holidays

  • diy witch's broom Scandi-cool Halloween Trend
    holidays

    Proud To Be Part of a Scandi-cool Halloween Trend

    Last week I learned Living Etc. featured one of my photos in an article titled “These 5 Scandi-cool Halloween Trends Maintain Your Home’s Style This Spooky Season.” I’m not exactly sure what Scandi-cool means, but if you want to group me in with anything cool, I’m pretty sure I’m down with that. Maybe? I’m not sure. This coolness thing is an uncomfortable feeling. How do all of you cool people handle the pressure? This photo of my witch’s broom leaning next to my dining room mantel is the photo that was featured in the article along with photos from other contributors, including Studio McGee! Yep, THE Studio McGee with a decorating…

  • halloween mantel diy witch's broom
    holidays

    Halloween Mantel With a DIY Witch’s Broom

    Hello you gorgeous ghouls and goblins! Let’s dish on all things Halloween mantel and DIY Witch’s Broom related. Do you have a mantel decorated for Halloween this year? I wasn’t going to do any Halloween decorating because I just wasn’t feeling it, but then Handy Husband tossed some proverbial inspiration in the wood chip pile and I dove in right after it. That sentence didn’t make any sense, did it? Let me back up my broomstick and let you hop on for a ride. A few weeks ago Handy Husband was trimming brush and tossed the coolest-looking stick in the pile to be woodchipped. Noooooo!!! I need that!!! It really…

  • diy brass pumpkin
    Crafts,  holidays

    How to Make a DIY Brass Pumpkin

    I’ve found a gap in the decorative pumpkin market (gasp!), so today we are remedying that and I’ll show you how to create a DIY Brass Pumpkin. Move over, sweater pumpkins! This brass pumpkin is going to take over the world! What?!? It could happen. Here’s how to DIY a Brass Pumpkin: DIY Brass Pumpkin Step #1: Start with a rectangle of thin brass sheeting. Thin brass sheeting is available from Amazon. Once you buy a roll of this stuff, you’ll be hooked. It’s a gateway to all sorts of crafting shenanigans. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I purchased this particular roll of brass sheeting. It is 1000mm long,…

  • patriotic front porch
    holidays

    Patriotic Front Porch for our Colonial Farmhouse

    If ever there was a home that needed a patriotic front porch, it is our Colonial Farmhouse. While this colonial farmhouse did not exist for the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it was built shortly thereafter. That means it witnessed the growing pains of a newly formed nation and there were plenty! It bore witness to the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War. Those are just the major wars of the 1800s. At the risk of stating the obvious, that’s a lot of bloodshed. I’m sure this Colonial Farmhouse has bore witness to the warm fuzzies in American history as well. Right?!?! While…

  • flags on memorial day
    holidays

    Happy Memorial Day 2021

    Happy Memorial Day! Like many of you, I’m taking time off today to spend time with my family. As long as the weather holds we’ll be enjoying the sunshine with good food and lots of time in the pool. If you’d like something to read before I’m back on Wednesday, here are some posts you might enjoy related to Memorial Day. Our Memorial Day Cemetery Tradition A Cemetery Dating Back to 1774 Burlap Bag Flag Centerpiece Travel: Gettysburg National Military Park Please be good to yourself and others today. So many sacrificed so that we can enjoy a day of fun and frivolity. Happy Memorial Day. Share this:

  • mother's day when was the last time you felt appreciated
    holidays

    Moms, When Was the Last Time You Felt Appreciated?

    Moms, when was the last time you felt appreciated? Really appreciated? The other morning I was sitting in bed drinking coffee and reading a book. It’s my favorite any day weekend activity. I could hear the morning buzz around me of the kids playing Minecraft and Handy Husband grinding more beans for coffee. Next thing I know Handy Husband comes into the bedroom, gives me a big hug, and says, “You pre-sliced the bagels before you put them in the freezer! I thought I was going to have to try and cut through a frozen bagel.” I did do that. Honestly, I did it for the kids because I’ve heard…

  • st. patrick's day bands of ireland presents play on for 2021
    holidays

    St. Patrick’s Day and the Kindness of the Irish

    You can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day from home today by joining Dublin’s virtual celebration. It might not be as exciting as celebrating St. Patrick’s Day along the banks of the River Liffey with hundreds of thousands of other people (did that twice!), but it will be safe!  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 the dramatic and funny story of how I left the U.S. and flew to Dublin with the kids in tow. Here you go…Our first week in Ireland has been a WHIRLWIND. Apparently, the motto…

  • watercolor wood eggs
    Crafts,  holidays

    Watercolor Wood Easter Eggs

    Did you like dyeing Easter Eggs as a kid? I sure did! I’ve come up with the adult version of this in the form of Watercolor Wood Easter Eggs and the best part is they won’t turn rotten will last for years to come. Get ready to channel your inner artistic kid because this Easter craft is so satisfying!   Best of all, there’s no right or wrong for making Watercolor Wood Easter Eggs. You want to mix colors? Do it. You want to super saturate the colors? Do it. You want to make a huge mess while coloring eggs? Do it…BUT! You’re going to have to clean that up yourself because your mama isn’t going to…

  • st patrick's day table decor irish flag centerpiece
    Crafts,  holidays

    Simple St. Patrick’s Day Centerpiece

    St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner and if you are celebrating at home this year, I have a simple St. Patrick’s Day Centerpiece idea for you. All you need for this St. Patrick’s Day Centerpiece are some mini Irish flags, clear glass vase(s), rice, and lentils. To make this St. Patrick’s Day Centerpiece your are going to put mini Irish flags into clear vases or milk bottles filled with dried goods in the color of the Irish flag. The Irish flag is in color order green, white, and orange. For this example I’ve filled the vase with green mung beans, white rice, and orange lentils. Dried split peas…

  • DIY rustic wood hearts
    Crafts,  holidays

    DIY Rustic Wood Hearts

    I’m titling this post “DIY Rustic Wood Hearts” because it’s really hard to DIY perfect wood hearts by hand. At least it is for this girl! Rustic sounds so much more purposeful than almost any other descriptive adjective I could use. I was in the mood to create something as a subtle nod to Valentine’s Day without throwing up red and pink glittered hearts all over my house. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I don’t do cutesy decor very well. I love looking at those playful, festive decor pictures online, but that style doesn’t translate well in real life for me. So how could I create something for Valentine’s Day that suits my…