How To Make Simple DIY Flower Arrangements for Your Home

There's just something about a fresh flower arrangement that makes my heart sing. Beautiful, live flowers make any room brighter and more inviting. But the price tag on fresh flowers can be a real problem. With so many options these days, it's never been easier to create simple, DIY flower arrangements, without breaking the budget.

The cheapest and easiest way to make simple DIY flower arrangements, is to look in your own back yard. Do you have some flowers out there, or even some herbs? Both can be cut to make great arrangements. I am no gardener, by any means and much of what we have, came with our house. Right now, in my herb garden, the sage is flowering, so I cut a stem and stuck it in a mason jar with some oregano that's taking over one area of my messy flower bed.

DIY No Sew Bunny With Essential Oils

Nothing says spring like a bunny. Whether Easter is your holiday or not, bunnies are a symbol of spring, and you can make an easy DIY no-sew bunny of your own. Not only is this bunny adorable,  but thanks to some essential oils, it smells great too.

I see so many great project and craft ideas on Pinterest. And almost every day, I wish that I had some sewing ability . . .but I don't. None. Even sewing on a button is a challenge for me. So I'm always drawn to no-sew projects that use great fabric to create something awesome.

DIY Flavored Sea Salts With Essential Oils

I was recently browsing in one of my favorite gourmet kitchen stores, and stumbled across some little bottles of flavor-infused sea salts. That's a fun idea I thought, but man were they pricey! According to the packaging, flavor-infused sea salts are perfect for kicking up your food's flavor after cooking, and for using as a finishing seasoning.

After a little internet research, I decided that I could make my own flavor-infused sea salts using my favorite Young Living Vitality essential oils! The Rosemary was my favorite all summer long. Diffused with a little lemon, it made my entire house smell so good! Also, my Rosemary in my backyard herb garden still looks great. So I clipped some and gave it a try.

Milk Jug Monsters

I admit that I have a love affair with crafting supplies. I find it hard to resist a new roll of washi tape, a cute ink stamp or pages of beautiful paper.  But it is also very satisfying to be able to craft something from my stash.

I was recently challenged to come up with some fun (and inexpensive) decor for our school book fair. The theme is monsters, and one of the ideas from Scholastic was for Milk Jug Monsters. With two growing boys in the house, we are never short of empty milk jugs, so I set a couple aside.

DIY Front Porch Makeover

The front of your home is the first thing that people see. Like your outfit, how you dress your home can tell people a little bit about your personality. We live in an old, but charming 1930s Cape Cod in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Precious little has been re-done since the 1970s, but we love our home, and work to make it a reflection of our family.

Neither my husband nor I are true DIYers - you won't find us refurbishing the bathroom. Nor is that where we want to spend our disposable income. I recently removed the filmy white sheers that had been hanging in all of our downstairs windows and replaced them with wood-like blinds. It was a simple and inexpensive switch, but made a big impact on the feel of the rooms.

That's much more our speed of home improvements. Take our lovely front porch. Our house is stone, and the front porch has a 2 foot stone wall that surround it, with a break where the front walk is. It's very charming, gets nice shade and is rather secluded from the street. In an ideal world, the front porch could use some new concrete on the base, and a new front door. But those aren't in the time or money budget, so instead, we're going to give it a makeover.

The first step in making over a space, is to remove everything from the space and leave it bare. Next, you should thoroughly clean the space. In this case, that means a good sweeping and a wipe down of the front door.

I decided to save some money and use much what I already had. The only new purchases were an outdoor rug, some new pillows and plants. I found this outdoor rug on sale at Target. You can get a similar indoor/outdoor rug here. Consider making it colorful - they didn't have a color I wanted, so I settled for a neutral and brightened it up with accents.

I've never had a rug on the front porch, and I was skeptical about it, but I really enjoy the cozy touch it lends. I also like going out there in the mornings, with bare feet and enjoying my coffee. Two surprising finds about the rug: it dries quickly and stays pretty clean. I also have a cordless vacuum that I can bring out there for a quick touch up.

Once the rug was in place, I put our chairs back. We have had these green Adirondack chairs for a few years (Lowes still carries them). I'm not wild about the brown table, and would like to get a ceramic garden stool in an aqua or coral color. I didn't want to put glass out there, but now with the rug, I think it will be okay.

Now the "bones" of your porch makeover are done. It's time to dress it up. The easiest and most inexpensive way is with plants. Ikea has some wonderful large potted plants that I am considering for the back, behind the chairs. For now, I bought some inexpensive plants from Lowes and put them in various pots I had in the garage. I prefer terra cotta pots, but you can use anything you like and the Dollar Store and other inexpensive places can be a great place to find flower pots. If you have a bunch, but they aren't quite to your liking anymore, consider painting them!

I loved over this little flag stand, and we added an LED lantern for  some interest and light. A few outdoor pillows finish off our makeover.

Lighting is a challenge, since we don't have outdoor electricity on this end of the house. If you do, consider a string of fairly lights or retro bulbs on your porch. I'm also contemplating some big palm-like potted plants from Ikea to put in the corners behind the chairs.


And there you have it. An easy, affordable DIY front porch makeover. Every space in your home should be liveable space that you enjoy. With some creativity, you can spruce up your own tired spaces and turn them into a new favorite spot!

Come on over and we'll have some sips out there and catch up!

catch you soon -
This post is linked up at Rustic and Refined. Check it out for inspiring ideas for your own home. 

How To Make Simple Wire Word Art

This post contains affiliate links

We recently purchased some thin, copper-colored wire for a science fair project. Since we finished the project, it's been lying in my craft cart. Calling to me. But I'm no jewelry maker, so I was stumped about what to do with it. Then all of a sudden I had an idea - why not use some to make the word joy? (my one little word for 2015)

All you need is a pair of wire cutters and some wire (this wire came from the beading section at Michael's). The first thing I did was hand write my word on a piece of paper so I could get an idea for how to mold the wire.

Next, I started turning the wire to match the shape of my word. I didn't cut a piece of the wire off, as I wasn't sure of the length of wire I would need. I just kept turning the wire around this way and that, following my template, with the pincers of the wire cutters.

Once my word was close, I used the wire cutters to manipulate part of my letters a little more and made curlicues on each end.

Now I can use this on a card, or an altered canvas or just hand it up at my desk to remind me of my one little word.

Have you made anything crafty with wire?

catch you soon -

DIY Bath Salts Using Essential Oils

A few months ago I made the decision to give Essential Oils a try in my journey to a healthy lifestyle. I had several friends that had began using them regularly in their daily life to help with many day to day discomforts, and I admit, I was intrigued.

With the aid of an incredibly helpful resource guide and several Facebook Groups for oil users, I've been learning different ways to incorporate my small batch of oils into my daily life. One simple way to incorporate oils into your life is to add them into your foods and products that you use every day.

Fall Home Tour 2014

Better late than never - right? I love to decorate my house for fall. Fall is my favorite season and I like to go "all out" in my home decor, but still keep is simple and casual. I actually do three layers of fall decorating.

The basic pieces are going to be up from October 1st (or earlier) until Thanksgiving Day. Then I add in "Halloween" pieces, like ghosts, jack-o-lanterns and my Trick or Treat Banner the week before Halloween. Those things come down the day after Halloween, and I put up some Turkeys and Corn that I have.

One of my favorite ways to decorate is with real pumpkins and gourds. These are pretty inexpensive and easy to find. As soon as they come out, I start buying a few each trip. I like white and traditional orange pumpkins the most, and they all need to have a nice stem. Owen collected a bunch of acorns on a recent outing to a local state park. I put them all in a Dollar Store glass vase, and wrapped some twine around the neck.  Another example of inexpensive and easy fall decorating.

My parents have a flock of turkeys that live in the field behind their house, so the kids find a lot of turkey feathers in their yard. We collect them, and display them in my grandmother's iron stone pitchers.

Last year, we took a family trip to the Corning Glass Museum, and Ryan made a blown glass pumpkin. I bought one from one of their glass blowers as well, and these are a great addition to my pumpkins - they can really catch the light on a sunny day. Those are lentils in my votive candle holders. Coffee beans add a nice rich brown color also.

You can find some great free holiday printables on the web. One of my favorites is subway art. Each season, I find one to put in this frame. I've also collected small ceramic pumpkins from the Dollar Store over the years, and I spread these around on the mantle, tables and book shelves.

Outside, I use a combination of real and fake pumpkins and mums around my front porch and walkway.  As much as I dislike using fake pumpkins, the real ones sometimes rot before the season is over OR the squirrels eat them. On Halloween night, I add luminaries and jack-o-lanterns for a spooky touch.

So there's a quick Fall Home Decor Tour of my home. I like to keep it simple with traditional colors and objects.  I'm planning to add some touches of burlap, so I'll keep you posted on any updates! I may even try covering my own pillows!

What are your favorite ways to decorate for Fall?

catch you soon -

How to Make an Easy DIY Chalkboard Tray

Who doesn't love something with chalkboard? It's all the rage in decor and crafting right now, and I admit to falling victim. A while ago, I came across the most adorable silver tray, painted with chalkboard paint on Pinterest, and I thought "how can I make a chalkboard tray?" Well, that pin sat in my mind for a long time, poking at me to try and re-create it myself.

I scoured local thrift stores for silver trays, never willing to commit, afraid of messing it up. The biggest hindrance to my crafting is my fear of messing it up. Does that ever happen to you?

In a stroke of brilliance - ok totally random and accidentally, I found out the DOLLAR STORE has silver-looking plastic trays. These would be perfect! Here's how you can make one of these darling trays for yourself (for under $3) - perfect for a Menu Planner, Party, or gift.

Things You Need:

Silver Trays - got these at the Dollar Store
Chalkboard Paint - I used Martha Stewart
Painters Tape
Painting Sponges
Ribbon (optional)

What To Do:

Tape off the edges of your tray - the corners were tricky, so take your time.

Paint the flat part of your tray with the chalkboard paint. Pay attention to your strokes and thickness of the paint.

Let it dry the recommended amount of time.

Add a second coat, paying attention to stroke lines and paint thickness again.

Let it dry overnight - or as directions advise.

After it dries, carefully remove the painter's tape.

Cure the chalkboard by lightly rubbing chalk over it and erasing. Go lightly to avoid scratches.

Now it's ready to use - I turned it vertically and placed it on a small easel I have. You could add a bow to the top with a hot glue gun, or even a small hook on the back to hang it up. The more I thought about it, the more uses I came up - it would make an adorable cheese tray - you could write the names of the cheese right on it!

How would you use one of these chalkboard trays?

catch you soon -

Easy Valentine's Day Centerpiece

Each year for Valentine's Day, I set a special table for the kids the night before. I don't put a lot of other decorations up around the house (I do admit to having a heart-filled shower curtain), but I like to surprise them with a festive tablescape on Valentine's Day morning.

This year, while perusing Pinterest for Valentine's Day ideas, I got a flash to combine three of my current favorite things: milk bottles, washi tape and conversation hearts.

I pulled out a plain white serving dish I picked up at Target and set to work to create an easy, fun and festive centerpiece.

What you need:

• Milk Bottles, small glass bottles or vases (I picked these up in the Target Dollar Spot)
• Serving Dish (again, picked up at Target)
• Festive Washi Tape (this was also from Target, but you could use plain pink and red)
• 1 Bag of Conversation  Hearts (yes - Target)

What you do:

Decide on a pattern for your washi tape and adhere it to your bottles. I used scissors to make a rounded edge.

Line up your bottles on your serving tray.

Sprinkle conversation hearts on the tray all around the bottles (don't eat too many).

And that's it. In about a half-hour I had a fun and festive, easy-to-make Valentine's Day Centerpiece. If you didn't want to leave the hearts out, you could just put them out on Valentine's Day. Foil-wrapped chocolate hearts and kisses would look adorable too.

catch you soon -

DIY: Decorating With Books to Create a Summer Mantle

One of the best features of our house is a great mantle over our living room fireplace. I decorate the mantle for each season, switching up the focus, colors and items to set the tone for the room.

This summer, I wanted to try something different. I cleared off the mantle and assembled some pieces of my grandmother's and some other white pieces I had around my home. I gathered up some seashells collected from family trips as well. Everything was white, ivory and beige so I needed a color. I decided to use a weathered blue tray to anchor my mantle.

As I arranged my pieces, I realized that I needed some height to add more interest. So I hunted around. I came up with nothing. . .and then it hit me - BOOKS!

I scourged my library (a few years ago I parted with many (many) of my hardback books) for hardbacks that were the proper size. A yard sale, used bookstore or thrift store would also be a great and inexpensive place to find the books you need.

Once I had my eight books assembled, my mantle started to come together. . .but the books were too "colorful" and distracting form my calm sea-inspired mantle "vision". How to fix that? Why cover them in brown paper of course!

I had a roll of plain brown paper in my craft stash, as well as some brown paper bags, so I set to work covering the books.

Did you cover text books in school when you were a kid? I used to love to do that with mom. It's the same theory; however, I didn't take too much care with these covers, the spines just needed to look good.

Once the books were covered, they still needed "something". I grabbed by denim twine and doubled a length and tied it around the books. This way I also brought in my blue anchor color. The brown also coordinated really well with the sand I had used in my hurricanes too.Here are the steps I followed:

Now I had height AND my books tied in with my color scheme and vision.

This could easily be adapted for any season, I'm picturing a darker brown burlap ribbon for fall, with some pumpkins and apples. . .

Do you use books for decorating? How do you tie them into your decor?

catch you soon -
Check out the Link-Up for More Summer Ideas

How-To Check the Air Pressure in Your Tires

Do you check the air pressure in your car's tires? Checking the air pressure in your tires can mean better gas mileage and more money in your wallet. It's also an important Driving Safety measure.

It isn't complicated.  In fact, you can easily do it yourself - trust me. Experts recommend checking the pressure at least twice a year - as the weather changes.

Check your local convenience store or gas station for free air . . .sometimes there's a small fee, but it's worth it to keep your tires at their optimal air pressure.

In this short video, I tell you everything you need, how to find out what your air pressure should be, and how to do it!

Here are my tips for How-To Check the Air Pressure in Your Tires:




When was the last time you checked YOUR tires air pressure?

catch you soon -

How-To: Make Baskets out of Peat Pots

It never fails, this time of year, my mind turns to Spring and Garden-inspired decor. Even with Easter decorations, I prefer some "realistic" bunnies and pretty baskets to decorate my home. (My kids TOTALLY disagree so it's a mash up).  I picked up some Peat Pots to start a gardening project, and it struck me that they would make pretty, natural-looking baskets, and you could decorate them in almost any style. So I gave it a try, and here's what I came up with:

Get some Peat Pots. They come in a variety of styles - round and square, connected together like egg cartons, etc. It doesn't really matter which style you use. For my project, I used square, individual peat pots. But a set of twelve connected could make a pretty centerpiece.

DIY Spring Spruce Up | Home Lighting Makeover

I don't know about you, but when I flip the calendar to March, it becomes Spring in my mind. I yearn to shed my winter coat, and freshen up my house for sunshine and warmer weather.  With budgets tight, buying new furniture or renovating may be out of the question. But something as simple as changing your lighting (yes - light bulbs) can bring out colors and patterns that otherwise go unnoticed. As part of my partnership with GE, I received coupons for GE light bulbs, however all opinions posted about my GE Lighting experience are my own.

I have two major seating areas in my living room, and my lighting forms a traditional triangle. As part of this campaign, I went to Walmart to purchase light bulbs - specifically, GE Reveal Light Bulbs. I also picked up a few decor items to help in my DIY Spruce Up. After my shopping trip, which you can see in detail on my Google+ Album, I set to work.

The first step in a good DIY project is cleaning and tidying up. So I pulled off the cushions, vacuumed and wiped everything down. A little trick for keeping furniture smelling fresh? Tuck a dryer sheet between the cushions. I also dusted the lamps and removed the old bulbs, in preparation for the new GE Reveal Bulbs.

After cleaning, I picked up anything that didn't "belong" in the space and put it where it goes. I also cleared out all decorative items, so I can put my new items in and see what they work with. Don't be afraid to shop your own stash for decor. I put some old with the new to maximize my impact and minimize my cost. Also, moving things from one room to another can give a fresh perspective.

Once I had a clear pallet, the first thing I did was put in my new bulbs. When I tell you the impact and difference was INSTANTANEOUS I am not exaggerating. I put the first new bulb in my side table lamp, and turned it on. I thought I must be dreaming, because a single light bulb could not possibly make that big a difference.

Here is my first seating area i tackled. It's boring and a bit cluttered. This is the favorite reading chair for all of us (Before):

And here it is (After) with new, brighter and clearer light. We have yellow walls, and there was a fair amount of sunshine, so the picture doesn't do a fair job of showing you how clear the lighting is:

The second seating area hides a toy area in our living room (before). It has great light during the day, but as the sun moves around the house in the late afternoon, the room gets dark. The floor lamp we have there provides decent lighting, but it didn't do anything to brighten the space.

And here is this cozy spot (after).  Even with sunlight coming in, the new lighting makes everything brighter. I love how the new pillow goes so well with the styling of the pillow I already had. I sat here the other night, and the lighting is so much better to read by.

It is hard to capture in pictures the way the new lighting changes the "mood" and "feel" of the room. It brings more energy to the space and even makes our stuff look nicer. That awful "yellow" cast is gone, and everything looks so much more crisp and bright. The only yellow in the room now, is the color we put on the walls.

As a blogger and a crafter, I take a lot of pictures in my house. I would always need to take pictures during the daylight and I hate how they come out yellow and dark. But not anymore with my awesome new lighting from GE! Now everything looks crisper and clearer.  I changed the bulbs in our chandelier to GE Reveal bulbs and now I can actually craft at night, because I can see the detail enough!

Changing the lighting has truly made a world of difference in our downstairs living space.  My husband comments on it every night when he comes home, and the kids say they can see their toys better at night too. I like how much easier it is to read and craft, plus my space just looks "better".

Hoping to do a little Spring DIY project at your own house? Try a home lighting makeover and see the clean, beautiful light transform every room in your house! You can check out more information on GE Lighting on Twitter and Facebook.

catch you soon -

note - I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensate as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and GE Lighting #cbias #SocialFabric. As always, all opinions are my very own.

home decor DIY. . .

feeling like I need to update the house. . .got an ikea flyer in the mail today and feel totally inspired by this photo:

photo courtesy of www.ikea.com

our downstairs walls are a sunny yellow with white trim and ceilings.  we have medium brown hardwood floors. . .and currently a too-small for all of us dark green sofa. . .so this is in the realm of "can do". . .

I was also inspired by Kelly's DIY projects, especially her fireplace makeover. . .I want to "whiten" my bricks - not all over - just sort of part-way. . .does that make ANY sense?? Oh and remove the HORRID brass glass doors. . .anyone have any luck with that sort of thing?

so stay tuned - this could be my summer project . . .think ikea is looking for someone to review that sofa??

catch you soon -

How-To: Make a PaperCraft Gift

The other night I got to celebrate a new phase in a friend's life - she recently moved into a new home.  She and I have known each other for 20 years. . .wine or flowers seemed boring. . .this was a big step for her, so I really wanted to commemorate it with something personal.

I searched around and came up with a cute white shadow box idea. . .here's the finished gift:

House Warming Gift