The NEW Tree With Ornaments ON

How was your weekend? Did you get to do anything fun or relaxing? Hopefully a little of both. It was a busy weekend here. It was one of those that was such a blur that I hardly remember what we did. I did get the house mostly decorated for Christmas though! I feel like I can relax more and enjoy things better.


I said I would show you our tree so here it is. :) Don't laugh! I think it's is elegant but also looks like it grew up through the house the way it touches the ceiling so Dr. Seuss comes to mind too! My mother-in-law saw this one in a store and sent me the link and I'm so glad she did. I got a pretty good deal on it and it's very pretty in person, oh and came pre-lit = heaven not to have to add lights! It's slimmer than our old one so it fits in the bay window very well and doesn't take up much room. Gosh I could be a sales person for this tree company! :)


I normally put a silver star on top but since this 9 footer hit the 9 foot ceiling I couldn't. Way to go buying a 9 foot tree with 9 foot ceilings. Not the smartest thing I have done lately but I can take a section off and use it at 7 1/2 feet too. I actually folded down the top of the tree to fit it in the room. Whoops! I added a very wide bow to the top as you can see. The walls in this room are a reddish/brownish/sometimes give a terracotta look, and the blue and silver accents on the tree contrast nicely against the walls.

Now that the tree is done I can focus on other things too. I will be sharing some homemade gifts I am working on and some super simple Christmas decorations anyone can do!

Hope you have a great week!

Giveaway Time!

I just love giveaways and anything to do with simplifying things. I found an awesome giveaway to share with you that offers some great ideas to make things simpler.


Jenny at Home-Keeping Hearts is offering an exciting giveaway now thru December 5th. You still have time so don't miss out.


Enter to win two prizes!
1. A lovely book with several craft projects 
2. A subscription to an inspirational magazine


Hurry so you can get in on the fun! YAY! 

Dress Up Christmas Porch Trees

WHATTTTUP Peeps? How are things going? I am so psyched because our tree came in the mail today. That sounds terrible, doesn't it!?!?! I know it does but we are doing a pre-lit artificial one this year. So glad it has already got lights on it! We retired our old one where all the branches were color coded and you had to basically build it.

I've been looking for a tree and did buy one a few weeks ago but when I got it home it was too skimpy. So I purchased one online Sunday at midnight just to get that special savings and free shipping. I selected standard shipping and didn't expect it until after the 5th of December. To my surprise it was on our doorstep tonight!!!! Game on! Let the decorating begin SOON! I'll show you how it looks when we get it all set up. Can't wait!

So here is a little project I did because I am a cheapskate! Last year we wanted porch trees to put outside and I swooped this set up at Garden Ridge. 

 

I can't remember how much I paid for them but I do know they were much cheaper than another set I was contemplating getting. The other set was much smaller but in fancier pots. I couldn't see spending nearly double for smaller trees so I got the bigger trees and dressed up the pots with burlap that I sprayed with waterproofing spray so they will weather well.

Just a simple touch adds to the look of the trees and saves so much money! Can I get a big YAY for this one?!?! 

Hanging Dried Eucalyptus

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

It's a time for thankfulness and family.

I hope you all have a wonderful day and get to take time out to spend it with your loved ones!

Here's just a simple tip that has a purpose more than just decorating!

I find it uplifting to bring nature inside the house.

Hang a bunch of Eucalyptus over your shower head for a splash of color and a refreshing scent that will help you breath better!

Enjoy!

Repurpose Shoe Organizer To Store Medicine

YESSSS! M-I-S-S-I-O-N accomplished! 

It may not look like much but this over-the-door shoe organizer is a helpful, simple solution to calming chaos when it comes to finding medicine in our house. The whole family has been sick for a while now and we are all on different meds, which makes it confusing at dosage time! We have three medicine cabinets that have always been crammed full of various outdated items lining the shelves. I found this plastic shoe organizer at Garden Ridge in their closet organization section. It has clear pockets (easy for wiping clean) and I condensed the items by sorting and organizing. I tossed all the boxes unless they had the dosage information. That saved room!  

The new organizer is hanging on the inside of the linen closet.

Baskets make great storage containers but this one in the kitchen was overflowing with medicine. Digging is never fun when you have a fussy child who is in need of a particular medication. I luv baskets but I think they are better suited when there is plenty of room to contain items.

I luv my label maker. :) Have I said that before?!?! I found an opportunity to whip it out and I did just that to label each pocket. I used plastic labels instead of paper and I didn't go in alphabetical order because I needed to keep the bottom two rows of pockets clear of any medicine that would harm a child. I put all the pills and medicine up high so young children aren't able to access and I also installed a safety door knob cover to keep the kids out. Just make sure if you do this too, to keep baby proofing in mind and keep all dangerous items away from child's reach! Anything that can fit through a toilet paper roll is a choking hazard.

All thermometers are in ONE place. Sounds silly but it really does help.

All first aid items are in a place.

I'm happy about emptying the medicine cabinets and reorganizing! We have one place to look for ALL medicine now, so next time a kiddo is crying or fussing, we shouldn't be scrambling around the house looking for the proper meds!  YAY!

Antique Sewing Machine and Chair BEFORE and AFTER

Hey, what's up? Okay I feel like I sound like my son who continuously tells knock knock jokes that really have no punch line. Are you guys getting ready for Thanksgiving?  I am so psyched. This year feels different than years past for some reason and I just can't wait for the holidays to get here. I am soooooo craving Thanksgiving dinner already. The comforts of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, deviled eggs... I could go on and on. I LOVE food!!! 

So today I knocked one thing off my to do list! I have been looking around at Christmas trees, pricing and comparing them and tonight I bought one. It's really early but I wanted to get this done so I wouldn't have to deal with it later. I wanted one that was pre-lit to save a little time in decorating and I FINALLY got one! Yippee! I must say though that I didn't get the best deal. I normally shop to get the best deal but people have been saying to just buy the tree you want because you're going to be looking at it for years to come. Anyhow I'll post pix when it gets closer to Christmas and we get it up. Can't wait!

Onto my redo project - Remember the sewing machine and chair (belonged to my grandmother) I inherited from my parents? Well I did a few things to update it and try and make it fit my style a little better. I hope she would approve. :)

AFTER

I spray painted the chair white and covered the seat in a simple fabric that would bring out the white. As for the sewing machine, I like the straight lines and simple style of it so the only thing I did was paint the gold handle on the front in a brushed nickel finish.

BEFORE

Not so much my taste before. The chair was a dull brown with golden legs and a brown vinyl seat.

Legs off the chair so I could cover in fabric!

Stapled it down keeping the fabric taut.

Looks a little hotelish here I guess. Hmmm. Did I make up another word?!?!

I tried to give it more life and make it fit my style. I think it works even though the chair is white and the sewing machine table is a walnut. I hope my Nana would approve! TGIalmostF! Happy Veterans Day! Thanks to all who have served in the military or are currently serving. 

Post Halloween

Hopefully everyone had a great night of trick or treating last week. We had a nice night and here are my kids' costumes so you can see. The little one rode in his paddy wagon and

they had a ball together!

Towards the end of the week I came down with walking pneumonia and I'm trying to take it easy. I'm so used to being on autopilot during the week that I don't know how to slow down and rest when I need to. Just not feeling quite right still. Hopefully I'll be on the upswing soon. 

In the meantime I am beginning to plan for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

My to do list includes:

-pack up the Halloween decorations

-start addressing Christmas cards

-compare prices on a pre-lit artificial Christmas tree but measure from floor to ceiling first!

-work on a Thanksgiving craft project I thought of

-reorganize medications in the house so I'll share that with you too sometime soon.

On that note I am hitting the hay! Hope everyone is doing well and has a lovely week! What were your kids for Halloween? What are you doing to start prepping for the holidays? Talk soon!

Final Touches for Halloween

Trick or Treat! Hope everyone has a Happy Halloween! I wanted to post some last minute decorating ideas. 

Below is a recycled Ikea candle holder - I sprayed candy corn with Krylon Preserve spray and put a tea light in the middle.

Mummy pumpkin - I wrapped in gauze and taped googly eyes. Toilet paper works well too!

Here I cut strips of scrap book paper and glued them to the pumpkin using a paint brush.

I recycled milk jugs and made ghosts. All you do is paint faces and cut a hole in back (puncture with sharp knife and twist in a circular motion until it begins cutting and make about a quarter sized hole). Push clear lights through backs. I put marbles inside to help weigh the jugs down. They are super cute when it's dark! Kids will love them!

I picked up paper cutouts and punched two holes in each, and threaded wire ribbon through to make staircase garland.

Here's another idea for a pumpkin. I didn't make this one. We had a pumpkin decorating contest at work and someone else made this one but I thought is was pretty wicked. 

This is a recycled Glade glass candle holder - I used acrylic paint and casually painted each color and let dry before applying next color.

Same method of gluing strips of scrap book paper as above but this pumpkin is made of Styrofoam.

Taped wire spider web to a mirror

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Knock! Knock! $1.00 Skeleton Wreath

Hope you're having a great weekend! I had a really nice day today and am excited to have finally completed the kids' Halloween costumes. My mother-in-law actually found the perfect solution for my youngster's costume today. Can't wait to go trick or treating!

Thought I'd share the front door wreath I came up with for $1.00! The actual wreath was freeeeeeee. My mom gave it to me last time I visited so I figured I could do something with it. 

 

I was in Dollar Tree one day and found a strand of little skeletons on twine. I pulled the skeletons off the twine and hot glued them to the wreath and there you have it. That is how I made this spooky wreath for a buck!

Pumpkin Jar

I made a jar pumpkin using vinyl I cut out by hand. So simple your kids can do it. I painted the lid with black spray paint and put a battery operated candle inside!