Happy First Day of Spring! With all the snow we've had this year, you would think that I'd steer far away from white for spring. Nope!  I went for brightness by creating a simple, dramatic white mantel for spring. Spring has more than her fair share of cloudy days.  And there's nothing like a background of white with color pops for a dramatic look to brighten the spirits on a gray gloomy rainy day.     I'm excited that spring has officially arrived.  You too? There is still a bit of snow in the forecast.  But, the reality of spring's appearance is seeing larger and larger … [Read more...]

  St. Patrick's Day. It's all about the green....and this saint that seems to have spoken out against slavery, valued women, and influenced Ireland with Christianity.   All good things, wouldn't you say? So why not splash a few shamrocks around the house. Flash some green. And listen to some toe-tappin' music.     When it comes to seasonal  home decor,  I'm all about simple and using what you have on hand. And...because I love all things book page, I decided to use book pages and hand-cut shamrocks in decorating the mantel for St. Patrick's Day. This little project was … [Read more...]

Raise your hand if you have decorated your valentine mantel or some area of your house only to have members of your household tell you it's pretty ordinary? Did you see my hand go up? Yup.  It did. That's what they said in not so many words. It's not a good thing when your blog name includes the word, "extraordinary."     Remember my winter birch branch mantel with the hand cut book page snowflakes? I liked that "mantelscape."  It was different.  And it seems that since it's being featured a few places, some of you like it too. Why not tweak it just a bit for Valentine's … [Read more...]

  I've been hearing this question a lot lately, "Is there enough snow for you?" Having lived in West Michigan and in the Buffalo area, I am familiar with snow.  Lots of it.  Record snowfalls.  This year, it snows or seems to snow every day.  Regardless of the amount, it's enough!   Prior to this year's white avalanche, I shared my winter mantel and asked if anyone wanted me to create a tutorial for making pretty snowflakes.  It seems that I am not the only one who did not know that there was a paper-folding technique that would make all the difference in the world.  So, today, just in case … [Read more...]

Birch is such a fun wood to decorate with in the winter. It gives a space a certain brightness and the bark almost seems reflective.  Both of which brighten corners and more during the dark gray days of winter. If you've been following along, you may remember the birch wreath for Christmas.  Shhh...don't tell anyone...but it's still up and it has a few cardinals residing in it's quickly drying greenery. [wink]  We also used it to decorate the front of the house, which for some reason none of my photos turned out, and we used it to decorate the fireplace and mantel area for Christmas as well. After … [Read more...]

  This birch branch winter woodland tablescape just might be my most favorite table setting ever. What is it about natural elements that make my heart sing?     This winter we've been having fun decorating with birch branches.  You may have seen some of it here and here and here. We had a few longer birch branches that hadn't been used over Christmas, so I thought creating a birch branch winter woodland tablescape would be fun.  Actually, creating a centerpiece of the branches for the table would set the stage and theme.     Birch branches are perfect for winter … [Read more...]

  I played with power tools this weekend. Just two.  But, one, in particular, got me totally excited. I may or may not have posted something about it on Facebook.     One tool was a power miter saw.  That wasn't a big deal.  I used to own one until I allowed some other people to use it and it came back to me in pieces.  That's a story for another day.  Maybe. I've always wanted to use a nail gun.  I can't tell you how fun it was.  It made quick work of assembling the birch branches.  But, you can make a wreath like this without power tools. So just for fun, I put together a simple … [Read more...]

Grapevine wreaths can be so very easy to decorate with for most holidays. You might remember my Easter Egg Wreath or my Natural Fall Wreath.  Both were quick and simple to make. This Grapevine and Winterberry Noel Wreath was also easy to put together.     Early this fall I created a few grapevine wreaths from those growing up in the trees nearby.   They're easy to make and they're free.  Yay!     I've been having lots of fun decorating with Winterberry or Michigan Holly which grows in wetlands.  I love their vivid red color.  They really add a colorful pop to all the … [Read more...]

  This year, I wanted to be really intentional about observing Advent.  I even shared a post with ideas for Advent readings and candles, here. But, when it came to my own advent candle wreath, I had nothing.  Nada. It was something I wanted....but it is not necessary.  Plus, I don't exactly have money to be spending on something like this, and since I'm living "in between" with my stuff in storage, well...I really could go without.     Several weeks ago I was invited to participate in an upcoming blogger event, All Things Dollar Tree for Christmas, where you create something from … [Read more...]

I know...I've been an awful tease. First I gathered some pine cones, made them pop! and told you they were for a wreath. Then, I decorated the mantel with a sweater vase filled with pampas grass and peacock feathers and mentioned the wreath. And if you saw some of my posts on Facebook, you probably feel doubly teased. Maybe you were beginning to wonder if you would ever see this wreath.   Today is the day for unveiling my Pampas Grass Wreath embellished with pine cones and peacock feathers. So without further ado....drum roll please...     I love that nature provided … [Read more...]

Welcome to Day 17 of 31 Extraordinary Days to Be...  Or...simply: Be... Together, we will learn to Be… to live fully and beautifully in our “skin” and in our homes and beyond.  If you missed The Introduction or you'd like to follow the entire series, you can find each post listed here.   My good friend often says to me, "Diane, you think too much." Have you been guilty of thinking too much?   We are creative people. Yes, even you.   The problem is that creativity gets hindered when we think too much. And that gives way to this exclamation, "I'm not … [Read more...]

Do you have those weeks...months...when everything seems to fly by and you feel like every day is a catch-up day? Yeah.  That's me. My connection to the blogging world began in the fall several years ago. I followed all the link parties...wondered what "Mr. Linky" was...and consumed tons of #InspiringFallIdeas and drooled over all the amazing fall mantels. When I finally had my own blog, one thing I wanted to do for sure was to link up to my favorite fall link parties.     Sometimes life throws curve balls and it's challenging to get back on track.  (At least no one can accuse me of … [Read more...]

  Want to bring the beach home or create a coastal or nautical feel in your decor? Create an Easy Nautical Life Ring Wreath. Hang it on a vintage window like I did here, on the wall, or even on your front door.   It's a super quick and easy wreath to make. You need a few supplies and in less than an hour, you'll have yourself some classy coastal decor.   Easy Nautical Life Ring Wreath     Supplies: A foam wreath form; mine came from the Dollar Tree. Ruler Scissors Straight pins Cream or white fabric cut into two and one-half-inch strips. An … [Read more...]

  This was not the year for me to be spending time at the water's edge, wiggling my toes in the soft warm sand. Yet, my heart was yearning for the beach.   What's a girl to do? Create a coastal vignette!     It all started with my glam clam that had a makeover. She looked mighty fine on the sideboard sporting her new color combo along with a sea of shells and beach glass. There was one missing element, though.  A seascape on the wall.     My stash did not include a lovely painting of a lake, beach, or sea. But, my stash did include a picture that I picked … [Read more...]

I couldn't wait any longer. It was time to get out my can of spray paint and indulge in a little coastal decor DIY makeover!     This summer I really started missing the Great Lakes. I'm a 'Mitten State' girl who grew up a bicycle ride away from Lake Michigan.  And more recently we lived 20 minutes away from Lake Erie and 40 minutes from Lake Ontario.  Spending time at the beach in the summer is one of those things that renews my spirit. Since I wasn't going to be making the trip to the beach, I decided to bring the beach home.  It may not be the same.  But, I have had a ton of fun … [Read more...]

I'm so excited to share the Laundry Room Makeover Reveal with you!!     Some of you may have been impatient with me as I shared my laundry room makeover in bits and pieces.  It all started last summer and then finally a few weeks ago, I made up for lost time. Have you ever wanted to makeover a room, but had no funds in your account? Don't let that stop you.  My zero budget forced me to get creative with what I had around my house and proved to me, once again, that I don't need to let the lack of money prevent me from making my home extraordinary. My laundry room makeover was a fun … [Read more...]

  When you live in an older home, circa 1950, with a basement laundry area, you just might not have all those wonderful modern, out-of-sight hook-ups for the washer and dryer. So what's a gal to do when she doesn't like looking at the vent and the water faucets? Create a cute laundry room skirt to hide the "unmentionables."   It really is an easy solution.  And a pretty cute one too!!   Last year, I happened upon a bag of miscellaneous fabrics for $1 at the thrift store.  It was truly a mixed bag.  When I decided to create a skirt to hide the "unmentionables" in my laundry … [Read more...]