Creative Juices Decor

Hi Everyone!   I've been thinking about what I could write that would really help give you ideas for your OWN home decor.  I realized that having a nice console table vignette, either in your entry or living room can REALLY add character to your home and is an important investment piece.  So....I decided to post and talk about some different entry styles and give you some ideas.  You can also check out this  furniture  website which is one of the most comprehensive furniture website around. This is shabby chic/farmhouse vignette using old window panes and collected white pottery.  This look is quite simple, but see how sets off the feel of this person's home? Characteristics:   weathered wood chipped rough paint burlap pillows wicker baskets simple not too cluttered. Farmhouse Porch In keeping with the shabby chic/farmhouse theme,  don't you just love this old weathered bench used as a focal point for ...

I have always been someone who LOVES being crafty.  Even as a kid, play dough was my best friend. So I wanted to put a post together of some EASY but time filled crafts that either you as a parent or a grandparent could do with the kids for Christmas or even during the winter break.   One of my FAVORITE craft is making these Stained Glass Cookies   Along with the specific sugar cookie dough, you just crush up hard candies and create your masterpiece! (note to self: SAVE Halloween hard candies for this craft!) Another fun experiment to do is make some Rock Candy ! It takes some time for the rock crystals to form, but my kids love making this! How about a really simple craft (for the younger ones!)  Just grab some yarn and fruit loop cereal and they can make their own edible necklace.  I love crafts that can keep a kid entertained and focused and it doesn't take a lot of work on my part - ha!!!  You could...

Well this year I LET MY KIDS do the decorating.....was this hard for me??  (hee,hee)  Yes :-) OK OK, just the tree......my husband and I left one night to go Christmas shopping and when we came home.....the tree was fully decorated in all it's glory......I didn't even touch it.   So this year we have a candy cane "infested", school ornament decorated tree.  :-) It's  actually pretty.....just not how I would have decorated it :-)  Their FAVORITE part is the candy canes that they weaved throughout the branches.  (Why is candy so fun for kids?) :-) Every year, we go to our friend's house for a Christmas party and the she gives each of my kids a special ornament that they can add to their collection for when they have their own family.  (My mother in law does this too.)  They have some of the funniest ornaments ever!  They LOVE collecting them! This is my friends Christmas tree (the one who hosts...

Hi Friends!  Sorry about the laps in postings.....we were gone 5 days for Thanksgiving and now just getting back into everything :-)  I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and now getting ready for Christmas - WOW!  It is coming FAST this year - I'll have to post all the fun Christmas decor soon! The most popular post I've ever written is   how to turn an old paper map into canvas art .  I simply cut up the map, applied mod podge to the map and pressed it on the canvases. (You can see the full tutorial by clicking the link above) I always enjoy it when a reader will send me their version of a project I did. (So send me any projects you have tried!) This one by Nicolle has such a great color scheme !  You can see more photos of this antiqued world map on canvas by clicking the link. Or how about this " It's a Small World " nursery theme map on canvas that  Paul and Karissa made!   They had fun using the map ...

There is something so beautiful about a tree bark that is white, orange and peeling!   Enter, the BIRCH TREE. If you remember, last year I had a landscape friend that collected birch wood for me while he was cleaning up a site.  I ended up stacking it by my fireplace and by the front door.  What an easy way to add a rustic, warm and woodsy feel to a home. Here it is just stacked by my front door.  EASY! I also have stacked it in a basket......it's a fun different look. When I ran across this birch bed, I knew I'd have to do another birch post!  I love the natural monochromatic feel of this bedroom.  (and then a pretty little dash of pink in the flowers!) I have also thought, painting birch trees as an accent would be a very nice addition to any home.  Here are a few examples: www.younghouselove.com I know this is more a cherry tree than a birch, but I still loved it :-) House...