Our Spring Mantels / Home Decorating Ideas



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So if you’ve been following along with us here, you’ll know that earlier this week we revealed my new pair of mantels in our sun room, which Michael custom built for me, and I finished in my own style, to give them the look that I was going for. 

As promised, today I am sharing lots of overall and detail photos of how I decorated those mantels (for the very first time) for the spring season, as well as some home decorating ideas, and tid-bits of other information you may find interesting. I can tell you that I had way too much fun, both decorating and photographing my new mantels, but I truly don’t mind!… Read More

Re-purpose Old Calendars – DIY Wall Art

Learn how re-purposing old calendars can be used into creating some fantastic DIY wall art for your home decor.

Christmas Advent Calendar Idea for the Home






   

        As I type this post, it’s the end of the weekend following Thanksgiving, and the last weekend of the month of  November.  For many families, this is the weekend their home gets decorated for Christmas!  While it probably would have been nice to share this idea with you just a little sooner, I personally prefer to get past Thanksgiving, before I can (or even want to) focus on Christmas.  That being said, there still are several days to spare before the first of December is here, so you still have time to do this simple and beautiful idea, for a Christmas Advent Calendar in your home.  This idea is something I created  two years ago, and I thought I’d share it with all of you, in case it’s something you’d like to try for your own kids.… Read More

Thanksgiving Placecard Holder Turkey / Free Personalizable Placecards Printable





Thanksgiving is only days away.  If you are still scrambling to add a little ‘fancy’ detail to your Thanksgiving table setting, here’s an idea for you.  This idea is one I came up with for my own Thanksgiving table setting from last year that I never got a chance to share with you all.  Our guests loved them, and hopefully you will too.

Turkey Placecard Holders









I think they are just simple, yet classy and beautiful looking.  They are easy to make, and require minimal supplies.  It’s so easy, there is no point in even showing you how to make them, when I can simply tell you in a few words:

I got a net bag of plain, natural pinecones at Michael’s Arts & Crafts.  They are for crafting and decor.… Read More

Decorating with Autumn Leaves; Door Garland and Candle Jars






 
I think you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone on God’s green earth, who appreciates the foliage that Autumn brings, more than I do.  I am mesmerized by it, from beginning to end.  Ask my kids.  They are often amused at how taken I am, with the beauty of this season.  And they’ve certainly come to understand that I don’t want them to miss one bit of it, any more than I do. I get especially excited when we are driving here and there, which with 4 kids I can tell you, we do a whole lot of.  “Oh!! There’s a tree starting to change right there!Read More

Rustic Autumn Wreath / A Simple Craft






 If you’d like to add a touch of crafted Autumn decor to your home, but don’t have a lot of time or energy right now, this wreath is for you! It is so very simple and quick to make.  I think it’s beautiful, and has a real rustic flair that fits right in here at our homestead. 

 




I hung our wreath in the sun room, on the wall directly in front of anyone coming in through our front door.

It’s so very simple to make, you really don’t even need to be shown how. 
But I will tell to you how, and give you a couple of tips as well.… Read More

My Custom Built Farmer’s Table Home Office Desk






 I know many of you have been waiting for this, with all of my teasing about it! And I have been dying to show you my custom-built farmer’s table home office desk, that that my husband made for me.  For this first post, I am simply sharing with you the build itself, and some of the story behind it.  In upcoming posts, I will show you my workspace all set up and pretty. (When I get that far.)

So first, to put my appreciation and excitement in context here, you should know how I have been working.

In this large amoire in the photos below, is our TV, which we rarely use at all.… Read More

How Much Wood, Could a Woodpeck Peck? : (






This is the telling of a sad little tale. 






The refinishing of this birdhouse, has been one of my most favorite projects ever.  Between the excitement of using Annie Sloan paint for the first time, the color I fell so in love with, and the YouTube crash course video lesson I watched, on how to paint tiny roses in order to adorn my sweet new birdhouse with, it’s a project I truly enjoyed the process of. 






I have to say, it’s held up so well, out there in the weather of all kinds, too.  I did put it away for the winter, but otherwise, it has stood right over on the other side of my garden beds, under the apple tree.  I have  finished projects I’ve done all over my homestead, of course, and I love to see them around.  This birdhouse has truly been a piece that still plays a part in bringing me a bit of joy every day. 

So imagine my sheer panic this one very (very) early morning this summer:  The kids and I were still in bed, and I was still pretty much sleeping.  All of our windows were open a little, and I began to stir out of my sleep with the sound of some repetitive rhythm sound on hard wood outside.  I was confused by it, being somewhere between asleep and awake, and so I tried to bring myself out of the grog I was in, wondering if I was dreaming, or what.  But next thing I know, I hear little feet hit the floor hard, and come booming across the house floor, and my son yelling, “Mama, there’s a woodpecker pecking your birdhouse outside!”

That woke me up!… Read More

3 Little Garden Chairs / Refinishing






 There’s been these 3 little chairs, sitting in our basement for years now.  One of my husband Michael’s clients offered them to him, knowing we had triplets, and thinking maybe we could use them.  They are about toddler size. So he brought them home, and they’ve been in the basement ever since. I’ve never been a primary-colors kind of girl.  I thought maybe I would repaint them or do something with them at some point, for the kids, or maybe as available props for my photography studio.   But, I was just never inspired to ‘have-at’ them.

Until of course, I was.… Read More

Polka Dot and Plaid 4th of July Printables, for Celebrations/Cookouts






I have been having fun designing some 4th of July printables to share with you, to add a fun red, white and blue themed touch to any cookout or celebration you may have planned, with family and/or friends. (Or, you can even print the cute Bitty Pennants out and string up in your home!) These are the little details that make hosting a gathering so fun to plan, and also the details that impress your guests, and make them smile. So I hope you like them! I tried to design them with simple direction right on them, to show you how easy they can be to prepare.  But I will give you some printing tips, at the end here as well, after you look at the previews of the printables in this post.  But first .… Read More

Painted AMERICAN BIRDHOUSE – Tutorial






 Summer holds a whole lot of good things, and for us, it really kicks into high gear in the beginning of July, with back to back celebrating of the 4th of July, and our oldest daughter’s birthday!  Then the summer rides out with a little more down time, just chilling on the beach, making day trips, and hanging out chatting and laughing around the camp fire at night. So about this time in June, we’re getting excited for all of the fun to come, just around the corner! The gardens are planted, we’re reaching the end of our school books, and we can just feel the summer vibe coming on the sea breeze!  

What really gives me so much joy, is helping make my home and gardens, reflect the seasons and holidays!  Around here, about mid-June through July, it is all about red, white and blue!  Our family’s homestead is that much more enjoyable, with the little bits of decor I add, and it just puts the happy in my heart, to see it.  But the greatest joy in it all for me, is planning and creating all of those little things around our home.… Read More

How We Used a Unique Medium to Letter/Embellish Our ‘Doors To Storage’! (A Tutorial)






Our Doors to Storage home project, has been a bigger hit than we ever dreamed!  I’ve even run across it on Pinterest a few times now! CraZy-Ness!   Well, we knew there would be people who thought it was a pretty cool idea, out there somewhere. But we’re glad so many have loved it, and what’s more, have been inspired to make some benches and shelves, using old doors, in their home.  Sharing and inspiring is what ‘s all about, people! Love it!

 






That project post was big enough as it was, so we told you were would share how we went about embellishing the bench with lettering in a future post, and this is it!Read More