Stacked Autumn Wreath

Hi friends!

I haven't had the chance to do a decor project in ages! This one fit the bill perfectly.

I love fall decorating. Like, LOVE it. Probably more than Christmas. There's just something about these warm colors. I don't really do the creepy Halloween decorations, so my fall stuff stays out from September until the day after Thanksgiving (when the Christmas stuff comes out, duh!)

I have a wreath on my front door pretty much year round. Grapevine wreaths are my favorite because they are so easy to switch out with the seasons! However, they can be a little thin sometimes. This fixes that, and gives you more ways to personalize! Bonus!

Easter Mantle {and a free printable!}

You guys!

I have a mantle to decorate!

Well, sort of...

Ok, so it's a shelf, but it's mine and I get to decorate it however I want after a year and a half of keeping my decorations in a box! It makes me happy.

It's a good combination of things we already had and a few new goodies.

Here are the goods:

The candle holders were a wedding gift from my Aunt and Uncle. I can't find the candles for them so they're doubling as sort-of apothecary jar/candy bowls. The little bird used to sit on top of our cabinets in AZ. We don't have cabinet tops anymore so he'll need a new home. Maybe this is it. The nest is from the dollar section at Target! Woot!

Isn't the bunny cute? Hobby Lobby, 40% off. Go hit up the Easter sales before they pack them up! I love tulips. They might be my favorite. Since I'm dealing with a red wall I had to skip the pretty pink ones, but I like the white ones too!

My favorite part is the banner. It just finishes the whole thing off in a way that makes me happy.

You know what else makes me happy? Giving things to you! Not only do I have a tutorial for that little banner, but I have a printable for you, too! You'll be able to grab it at the end of this post.

Here we go!

I could have just cut triangles and handwritten the letters, but I have not been blessed with cute lettering skills. I knew it would make me crazy if I tried, so I dove into Photoshop and made myself a little template, complete with cute font.

I started with paper grocery bags:

Using a piece of paper as a template I cut the bags into 81/2 by 11 pieces. I ended up needing 3 bags to get the pieces I needed.

I ran them through my printer and printed out my templates.

Then used some pinking shears (the cheap craft kind!) to cut them out.

From there I strung them on some twine and hung it up. Done and done!

Confessions:
- I wish it was a little bit smaller. Not enough to make another one, but I'll probably re-do it next year.
- I may or may not have hot-glued the banner to my shelf.
- This is literally the only spot in our new house that is finished. Priorities.

Want to make your own banner? Download your free printable HERE!

Be blessed!

Heather

I'm linking up at: Sorta Crunchy

Dream House: A Perfect Patio with World Market!

Hi friends!

We're a big backyard family. My parent's house has a huge backyard with a great deck. We eat dinner out there as often as we can. I think a house is incomplete without an outdoor space. So I did some "window shopping" at World Market. Love that place! They always have interesting home decor, and I was not disappointed as I looked for patio goodies! 

Here's what I found:

1. Outdoor Deck Tiles: We had a "patio" at our old house. Well, we had a bunch of cement paving squares in the back corner of our yard. These would be SO much cuter!
2. Pagoda Blue Adirondack Chair: I love me a good adirondack chair. Make it my favorite color? Sold.
3. Rio Carnival Stripe Umbrella: Who doesn't love a pretty umbrella? Especially when it matches your new adirondack chair in your favorite color!
4. Catalina Pool Lounger w/ Tray: Every good back yard space needs a lounge chair for reading. I love that this one has a little tray for your favorite beverage! There are cushions in all sorts of pretty colors.
5. Wood Outdoor Cooler: To keep those favorite beverages cold. duh.

World Market also has an amazing (seriously!) sweepstakes going on right now. Check it out!

Look at those prizes!


**Grand Prize package includes:

- A trip for two to to Santa Fe, New Mexico including hotel and airfare
- Hands on Southwestern Cooking class with Master Chef
- Personally signed glossy cookbook
- Multi-course dinner at the acclaimed Geronimo
- Southwestern Foodie Tour with a cultural kick
- A $1,000 World Market gift card

** There will also be 3 runner up prize winners that will each receive a $500 World Market gift card!

**The Gourmet Getaway Sweepstakes runs from August 18, 2012 until September 21, 2012.

**If you share the sweepstakes with 5 of your friends (via FB share or email) you can receive 5 additional bonus entries. This is part of the registration process when entering. Users can also enter daily for more chances to win.

You can enter the sweepstakes on World Market's Facebook page.
You can also find World Market here: Twitter . Google+ . Pinterest

I'm off to get my entry in!

Be blessed!

Heather

This has been a sponsored post for Pollinate Media Group. All opinions are entirely my own.

The Dream House: Living Room

Hi friends! I've got my next installation of my dream house for you. What's kind of exciting about today's post is that we're actually looking at some rental properties this evening! Woohoo! Maybe some of these things will become reality sooner than I thought. Today I have living rooms for you. The living room in our old house was done in tan, chocolate, red and sage. Of course, in the past year my tastes have completely changed. Take a look at these pictures and see if you can guess what the chance of me being able to use ANY of my old decor are. Haha!

Mmmmm...how yummy is this color combo from The Nester? Love that aqua with the tan. It just looks so clean! Part of me totally wants a white couch. Yes, I have a 3 year old. That's what bleach is for, right??

Source: thesavvyphotographer.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

Here's another take on that same color scheme. Totally different decor style, but I still love it. How great is that fireplace with the built in storage?

Source: google.com via Heather on Pinterest

Speaking of fireplaces with built-ins. I love how these cabinets have been added later, but look like they belong there!

Source: betterafter.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

And just in case we have a house with a big basement that's just dying to be finished. How fun would it be to have your own "movie theater"? This one is pretty simple to do, too!

Source: hgtv.com via Heather on Pinterest

I hope you enjoyed my dreaming.

Keep us in your prayers tonight as we look at houses!

Be blessed!

Heather

Valentine's Day Treat Tray

In case you missed this over at Fancy Little Things...

I've got a super easy project to share with you all today. I love going to thrift stores and finding old things that can have new lives. So when I found some mini wine glasses (do they have an official name??) at the Salvation  Army, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them. 

What we're making today:

Isn't it cute?? I've been seeing these all over Pinterest, and have been dying to make one. Most of the ones I've seen are made out of 3 plates, but I liked the idea of putting a bowl on top. Perfect for little chocolate goodies, or conversation hearts, or whatever you want!

What you need:

The 3 layers of your tray

Something to go in between the layers. I used the glasses, candlesticks would work too!

Heavy duty glue: I used E-6000

Note: When buying glass from the thrift store, check for stickers of an unknown age and origin. This little bit of stickum took me FOR.EV.ER to get off!

gah!

Anyway...moving on...

Now all you have to do is line up your layers and get to gluin'!

I have that heart shaped plate in the middle, so I knew that one was going to be a little off kilter. To keep everything lined up, I started out by gluing the glasses onto the bottom plate, and the bottom of the bowl first. Those had centers, so I knew things would line up. Then I sandwiched the heart plate in the middle, made sure everything was ready to go, and then glued! 

That's it...done! See? I told you it was easy!

Some notes about E-6000:

It STINKS! Definitely do this project in a well ventilated area...outside if you can.

It is not an immediate seal, so you can move things around until they're in the right spot...very nice!

It dries clear.

Once it's dry, you can either rub or scrape off any excess on your plates, so no worries about mess ups!

There you have it...your own little treat tray! 

Mine is already full of my favorites...

yum!

I'm linked up! Come play with me!