Easy Velvet Pumpkins

You see cloth pumpkins ever where this time of year. And this year I got together with a friend and made our own. They're quick and easy to make! Here's the supplies you'll need:

Fabric

Scissors

Thread (heavy-duty) & needle

Fiberfill and rice

Broken pumpkin stems

Trace around different round objects,

we used a bowl set and a large lampshade as our size patterns.

Once you have your circles, fold over the edge 1/4" and run a loose slip (or running) stitch. Make sure to leave a long tail of thread so you can pull the strings to gather up the sides.

Gather up the sides and fill the bottom with fiberfill, then add your rice, and top with more fiberfill. Once your little pumpkin is full pull the sides up tight and knot several times.

Hot glue your stem...and you've got one cute pumpkin!!

Sorry for the dark picture, I was using my cell phone.

Here is our darling pumpkin patch!

AsterHouse Designs Hits The Bottoms!

Thursday afternoon Eryn and I headed East on I-70 with the hopes of scoring forgotten treasures. The Bottoms is a thriving warehouse district for repurposed items, antiques, and a lot of plain ol’junk! Below are just some of the treasures we found on our adventure! Besides great finds we also connected with many antique dealers and now have large warehouses of stuff at our fingertips…so if you’re looking for something in particular shoot us an email and the next time we head to the Bottoms we’ll fill our U-Haul trailer with something for YOU!!!

Bought this table the first five minutes I was there...I knew I was going to be in trouble this trip....yikes!! My Mother and her BFF Jane are proud of my find! I also bought the four white chairs (adding new fabric and distressing a little more will make them fit right in!)

So we couldn't resist these little Japanese stools! They would look darling in a children's room, but for now I'll find a place in my house to display them. Oh, and the wire basket is for my office!

Yeah, Eryn finally scores! She has been looking for the perfect little lamp for her bedroom! With a little TLC and recovering the shade this will be darling!! What a find!!! Eryn found an amazing sideboard which she plans on putting in her entryway!

If you look in any magazine you'll find reproduced vintage sunburst mirrors. Eryn found this one to put above her new sideboard. The contrast in colors will be striking! Can't wait to see it up!

On our way to lunch we stumbled upon this charming little shop off Southwest Trafficway. The temptation was too much, we had to pull over and check it out! The shop was filled will everything vintage! Every display told a story from the past. It was like walking down memory lane. It's a must stop next time you're in town! Walking two blocks east to Manny's Mexican restaurant is also a must!

There in the middle of the store was two metal framed wooden shelved units. Eryn and I both thought these would make great outdoor entertaining sideboard for our patios. I can see the glasses and plates on it now-it just calling out to help with my next party!!
Where there is a will, there is a way to get all our treasures home. And that way was finding the nearest U-Haul rental shop. We hooked up the largest trailer we could get and started loading! Lessons learned this trip? Go prepared! Always carry blankets, bungees, and a trailer hitch just in case you find unexpected deals. But, this time we managed pretty well by using sweaters as buffers, and our scarves to secure things down. HA!!

Keep checking back to see how we used all our new finds!

Oh, the places you'll go!!!!!

We were recently called upon to consult on a hotel lobby gift shop...only thing is...the hotel is still under construction!! So, we donned our hard hats for a tour of what we can tell is going to be a fabulous new stop on the Manhattan road map!! Make sure you stop in after the Grand Opening and check out the new Convention Center!! And don't forget to puruse the gift shop...I hear the flooring and paint colors are going to be gorgeous!!

Quick & Inexpensive Bathroom Redo!

When we moved into our house two-years ago, painting our girl’s bathroom was at the bottom of my to-do list. But, now that I’ve checked off a remodel in the kitchen, guest bedroom and bath, and mudroom, I can start to think about those quicker redo projects. Last weekend my husband said, “You know babe, I’m just not crazy about the color of the girl’s bathroom.” Well, you don’t have to ask me twice (that only applies to decorating projects, you’ll have to ask a few more times for me to get motivated to fold the laundry!)


My first challenge was to see how inexpensive I could pull off this project. I figured that I’d probably have to change it again when my girls reach high school, which will be here before you know it- so why spend a ton!


After looking locally and searching every online store, I finally found a shower curtain that wasn’t too baby, too kid, and not too grownup looking. We chose a curtain with a white background, with black swirly flowers and light pink butterflies. Oh…I’m stumped, what color should I paint the walls? The bathroom has white subway tile, white wainscoting, and a white sink, toilet, and tub. White or light wall color was out of the question (unless you like igloos). I considered black, but decided it would feel like a cave. And I dare not paint another thing in this house pink. After two girls, I’m pinked out! So, instead I decided to combine all the colors together (white, black, and pink) and created a color from my past- mauve!


I was a little nervous when I started applying the paint and saw the new color against the existing sky blue, but once everything was painted and a fresh coat of white covered the wainscoting it turned out to be absolutely perfect!


After the shower curtain was up and the walls were painted it was easy to see what else needed to be done. I painted and distressed the three small framed mirrors already in the bathroom to match the new color. The ivory medicine cabinet was painted white and the white baskets in their storage unit were painted pink. We also added a $2.00 brushed nickel knob to the medicine cabinet to dress it up a bit. All simple and inexpensive ways to change an existing look!


Besides this project taking just a weekend to complete, all the projects were quick and easy to implement and gentle on my pocket book!


Breakout of Cost:

Wall Paint: $40.00

Trim Paint: already owned (quart $12.00)

Rug: $20.00

Shower Curtain: $35.00

New Rod Rings: $12.00

Matching Tumbler: $10.00

Decorative Black Tray: $10.00

Pink & White Spray Paint: already owned ($6.00)


TOTAL FOR OUR BATHROOM REDO: $145.00

AsterHouse, defined

New England foliage...Southern charm...West Coast beaches...Northwest mountain ranges....Midwest....hmmmm....

As much as Amanda and I both love to visit these gorgeous destinations, we don't live there....we live in small-town-midwest America...and most days, we love it! It is where our families are being raised, our husbands work and we play (and do a little work of our own!!). There are so many blessings to small town living.

As we sat down to brainstorm ideas for our business name, descriptors flowed fast...simple, approachable, casual, elegant, unique, crisp, clean, comfortable...Our desire was to find a word or phrase that pulled those things together. We loved the thought of a beach house...a place that oozes comfort, family, memories, simplicity, and welcome...alas, we are miles and miles and miles from any beach... In fact, we are almost smack dab in the center of the country...as far away from any said beach as you can possibly get...so, how could we find a word that communicated those same qualities, yet celebrated our flint hills, small town locale??

Aster: name of a flower prolific in the plains and hills

of Kansas...the name comes fromthe ancient greek word

meaning "star"

"Ad Astra per Aspera": our state motto...meaning "To the Stars with Difficulty...the aspiration of Kansas is to reach the unattainable; its dream is the realization of the impossible"

From the outset of our business, our desire has been to stay true to our midwest roots all the while aspiring to bring quality, welcome, simplicity, creativity and great design to each of our clients...We hope these words will quickly become synonymous with AsterHouse Design!!

A Lesson About Self

So you think that you “know” yourself, that once you reach a certain age you know who you are. There is a point in your life that you understand all your likes, dislikes, passions, strengths and weaknesses. And for the most part that is the core of what makes you “you”. What I love is that we were so creatively designed, so complex and intricate, that there are things still to be discovered about ourselves! They seem to happen less frequently now that I’m approaching 40 than they did as a teen or young adult, but they happen nonetheless.
What have I learned you ask? That blocking out creative design time in a day filled with appointments, meetings, and my girl’s errands will end up in a disaster! Friends ask me all the time, “How do you get it all done?” My response is that I am organized, making to-do lists for my errands and projects. My life, from planning family meals to selecting commercial tiles, is one big list. And, for the most part this system as served me well…until this week, when I forgot to pick up my girls at art class, and forgetting to drop them off for a sleepover with a friend, oh yes and there was that phone conversation regarding a play date of which I was unable to recall the details. All of those mental slips ALL occurred during our creative design planning sessions.

What’s really troubling to me is that during our design time I had ABSOLUTELY no recollection that I had anything else in my life going on! How in the world is that even possible? It’s not like I became a mother and wife yesterday. So of course this is concerning to me, am I losing my edge? Is this what I get to look forward to now that I’m reaching mid-life? Relax gals. After much pondering about all my mental hiccups this week, I figured it out. When I’m designing a space, I mentally crawl into a space in my mind where nothing else exists. What’s crazy is that I didn’t know this little area in my brain even existed until recently. Is it possible that after 37 years I’ve learned something new about myself? YES!

The moral to my recently learned life lesson? Amanda cannot schedule design sessions on days filled with other obligations and setting a kitchen timer to bring me back from my creative vortex will help too…

Amanda P.

Favorite Things #1

Being organized is something I strive for as a busy wife, mother, and small business owner. But, organizing my gift wrap items was not high on the to-do list! Until, I saw this neat idea.

Before I had wrapping paper and tissue under the bed, ribbon in a closet, and cards in a drawer. I dreaded having to pull together a gift because I had to spend time (something I seem to be short on) looking for all the items I needed.

I purchased this nifty pantry organizer at http://www.chefscatalog.com/ . The shelves are adjustable so you can make it work for all your gift decorating needs.

Not only do I have ALL my gift items together in one central location, but I can actually see what I have. Before I was digging around or had to remove ten spools of ribbon to get to the one I needed. Now, as I'm racing out the door I can quickly throw together the cutest little gift with ease!