December has been busy, but I am not complaining! We have had a lot of fun, and there is so much more to come! We have already managed to mark off a few activities from my list...with the help of two of our favorite people!

We kicked off our holiday activities a couple of weeks ago with our First Annual Deck the Halls Christmas Extravaganza! It was work, but it was a lot of fun! We started the day at our house. Val and I decorated the inside, while the boys hung up lights outside. Our outdoor decorations are pretty simple (just two strands of lights).





Then it was on to Josh and Val's house!

It was a fun day of decorating! However, I have added a few more things! I did just get this AMAZING wreath that is now decorating my front door! If you are reading from Pennsylvania, check out Henry's Tree Farm...and be sure to like them on Facebook!



You can see some Christmas decorations from last year by clicking the links below.

Christmas Tree Stand

Snow Globes


-Britt

Yesterday was my day off, and I decided to spend most of the day working on some DIY projects! That usually means breaking out the chalkboard paint. Seriously...no surface is safe! Anyway, I had picked up some $1 mini pumpkins at Wal-Mart the other day, and decided that they would be even better with a coat or two of chalkboard paint! Who likes traditional pumpkins anyway?



I think they are pretty stinkin' cute! In fact, they may be my favorite fall decor!

Are you guys tired of hearing about my love for fall!? I am sorry...I really can't help it! I have not had a chance to work on many DIY projects this month, but I have a couple that I am hoping to get to soon! In the mean time here are some of my lovely fall decorations!





My uncle made us that awesome bench! Isn't it the greatest!? You can find the tutorial for my autumn bunting here!

Have you started decorating for fall?

Look at this beauty! I am going to be giving this desk a little TLC, and I can't wait to reveal the finished project. Originally I was thinking this would make a great desk, but I really like it on the front porch. Where will it end up...we will just have to see!

I love finding meaningful little things to decorate my home. So, when I opened up a box and found a card that was given to Dane and I when we got engaged, I was so excited to use it! Plus, it is the perfect little decoration for the day of love that is upon us! 

I still had a little collection of frames that I needed to fill. I just cut the card to fit one of the frames and...done! This was the easiest way to add a festive touch for the holiday, and it is a very meaningful piece of art!

There you have it...that is my one and only Valentine decoration, and I just love it! However, I love my wonderful husband way more! We still don't have plans for tomorrow, but it is going to be fabulous. 

Have a great Valentine's Day!

Okay, the other day I learned a very important lesson that I really think I should share with all of you! Do NOT enter Wal-Mart through the garden/christmas section just because you want to look around...that won't happen! Anyway, the other day I ran to Wal-Mart really quickly to pick up something totally unrelated to Christmas, and I decided that it wouldn't hurt if I just walked through the holiday section. That is when I spotted this! 

Yes, those are beautiful little trees for just 75 cents! The second I saw them I thought of some rustic snow globes that pinned last year, and I just couldn't pass them up at that price. So, I picked some out and proceeded to find some fake snow. 

Unfortunately there is no good fake snow at Wal-Mart. There were only two options to choose from...one was super glittery and the other looked like a shredded plastic bag (neither were looks that I was going for). I also knew that I didn't need a large amount, and I didn't want a bunch of extra snow that could make a mess all over my house. So, I improvised...and got this snow filled penguin ornament instead! 

There was just the right amount of small snow flakes that I needed, and this guy was only $1. That was all I had to buy! I still have a bunch of jars left over from the wedding, and I have been trying to find some ways to use them around the house...like making this colorful mason jar. So, the whole project only cost me $3! The orignal pin was inspired by mason jar snow globes from Anthropology...and I am sure that they charged more than $3. Success! 

I picked out a few jars that were different shapes and sizes, and taped a tree to each lid. Then I poured a little bit of the snow in the bottom of each jar. You really don't need that much snow...just enough to cover the bottom. 

I carefully placed the lid back on the jar and turned it upside down to see my finished snow globe!

I know, I know...that wasn't the look I was going for! The tree was too tall for my small jar...so I had to trim the bottom off of that tree and secure it back to the lid. The other trees didn't need any adjusting. The whole project took me about 10 minutes, and I ended up with three lovely little snow globes.

They are pretty, stinkin' cute...aren't they? 

No, I have not put up our Christmas tree yet. I am waiting until after Thanksgiving to put it up, but I had some prepping to do. 

I love our little Christmas tree! Every year we decorate it with the same rustic ornaments (I added a couple new ones last year, but that was kind of a battle). This year I want to add another rustic touch. I have to thank my dad for this one...I wouldn't have been able to do it without him (he is always helping me with DIY projects...well, the ones the involve power tools). So, out to the woods we went. 

Dad cut a fallen tree into sections, and I picked one that I thought would work for my project. The piece that I picked was pretty large...so Dad had to cut it in half. We ended up hauling both pieces back to the house, because I wasn't sure which one I liked better. 

Once we got back from the woods we had another task to tackle. (Note: By we I really mean Dad...power tools were still needed for this step.) We had to drill a hole in the center of the stump. How big did we need to make the hole? That is a good question...a question that I still don't really know the answer to. I didn't actually get our Christmas tree down to measure it before we started this project...one because I knew it would be too tempting to put up if it was in my way somewhere else in the house, two because I needed Dane's help getting it down, and he wasn't home. However, there was a random Christmas tree in the shed that we used to determine the size of our hole...fingers crossed that our tree fits! 

Once I got home I started sealing the log. I used two coats of a pine stain and sealer. This step needs to be done in a well ventilated area outside! It is really smelly! I made sure to get the stain deep in all of the cracks of the bark. I really like the look of the darker stump. 

What do you think? I am not wishing away Thanksgiving, but I am excited to get my tree up. 

Oh, and I have an extra stump with the whole already drilled! If you are interested in having your own stump tree stand, let me know! 

The walls in our house are still pretty bare. Before I painted all of the rooms I was sure to fill in the all of the nail holes that were left my the previous owners (who we love and adore, but they had more stuff to hang on the walls than we do). Anyway, I think I have been slightly nervous about putting a nail in the wall...it seems so permanent! However, I have officially placed a nail hole in our living room wall. It was about time, the empty walls were starting to depress me. What did I hang up? A chalkboard! We already have a chalkboard refrigerator, but you can never have too many chalkable items in your home! I have to thank my sister-in-law, Lacy, for this beauty! It really is the perfect addition to our home!

I absolutely love the rustic, wooden frame. Plus, it makes a great photography prop! I take it to almost all of my photo shoots, and that means I get to change the message frequently. After each shoot I come home and pick a quote (usually from Pinterest) to write and display! Right now it looks something like this. However, I am sure that will change soon, and I can't wait to add some other decor (including another chalkboard project) to my still pretty empty walls! 

I told you I was going to fill you in on how I have styled my nightstand. Our nightstand has slowly become more styled over time, and I finally think that it is finished! So, I thought I would share some tips with you. 

First...make sure you start with a clean surface! Done dusting? Good! Now you have to find some key elements for your nightstand. 

Lamp: It is important to have a good light source. I use my lamp a lot. I really like curling up with a good book before bed, and my lamp puts off just enough light. 

Basket: There is currently nothing inside of my little basket. However, I like to have it there for jewelry, hair ties, and bobby pins that I may take off before bed. The basket keeps all of my belongings neatly contained. 

Photo: I love having a photo on my nightstand, and I really like this oversized frame. Adding a personal touch to your nightstand will make it more enjoyable. 

These pieces can be arranged and styled any way you choose. You may want to add more rustic elements...or something with a little more sparkle. These elements can fit anyones style! 

Remember yesterday's post...yes, the exhausting list of things that I have to do to the house! Well, I managed to cross something off of that never ending list...pillows for the living room are done! I spent some time with my grandma today, and I managed to finish 4 pillows.

The tan pillows were inspired by some pillows that I saw in the West Elm catalog. I poured paint directly on one piece of the tan canvas and then pressed the other piece on the top. After the paint dried I sewed a blank piece of canvas to the back.

I am in love with them! 

I will admit it...I am not the best cook in the whole world, but I am trying to improve my skills. I have a a pretty large collection of recipes that I would like to try. The recipes that I have collected are not just any recipes. They are special to me...even if I am not skilled at cooking them. I decided that I wanted to get some good use out of the recipes while I am still learning to improve my cooking skills. 

A while back I saw this post on Young House Love, and I thought that the recipe art was a great idea. Articipe has a great selection to choose from, but I wanted to make my own custom recipe art (you know I am a fan of sentimental art). I picked one of my grandma's recipes (I had to use one that had a small number of ingredients) and designed some art for my kitchen. 

I am in love with this unique and custom art. Maybe it will inspire me to bake some Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies! I plan on making a lot more of these in different colors. 

P.S. You can find the tutorial for the painted mason jar here.

I wouldn't normally put a lot of effort into decorating the laundry room, but our laundry room is also our only bathroom. That means all of our guests see it...it has to look nice! I attempted a DIY project earlier this week, but I wasn't a huge fan of it. I wanted something rustic, but this laundry sign didn't really bring the feel that I wanted (basically... every time I looked at it I wanted to take it down). 

Then I came across this post on Life as a Thrifter. I loved the idea of decorating the laundry room with hangers...I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier! I found these hangers at Wal-Mart for around $3 for the pair. I still was going for a rustic look. So...I broke out the white paint! I just did one thin coat to accomplish the look that I wanted. 

Once the paint dried I selected some pictures to place in the hanger. Eventually, I will probably print some 8x10 images for the hangers, but I think these look good for now! 

I attached them to the wall with 3M Command velcro strips. I love them and use them all the time! 

I put the hangers up with the DIY laundry sign to see if I would like it, but I still didn't care for the sign. 

So... down it came! I still have a few things that I want to do to the laundry room, but I love the new decor! 

What do you think? 

We are still working on updating our front porch. We haven't made much any progress since my last post, but I have put some thought into how I would like the space to look once it is all done. 

Currently the porch looks like this: 

I hope you guys see as much potential as I do! I would like this space to be an entryway/mudroom. I want it to be inviting and comfortable. (It is the first space that people see when the come over). Here are some pictures that I found for inspiration. 

Source: House Beautiful

Source: BHG

Source: Young House Love

I will keep you posted throughout this project! 

We are currently in the process of redoing our front porch. It is our goal to turn it into more of an interior space. When Dane bought the house it was clear that the porch was going to take the most work (and probably be the most fun) to update. With the help of Dane's dad (really this wouldn't have been done without him) we have already made some progress! There were four storm windows, and a window looking into the master bedroom. The guys replaced the storm windows with two new windows and they closed off the window into the master bedroom. 

They also had to level the floors. (The porch was once an exterior space...the floors were sloped for water runoff.)

We are now in the process of hanging drywall. However, I am really excited about the next steps...decorating! I don't know exactly what I am doing, but I am still excited about it! I can't wait to pick out paint colors and flooring.

As you can see it is currently storage for items that don't fit in the spare room. The sign in the top left image was made by my Uncle Mark for our wedding. It will probably be put outside when we get flowers planted.

I did try to add some decoration to the space with a cute rosette wreath.

It doesn't look like much now, but I am envisioning great things for this space.

I have been so excited to get my garden started! Well, I took the first steps! (Note: these steps did not include flowers, seeds, or soil.) I picked out the planters. Okay...this step doesn't exactly require a green thumb, and it doesn't really count as gardening, but I am excited about it anyway! I found some cheap ($1.25 each) terra cotta pots from Wal-Mart and decided to do some DIY. Wal-Mart had a nice selection of decorative pots, but they were much pricier and I liked the idea of doing my own. 

Supplies: 

Terra Cotta Planters

Acrylic Paint

Paint Brush

Painters Tape

The first thing that I did was tape off the top ring of the pots. I really wanted to leave that part the original color like this. Then, I painted the bottom half of the planters. The colors that I used required two coats of paint. It may take more than that depending on the color and the paint that you choose. While the paint was still somewhat wet (it dried really quickly) I removed the tape. 

Here is the finished result. I absolutely love them...I actually went out and bought more!