• diy halloween decals with duct tape make jack o'lantern faces with black duct tape to decorate your planters
    Crafts,  holidays

    DIY Halloween Decals With Duct Tape

    Oh yes, you can make your own Halloween decals with duct tape. Specifically, black duct tape. This is a super easy, smile-inducing craft that will make it look like you purchased some fancy vinyl decals online instead of using the roll of black duct tape that’s been jammed in the back of your junk drawer. Honestly, black duct tape has never looked better. The sky is the limit with this craft. I made jack o’lantern faces and bats. The jack o’lanterns were my favorite. However, you could make witch hats, cats, ghosts, or something I haven’t thought of. Let’s get started! Materials Needed To DIY Halloween Decals With Duct Tape:…

  • how to leaf stamp on wood using house paint or craft paint fresh leaves and a wood round
    Crafts

    How To Leaf Stamp On Wood

    Get ready because I’m going to show you how to leaf stamp on wood. It’s an easy craft that looks like a million bucks when you’re done. Plus, it’s a lot of fun! You really only need 3 basic things to leaf stamp on wood: paint, leaves, and a flat piece of wood. Two of those things you probably already have: leaves and paint. Let’s get started! Supplies Needed: Leaves (You’ll need freshly picked leaves that lie flat.) Wood rounds (Mine are 7-8 inches in diameter and come in an 8-pack.) Paint (I used house paint, but almost any type of paint like craft paint will work.) Ribbon Staple gun…

  • Labor Day 1956 stamp via Wikicommons Media Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Designed by Victor S. McCloskey, Jr., using as source material a photograph of a portion of the mural by Lumen M. Winter located in the AFL-CIO building in Washington, DC. - U.S. Postal Service; National Postal Museum:
    Uncategorized

    Labor Day 2023 and A Poem

    Happy Labor Day to those of you celebrating in the United States. I hope you’ve had a fun and relaxing weekend. I’m taking the rest of the week off of the blog to settle into September and this fall season. My kids will be back in school and I imagine my productivity will be off the charts this week. A girl can dream. Speaking of work and Labor Day, I thought I’d share the poem “Something Left Undone” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. His poems always cut straight to my feelings. Something Left Undone by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Labor with what zeal we will, Something still remains undone, Something uncompleted still…

  • colonial farmhouse living room window seat historic home builtins traditional style living room with cat sitting on window seat on the happy list
    happy list

    Happy List: #313

    Happy first day of September and welcome to this week’s Happy List. I’m glad you’re here. This week on the blog I shared some tips for helping your child transition to a new school. I’m not a psychology or education expert. I’m just a mom who has learned a few things after our kids have transitioned to new schools many times. I also wrote about when, how, and why to match your picture frames to your wall color. Hint: DRAMA! Or, maybe, like me, you just rant out of other color options that looked good. Ha! Thank you for reading this blog. I don’t take your time here for granted.…

  • needlepoint framed to match wall color navy blue sunporch with matching picture frame when to match picture frame to wall color
    decorating

    When To Match Picture Frames To Wall Color

    Selecting frames for artwork can be tricky as frames totally change the look and feel of artwork. So, is there a time and place to match your picture frames to your wall color? The short answer is yes! It’s your house. Do what makes you happy. The short answer doesn’t make a good blog post though, so let me briefly elaborate. Match picture frames to wall color when the frame is too distracting.  If the frame is distracting from the real start of the show, the artwork, paint the frame the same color as the wall so that the artwork pops. That’s what I did on our blue sunporch. I…

  • middle school lockers
    education

    From The Archive: 5 Ways To Help Transition Kids To A New School

    Editor’s Note: It is back-to-school season and I thought it would be a good time to reshare this classic post from the blog archive. I hope it helps any parents who have children starting a new school this year. I wish you and your children all the best. Need ideas on how to help transition kids to a new school? You’ve come to the right place. The start of a new school year is always full of promise. There’s always a chance that we’ll never be late for school. That no lunches will be forgotten. That no parent will lose their ever-loving mind no one will get frustrated during homework time…

  • cat at sunset on deck with black railing august 2023 new jersey
    happy list

    Happy List: #312

    Hello! Welcome to this week’s Happy List. I’m delighted you are here. It’s been a bit of a transition week for us. One of our kids started school. The other has another week. The school bus comes at 7:08 a.m. Between you and me, I’m not operating at peak performance levels at 7 a.m. This week on the blog I wrote about the best part of summer. I neglected to mention in that blog post that not having the school bus come at 7 a.m. is my REAL favorite part of summer. Haha! I also shared the wood acorn wreath I made. I absolutely love it and think this is a…

  • diy wood acorn wreath using wood acrons, wood beads, and wire fall wreath
    Crafts,  decorating

    DIY Wood Acorn Wreath

    If fall is your favorite season, you are going to love this DIY Wood Acorn Wreath. Bold words, I know. This wreath might not have pumpkins or spice but it does have an underrated but ready for its moment item – acorns. Yes, acorns. Wood acorns to be precise. If you didn’t know wood acorns were a thing, this craft is going to blow open the door of possibility for you. I, for one, can’t wait to see what you create. But let’s start with this Wood Acorn Wreath. Materials Needed: wood acorns (I used 16 acorns out of a package of 20.) 20 mm wood beads (I used 16…

  • The Best Part Of Summer is being outside and roasting marshmallows over a solo stove
    gardening and landscape

    The Best Part Of Summer

    We live in a place on the East Coast that typically experiences four distinct seasons and we’re currently wrapping up one of my favorite seasons – summer. The best part of summer is being outside. In summer it’s like the entire area comes alive with activity. The air is buzzing with positive energy. The trees are leafed out providing shade just when you need it. The flowers are bursting with color. The trails are full of bikes and foot traffic. The water is packed with swimmers and paddlers. The parks have festivals, movie nights, and summer concerts. We see our neighbors more during the summer even if it’s just to…

  • happy list

    Happy List: #311

    Hello, hello! Welcome to the Happy List. It is a pleasure to have you here. This week on the blog I shared a round up of my recent thrift store finds. I can make $100 stretch a long way when thrift store shopping. I also wrote about the reason why we’re removing tree stumps from our property now rather than later. We’ve actually had serious conversations about the order in which we remove the stumps. We’ve really been into it. Ha! Thank you for reading this blog. Thank you for sharing it with your friends. Sharing is caring! We also love talking to you. If you want to connect with…