Category: Create
Create, Savor

3-2-1…Cake!

April 13
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It’s so much fun to spend time in the kitchen with kids…something I’ve enjoyed doing ever since my boys were little!  It doesn’t matter whether we’re preparing a grand meal or the simplest of snacks…when our family gathers in the kitchen it really does feel like the heart of the home!  I don’t claim to be a great cook or baker…but I LOVE to do both and hope to pass some of that passion along to the boys.   So through the years I’ve always kept my eyes open for fun recipes that will keep them active in the kitchen!  I was reminded recently of one of my favorite baking projects and thought it was definitely worth sharing!  Not only is it easy, but it’s tasty AND fun for kids (or adults) of any age!  Let me share with you how three little steps is all it takes to…

let them eat cake!

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Create, Decorate

Personal Gallery

April 11
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If there’s one thing I love seeing in homes it’s a gallery wall!  Not only do they look great but they’re such a wonderful way to display the unique personalities of all who live within those walls!  It’s also lovely to highlight cherished photos or mementos that can take you on a stroll through memory lane each time you pass them!  The other thing I absolutely love about a gallery collection is that there are NO rules…which is the kind of decorating application that I follow religiously!  You just gather the things you love the most and start creating!  Today I’d like to share some simple suggestions and tips for creating a gallery wall for any room.  Have a peek at the one I started…

reveal your personality on a wall!

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Celebrate, Create

Patio Party!

April 6
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I’m not sure what happened exactly to all the warm weather…but I refuse to let this cold spell dampen my spirits when it comes to preparing the patio for those much anticipated gatherings!  My family practically lives on the patio from the first warm days in spring all the way through the final days of fall…enjoying each and every second of the great outdoors!  We don’t have a grand patio by any stretch but we are fortunate to have a covered one.  Not that it really makes a difference in enjoying the outside elements…any outdoor space will work when it comes to creating a place to extend your living areas!  I love the casual style of outdoor decorating and entertaining…there’s something so relaxed about being outside that lets you throw caution to the wind and have some fun with your spaces!  One of the ways I prepare my patio for all those summertime parties and casual dinners is to create a space similar to my own dining room…including an outdoor buffet!  It’s so easy to add elements of your indoor spaces to the outside ones…and if you love to shop garage and rummage sales as much as I do, you can do it on a dime!  Of course, you can find wonderful patio furniture specifically made for the wear and tear of the elements and you can definitely mix and match just about whatever you want to make your space uniquely yours!  So get ready to create an outdoor haven just right for your family…today I’d like to share what I added to mine!  I hope you can find some inspiration from my garage sale creation made specifically for…

celebrating on the patio!

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Create, Holidays

Simply Spring…

March 18
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Now that St. Patrick’s Day festivities have come to an end, i can finally concentrate on spring and Easter decorations!  Not that I don’t LOVE our Irish traditions but it seemed a little strange to decorate for both at the same time…even though I did it anyway!  But now there’s only one holiday and new season to celebrate and I always look forward to the fresh change of color and natural elements that I add to my home!  And since Easter is only a little over a week away, some simple decorations are about all I can muster!  Fortunately, it can be really easy and inexpensive to decorate for spring!  Fresh flowers are abundant in every supermarket (and soon in the gardens!), buds are beginning to pop on the blooming bushes & trees, and of course, Easter eggs and candy are everywhere…all wonderful options for bringing springtime into my home!  Today I’d like to share some quick and simple ideas…

to celebrate a new season!

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Create, Holidays

End of the Rainbow!

March 16
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When it comes to holidays and kids (maybe adults too!), something sweet is ALWAYS a welcome treat!  And since St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow I’d like to share with you a couple ideas on how to decorate a cupcake that’s perfect for those lucky Leprechauns!  When kids are popping in after school it’s always nice to have some easy treats on hand…and holidays are just the perfect occasion to create something a little special!  So my beverage cart became a St. Paddy’s Day dessert station piled high with mini cakes–the sweet treat at the end of the rainbow!  Let me show you how easy it is to whip up these whimsical cakes for your holiday celebrations!

Irish fun in the kitchen…

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Create, Holidays, Savor

Top ‘O the Mornin’!

March 14
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On Thursday morning St. Patrick’s Day will be here!  I personally think it’s OK to start celebrating as soon as March arrives…and now that there’s only a couple days left until those Leprechauns show up, I’m quite certain it’s completely acceptable for the holiday festivities to officially begin!  So on Sunday morning I decided to surprise my family with a simple and healthy breakfast.  It really is a pretty easy thing to do and a welcome “top ‘o the mornin” greeting as those sleepy heads wake up late after loosing an hour of precious sleep!  You may be familiar with my desk in the dining room…I use it all the time as a buffet to serve just about anything from after school snacks, everyday dinners, and nibbles for celebrations!  And when I’m not dishing out goodies, it makes a wonderful spot to hold extra serving dishes, holiday decorations…and even doubles as a dumping ground for backpacks and homework!  But yesterday it became a mini St. Patrick’s Day breakfast buffet to welcome the holiday week!

festive, easy, holiday inspired breakfast…

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Create, Holidays

Egghead…

March 9
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On Monday I shared my spring inspired buffet decor which included the sweet and so-simple-to-make bunny and chick eggs!  Today I’d like to share how easy it is to make these little guys!  And the best part is that you can craft these cuties with your kids…only changing a couple steps to make them little-hands friendly!  Maybe a cute classroom idea for spring?  So get your “egghead” on, get inspired, and think Easter!  Let’s get right to it and…

start some spring crafting!

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Create, Holidays

“Egg-celent” Decoupage!

February 29
3 Comments

Easter comes early this year…and even though I hate to jump ahead of holidays that haven’t even arrived yet, Easter follows so closely behind St. Patrick’s Day that we barely have time to make the switch!  So while we await the arrival of the Leprechauns, I decided to go ahead and start my spring crafting!  I don’t know about you, but the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about Easter activities is decorating eggs!  It’s such a fun holiday tradition and there are so many wonderful color kits out there to dye, glitter, stamp, glue, or paint those eggs into Easter glory!  At our house we love to hard-boil a bunch of eggs, dunk ’em in all those pretty pastel dyes…and then we eat them!  But because it’s hard to keep real eggs fresh for a month or so, I also like to decorate the fake variety too!  This way I can enjoy them throughout the Easter season and recycle them for seasons to come!  The inspiration for my artificial eggs came when I discovered a pretty pack of tissues in the checkout isle…not for wrapping but for blowing!  They were way too cute to use on noses…so I decided to decoupage with them!  And as it turned out, the tissue was so effective to work with since it easily wrapped around the soft curves of the plastic eggs!  So I spent a rainy afternoon cutting out designs and crafting up some springtime joy!

a rainy day DIY…

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Create, Decorate

Spare Room Share…

February 24
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After my little revelation last week I really did decide to make the best of what I’ve got…and what I’ve got is no room to craft!  But no matter, my spare bedroom has served as my “craft room” for years and with the exception of having to box up all my stuff when guests stay over (or just put my parents in that room…they’re used to the organized chaos!), the spare room/craft room has work out pretty well!  So I decided to spruce it up a bit, make it a little more organized, and make it look like it was intended to be this way all along!  I may not be able to have this entire space dedicated to crafting…but I can certainly make the best of it!  All it took was some cleaning, organizing, and finding items to contain lots of trinkets!  I only made a couple purchases to keep my supplies tidy so the bed could be free from boxes of buttons or whatever else is stacked upon the mattress!  All in all, I’m pretty happy with the results!  And I’m thrilled to say that plenty was re-purposed so that I didn’t just save money but created unique storage options that are as fun to look at as they are useful…which makes for a happy space to get creative in!  If i want, I can kick back on the bed for some “creative relaxation” too!  Have a peek at my spare room that shares a bit of…

my creative side

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Create, Holidays

Spring Fever…

February 19
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It must be something in the air because I’m so much more restless for the arrival of spring than I think I’ve ever been!  In fact, I’ve been a bit impatient overall this year!  Some of my friends were teasing me recently because I was counting down the days to when I could move on from Valentine decor and jump into something new!  Not that I don’t fully enjoy each holiday…but for some reason I’ve had this itch for change!  Which may also explain my seemingly countless list of home projects I hope to complete!  So for whatever the real reason for my impatience–the weird winter weather, life changes, thinking ahead for blog posts, or simply a bad case of spring fever–I’m trying to sit back and enjoy the moment rather than unintentionally wishing the days away!  I’m still happy that spring IS marching forward however, giving me permission to go ahead and dream about bringing the fresh, new season into my home!  But I’ve made this promise to myself to slow down and soak in the happiness that each project really does bring to me!  I heard a quote on the radio yesterday that really made me reflect…”the happiest people don’t have the best of everything…but they make the best of everything they have!”  I love that!  And while this quote doesn’t necessarily pertain to my impatience…it does give pause for thought.  Making the best of everything means not just finding contentment in the possessions I have or don’t have, what nature has given me or not given, or the tally of all my successes or failures…it also pertains to seeing the relevance and joy of each moment, season, or holiday and enjoying every second it’s here!  So today I’ll share my first spring craft…in plenty of time to enjoy the earliest signs of the new season and all the simple pleasures it brings!  Have a peek at this tiny craft which is big on happiness!

cherish the tiny treasures of spring…

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