Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I know it's not a super huge holiday, but it's fun. I put up just a few touches of decor around our common living areas that I'd like to share. If I was on the ball, I would have shared this post a week or two ago to inspire you. Alas, I am quite the procrastinator. {I like to think most creative people are.} Hope this inspires you for next year!

Facelift Friday | Bulletin Board Upcycle

How many times have you seen something like this at a garage sale or thrift shop and passed it up?

 I found a rather large one at a local thrift shop for $1 and I could not pass it up. It sat in my garage for a long time as I pondered what to do with it. {and worked on a ton of other projects!}

I finally stumbled upon this blog post by Chelsea at two twenty one and fell in love with the idea.

I had the perfect black and white stripe fabric that I picked up at IKEA this past fall. I used spray adhesive to attach the fabric to the bulletin board and then secured it with upholstery tacks I picked up at a big box craft store. The only thing I did different then Chelsea was to separate the tacks a bit more.

I simply used the wood frame as a guide for where to place the tacks.

I love how chic it turned out. I think it looks fantastic vertical or horizontal.

And I took this a step further! The upholstery tacks are a bit longer than regular push pins, and I worried about them sticking out on the backside. So, I found a lovely black trim to cover the back.

Voila! A reversible bulletin board!!

This is such an easy and inexpensive project. Keep your eyes open for bulletin boards this weekend!!

ABCs of Decorating | H

 Decorating for holidays may seem like a silly extravagance. But what it actually does is make your family and visitors feel like you went above and beyond to make them feel special. How does it make you feel when you wash your hands at a friend's home and the guest towel you reach for is a beautiful reminder of the current season God has blessed us with? 

Think beyond Christmas.

For Valentine's Day:

Add simple rosettes to a heart shaped twig wreath.

Put together an easy sweater wreath with your kids. 

Add a simple banner to a mirror or large picture in your child's room.

These delicate hearts couldn't be easier to craft.

You can even add super subtle decor for St. Patrick's Day. {See what I did there? Four leaf clover wreath, green hydrangeas.}

Celebrate Easter with inconspicuous figurines sprinkled in your everyday decor. 

Use forced bulbs to add the fresh feeling of spring in a windowsill.

  For Easter: Make a centerpiece using a nature inspired nest with faux eggs. 

Display tea towels and fabric napkins with simple Easter embroidery.

You can even pick up very inexpensive dinnerware and serving pieces at big box discount stores. {I love these from Target!}

 And of course, for fall, I have tons of ideas and past posts.

 

 Use neutrals to lend a sophisticated touch to the usual Halloween decor. 

Take a cue from nature and add elements that are appear all over at this time of year. 

Seasonal Decor | For the love of October

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."  Lucy Maud Montgomery

Are you tired of all the autumn quotes and decor yet? I hope not, because I have two post full of fall decor for you.

I took so many photos of our fall decor, I decided to break up the posts into two parts. Today I am sharing our foyer and schoolroom with you.

It should be pretty obvious by now that I am a huge fan of neutral colors. When it comes to seasonal decor, there is not much difference. I find it much easier to incorporate temporary decor with our everyday aesthetic when the color palette is very similar.

I kept our autumn accents simple and subtle. I added a lovely cream colored resin pumpkin I found at Home Goods. I also put together a bouquet of dried flowers and faux wheat  in a vintage wire basket I picked up at a local collective. 

 Right off of the foyer is our formal dining room. Everyone in our family knows it as the schoolroom because it is where we store and complete all of our schoolwork.

In this room and most of our common living areas, I added a mix of real and faux mini white pumpkins. 

The faux cream pumpkins are pretty hard to come by. I found them in various craft stores, antique malls and big box shops. If you stumble upon them, take them home with you!! 

As for the real mini white pumpkins, (they are called "baby boos") they are pretty impossible to find in my part of the country. I ordered them for the second time from Paula Jean's Garden.  

This basket filled with baby boo pumpkins is one of my favorite things in our home right now. It rests on our dresser/buffet in the schoolroom. 

Also on our buffet is a medium sized faux white pumpkin and a "fall" chalkboard banner. I love the look of smaller banner on a wreath and this was just perfect.

This amazing vintage bucket was found at Prissy's Parlor inside Old Time Antiques in Crestview, Florida. When I spotted it, I knew it would be perfect filled up with white pumpkins. (And vintage ornaments and pinecones at Christmas!)

 So, that is it for our foyer and schoolroom. Everything is super duper simple, but so lovely. The little touches really bring me so much joy on a daily basis. 

Sharing this week at:
Between Naps on the Porch
DIY Showoff
Craft-o-Maniac
Finding Silver Pennies
French Country Cottage

Halloween Decorating

September is FINALLY here. Yes, it's one thousand degrees here in Florida, but I am bringing in all the things of fall as soon as I can possibly manage. I have already loaded up on things for my shoppe at Old Time Antiques. If you are in the area, make sure you stop by. There are many talented people in this collective. You will not be disappointed! 

Today I am going to share some ideas about Halloween decor. I know Halloween is not necessarily something you'd think of decorating your house for, unless of course you are going for the haunted house on the block. But I'd like to show you that it can be fun AND chic.

My main goal when decorating for holidays and seasons is to seamlessly fit special occasion items among my everyday decor. For instance, I use a lot of neutrals and European inspired decor in most of my home. So, when shopping for seasonal accents, I search out pieces that have the same tone.  

  

This wooden owl box is a lovely example. It is all neutrals and has the German script on the top. This is one of my favorite finds for Halloween!

 The metal jack-o-lantern is also neutral colored and the pine cones add a touch of nature. The black and white chevron tray mirrors many of the black and white elements in my own home.

This adorable Halloween subway art also mimics many of my everyday accent pieces.

The pieces I chose for Halloween decor fit nicely with my collection of white and black antique books.

Hopefully, I have shown you Halloween decor can be pretty, easy and fun. It doesn't have to be scary or cheesy (although there is certainly nothing wrong with that either!). If you have any questions about decorating for the seasons, please feel free to contact me. Remember, I also offer holiday decorating options!

Springtime Centerpiece

 

It took me a while to get this arrangement just right. It wasn't the type of consideration where you sit and stare at something for hours. This centerpiece was built out of multiple passings by. And I finally settled this afternoon.

 

It's a simple stack of melamine plates from Target's Easter selection years ago. I loved the faux vintage look on them. {The cute little bunnies didn't hurt things either.}

 

 

Also from Target's Easter offerings are the sweet linen {looking} napkins with the embroidered rabbit.

 

 

On top of the stack of plates is a lovely sugar bowl I got from a Dutch company called Pomax. Their stuff is simple and beautiful. I hope to find more before we move back to the States.

The cake stand is a new addition to our home. It is Martha Stewart and I was happy and surprised to find it at the Exchange here in Germany. I am looking forward to experimenting with different seasonal items.

 

If you are local, you will be happy to hear the faux eggs and nest are ridiculously easy to find in Germany. The country as a whole seemingly has a love affair with eggs in the spring. Mine in particular came from Depot.

 

 

After days of walking past our dining room table and slightly rearranging things, I am finally happy with the arrangement. All the spring things make me smile... even when snow is fluttering down right outside my window.

Sharing this post at Cozy Little House.

Our Spring Vignette

When you first walk into our home, there is a small buffet to the left. I love to decorate this area for the current season or holiday. I got a little overexcited for spring and Easter and decorated quite early this year. But after I took down our Valentine's decor, it felt a little bare. Here are some photos of the springtime vignette.

 Hope you feel inspired to start thinking warm, green thoughts! Happy Monday!

Excited to be sharing at French Country Cottage today!

Super Simple Valentine's Day Treats

I've stumbled across multiple versions of this on pinterest. I'm not quite sure where the original idea came from, but I love it. The treats are visually pleasing and unbelievably easy to create. My kids had a blast making them and they assure me they were delicious, though they were a little sweet for my liking.

Here is all you will need:
One bag Wilson candy melts in color of your choice
One bag of jumbo marshmallows
Lollipop sticks
Sprinkles galore

These can be suited for any occasion and I am sure we will have a repeat performance at some point in the near future.

 

I think the pictures are pretty self explanatory.

Pierce the marshmallows with the lollipop sticks.

I poked holes in a box so we would have a place to let the marshmallow pops cool off.

Melt candy according to package directions.

Swirl marshmallows through pretty melted candy.

Decorate to your heart's content.

Place in prepared box to cool off.

Enjoy!!

 

 

 

Gratitude Tea Bag Holder

 

November is my absolute favorite month. Although fall officially begins in September, the weather seems to take a more dramatic turn towards autumn in late October, early November. My wedding anniversary is in November, as well as my favorite holiday. I love Thanksgiving because it seems to be one of the last holidays to be heavily influenced by commercialism. Now, I know Black Friday is commercialism at it's finest, but for that one day, it's all about gratitude and family.... and pumpkin pie.

 

 

I created this with the help of a tutorial by Kimberly Van Diepen of Stampin' by the Sea. You can find her awesome instructions here: Stampin by the Sea Club Project  (scroll down) The only thing I did differently, was to adhere the sides of the envelopes together rather than the bottom.
Once assembled, I added a strip of Orchard Harvest designer series paper on top of a strip of taffeta ribbon. I stamped the sentiment on ivory naturals cardstock and punched it out with my decorative label punch. On the inside, I added a simple acorn stamp punched out with the small oval punch.
This simple project takes no time at all to put together and is a perfect little Thanksgiving gift for friends, family, teachers and of course your lovely hostess for Thanksgiving dinner!

Products Used (These can be purchased 24/7 at my Stampin' Up site by clicking on the item.)
Cardstock & Paper
Naturals Ivory Card Stock
Cajun Craze Card Stock
Orchard Harvest Designer Series Paper

Stamps & Ink
Day of Gratitude Stamp Set
Soft Suede Classic Ink

Embellisments
Linen Thread
Early Espresso 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon
 

Tools
Stamping Sponges (for inking the edges to create a distressed look)

Small Oval Punch

Decorative Label Punch

Scallop Envelope Stampin' Up Bigz Die

Big Shot 

 

The Thanksgiving Tree

 

I recently found the most beautiful gem. It is a free downloadable file from Ann at A Holy Experience. The file includes leaf templates with verses of thanksgiving already printed on them. On the back, you are to write something you are thankful for.

 

 

I'm thankful my six year old is thankful for us.

 

After writing your gratitude, you hang the leaves on a tree. You can attach them using binder clips, mini clothespins, twine or simple ribbon. Ann has used several branches in a lovely pot to create her tree. I remembered I have this lovely ornament tree that would be perfect for a project like this.

 

I printed out the leaves on cardstock to make them a little more sturdy and give them some dimension. I punched holes in the stems and strung ribbon through them all. I placed the leaves with some pens in the other candle holder on our buffet and they are ready to be utilized daily in November. Thank you, Ann, for this lovely project.

PS- The fabulous ornament tree was a gift from my lovely mother-in-law several years ago. I believe it was purchased on clearance at Michael's. A similar one can be found here.