DIY: Easter Centerpieces

By Towne Home Furnishings

Hop your way into Easter with this simple & charming floral arrangement. The beautiful pastel colors will give your table setting the fresh look it needs this spring. Then, with the same eggs, you can make another thrifty craft that will look just as dainty. Follow these easy steps & you’ll have them done in no time!

Easter Floral Arrangement

What you need:

·         A wire basket

·         Speckled Easter eggs

·         Baby’s breath

·         Vase

1)      Use some speckled Easter eggs, preferably in muted colors. If you do not manage to find any that are already prefabricated, purchase some wooden or foam eggs. Then paint them in muted colors of your choice. As a final touch, use a toothbrush to speckle brown spots.  Make sure to make extra eggs for the following craft!

2)      Start by adding a few eggs in the wire basket. Don’t be afraid to mix the colors for best results! Also, include yellow, as you cannot have a happy event without the color that best represents the emotion! Next, add a glass vase in the center of the wire basket. Then arrange the eggs around the vase according to your liking. Once the wire basket is filled and the vase is surrounded, add water to the vase.

3)      Finally, add some flowers to your arrangement. Most people would consider baby’s breath a “filler” for floral arrangements, however its simplicity will not take away from the beauty of the colorful eggs in the basket. On the plus side, they are also extremely inexpensive, so your arrangement will turn out to be a bargain!

This arrangement has a rustic feel to it and would be showcased beautifully on a rustic dining table. It’s simple yet charming look will complement the natural and organic elements of the wood.

Nestled Easter Eggs

What you need:

·         A cake pedestal

·         Straw

·         Speckled Easter eggs in muted colors

1)      Begin by taking some straw and shaping into a circle. If the straw is being fussy, try to wet it a little to help shape it and stick it together. If it still does not stick together at the ends, a little dab of glue from a glue gun will do just fine.

2)      Place the straw that is now shaped into a nest onto the cake pedestal. Then, take some of the leftover eggs from the previous craft and nestle them into their cozy little nest. This centerpiece would look lovely with a Shabby Chic or Vintage Casual style, as it screams effortless elegance.

There you have it! A table with dainty and egg-citing décor. It’s quite egg-traordinary! 

 Content provided by: @tailbase

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DIY Squash Decorating Ideas

By Towne Home Furnishings

Who said decorating your home for fall had to be expensive? Check out some thrifty DIY ideas with the use of squash to add a touch of autumn in your home. Time to roll up those sleeves!

Antique your butternut squash:

There is something about decorating a home with antiquities, as it adds instant history and soul. If you have a fondness for antiquities, then this is the project for you!

For a dark & rich aged-look, use dark wax. You can purchase some Minwax Stain at your local hardware store. Apply the stain to your squash and try not to spread it evenly, in order to achieve a distressed look. Make sure it dries in a well ventilated area, free of humidity or cold. Once it is dry, feel free to add some finishing touches like hemp string that you can tie to the stem. If the mood strikes, you can go a little wild and add some artificial leaves along with your string. Voilà : the perfect antiqued squash for your home. Fall, come on in.

Pumpkin vases for your table escape:

Here`s another idea to jazz up your home for fall; pumpkin vases! Make a beautiful, yet simple table escape that is not only quick, but easy on the budget. First, hollow-out your pumpkin. Do not carve a large piece off the top, but just enough to slide a tall glass inside the opening. Then, spray paint the pumpkin white to soften the look of its deep orange coloration. You can also choose another muted color such as a pale blue or mint.  The idea is to tone down the color of the vase and draw the attention to the bouquet.

Once the spray paint has dried thoroughly, slide the tall glass through the opening of atop the pumpkin. Add some water to the glass and put together a beautiful fresh arrangement with flowers of your choice. If you prefer a low maintenance vase, then synthetic flowers are your thing. Don`t be afraid to use multiple colors, as it will add more character. There you have it, your very own pumpkin vase!

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Get Your Home In The Halloween Spirit

By Towne Home Furnishings

October has come fast and Halloween will be here before you know it. Get ready for a frightfully good time by prepping the house early so you can celebrate in style. 

Decorate inside and out

Make your house “spooktacular!” Surprise trick-or-treaters on your doorstep with thrilling decorations, homemade or store bought. Here’s a perfect opportunity to get the kids involved. For example, transform your front yard into a haunted graveyard. Headstones can be set up with bones laid out and zombies placed so they look like they’re creeping up out of the ground. Put green, orange and purple lights on the bushes. Position spiders on the house and set spotlights on them. Stretch sprawling webs across the shrubs, doorway and shutters for a haunted effect. Scarecrows are fun to set up too!

Trick out the inside

Here's an example on how to set up a spooky Halloween party at the kitchen counter or dining table.

Make plans

You can also involve the kids with a craft project like making a bunch of cheesecloth that can be hung around the house. Wrap the banisters with Halloween style garland. Add lights if you dare. Clear off the mantle, tabletops, bookcase or the top of the entertainment center and decorate with Halloween accents like ceramic pumpkins, lighted haunted houses and animated spooks.

Content provided by: +Tailbase & Ashley Furniture

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4 Perfect Gift Ideas For Father's Day!

by Towne Home Furnishings

Dad’s big day is coming up. No time like the present to start brainstorming Father's Day gift ideas. There is nothing wrong with a tie or a gift card. But, you can also make Father’s Day special with a little time and thought.

Father's Day Gift Idea #1: Let Dad Sleep In! 

This gift idea is absolutely free. Let your dad sleep in a little later.

Father's Day Gift Idea #2: Photo Albums

Whether you’ve got photo albums full of prints or loads of shots saved to your iPhone, turn what you have into an artful gift for Dad. Have you seen the latest canvas prints? Pull some great pictures of you with Dad through the years and turn them into gallery-quality canvas-wrapped art.

Father's Day Gift Idea #3: Go Outdoors

Take Dad outdoors to a favorite fishing spot, or explore somewhere new to test the waters. Other Father’s Day Gift ideas could be an overnight camping trip, a walk on the beach or a hike at a scenic park. There are many ways to enjoy the great outdoors together.

Father's Day Gift Idea #4: Snack Attack! 

If you’re crafty you’ll love this Father’s Day gift idea. Make your own gift basket! Make your basket themed, such as a beer-lover’s basket with an assorted of microbrews, popcorn, pretzels and nuts. If Dad has a sweet tooth, perhaps gather an assortment of his favorite candies and homemade cookies. 

Content provided by: +Tailbase & +Ashley Furniture HomeStore 

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DIY Father's Day Cards

by Towne Home Furnishings

Happy Father's Day

When a special day like Father`s Day is around the corner, surely we want to offer our celebrated something special to tell them how much we love them. Parents always have and always will love homemade gifts and cards, because of all the love we put in it when making the craft. Here are 2 card ideas you can easily do with kids or by yourself:

Wallet Card

You will need: 

Brown craft paper: 4.5x11(cover of the wallet); 3.75x11(big pocket for the message); 1.5x3(small pocket for the gift card)

Craft paper (choose his favorite color) for the message you will write Glue to stick all parts together

1. Put ½ inch of glue on the 2 smaller sides and 1 bigger side of the “big pocket” paper. Then stick it to the “cover” corner-to-corner. Make sure that there is one side of the “big pocket” that doesn’t have any glue, and then you will be able to slide your message in it!
2. Do the same for the “small pocket” and stick it on the “big pocket” to the right or to the left, but not in the center!
3. Slide your message in the bigger pocket and your gift card in the smaller one and bend the paper wallet in the center.

BBQ Card

You will need: 

Craft paper (choose his favorite colors!): 8.8x11(Apron); 7.5x3(pocket); 6x1.5(name tag) 

2 inch ribbon 

2 little buttons 

An image of BBQ utensils (printed or drawn) 

Glue and pencil!

1. Cut the 2 upper corners to make curves.
2. Put ½ inch of glue on the 2 smaller sides and 1 bigger side of the pocket. Then stick it to the bottom of the apron. Stick the 2 buttons on both 2 top sides of the apron.
3. Stick each end of the ribbon behind the top of the apron.
4. Add the utensils in the pocket as well as your message.
5. Stick the name tag to the pocket listing the name of the kids.

Then, just write how much you love him and why you think he`s the best dad in the world, and there you go!

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