holidays
From The Archives: The Kindness Of The Irish
It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day! We had the privilege of living in Ireland for a couple of years, so St. Patrick’s Day is extra special to us now. The best part of Ireland is, BY FAR, the Irish people. Since many of you were not blog readers when we moved to Ireland for Handy Husband’s work, I thought I’d re-share from the blog archives the dramatic and funny story of how we moved to Ireland. Here you go… Our first week in Ireland has been a WHIRLWIND. Apparently, the motto in our house is “hit the ground running.” Just once I’d like to try dialing it back a notch to…
14 Sweet Valentine’s Day Facts
It’s almost Valentine’s Day. Whether or not you celebrate this holiday, there are some very interesting things of note regarding this day of love. Here are 14 sweet Valentine’s Day facts that you can share with your loved ones…or not. But I do hope you at least have a delicious piece of chocolate to enjoy while reading this! Valentine’s Day Facts #1: Americans spend A LOT on Valentine’s Day. The National Retail Federation expects consumers to spend $25.9 billion on Valentine’s Day this year. That’s up from the $23.9 billion spent in 2022. (source) Valentine’s Day Facts #2: A slim majority celebrates Valentine’s Day. 52% of Americans plan to celebrate…
DIY Embroidered Heart Sweatshirt for Valentine’s Day
Have you heard that saying about wearing your heart on your sleeve? Well, that’s actually happening on both sleeves with this DIY Embroidered Heart Sweatshirt! Let me show you how I made it in case you’re feeling festive and want to make something similar! Materials Needed For A DIY Embroidered Heart Sweatshirt: sweatshirt (This is the one I chose.) red embroidery floss scissors needle fabric pen (if you want to trace your heart shape on the shirt) paper heart to trace around (unless you want to freehand your heart) My Skill Level Disclaimer: I know enough about beginner embroidery to get this project done but would never claim to be…
Wood Bead Snowflake Ornaments
I’ve recently become very interested in what I can make out of natural wood beads for my home decor. My infatuation will probably last until I’ve used up all of the beads I purchased. Ha! So far, I’ve experimented with making a garland, napkin rings, and Christmas ornaments. Today, I’m going to show you how to make Wood Bead Snowflake Ornaments. It’s the season, after all! Here’s how to make Wood Bead Snowflake Ornaments. Step 1: Gather your materials. wood beads in varying sizes (I used this pack of 510 beads) wire snowflake forms (I used this pack of varied-sized forms) ribbon or string to hang your ornament The item that…
Pink Christmas Tree Decorations
If you were to ask me my least favorite color, I’d probably tell you it was pink. Yet here I am feeling quite delighted with my festive pink Christmas tree decorations. Me with a pink Christmas tree. Go figure. Humans are confounding creatures. Was my pink Christmas tree decorated under duress? No. Did I come up with this color scheme all on my own? Yes. If that’s not proof that humans can evolve, adapt, and change their minds, I don’t know what is. But let’s not get carried away. I’m not going to suddenly paint my whole house pink or anything. After all, the dose makes the poison. A little…
Christmas Mantel With Three Wreaths
Our Christmas mantel above our dining room fireplace is decorated with three wreaths this year. Three wreaths. Three wise men. Coincidence? Probably. Last year, I went a little wild and made a quadrillion (or so it felt like) paper snowflakes to decorate our Christmas tree and the Christmas mantel in the dining room. I loved that Christmas mantel and saved those paper snowflakes because they did take me binge-watching multiple seasons of Gilmore Girls to make. That’s not time wasted, but not time I can get back. However, this year, I wanted something greener and more natural for our Christmas mantel. What else says green and natural like faux wreaths and…
DIY Mini Silhouette Christmas Ornaments
If you love framed silhouettes, then you’ll love today’s ornament idea! Allow me to introduce you to the Mini Silhouette Christmas Ornaments. Aren’t they great? These ornaments come together quickly and can be as personal and nostalgic as you want them to be! Plus, they add a little bit of glam to your Christmas tree. Here’s how to make these Mini Silhouette Christmas Ornaments. Materials Needed To Make Mini Silhouette Christmas Ornaments: mini frames (25-pack / The frames are tiny – less than 2 inches square.) silhouettes to print out card stock (white or cream colored) hot glue ribbon (I used a 1/4-inch wide black grosgrain ribbon) clear tape, glue, or…
10 Gift Ideas Under $25
The older my kids get, the more expensive their holiday gift requests become! *sigh* That’s why I appreciate fun, thoughtful gifts that don’t completely break the bank. Here are 10 gift ideas under $25 for all the people in your life. Some of these gift ideas we own and love, and some are on our wish list! POM POM THROW BLANKET I own two LOMAO throw blankets (Aegean blue and mustard yellow colors) and always get compliments on them. Plus, they are SUPER soft and come in many different colors. I love the pom poms on them too! At the time I’m writing this, the price is $22. (image: Amazon) If…
8 Inexpensive Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas
There are so many gorgeous Christmas tree ornaments in stores right now and then there’s my reality. I like to mix things up a little with my Christmas tree decorating every year because that’s fun for me. I do not have a big budget to do this, so I’ve needed to employ a whole host of inexpensive Christmas tree decorating ideas over the years. Here are some of my favorite inexpensive Christmas tree decorating ideas. I hope you’ll let me know some of yours too! Inexpensive Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas #1: Make Your Own Ribbon The ribbons hanging on the tree in the below picture are not actual ribbons. I made…
How To Make A Piano Hammer Christmas Tree
I made a Piano Hammer Christmas Tree. Never thought I’d type that sentence yet here we are. What are piano hammers and why do I have them? Glad you asked. The lovely sound a piano makes is the result of piano hammers striking the piano’s strings. When a pianist presses a piano key, the piano hammer connected to the key then strikes the strings making them vibrate and as a result, music plays. It is as simple and as complicated as that. I have 88 piano hammers because a few years ago we dismantled an old piano. The house we had purchased came with an upright piano. This would have…
