Decorating with Crows and Enamelware
for a unique twist on fall or halloween decor, combine vintage enamelware with faux crows.
Summer is drawing to a close and fall is right around the corner. The bright primary colors and playful accessories at my house are being put to bed. I’m ready for some subtle color themes before I jump full throttle into harvest and pumpkins. My store display roots are whispering September subtles in my ear, and I just can’t help myself from styling with early fall grays, blacks, and golds! I’m not a Halloween girl, but I love decorating with crows and enamelware for a hint of the coming season.
I came up with this vignette for our Thrifty Chicks monthly Challenge today! This month our theme is “Birds”, and I couldn’t think of a more timely seasonal bird to celebrate this time of year than the irritating, yet smart crow! Guess Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” film was on my mind;)
At the end, I’ll have all the links to my friend’s posts; can’t wait to see what they all came up with this month!
Our back entry has slowly been getting updated with fresh paint. I began refreshing the kitchen paint back in March when there was still snow outside the window {“Decorating is Like Dominos; One Thing Leads to Another”}! I still haven’t done down the stairs yet, but guess this is a partial reveal! Does anyone else’s home dec projects last for months?
Besides painting the walls a light gray, I painted our back door with black chalkboard paint and we installed beadboard paneling on the lower half of the wall. We also installed a high shelf of rough wood for texture and to coordinate with the wood shelves we hung in the kitchen.
From the beginning I envisioned my collection of vintage black and white enamelware up on this high shelf. For one reason, the large containers were taking up too much space in my pantry {“Pantry Organization, Vintage Inspired”}. But I also wanted to keep them handy, because I use them often. Once we got the shelf up, I immediately grabbed the enamelware and started displaying it. It’s so fun to see it all together up high!
To coordinate with the enamelware, I picked up a couple more crows to add to my collection. I was envisioning crows, sticks and spanish moss, along with some vintage black and white accessories. For texture I was wanting cornstalks, but it’s still a little early around here for the straw-colored dry versions…we’re still eating fresh corn every week! I did manage to scare up a couple of old cobs in my fall decor stash. When I was shopping, I spied the cotton sprigs that are so popular right now, and decided they’d add great texture to the scene.
The dominoes are a nod to my earlier post, plus…they’re black and white! And yes, that is a enamelware urinal;) Years ago I bought a whole brand new box of them at a garage sale and sold every. single. one. I made great profit on that box! My mom had bought this one from me, since she’s a nurse, and I just had to grab it out of her stash to remember the great day I found these!
This family scale was a church sale spring find this year, so I just had to add it’s awesome gray and white face to the shelf. I grabbed handfulls of spanish moss and tucked it here and there for texture. Boy, did I make a mess! Yes, I had to vacuum before taking pics!
My vintage, green bedspring announces my theme with a “Crows” sign on an old clipboard. I added this downloadable/printable to my Resource Library for your use. You can grab it for free by subscribing below.
A black and white birch branch got treated to some clearance felt feathers I strung on some twine. I added natural texture by tying items on with garden twine. I also added some old broom heads, with a nod to scarecrows. Old clock faces give graphic punch to the scene.
An old quilt top I’d picked up had one square that seemed to fit in with this crow theme. I separated it from it’s neighbor squares and clothes-pinned it to my spring. Isn’t that old fabric design awesome?
Even though I don’t own a store or sell anymore, I still love to create themed displays like this! I get bored after a couple months of a season in my home, and love to embrace the new season on flexible, architectural backdrops like this shelf and bedspring.
Our back entry is our main entry, and having a fresh, seasonal display makes me happy each time I come and go, and also greets our guests with creativity as they enter our home! One of my oldest son’s friends recently stopped over for the first time in a couple years and remarked, “Your house always had such cool stuff around”. I totally took that as a compliment from a 22 year old guy:)
My “Repurposed Printer’s Drawer” Clock display fits right in with this junky vignette. I love the crisp black and white enamelware with the earthy textures of wood, straw, spanish moss and corn husks, along with awesome patinaed metal!
If you’d like to create your own “Crows” display and would like my printable PDF, simply subscribe and you’ll have access to all my free tips, tricks and pretty printables in the Resource Library. I add items almost every week! I’ll send you the password and you can find all kinds of fun things there!
When the afternoon sun comes streaming in my back door, I’m happy we’ve spent the time and effort to revitalize this well-used area of our home. If I can just get a couple more Saturdays of work done, I can finish up down the stairs! I’m much better at job starting than job finishing…
Now that you’ve seen my Decorating with Crows and Enamelware vignette, enjoy the rest of my Thrifty Chick’s friend’s posts, after you Pin and Share!
Thrifty Chicks “Birds” Challenge:
Sharing at these lovely parties:
Love your prose in “cleaning the slate.” I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who likes to scrub things and start anew! I love the ideas you’ve shown in decorating for fall. I have a few black birds to set around the kitchen/house. I love sunflowes, too, and they will be part of my decor along with pumpkins, and corn, and apples!
I love the crows! I always love seeing how you arange you vignettes; thought of you several weeks ago when I bought a 4″ square vintage dish with a bluebird and again when I bought a GW birdhouse and egg print! We have real crows in our neighborhood and they come around when Al brings compost out to the compost pile; sometimes I wonder if anything lasts to be composted. They call their buddies over with their caws and I have to smile! I tend to use my artificial ones for Halloween–should dig them out earlier! Our neighboring town has a LARGE murder of crows that we have seen coming home to roost–looks like a scene from a Hitchcock movie!
Yes, crows are a little creepy, Kathy…probably why I like decorating with them in the Fall and for Halloween!
This is fun, Lora! Crows definitely remind me of the changing seasons. I guess they are around all year but their distinctive cawing is more heard in the fall and reminds me of change.
I feel the same way, Stacey; seems like I notice them more in the fall when the cornstalks are being put up as decor. Thx!
I love crows so much. They are my most favorite bird. When I was a bird rehabilitator I had a baby crow who was just so cute. He would hide blueberries behind the legs of all the chairs and he just loved to hang out with us. Enamelware? Right now I’m obsessed with making my own enamelware and plan to do a post on it soon. It’s really easy. You need to find metal that has a certain “lip” at the top, spray the entire thing with white spray paint and then use a black magic marker to make the black “lip” around the top and various “dings” here and there. Great fun. Anyway, I’m featuring your crows and pinning to Pinterest. New hostess of Thursday FAvorite Things, best wishes, Linda @Crafts a la mode
Thanks, Linda! Your enamelware project sounds intriguing; will have to check that out! Congrats on being a new TFT hostess!
I love your display with your enamelware and the crows. It is so charming. Your display is truly incredible.
Please Stop by Thursday Favorite Things since you are one of my feature picks this week.
Hugs,
Bev
Glad you enjoyed it, Beverly! Thanks!
Simply amazing Lora! I love crows in decor from August-October. I really love the black and white theme, and you have added the coolest junk to your vignettes. I will be back to study your vignettes in more detail. Such a fun post for the Thrifty Chicks August challenge!
Oh yes, I still have unfinished winter projects!
Thanks, Amber!
What a beautiful display you created! You really have a knack for adding personality to a vignette.
Thanks for your sweet words, Paula! I love the junk, but I also love styling it;)
This is really so cute, i loved every last bit of it, lots to see and smile about, i am so ready for Fall myself. Have a nice weekend.
Thanks, Marlene! Maybe it’s the heat we’ve been having, cuz’ I’m ready for some cooler days; kicks my energy it!
Hi Lora, I found your blog for the first time on Style Showcase and fell in love with your crows. I have one crow decoy that I haven’t known what to do with so now I have some great ideas. Love the black and white and all the thought that went into this creative display. I’d love for you to visit me at bringingfrenchcountryhome.blogspot.com. See you next time, Pat
Glad you found me, Pat! I visited your lovely blog and am swooning over your cabin in the mountains! We were just your way visiting a college in Denver for one son and visiting my other son who’s working near Steamboat for the year. Oh, how I love CO! We actually honeymooned in Estes Park, so it’s a special state for me:) Hope you’re safe from the bears and mountain lions-that would be a little scary for me!
I adore the crows vignette. I always love your posts. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your sweet words, Kippi!Visited your site, too-love it! Your photography is beautiful; great job!
Great decorating for the summer to fall transition period, Lora. Love to see all that white and black enamelware gathered together, and your bed spring decor is just fab.
I had a feeling you’d like all that black and white enamelware, Diana;) I’m ready to plunge into a whole new season of creativity! I get bored quickly…
Oh My Golly, I love it all! Especially that bed spring decor. How festive. You’ve given me some great ideas. Thanks!
You’re too cute, Cindy! I’m excited if I gave you some ideas, because you’ve got plenty of your own great ones, girl! Love your home and your style! Glad I got to meet you on Amber’s latest hop!
So lovely Lora! That bed spring backdrop is so amazing. I need to find one of those.
Thanks, Tuula! It is one of my favorite finds…because it’s green, too!
It looks great lora! Love the bedspring and vignettes but i gotta say…im a little sad that summer is almost over already :o(
Tanka
Thanks, Tania. I’m a little sad, but am looking forward to a whole new season of ideas. Cool weather kicks in my creative juices; heat kind of melts my brain;0
You are so right, summer draws to a close it is time to go neutral. I love how you tied the vignettes together. You have a flair for styling.
Thanks, Debra! I do miss having a whole store to style and playing with lots of different themes, but I don’t miss the overwhelm!