If you've been looking for a detailed tutorial so you can try your hand at chalk painting, you've come to the right place! Back when it was below freezing and the snow was driving sideways and the drifts were rising an inch an hour, my friend Alice asked me if I would be willing to help her paint her antique washstand. We live half an hour apart and there was no way I wanted to drive in that crazy winter weather, so I told her I'd love to, in the spring. Spring came and with it an opportunity to try out the new . This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Blueprint Social and … [Read more...]
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...]
How do you celebrate Valentine's Day? Usually my husband and I choose to make a lovely dinner together and I decorate the table in a way fitting for the day. We have been doing this for several years. It really is more fun than going out. And more economical, even if we splurge for special menu items or ingredients. This time of year we are inundated by offers from jewelers and florists and chocolate shops. At our house, we don't place any pressure on exchanging gifts and cards, but if we choose to give a gift, it probably will be in an unexpected kind of way. One year my … [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...]
Growing Paperwhites for Christmas is one of my favorite holiday traditions. There is something about their tall stems and pristine pure white blossoms that dress up a room so perfectly. Plus, with everything so bleak and barren outdoors, fresh new life and bright green stems just make me happy. If you would like to add this lovely touch to your holiday decor, you need to purchase your bulbs now. I have had Paperwhite bulbs start blooming two weeks after planting them....but some years they have taken three weeks or more to bloom. Bloom time is not an exact science. … [Read more...]
Today I have some tips on how to dry and debug pine cones. Or...as I prefer to call it...how to make pine cones pop. Okay...some will make popping sounds and some won't. Anyways.... What we're really trying to do is take those recently gathered pine cones, all closed up, damp from the rain and ground, dry them out and help them bloom (pop open) to their full potential. Pine cones are the flowers of the evergreen family. You gotta love any flower that stays beautiful almost indefinitely after it blooms. I have boxes and boxes of pine cones. Many of them are from the … [Read more...]
Welcome to Day 24 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. If you've been following this blog for even a little while, you have a pretty good idea of how much I enjoy God's magnificent creation. So for fun, I thought I'd put together a little vignette. As so often happens...one thing morphed into another. It started … [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...]
