We don’t do  Valentine’s Day in a big way here at the Castle. We are way more laid back. I usually set a casual Valentine’s Day table that has a ton of color, has a few treats and is super fun. This year’s table will be no different!

The Placesetting

While on a recent and rare grocery store adventure I say these sweet valentine dessert plates.

Of course, they had to come home with me.

So my table’s colors are centered around the colors in the plate.

A beautiful textured green placemat hosts a red charger.

White plates, followed by a fun pink and white salad plates are the perfect background for my dessert plates.

Hot pink buffalo check napkins show off the cutest Pom napkin rings ever!

I’m in love with them.

So much so that I bought a set of blue ones too!

The Centerpiece

For a centerpiece I’m using our dessert.

A red velvet cake sits upon a beautiful white cake stand.

Instead of a runner, I chose to set the cake stand on a felt heart.

Instead of real flowers I chose to add a few felt flowers and a heart.

I mean, what’s Valentine’s with out flowers and hearts?

Am I right?

The “back” side of the cake stand has more felt flowers and the cutest little sign reminding my guests that they are loved.

I extended the color around the cake plate by using felt ball garland with more felt flowers down the table.

Treats:

For a small after diner treat, I added some wonderful chocolates to each plate.

I’ve also been making these fun heart candies too.

I tuck them into small boxes and they are perfect for a little gifty to take home.

After all, there can never be too much candy!

A casual Valentine’s day table may not be everyones cup of tea, but it’s perfect for us here at the Castle!

Do you go all out for Valentine’s Day or are you more like me and go super laid back and casual with it?

Until next time….

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Hey y’all! I hope that you had a great long weekend. We didn’t do much of anything. Just a few things around the house and watched a little football. My kind of weekend. I thought I’d share a quick and easy Valentine’s craft with you, just in case you need something fun to do.

I found everything for this craft at Michael’s, except for the ribbon which I already had.

Here’s what you will need:

Supply list:

Valentine’s paper ( really if you have scraps I’d use those as you use so little of the paper.)

Wooden sign – Michael’s $1.50

Wooden Heart – Michael’s  .39

Ribbon – I used 3 different patterns as well as some raffia. All were from my scrap bin.

Scissors

Mod Podge

Ruler

Glitter

Paint brush

White craft paint

Hot glue gun and glue

Step 1:

Measure the inside of your sign and cut out a piece of scrapbook paper using those dimensions.

Set the paper aside.

Step 2:

Paint the sign white.

Let the sign dry completely.

Step 2:

Decorate the heart.

While my sign was drying I cut out some paper using my wooden heart as a pattern.

Once that was done, I used Mod Podge to apply the paper to my heart.

Now that my heart is completely dry, it’s time to add some glitter!

Simply paint the edge of the heart with Mod Podge, then dip in glitter.

( Yes, my glitter tray is a hot mess! Someday I will attempt to clean it. Maybe….)

Quick Tip

Use a clean, dry brush to clean off any small glitter that you don’t want on your heart.

Step 4:

Finish decorating the sign.

Paint the base of your sign with a quick coat of Mod Podge.

Add the paper and give it a gentle rub to adhere the paper to the sign and get rid of any bubbles.

Next, give the paper another coat of Mod Podge.

Set aside and let dry.

Step 5:

Make a small bow to add to your sign.

I made a simple small bow X bow.

You can see how to make it here.

Step 6:

Glue the heart onto the sign.

Step 7:

Add your bow.

I hot glued mine on the corner to finish off my Valentine’s sign.

This really is a quick and easy Valentine’s craft.

It would be great for both older children and adult.

And not only is it easy, it’s super economical too!

I made this sign for under $2.00!

Until next time….

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Hey y’all! Today I want to share a couple of super easy projects that I promise will help you get organized for the new year! I like to call it Command Central.

Even before the holidays I started looking for some kind of chalkboard/magnetic board/ calendar system to put on the side of my fridge cabinet.

I just wanted something that looked cute but that would also let me keep track of things like my grocery list, reminders etc.

Also, if it had a place for me to put a few photos of my littles that would be a huge bonus.

I thought that it would be easy to find, but boy was I wrong.

What I found was either too big, too small, too expensive or didn’t function as I wanted it to.

So  I made my own!

After looking through my stash of unused stuff, I found a red metal decor piece.

I painted it a pretty navy blue.

Once it had dried, I took it into the kitchen and held it up against the cabinet and was so disappointed.

It looked flat and drab.

PLan B!

I painted the metal sign white.

Two good coats and a little distressing with sandpaper and this is what my new sign looked like.

So much better!

To protect the paint, I put a satin top coat on the sign.

This metal sign was the perfect size and I would be able to post reminders and photos on it easily.

While rummaging through my stash, I also came upon a piece of 12″ x 24″ chalkboard.

I normally use these to make back to school chalkboards for the littles in my family.

And it was the perfect size!

However, it didn’t have a finished edge.

After very little searching I found this frame at Hob Lob.

It was the perfect size and color.

And to make it even more perfect it was 50% off!

I simply dropped the chalkboard into the frame, then because it didn’t have any way to hold the chalkboard into the frame, I simply put a bead of silicone around edge fo the frame.

I put some weight in the center to hold the chalkboard down until the silicone dried.

After leaving it overnight, I removed the mugs and my chalkboard was secured to the frame.

Once I added a picture frame hanger to the top of the board and it was ready to hang.

Command central is complete!

I have to say that having a place to see all of my favorites every day sure makes my heart sing.

And the chalkboard grocery list?

Works so well for me!

No more having to walk into another room to write it down – or forgetting to write it down – or forgetting why I walked into the room….

I love it!

One last tip.

Prime your chalkboard!

Before using any brand new chalkboard take a piece of chalk , lay it on it’s side and rub it all over the board!

Wipe the chalk off and your board is ready to be written on.

The priming helps you  keep from getting ghost images of what was written on the board.

Until next time….

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How it’s Made

Yesterday I partnered up with Terrie from Decorate and More with Tip to share how to style a Two Tiered Tray. We both shared  our videos on Facebook. Every Wednesday we share either a craft or how to decorate something in your home. And Every Wednesday we get asked the all important question “Can you tell me how it’s made?”. So this week, as well as sharing the video we thought that it would be fun to share how we made several things that we put on our trays. If you would like to see my video, please go here. Don’t forget to visit Terrie here.

Valentine’s Day Mug

I love the look of the Rae Dunn mugs.

However, I don’t like the idea of storing a ton of mugs for each holiday.

So I make my own holiday mugs by taking plain white mugs and adding vinyl lettering to them.

I have a Silhouette machine that makes it super easy for me to make a design.

Once I’ve decided on a design, it’s simply a matter of cutting it out and adding it to the mug.

Don’t have a Cricut or a Silhouette machine?

No worries!

Your local craft store has a ton of peel and stick lettering that you can use!

Mini Rolling Pin

In my video I had taken one of these sweet little rolling pins, cut out vinyl  lettering and attached it to the pin.

Well, since you may not have a cutting machine I want to show you just how easy it is to use peal and stick lettering.

Simply choose the letters of the word you want to use, the stick them on.

Once I have my lettering on, I like to add a bit of bakers twine tied in a bow for a little extra embellishment.

Seriously, it couldn’t get any easier and it takes very little time!

Mulit-media Sign

A few years ago I made the multi- media heart signs.

If you missed it you can see it here.

I made all sizes, shapes, and colors with a ton of different embellishments.

They are so easy to make and I have used them just about everywhere here at the Castle!

Conversation Heart Mug

The last craft is the centerpiece on the top tier.

It’s a cute mug with a conversation heart.

I found the heart at Hob Lob and it’s originally intended to be used as a floral pick.

However, it was much too long for my mug.

I simply cut it to my desired length using a small hack saw.

Placed a piece of styrofoam into the mug.

Next, add the heart pick to the styrofoam and cover it with crinkly white paper.

The centerpiece is done!

I hope this answered your question “can you tell me how it’s made?”

If you’d like to see just how this two tiered tray was put together, don’t forget to head on over to my Facebook site ( link above).

Also, be sure and visit Terrie @ Decorate and More With Tip to see the cutest tray ever!

P.S. she actually MADE her tray.

You don’t want to miss this!

Until next time…

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With the Rona still hanging around it’s hard to get together with friends and family. It’s especially hard when the birthdays are milestones and you can’ get together. Normally, all of the Queens would be gathering together to celebrate my BFF Roxanne hitting a big milestone. And even though we aren’t celebrating her birthday like we have in the past, I  can still  pretend to have a little Birthday party fun.

IF we were getting together, the party would be low key and all The Queens would be invited.

We would show up in our finest attire bearing birthday presents.

We would eat a delicious Apple salad with apple poppy seed vinaigrette.

( trust me when I say that this salad is so yummy!)

Followed by a chicken artichoke pizza!

I’d make sure that the table was set for a queen and  her ladies!

A turquoise placemat, a pink champagne charger, and white dishes.

A beautiful turquoise napkin would be put into a giant diamond napkin ring.

Of course no Queen would eat lunch without her crown.

Diamonds  twisted into a curly Q shape could hold a place card that would let each Queen know where she would be seated for the day.

The birthday Queen would have a very special crown of her own!

One filled with jewels  that only a Queen would love and wear.

The Queen would sit at the head of the table and naturally her place setting would match that of the rest of the Queens.

Beautiful flowers would grace the table to commemorate such a wonderful occasion!

I did make our Queen Roxanne a wonderful  chalkboard poster to mark the occasion.

One that announced just how very special our Queen truly is!

And last, but not least, we would break out a beautiful cake complete with a crown and birthday candle sparklers!

We would laugh, tell stories, be silly and celebrate just being together.

That’s how Queen’s celebrate their birthdays.

I don’t know about you but I can’t wait until we can all celebrate and have a little birthday party fun once again.

So, Happy Birthday Queen Roxanne!

We may not all be together physically, but know that we are with you in spirit.

Until next time…..

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*The turquoise napkin, glasses, napkin ring and diamond placecard holder were all purchased at  Hobby Lobby over the years at their 75% off sale.

Its $10 on the 10th! Where a few blogger friends and I share fun decor, ideas and crafts for under $10.00. This months theme was Winter Blues/ Winter decor. Nothing helps beat those Winter blues like a little decorating that makes you smile. I recently painted a few winter snowflakes and put them in an unusual place!

The best part about this project is that it was super easy, especially since it gave a lot of wow factor to my decor.

This would be the perfect craft for younger children as well as adults!

Here are the supplies that you will need to make your own:

Wooden snowflake cutouts. I found mine here.

Twine

White paint

Holographic glitter paint

Paint brush

That’s it!

Step 1:

Paint your snowflakes white.

I gave each of my snowflakes 2 coats of white acrylic paint on each side.

Since I loved the dark brown edges, I didn’t paint those.

The brown edges give the snowflakes a rustic look that I love at this time of year.

I will admit that my first instinct was to put glue on the edges and dip them in big chunky white glitter.

However, I’m looking for a little less glam and glitz now that Christmas is over.

Step 2:

Paint with holographic glitter paint.

Give each side of the snowflake a coat of the glitter paint.

Make sure to let each side dry thoroughly before painting the other side!

I know!

I said a little LESS glam and glitz, not NO glam or glitz! Ha!

It’s hard to see it in this photo, but the holographic glitter really sparkles and shines!

Step 3:

Thread  twine through your snowflakes, tying off the ends of the twine.

My snowflakes came with 9 pieces of 13″ twine, however you can use twine, ribbon, baker’s twine – basically whatever you have on hand.

Step 4:

Hang your snowflakes!

While I hung mine on my chandelier in my breakfast room, I think these would look super cute in other places too.

Nestled in greenery on a fireplace mantle, string them on a 6 ft length of twine and hang them as a garland on the mantle, if you still have your trees up they would make great ornaments.

How about hanging them from a topiary or potted tree on your porch?

See?

I told you they give  a lot of bang for your buck!

Now, please join me in visiting the other blog hoppers and see what fun Winter blues items they’re sharing!

Allyson @ Southern Sunflowers

Patti @ Pandora’s Box

Anne @  The Apple Street Cottage

Barbara @ French Ethereal

Until next time…

Decorating for winter can be tricky. Especially if you are like me and after the holidays are ready to pack all of the Christmas decor away, including the greenery. However, just because I’m ready for a clean decor slate doesn’t mean that decorating for winter has to be hard. In fact, you can achieve a wonderful warm design in just 3 steps!

Step 1:

Light a fire.

The past few days have been cold, wet and dreary.

You can tell by the photos that there was very little light.

On days like these I love to light a fire, curl up on the sofa and read a good book.

Lighting the fireplace both mentally and physically warms you up!

I added a ton of candles to the mantle of the fireplace.

There is nothing like lighting them all in the evening.

It not only looks inviting, but smells great too.

I love them so much that I’ve sprinkled candles all through the castle!

Step 2:

Add texture.

Heavier fabrics like fur, velvet, corduroy and wool all just scream winter to me.

Add a warm fuzzy throw blanket to your decor doe instant warmth.

Can’t you just imagine curling up with this furry throw?

It is just the softest!

These velvet pillows on the sofa really cozy up the living room.

Don’t forget to add texture through out your home.

My bedroom has a very cool color scheme with a lot of neutrals paired with steal blues and mid-tone greens.

The addition of a warm furry throw as well as velvet pillows really helps to warm this space up.

In the guest room I took away the bright hot pink throw pillows and added these off white corduroy pillows complete with fuzzy poms!

I love them so much that the old pillows may never come back!

Step 3:

Add  a little nature.

Think greenery, pinecones, and sticks from trees.

All too often we shut ourselves up inside when it’s cold.

Bringing nature inside is a must for me!

Not a lot, just a few elements here and there.

As you can see here, I added scented pinecones to a large lantern.

On the coffee table I’ve added a woven basket to hold all of my decor.

The basket adds warm texture as well as shows off the pinecones, greenery and a candle.

Even the burlap bow adds warmth with it’s nubby texture!

This tablescape is the trifecta of decorating for winter.

It has a little nature, tons of texture and a candle to give it that warm soft glow.

As you can see, decorating for winter is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Until next time….

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Welcome to Plans for Cumberland Trail  part 2! Last week I shared just how busy last year was for us.  I didn’t realize just how busy until I did that walk down memory lane. Needless to say, it was a full year for us. Today I’m sharing what we plan on doing this year here at the castle. Don’t worry, we all know that there will always be small changes and projects to do! Nobody wants to hear ALL of those, which is why I’m only going to share some of our bigger projects with you.

The first thing on my list is to finish up the laundry room.

This room has come a long way since we moved in.

It had linoleum flooring.

Wallpaper from the 80’s… maybe even the 70’s.

Fluorescent tube lighting on the ceiling.

The cabinets may have been a cream at one time, but over the years they had yellowed and just looked dirty.

The first week we were here all floors in the house were replaced.

The second week I striped the wallpaper and gave it a good cleaning.

Everything in this room from the ceiling to the floor has been painted.

The fluorescent lighting was replaced with a pretty crystal one.

So what’s left?

The countertop, new sink, faucet and tile on the wall above the sink.

I have all of the  supplies to do this and have for a few months, I just never found the time.

I’m making this my number 1 project.

The Kitchen.

I knew before we moved in that there needed to be big changes in the kitchen for it to function for our family.

First off, it’s much smaller than our previous kitchen so I’m having to learn to let go of things and be more intentional with my space.

Plus, it’s not my style.

At all.

At one time they had lime washed the cabinets.

The finish has worn off in some spots, making it very porous.

At certain times during the day the cabinets look almost peach.

Fluorescent tube lighting under the  upper cabinets.

And I’m not sure what the granite was finished with but it always looks streaked even after polishing.

It’s the darkest room in the house.

When we moved in the first week we replaced all of the appliances.

We plan on painting the cabinets white.

Replacing the sink, faucet and undercounter lighting.

If it fits into the budget I will be replacing the countertops. Fingers crossed.

Long term, I’d also like to take the upper cabinets all the way to the ceiling for extra storage and put in a new simpler style of doors.

The Master Bathroom

There is nothing terribly wrong in here.

It functions, but it just needs a few repairs and updates.

Right before Christmas we painted the vanity, walls and trim.

It had a bad antiquing treatment on the vanity and the walls were builder beige.

The vanity was painted a blue gray color, the walls a greige and the trim pure white.

I’d like to get rid of the wall of mirrors.

Aint nobody need to see that much of themselves!

And remove a few of the light fixtures.

They are blinding!

The ceiling needs to be painted white.

The window treatments in the master bathroom and the bedroom are Duets.

At one time I’m sure they were super nice, however they are tired, worn and there really is no good way to clean them.

They are going.

I’m going to replace them and put in some kind of valance to give the space a little color and texture.

We do have one issue, the wall between the tub and the shower moves.

Yep, it gives just a little.

We are betting that it will need to be replaced before long.

Bathroom Countertops

The last two really large things on my list are the powder room and the guest bathroom countertops.

It’s hard to tell in the picture, but the tops are a biscuit color.

Nothing else in either room is that color and they stick out like a huge elephant in the room.

Not sure what the plan is for either of these rooms is at this point, but I’m working on a quick fun solution!

That’s it for Plans for Cumberland Trail Part 2.

As you can see, we have our work cut out for us!

However, I’m really looking forward to getting started and make Cumberland a little more “us” every day!

Until next time…..

Happy New Year! Here’s to hoping that 2021 will be much better than 2020. I don’t do New Year’s resolutions, but ringing in the New Year has me thinking about all the things that we accomplished here last year and all of the plans for Cumberland Trail in the coming year. Today in Cumberland Trail part 1, I’m sharing what we’ve done in the past year and in Part 2 I’ll be sharing our plans for the next year.

Here’s what we got done this past year.

We moved into our new home in late October of 2019.

We bought this house knowing that we were going to be doing a lot of projects.

They would include small facelifts and some big remodeling in almost every room of the house.

In other words, we were on a mission to make it more our own.

Moving in late October didn’t give us much time before the holiday season.

However we did get a few projects completed before then.

Like the Fireplace.

This is the before.

And this is the after.

We put in all new floors and  remove the dated wallpaper in the laundry room and bathrooms.

Added a quick coat of paint in each of those rooms and we called it good until after the holidays.

Winter 2020

Then came 2020

My first project was to participate in the $100 room challenge working on my office.

I loved how it turned out.

Next, came the Dining room.

Not just once, but twice!

The Laundry room was next.

While it’s still not totally finished, it is so much better than when we moved in.

Spring 2020

While all of this was going on, we had signed on with a contractor to put in a pool, a small kitchen and fire pit in the back yard – las OCTOBER.

However, it took forever to get permits etc..

The backyard that was suppose to be finished in late January – mid February didn’t even start until March.

And then COVID hit.

Everything came to a screeching  halt for awhile.

It finally picked back up, but due to material supplies in high demand progress was accomplished at a snails pace.

We had put everything on hold inside the house for the most part to focus on new landscaping in the front yard and painting the exterior of the house while the pool was being built.

Summer 2020

Finally in the first part of June the pool was completed.

Fall 2020

We took July and August off.

It was nice not to have workmen around the house.

Plus, we like doing as much of the projects as we can ourselves, so it was much needed time to enjoy the pool.

September had us back in full swing on projects with the $100 room challenge.

This time I spruced up one of the guest rooms with a ton of color.

Then it was time for the holidays again!

We did however have a new roof put on and FINALLY after 6 months we built our pergolas in the back yard!

Just in time to ring in the new year!

Looking back through this crazy year, I realize that we did a TON of work.

Our new home is starting to look and feel like us more and more every day.

But there are always going to be projects here at the castle.

And we have so many plans for this next year!

I hope you enjoyed plans for Cumberland Trail part 1.

If you did, stay tuned for part 2 next week.

Until next time…

My friend Cindy from Cloches and Lavender and I got together and decided to share out Christmas Dining rooms with you. Only one problem. I don’t have a formal dining room any more. So I decided to share my breakfast room with you. Normally, this room would be a lot more formal, but with the Christmas celebration being scaled back quite  a bit this year, I’m decorating more for casual Christmas dining.

But don’t worry, just because it’s casual doesn’t mean it has to be plain!

On one end of the breakfast room is our coffee bar/ hot chocolate bar.

If you missed how I set up my hot chocolate  bar, you can see it here.

Also, I shared my Christmas hutch with you early this month.

If you want to see a step by step how to video you can see it here.

Casual Christmas Dining

As always, I  start with a clean table.

In fact, I give everything that’s going on my table the once over to make sure it’s clean, no smudges, or fingerprints.

Once that’s done, I add a tablecloth.

However, this year I am using this furry white runner that reminds me of snow.

Start in the Center of the table.

I like to start from the center of the table and work my way out.

See this cute felt holly ribbon?

I think it’s my favorite this year.

It mimics the felt garland and flower pics on my hutch.

I simply laid it on the center of my runner for a little color.

This years centerpiece is a bowl from the kitchen that I filled with small pots of Poinsettias.

I added in a few glass ornaments and my centerpiece is complete.

I’m mad about plaid this year.

Not sure why, but years ago I used plaid just about everywhere.

Over time I was a little burnt out.

I started with a black charger plate and for some fun and color laid a plaid napkin across it.

If you follow me at all, you know that 9 times out of 10 I’m going to use my white hob nail plates.

Love them.

They go with everything!

Next, I added my Christmas salad plate.

I purchased the whole set years ago from Better Home and Gardens.

Best Christmas purchase ever.

My Silverware has a tiny gold bead on it that picks up that light and gives the table a little understated bling.

You know I love some bling!

Now for the fun part!

I took another plaid napkin and folded to look like a Christmas tree.

Normally I  stay away from folded napkins because when I fold them they never seem to look quite like they do on Pinterest.

However, these were super easy to fold and surprisingly they look exactly like the inspiration photo.

I love to put a piece of candy, a treat, or a take home on my plates.

So this year I added in one of my hot chocolate bombs to go with dessert!

Trust me, these bombs are so rich they are almost a dessert in themselves.

And last, but not least, I added my hand painted water/ wine/ tea glasses.

In a former life I painted wine glasses.

I love this size glass because it’s so versatile.

And these glasses are just a few of the ones I made for myself.

Since they are all the same and my family tends to use the same glass most of the day, I added cute wine glass markers.

If you look closely you can see a cute little Santa.

My place setting is complete.

Simple, casual, but I think super fun and colorful.

Oh, one last thing!

My place cards this year were wreaths with Christmas ornaments tied to the center that were hung from the back of the chairs.

I love a fun and unusual place cards and try each year to come up with something unusual.

This may be one of my favorites ever.

See? Casual Christmas dining doesn’t have to be boring!

Now, that I’m done please head on over to Cindy’s and check out her formal dining room. I’m sure that it’s going to be beautiful because everything she does is spectacular!

Merry Christmas!

                                                   Remember, if you liked it, be sure to PIN it!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree How lovely are thy branches!…I haven’t been happy with my Christmas tree this year. In our new home it feels too big, too tall. The lights quit working so I ordered fairy lights that switch between white and colored.  They are not quite what I had envisioned, the cords are almost impossible to hide. The ribbon I chose just didn’t do it for me either. And to top it all off the only place that it would fit was smushed between the TV console and the sofa.  I need a new one but that’s a whole different story. So I decorated it and went on.

And then I saw this.

The perfect tree.

No idea who’s tree it is, I tried to figure it out but couldn’t.

So if you know, let me know so I can give this person, who is clearly the King or Queen of tree decorating, the true credit they so richly deserve.

Comparison is an ugly thing.

Now my tree really didn’t make me happy.

At all.

A week or so ago I saw a Reels that Brittany Young the Certified Celebrator posted.

She reminded me of our Christmas Tree tradition that we started when our sons were small.

Every year the boys got to choose an ornament for the tree.

The plan was that when they got married they would get to take their ornaments with them to start their new tree.

This plan started off beautifully.

When they were young I chose the ornaments.

Cute, sweet and color co-ordinated perfectly with my carefully chosen bulbs and Our First Christmas Together ornament.

You can see the flaws in this plan, however I and Brittany certainly did not.

This is the ornament that Brittany’s son chose.

#boymomlife

I had to laugh because it reminded me of all of the years of strange ornaments that my sons chose.

Don’t believe me?

Let me share.

Super Heros

We have quite a few of them.

Batman, Spiderman and Ninja Turtles just to name a few.

Is this Leonardo? Or Michelangelo?

And in most cases there are more than one.

 Video games.

Who knew?

This one lights up and makes strange noises.

For obvious reasons it’s batteries need replaced.

Strange things.

I don’t even know what some of them are and frankly stopped asking.

 Movies, camping, etc.

And this year? My youngest asked why I hadn’t asked him what ornament he wanted.

The conversation went like this:

Son: ” Mom, why haven’t you asked me what ornament I want this year. Did we even do one last year?”

Me: “Well, I had planned on them being a wedding gift, but as I see no wedding in sight and the tree is getting a bit full, I thought maybe we should just stop getting new ornaments.”

Him: ” WOW, mom! I mean, I plan on getting married. Some day. Hey, no pressure…”

Me: ” Just get the ornament…” eye roll…

This is what I got.

All 6 of them.

Now, it’s not totally filled with all things a boy mom would cringe at.

It also has beautiful Shiny Brite ornaments, ornaments fit for a queen, Santas and hand blown glass ornaments from Germany.

Ornaments that both my husband and I love.

The funny thing was, as I started photographing the ornaments to share with you it brought back all of the memories.

When the boys played sports, were in the Church Christmas play, school events, when they were into video games. ( the youngest would jump, roll and dive when Mario did. Quite the work out and made untangling the cord an event. Drove the eldest CRAZY!) All of the years that we hid the pickle and they went hunting….

All the memories.

From opening gifts to setting up the train under the tree.

Suddenly, my Christmas tree wasn’t the Charlie Brown tree I had pictured it to be.

My tree may not be filled with all things shiny and new.

It may not be the perfect size, in the perfect place, with the perfect lights and ribbon.

But it is filled with beautiful memories that I wouldn’t trade for any other tree!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas Tree how lovely are thy branches….

Until next time…

Last week when I shared my hot chocolate bar, I promised to also share with you how I made my snowmen marshmallows and my hot cocoa bombs. I shared my snowmen with you a few days ago, so today is the day I share How to make hot cocoa bombs with you.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect all of the questions that have come my way about the bombs.

It seems that they are one hot item this year!

I’m no expert, but I can give you a little insight into how I made mine.

To be honest, they are one of the easiest and the hardest things I’ve ever made.

By that I mean that I am on my second or more batch and I’m still figuring out the best way to make them.

The first time around I found a tutorial on Pinterest that wasn’t all that complete.

After much more research I came across a how to from In Karina’s Kitchen and all of the pieces fell into place.

Supplies:

• mold
• chocolate – I used Sweet Tooth Fairy Meltables
• spoon
• glass measuring cup
• non-stick skillet
• hot cocoa mix
• sprinkles
• marshmallows
• gloves
  

  How To Make Hot Cocoa Bombs

• Step 1:

I bought my mold here.  Remember that I said that it was a hot item?

Well, it’s out of stock at this time.

However, there are a ton of other places that sell the molds also.

If you are going to make a lot of bombs I recommend getting more than one mold.

My mold has 6 cups, which makes 3 bombs.

Melt your chocolate for 30 seconds in the microwave.

Stir well.

Repeat until chocolate is completely melted.

Step 2:

There are a couple of ways to coat the chocolate mold.

My favorite is to drop a spoonful of melted chocolate into the mold.

Then using the back of the spoon, spread a thin layer of chocolate, covering all of the mold.

Make sure to bring the chocolate all the way to the top of the mold.

Place in the freezer for 5 minutes or until the chocolate has completely set.

( My neighbor cut her bomb mold apart, then dropped in chocolate then swirled the mold around to cover all  sides of each half bomb.)

Step 3:

After 5 minutes, pull the mold from the freezer and spread another thin layer of chocolate on to the first layer of chocolate.

Again making sure that you are bringing the chocolate all the way to the top of the mold.

Put into the freezer for another 5 minutes or until completely set.

Step 4:

Gently remove the chocolate from the mold.

Slow and easy are the keys here.

If your chocolate isn’t set, it could break or crack.

I did find that if I had a tiny crack or piece come off at the top I could put more chocolate onto that area, put it in the freezer, and them remove it.

9 times out of 10 that would fix the problem.

Step 5:

Once you have removed the bomb halves from the mold, it’s time to even out the top rim and put the bomb together.

I found that putting a non-stick skillet on top of a burner on the lowest heat worked the best for me.

Heat the pan, place he bomb cavity side down and gently twist the bomb.

It will melt the bomb slightly and create a flat area that will allow you to put the two bombs together.

Melt the first half of the bomb.

Step 6:

Flip the half over and add hot chocolate, marshmallows and sprinkles.

Step 7:

Melt your other bomb half and quickly place it on top of the half you just filled with goodies.

Gently press together to seal the bomb.

If any melted chocolate seeps out you can gently wipe it off.

Step 8:

I set bombs immediately into a cupcake liner and let them set up.

Once they have had time to set, you can decorate them however you wish.

Here, I’ve made a snowman hot coco bomb by adding a face using icing and ear muffs using M & M’s.

On the chocolate bombs, I melted some white chocolate and drizzled it over the bombs and immediately added sprinkles.

I found these clear plastic 3 x 3 boxes and added some shredded paper in the bottom.

Once the bombs were decorated and all decorations were dry, I added the bombs to them.

Tie on a cute bow and your hot cocoa bombs are almost complete!

Several people asked how do you make the bombs explode?

As an afterthought I made these instructions on my computer, cut them out and taped them to the side of the box.

However, my neighbor who is much smarter than me, found some pretty Avery labels and printed her instructions out.

Peel and stick.

So much easier!

I tested the white chocolate bombs out on The Hubs and he said it’s the best hot chocolate he’s ever had.

And not to be left out my youngest took a chocolate one home and said the same.

I’ll put these into the Pinterest win column!

Before I go, here are just a few tips to help you make the best bombs ever.

• make sure you don’t over heat the chocolate. It will burn or become hard to work with.
• use chocolate candy melts. I used a different chocolate the first time and it was a mess as it wasn’t already tempered. Trust me on this one!
• handle the bombs as little as possible.  It IS chocolate and will melt. You can leave fingerprints and marks that make it look like a mess! Wear gloves to help keep it smooth and clean.
• Don’t over fill the inside of the bomb. Keep the edges of the bombs clean so that they will melt together.
• Make sure that your chocolate is set before removing from the mold. If you don’t it will break or crack. You know the chocolate is set when it looks clean and shiny!
• Your bombs should last up to two weeks after you make them. To extend that time I put them into the refrigerator until I’m ready to deliver them.

That’s it! If you decide to make some, I’d love to hear any tips or tricks that you come up with. And, as always, please send me pictures!

Until next time…

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My good friends, Cindy from Cloches and Lavender and Terrie from Decorate And More With Tip rounded up a few fun ladies for a Christmas home tour. Each of us are sharing a room, or rooms, in our home decorated with all things Christmas.

When it came time to decide which room I wanted to share, my thoughts went to my living room.

I mean, it is where most of the pretty is.

But then I looked out of the living room window and saw this.

It’s where we spend a lot of our time.

We ARE outside people and it IS Texas.

Todays high is expected to be 77.

Perfect patio sitting weather!

I knew that I wanted to share the room that we love to be in as much as possible.

Our patio.

The Patio

When you walk outside the back door off of our living room, this is the “room” that you see.

We have set up a mini living room with swivel chairs to watch TV, relax, read books or just watch the kids in the pool.

For the Christmas season I’ve added red and white throw pillows and navy and white buffalo plaid throws to keep us warm and toasty.

Greenery, berries, and pinecones adorned with red ribbon are hung from each of the back windows.

As you step out of the backdoor, a cute red truck Christmas doormat is flanked by two large red poinsettias.

Don’t you just love all of the cute doormats that are available now?

This corner is the home for a few trees, poinsettias and a Merry sign that the Queens made a few years ago at their annual party.

This is such a pretty corner in the daylight, but it really shines at night!

Across from the trees, at the end of the sitting area we have a drink center that sits directly under the TV.

We don’t use it for drinks in the winter, but we do serve off of it in the fall and winter when we watch football.

Today I’ve got a few poinsettias and a snowflake lantern decorating it, as well as a fun pink flamingo!

Here’s a picture of the seating area looking in from the pool area.

We just put up a pergola over the dining table.

I cannot tell you how happy I am with it.

Already I can tell that in the brutal Texas summer we will have much needed shade.

And in the winter it will give us protection from the elements.

I couldn’t wait to start decorating this area.

I’m nowhere near done, but hanging the sleigh and giving my table a centerpiece really gave this area a festive feel.

Not the best picture, but I couldn’t not share the area at the end of the table.

Just a fun vignette full of Christmas cheer.

At the other end of the table I’ve placed a light up snowman trio.

As you could tell from earlier pictures, our house backs up to the neighborhood park.

So we like to decorate for the daytime as well as the night time.

Speaking of the the patio at night…

At night it’s magical!

With everything lighted there is just enough light to see the entire space and still give your that Christmas magic feel!

While it’s not the prettiest room in our house, it’s definitely one of our favorites!

Thank you for stopping by, it was so good to have you here.

Now it’s time to visit the rest of the Christmas Home Tour participants!

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Hey there! Last week when I shared my hot cocoa bar with you I promised to share how to make marshmallow snowmen and hot cocoa bombs with you.

So today I’m making good on half of that promise.

How to make marshmallow snowmen.

Can I tell you a secret?

They are so easy to make I could have called the neighbor kids over and let them do  it while I napped!

Supplies:

Here’s what you will need to make the snowmen.

* Marshmallows – the big kind

*Powdered Sugar

*Scissors- I used my kitchen scissors, cleaning them super well before using.

*A new artist liner brush

*Gel Food Coloring or tubes of icing

Optional – a 4 x 4 x2 box and bakers twine

Step 1

Take a small plate and liberally sprinkle powdered sugar on it.

Next to the plate, lay out a piece of parchment paper or wax paper.

Step 2

Using the scissors, cut a marshmallow in half.

Step 3

Dip the sticky side of the marshmallow ( the side that was cut) into the powdered sugar.

tip: if your marshmallow shape is a little wonky, press down in the center to make it round again.

Step 4

Place your marshmallow – powdered sugar side down – onto a piece of parchment paper.

Step 5

Now for the fun part!

Painting your snowman’s face.

Now don’t panic if you aren’t an artist.

We are talking basic shapes here.

Dip a little gel food coloring out onto a paper plate.

Then using a clean, new artists brush get  the brush wet and dip into a little of the food coloring.

You want it to be thin, but not watery.

Paint your snowman!

Remember I said basic shapes?

As you can see here I used circles for the eyes, mouth and checks and a wonky triangle for the nose.

If your food coloring bleeds a little, that’s okay.

If it bleeds too much, you have used to much water…

My snowmen are far from perfect, but I think that makes them even cuter!

I know that most of us aren’t going to any parties this year, but wouldn’t these be a great hostess gift?

Or even a sweet treat for family and friends?

I found these boxes here and they were perfect for six to eight snowmen.

To keep them in place in the box, simply wet a small circle on the back side of the marshmallow and place in the box.

The water creates a small sticky spot that holds just enough that they won’t move inside the box, but still allows for easy removal.

Tie your box up with ribbon or bakers twine, add a festive embellishment and a tag.

You now have a cute, sweet gift!

Don’t forget to make a few for yourself!

They are just the cutest floating in a cup of hot chocolate!

Once your marshmallow snowmen are done, store them in an airtight container.

See? I told you making marshmallow snowmen was easy.

Chocolate Bombs are coming soon, I promise!

Until next time…..

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It finally feels like we may have a Winter season here in North Texas. We went from weather in the 70’s down into the 40’s and 50’s. Which may not seem that cold to you, but here we are dragging out the coats. With the weather getting cooler, it’s time to bust out one of my favorite things. A big mug of hot cocoa! So today I’m sharing how to set up a Christmas hot cocoa bar. Disclaimer, I’m no expert on hot cocoa bars, this is just how my family likes to do it.

Step 1:

Find a great spot for your bar and add lots of Christmas decor.

I’m setting mine up next to my coffee maker on the buffet in the breakfast room.

For us, it just makes sense.

However, your bar can go anywhere that you want it to go!

Your bar just wouldn’t be as festive without a few Christmas decorations.

I added in my sweet little reindeer, as well as greenery, red Christmas bulbs and lots of plaid.

Step 2:

Add Hot cocoa and all of the trimmings!

*hot cocoa – We use The Hubs family recipe, but Swiss Miss is a good one too.

*marshmallows – mini, fluff, large, peeps, dehydrated – thank goodness they come in all shapes, colors and sizes!

*Sea Salted Caramel  

*Whipped Cream

*Sprinkles– they bring the fun to the party!

*White and Chocolate chips – for added flavor

*Candy Canes – great stir sticks and add a little peppermint kick

*Cookies – who doesn’t like cookies?

*Hot Cocoa Bombs – yummy!

*Candy

*Chocolate Fudge Sauce

And these are just a few things to start with!

I like to keep most of my ingredients in pretty containers with lids.

Freshness counts!

Also, since most of my containers are not see through I add small tags to each container for convenience.

I love these mini dehydrated marshmallows, they never get stale!

Speaking of marshmallows, I love these hand painted snowmen.

They are just the cutest floating around in your cup.

Want to know how to make them?

I’ll be sharing how next week!

What cup of cocoa would be complete without sprinkles?

I just add them to the top of a little marshmallow fluff or whip cream.

Guaranteed happiness every time!

We’ve all seen these cute Hot Chocolate Bombs, right?

I can’t tell you how fun they are and best of all they are delicious!

The Hubs said that they made the best cup of hot chocolate that he has ever had!

Along with a good cup of chocolate, I like to eat a little something.

Like cookies!

These pirouettes are this weeks favorite, next week it might be something different!

Step 3:

Make sure that you have plenty of serving utensils.

One essential item is something to stir your hot chocolate.

I like to offer a variety with spoons, stir sticks, and candy canes!

Other essential items are scoops and small spoons.

I even put out small tongs for things like the marshmallow snowmen.

Also, you can never have enough napkins on hand.

Ever.

Step 4:

Lifts and Levels with tall things in the back.

If you are limited on space like I am,  put things in the back up on a lift if they aren’t tall.

A lift is anything the can add height.

In this case I used a oblong plaid tin about 3 inches thick and 6 inches long.

Then added a Level, which is a small white tray.

Not only does it look good, now my family can easily reach the hot cocoa and the candy canes without making a mess.

And just like that your Hot Cocoa bar is complete.

Now all that’s left to do is sit back and enjoy a great cup of hot cocoa!

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It’s the first Wednesday of the month, which means it’s time for the DIY challenge.  Terrie from Decorate And More With Tip sent out a DIY glass ornament challenge. The rules? Take a clear glass ornament, any size and create anything that you wanted. Woo Hoo! Challenge accepted.

Before I go much further with the challenge, if you are coming here from CD’s, Pallet and Pantry, Welcome! I’m so happy that you are here.

I dug around in my craft closet and came up with 2 different sizes of clear glass ornaments.

Are you surprised that I already had some?

Well, don’t be.

I’m an ornament maker from way back!

I don’t tell you this to brag, just to explain that coming up with a new idea was going to truly be a challenge.

Muslin angels, hand painted,  glitter, beaded, vinyl and wooden ornaments, I’ve made them all.

So I worried about what to make until I just decided to make the first thing that came to mind.

Which ended up being not one ornament, but three!

step 1

My first ornament was a glitter ornament.

Take the top hanger off of your ornament.

Pour  Mop N Glow into the inside of the ornament and slowly roll it around, making sure to cover the entire inside walls.

Once this is done, pour out any excess.

I didn’t have any Mop N Glow, so I used some polyurethane.

step 2

Next, pour glitter into the inside of your ornament.

Just like in step 1, slowly roll the glitter around in your ornament, making sure to cover the entire inside.

Pour out any excess glitter.

Tip: For the shiniest ornament, I use Holographic glitter.

step 3

Paint the outside of your ornament.

Using glass paint or a multi-surface paint, paint on your design.

Tip: I like to roll up a towel and lay my ornament on it to keep it from moving around.

step 4

Once you have your design painted, let it dry thoroughly, then add a holographic glitter paint top coat.

This just gives it a little more shine and it helps protect your design.

On two of my ornaments I added the year on the back of the ornament using a oil base paint pen.

step 5

Add a bow to your ornament.

On my chinoiserie ornament, I chose a blue and white check ribbon and added a tiny bit of raffia.

I painted 3 different ornaments, all using the same steps as I’ve shared above, and on all three ornaments I added a different type of bow.

My blue glitter initial ornament is sporting a fun blue netting bow with a pink pom.

This sweet snowman ornament has a traditional red plaid bow with a gold jingle bell in the middle.

I loved doing this DIY Glass Ornament Challenge and hope that you found some inspiration to create a few ornaments of your own.

Now it’s time to head over to Paula’s Handmade Space and check out her ornament.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see what Paula and all of my other talented friends have come up with!

Decorate and More with Tip|Purple Hues and Me|Cloches and Lavender|Pallet and Pantry

Patina and Paint|Paula’s Handmade Space|Stilettos and Shiplap|Sweet Southern Grace

The House House|B4 and Afters

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With Thanksgiving coming up most of us are in full Christmas mode. Family get togethers, shopping, parties, baking… you know, all the things. With with so much going on it’s easy to feel like you are overwhelmed. I know I do. So I need a good bit of organization to keep me from going to crazy town! One of the biggest things that keeps me sane is having a Christmas Wrapping Station.

This rolling cart from Michaels turned out to be the perfect solution.

I can’t tell you how much I love this work horse.

Simple roll it out of a closet or an out of the way spot when you are ready to use it.

Done? Roll it back!

During the holidays it becomes all things Christmas, but during the rest of the year it’s an everyday wrapping station.

You can get one here .

On the very top of the cart I have small bins that hold all of the small things.

One holds curly ribbon, string and a stapler.

Another houses all of my tags and special accessories that I like to add to make my gifts look a little extra.

I also place bags of raffia and confetti here.

Attached to the side of the top and middle shelves are removable ribbon rods.

They hold a ton of small to average sized spools of ribbon.

I love the easy access.

Tip:

To keep the ribbon from unrolling, I simply put a sewing pin in the ribbon spool.

The middle shelf holds all of my medium and small gift bags.

On the very bottom shelf I like to keep rolls of ribbon that are too large for the ribbon holders.

Also, behind the ribbon, I store packing paper and any extra miscellaneous larger items.

If you spin the cart around to the back side, you will find a spot for wrapping paper.

It’s perfect for all sizes and the vertical storage is perfect for both large and small rolls.

Attached to the side of the roll holder are two hooks that make it super easy to store larger bags.

These hooks make bag organization a breeze!

Tip:

Over the years I’ve tried several things to keep my wrapping paper closed.

Special binders, wraps, tape, but I always come back to what is easiest and economical.

A rubber band!

One side of the cart has 4 sets of hooks and one bin.

I keep my scissors, tape, hole punch, paper cutter and all larger embellishments here.

If I had one complaint about the cart it would be that it isn’t wide enough to lay my tissue paper out flat in one of the shelves.

However, I fixed that!

I added a suction cup hook and a binder clip to the other side of the cart.

My tissue paper hangs and doesn’t get wrinkled!

It’s not often that I find something that works so well for me, but this cart certainly does.

I love that my Christmas Wrapping Station helps me keep the mess and the stress at bay!

Now let’s get the Holidays started!

Until next time….

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Hello! Today I’ve got a little something different to share with you. It’s a two-for! Not only are you getting a blog post about How To Decorate a Christmas Hutch, but I’m also sharing a video on how to do it also! You can see the video here.

In fact, you might even say that it’s a two-for x2 as my good friend Terrie at Decorate And More With Tip is doing the same thing!

So once you get done visiting my blog post and video, you can go to her site and check out her Christmas Hutch too!

Decorating my hutch is one of the first things to do whenever I decorate for any holiday.

It’s also my favorite thing to do!

So many options.

The first thing that I always do is clear the hutch of all previous decor and give it a good cleaning.

I like to think of my hutch in zones.

Zone 1 is the top of the hutch and everything above it.

Next, zone 2 is the first shelf.

Zone 3 is the middle section.

And zone 4 is the top of the cabinet.

By breaking it up in zones, it’s easier for me to decorate.

Zone 1

I like to start at the top and work my way to the bottom.

I love hanging artwork above the hutch.

This year I painted a  Merry Christmas sign to fill in the empty space above the hutch.

Once that was done, I added a large white house to the center of the hutch and surrounded it with two smaller white houses and silver bottle brush trees.

A few red ornaments and a felted garland and the top of my hutch is finished.

TIP: Always work in odd numbers.

Decorating with odd numbers is more effective in capturing the eye. It forces your eyes to move around, thus it creates more visual interest.

Zone 2

Zone 2 has built in grooves for a plate display, so I always have dishes here.

I purchased these dishes several years ago from Better Homes and Gardens.

They don’t have the exact dishes anymore, however I found a set that’s really close.

You can see those here.

I placed another medium white house in front of the middle set of dishes.

Adding in more silver bottle brush trees, as well as a few felted greenery picks that match the garland.

Tip:  Repeat items.

Again, decorating with repetition creates visual interest and detail without overloading your sense.

Remember the red Christmas ornaments on the top?

I’m adding some large, sparkly red ornaments to the bowls for a little texture and color.

And it doesn’t hurt that it adds a little bling either!

This girl loves a little EXTRA!

On each zone I like to add the same items, but colors also.

We are finished with Zone 2!

Zone 3

Zone 3 is a little cut up with the center display section flanked by two small enclosed areas with doors.

Again, the center section has built in grooves for displaying dishes just like in Zone 2.

Except the space is much smaller.

I used the salad plates from my Christmas dishes to cover the back wall.

In front of each plate I placed a beautiful red glass.

With this space being short and not all that large, I like to keep it pretty simple.

In each of the end cubbies, I placed a stack of my Christmas bowls.

I could put an ornament in each of these, but chose to leave it as is.

We actually use these dishes on the hutch daily during the holiday season.

Super easy to grab them, set the table and then when I’m done cleaning them, it’s just as easy to  put them back.

Hence, I chose to leave these empty.

Now, Zone 3 is complete!

Zone 4

Zone 4 may be my favorite spot to decorate.

It’s usually where I put my biggest focal point and it’s the workhorse of all of the zones.

I put the most used dishes here, as well as fun decor.

I started in the center with a slab of wood.

Layered more felted greenery picks on top of the wood, followed by an antique truck.

I found the truck at our local Antique Mall years ago and it’s still one of my favorites.

I keep cloth napkins folded up in the bed of the truck for daily use.

Functional, yet pretty!

To the left of the truck I place the dishes that we use daily.

On top of the dishes I placed the sweetest little red bird salt and pepper shakers that came with the dishes.

TIP: Place often used items where they are easily accessible.

To the right of my truck I’ve places more stemware.

I hand painted these glasses many years ago when I had a hand painted glassware business.

They are still some of my favorites and have held up really well.

In front of the glasses I placed a stack another stack of napkins.

The tiny Santa that sits on the napkins was one of the decorations we bought!

Every year I find a fun place for him to hang out!

Zone 4 is complete.

I hope that you enjoyed how to decorate a Christmas hutch!

If you would like to see the video, please go here.

Also, don’t for get to head on over to Terrie’s and see what she’s done to her hutch.

Trust me, she never disappoints!

Want to see the video?

You can see mine here.

And be sure to check out Terrie’s Video here.

Until next time….

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How many of you have started decorating for Christmas? This year it seems like a lot more people than just bloggers are decorating earlier than ever before. I get it. In a year where nothing is normal, you might as well do what makes you happy! With that in mind I started a little earlier than usual myself. Today I’m sharing my glitzy reindeer banner with you.

You know, just in case you need a little inspiration.

This year I started in my living room. Put the tree up. Decorated the shelves. Everything was rocking right along, until I started on my fireplace mantle.

I ran into a big brick wall and it took forever for me to figure out why!

In my head it was going to be this really fun, glamorous, multi-colored fun fest.

But when the dust settled, I realized that I was fighting where the decor was telling me to go.

I hung several banners off the mantle.

A big, beautiful red pom pom banner and a white pom pom, tassel banner with wooden beads.

It just needed something extra.

I searched on-line and in stores for something that I loved to add to the mantle, but came up with zilch.

Then I remembered this pack of reindeer that I picked up a few months ago at the Dollar Tree.

Step 1:

Paint the reindeer gold.

Step 2:

Mod Podge.

Paint your reindeer with a healthy coat of Mod Podge.

Really any glue would work, I just had this on hand.

Step 3:

Glitter.

Give your glue coated reindeer a generous sprinkle of glitter.

Step 4:

String and hang your glitzy reindeer banner.

I figured I had enough bling on the reindeer so I strung my reindeer on twine.

Once I had it on the twine, I simply hung it above the existing banners on the fireplace.

Once my glitzy reindeer were hung the rest of the mantle fell into place!

I love it!

Another bonus was that it only cost me $1.00 and about an hour of time total.

I still have a few more things to add to finish up my Christmas Fireplace Mantle.

But it’s mostly just sprucing it up and fluffing it here and there.

I love the simplicity of it compared to years past.

I know I say this every year, but this may be my favorite Christmas mantle ever.

And all because of a $1.00 glitzy reindeer banner!

Until next time…..

My good friend Terrie from Decorate And More With Tip asked a few  friends if we would like to get together for a Surprise Box Challenge.

Of course, I said yes!

So here’s how it works.

Terrie drew names out of a hat for each of us. We were to spend no more than $10 on any craft item or items, then mail it to the person drawn for us.

Once we received our box we had to use something from each item that we received and make a fun craft.

We could add items as needed, but we had to use a least part of each item.

Shayna from Robinson Repurposing sent me a box full of items.

Ten to be exact.

A small house, styrofoam balls – large and small, glitter glue sticks, a picture frame, glitter, a seasons greeting sign, a pinecone pick, a Let It snow sign and a large plastic bowl.

I gotta admit that it took me a couple of days to figure exactly what I wanted to do.

My first thought was a two tiered tray, but just as I was about to start putting it together my sister  called and asked me to make her a Christmas wreath!

Step 1:

Spray paint almost everything white.

Once that was done, I had The Hubs cut off about 1/4  of the front of the house.

Step 2:

Add glitter to the house.

Nothing like a little glitter to make it look like snow.

Step 3:

Using the Season’s Greeting sign, I flipped it over, painted it white and added a red and white snowflake patterned paper to the back of the box.

Step 4:

Glue the house to the box using the glitter glue sticks from my surprise box.

I also added a few small bottle brush trees that I had in my craft closet.

Since the glue sticks had glitter in them I really piled it on to look like snow drifts.

Then added a little more glitter.

Step 5:

Start building the wreath.

I purchased a new wreath on sale at Michaels for $3.99.

Flip the wreath over to the back side and glue the white bowl into the opening.

Step 6:

Turn the wreath over to the right side and glue the red and white box to the bottom of the bowl.

Step 7:

Remove the metal “Let It Snow” words from the sign.

Let It Snow was all one piece, however I cut it apart to better fit on the wreath.

Once removed and cut apart, dry brush white paint over the lettering.

Step 8:

Taking the styrofoam balls, I placed them on a wooden stick, painted them with glue and then added glitter.

Tip: Why the sticks? They can be placed into a jar or glass while the glitter and glue dry.

Step 9:

After adding a bow, the pinecone pick and the “snow balls” to the front of the wreath, it was time to add a wreath hanger.

I used the top half of the picture frame and wired it to the wreath.

The hole in the frame made it a perfect way to hang the wreath.

This is my finished wreath!

I’ve done the Surprise Box Challenge two times now.

Surpisingly, I love them.

It’s like Forrest says ” they are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get!”

Boy, isn’t that the truth!

If you’re wondering who I sent my surprise box to and what was in it?

Well, head on over to Emily’s at Le Cultivateur and check it out!

And when you are done there, check out all of the other participants.

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Our November DIY Challenge is shopping your home, DIY Christmas.  In other words, at least in my case, it’s “Get busy finishing up all the projects you bought from last year.” Procrastination, in this case, is a good thing!  Seriously, we were challenged to make Christmas decor out of the things we already had, without buying anything. So what did I make? A Christmas Advent Calendar.

If you are coming here from Cindy’s, Cloches and Lavender, WELCOME, I’m so glad that you are here!

Also, I want to extend a great big thank you to Terrie from Decorate And More With Tip for a fabulous job of hosting.

I found this paper mâché advent calendar box last year and couldn’t wait to get started on it.

However, we all know that didn’t happen.

It got put in the back of my craft closet until I had more time.

Good news, if you want to make one, they are on sale for 50% off right now at Hobby Lobby.

I dug around in my 5000 pages of scrapbook paper and found 5 different complimentary patterns to cover my boxes with.

To help count down the days, these felt stars and trees with wooden numbers were a perfect size for the front of the small boxes.

I found these last year also, however, they have them at Hob Lob again this year.

Step 1

Spray paint your boxes.

Honestly, if I’d had red spray paint I would have used it instead of the black.

Still, the black looks good with my paper.

Step 2 and 3

Lay the front of the small boxes onto the paper and trace around the box.

Then cut them out.

Once you have your paper cut out, paste the paper to the front of the boxes.

I used Mod Podge, however regular glue would work also.

I also covered the outsides of my main box with paper.

Tip: I painted glue onto my boxes, positioned the paper, then painted a thin layer of  Mod Podge on top of the paper and box.

Step 4:

Once the boxes are completely dry, put the boxes back into the main box.

Then it’s time to put the numbers onto the fronts of the small boxes.

My numbers went from 1 to 24, however there were 25 boxes.

On the 25th box I placed a felt Santa face for the 25th.

These numbers had sticky dots to attach them to the boxes, however I added hot glue to the dots to ensure that they didn’t pop off.

Step 5

Add a festive bow to the top.

I thought that it would look cute to make my calendar look like a Christmas present.

It’s just not a present without a bow!

I dug out my Christmas ribbon and made a bow from scraps.

Step 6

Add a name tag.

Since my Christmas Advent Calendar is going to my sweet great niece, I added her name to a wooden tag and glued it to the top of the box.

Just like you would with a Christmas present.

Step 7

Add treats, candy, or money to the boxes.

What better way to make it fun than by adding tiny inexpensive treats to each box?

When my boys were little, they couldn’t wait to open each box daily on their Christmas Advent Calendars.

I’m going to try and fill the boxes with fun things my niece will love.

I’m so glad that our DIY Challenge was to make something out of what you had.

Otherwise I might have never finished this Advent calendar!

Next on our stop, is Michelle’s from Blessings By Me!

Then, I hope you will join me in visiting all of the other DIY Challenge participants.

I can’t wait to see what they have done!

DECORATE & MORE WITH TIP | cloches & Lavender | PATINA & PAINT

BLESSINGS BY ME | BLUESKY AT HOME | JUNK TO GEMS

PALLET & PANTRY | THE HOUSE HOUSE | B4 & AFTERS

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Don’t you love a pretty, formal Thanksgiving table? I sure do. However, 2020 has given us so many unexpected surprises that I’m  mixing my Thanksgiving  table decor up a little. The unexpected- with a little traditional decor thrown in. I guess you could say that it’s a Turquoise and Orange Thanksgiving table. Oh! And I’ve got a giveaway for you too.

But first, the table.

Thanksgiving will be a little different this year.

#COVID

Instead of gearing up for a big family dinner, I’m setting my table for just the four of us.

So my holiday table will be a little more simple.

Simple, but filled with lots of color.

I started with a turquoise buffalo check table runner.

Followed by a wooden tray layered with eucalyptus leaves, bitter sweet and an orange pumpkin tureen to make a fun centerpiece.

Candles were added for a little traditional accent.

Normally, I’d set the table with formal china, crystal glassware and linen napkins.

Not this year.

A natural straw placemat hosts a plain white plate and pumpkin salad plates.

The salad plates come in two different colors.

Two are turquoise…

And the other two are orange.

These pretty wooden napkin rings are a Mudpie creation.

I love that they have a built in place card holder.

I looked around for a cute place card and came up empty.

So I made my own.

Turquoise and orange watercolor pumpkins.

Once I had them painted, I simply scanned them into the computer and added names to them.

Super easy and I love how they turned out.

I picked up this super cute cutting board, along with the stuffing spoon and the turkey fork  from Mudpie.

I love all of the fun, witty slogans they put on everything.

They fit right in with my sense of humor for sure!

Can you tell I’m a Mudpie fan?

The Giveaway

I love my new utensils so much that I’ve decided to share one with you!

I’m giving away this Turkey Time serving fork.

To win, all you have to do is comment here on why you’d like to win.

And head on over to my Facebook page and give it a like and a sprinkle. ( A sprinkle is a share)

The drawing will be held Tuesday, November 10, just in time for Thanksgiving!

Good luck!

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Pumpkin Pie, oh my! Yep, it’s that time. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I love everything about it. Pumpkins on the front porch, fall leaves, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, cooler temps and decorating all things fall.

I was recently looking for a fall bunting or banner that would last well though Thanksgiving.

Apparently, that’s a big ask.

After much searching and  thought, I settled on making my own pumpkin pie bunting!

Yes, you read that right, a pumpkin pie bunting.

Step 1:

Make a template for a slice of pumpkin pie.

One for the crust and one for the pie filling.

Step 2:

Next, draw the pie patterns onto felt.

Cut them out.

Step 3:

Glue the felt pie filling to the  felt crust.

I used hot glue, but really any craft glue would work also.

Step 4:

Using left over felt scraps,  mark and cut out strips of the tan felt.

Step 5:

Make a fancy pie crust.

Place a dot of glue on the end of the felt pie piece.

Glue the end of a felt strip to the left edge of the pie crust, then loop the felt strip in an upside U shape.

Once that is done, glue the end of the felt U to the crust.

Glue, loop, glue.

Repeat until the top of your felt  pie piece is covered.

Step 6:

Once the pie piece is finished,  add a white pom pom to the middle of your pie piece to look like a dollop of whipped cream.

Step 7:

Add a loop of felt to the back.

Because I will be hanging my pie pieces onto twine, I needed something to attach the pie piece.

I simply added a  loop to the back for the twine to be strung through.

Step 8:

For a little color, I also added these fall leaves to the pumpkin pie bunting.

I shared how to make these earlier.

If you missed it, you can see how here.

Step 9:

Once you have all the pieces to the bunting made, it’s time to add them to a string of twine.

Then hang!

This banner is super easy and fun to make!

It’s the perfect bunting for my kitchen area.

Pumpkin pie, oh my!

Until next time….

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This is the room I hate the most in my house. It’s not a terrible room, but it definitely was on the “things to change” list when we moved in.

Honestly, I guess hate is a strong word, but until this week there wasn’t much I loved about this room at all.

Before I show you the recent changes, let me give you a little history.

We decided a little over a year ago to down size our home.

So while I knew this kitchen was small, I had no idea how big the struggle would be to fit all my stuff in it.

The cabinets were originally stained and lime washed.

Which hasn’t fared well at all.

Overtime  they have aged, the finish is wearing off and  they have a weird peachy look.

Not a bad look, just not my style.

The granite counter tops – not my color or pattern either.

The back splash .

Let’s just say that not only isn’t it my style, it’s not my color or design.

And for some reason the previous owner loved fluorescent lighting.

It is EVERYWHERE!

It’s the under counter lighting and it’s also in the pantry, the closets, the game room and in the  laundry room…. everywhere.

( along with 4 or 5 pencil sharpeners that are attached to the walls. Yep, just like we had in grade school!)

Lots of  weird yellow lighting.

We’ve changed out a lot of those light fixtures, but not in the kitchen.

And the island..

She is  tiny and the wood has seen better days.

When we moved in, we immediately changed out the flooring ( which matched the back splash) and added all new appliances.

Then the holidays were here and we decided to wait on any projects until after the new year.

We all know what happened next – #covid.

All things came to a screeching halt while we worked outside on installing a pool, a kitchen and patio.

Fast forward and we’ve been in our new home for one year this month.

It’s fall, so we are back indoors more and the kitchen is getting on my last good nerve.

I found these runners and fell in love.

The blues match the colors in our breakfast room, which is really an extension of the kitchen.

And as an added bonus, they didn’t totally clash with the existing cabinets and backsplash.

These rugs led me to make a blue buffalo check valance for the window and paint the walls.

It was all great, but the kitchen was still a little blah.

My plan for the kitchen is to extend the cabinets to the ceiling and paint them white.

Add hardware.

Install a new black or white quartz countertop with a beautiful backsplash.

Add a wooden top on the island.

New undercounted lighting, as well as a small pendant light over the island.

Add a new sink and faucet.

However, all of that isn’t in our budget right now.

But, it occurred to me, I could do some small changes.

Like paint my island!

This is Sherwin Williams Salty Dog.

And I love it!

And so does my island!

Not only is the color pretty, it doesn’t clash with the floor color and makes that tiny island look fabulous.

I loved it so much that I did this….

I painted my pantry door blue!

I’ve always planned on replacing that door with another one that had a little more style.

Until then, this gives the room a much needed pop of color.

Of course, as always, it’s like the “Give A Mouse A Cookie” book.

Now that I painted the door, the white trim needs a good coat of paint.

And the island needs a little jewelry!

Some hardware is definitely in it’s future.

This is still the room I hate the most, but it’s slowly growing on me.

In a weird way, I can see the potential of the room again, just like I did when we bought the house.

So until I can jump in and give my kitchen a HUGE facelift, I’m going to do small projects that make the room just a little better.

I’m curious.

Do you have that one room in your house that you hate?

If so, which room is it?

Until next time….

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