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…
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 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…
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:
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 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 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…
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
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…
Christmas 2020
We are down to the last few days before Christmas 2020. How are you feeling about Christmas during a pandemic? Less stress? More stress? Excitement? Relief? Anticipation? Indifference? Gratitude? Do you feel the magic of the season this year? The hope for the future? Are you making new traditions with your loved ones? Are you keeping old traditions alive? Do the answers to these questions change by the hour? I’d be surprised if they didn’t! One thing is for certain. Christmas 2020 is one we won’t soon forget. It boggles my mind how blissfully unaware we were this time last year of all the ways our lives would change in 2020. That ignorance sure was bliss, wasn’t it? It makes me wonder how our lives will forever…
