I love projects that are inexpensive to make and help feed our wildlife, too.
What a perfect wreath to use on the front door in the autumn. Especially if you’re hosting a fall or Thanksgiving dinner. It would be adorable in the kitchen, too. Plus, this is a great use (other than baking) for those bruised apples you don’t want to just throw out but don’t know what the heck to do with!
Apple picking is such a fun fall family activity. But sometimes those cute little hands of those cute little people put apples in the basket that haven’t been inspected and aren’t so “cute”. Here’s a simple use for them that isn’t baking – not that there’s anything wrong with baking. My thighs and I can both assure you that we love to bake. This is just a unique and different idea. And for me, the only cost here was the apples. Everything else I had in the workshop.
Using an inexpensive metal wreath form, line the interior with fabric. I used burlap ribbon because it was already the perfect width, but any fabric would work really. (You could also skip this step totally if you are omitting the moss. The fabric adds a base for the moss to lay on.)
I used green floral wire to attach the burlap ribbon to the wreath form.
Hot glue the moss in clumps onto the fabric. It doesn’t have to be hot glued all over. Just enough to hold it in place. The apples on top will help stabilize the moss as well.
Taking heavy duty wire, push the wire straight through the apples at different angles so the apples lay imperfectly.
Once all the apples are on the wire, twist tie the wire to the back of the wreath. The reason we’re using such heavy wire, is because once it’s outside, this will ensure it stays together as long as possible.
I strategically wrapped grapevine twigs and wired burlap rope around the exposed metal wire to conceal it in the front of the wreath. I used green floral wire to hold the twigs in place.
Once the apples start to turn and bruise, take your wreath outside! Place it somewhere near a window so you can watch all the creatures enjoy it!
And make sure to save your wire wreath form once the apples are gone. You can always reuse it!
I saw a similar decor piece at a big box store and thought “I can totally make that way cuter and way cheaper.” So, I did!
First, gather all of your supplies. You will need twine, faux flowers (for this project I used 2 bunches of roses – 21 flowers in all) a wood rod (around 30″ long) and hot glue.Cut your twine into 5 equal length pieces. Mine were approximately 18″.Knot your twine around the wood rod. Once you have your 5 pieces equally separated over the length of the wood piece, add a bit of hot glue under each knot to keep them from sliding around.Cut your roses off at the stem using wire cutters. You want to leave the thicker part of the stem in place for attaching to the twine.Here they are all cut. So pretty!Add hot glue to the stem and wrap the twine around it. I attached each flower to the twine by “eyeballing” the equal spacing each time. You can always measure the twine strips beforehand and mark the spot for the rose with a black sharpie to ensure they sit evenly. I wasn’t too worried about it and prefer a more random look.For simple hanging hardware: Hot glue small picture hooks to the back of the rod. One on each end. It is just beautiful and will be a perfect addition to my daughter’s room. This could be added to any space, really. A wall, in front of a window or even as a headboard.
This greenery wall was so fun to make! It was way easier than it looks and only took a few tools other than the faux florals.
I hit up the craft store when all floral and greenery were 50% off. I walked out with SO many goodies! I have been wanting to do this wall for some time now, and the price was finally right! I wanted a mix of greens. Some succulent and some leafy. They all look great together. You simply can’t go wrong with your greenery choices! The more dimension and color variety, the better!This stuff is the star of the show! You can find Plastic Garden Fencing at your local hardware store and it’s pretty inexpensive considering how large the roll is! (This was the smallest size roll my store carried) It’s typically either black or green. Obviously, I wanted the green color for this project.Here is a time lapse of the building process. It took less than an hour from start to finish. After measuring and cutting the size piece I needed, I secured the fencing to the wall by drilling a washer and screw onto all 4 corners and 2 spots in the middle of the fence piece. The plants stems were placed between the fencing and the wall through the holes. No adhesive. This way they are easy to move around and arrange, take down or clean.
I am a bit of a Christmas fanatic (okay. A LOT of a Christmas fanatic!). There’s just something about the season. The songs, the shows, the books and stories. Peace on Earth, goodwill towards men and giving to others. It’s an absolutely magical time of year. And each December, I gift my children with their own Winter Wonderland of sorts. My home is decked out and fully trimmed with the Christmas spirit. Plus, there are lots and lots of COOKIES!
But what my children love most of all about our holiday home is that almost all of our decorations were semi or fully handmade.
And handmade is the best type of ‘made’, if you ask me.
So, I am sharing some ideas to personalize and create a unique Christmas for your family and loved ones (all while saving some major Reindeer Bucks!)
Mercury Glass Ornaments
These babies are like a good spray tan. A bit fake but a whole ‘lotta pretty.
This is such an inexpensive way to add this trendy and pricey look to your holiday!
Simply spray equal parts vinegar and water (1:1 ratio) onto a clear glass ornament bulb. A few squirts should do the trick.
While still wet, use a light coat of Looking Glass spray paint on top.
Allow the paint to dry fully and proudly accessorize your tree with these babies like you just spent BIG MONEY!
Picture Ornaments
Go ahead, put your face on it!
These personalized pieces bring a natural element to your Christmas tree and only take a few supplies.
The wood ornaments can be made using cut branch pieces with a hole drilled through the top or inexpensively purchased pre-cut at the craft store.
Print a black and white picture of your choice from your computer onto regular printer paper (make sure to match the size of your picture to the size of the wood piece before printing).
Using a bit of ModPodge (found at any craft store or big box store with a crafting section) and a foam brush, apply a thin layer to the wood.
Next, take your cut out picture and place it on top of the ModPodged wood. Add another light layer of ModPodge on top of the picture and let dry – Don’t panic! The ModPodge will look cloudy at first. But, as it dries, it clears up. It’s like a Christmas Miracle!
A coat of water-based polyurethane on top after the ModPodge is completely dry is an optional step to ensure the longevity of your ornament.
Sticker Ornament
Stick a sticker on it for stickers-sake!
Grab a box of clear, glass ornament bulbs.
Take a sticker of your choice – numbers, letters, names, initials, dates, poop emojis – whatevs.
Make sure the sticker is pressed on completely and there’s no curling edges. Take a craft paint color of your choice, and using light coats, paint your bulb (on top of the sticker as well) with a foam brush.
Once fully dried, slowly peel up your sticker.
Add a small, cut piece of dark-colored paper or fill the bulb with shredded paper to really make your sticker outline stand out.
Flocked Tree
What the FLOCK?
I for one, luuuuuuurve me some flocked trees. But, man oh man, they are a bit more moolah than I prefer to spend. Especially when “some” in my home (ahem: EDWARD)think we already have too many Christmas trees – I mean, is that even a thing?! I think not.
So, grab yourself a cheapo Christmas tree from the Goodwill, your local second-hand store, FB Marketplace or your Grandma’s attic and make your own.
All it takes is a can of fake snow and a box of baking soda or cornstarch.
Spray your tree with a coating of spray snow and while wet, sprinkle soda or starch all around tree branches until it’s fully flocked to your flocked desire. Dry time is kinda long. So be patient. Once dried, give your tree a good upside-down shake to remove the really loose pieces.
FYI – this is messy. Like, really, really messy! From start to finish and everything in between, this is messy. But, so is any flocked tree.
It’s a commitment to the faux snow you must make, my friends.
Did I mention it’s rather messy?!
Tree Stands & Bases
“Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree. Your stand is soooooooo ugly.”
But I’m here to tell you, it doesn’t have to be this way! You can love your tree from top to glorious bottom by getting a bit creative.
Using a lampshade, a basket, a large tin can, or whatever else you can scrounge up, you can make a beautiful base for your tree.
“Cause you know I’m all about that base, ’bout that base…”
Live Boxwood Wreaths
Boxwood wreaths are so popular right now. I adore them as much as the next crazy Christmas Lady, but have you ever priced out a boxwood wreath? Don’t. Just don’t. Trust me. It’s not good for your thrifty heart.
So, of course, I have a solution! If you don’t have a boxwood bush in your yard, I am sure one of your friendly neighbors do. Ask for a few clippings (or wait until it’s dark and “accidentally” break a handful of twigs off their boxwood) Okay, obviously I am just joking about that suggestion…sort of….
Anywho, take your fresh clippings and attach them to a wire wreath frame or a grapevine wreath using twist ties or craft wire. Add a ribbon bow or a piece of burlap and VOILA you just pretty much became a professional florist.
Just remember to spray your wreath with a bit of water once a day to help keep it fresh. It will dry out and eventually not be as green, but it should keep for the Christmas season!
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Right over there where it says “Do you like me? Cause I like you!” —– Because seriously, I really do! —–
Our local thrift store was giving away books! I was like WHA????????
So, of course I ran over there and got me some!
They weren’t books I would read (and trust me, I love to read!) and most of them were ripped, stained or somehow destroyed hence making them unreadable.
And they were free books – so why the heck not, right?!
I decided to make a decor piece for my mantle. I have seen so many cute pictures with shelves of painted books floating around the Pinterest world, but I personally never had any books that I felt comfortable painting.
Until now!
I grabbed the thickest hardcover books I could find. I also tried to grab them in different heights.
The point of this piece is that is not wide and only appears to be full books. This is handy when the shelf you want to use the display on is narrow. It’s also lighter and easier to move around. Plus, it’s decor. I am painting them and NOT actually reading them ever!
Note: I used my circular saw to cut the spines from the books against my better judgement. I did not really measure. I simply cut the spines off in “around” the same places on each book.
I wanted the end result to look realistic and imperfect. Just like me!
Would I say this is the easiest way to do it? I’m not so sure. It was definitely messy. And would I say I *may* have clogged my saw’s dust bag and caused my saw to overheat which resulted in me having a complete panic attack?
Yes, yes I would.
Next I built my frame.
My husband and I are no-shame wood hoarders. We keep any and all scrap wood from projects.
It comes in handy so often and honestly, we’re too cheap to throw away something we paid good money for!
I gathered up a few scrap pieces, cut them to size with my saw and screwed them together. The bottom strip is to hold the book spines and the side pieces are cut 2×4’s that will serve as anchors to keep the entire piece together.
Here is the finished frame. Nothing professional here folks. Just a bit of book decor fun on a budget of FREE!
I kept 2 books off to the side for the end pieces. I was lucky enough to find 2 of the exact same books so I just used those.
I removed the hardcover jacket completely from the book pages. This was crazy easy and really just involved ripping it off.
Hindsight – I probably could have done this for all of the books, used wood pieces to “fake” the inside of the books and avoided causing unwanted damage to my saw
(for those of you concerned, she still works. Just needed a bit of time to cool off -whew! I got out of explaining that one to the hubby!)
I measured how wide I wanted the end books to be, marked with a ruler and used a box cutter to remove the unwanted portion of the book jacket.
I wrapped the cut-to-size spine ends around the wood piece. I did choose to screw these pieces in to make sure they were secure.
I just screwed straight through the jacket into the wood.
I attached everything from this point on with hot glue. It’s mostly attaching cardboard and paper to other pieces of cardboard and paper so superglue works perfectly fine!
Each book was glued on both sides to the book next to it.
Once they were glued together, I painted the whole piece white.
Note: the finished piece is top heavy. But, it’s a decor item meant to sit back against a wall or shelf back.
I distressed the paint a bit with a sandpaper block because that’s the look I like. I am undecided if I will add any sort of numbers or lettering to the spines. For now, I kind of like it as it is. The original hardcover colors show through in the distressed sections and I am loving the contrast.
In true disclosure, I will most likely change my mind……many times!
My latest DIY is probably one of my absolute favorite transformations! I found this inexpensive Peel&Stick wallpaper online and knew immediately it would fix my ceiling woes!
My dated, patched and ugly popcorn ceilings were a constant deterrent from my family room decor ideas. When taking pictures of my space I always tried to get as little ceiling in the picture as possible. Unfortunately, I knew a brand new ceiling – patch, repair and paint – would be out of our budget at this time. I needed a somewhat temporary (but possible permanent) solution that I could do on my own. This fix fit the bill perfectly! And to be honest, the textured popcorn ceiling underneath makes the distressed faux tin tile look even more realistic. The best part was the easy, clean and fast application. In under 2 days I was completely finished and because it was Peel&Stick wallpaper, there was no water or glue mess to contend with (Winning!) so clean up was fast and simple.
Tip: When hanging, I found it was easier to cut each square individually beforehand. This saved a lot of back ache and neck ache I am sure! The squares were easier to manipulate and because they have a distressed look, lining up the lines was a breeze. I also reinforced the pieces with Elmers craft spray glue to ensure adhesion due to the fact that I was hanging the paper upside down on a popcorn ceiling (I had nightmares the next few nights of coming downstairs in the morning to all of my beautiful paper on the floor! – Luckily, my nightmares never became reality!)
This piano was my first vintage piece of furniture. I bought it almost 14 years ago at an estate sale. She was in a basement under magazines, books and clothes. No one else wanted her but me so there was no auction or bid war. They even lowered her price without me even asking just to get her out! My husband has been saying we should get rid of the piano now that our family is so large and our space ‘smallish’. But I have too many memories of my oldest son playing “We Three Kings” over and over again at Christmas time in preparation for his recital and visions of each of my littles sitting in their diapers playing their version of a Piano Concerto. I decided to give her a little love and help her fit our space a little better. I used chalk paint but left some of the original finish as well.
I couldn’t commit to completely covering her up. Instead, I just dressed her up a bit.
I read something this week that really spoke to me:
“Your home should tell the story of who you are, and be a collection of what you love.” – Nate Berkus This got me thinking of all of those home projects and decor “ideas” I have that I toss aside because they aren’t traditional or they may be a bit different. It pushed me to start working on something that’s been on my mind for a long time. Here is a peek at my children’s corner they now call the “Neverland Corner”.
It is full of bright light, architectural salvage, live plants and repurposed items. The teepee was made by Edward and I. This corner has always been a space that I have struggled to decorate. Now it’s a favorite spot to relax, play make believe and read stories for my whole collection of little people that I love so much.
Update:
I switched out the gallery wall that was originally behind the Neverland Corner. I think the new wall of refurbished wood planks, repurposed tin cans for storing “treasures” and salvaged garden fencing makes the corner look even more fun and magical.
Today I made an inexpensive floral chandy for my hanging light. It was fast and easy!
I attached the additional greenery and flowers using hot glue and I used floral wire to wrap the finished garland around the light and attach to itself. There was a lot of left over greenery and stems (which means more projects!)
I decided to add an old metal basket I had lying around as well to give it a more farmhouse feel. I just removed the handle, turned it upside down, unscrewed the light bulb and reattached with the basket between the light and the bulb (the bulb is holding the basket in – hopefully this makes sense?) It’s a very light-weight basket so this works just fine for this project.
When I married Edward, my life changed for the absolute best. We agreed to jump into this marriage thing head on and take on life together for better for worse, for richer for poorer.
I am pretty sure we thought we would have a few kids and be so much “cooler” than our parents. But, like so many young newlyweds, were we so wrong!
We had no idea what God had in store.
Here we are, 13 years later, blessed with 8 healthy, amazing kids and a parental style that deeply resembles the ideals and principals we were both raised with.
In honor of that day, and every blessed day since, I am starting this chronicle of our life. I want to share our love, our laughs, our struggles and our failures. I want to leave behind a legacy of faith and hope for our children. I want them to know that mom was more than just the taxi driver or dinner maker. I want them to know how my every day was filled with deeds, thoughts and prayers to keep their hearts happy, keep their bellies full, to keep their home warm and welcoming and keep smiles on their beautiful faces. I want them to understand that dad worked tirelessly to provide us with what we needed because he loved us more than words can express. I want them to see there is so much to love about life and so many reasons to be happy.
Most importantly, I want them to remember our family motto: “We are not quitters.” Because some days I’m killing it, and some days are killing me. But tomorrow, I get to try again. And by remembering our faith and love of the Lord, we will get through this crazy train together.
