Welcome to $10 on the 10th! This month’s themes is Outdoor/ Gardening. Which is perfect as I’m still working on getting my outdoor spaces ready for summer. I’ve been looking for awhile for outdoor coasters. But I’ve been really picky.

Something cute, yet functional.

They have to absorb condensation from a sweaty glass.

And they had to be able to hold different sizes of glasses.

Apparently, that’s a tall order.

So I decided to make my own.

I began my search on-line.

Not sure what rabbit hole I went down but these flower pot saucers popped up on Michaels site and I knew that they would be perfect.

They just needed  a little extra added!

And the price at .79 each was fantastic, so I purchased 8 of them.

Using multi-surface paint, I painted the centers of each coaster.

Once the center was dry, I painted a different flower on 4 coasters.

Once they were dry, I went back in and added detail with a black paint pen.

Now, I know you are saying “What if I don’t paint?”.

I have a  couple of solutions for you.

Decals or Mod Podge.

Any napkin or design printed off of the computer would work just as well as paint!

Once all of the paint was dry, I sealed both the inside and the outside of my coasters with a craft sealer.

However, any sealer would work.

After finishing the 4 flower coasters, I got brave and decided to do a few fun ones.

Using a chalk pencil, because it’s easy to erase, I drew on drink slogans.

Sip, Gulp, Drink and Chill.

Then simply went over the words with a white paint pen.

Depending on how dark your painted circle is, you may have to go over the wording a few times.

Once that was dry, I added a few vines, polk a dots and flowers to tie them into the painted flower coasters.

I love how my coasters turned out!

They are everything  wanted!

So how much did it cost me total?

Coasters: $6.84

Paint, paint pen and sealer: 0.00 – I already had all of this in my craft closet.

For a total of 8 coasters, that’s a bargain!

Now please join me in visiting all of the other talented $10 on the 10th participants and see what Garden / Outdoor projects that they are sharing.

Patti – Pandora’s Box

Allyson – Southern Sunflowers

Barbara – French Etherhttps://frenchethereal.net/2021/05/10/late-spring-in-the-garden-quick-garden-craft-idea/eal

Terrie – Decorate and More With Tip

Cindy – Cloches and Lavender

Ann – The Apple Street Cottage

Until next time…

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Yesterday I shared how I organized under the kitchen sink. If you missed it you can see it here. After reading yesterdays post, several people asked where I stored most of my cleaning products. So today I thought I’d share under the laundry room sink with you.

I didn’t plan on writing this post at all.

My plan was to simply answer emails with a  quick snapshot of all of my cleaning stuff to those who inquired.

Imagine my surprise when I  opened the doors under my laundry room sink and saw this mess.

How had I missed it?

I mean, I’m in it everyday.

Clearly, it was time to clean it out just like I did under the kitchen sink.

Step 1:

Take everything out and clean under the sink.

While that was drying I pulled everything out and put it into categories.

What I used everyday, what I didn’t use all that much and what I hadn’t used in over a  year.

Step 2:

Next, I combined anything that I could if I had it in multiples.

Apparently, when I was getting low I would buy another.

Then use it forgetting I still had another.

I mean, who needs or has space for 2 or 3 of the same items.

Step 3:

Add shelf liner or a mat.

This shelf liner was left over from under the kitchen sink.

I loved that happy pattern so much that I decided to use it in here also.

Step 4:

Clean out the bins.

Over the last year the bins had gotten a little dusty and had a few spots on them.

So I cleaned them just like I did under the sink.

Step 5:

Load the bins back up.

In one bin I put everything that I use on a daily or weekly basis.

The other bin holds seldomly used items.

I placed it horizontally across the back of the cabinet and placed the newly washed and cleaned trashcan in front of it.

Anything I hadn’t used in a year or was a hot mess got tossed.

Now this is what under the laundry room sink looks like.

I have a few brushes so I placed them next to the everyday use bin.

There are a few things I plan on adding.

I threw out my rubber gloves, but when I do replace them I will hang them with a command strip hanger on the door.

Medium sized trash bags need to be replaced and will be placed next to the small trash bag container that sits next to the brushes.

The best part?

It went from this…

To this in under an hour.

Is it the prettiest organization system you’ve ever seen?

No.

But it is clean and organized and I love that!

So much so that I decided to clean out this cabinet.

And this one.

Even though it didn’t have much in it, I was inspired to clean out the laundry basket too!

It feels so good to have my laundry room clean and organized.

So those of you whose inquiring minds wanted to know where I stored the rest of my cleaning products, now you know!

Until next time….

You can find the laundry room rug here.

And the laundry basket here.

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Hey friends! If you caught my video on Facebook about how I organize under the kitchen sink, you are probably here to see where I got everything.

If you didn’t see it, head on over and see it here.

OR stay here and I will share what I keep under my sink, how I organize it and where all of my organizational tools came from!

We remodeled our kitchen this past winter.

One of the things we added was a farmhouse sink.

I LOVE it, but the sink takes up a lot more room than the traditional style sinks do.

Not only does it take up space, but it pushes the garbage disposal further down.

Which makes space and storage under the sink minimal.

The Hubs hates all of the cleaning supplies being under the sink, so when we moved in  to our new home I  moved most of them to the laundry room.

In past homes, I’ve had slide out bins that held most of the cleaning products.

However, since we weren’t storing that much under the sink that seemed like over kill.

So everything was loose and kept in the box it came in.

Which worked at well. NOT.

So when Terrie from Decorate and More With Tip asked Corine from Junk to Gems and myself if we would like to share how we Organize/Clean under our kitchen sinks I couldn’t say yes fast enough!

It was a good excuse to get organized.

Here is how I did it.

Step 1:

Pull everything out and take stock of what you want to keep and what needs to be thrown out.

You can’t organize it if you don’t know what you need to buy storage for.

Step 2:

Measure your space and the items that you will be storing.

Again, you can’t buy storage without knowing that it will fit your space and the items you want to store.

(  Sorry, worst picture EVER! )

Step 3:

Clean out underneath the sink.

Put down a pretty shelf liner if you use it.

I’m a big believer in making things pretty as well as functional.

It makes me want to use it and keep it clean all of the time.

Step 4:

Purchase your storage or shop your home for items to store your stuff in.

I decided to splurge a little and buy new storage here.

Here’s what I bought.

A container for my dishwasher pods.

This was a biggie for me.

My pods were drying out in the container it came in since it didn’t seal.

Which meant that my pods didn’t totally dissolve when I put them in the dishwasher.

So frustrating.

This container was the perfect size and is sealed.

Next I wanted something to store my trash bags, magic erasers, sponges etc. in.

I hate boxes that items come in because they don’t look neat and usually take up a lot of extra space.

So I found these drawers.

I love that they are clear so that you can see what’s in them.

Plus, another bonus is that they are stackable.

The next thing on my list was something to contain all of the loose items like dishwashing soap, dishwasher additives, small scrub brushes etc.

My solution was this lazy susan.

It has a low profile so that I can see all of the smaller items, but it’s still tall enough that it holds the tall items and keeps them contained.

The big bonus with this lazy susan is that it came with adjustable dividers.

The last thing on my storage list was something to hold the tall brushes.

So with all of the storage, how does it look underneath the kitchen sink?

MUCH better!

So far I’m loving how clean, neat and organized this area is.

No more digging around and looking for what I want.

So that’s how I organize under the kitchen sink, it’s so good I feel like I could teach how to organize under the kitchen sink.

JUST KIDDING!

I am no Martha, that’s for sure.

Be  sure and check out my friend Terrie’s organization under her kitchen sink! I can’t wait to see what she has done.

Terrie – Decorate and More With Tip

Until next time….

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Today I’m collaborating with some talented bloggers for the DIY Challenge. Terrie, our host,  from Decorate And More With Tip issued the challenge to make something from a solar light. So I thought I’d share how to make a solar lantern.

If you are coming here from Gail’s – Purple Hues and Me, welcome! I’m so glad that you are here!

Supplies:

Plywood

Jigsaw

Wood Reed

Scissors

Staple gun and staples

Spray Paint or Stain

Wood Glue

Solar light

Eye Screws

Drill

Drill bits

Sting or small chain

Step 1:

Cut 4 circles from 1/4″ plywood with a jigsaw.

I cut mine outer ring 6″ in diameter and the inner circle 5″.

Step 2:

Cut 16 pieces of the wood reed 15″ long with scissors.

Step 3:

Mark 3/4″ from the end of each wood reed.

Turn the reed over and mark the opposite end 3/4″.

Step 4:

Place the 3/4″ mark on the outside edge of a circle and attach 4 reeds at 1/4 intervals on the circle with a staple gun.

Step 5:

Fill in the spaces on either sides of the first 4 reeds with 2 reeds, they will overlap slightly.

Continue until all spaces on the circle are filled in.

Step 6:

Using spray paint – or stain – paint the lantern, base, top circles and all sides.

Let dry.

Step 7:

Use wood glue to attach a  wood circle on top of the lantern base.

Secure with 1/2″ brad nails or staples.

Step 8:

Use an 8″ piece of 2 x 4 as support to attach reeds to the top cut out circle with staple gun.

Finish stapling reeds to the circle the same way as in step 5.

Step 9:

Use wood glue and staples or brad nails to attach the last circle to the top of the lantern.

Step 10:

Remove the stake from the bottom of your solar lantern.

Doing this on my solar light left a hole that I covered using black electrical tape.

When I was done, you couldn’t even see that I had put tape over it.

However, most solar lights have the stake on the bottom so this will not be an issue.

OR, you could glue on pretty pieces of glass, rocks etc.

Step 11:

Attach eye screws to the top of the lantern.

Using a pencil,  lightly mark your top lantern circle into thirds.

Pre-drill your marks. ( Make sure that your drill bit is slightly smaller than the eye screw. DO NOT drill all the way through both circles.)

Screw the eye screws into the pre-drilled holes.

Attach a string or chain to your eye screws.

Step 12:

Drop your Solar light into the top of your lantern.

Step 13:

Hang your lantern and enjoy!

I love how my lantern turned out.

Even though this project took a lot of steps and a few days to complete, I had a great time making it.

Plus, I love a project that is something that not only looks pretty, but one that you will use daily!

But the big question is: how does it look at night?

Like this.

I LOVE it!

I also loved sharing with you how to make a solar lantern and hope that you will join me in checking out all of the other solar light projects that my fellow bloggers created.

Now please head on over to  Jodi’s – The House House and see what kind of solar light project she has for us.

DECORATEANDMOREWITHTIP | PURPLEHUESANDME | PATINAANDPAINT | THEHOUSEHOUSE

PAULASHANDMADESPACE | B4ANDAFTERS | SWEETSOUTHERNGRACE | KSOLYMPICNEST

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Today I’m sharing a room that you’ve probably never seen. The second guest room. It’s probably one of my favorites. Which is odd considering that it’s a mish-mash of things that we put in there when we moved in. Most of it came from one room in our old house, which was definitely my favorite room there! The rest of the pieces were leftovers, hand me downs, or gifts. Some, I just simply love.

This room has the best filtered morning sun.

It’s the kind of room that you want to wake up to.

The color scheme is all neutrals.

Black, whites and creams.

But, boy does it make a statement.

The bedding is both old and new.

The Toile throw and shams as well as the white matelasse quilt are all old.

They were on our bed in the master for years.

The small black and cream check bedskirt and pillow I recently made and added to the mix.

The curtains are a new to this house purchase.

The bold black and cream buffalo check is a perfect partner for the toile.

I love mixing fabrics!

These curtains definitely are the star of the room and make the rest of the room shine.

Plus, as far as curtain panels go, they were really budget friendly.

On both sides of the beds are unconventional end tables.

One side is a tall end table and on the other you will find a small writing desk.

Both work well as the bed itself is really tall.

On the closet wall is a small chest of drawers that I’ve had a very long time.

It’s loaded down with photos of the family as well as some photos that my son, the photographer, took.

Of course, they make me happy every time I look at them.

The dresser is one that I picked up from a friend many years ago.

Not only does it have a few empty drawers for guests, but it also is a host for some of my seasonal decor.

I plan on changing out the lamp at some point, but just haven’t found the right one yet.

Above the dresser is a huge chunky shelf that holds a few of my favorite things.

In the corner is a small arm chair that I refinished many years ago when I first started refurbishing furniture.

It’s probably time to give it a little facelift, but the sentimental part of me is still hanging on to it.

The size is great, not too small and not too big.

Perfect for a guest room.

It also has a throw on it year round in case guests need a little extra warmth or want to take a nap.

Each piece in this room by itself isn’t all that impressive, but put together they work well.

The second guest room is a happy room that say’s WELCOME, come on in.

Hang out for awhile.

Read a book, take a nap, spend the night.

Did I mention it’s my favorite?

Until next time…

Every Wednesday I collaborate with two talented bloggers Terrie at Decorate And More With Tip and Corine at Junk To Gems.  We create videos that have one of three themes. Crafts, Home Decor or Home Cleaning.  This week’s video, Craft with Us, Styling a Spring to Summer two tiered tray was super fun to make.

Since it was Craft With Us week, we decided to make 3 crafts to decorate our trays with.

My theme for my tray is Lemons.

I ended up loving my lemon themed tray so much that I decided to use it as a centerpiece on my breakfast room table.

Craft 1:

The first craft I made was this super easy, fun mini rolling pin.

I found the mini pins here.

This craft is super easy.

Simply paint the handles white and the body bright yellow.

For the lettering, I could have just wrote Lemonade by hand, however I chose to use sticker letters so that I could re-use the mini pin later.

To finish my rolling pin off, I tied a blue and white ribbon on one end.

Craft 2:

Craft two was this pretty picture frame with the lemon watercolor in it.

Again, a simple craft using paint, ribbon and hot glue.

Paint the frame yellow.

Paint white dots randomly on the sides of the frame.

Glue ribbon to the front of the picture frame.

Add a cute bow.

Pop in art of your choice and you have a super cute piece of art!

I found my 3 x 5 frames here.

Craft 3:

My third and final craft was this super sweet fresh squeezed lemon sign.

I found my block of wood here.

While this craft was a little harder than the others, I think almost anyone could paint this sign.

For complete details on how to make it, you can watch the video here.

On the lower level of my tray I added a bold napkin for texture and color.

Wooden beads, lemons  – both placed randomly and nestled into a pretty blue and white chinoiserie cup and saucer.

The top level has a pretty lemon and blueberry bow, a white mug filled with lemons and a sweet little ceramic bird.

Since you can see all the way around, on the back side I used my fresh squeezed lemon sign and loose lemons.

On the upper level you see the same mug with lemons and bow as well as a white ceramic house sporting the sign “Pucker Up!”

My Spring to Summer two tiered tray is proof that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on decorating your trays.

Not only that, but you don’t need a ton of things to fill it up.

Sometimes less really is more!

Since I decorated my tray all the way around I can use it as a centerpiece for my table.

And look how well my tray goes with the place settings!

Don’t forget to head on over to my fellow bloggers sites to see how their trays turned out!

Until next time….

 Corine’s at Junk to Gems

Terrie’s Decorate And More With Tip

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I am so excited that it’s time to  start sprucing up the patio! Or as we like to call it the “partio” . Although believe me, there is no partying going on! But it sure sounds more fun.

We bought this buffet from a local big box store.

It’s actually a tool box/ workbench for the garage, but It’s perfect for an outdoor buffet.

Even though it’s under the covered patio pergola, since it’s metal I don’t have to worry about it being in the elements.

I found this lantern at a local store for a steal.

To say that I was beyond excited was an understatement as I have been looking high and low for outdoor decor.

The pickins are slim this year.

I put it out on the buffet and quickly realized that it just blended in.

You couldn’t see it at all.

So, I painted it white.

Then distressed it a little so that the brown would lightly show through.

Now I needed something to go in my lantern.

I could do an outdoor candle, however to get one big enough the cost was astronomical.

So I decided to put a colorful flower pot in it.

I painted this terra cotta pot.

Then sealed it with a couple of coats of triple thick.

Then it was time for the fun part.

The decorating!

I put out my new lantern and painted flower pot.

On the opposite end of the buffet, I added a few other decor items.

Since this is near the pool, I added a fun metal piece to hold my sunscreen.

I think that it is suppose to hold silverware, but it works perfectly for the sunscreen too.

I plan on putting a large shelf or mantle over the buffet in the future, however that won’t be happening anytime soon.

But the big, blank wall bare was bugging me.

The solution?

These wood and metal candle holders.

While not perfect for this spot, they complete the decor of buffet area.

This buffet is going to be perfect to serve from this summer at family dinners, BBQ’s and swim parties.

Sprucing up the patio is so much fun, especially since we live on the patio in the summer.

I can’t wait to finish the rest of the patio.

Until next time…

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I have been wanting to add shelving in the kitchen since I began the remodel at the first of the year. However, I didn’t want my shelves to be on the wall. Oh, no. That would be too boring. I want them on the side of my lower cabinet.

If you look at the bottom of the photo, you can see exactly where I wanted my shelves.

I found this shelf at Hob Lob.

I knew it was meant to be since they were 50% off! Woo, Hoo!

Only one teeny, tiny problem.

They were the wrong color.

But you know I can fix that!

Step 1:

Remove the railing from the shelf.

This particular shelf was super easy to do, as it had simple nuts on the bottom of the shelf.

Simply remove the nut, then pull the rail off of the shelf!

Step 2:

Paint the rail.

Lucky for me the rail resembles my drawer pulls.

So it only made sense to spay paint them gold to match.

Step 3:

Paint the shelves.

Using the same color of blue that I painted my kitchen island, I gave my shelves 2 coats of paint.

Step 4:

Put the shelves back together.

Once both the rails and the shelves were dry, I put them back together.

And this is the finished result!

Step 5:

Hang the shelves.

Here’s a super easy way to hang an item that has two hangers on the back.

I took a piece of blue tape and lined it up with the top edge of my shelf.

Then, pierced a hole at the top of the hangers.

Then stick your blue tape where you want to hang your shelf.

Make sure it’s level.

Then it’s simply a matter of putting nails or screws where you pierced the blue tape.

I used wood screws to hang my shelves.

TIP: another quick tip if you are using screws. Pre-drill your hole with a slightly smaller drill bit. It makes driving the screws in super easy!

Here are my shelves hung and ready to be decorated.

I cannot tell you how much I love them.

Especially since it was a super easy low budget project.

I love how my shelving turned out!

Shelving in the kitchen is a super easy way to add color, texture and style to what could easily be a bland room.

There was only one down side to this project.

It reminded me that I haven’t painted my baseboards, caulked or repaired my trim after they put the new counter tops in.

Oops…

It’s a good thing I like projects!

Until next time…

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Today I’m sharing how to zhuzh up a box. You know, give it something a little extra.

Why? Well, have you ever visualized something decorated in your home, but when it comes to finding it you can’t find it anywhere? I do all of the time! It drives me crazy.  I guess this dilemma is why I’ve made so many decor items in my home.

I have had these cute olive trees for awhile now.

But I’ve always felt like they needed something more.

Something extra.

Like a really cute planter to put them in!

Supplies

I wanted this cute little style of box to put my topiaries in, but sadly couldn’t find the right sized ones anywhere.

So I’m making my container.

These are the supplies to make one:

Box

Wood beads

glue

Wood filler

Scissors

Spray Paint

Basket reeds

Step 1

Measure your box.

You will need the measurements to both the width and length of your box.

Step 2:

Using your measurements, cut a strip of reed for the length and width of your box.

Then cut the reed in half lengthwise.

This will give you a total of 4 strips.

2 for the length and 2 for the width.

Do this for all four sides of your box.

Step 3:

I started out using wood glue to glue the strips to the box.

However, this took forever!

After a few sides of glueing, then waiting for it to dry before moving on to the next side, I quickly decided to use a hot glue and hot glue gun.

Step 4:

Cut your cross wood strips.

Math clearly isn’t my forte, so I did not measure the cross strips perfectly.

I measured my box diagonally.

Then cut a wood strip that was a little longer than my diagonal measurement.

Cut that strip in half lengthwise, set one piece aside.

Laying the piece diagonally across the box, mark the strip where the corners meet on the box.

Cut where you have marked.

Glue onto box.

Step 5:

Using the piece of wood strip that you set aside, cut it in half widthwise.

Mark the end pieces just as you did in step 4.

Place the end of the strip into the corner of the box and measure the other end, where your wood strip meets the cross wooden strip that you have already glued on.

Mark and cut.

Do this for the other side.

Glue both pieces onto the box.

Step 6:

Once you have completed all four sides of your box, fill any holes or spaces that don’t quite meet up with wood filler.

Let the filler completely dry, then sand smooth.

Step 7:

Glue the wooden beads to the bottom of your box to give it feet.

Step 8:

Paint the box.

Once your box is completed it is time to paint it.

I used a white spray paint that already had a primer in it.

Give it a couple of coats of paint and your box is finished.

Isn’t this the cutest?

I just plopped the topiary in, added some moss and tied on a bow.

It’s exactly as I visualized it and it goes perfectly with my decor.

I couldn’t be happier and feel like the traditional style will be perfect for quite some time to come.

Hopefully, you liked how to zhuzh up a box as much as I did making one!

Until next time….

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Y’all! I had such plans for sharing the make over of these pretty canisters with you, but no. It’s been raining most of the week which is not conducive to spray paint. So what have I got for you? Flowers, painting and a clean house. Well, an almost clean house. Mostly.

Clean house

The week started out well.

As part of my Spring cleaning frenzy, I cleaned, decorated and shined up the front porch.

In case you missed it, you can see it here.

Flowers

Due to February’s ice storm a ton of our shrubs bit the dust.

So I’ve been digging those up and replacing them.

I’ve also been so thankful for the perennials in the garden that did survive.

For the first time in I don’t know how many years, not one plant in my pots over wintered.

Which means starting from scratch.

I’m going to look at this as a blessing.

I get to choose whatever plant I want to replace the old ones.

IF I can find it.

Plants are not plentiful this year.

At all.

However, I’m trying to enjoy what I am able to find.

I’m trying to plant the rainbow.

Lots of happy colors.

Painting

I’ve also been painting.

A lot!

Over the past few months, I decided to sign up for a few art classes.

The first class is one where you paint door hangers with a few other creative, fun things thrown in.

There is a new one every week.

Honestly, there are  so many that I’ve been giving my sister’s  a few here and there.

They are very quick and fun to paint.

Plus, I look forward to the class every Thursday night.

A little me time.

This one is one of my favorites.

So much so, that when I cleaned the front porch I hung it up on my front door!

I’ve loved painting so much that I signed up for another 2 day course to learn how to paint these crazy flowers.

Totally out of my wheel house, but I had the BEST time doing it.

I guess an old dog can learn a few new tricks!

So, I hope you will forgive me since all I’ve got to show for my week is flowers, painting and a clean house.

’til next time!

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Spring has sprung and It is officially time to begin the Spring cleaning. So let’s start with cleaning your Spring front porch. Here in North Texas it has been a pollen fest for about a month now. I’m talking yellow powder so thick you could write your name in it. The allergy count is off the charts. I say it’s time for pollen to hit the road!

Clean

I would never tell you what cleaning products to use, as we all have our favorites, but I will share how I get my porch ready for Spring.

As with any room you start cleaning at the top and work your way down.

My porch was relatively clean so I just swept the ceiling with a broom, getting rid of any dirt, dust or cob webs.

Once that was done, I did the same to the walls and floor.

Every other year I power wash the entire porch.

While I’m up on the ceiling I also clean all light fixtures.

Wash Windows and Doors

After cleaning the entire porch, I wash windows.

Since my front door also has a window on it, I go ahead and clean that as well.

Make sure you not only get the window and door, but also the handle and lock as well.

It’s amazing how a clean front door can change the entire look of your front porch!

Clean Furniture

If you have furniture on your front porch now would be the time to clean it.

If you look directly below where I’m cleaning you can see just how thick the pollen is!

Clean not only the hard surface of the furniture, but also any cushions or pillows  as  well.

Plant Flowers

Now that we’ve finished cleaning your Spring front porch, it’s time to add the front porch jewelry!

Plant flowers.

Clean out your pots, dust them off, load them with new potting soil and plant away.

Decorate

Sweep the front porch one more time, then bring out the Spring decor.

I like to start at the front door.

Add a rug for some color and texture.

Then, on top of the rug, add a fun door mat.

There are so many fun ones out there it’s hard to choose which one to use.

This one is from last year.

I’m going to use it until I find a new one for summer.

Add a Wreath or Door Hanger to your front door.

Nothing screams welcome like a pretty front door.

I recently joined classes to paint front door hangers and I am having so much fun!

We paint 3 new ones each month.

This one was from last week and I can’t wait to paint this weeks door hanger.

I can tell that I will need to gift a few of my hangers, cause I only have so many doors to decorate.

It’s a good problem to have!

Sit back and enjoy your Spring porch!

We’ve cleaned everything from top to bottom, we’ve added new plants and gave the front porch a few decorations.

Now, all that’s left is to enjoy the fruits of our labor!

One “room” down 13 or so more to go.

Until next time….

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Hey friends! It’s $10 on the 10th. This months theme is Ladybugs. Not gonna lie, I had to pull out the extra creative juices on this one, but I’m pretty happy with what I ended up with. Spring means planting season here in Texas. Which means that we are outside a lot more. When my boys were little I always tried to find a fun outdoor activity to keep them busy while I gardened. Since our theme is Ladybugs, it only stands to reason that I would think of a Ladybug bug box!

I picked up this colorful bug box at my local Dollar Tree.

It is so fun and colorful, however it was a little plain.

It needed a little something extra.

Plus, if you have more than one little it’s always good to do something that lets each child know who’s bug box is who’s.

Nobody needs a squabble going on while work is getting done!

Step 1

To make my bug box extra special, I cut out this vinyl ladybug on my Silhouette.

If you don’t have a cutting machine there are a ton of vinyl stickers available at craft stores.

Step 2

Apply the vinyl transfer to the bug box.

Step 4

Add extra embellishments.

I added a few “dashes” to show the ladybug’s flight.

On the back side I added the child’s name.

My Ladybug box is done!

I found this magnifying glass at Hobby Lobby and couldn’t resist adding it to the box.

Super easy and guaranteed to keep littles busy!

Now please join me in visiting the other bloggers to see what Ladybug things they came up with.

Patti – Pandora’s Box

Allyson – Southern Sunflowers

Terrie – Decorate And More With Tip

Barbara – French Ethereal

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Hey, friends! Welcome to this months DIY Challenge. This month Terrie from Decorate and More With Tip challenged us to create a high end dupe. What’s a high end dupe? In my house it’s basically making something that is way out of your budget or something that you think you can make rather than spend a large amount of money on. So what’s my high end dupe? It’s a monogramed wastebasket.

If you are coming here from Liberty’s at B4 and After, welcome! I’m so glad that you are here!

That’s right, you read wastebasket.

Which for me is a fancy trashcan.

I recently saw this bathroom wastebasket and fell in love with it.

Until I saw the price.

It was $80.00 before the monogram.

Nope.  It’s not a huge amount of money, but more than I’m willing to spend for a trashcan.

However it occurred to me that it wouldn’t be too difficult to make my own.

I started searching on-line for one with a similar shape.

However, I couldn’t find one that I really liked in that shape.

This is the sad stainless steel one that has been in my guest bath for awhile now.

I figured if I were going to buy one of similar shape I might as well use this one instead of buying a new one.

Plus, somehow something got spilled on the inside that refuses to come off.

Believe me, I’ve tried everything.

So, if I messed it up, no big.

Step 1

I cleaned the stainless steel trashcan with hot soap and water.

Once it had dried thoroughly, I wiped it down with alcohol.

Step 2

Give the trashcan several coats of gold metallic spray paint.

The trick here for nice even coverage is to do several light coats until you have reached the desired coverage.

Let dry overnight.

Step 3

Tape off the areas that you want to remain gold.

For my trashcan, I wanted the top 1/2 inch and the bottom pedestal to be gold.

Then give the trashcan several light coats of white spray paint.

Step 4

Remove the tape immediately after the last coat of white spray paint.

I cannot stress how important this step is!

If you leave the tape on overnight while the paint is drying you run the risk of the paint peeling off.

Let the white spray paint dry overnight.

At this point, inspect the trashcan to see if it needs any paint touch ups.

Step 5

I decided to go with a double wedding monogram just like my high end wastebasket had.

To do this, I went online and found a style of font similar to the one on the wastebasket, printed each letter out.

Once I had the letters printed, using tracing paper, I laid traced the letter L, then laid the traced letter on top of the second printed letter and traced that.

This made my double monogram.

Use transfer or carbon paper to transfer your monogram onto your trashcan.

Step 6:

Using gold metallic paint and a small liner brush, I painted in my monogram.

It took me 4 coats to get the metallic paint thick enough that I couldn’t see through it.

Be sure to make as smooth of strokes as possible, to ensure a smooth finish.

This was my first coat.

As you can see it’s pretty transparent and my strokes aren’t that smooth.

The uneven strokes caused me to have to put more layers of paint on than I would have liked.

Step 7

To protect both the inside and outside of the wastebasket, I spayed several coats of Triple-Thick Crystal Clear Glaze on it.

And this is the finished monogramed wastebasket.

Not too shabby if I do say so myself!

The best part?

I cost me nothing as I already had everything on hand.

Now, please join me in visiting Terrie at Decorate and More With Tip and all of my other fellow bloggers to see what wonderful upscale dupes they created.

Decorate and More with Tip | Sweet Southern Grace

Cloches and Lavender | Purple Hues and Me

B4 and Afters | Patina and Paint

Blue Sky At Home

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Have you ever shopped at Buc-ee’s? I know... there are some of you that think that Buc-ee’s is a gas station that has great food and the cleanest public bathrooms in Texas. And you would be correct. BUT… shopping at Buc-ee’s is  also a great place to shop for just about everything you could imagine from fire pits to t-shirts to home decor.

We recently met on of our sons at a Buc-ee’s  about an hour from our home.

Of course, I made sure we had a little extra time to browse through all the shopping goodness.

The main reason that I started “shopping” at Buc-ee’s was their huge supply of Mud Pie.

Mud Pie is truly one of my favorite lines.

This time around I found the cutest measuring spoons.

I’m obsessed with these sweet little glass jars.

Those glass knobs on top are just the cutest!

I had no idea what I would do with them, so I left them at the store, but I keep coming back to their cuteness.

My brain is on overload thinking how I could use them.

I also saw this line of pottery that was super pretty!

That butter dish is just the sweetest.

They also have a good collection of Round Top items.

Also a favorite of mine.

As I was taking this photo, The Hubs walked up and asked what I was going to do with them.

My reply: ” I have no idea, but they sure are pretty!”

That earned me a huge eye roll.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I will find a crown if there’s one to be found.

These wine glasses were calling to me from the moment I walked in!

Mama loves her some shiny.

Truth.

You can’t get much more southern than this, or more accurate.

Too stinking cute.

Honestly, I have no idea what the inside of this book looks like, but if it’s as pretty as the outside I feel as if we all need a copy. They had me at the hydrangeas.

And that blue…

I have to say that if there were any negatives to shopping at Buc-ee’s – other than the huge amount of people who are always there – it would be that these beautifully colored bins were a display and not for sale!

They were in several places around the store.

Which had me running around to all of them looking for a price tag.

I was like a spider monkey jacked up on Mt. Dew.

Sadly, a worker asked if he could help me and I was emphatically told that they were not for sale.

At this point The Hubs escorted me from the store ending my shopping adventure.

If you get a chance to shop at Buc-ee’s, GO!

Until next time…

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One of the questions that I get asked a lot is how to store throw pillows and pillow covers. So this Week in our Decorate With Me video series, Terri from Decorate and More With Tip and I are answering that question!

If there is one thing that I decorate with in almost every room of my house, it’s throw pillows.

Of course I’m excluding the bathrooms and the kitchen!

Here are just a few places you will find them in my home.

The Library.

Guest bedrooms.

Master bedroom.

They are even outside.

I love them!

However, after a while of buying pillows for every season, every color etc. you start accumulating a huge selection of pillows in every color, shape and size.

Often you have no place to store them.

I’ll be honest, the storage issue had me looking at whether or not to buy actual pillows.

So much so that for the most part, I’ve chosen to invest in good pillow forms and pillow covers instead of an actual pillow.

When I do buy pillows I store them in labeled bins.

The bins are then stored in the top of one of my guest room closets.

As you can see this isn’t perfect as it takes up a huge amount of space.

One of the reasons that I love to use pillow coves is that they fold up nicely and are easy to store in a small space.

I’m lucky enough to have 2 empty drawers in my guest bedroom to store them in.

Drawer number 1 has pillow covers that fit pillows that are 16″ and 18″.

If you look closely you can see that I’ve labeled the inside of the drawer where they should be placed.

Drawer number 2 has all of my 20 – 22 inch pillow covers.

Not only are they sorted by size, but by color and pattern.

This makes it super easy to find the cover I need at a glance.

3 Quick Tips to help keep your Pillows and Covers tidy and in great shape!

1. Organize your pillows and covers by shape and color.
2. Once a year check your pillows and covers to see if you have used them, if not donate them or give them to a friend. This opens up space for ones you will use and keeps them from getting overcrowded. Over crowding causes wrinkles and disorganization.
3. Before placing your covers or pillows back into their drawer or bin check to see if they need to be cleaned or mended. Nothing is worse than pulling out a pillow and finding that it is stained or has a tear.

What if you don’t have an empty drawer or space in the top of an unused closet?

Since pillow covers are small and fold up nice and tidy there are tons of storage options.

Under bed storage, small containers like the ones I use for pillow storage, or pop up cloth cubes are great options to consider.

I hope that I helped answer how to store  throw pillows and pillow covers for you!

Be sure to check out how Terrie is storing her pillows here!

Until next time…

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Easter is just around the corner and it won’t be long before we will be taking down the bunnies and the sweet Spring decor. I think of this time of year as the in between time.  Too early for full on Summer, but I don’t want to decorate totally in Spring decor either. So how do we decorate right now? I like to transition slowly from Spring into Summer. In all honestly, I’m really ready to get outside and plant! With that in mind, today I’m sharing my Spring to Summer kitchen.

The first thing that I do is CLEAN!

Clean from the ceiling to the floor.

Scrub the oven and sink, mop and wax the floor and shine up your appliances.

Take everything off of the countertops and clean those as well.

It’s also a great time to clean out the cabinets and drawers.

Donate what you haven’t used in a year, throw away anything that doesn’t work, is chipped or broken.

Add Fresh Flowers.

This is the perfect time to bring the outside in.

If you do nothing else, clean and treat yourself to fresh flowers or greenery.

Throw open a few windows and let in a breeze.

Add a few plants or greenery.

Again, bring the outside in!

Chances are you don’t have access to cut flowers yet and if you don’t want the weekly expense of buying fresh flowers, plants are the way to go.

Don’t have a green thumb?

No shame in that game, go faux!

This time  of year green plants mentally put you in a good mood and get you looking forward to summer.
So bring on the green!

Don’t forget to give your nose a treat!

Let’s face it, if it looks clean and smells inviting then odds are you want to spend more time in that room.

Add in a new floral or fruit scented hand soap and candle.

Right now I’m really enjoying this Bath and Body Rose Water and Hibiscus hand soap.

It makes me feel like I’m in the garden even when I’m not.

If you are like my BFF and are on candle restriction ( You must remember to blow them out!) then try a scented wax burner or oil diffuser system.

Your nose will thank you!

Add a fresh, new hand towel.

There is nothing like a fresh new hand towel to dress up your kitchen!

Am I right or is it just me?

It doesn’t have to be expensive, just wrinkle free and fresh looking.

This crisp new blue and white towel can be found here at a great price.

Change out your artwork and decor items.

This is the perfect time to bring in lighter, brighter decor items and art.

I chose to add this cute little print of a plant under a cloche that says “Please Grow”.

How appropriate is that?

This is also a great time to look at freshening up your rugs, runners, placemats and napkins.

You will be surprised that by doing these simple things just how much you will love your Spring to Summer kitchen!

Plus, this concept works in all rooms of your house, so give it a try in other rooms as well.

It really is perfect for this “in between time”.

Until next time….

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Pandemic Easter table. Boy are those words that I thought that I would never say together! I can’t believe that we have been self distancing for over 1 year now. With Easter just around the corner I’ve been planning my table. Like last year, we will not be having a huge Easter get together. Even though it will just be the 4 of us, I am still planning on celebrating as best as we can!

As always I start with a clean table.

This year since it will be a more simple celebration, I felt like a simple decor was appropriate.

A fun bright turquoise buffalo plaid table runner is topped with this sweet little rabbit centerpiece.

Place setting

Each place setting has a blue placemat, followed by a pink buffalo plaid charger.

If you missed how I made those, you can see it here.

Since my charger has a gold rim, I used my silverware with a gold bead inlay.

To match my bright and cheerful table runner, I’m using turquoise stemmed glassware.

A white plate, followed by colorful rabbit appetizer plate is added to my place setting.

I love how a white plate makes all of the colorful items stand out.

The sweet rabbit plate adds just a little bit of fun.

Each place setting has a different color rabbit plate in either blue, yellow, pink or purple.

For a bit of whimsy, I added these white wooden bunny napkin rings.

The chinoiserie pink and white napkins are a perfect match for the pink and white charger plates.

The final piece to my place setting is this beautiful blue glass egg cup filled with chocolate eggs.

I cannot tell you how much I LOVE them!

Extras

Of course, I can’t forget what I call the “extras”.

I like to put pretty salt and pepper shakers either at each place setting or with in easy reach of each one.

This year I chose to go with the easy reach.

At one end of the table I have the sweetest little bunny riding in his truck.

The other end of the table hosts a bunny and his carrot.

Both of these sets add a fun element to my table.

The last thing I added to my Pandemic Easter table was this bunny tail chair tie.  You can see how I made these here.

Who says that a  Pandemic Easter table can’t be simple, colorful and and fun?

Not me.

So bring on the Easter celebration!

Until next time….

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One of the things that I look forward to every year is decorating my Easter Table. I’m always on the look out for one small item that can take my table to the next level. I recently saw  Bunny Tail chair ties that I knew would make my table stand out.  So today,I’m sharing how  I  made  my  chair  ties.

Supply list

Here is a list of supplies that you will need to make a chair tie:

Burlap Ribbon  – 2.5″ – I found mine here.

Hot Glue

Glue gun

Mini Rick Rack

Bunny Tail

Straight pins

Scissors

Step 1

Cut off 6″ pieces of your burlap ribbon.

You will need 2 for each chair tie.

Near the top 1/3 of your ribbon, starting on the outside edge, draw a curve up to the top, center part of your ribbon.

Draw a mirror of that curve on the opposite side, forming the top of your bunny ear.

Cut out the ear.

I used this ear as a template for each bunny ear that I needed.

Step 2:

Using your hot glue gun, glue mini rick rack to the outside of each ear.

Once that is done, pinch 1/4″ from the outside edge of the ribbon and bring it to the center of ear.

Hot glue in place.

Repeat on the opposite side of the ribbon to form your bunny ear.

(The rick rack will be the BACK side of your bunny ear so pleat the ribbon on the side without the rick rack)

Step 3:

Using the burlap ribbon, tie a bow around your chair.

If you have a fairly square backed chair, I would tie the ribbon around the entire back.

However, since my chair back is round, it was easier to simply tie the ribbon to the center of the chair.

Step 4:

Using your hot glue gun, carefully hot glue the ears to the back side of your bow’s center.

Be sure to put the back of the ear facing you.

Also, hot glue the mini rick rack to the bottom of your bow’s tails.

Step 5:

Using a straight pin, pin your bunny tail to the center of your bow on your chair.

Be sure that the sharp end of your pin is tucked into the bow to prevent getting pricked by the pin.

Let’s face it, it’s looks cute and charming until somebody get’s stuck by the pin!

Making these bunny tail chair ties couldn’t be any easier!

I love how the furry little tails dress up my chairs and put a smile on my face every time I see them.

My only regret was that we aren’t having a big family get together so that I could make more of them.

Who doesn’t love a project that is easy, takes very little time to complete, doesn’t require a huge supply list and looks fabulous?

Later this week I will be sharing my finished Easter table with you so stay tuned.

Until next time….

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Bunny Kisses & Easter Wishes! I’m not sure where I read that recently, but it got me to thinking about what little gifties that I would be sending to the little’s in our families this year for Easter.

I try to stay away from toys and candy.

Also, since there are 12 littles I have to be mindful of the budget.

Those two things alone, prohibit buying a lot of things.

However, this year I saw the cutest item ever!

This bunny pancake maker.

How cute is this?

I immediately decided that instead of individual gifts this year, I would send family gifts instead.

Of course, at the time I ordered them, they didn’t have 6 of these available.

So I started looking on-line for a few more.

I was so happy when I found the same brand pancake maker , just in a different color.

Other than being the cutest thing ever, the best part of this little pancake maker is that the price point is under $10.00!

Now, I couldn’t just gift a pancake maker without pancake mix!

It is organic and makes approximately 26 regular sized pancakes.

Perfect for a family gift!

Of course, what would a celebration be without sprinkles?

Especially when making bunny pancakes?

I found the prettiest “bunny kisses & Easter wishes” sprinkles that you’ve ever seen!

They came in a big bottle, so I took small cookie bags – which were the perfect size – and placed sprinkles in them.

Then added the bundled up a bag of sprinkles to each family’s gift bag.

Next I made a few fun Easter Cards to go with each families bag.

The outside was decorated with a fun easter wish, while the inside said ” Peeps love Pancakes, We hope that you do too!”

Of course the card’s envelope had to be as cute as the card!

I had these black and white bags that all of my gifts fit into perfectly.

All they needed after they were stuffed with the gifts was some colorful tissue paper and the addition of the cards.

I think that these are my favorite Easter gifts yet!

AND the entire gift came in under $20.00.

My kind of easter gift – cute, economical and fun.

These cute little Easter gifts so remind me of the saying ” Bunny kisses & Easter Wishes!”

Until next time…

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It only took us about 6 weeks, but our kitchen remodel is done! I am so happy to say that we are no longer living in never ending dust. More importantly, the dark hole that used to be our kitchen is now a light, bright space that we love.

Before I share the finished kitchen, let’s take a look at what the kitchen used to look like and a recap of all the work we’ve done.

The Old Kitchen

The original cabinets were a white oak that had been lime washed.

I’m not sure of the original stain color, but over time they had taken on an orangy, peach color.

The top coat had worn off in spots and they had seen better days.

The granite countertops had been installed 18 years ago and had chips and dings in them.

You can’t see it, it had  a bright burgundy color in it to match the backsplash trim.

I was not a fan of either.

What I hated about the counter tops the most was that you couldn’t see when they needed cleaning.

Drove. Me. Crazy!

Don’t even get me started on the backsplash and the yellow under counter lighting.

Work in Progress

Step one was to have the counter tops replaced.

I agonized over this one decision more than any of the rest.

The trend is to go with a white quartz, but having everything in the kitchen white would be a little too much in this small space.

I loved the look of Soapstone, but didn’t want the up keep that came with it.

And after having busy granite in the last two homes we had, I was ready for something a little less “extra”.

So we went with a timeless look.

A black Quartz called Pittsburg.

It isn’t very shiny and has little bits of shiny pieces here and there.

Farmhouse Sink

For our sink we chose a farmhouse white porcelain sink.

LOVE it!

A brushed gold faucet was another big decision for me, as I was trying to choose timeless pieces, rather than trendy ones.
However, every time I would go looking at faucets I found myself drawn to the gold.

After the gold faucet was installed I was so glad that I went that route.

Bye Bye Raised Bar

The raised bar was removed to give us more countertop space.

Plus, the new countertop was extended about 6 inches to give us a place to actually be able to sit at the bar and eat.

What a game changer!

Painted Cabinets

The cabinets were painted next.

An airless sprayer was used and I have to say that it was one of the best decisions we made.

Previously, when painting cabinets, we sprayed the doors and drawers and hand painted the cabinets due to my fear of overspray.

Never again.

The spaying was easier and looks fantastic with little to no overspray.

In the middle of painting the cabinets and installing the backsplash, Snowmagedon took place and North Texas became  a frozen Tundra.

Since a spray tent was to be set up outside for the drawers and doors to be painted, we had to wait for the thaw before we could finish the painting.

Same with the backsplash.

No cutting tile with a wet saw outside in sub-zero temps.

Cabinet Hardware

After the thaw, the cabinets were finally painted and gold hardware was added to the drawers.

Glass door knobs were the finishing touch for the cabinet doors.

Tile

Then came the backsplash.

Other than the countertops, this was my one big splurge.

Originally, the plan was to do a white Subway or Moroccan tile backsplash, until I saw this Byzantine Arabesque Bianco by Ivy Hill.

It was love at first sight!

Once all of the major items were installed, it was time to do touch up paint, install molding, caulk, paint the crown moulding, paint doors, and put in under counter lighting.

All of which took a few days.

The last thing on my list of things to finish was to install the pendant lights above the island.

There is nothing like adding a little bling to make a space pretty.

Finished Kitchen Remodel

Here’s the north side of the kitchen remodel.

BIG difference, right?

The Hubs and I eat here all the time and we love it.

I left my island blue, but painted the pantry door back to SW Pure White to match the cabinets.

The original plan was to put a wooden top on the island, however there was a little mix up with the installers.

I walked in when they were done and the quarts was there.

Oh, well – plan B.

Plus, it’s not like I hate it or anything!

This is the south side of the kitchen.

I still haven’t decided whether or not I’m keeping the valance or changing it up.

For now it stays.

Other than a few different decorating choices still to be made, I’m officially calling our kitchen remodel done!

I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.

Until next time….

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March 17th is just around the corner and even though Texas has opened their restaurants, we will be spending it at home and I will be setting a casual St. Patrick’s Day Table. Normally, IF we did anything at all for St. Patrick’s Day it would be to throw on an “I’m Irish” t-shirt and go out to partake of very casual dining. However, just because we are staying at home this year doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate. Just so we are clear, it’s so casual that it isn’t even going to be at the table.

It’s going to be at our new counter height bar in the kitchen.

But it would be weird to say “casual St. Patrick’s Day bar”.

Gives a whole new visual!

Green and Gold

The plan is to use all things green and gold.

Sounds easy, right?

However, when I started planning I realized that I really don’t have a lot of green or gold.

I started with this nubby bright green placemat.

Followed by a gold charger.

Dishes

Next, I used a white hob nail plate, followed by a Bordallo Pinneiro Cabbage salad plate.

I added this gold and white striped napkin and gold napkin ring.

As well as my gold rimmed stainless flatware.

This crystal Pioneer Woman tumbler finished off my  place setting.

Dessert

For dessert I took a mini vanilla bean cupcake and placed into a black pot.

For a fun embellishment I added a green “Lucky” coin.

If I had been serving this to company,  I definitely would have pushed the cupcake further down into the pot.

But we both know that the cupcake was going to be eaten faster than you can say Shenanigans, so why bother making getting it out any harder than it already was?

The Centerpiece

I had this green pot complete with a multi- green plaid bow.

The bow is what tied everything together, as I used several different green colors in my place setting.

Normally, I would fill this pot of gold with a fun plant, however this time I filled it with beads, an Irish sign, lucky coins and a cute Leprechaun!

With the addition of a few fun shamrocks on each side of my centerpiece, my casual St. Patrick’s Day table is complete.

Even with the Pandemic, we can still celebrate and make holidays special for the ones we love.

Now if I could only catch a leprechaun and wish for dinner to be cooked and served by someone else!

Until next time…

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Hey Friends! It’s $10 on the 10th. I love it when fun and talented bloggers get together to share great ideas for under $10, don’t you? This months theme is Spring.  When I think of Spring, I think of birds, blooms, sunny days and Easter! With that in mind, I thought that it would be fun to make a Spring egg garland that I could use not only for Spring, but Easter as well. I love a multi-functional decor item for sure!

I actually made this garland a few weeks ago and I made it two different ways.

Today I’m sharing the painted egg version with you.

However, if you don’t like to paint, but love to craft with paper I have a video that is right up your alley.

You can see it here.

Supplies

For this Spring Egg Garland you will need:

Wooden egg cutouts. I found mine at the Dollar Tree – 6 for $1.00.

Paint

Paint brush

Twine

Scissors

Small Carrots – I found mine at the dollar tree – 6 for $1.00

Yarn

Pom pom maker or a piece of cardboard

1/4 inch ribbon

Hot glue and glue gun

Base Coat Eggs

The first thing you will need to do is give your eggs a base coat of white paint.

Set aside to dry.

Design Your Eggs

Just like a girl scout, I like to be prepared.

I traced around my eggs and drew the designs that I would be painting on each egg.

Paint Eggs

Using acrylic paints, I painted my designs onto the eggs.

As you can see, I painted multiples to make more than one set of egg garlands to share as gifts.

Once they designs were complete, I glued small bows to the top of each egg.

While my eggs were drying, I made 5 pom poms for my garland using a pom pom maker.

These are super easy to use, however you could also make poms using a piece of cardboard.

I purchased my pom maker here.

Once my eggs were painted and my pom poms were made I tied them, as well as the carrots to the twine to make my garland.

I used jute twine to tie on the eggs and the carrots.

I left two of my pieces of yarn long on my pom to be able to tie it to the twine.

And this is what the finished painted Spring Egg garland looks like!

So how much did my garland cost?

Eggs – $1.00

Carrots – $1.00

Everything else I already had left over from another project.

So my  painted garland ended up costing me a grand total of $2.00 plus tax.

My scrapbook garland ended up costing me a bit more.

I purchased new scrapbook paper to match my Spring/ Easter color scheme.

50% off at Hob Lob – 6 sheets of paper came in at $2.20 including tax.

Both garlands were under $5.00!

Please join me in visiting these talented blogger friends of  mine to see what fun Spring ideas they have for us!

Terrie – Decorate and More With Tip

Patti – Pandora’s Box

Cindy – Cloches and Lavender

Corine – Junk to Gems

Until next time….

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Hey Friends! It’s that time of year where I want to be outside planting, however I know that Spring isn’t quite here yet. So I’m inside decorating and crafting for Spring. Today I’m sharing how to make a Paper Bunny Door Hanger with you.

Draw a Bunny

First thing I did was draw a bunny.

(If you don’t want to draw yours, you can go on-line and get a clip-art outline of a bunny.)

Once I had my bunny drawn, I cut out 2 bunnies out of brown wrapping paper.

Cutting Out Batting

Also, using your bunny pattern cut out 1 layer of batting.

Paint the Bunny

On 1 layer only, paint the bunny the color of your choice.

I chose to paint my bunny turquoise.

Mainly because it’s such a bright happy Spring color.

Obsessed about Spring?

Yes. Yes, I am!

Sew The Bunny

Take the unpainted bunny pattern ( layer 1) and lay it out.

Add the batting ( layer 2) to layer 1.

Place the bunny that you painted (layer 3) to the top of the bunny stack.

Pin the bunny layers together.

Using a sewing machine, sew around the outer 1/4 inch of the bunny.

Don’t have a sewing machine?

You could easily glue the outer edges of the bunny together to create your bunny.

Embellish Your Bunny

Now is the time to add all things pretty to your bunny!

Using white paint, add highlights to the bunny’s body.

Don’t forget to add the bunny tail!

At this point,  I wanted to add a flower to the bunny’s ear.

So instead of just painting it, I decided to make one just like I did the bunny body.

Adding a cute  bow completed the embellishments!

Add the Hanger

Using a hole punch, punch a small hole in each of the bunny’s ears.

Cut about 12 inches of wire.

Run the wire through the hole in the bunny’s ear, then loop it and twist the end around the body of the wire.

Do this with both ears.

This is what your bunny will look like at this point.

However, since it’s for the door, I felt like my bunny needed a little something else.

Maybe a greeting?

So I went in a little unexpected way, I decided to make him a hip hop bunny!

A Hip Hop Spring bunny!

I love this paper bunny door hanger and can’t wait to decorate with her.

One note of caution, because the bunny is made of paper, she’s definitely an indoor bunny!

Until next time…

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Good Friday morning y’all! I don’t know about where you all are, but here in North Texas we’ve been experiencing Spring like weather. After the frozen Tundra of a few weeks ago, the weather is so welcome. Since I’ve been dreaming of Spring, I’ve been thinking about my Easter table. While it won’t be like it has been in years past, I’m still trying to make it special. I was planing how I wanted my table to look when I came across these beautiful pink and white charger plates.

They had me at Buffalo check.

And then I saw the price and kept on scrolling.

However, I kept thinking about them.

How pretty they were and how cute they would look with my spring centerpiece.( you can see the video here)

Which got me to thinking, could I make them?

I had 4 chargers that I had painted white some time ago.

Which was perfect for my base paint color.

Step 1:

Make a grid for your plaid pattern.

Find the center of the charger plate.

Once you’ve done that, lightly draw a line down the center.

From there you will mark lines 2″ apart.

Then turn your plate 180 degrees and mark your charger the same way.

This will make your grid for the check pattern.

Step: 2

Tape the charger plate.

Following your grid pattern, tape off every two inches.

Do this vertically, but not horizontally.

Step 3:

Paint your first set of stripes.

Before painting, be sure to burnish the edges of your tape to prevent any paint leaking underneath it!

Then give the non-taped off area a light coat of paint.

Let the paint dry.

After the paint has dried, give the same painted area another coat of paint.

Now, at this point remove the tape and give the plate another 180.

You can tape the lines off again – but be very sure that the paint has thoroughly dried OR the area you just painted will peel off.

Or, I found that it was just as easy to paint the next set of stripes without using tape.

Step 4:

Add gold to the rim of the charger plate.

Once the next set of stripes has dried it’s time to add the gold on the rim.

This was the part that I wasn’t too sure about.

Honestly, it turned out to be so much easier than I thought.

I chose a flat brush the width that I wanted my gold edging to be, loaded the brush with gold paint, then started painting.

TIP: I found that if the outside of the brush lined up with the outside of the plate and I didn’t put too much pressure on the brush it was super easy to paint this edging.

This is what my pink and white charger plate looked like when I was done painting.

Not too shabby!

I chose to go with a darker pink paint that matched my napkins that I planned to use, but other than the color I think they are a good dupe for my inspiration chargers!

Step 5:

I gave my pink and white charger plates a good spray of this Triple Thick Clear Glaze.

I love how shiny it makes them as well as protects the paint.

Which I definitely wanted to do after spending the time to paint them!

The best part?

They turned out looking exactly like I wanted them to with the rest of my Easter table.

Here’s a sneak peek!

So, would I spend the time to make them again or splurge and buy them?

I definitely would make the pink and white charger plates again!

Until next time….

                                          Don’t forget, If you Loved it be sure to PIN it!