Creative Juices Decor

YES I did, I went back to the thrift store......it was innocent, I was just going to look around.  I didn't plan on buying any furniture BUT I was justified in this purchase.  You see, my 9 year old son LOVES chess and I was thinking of getting him a chess board for Christmas.  So when I saw this, well in particularly saw the PRICE, I knew I was loading it in the car and taking it home. :-) Want to know how much I got it for?? (I get so excited about this part)   $22.50!!!  I don't think I could buy a really good quality chess board game for that price!  It was 55% off day....so $50.00 down to $22.50.  (small happy dance inserted here) Some of you are probably thinking OK, what is WRONG with the table??  Well, it had a crack in the leg.  Honestly, NO big deal....nothing that a little Gorilla Glue couldn't fix.  I just used dog leashes as clamps to hold it all in place while drying.  I'...

Sometimes it is the simple things that can turn a very regular item into chic home decor. All you need is a glue gun, pinecones and some burlap fabric - let me show you :-) I bought these poinsettias on the end of the year 75% off clearance....I believe they were  $5.00 a piece. I'm not saying that bright shiny gold is a bad thing, but it just isn't the latest in the home decor fashion and sometimes it makes it look cheap. :-) No worries though, I bought a chunk of burlap at a thrift store for .50 cents although I don't think it's very expensive in the fabric store. (especially if you an use a coupon!) Simply wrap your poinsettias in burlap (use hot glue to hold it in place) and tie raffia around it to add a simple finish!  VOILA! Now about that Mistletoe ball.....it came with no decorations on it and a CHEESY red ribbon.  I just hot glued some pinecones on it and some beads, threaded through a cut piece...

I had a lot of fun making my rustic front porch "sparkle" with Christmas!   Like I mentioned in previous posts, I rarely buy anything during the peak season but always think what I might need and then buy it at the end of the year for at LEAST 75% off.  I bought this plain wreath because it was VERY cheap.  I also bought a few fun things to add to the wreath.  I would be surprised if I spent more than 15.00 on everything. Here is the wreath before hot glueing on my Christmas items. And the AFTER! I LOVE those command strips! (temporary hooks to hold up items). I was so scared to use them  at first because I just didn't get how they could come off clean without messing up the wood but they work SO WELL!   My absolute FAVORITE part is the little bird that my mother in law gave me last year.  She bought it from Pier One at the end of last season.  I would love to do my entire Christmas tree in woodsy birds like tha...

Sometimes I'll admit, it's just the little things that excite me. :-) I asked a landscape friend of mine to collect some birch logs the next time they go trimming trees .  A few months later he showed up with a truck FULL of them!  WOWZERS, I was only hoping for a few logs but hey, that was GREAT!  I probably should have taken them all but I just grabbed about 20 logs and told him I was set.  You see, I ADORE texture and I ADORE barked trees.  Honestly is there anything more beautiful than rippling crumbling bark full of white, tan and black?  OK, no need to answer that question ;-) I guess I just have this strange passion towards logs - ha! I was looking and found this log online.....  It was from SAVE ON CRAFTS where ONE log is on SALE for 17.99 (reg. 27.99)  I am going to text my friend right now and tell him I'll take the truck load - SERIOUSLY!!!!  I mean how much do they charge on top of that ...

Hello All! This is the VERY FIRST year in my entire marriage that we have put up Christmas lights! Granted, there have been some pretty good reasons why we haven't done it before BUT I am just excited we put the extra effort in and got them up this year.   To be honest, it was more expensive than I thought it would be (bummer!) I suppose if we were on top of it, we would have figured out what we needed (how many strands) last year and bought them on a big clearance for this year. :-)  I guess I can't be on top of everything! We went with the icicle lights due to the fact that they were a decent price at Costco and they came in 10 foot increments  We needed the smaller strand size to make the endings correct.  (Too much extra line looks odd and definitely not having enough to fill out your roof line looks odd!) The little candle lights in the window was something I picked up last year at the 75% off. ...

 OK friends, so my wonderful mother (who helped with this before and after project) actually wrote this book!  I told her I’d be delighted to review it and she said she’d be happy to give one of my readers a free copy! It’s titled “Fun Family Christmas Devotions”   Subtitle “Advent Guide for Busy Parents”   ummmm yep, that’s me!  As I am sure it’s most people, young and old….. It has some very fun Christmas craft ideas (hey, my craftiness has to come from someone – right?) Sheep sugar cookies, and a faux gingerbread nativity (in which my daughter told me was SO MUCH FUN) are just a few.  It even comes with a classical music Christmas CD.  (dare I tell you that I am on that CD playing violin and singing??) This picture of my son cracks me up!  A lot of the book talks about the true meaning of Christmas and that the word “Advent” actually means the coming or arrival (of the birth of the Christ-child) With the book she s...

Here we go!!!   Let's get right into the Rustic Christmas decorating! Alright, I'll admit, I'm not always ready to start decorating for Christmas but this year is my FIRST year (after a FIVE year renting era) in our new house. You have to understand, in the rental, we didn't even HAVE a mantel.  I was very thankful for that house but c'mon people, I am an interior designer and I went 5 years without a mantel.  :-) So I guess I'm a little excited.......bear with me :-) I wasn't sure what my plan was for my huge mantle but I was walking around Michaels with my eldest daughter and we walked by this GIANT (I mean H.U.G.E) wood wreath and I started laughing and said to my daughter, " Look at that wreath, who in their right mind would buy a huge thing like that??"  We got a kick out of it, chuckling over the idea of the crazy person who would want that. But of course, as things usually progress......that night when most people...