Our Spring Mantels / Home Decorating Ideas

April 4, 2013 By 14 Comments



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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

Filed Under: Home Decor, Home Decor, Photography, The Homestead Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Making of Mantels / Appeasing my Mantel Envy!

April 1, 2013 By 8 Comments



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A couple of weeks ago, I hinted on our Facebook Page about the weekend project we had in the works. I mentioned that I was all done dealing with the ‘mantel envy’ I have had going on, for years now. You know, mantels, the shelving surface that many homes have over their fireplace?  Many creative homemakers have great fun decorating their mantels for various seasons and holidays, switching it up all of the time. It just wasn’t fair.
We don’t have a fireplace, anymore. Years ago, before the little-house to big-house renovation, we had a built in coal and wood fireplace insert, with a brick mantel.… Read More

Filed Under: Furniture Refinishing, Furniture Refinishing, Home Decor, Home Improvement, Home Projects, The Homestead Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Re-purpose Old Calendars – DIY Wall Art

March 26, 2013 By 4 Comments

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

Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, Home Decor, Home Decor, Re-Purposing, The Homestead Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Spiritual Easter Printable for You.

March 14, 2013 By 4 Comments



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I felt like designing a spiritually-themed Easter printable for us, and to share with you.

So I did!

It’s designed to fit an 8×10 frame. I recommend printing it on white card stock.

Please be sure to DOWNLOAD and SAVE the full resolution version, as opposed to the image you see in this post, which is web sized.

Clicking on the colorful printable below, should bring you to the full sized version at my DropBox. You need to click the ‘Download’ button there.

*Warning Note: Do not right-click and ‘Save Image As’, or you will not get the sharp printable image.… Read More

Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, Free Printable/Downloadable, Holiday Crafts, Home Decor, The Homestead Tagged With: , , , , , ,

How to Blow Out Egg Yolks and String for Hanging / Decorative Eggs for Keeps.

March 6, 2013 By 6 Comments

            

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You may already know, that yesterday I had a little blogging mishap! For the first time in my near 5 years of blogging, I published a post (this one) by accident, before it was completed. And I didn’t even realize I did it until the next morning! No doubt I hit ‘publish’ instead of ‘save’. I must have been tired.  It was just all photos, with none of the text and step-by-step directions in it yet. Once it’s out there on the internet (especially overnight), you can’t get it back.  I put out the alert best I could, via our Facebook Page, which feeds to our Twitter as well.… Read More

Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, Holiday Crafts, Home Decor, The Homestead, Tutorial Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Banner of Love / A Valentine’s Decor-Craft

February 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment


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While February, the ‘month of love’, was approaching throughout January, I had had this image in my head of a burlap pennant banner that spelled out LOVE, with little pink ribbons, over our french doors in the sun room, to the living room.  Of course, I didn’t actually have one, so it was something I’d need to create. After pondering how I might go about doing that, I decided I wanted to keep it as simple as possible, even if it doesn’t hold up for subsequent Valentine holidays.


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As planned, I got some burlap, for the pennants themselves. I’ve never worked with burlap before.  Good-gosh does it stink!  I don’t understand why.… Read More

Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, Holiday Crafts, Home Decor, The Homestead, Tutorial Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

“I Am Third” / A Wood Palette Sign

December 5, 2012 By 6 Comments






It’s always a great day, when I finally get something OUT of my head, and am able to find the time to bring it to life, and have it real and in front of me.  It makes me happy because, there’s a whole lot in my head, that never (ever) gets out!  I wish I could do all of the projects that I actually think of, but I have other joyful obligations too, than just being all artsy 24/7.  So only a small percentage of my notions ever actually come to be.
I’m really glad this one did though, because it’s a meaningful one in our home.… Read More

Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Project, Faith, Home Decor, Into the Light; The Series, Life In General, Parenting, Re-Purposing, The Big Picture, The Homestead Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Christmas Advent Calendar Idea for the Home

November 25, 2012 By 7 Comments






   

        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

Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Project, Holiday Crafts, Home Decor, Home Decor, The Homestead Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thanksgiving Placecard Holder Turkey / Free Personalizable Placecards Printable

November 17, 2012 By 6 Comments





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

Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, Free Printable/Downloadable, Holiday Crafts, Home Decor, Home Decor, Kids Arts and Crafts, The Homestead Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Decorating with Autumn Leaves; Door Garland and Candle Jars

November 10, 2012 By 7 Comments






 
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

Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, Home Decor, Home Decor, Nature Study, The Homestead, Tutorial Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

My Custom Built Farmer’s Table Home Office Desk

August 25, 2012 By 33 Comments






 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

Filed Under: Furniture Refinishing, Furniture Refinishing, Home Decor, Home Decor, Home Schooling, Re-Purposing, Refinishing, The Homestead Tagged With: , , , , ,

4th of July

July 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment






HaPpY 4th of JULY, Everyone!

Since I wanted some photos, to go along with our wishes for you,  I thought today would be a good day to show you where I put my painted American Birdhouse.  It’s out on the potting bench near thegardens!  So now you know! I’ve got a whole red-white and blue theme going on out there, and it’ll be there throughout the month of July.  Then I’ll likely change it up, to some other summer theme. 

 The birdhouse has held up very well in weather, despite the sun andrain beating on it.  Again, I credit that to the wax finish.… Read More

Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, Gardening, Home Decor, Refinishing, The Homestead Tagged With: , , , , ,
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