holidays
Piano Pedal Tree Topper
When I set out to decorate a music-themed Christmas tree this year, I didn’t plan on creating a piano pedal tree topper. It just sort of happened on a whim. Was it a good whim? It’s hard to tell, but you know me, I’m running with it! If you’re new here, we took apart an old upright piano that was left in our Colonial Farmhouse when we purchased it. We’ve been repurposing the piano parts for other projects (like this piano harp art). That’s how today’s piano pedal tree topper came to be. Piano pedals are made of metal and these have a lovely patina from decades of use. They…
A Touch of Christmas on Our Barn
I added a touch of Christmas on our barn in the form of a simple wreath and it makes me ridiculously happy. All the barn needed after that was a little dusting of snow to make it look like a scene straight out of a Hallmark Christmas movie. And then Mother Nature cooperated with my snow wish. That never happens! Although, I forgot to mention the words “a little dusting” when I made that wish. Five inches of snow later…oops! Let’s get back to the touch of Christmas on our barn. I made the wreath that I hung on the barn. Could you tell? If you say no, I’m going…
Antique Car Horn Wreath
When you woke up this morning did you think you’d be reading a blog post about an antique car horn wreath? If you did, I’m slipping a little. I’ll have to try harder to keep you on your toes. Like almost all of my DIY projects, this antique car horn wreath is super simple to make. But where did this idea even come from? Well, it all started with a little thing called curiosity and you know that either gets me in trouble or I end up making something out of junk. One of the keywords I use to search Facebook Marketplace is brass. I’m on the hunt for a…
Happy Thanksgiving
It is Thanksgiving week in the U.S.A. and I want to thank everyone for reading this blog, engaging with my posts, and for sharing it with your friends. To quote the Beatles, “I get by with a little help from my friends.” That’s all of you! The few minutes or seconds you spend here might not seem like a big deal to you, but to me it is huge! I’m taking off this week to spend with friends and family. I’ll be back next week with something exciting to write about, I’m sure! In the meantime, feel free to connect with me via Facebook or Instagram. I’m sure I’ll be…
Festive 4th of July Ideas
I’m either really late sharing my festive 4th of July ideas or really early for next year. Since I’m writing this ‘choose your own adventure’ blog post, I’m going to select the option that says I’m really, really early. Alternatively, I could choose the option that says my purpose today is to get you in the mood for the 4th of July, which is TOMORROW. Ack! No matter the reason, know this…these are all foods or crafts that I’ve personally made and enjoyed the heck out of and I hope you will too. FRESH TRIPLE BERRY PIE You have not lived until you’ve eaten a pie in which the berries…
Memorial Day 2019
Happy Memorial Day to my friends in the United States. As with many things in the United States, even the origin of Memorial Day is a debated topic. This is because decorating the graves of soldiers has happened for a long, long time and nailing down a precise start date is tricky. However, many think the Memorial Day we celebrate, or Decoration Day as it was first called, was originally started to honor those soldiers who died during America’s Civil War. Memorial Day wasn’t declared a federal holiday until over 100 years later in 1971, but it continues to honor those who died while serving in the U.S. military. If…
Easter Egg Hunt for Adults
Easter egg hunts aren’t just for little kids. No, really! Hear me out and I think you’ll agree that an Easter Egg Hunt for adults is a fabulous idea. My mom and dad used to organize an Easter Egg Hunt for us “older” kids who ranged in age from late teens to late-20s. How do you get teens and 20-somethings (or even the “29 forever” folks) to participate in an Easter Egg Hunt? Oh, you up the ante. That’s how. My mom put money in the eggs. Cold. hard. cash. I don’t remember how many eggs she hid, but there was at least one egg that had a $20 bill.…
DIY Stained Wooden Easter Eggs
I’m on a quest to decorate faux Easter eggs that I will love so much I will want to decorate with them year after year. I’m sure there are far nobler quests out there, but since comparison is the thief of joy, let’s not compare how you are curing cancer and I’m…not. My last attempt at decorating faux Easter eggs was a comedy of errors and I still haven’t fully recovered from that episode. (If you want to get caught up, you can read all about how I painted a marbling effect on fake plastic Easter eggs here.) There was one aspect of that egg painting fiasco that I wanted to…
Marbled Faux Easter Eggs
Have you ever jumped off something high and the instant you jumped you regretted your decision? Sticking the landing might be the best outcome, but who are we kidding? You’re just trying not to go splat. That’s me and this marbled faux Easter egg project. And also me when I jump off anything. Which is why I don’t jump off anything. I started this project because I wanted to create a marbled paint effect on something. Anything. I had some fake Easter eggs sitting in the closet mocking me while I tried to come up with a way to decorate them, so I thought, “Why not try marbling those Easter eggs?”…
DIY Wooden Heart Magnets
Since February is LOVE month, I decided it was high time I showcased a sentimental DIY that I’ve been using most of my life – DIY Wooden Heart Magnets. You know I love magnets. I use them anywhere except on my refrigerator. Weird, I know. I just really like an uncluttered refrigerator door. Open the fridge up and all bets are off though! I’ve made matchbox car magnets, Santa belt magnets and souvenir penny magnets. I come about this magnet love naturally because my mom is the one who DIY’d these wooden heart magnets. I’m guessing 30 years ago? Yes, they’ve lasted THAT long. She made these magnets and other…
