In case there was ever any doubt, I LOVE fresh evergreens at Christmas. Did you purchase an evergreen wreath or two for your home and now, the week of Christmas it's crunchy? It happens. I wonder how far in advance commercial wreaths are made. Besides that, if you hang your wreath in a place where it receives the warm air currents and do not spray it regularly, it WILL dry out. One of my friends always buys a wreath on Black Friday to use on her coffee table. It looks amazing, but come Christmas it's pretty dry. If that's you... you can make a fresh evergreen wreath … [Read more...]
It's not too early to start making your own natural Christmas tree ornaments. May these fabulous ideas inspire you to get your craft on. My rustic nature-inspired Christmas decorations are my most popular posts. The best part of using the fruits of Mother Nature in your Christmas decor other than the beauty is that it is usually inexpensive. Take some time now to create without the pressure of the season and enjoy the process. We all have good intentions, I don't want you to get caught on Thanksgiving weekend wishing you'd had a bevy of handmade natural … [Read more...]
Welcome to Part 2 in our three-part journey of how to create a home office that's budget-friendly, serves you well, and is uniquely YOU! (You can revisit Part 1 here.) You don't want to waste time and energy getting your space just right. Let my experience save you from the pitfall of a potentially expensive mistake. Thank you to Wayfair for sponsoring this post. The two MOST important things your home office needs… Let's start with the NUMBER ONE THING you need for your workspace. Ahhh. You FINALLY get to focus on your “new” home … [Read more...]
Have you been thinking about turning that junk room or guest room into a home office? Though you may have been forced into the whole “work from home” thing along with many recently, I had been working at home on my little online business for more than eight years. With a laptop computer, we can work almost anywhere. The couch, the bed, the kitchen table, a little corner somewhere in the house, and in the past maybe the coffee shop, would serve as mini offices. Where do you set up and go “to work” when you're at home? After moving to this little apartment, my couch was my office for … [Read more...]
Happy Independence Day to all my fellow Americans! To celebrate, I dressed up a small sideboard in my dining room. You might have seen glimpses of it in the background of the photos where I shared how to set a star-studded 4th of July table. It's funny how I didn't think I had much that was red, white, and blue with which to decorate. Surprisingly I had plenty. The festive red, white, and blue banner was given to me by my blogging pal, Mary Beth from The How to Home. It sets the perfect backdrop to the vignette. If you wonder … [Read more...]
Simple easy tips for transitioning your home from winter-weary to spring-fresh. The trees are leafless and there's still snow on the ground. Yet soon, there will be wildflowers along our paths and a canopy of green overhead. While Mother Nature takes her sweet time transitioning her wardrobe, I'm going to jump ahead and pretend that spring has arrived and transition my inside spaces, making them fresh and happy and welcoming AND walk through the process with you. This post is sponsored by Wayfair. All thoughts and creative ideas are my own. What's the first color … [Read more...]
EASY and almost FREE... Kitchen Cabinet Organizer Ideas It has been said that necessity is the mother of invention. Out of desperation, I created some cute kitchen cabinet organizers for almost free using common items from around the house. Chaos may seem like a strong word to describe my kitchen cabinets. You know the feeling. You're cooking dinner and need one more herb or spice and before you know it, you've pulled out half of the little bottles looking for the RIGHT one! The counter is covered in seasoning containers while you hurry … [Read more...]
I'm excited to share with you how I wood burned the cutest simple rustic woodland animal Christmas ornaments for my tree. But, first... This the 1st stop on our FOURTH ANNUAL Handmade Christmas Ornaments Blog Hop. Just like each year past, you can expect to be inspired by all kinds of lovely Christmas ornaments created by our extraordinary bloggers. This year, we changed things up... we're doing TWELVE DAYS instead of the usual 31... with ALL of the creativity and inspiration you've come to expect. So... how about we get on with the fun?! Last year I created my … [Read more...]
Don't overlook that clearance item because it's not quite your style. Here's how I gave a rustic farmhouse metal sign a makeover and turned it into casual coastal wall decor. Have you ever been shopping and discovered something on a super sale that caught your eye, but it wasn't just right for you? When that happens don't dismiss the item... look at it again to see if you can tweak it or paint it or personalize it in some way to make it just right. Not long ago I was in Hobby Lobby when they were marking all kinds of home decor items down and I came across this metal farmhouse … [Read more...]
Think outside the box to create your own home decor and learn how to make a pillow from a table runner. One of the simplest ways to "springify" your home, besides giving it a fresh cleaning, is to add some fun new spring decor. Even better... make that new decor yourself. If you can cut with scissors and thread a needle... you can handle this super easy DIY project! When I was out shopping for my Easter table, some table runners beckoned me. Goodness, they were cute. One, in particular, caught my eye. It was the sweetest bunny rabbit with a crown of flowers and a cute bow around her neck. … [Read more...]
It's amazing what one simple handmade touch can do to bring spring into your home. Learn how to make a moss shamrock to add to your home decor vignette for St. Patrick's Day. Do you love to decorate your home with small seasonal vignettes? I find that they not only provide color and textural interest, they give me a venue for displaying my home decor craft projects. If this isn't something that you're in a habit of doing, I hope this post will encourage you to have fun with your home decor in a small but rewarding way. A few months ago I transformed a rummage sale chest and … [Read more...]
Do you have 5 minutes? Put together this inexpensive and simple shamrock wreath for St. Patrick's Day in a flash. Extraordinary seasonal home decor shouldn't take a huge chunk of time to create. I don't mind putting a lot of time into projects that will stay up year round, but Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter... for those holidays I believe we should be able to create pretty or fun decor that's eye-catching in a flash for few dollars. That's why I was so excited to make this totally fun, colorful, and very simple shamrock wreath for St. Patrick's Day. It's super … [Read more...]
Sweet and simple ways to decorate a small space living room for Valentine's Day in a French country style. So tell me... do you decorate your home for Valentine's Day? It's something I've usually done in some small way. This year after the Christmas decorations were all put away my living room felt so empty. This year's Christmas tree was so dramatic that once those sparkling lights with the stunning ornaments were gone I just had to do something. Tim isn't a fan of artificial flowers, but I really felt that I needed something of scale that would … [Read more...]
Ideas for Making a Warm and Cozy Black and White Buffalo Check Christmas Bedroom. It's Christmas Eve! My favorite night of the whole year! The snow is falling ever so gently outside my window. Yet, my heart is jumping inside with anticipation. My home is squeaky clean and festively decorated. Swedish meatballs are "marinating" in the fridge, there's a pie in the oven, and soon I'll be preparing our overnight French toast for brunch. And best of all, we'll soon be celebrating with hundreds of others at the 11 pm Christmas Eve service at … [Read more...]
Living on the edge of the woods with all that natural beauty inspires me in my Christmas decorating. This year I purchased a skinny tree and filled it with rustic farmhouse Christmas tree decorations I made. It's easy and inexpensive to create ornaments using the bounty of nature. Remember the 31 Days of Handmade Christmas Ornaments that we were so inspired by back in October? We enjoyed it so much that my friend, Mary Beth and I invited the group back for our First Annual Extraordinary Christmas Trees Tour. Not everyone could join us, but we have 13 gals for a fabulous 3-Day line … [Read more...]
Need a coffee table but don't have one? This DIY modern farmhouse tray is a cheap and easy solution with style. In my home, I'm the beneficiary of a nightly ritual that will make most wives jealous... My husband prepares a cup of cocoa or chai for me every evening before bedtime. He's been doing this for most of our married life and I love it. It's a very special way to end the evening. Since we've been living in this postage stamp of an apartment my choice is to sit at the table or on my little loveseat. Usually, I choose the loveseat. But, it's risky for … [Read more...]
Learn how to create a budget Thanksgiving table setting with dollar store items that's simple and elegant, plus a fun DIY pumpkin centerpiece project. It was just the two of us that Thanksgiving. As usual, since we moved to the Southtowns of Buffalo, there was snow and lots of it. There was no way I was going to get in the car and drive 8 hours for dinner. So I set the table as elegantly as possible and roasted a turkey. Tim and I were having a blast in the kitchen together, making a week's worth of stuffing, potatoes, Far East Celery, two kinds of cranberries, … [Read more...]
