Creative Juices Decor

Our last family vacation before the mad rush of starting school! This is the most memorable place in the world for me - the San Juan Islands, Washington.  I suppose the fact that my grandparents lived there since I was a young child may have helped shape that opinion! Nothing beats the adventure of hanging out where the ocean is just a few feet away.   We were always clamming,crabbing and catching shrimp.   I hope your not in for a shocker, but I am a "get my hands dirty" kind of gal.  I can stab a crab, pull apart its legs and steam them up like the best of them :-)   There are many pictures of me knee high in mud and seaweed trying to dig out a huge gooey duck clam for our dinner. Although, I don't plan on posting that picture anytime soon - ha!   On this trip I went up with my extended family and we camped at the San Juan County Park because 16 people is a lot to stay at any one persons home!! ...

Today we have a guest poster, Allison Cooper.  She contacted me and asked if she could do a tutorial for us.  I said, "If it fits with my blog, absolutely!" (This goes to anyone else out there too!) When she first made her pallet coffee table she wasn't thinking she would be doing a blog write up that required 20 "how to" photos :-)  so she wrote the directions out as detailed as she could and has a lovely after picture.   Without further introduction........here is Allison's post! When it's time to update a room in your home you can always depend upon some of the established ideas such as wallpapering or painting an accent wall to achieve a new look. Even a new area rug can add color and texture to a boring room. Re-purposing and DIY projects are another great way to add something new and unique to your home decor. Here are some instructional steps that you need to follow to create a coffee table that you can tailor to suit your fa...

When I saw some of the photos below, they blew my mind!  I had NO idea of all the fun things you can do with pennies or any coin for that matter.  Penny Letters, Penny Back splashes, Penny Jewelry.....the list goes on and on! Without further ado......here is my PENNY edition of my Creative Juices Award! Rebecca from the Crafted Sparrow made this for a friend's housewarming gift!  I LOVE it!  Make sure and click over to her blog to see the full tutorial.   How about using pennies on whimsical paper mache letters?  That is just what Dacia from Lemondrop life did! If you're decor doesn't suit COPPER very much how about SILVER! The LOVE nickels were made by artist Justine Smith on wood letters. I thought this idea was SOOO cute.  It's a penny key chain by Pat's Design saying "lucky us" and the dates of each penny can reflect the date you and your significant other were b...

Alright, I’ll lay it on the line.  I am not a great seamstress.  I am just someone who would rather not spend $25.00 on each accent pillow I wanted to throw on my bed.  All to say, if I can do this, anyone can!!!  I mean it.  First I recommend keeping all your pillows even when you change up your décor because you can simply re-cover them with a different fabric. (it’s the pillow forms that can get expensive) If you are alright with buying a good quality pillow at the thrift store they always have tons……some people might be weird about buying a pillow there.  First measure your pillow. You’ll want to measure from the middle seam to the other side middle seam. (half of your overall pillow circumference)  That is your measurement for your pillow project! Next, take a red pencil and line out that measurement.  Add about an inch to that original red line for the seam allowance. Cut out along the outside pencil mark Us...

Hello friends!  Well I did it, I wrote my first eBook .  (A 39 page post   probably  isn't the best thing!) I am very excited about it because it covers a topic that a lot of us bloggers have  difficulty  with:   How to  find balance in blogging . The whole idea came to me when I was blog surfing and a post caught my eye.   “ How Blogging Ruined my Life ” . I was intrigued and clicked to read it.  She wasn't kidding with her title.  After she listed all the reasons why blogging had completely taken over her life she also wrote that she would like to find a solution to her problem.  She knew she  didn't  want to quit her blog .   I could totally relate! Have you also had these thoughts?   “My house has never looked so disorganized! I have half finished rooms, projects started but not finished,  supplies scattered everywhere  and overflowing thrift st...

I may have gotten my poem a little mixed up but it sure fit my sons theme!    When we moved into the new house I wasn’t sure what his themed bedroom would be.  I knew I wanted to use the world map I made and I got a bunch of ships from the thrift store that made me wonder if I could pull off a kind of ship/pirate/explorer/traveler theme . Walking in: I bought those drapes from the thrift store for $1.50!!!! They were like new.  The American flag plaque was from Ross for $6.00. This is what I found on my very FIRST trip to Hobby Lobby!!!  LOVE that place (maybe a little too much).  I can be glad it is 45 min away from my house or we may have a serious shopping problem :-) The prices were really great though.  For the letter plaques they were $3.00 each and the anchors/life preserver were $8.50 a piece.  I had a friend give me a $40.00 gift card when we moved into the house so that is what I spent it on.  :-) ...

We just got home from a fun August camping trip with my in-laws.  I know camping isn’t for everyone – but we LOVE it. Most of our family vacations these days are camping trips. Finding the perfect deeply wooded camping spot filled with the smell of crisp clean air and pine trees is a family highlight.  Mix that with the smoke from a fire and we're set for some R&R.  I camped a lot as a child.  I think that is why I enjoy it so much……you know, the whole “good memories” thing.  My in-laws have a larger RV, so we hit an RV park that they had found a few years earlier.  What a RV park may be lacking in a thickly wooded forrest, they usually have a POOL to make up for it!   She honestly thinks she looks cute in ANYTHING (OK, she does, but not like how SHE envisions herself!!) One of the days we snuck out for a little drive and ran across a Bull Moose and Cow (I think that is what a “couple” moose are called!)...