A Short Sunday Project

I still had a few other areas of the house I wanted to add a little "spring flair" to. One of them is the table/IKEA shelf my ginormous tv sits on.

My friend Rachael gave me this flower shaped charger sometime last spring, and I knew just want I wanted to do with it. I dug some yellow polka dot ribbon out of my bins, grabbed my glue gun, and went to work framing the center. I then just added some simple glittery alphabet letting in the middle.

The yellow candle was a housewarming gift from my friend Jess, and the candle stand was my free with purchase pick at Bath and Body Works a few weeks ago.

Tada! 

An essentially free new decoration that took less than 15 minutes. 

 (See my ginormous tv in the background?)

Spring Mantel

A whole weekend of spring decorating, and my mantel still needed some serious help! I decided to take an extra trip to Hobby Lobby on Saturday to see if anything caught my eye. I purchased a few items to take them home and see how they looked, but I wasn't in love with anything I bought. I then decided to just head over to the dollar store for fun. I picked up a few more items but still wasn't sure what direction I was headed. I came home and put everything I thought about including on the table. Here's how my thought process began:

Hot mess, huh?

I slowly started getting rid of some things and adding to other pieces. I went out into my garage and found a container I was looking for with extra decorations. I liked the "SPRING" banner and the burlap and ribbon runner, so I knew I wanted to stay with those items. After some re-arranging, here is what I came up with:

(Yes, I'm that OCD to have my books in descending height order.)

I like it! Those teal tins are from the dollar store (imagine that?!) as well as the moss. I made the paper flowers last year for my sister-in-law's wedding shower, and the candlesticks and candles I already had. The gray pitcher I found on a Target clearance rack for $5.19 a couple weeks ago, and the hydrangeas are from Michael's. Total cost was a little under $15!

Spring Decorating Continues

After the wreath went up, I had to figure out what to do with my "mantel". I loved the colors I used, but the orange color was a little off from the more pink color of the burlap I had purchased, and I just couldn't deal with that. I still wanted to use the beach glass color again, however, so I painted the inside of a pickle jar my mom gave me and added the orange hydrangea stem and the burlap. While I knew this wouldn't work for my "mantel", I still loved the look!

It now sits in the center of my dining table!

(Yes, I know I need to iron the gray cloth napkin under it- I'm just lazy sometimes.)

(That comment was particularly for my mom. Sorry, mom, I know better. I'll iron it next time.)

Spring mantel coming in my next post!

Spring Wreath

As soon as I got home from the store, I began working on my spring wreath. Wreaths are some of my favorite things to make, but they are definitely a process. I usually spend an absurd amount of time working through the items I want on the wreath, paint some things, cut, place, etc....all to then decide I don't want to use anything I just created :)

This wreath was no exception. I cut some burlap pieces into pendant shapes and painted "S-P-R-I-N-G" on each piece, but I decided not to use them (look for those later). I really loved the colors of the hydrangeas and the paint I came home with and wanted to incorporate both. I then remembered I had a "Welcome" wooden sign I had picked up at a discount craft store for around $.50. I quickly painted it in the beach glass color. The grapevine wreath I actually got from Goodwill for $1.50. It was the perfect size. Hydrangeas were my most expensive item (they were $6.99/stem at Michael's), but I got them while they were 40% off! I added a burlap bow at the top, and that was that!

Here it is on my living room floor, pre-attachment :)

 

I love the way it all came together! 

And my door is so bright and cheery. Perfect for the still mostly cold days.

Spring Is Coming!

Anyone else so excited for warmer weather? I know I am!

I went to the store tonight and purchased these items. Stay tuned to see what comes of them!

Oops!

Yikes, I've been a bad blogger! 

To be fair, I've been house/cat sitting for the entire month and haven't been at my house. Thankfully, I moved back in tonight! There is just something about being in your own home, no matter how humble it may be, that immediately lifts your mood. It's good to be back!

I also starting coaching softball at the beginning of this week. My plate is pretty full, but I'm determined to practice excellent self-discipline for these next few months and keep plugging away at the many different things I have my hands in! 

I also (gasp!) still have my Valentine's Day decorations up! Look for an update this weekend with some new decor for spring. I'm excited to show you what I've put together so far!

Simple Valentine's Day Gifts

Have a group of girlfriends or co-workers that you want to recognize on Valentine's Day but aren't quite sure what to do? Here's an idea!

Who doesn't love a cute pair of holiday socks?! I found a variety at Meijer's (only store I looked!), and I picked a bunch of different styles. I then headed over to Michael's and bought some take out boxes on clearance, and of course, had to add some conversation hearts. I just added a piece of white tissue paper into each box, the socks, and the hearts. I was a little pressed for time, so I had to buy some already made tags rather than make my own (I know, I'm terrible!).

I made these for the ladies on my leadership team to pass out at our meeting tonight. I always enjoy shopping for little gifts for them! Here are some other ideas I had that could be used for your girlfriends, teachers, sisters, or co-workers:

- nail file or manicure set and some pink or red nail polish
- foot scrub and some socks
- mini valentine loaf pan with your favorite bread recipe (even better if you bake them a mini loaf IN it!)
- it's winter, so who doesn't appreciate some mini lotion from Bath and Body Works? wrap it up in a take out box or cute ribbon to personalize it, and you're good to go 

Also, if you spend over $5 on any of these, you're doing it wrong! Let me know if you need some tips on where to shop ;)