couple of weeks.

Don't forget to enter to win my blogoversary giveaway!