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Showing posts from November, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Happy Thanksgiving Friends! I have so much to be thankful for in this life and I am truly blessed. I hope you  have a wonderful day with a heart full of gratitude. I created this printable with a picture I took at my favorite lake and a wonderful quote by the amazing Deepak Chopra. Feel free to print it for your own personal use. {Right click and save to your computer} Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog today. I am Thankful. I am Blessed. - Emily

I painted a bench white and I hope I don't lose followers over it.

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Before I start sharing our home decked out in Christmas decorations, I thought I better hurry up and share this new bench in our entryway.  My mother-in-law picked it up at her neighbors yardsale a while back, but she didn't have room for it in her home so she gave it to me. Although, it wasn't white before, it was wood, and looked like this:  As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to paint it white and put it in our entryway.  However, I was totally alone on this idea.  My mother-in-law kept telling me how pretty the wood was and how nice it looked with our floors.   My boys also liked the wood, and said, "mom, please don't paint it white, there is already too much white in our house" Well the bench sat in our entryway for a few weeks before I had time to work on it. And then One afternoon  I got out my white paint and started painting it.  In walks my oldest son, Liam from school. As soon as he saw the bench he got all upset. "I can't believe you are pain

Target's Dollar Spot Tree Makeover

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I haven't decorated for Christmas just yet, I'm waiting until we get back from our Thanksgiving holiday with family. But I have made a few new decorations to use around our home this year.  Today I want to share with you these festive mini trees that I made over. You have probably seen these mini trees at Target. They can be found in their dollar spot section.  I saw them as soon as I walked into the store and I immediately grabbed three and put them in my cart.  I also grabbed three of these green and black check gift bags because I thought they were just too cute to pass up. I try not to go overboard with buying new Christmas decorations every year. I usually just buy a few simple things that go with whatever look I'm going for that year, but I already know that these trees will be a staple that I'll want to use every year.   I decided to give these little trees a mini makeover. As you can see, they had a fake little pine cone on them before that I wanted to remove an

How I Painted our High Ceilings

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Our back stairway has ceilings that are about 15 feet high. I have always wanted to paint them, but I thought I would have to hire a professional to come do it for me, and who knows what that would have cost. Then one day I went to True Value to see what they had to offer in extension poles, thinking if I combined one with a tall ladder, I just might me able to attempt it myself.  What I found was a total game changer! If you  have ever felt overwhelmed with the thought of  painting your high ceilings, then I'm here to tell you, you can do it by yourself. Yes you can! I did! And this is how: I went to True Value and picked up this extension rod that goes up to 12 feet high. I was not even aware that they made these so long, did you?  I'm sure you can find something similar at any hardware store, but this affiliated link to Amazon is the exact one I picked up. All I had to do was attach my roller brush to the extension rod and paint. I'll admit, it was a bit awkward sinc

Do You Follow Me On Pinterest?

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Just like everybody else, I love Pinterest. Always have, Always will. It's kinda funny but whenever I have a question about something, I find myself heading to Pinterest instead of Google. Like just the other day I was wondering what my options were for covering stairs, I searched it on Pinterest and not only did I find pictures for wood, carpet, and tile, but I also found unique ideas like wallpaper, wine corks,  and even tire treads.  Which got my brain swirling with all kinds of inspiration.  Pinterest  brings all these creative minds together in one spot and provides a world of ideas. Anyway, Yes I love Pinterest, and I know you do too.   But are you following me? If not, you should, Here are a few reasons why: I pin dreamy homes like THIS one onto my Dream Home board . My Living Spaces board has all kinds of pretty rooms.  I mean just check THIS out: I also love a good DIY project.  You can find a lot more like THIS  DIY Serving Tray from Inspired by Charm, on my Crafts &a

Pinecone Star

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Last December I shared this large pinecone star over at Ella Claire, did you ever get a chance to see it? Well if not, I'm going to re-share the tutorial with you here today. This pinecone start is so large that it fit perfectly on our fireplace mantel. To make this pinecone star I started off with five yardsticks. I had been collecting yardsticks for awhile, some of them were even vintage, but I decided to use them anyway for this project just because I already had them on hand. I have since found that you can purchase yardsticks  HERE. I laid my yardsticks out on the floor to create a star pattern. Then I applied hot glue at each of the five points to attach the yardsticks together. I also stuck a dab of hot glue at each spot where the yardsticks overlapped.  Now the yardstick star looks pretty cute as is, but I wanted to add pinecones to it to give it a more rustic textured look. So while the star was laying on the floor, I hot glued my pinecones on. My star took 53 large pine

Featured in Country Sampler's Christmas Decorating Magazine

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 I am so excited to be featured in the Special Christmas Decorating Issue of Country Sampler magazine. I was ask to be in the magazine awhile back, but I didn't know for sure if it was actually going to happen for realz. And then the other day, Bre from Rooms for Rent , who has a beautiful spread in the issue had shared it on her Instagram page. So while I was at my local grocery store, I went searching for it, and found it.  I immediately picked up the issue and thumbed through it. And there it was, My Christmas front porch! I seriously almost fainted. I was in such an awe moment that it felt as if the grocery store aisle was shining a bright spotlight on me. I know that sounds cheesy, but it seriously felt out of this world.  I flip through a few more pages and stumbled upon my picture of my snow scene that was in our dining room last year. It was exciting and I had to tell someone right away, so I told the checkout girl, and she was so kind and happy for me.  This magazine is r

My favorite Holiday Decor from Pottery Barn

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Whenever the Holiday season is approaching, I always love to go to Pottery Barn for decorating inspiration.  Nobody does Christmas better than Pottery Barn, Am I right?   Pottery Barn just has that classic relaxed style that I'm all about. I love their mix of furs, plaids, and greenery, it all feels very rustic and super cozy.  So today I thought I'd share 10 of my favorite holiday decor items from Pottery Barn that are on my wish list.  Affiliate links to all of the products above:  Buffalo Check Plaid Pillow Cover  *   LIT Boxwood Peace Wreath  *   Landon Plaid Napkin  *  Fa La La Pocket Lumbar Pillow Cover  *  LIT Bronze Peace Stocking Holder  *  Outdoor Lit Gray Pinecone Wreath  *  Plaid Salad Plates  *  Faux Fur Tree Skirt *  Noel Wall Art   * Buffalo Check Throw * Doesn't it all get you so excited for Christmas? It certainly does me. Thanks for stopping by, Emily

Favorite Things on my Kitchen Counter

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Our kitchen counter is an area I like to keep fresh and simple.  Whenever my counters start to feel too cluttered, which it always seems to end up that way, I clear everything off and give it a fresh start.  Today I thought I'd share some of my favorite things that are on our kitchen counter right now.  Let's start with THIS galvanized caddy that I got from Hayneedle. I think it looks so cute holding a couple small plants in the first two cans and I scrub brush and dishtowel in the last, making it practicle to have right next to the sink.  When we had a causal dinner party at our house not too long ago, I filled this caddy up with utensils; spoons, forks and knives, each in their own compartment and it really work out great.  Next up is THIS anchor enamel tray from Birch Lane.  Not only does it look cute sitting on my counters, but you wouldn't believe how much I use it.  If I'm taking a snack downstairs to my boys or displaying cookies for arriving guest, I always rea