Do you decorate for Valentine's Day? Every year I look forward to adding an unexpected bit of whimsy to my decor in red and white for Valentine's Day. After the Christmas decor is stashed away for the season, our homes are usually re-organized and pared back a bit. I think that's why I love to bring out some red for February. I'm ready for a pop of color and the extra bit of life it gives my home decor in the midst of the loooong winter. Today I'm sharing an easy craft that will make your heart sing.... Beaded 3-D Hanging Paper Hearts Tutorial This fun project requires just a few … [Read more...]
I wrote this post as part of a paid campaign with Plaid Crafts, Michaels and Blueprint Social. The opinions in this post are my own. DIY Decorative Wood Tray :: Wall Art for Spring with Hope Quote I love birds! This time of year, backyard feeders are busy with countless songbirds feasting. Just like me... I'm sure our feathered friends cannot wait for spring! But, until spring comes, we can have fun creating beauty for our living spaces with from Michaels. Recently I was blessed to be selected to participate in the Plaid: Michaels Spring Wood Run Challenge. Imagine my thrill … [Read more...]
How would you like to have a fresh evergreen centerpiece for Christmas? I've been making one for years and now... with this tutorial you can too! Let's start with our supplies... Waterproof container ~ This Lenox Winter Greetings Bowl*is a new version and similar to the one I used. Pruner * Sharp knife with a long blade Oasis® floral foam* Assorted fresh cut evergreens Berries or rose hips ~ fresh or artificial Pine cones English ivy or boxwood is also a wonderful addition Optional: small bird house, bird cage, candle, bird, etc. Hot tip! I picked up my … [Read more...]
Are you always on the look out for great graphics? Especially at Christmas time? Today I have some Free Printable Graphics for you... and a terrific tutorial! It's been a long time since I've shared any printable graphics with you, so I decided to take some time and create a few graphics in PicMonkey. And then, I thought I'd show you... How to Create Your Own Christmas Graphics in PicMonkey This isn't going to be a full-blown tutorial with screen shots and such. But it will be a very detailed tutorial for the novice or newbie. It was easy for me to create this graphic and the others that follow. … [Read more...]
This fall I gathered a plethora of acorns on my walks at the local park. I've never seen such a variety of sizes and styles and browns in acorns. Of course, I probably never took the time to look before. This year in my quest to decorate on less than a dime, I turned to Mother Nature. And oh my... did she provide an abundance. I wanted to create a centerpiece for my Thanksgiving table setting. I had already made lovely oak leaf chargers, so I did what we all do when we want inspiration, I popped over to Pinterest. While I was looking at pretty tablescapes, I saw an acorn basket … [Read more...]
Do you remember those days as a child when you would collect fistfuls of autumn leaves? Maybe it was just last week that you found yourself picking up pretty leaves on your walk? Please... "Pin" - "Tweet" - or "Share" this image! I'm always on the look out for creating home decor with nature's bounty. It does seem that Mother Nature couldn't deliver any more leaves than she's been raining down on us the past few weeks. Actually, it's all been quite convenient for me. I have been planning an autumn tablescape but feeling like there was an important missing … [Read more...]
My heart sings for simple doable home decor. Even more... when it's inexpensive to make. Oh! And packs a WOW! Are you ready for a project that's all that and more? I'm going to show you how to create a flowery book page pumpkin that's extraordinary! The best part is that it's whimsical.... it delights children... and make adults smile. I brought one with me when I went to visit a friend and she fell in love with it. Don't you think it's looks adorable in her tabletop greenhouse. Sometimes we take seasonal home decor too … [Read more...]
It's Monday and time for Project Inspire{d}! I am so glad you're here! Now, is a good time to be scouring the woods for pine cones. You'll be wanting to add them to your late fall and holiday decor before you know it. Learn what I do to debug my pine cones and make them pop from this post from the archives. It's a popular post lately. Feel free to "pin" these pine cone crafting tips to remember for later, too. How was your weekend? My weekend began on Thursday this week. Not really, but it sure felt like it as I got to meet a fellow blogger for breakfast. Oh so fun! … [Read more...]
Please … “Pin-it” – Share it on Facebook – Stumble it! My friend mentioned to me that there just had to be something she could do with the garbage can filled with acorns she had just raked up from her yard...aside from starting an oak forest. You too? Recently, I shared the first of several upcoming ideas for creating home decor with acorns here. Can you imagine living in a virtual oak forest and never having crafted anything with acorns? [guilty] This year...I'm making up for lost time. There's a county park within walking distance and I've filled up a couple of bags of … [Read more...]
Last year I went hunting for acorns. I walked for what seemed like miles through the woods that rimmed the cornfield, eyes to the ground, carefully searching for those little nuts with cute hats. After expending all that effort in the hunt, I walked home with a small handful. That's all! This year I had success and found all the acorns I ever wanted! Please … “Pin-it” – Share it on Facebook – Stumble it! You know how you hear that there will be a bad winter when there are lots of acorns? Last winter was the worst I've known, and there were hardly any acorns in my neck of the … [Read more...]
With Sweetest Day coming up this weekend, I thought it would be fun to share a little vignette I recently put together at my friend's home. You might have seen her jewel-toned dining room here. Or her amazing tree-lined entryway here. Or her screened porch here. Today we're back in her entryway. She has the sweetest desk there and it made a perfect spot to create this vignette. Here's how it all started. Around Valentine's Day, I created a box disguised as a stack of letters filled with words of affirmation. (You can find the tutorial … [Read more...]
I can't believe how quickly this month is flying by! We're less than three weeks from Halloween! At our house, we don't usually decorate for Halloween. But, I truly enjoy fall decorating and some years there's a lot of pumpkinizing going on. I've heard that Halloween decor is running second, behind Christmas in retail sales, so I know some of you are having a lot of fun decorating your homes. If you're still looking for ideas....we have some really Great Ideas for you this week from this week's Project Inspire{d} link party. 9 Fun Halloween Ideas.... SpiderWeb Halloween Wreath by It's … [Read more...]
There's something special about a bundle of love letters wrapped up in ribbon. Want to top that? Create a lovely stack of letters that is a treasure box in disguise... Sweetest Day is just around the corner! Those of you who live in the Midwest are undoubtedly familiar with the special celebration in October called Sweetest Day. Saturday, October 18 is Sweetest Day, this year. It's a day created by Cleveland, Ohio confectioner manufacturers back in 1921. You might have thought this holiday was a creation of Hallmark since the greeting card manufacturers are enjoying this day … [Read more...]
It's true! I've been at it again..creating home decor with book pages. Today, I'm going to show you how to make pumpkins made from paperback books and create realistic pumpkin stems, too. Right now, pumpkins and gourds are overflowing at every farm stand along the road. They're beautiful and colorful and expensive. So...what'a gal to do when her pocketbook isn't filled with extra pennies for a plethora of pumpkins? Create them from book pages, of course! A nice tall book page pumpkin is easy to make. Crafting skills not required! And those amazing pumpkin … [Read more...]
If you've been following here for any length of time, you know how much I love book page projects. Creating everything from Christmas trees to medallion wreaths, to spring-flowering branches with book pages makes my heart sing. As summer rolled into fall, I got the itch to create another book page project. Any guesses as to what I might have tried my hand at? Yup! You guessed it! Pumpkins and gourds. Please "pin" and share this image. You really can create pumpkins and gourds from paperback books! Especially if you have a great … [Read more...]
I'm pleased to partner with Plaid Crafts and Blueprint Social to introduce you to . Add the feeling of fall to your home in unexpected ways. Often when we think of fall decor we think of pumpkins, gourds, and colorful leaves. May I challenge you to think outside the box? I sure did when I created these fun, stenciled, animal print plates. Don't you agree....they're fabulous and unexpected? Certainly for my home decor. Today I'm going to show you how to use stencils, so you too, can create fabulous unexpected fall decor. Recently Plaid Crafts … [Read more...]
Have you ever wanted to bring someone a bouquet of flowers, or have a beautiful vase of fresh flowers in your home, but didn't have the extra money to pick up something from the grocery or florist? Unless you live in a concrete jungle, I have a great tip for you.... Look along the roadways as you travel and start to notice all the wildflowers growing along the byways. That is where I found the flowers to create this arrangement for my friend who just had knee surgery. Over the years, I've noticed that when I gather these bouquets, the flowers just naturally complement each other. … [Read more...]
