Inspiration to set a pretty but simple moss green St. Patrick's Day table and thoughts on why I enjoy celebrating this Irish holiday.     Do you love to rearrange your furniture with the seasons or on a whim?  I have many friends who do that, but that's not my style.  I work hard to find a permanent furniture placement and instead of changing up my room arrangements I change up my decor with the seasons.  If you've been hanging around here for any time, I'm sure you've noticed my love for seasonal home decor... especially on the … [Read more...]

  Are your summer containers still looking good, or are they starting to show their age? As long as it's still warm(ish) you want to keep enjoying what you have by making a few little updates so your container plantings on your patio or your entry keep looking GORGEOUS! Here are a few tips to help you fresh what you have beautifully and easily. I have a thing for mums.  Garden chrysanthemums to be exact.  These perennials which we usually treat as annuals are a fabulous and inexpensive way to paint the stunning colors of fall across my apartment's balcony … [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...]

  The EASY way to make an ice skating centerpiece for your impromptu winter party.     Growing up in Michigan, I started ice skating when I was a little girl.  There wasn't anything better than the freedom of skating as fast as I could at our local ice arena.  And then my dad signed me up for figure skating lessons.  JOY!  That meant that I could be on the ice nearly every single day!     As a mitten state girl, I enjoy winter sports, but between the weather and my schedule and life, I'm not doing them so much anymore. I still LOVE figure … [Read more...]

  Avoid the Thanksgiving headaches and plan for a fabulous day with these 5 tips.   How to Make Thanksgiving Dinner Easy and Fun   TIP 1 ~ Keep it Simple! I can't stress this enough.  It's taken me many years and too many melt-downs to realize that I had a tendency to overcomplicate holiday entertaining. Whatever you do well and love to do... that's where you should focus your time. For me... that's setting a pretty table like this one. I'm all about the presentation.  Making everything look pretty makes my creative juices run.  Slaving in the kitchen... not so much.  That means that my … [Read more...]

  It's that time of year here in Michigan when the night comes early and we make our homes warm and cozy to fend against those cool stiff breezes bringing in giant dark gray clouds to remind us that winter is coming way too soon. I want to hang on to the best fall has to offer and warm my home with rich textures and accent it with all of autumn's offerings.  It's sort of like turning up the heat, even if the furnace hasn't been turned on yet. (Though this year... it went on very early.)   Tips for Dressing a Living Room for Fall :: Home Tour    It's the time to … [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...]

  A glimpse of summer living at its finest and a peek in my summer sanctuary at home.   Picture yourself walking down the coastline with the waves lapping at your feet, the sun warming your back, and with every step, the cares of the world melting away. Wasn't it refreshing taking that brief mental break to envision yourself strolling down the shore? Those times on the sandy edges of Lake Michigan are my favorite, especially after indulging in a picnic at on beach. When we've walked as far as we can, we'll go back to our spot on the beach.  There we'll settle into our sand … [Read more...]

  I love the American flag and all things red, white, and blue. Right down to my dining table.     Yet, this patriotic tablescape almost didn't happen. This summer my focus changed from the blog to my personal health and wellness.  I'm making some strides, although it seems that it's two steps forward and one step back.  But, I decided to not stress over it.  Instead, I'm giving myself grace to let go of a few things.  I'm good at pushing through... not at receiving grace... especially from myself.     So, even though I love decorating for the 4th of … [Read more...]

  My sideboard is really just a console table but it's the perfect setting for a simple farmhouse style spring vignette.      Are you hungry for color this spring? I can't remember a time when I wanted color more than I do now. Maybe it's because we pretty much live in the woods... all those bare gray sticks sticking up everywhere for half of the year.  That's a LONG time!! It started with St. Patrick's Day when I couldn't get enough green.  And now... less than a month later... I'm loving pastels (with a bit of bright pink thrown in the mix) like never … [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...]

  Ideas and takeaway tips to help you set a pretty gold pastel Easter table or any table that's colorful and celebrative.      What is it about a few sunny days and their power to flood the soul with joy and inspire creativity? I didn't realize how much I NEEDED sunshine.  There is no doubt that Jesus is our source of JOY... but SUNSHINE after winter's heavy gray shroud hanging low and heavy for MONTHS really pushes up my joy meter.  Does it do that for you, too? I can't really say for sure... but as I was dreaming about my Easter table... and yes I DO do that... I just KNEW that … [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...]

  Don't skip Valentine's Day because retailers and the media make it all about romance and roses.  Instead, make it about fun and love.  Here are some easy ideas to help you set a simple Valentine table that's perfect for friends, family, and even lovers, too.    I almost didn't use any red for my Valentine's Day tablescape this year. When I envisioned my simple Valentine table, the one thing I wanted to be cautious of was the overuse of red.  Don't get me wrong... I like red... but this year it just felt like too much for me.     Why was one of my favorite colors... … [Read more...]