House of Fifty Blog

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Happy New Year to You!!

Here's to a fun celebration...and a happy & prosperous new year!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

How To Make Gold Leafed Candlesticks

If you are like me, your taking this week kind of slow and enjoying some down time. But, if down time for you just happens to include a little DIY'ing, here's a fun way to update worn or old candlesticks with a little sheen!

Materials Needed:

collection of candlesticks in varying heights
fine-grit sandpaper
tack cloth
gold-leaf sheets

liquid adhesive
gold-leaf sealer
gold-leaf antiquing
2 foam brushes

Gather Supplies

Find a collection of old or worn candlestick holders and collect needed supplies.

Sand Surfaces

Lightly sand candlestick holder surfaces to remove any existing finish.

Wipe Clean

Wipe away dust with tack cloth.

Apply Adhesive

Brush all surfaces with gold-leaf liquid adhesive. Let set approximately 30 minutes until tacky.

Apply Gold Leaf

Lay sheets of gold leaf over candlestick surfaces and press into place with foam brush. Repeat until entire surface is covered.

Wipe Away Excess Leafing

Brush away loose particles with foam brush.

Apply Sealer

Brush on layer of gold-leaf sealer. Let dry 30 minutes.

Apply Antiquing Finish

Brush on layer of gold-leaf antiquing finish.

Rub In and Wipe Away

Rub antiquing finish into cracks and ridges. Wipe away any excess with rag.

To see this and other ideas for decorating DIY style, visit HGTV.com

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Happy Holidays From Frosty Oregon!

We haven't seen snow, yet. But a layer of frost coating everything in sight, paired with foggy skies, has created an atmosphere nearly as pretty!

These pictures are taken in a nature preserve behind our house...

I feel lucky to have such a wonderful place just steps away!

Happiest of Holidays to you and your family!!

Janell

Friday, December 23, 2011

How to Make A Votive Candle Runway For Santa!

Whether you live in a home with young children who are excitedly awaiting the arrival of Santa, or merely want to create a festive welcome for guests arriving during a party, here is a simple way to light the way!

Side note: Looking at these pictures I just have to smile! This is a tutorial I was asked to write last winter for HGTV.com, and I wasn't certain I'd actually be able to pull it off. I mean, we don't have snow every year in the NW. However, I gathered my supplies, took the "steps" photos and then set everything by the front door to wait for snow to capture the "beauty shoot." Perhaps I'd get lucky before the article deadline and snow would magically appear at my front door. Well what do you know, one night the weather report claimed snow might just arrive early the next morning. So I set my alarm for a crazy hour and amazingly snow was falling! I quickly moved out the glass cylinders, lit the candles and started capturing photos. This brief snowfall ended up being the only snow we saw all winter, talk about luck.

A few minutes later I heard screams of delight. The kids had awaken and wanted to get out and play in the snow asap...at a few minutes past six! I blew out the candles, bundled them up and off we went to make snowmen! What fun, I hope we are as lucky this year.