Earthy Outdoor Wreath

I am not doing so great at getting back to this blog thing, huh? I'm tryin'! We are in the midst of staining our deck and it has become much more of a project than we had prepared for. I'll post more about the process once we are finally finished. First, we have to wait out the massive rain which set in Monday night and is predicted through the end of the week. I detest starting a big project and being forced to not finish in a relatively timely manner! I'm not a patient person!

In the meantime, I'm sharing a wreath I made for the deck. I wanted something that looked like it belongs outside, something "earthy". Here 's what I came up with:

Supplies:
Grapevine Wreath
1 Bag of Reindeer Moss
3 Faux Flowering Branches
Hot Glue Sticks & Gun
1 Roll of Burlap Garland

Grapevine wreaths are my favorite to work with because there are so many nooks and crannies to work with. I used a large 24" wreath for this  project. I chose reindeer moss because I wanted more of a bright green look rather than the other dried out options. And I had the faux branches already on hand.

I began by adding the branches, working my way around the wreath. I tucked the end of each branch into the grapevine and then pulled them through and  tucked them in here and there as I made my way around. Next came the moss, which I stuck wherever I could find a spot and adhered with the hot glue. I'd be more specific with the "how" if I could, but honestly, I made it up as I went!

Lastly, I added  the burlap garland and simply tied a knot. I added a 3M hook to the siding of our home over our sitting area on the deck and hung up my inexpensive, new wreath! (Don't mind the pre-stained deck.)

And here it is close up one more time!

This was the perfect project--easy, cheap and done in less than an hour!
Have you crafted lately?  What did you make?



I'm linking up over at Home Stories: A to Z & Someday Crafts.

Repurposing Rooms

One of the very first projects I took on when we moved into our new home was our family office area. I work/freelance from home and need a space to write. Our son is now in school and brings home more paperwork and homework than I was able to keep up with! We needed some major organization.

The house has an eat-in-kitchen area. Here it was before we moved in:

Once we decided not to make the dining room formal, it was apparent that we didn't need a 2nd eating area. What we did need was an office/study!

The space has undergone a few changes here and there over the past year. I've added some artwork and new bins, but for the most part the functionality has remained the same and has worked nicely for us.

Have you taken a room in your home and used it for a purpose other than what it was intended? I'd love to hear about!


Walls: Benjamin Moore Pale Oak
Desk: Ikea
Book Shelf: Target
Galvanized Wall Bins: Home Goods

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone enjoyed a beautiful, blessed Easter!
We had a nice relaxing day here at our home with my inlaws. The kids were up and at'em at the break of dawn and full of sugar by noon!

Our table setting was full of love. My linens were handed down from my grandmothers and great grandmothers and my china was handed down from my great aunt. Each setting was topped off with a vintage egg.

After lunch we soaked up the gorgeous spring sunshine on the deck. (We haven't had a chance to stain it yet--too much rain lately--but are planning to do that this coming weekend. I have a few  more plans for our deck and am looking forward to using it a lot this summer!)

The kids have their last day of spring break today, so we are off to find some fun!

I'm Back with a New House!

I've written about 10 different intros to this post to reintroduce myself and have deleted every single one. How do come back after 2 years? I have no idea. But I'm giving it a try.

What I really want to share is that a year ago we bought a house! A house that has redefined our family and made everything just right. A house in a neighborhood full of kids and amazing neighbors. A house in a community we love. A house that makes me feel blessed every single day.

A house that needed a lot of change to make it ours. We've painted nearly every single room so far. We've added new window treatments to every single window. We replaced 4 different types of flooring on just one level with hardwood. We're slowly replacing every light fixture. This past weekend we extended all of the flowerbeds. And there is still so much ahead of us. We have a running list of things to change, add, re-do, etc. It's our first single family home and we are learning as we go.

Please join me as I re-enter the blogging world!
I'm excited and anxious to share our home!