Fall Chalk Pen Fun

It seems any more I only post when I have time to actually be creative! As is has been some time, that is a huge indication of how busy our life has been!

I have managed to carve some time this fall to do some projects and rather than do a post for each one I thought I'd include them all together.

I've been loving those chalk pens and have managed to create a number of signs and holiday themed items. The great thing about them is they wash off with water. So if you make a mistake {who makes those?} its easy to fix and move on. If you love what you did get a matte sealer and spray it when your done to keep your design.

Pinterest is a great inspiration for different fonts and designs. I have to admit that most of these design ideas came from there.

First off, I got some old doors from my dad. I used one to make a sign for every day and the other is for Christmas.

 I tried it in a few homes before it came to rest in the kitchen. 

 I haven't decided where this one will go yet.

You can also see the other little one I did below the cabinet. This one along with the following others were from thrift stores as either mirrors or ugly duckling pictures. My criteria for used frames is that they be wooden {which are easier to paint or restain} and that the glass is in good shape. If the back can't be removed just tape off the frame and you can spray paint the glass with chalkboard paint.

For thanksgiving I thought I'd stick with the current trend and try a turkey. 

Here's his before:

Once again, chalkpaint to the rescue. I didn't even prime this guy. Once the paint dried I got out my trusty chalk pen.

Here's another Goodwill picture that got a face lift for a Christmas gift.

First I distressed the wooden frame, then taped it off and added the chalk.

For Christmas I decided to try glass ornaments. Again, these were from a thrift store. No priming needed. To make it a bit easier I used push pins to help them stand {after removing their silver topper thing} on a piece of cardboard.

And yes, I did leave a nice chalkpaint outline on the garage floor. Oops! These took a few coats and at the end I had to flip them over and group them together to do the tops of them. 

I'm anxious to add these to the tree which may happen tomorrow! My hubby is going hunting and hates the decorating job so the kids and I might surprise him!

Thanks for stopping by! Don't be afraid to try chalk paint. It really is easy!

A Home Refreshed

Its amazing to me how much power a can of paint has!

Our home has been this same interior shade of oatmeal for the past 10 years. I've gotten so used to it that it seems to me to be the only decent color a home should have. I'm a huge fan of the show Fixer Upper and I have yet to seem some oatmeal....at least not on the walls! 

{don't mind the fact that this pic has a bit of Christmas in it!}

I love a neutral color palate with a few hits of color in the decor but not dark saturated colors. It struck me how Joanna Gaines could use muted color on the walls yet keep everything still looking neutral and relaxed. She uses this "color" as a neutral and yet it still works with all my stuff!

Enter into my life Sea Salt. I am so surprised at how much fresher and more up to date paint can make a house feel. The gray color is called 'Pewter Cast'  both from Sherwin Williams.

Here's a bit of picture overload!

The curtain panels were found at HomeGoods and I saw them at Marshalls too. I love the drama they add. They were pretty inexpensive and we hung them with pipe and fixtures from the hardware store.

The cow print is from Hobby Lobby. We named her Fern.

I'm telling you, paint is the easiest/cheapest way to totally change your look. I will admit that I was totally stressed out about it all. The major life saver was buying the sample jars and trying a few swatches out around the house. This method totally changed the originally direction we were going in and was well worth the extra expense {about $15.00}.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hometalk and Backpack Storage Ideas

This week I've teamed up with Hometalk to bring you a bunch of great storage ideas for kids and their gear. I have four kiddos and I love them to pieces..........their stuff, not so much! So, I'm always on the lookout for great storage solutions that will work for our little cottage of a house.

This is what I came up with for our house some time ago:

In order to improve upon what I already had I went to Hometalk to scour their abundant resources. {Hometalk is like Pinterest but just for homes and projects}

Check out my board {with loads of great ideas!}:

With these ideas in hand I'm hoping to create something out in my garage on the landing by the door. It will have to combine options to store backpacks, boots and all that snow gear! Thanks for stopping by! I hope you will check out my board. Leave me any ideas you've had that maybe I've missed!

A New Puppy and Storage Solutions

We got a new puppy about a week and a half ago. She is the cutest thing ever! 

See, what did I tell you! Her name is Daisy Mae, and she's a yellow lab.

We are smitten! Yes, puppies are work. {Kind of like have a toddler all over again, but one that also gets up in the night}. But SO worth it!

In light of the new addition I needed to do some research to find some great solutions to store this babies things. Here are some cool ideas that inspire!

This Old House

This is a cute idea for dog treat storage. I didn't have a jar like this but I used a mason jar. {Right now her treats are really little}.

Etsy

This has to be the cutest dog crate ever!

Cul-de-sac Chic

Now this I love! It looks so cozy and inviting!

Bee Interiors

This is a great recycle of an old TV, and I love the color!

When the dinner bell rings

Ok, I would love to have stairs that I could use space under! And I may just have to copy that sign!

Holly Mathis Interiors

Now this would be my dream! What an awesome way to bathe your pet {or your son!} ;)

Pretty Fluffy {this site looks like it has a lot of great ideas for pets}

This looks like a great project, and its for a Daisy too!

Home Frosting

Etsy

So now its time to get in gear and decide what WE are going to do to corral all of her clutter. Its amazing how one little puppy can accumulate to many things! ;)


Thanks for stopping by!

Prepping? A Balanced Approach

     You can't go very far on Pinterest these days, or around the web for that matter without seeing loads on "prepping". It seems people "prep" for different reasons, from fearing a polar shift, or expecting some sort of appocolypse, down to a big snow storm or hurricane. Prepping is all about being prepared from some sort of disaster. And I'm finding that its as personal as your tastes in food are. My plan may not be the "recommended" one but it is a plan that we feel is wise and balanced.

tasmaniantimes.com

As a girl who always likes to be prepared for anything it is easy to get sucked into  the fear of others and concern for my family and want to pack out the basement with all sorts of food and supplies. Also as a believer in Jesus Christ I never want my security to come from my stock pile. My security should be in Him. So how does one balance this? I take great encouragement from the Proverbs 31 woman who "provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls" and "when it snows she has not fear for her household for all of them are clothed in scarlet". The passage further talks about all the work she does for her family to prepare for their needs. To this planner girl this is gold!

So what does "prepping" look like at our house?

Well, my goal is to have 3-6 months of food stocked up. I do this, sticking within my weekly budget, by buying extras of whatever is on sale and that I have coupons for. This is easier said than done but is made a lot more achievable by following a local deal site. I use savingaddiction.com. Stocking this much food helps to prepare for any food shortages, price increases or disasters but also for more personal disasters like a job loss or major financial crisis. If a washer needs repair and we don't have the cash on hand, going without buying food for a week or two won't hurt and will meet our need. Another benefit to doing this is saving money! If you only buy what it on sale {and everything goes on sale at least once every 3-6 months} you are saving a great deal in the long run. Make sure to buy things you will actually use and rotate your supply so that you use things before they expire.

Stored in one location are all of our flashlights {including a wind up one}, radio, extra batteries, candles and plenty of matches. Because we have a well, in a power outage this wouldn't work, so we have dozens of gallons of water stashed. {These have to be refilled every 6-12 months unless a few drops of bleach are added}. This is easy to do if you haven't started this yet. Every time you use up a gallon of milk, wash the jug out well and fill with water. Be sure to write a date on the cap of when it was filled and update this when you refill them.

On top of these basic supplies we have a large first aid kit, duct tape {whose benefits are many in a crisis from making rope to creating splints for injuries and repairing a broken window or tent}, tarps, a large tent, and outdoor cooking capabilities. We have a small garden that has produced some veggies for us but is an area that we hope to grow in. {no pun intended! ;)}

These preparations are basic but are far more than most families. I know that I have been promised that, "my God shall supply all my needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:19, and this is where my true stock pile lies!

Please don't get so focused on stockpiling for your physical needs that you neglect the emotional and spiritual ones. Stockpiling for your spirit and emotions means cultivating your relationships, building your marriage, and growing your faith. Being prepared in these ways will  help to safeguard you from divorce, loneliness, worry, fear, and  will help to create strong bonds with family, friends & God. 

I hope you have been encouraged to be prepared in many ways, for whatever life throws at you!

Thanks for stopping by!