A Wintery Display

Last Saturday I gave our entry table a wintery makeover, without spending any money!  I picked up some paint sample cards while I was out one day and used a silver sharpie to do the lettering.  The font I tried to mimic is called Janda Happy Day and can be downloaded for free here.

I pulled our "What a Difference a Day Makes" print (seen here) from the living room, along with the white pitcher vase and small light blue vase which had accompanied the print.  The snowflake ornament was a purchase from last year.  I added a little bit of hot glue to the back where it would touch the table to make it stand up.  This little trick worked great!  The ornament doesn't slide and I can easily remove the hot glue if I want to use it somewhere else.

My chalk art skills are still quite lacking, but I think I'm making some improvements.  I'm sure over time and with lots of practice and patience I'll be able to create some really nice chalk displays...well, at least that is my hope.

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Love,

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you all a blessed day filled with love, laughter and praise to our wonderful Father above who has blessed us with family and friends to make memories with.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Today I'm also sharing my Thanksgiving Mantle:

Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving Day!

Love,

Thanksgiving Printable

This morning I decided that since we're having my parents and sisters over for a Thanksgiving meal I am going to create a special mantle and table scape just for the occasion.  

I've been brainstorming and have several ideas in mind...many of which involve burlap!  Since I don't have any burlap on hand and the nearest fabric store is 45 minutes away, I'm going to have to wait until next week to start those projects.

However, I was able to finish one project this morning and I'm going to share it with you!
(Chevron Background Image by Mel Stampz)

(Free for personal use only.  Thanks!)

Happy Holiday Planning!

Linking at:
The Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table and Dreaming
Our Favorite Things Link Party @ My Life's a Treasure
Making the World Cuter Monday @ Making the World Cuter
Made by You Monday @ Skip to My Lou 
Mop It Up Monday @ I Should Be Mopping the Floor
Tutorials and Tips Link Party @ Home Stories A to Z
Meet Me Monday Link Party @ You're Talking Too Much
Craft and Tell @ Cherished Bliss
Take-A-Look Tuesday @ Sugar Bee Crafts
Tip Me Tuesday @ Tip Junkie
Titus 2 Tuesday @ Cornerstone Confessions
Lil' Luna Link Party @ Lil' Luna
Home Decor and Organizing Link Party @ Organize and Decorate Everything 
The Creative Spark @ Clean and Scentsible
Wow Me Wednesday @ Ginger Snap Crafts
Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts
Delightfully Inspiring Thursday Party @ Delightful Order
The 36th Avenue Party Time @ The 36th Avenue
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Finished Friday @ All Our Days 
Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge 

Welcoming Fall

 Alrighty folks!  Here's my fall mantle.  You want to know what the best thing is about this year's fall display?  I spent NO $$$!  Yep, that's right.  I didn't spend a penny.  Here's the breakdown of the items I used for this year's mantle:

1. Large black 8 x 10 frame - I've had this frame since high school.
2. Natural frames - 2011 fall decor purchase at the Dollar Tree.
3. Simple black 8 x 10 frame - purchased earlier this year.
4. Black 5 x 7 frame and mat - purchased earlier this year.
5. Green and gold ribbon - 2011 fall decor purchase at the Dollar Tree.
6. Mason jars - given to me by a friend.
7. Split peas and white beans in mason jars - 2012 summer decor purchase.
8. Photos - Prints from our 2011 trip to Brown County State Park.
9. Fall Subway Art - Made by yours truly as seen here.

 A picture of me on a small walking bridge at Brown County and my Fall Subway Art printable.

 My handsome hubby!  Love this picture of him with the beautiful view in the background!

I love the way the black and natural wood frames look together on our mantle.

The natural frames are a simple way to bring the outside in.

Happy fall decorating!

Linking at:

Craft & Tell @ Cherished Bliss

Lil' Luna Link Party @ Lil' Luna 

The Creative Spark @ Clean & Scentsible

Home Decor and Organizing Link Party @ Organize and Decorate Everything

The 36th Avenue Party Time @ The 36th Avenue

Delightfully Inspiring Thursday Party @ Delightful Order

and

Mantel Link Party

Summer Mantle

As I was preparing to take down my summer mantle and put up my fall display I realized I had never shared my summer mantle with you all!  Shame on me!  So, I snapped a picture and here it is.

I chose to use black frames to coordinate with our monster clock.  The pictures are from our Memorial Day weekend trip to Spring Mill State Park and the Hilltop Restaurant.  I like these pictures because the clothes we were wearing were bright and summery, that and I love nature photos!  I accented the photos with mason jars partially filled with split peas and white beans.  I really like the color the split peas added to the display and the white beans added some nice texture, too.  I like to keep my decor simple, inexpensive and most of all, versatile!  I think I only ended up buying the beans, a couple frames, a mat or two, and the photos which I had printed at Walmart. 

Come back tomorrow and I'll show you how I used many of these same pieces

plus items from last year to decorate my mantle for fall!

Fall Subway Art - Free Printable!

The wonderful month of September welcomes in a new season, Autumn.  Leaves begin to change, cooler weather creeps in, and the wonderful works of God are ever before us.  September is also when many of us switch out our decor, putting away the summertime flowers and bringing out fall leaves, pumpkins and gourds.  I have yet to make the transition in our home, but I've been working on it.  Here is the Fall Subway Art I just finished.  I plan to place this on our mantle in the upcoming days.

Free for personal use only.

Background:  Mel Stamps: Ombre Chevron Collection

Fonts Used from DaFont: FFF Tusj, KG Be Still & Know, KG Sweet N Sassy, & Pottery Barn

Linking @:

The Creative Spark @ Clean & Scentsible
Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts
The Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table and Dreaming 
Making the World Cuter Monday @ Making the World Cuter
Tutorials and Tips Link Party @ Home Stories A to Z
Take-A-Look Tuesday @ Sugar Bee Crafts
Craft and Tell @ Cherished Bliss
Lil' Luna Link Party @ Lil's Luna
Home Decor and Organizing Link Party @ Organize and Decorate Everything 
The 36th Avenue Party Time @ The 36th Avenue

I finally have a plan!

Alright everyone!  I've been a little distracted today thinking about how I would like the nursery to look.  Above is what I have in mind for Tyler's nursery.  The six background designs are the fabric designs I would like to use in the nursery.  I have also given a brief description of what I plan to use each piece for.  I am not sure how much of this I will actually be able to do as our budget is rather small, but I'm sure Tyler will have everything he needs and more and that's what matters most.


Sources:
1. Vinyl Initial and Name Wall Decal
2. Ameriwood Bookcase - Espresso
3. Whitmor Rattique Totes - Latte
4. Whitmor Rattique Totes - Espresso
5. Delta 48 Piece Closest Organizer - Beige
6. Whitmor Woven Strap Crate - Espresso
7. Graco Freeport 4-in-1 Convertible Crib
8. Storkcraft Glider Rocker and Ottoman

Entry Table

 As you can see above, our front door opens into a kind-of long hallway.  I decided to place an extra desk in the hallway between the bedroom and bathroom doors to use as an entry table.  I wanted a place to showcase some of our photos and to bring some life to our otherwise bland hallway.  This table does just that and MORE!

Winter Entry Table Display

We decided not to hang anything on our textured walls (which we have in this hallway, downstairs bath, stairway and upstairs landing) I’ve placed a large antique mirror I received from my grandfather and covered in chalkboard paint.  I love having this piece, as it’s a nice reminder of my wonderful family and my beautiful grandmother who has gone on before us.  I haven’t been too creative with what to write on the chalkboard just yet, so for now it says, “Welcome to our Home.”  We have hosted a prayer night, which we titled “Sweet Hour of Prayer,” so for this event I wrote “Welcome to a Sweet Hour of Prayer” on the chalkboard.  I’m sure I will become more creative as time permits.

Here are some little tid-bits about some of the items on the entry table:

- Flowers on the left:  My wedding bouquet

- Photo on left:  One of my favorite engagement pictures

- Photo on right:  One of my husband’s favorite engagement pictures.

- Dried roses in vast on right:  The first roses Ryan ever bought me.

The drawer stores postage stamps, return address labels, pens, rulers and other odd-and-end office supplies (which I really need to clean our and organize!).

The space underneath houses two stools we bought at a yard sale for $1.00 each.  With some new fabric and cushions, ribbon and some paint we now have two beautiful, versatile stools that have served as extra seating, foot rests, and side tables.

Spring/Summer Entry Table Display

 I love these simple paint sample glass jars.  I can easily change them out to fit a specific event, season, or use it to remind us of how we should conduct ourselves.  Here are some other words/phrases I plan to make and use in the glass jars:  Pray, Be Kind, Love, Give, Read, Obey and Do Good.  I am sure I will come up with many more as time progresses.

Linking @

The Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table and Dreaming

Tutorials and Tips Link Party @ Home Stories A to Z

Craft & Tell @ Cherished Bliss 

Linking Up With Lil' Luna @ Lil' Luna

The Creative Spark @ Clean & Scentsible

Home Decor and Organizing Link Party @ Organize and Decorate Everything

Delightfully Inspiring Thursday Party @ Delightful Order

The 36th Avenue Party Time @ The 36th Avenue

"What a difference a day makes" Print

During the ridiculous amount of time I have spent on Pinterest, I stumbled upon these two links:

The Memory Gallery Etsy Item - $24

CoCo Stine Designs Etsy Item - $18

There are some other versions out there, but these are the ones that caught my attention.  Not wanting to spent $20-$30+ (including taxes and shipping), I opened up MSPowerPoint and got to work!  I spent quite a while browsing dafont.com for a font to use for the dates.  I finally settled on Handwriting Draft.  I used fonts I already had for the rest:  Odstemplik for the descriptions and American Typewriter for the saying across the bottom.

Here's the two versions I came up with.  I can't decide if the lines next to the descriptions is too much, or if it works.  (And yes, those dates are accurate! When we knew, we knew!)

Option 1: Lines

Option 2:  Hyphens instead of lines.

I still need to purchase a frame and mat, so I have a day or so to decide.  Or maybe I won't decide, and will hang one up for a while, then switch it out with the other one just to mix things up. : P

Linking @:

Meet Me Monday Link Party @ You're Talking Too Much  
Craft and Tell @ Cherished Bliss

Tip Me Tuesday @ Tip Junkie

Lil' Luna Link Party @ Lil' LunaWhatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts  

Master Bath Cabinet Facelift

Last month I decided to FINALLY give the inside of the cabinet in our master bathroom a facelift.  I had planned this project a while back, but with the exhaustion of early pregnancy taking over my life, I hadn't worked up the motivation to actually DO the project.  Around the middle of June (9-10 weeks into my pregnancy) I was starting to have energy again, YES!

Plain white interior...not so pretty.

Here's my step-be-step process for beautifying the interior of our bathroom cabinet.

1. Gather materials:

• Self-adhesive wrapping paper of choice, make sure you have enough to cover the entire surface you plan to cover, I just barely had enough!  I used a wedding themed paper from Hallmark.
• Spray adhesive - I used Scotch
• Craft glue
• Ribbon - approximately same width as shelf fronts
• Utility knife
• Scissors
• Screw driver
• Cleaner of choice - I used a 1 part water, 1 part vinegar solution

2.  Empty the cabinet, remove the doors and take out the shelves.

3.  Place the paper on the back side of the cabinet.  Make sure it covers the entire back and try to get it as smooth as possible.
4.  Use the utility knife to trim the excess paper.  For a nice, clean cut make sure you are using a sharp blade.  If the blade is dull, it will cause the paper to rip.  Not what you want.
5.  Leaving the paper in, peel back one side and spray the adhesive on the back of the cabinet.  I would recommend covering your vanity to protect it from over-spray.  I worked from left to right.  Once I had the far left side glued down, I peeled the paper back towards the left and began gluing from there.  Be sure to smooth out your paper as you work, otherwise you will have bubbles and wrinkles.

Nice, smooth, pretty papered back.

Next we move onto the shelves!
6.  Cut to pieces of ribbon to match the length of your shelves.  I chose to cut mine a little long and trimmed closer after it was glued down.
7.  Apply craft glue to the edge of the shelf that will be facing out.  I chose to apply it in a zig-zag pattern and then smoothed it with my finger to have an even, thin coat.

8.  Carefully place the ribbon on the shelf edge with glue.  Again, I worked from left to right.  My ribbon was just a hair or two wider than my shelf edge, so I had to make sure it was even across the top, and only hung over on the bottom.
9.   Repeat steps 7 and 8 with second shelf.

10.  Place shelves in cabinet and then hang the doors.

11.  Fill with health and beauty products as desired.

What a pretty cabinet!

Master Bedroom

Yesterday I shared with you Apartment vs. New House photos of our master bath.  Today I would like to share with you our master bedroom.

Here's what we had in our apartment.

Note:  The painting is not yet completed, we didn't finish painting the bedroom until we moved into our house.  The wall behind the dresser and the wall facing the bed would eventually all be the same blue as the wall with the window.  The wall behind the bed we painted a light tan color.

And, here's our bedroom now:

View from corner by closet door and clock.  We're currently using a light blanket (much cooler for the spring and summer months) instead of the matching comforter. (We don't have central air and try to use the window unit in our bedroom sparingly)

 

 View from corner with bathroom door.  We decided to have the TV in the bedroom because we like to cuddle in bed while we watch movies.  We don't receive any television/cable services and only watch movies once or twice a month, so this works for us right now.

Close up of picture frames on dresser.  (Left)  Photo collage with a picture from our wedding and the first flowers Ryan every bought me along with scriptures about sleeping/resting peacefully.  (Right)  One of our favorite engagement photos.  Flowers I wore in my hair on our wadding day accent the photos.

 

 A close up of my jewelry storage/display using a variety of glass pieces and a jewelry box

Bedroom To-Dos:

1. Add headboard so we can place the bed in front of opposite window.
2. Add tall dresser for Ryan (So I can take over the dresser we currently have. :P)
3. Add matching night stands. (I currently don't even have one, not that there's room for it now anyway.)
4. Add two more curtain panels, one for each window.  (We currently only have one panel per window.)
5. Paint wall behind bed. (I am thinking of using this stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils)
6. Give trim and other three walls a fresh coat of paint.
7. Add more wall decor.
8. Add bench at the end of the bed.

Master Bath

When my husband and I registered for our wedding, he insisted on a purple bathroom.  He'd always dreamed of having a purple bathroom.  And so...a purple bathroom we had!  Here is what our bath looked like in our apartment.

 My sweet Hubby has given me more "free reign" in decorating our new home and I have no intention of painting our bathroom walls purple!  In fact, we haven't done any painting in our new house.  We only lived in our apartment for about 3 months before we found our house, and only two more months before we actually moved.  In those first short 3 months we had only finished painting the living room and started painting the bathroom.  Our landlord gave us the option to finish painting with the paint we had already purchased, instead of re-painting the work we had already done.  We ended up making a few trips back to the apt to finish painting after we moved into our house.  Thus we were not any too eager to start another painting project.  A year later and we still haven't done any painting.

Here is what our master bath looks like now.

Bathroom To-dos:

1. Hang double towel rod.
2. Hang toilet paper holder.
3. Hang towel ring by sink.
4. Add wall shelf above toilet.
5. Re-paint trim and walls.
6. Instal new shower walls (They aren't sealed which led to a horrendous mold problem.  We haven't used this shower since mid-March.)
7. Instal new faucet.
8. Instal new shower fixtures.
9. Instal new lighting.
10. Buy new bath mats.
11. Hang hook for towel next to shower.
12. Hang new matching towel ring.