The Day I Fell in Love with a Vacuum

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CleaningUntangled #CollectiveBias

Hi friends!

So, you know you are a grown up when you get REALLY excited about a new vacuum cleaner. Am I right? This vacuum, the Eureka Brushroll Clean™ with SuctionSeal® is pretty much amazing. You wanna know why? This bad boy cuts the hair off of the brushroll ALL BY ITSELF! You guys....I die!

Stacked Spring Wreath

Hey there, friends!

I hope you all had a blessed Easter! We had an absolutely beautiful day! We had some amazing worship, delicious lunch at our favorite cajun restaurant (because doesn't cajun just scream Easter, hahaha!) and spent the afternoon playing in the yard!

I wanted to pop in today and let you know that I have a fun project up over at Wayfair. Remember my Stacked Autumn Wreath? Well, after being put away for Christmas she got a new makeover and is now my Stacked Spring Wreath! She's bright, and pretty, and I love the way she dresses up my door!

Hop on over to Wayfair and check it out! Maybe leave her some love? 

Love your story today!

Heather

Simple Steps to a Cleaner Kitchen

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FoamSensations #CollectiveBias

Hi friends!

Anyone who knows me knows that the words "neat" and "tidy" do not apply to me in any way, shape, or form. I would love to be that person that has everything neatly in it's place before they head off to bed, but it's just not my skill set.

However, I am trying to work on those little "hot spots". You know, the areas in your home that turn into catch-alls? Today I am tackling one of those spots in my kitchen (yes, I said one of...it's a work in progress!). It's time to dress up the sink!

DIY Lego Table

Hi friends!

I am so excited to share this with you! This was my very favorite Christmas project this year. It was also my first time painting and repurposing furniture. Yay for trying new things! I knew I wanted a LEGO table for Abbey, but we are limited on space. This ended up being the perfect size!

Stacked Autumn Wreath

Hi friends!

I haven't had the chance to do a decor project in ages! This one fit the bill perfectly.

I love fall decorating. Like, LOVE it. Probably more than Christmas. There's just something about these warm colors. I don't really do the creepy Halloween decorations, so my fall stuff stays out from September until the day after Thanksgiving (when the Christmas stuff comes out, duh!)

I have a wreath on my front door pretty much year round. Grapevine wreaths are my favorite because they are so easy to switch out with the seasons! However, they can be a little thin sometimes. This fixes that, and gives you more ways to personalize! Bonus!

Easy Peasy DIY Cloth Diaper Safe Laundry Detergent

Hi friends!

I've been on a mission over the past year or so to get as many harsh cleaning chemicals out of our home as possible. One of the easiest ways to do that is to make homemade laundry detergent! I was using the most common dry recipe out there with Fels Naptha, but I found out when I was pregnant with Owen that Fels Naptha can build up in cloth diapers and impact their absorbency. No good! Then I found out that Castile Soap doesn't build up, and life was good again!

Here it is, my favorite recipe.

A Pretty Little Project

Hi guys!

I am falling in love with embroidery! I know, right?! I would have thought I was crazy, too, but simple projects that can be done in an evening or two make me happy!

Read all about it at {Fancy Little Things}

Easter Mantle {and a free printable!}

You guys!

I have a mantle to decorate!

Well, sort of...

Ok, so it's a shelf, but it's mine and I get to decorate it however I want after a year and a half of keeping my decorations in a box! It makes me happy.

It's a good combination of things we already had and a few new goodies.

Here are the goods:

The candle holders were a wedding gift from my Aunt and Uncle. I can't find the candles for them so they're doubling as sort-of apothecary jar/candy bowls. The little bird used to sit on top of our cabinets in AZ. We don't have cabinet tops anymore so he'll need a new home. Maybe this is it. The nest is from the dollar section at Target! Woot!

Isn't the bunny cute? Hobby Lobby, 40% off. Go hit up the Easter sales before they pack them up! I love tulips. They might be my favorite. Since I'm dealing with a red wall I had to skip the pretty pink ones, but I like the white ones too!

My favorite part is the banner. It just finishes the whole thing off in a way that makes me happy.

You know what else makes me happy? Giving things to you! Not only do I have a tutorial for that little banner, but I have a printable for you, too! You'll be able to grab it at the end of this post.

Here we go!

I could have just cut triangles and handwritten the letters, but I have not been blessed with cute lettering skills. I knew it would make me crazy if I tried, so I dove into Photoshop and made myself a little template, complete with cute font.

I started with paper grocery bags:

Using a piece of paper as a template I cut the bags into 81/2 by 11 pieces. I ended up needing 3 bags to get the pieces I needed.

I ran them through my printer and printed out my templates.

Then used some pinking shears (the cheap craft kind!) to cut them out.

From there I strung them on some twine and hung it up. Done and done!

Confessions:
- I wish it was a little bit smaller. Not enough to make another one, but I'll probably re-do it next year.
- I may or may not have hot-glued the banner to my shelf.
- This is literally the only spot in our new house that is finished. Priorities.

Want to make your own banner? Download your free printable HERE!

Be blessed!

Heather

I'm linking up at: Sorta Crunchy

Dream House: Bathrooms

Hi friends!

Well, we're STILL on the hunt for a rental home, and it's got me in full on dream mode!

Today I have some bathrooms for you. I've found that I have a really hard time decorating bathrooms, so these will definitely come in handy. Hopefully sooner, rather than later...

I love this bathroom from LiveLoveDIY. It's calm and soothing, but the stripes give it some interest. I think it would be fun to add some colorful accessories. It would make it super easy to change the feel of the room, without doing everything over! Aqua in the summer, rust and reds in the fall and around Christmas....oh fun!

Speaking of color, I love the colors in this bathroom from Everyday Moments! It's a small bathroom, but it really packs a punch. I love the way the brown tones sort of calm down the aqua and lime. This is one of my favorite color combos! It's an amazing renovation, so go check it out.

I remember thinking "toilet rooms" like this were so strange when we first got to Arizona. They're so common out there. They're not particularly common here in the midwest, but if I ever have one again I am definitely adding shelves like this! What fantastic storage!

We're hopefully looking at some more houses this week or next. Say a prayer for us!

Be blessed.

Heather

The Sweater Pumpkin

Hi friends! 

This tutorial was my first ever guest post (on Sugar Bee Crafts!) just after I started blogging. I never got a chance to post it here, so I thought it deserved to be shared again. Fall is my all time favorite season to decorate for. It may even out rank Christmas (I know!). I'm so excited to pull this little guy out again this year!

This project started out at Goodwill (don't the best ones always start at Goodwill?). I found this "awesome" sweater for $5, and just knew it had secret pumpkin aspirations.

I started by cutting the sleeves off, and making rectangles out of those top 3 orange stripes.

Note: When you're cutting up a striped sweater, make sure you either do it one side at a time, or make sure the stripes are lined up. Of course I remembered to do that...psh! Who would forget to do that! 

Take one of your rectangles, fold it in half and pin it like so:

(I need more blog friendly pins...)

Sew a 1/4 inch seam down this edge. Then fold each half in half and do the same thing again. You'll end up with something like this:

Repeat this whole process with the other rectangle, and then sew the two rectangles together, leaving you with something like this:

Grab a needle and thread and gather up one end of your pumpkin. It's difficult to get it closed up all the way, so I cut a rough circle out of brown felt and (very!) roughly whip stitched it on to cover up the edges.

At this point, it also makes a great hat!

(I love this smile!!)

Loosely gather up the other side. Fill your pumpkin with fiber-fill, our your stuffing of choice, and cinch it up. Leave your opening large enough that you could shove some more stuffing in there if you want once it's closed. 

Now your pumpkin needs a top. I grabbed a stick from outside, cut pumpkin-toppy (??) shape out of some green felt, and stuck the stick through the middle. I put a bit of hot glue around the bottom of the hole, just to keep everything secure.

This piece then got hot glued to the top of my pumpkin. Then I added some copper wire that was just sitting around. I twisted it around the stick a few times, and then wrapped the ends around a pencil to make some super cute little curly-cues.

Isn't it cute? I am thrilled with the way this pumpkin turned out. I plan on turning the bottom part of my sweater into a pumpkin as well, and maybe the turtleneck as well! I'll have a cute little pumpkin family! OK...maybe you're not as excited about that as I am...Whatev.

Sorry for the lame-o pics! I craft in a basement, and took pictures at night. Bad blogger, bad!

Be blessed!

Heather

I'm linking up. Come play with me!

Dream House: Kids Rooms

Hi friends!

I had a lot of fun putting together today's Dream House installation. There are just so many fun kids rooms out there!

I'm in love with this girls room from Just a Girl. The colors are perfect, and I love the texture from the zebra print rug. It adds some fun, but not holy-cow-in-your-face like black and white zebra print can be.

I love the "built in" look of this bed nook in a dormer room I found at Houzz. I can just imagine being a little girl hiding out in there with my favorite books!

Eclectic Kids design by Richmond Interior Designer Ben Dial

Speaking of little hiding spaces, how great is this playhouse bed from Ana White?! P.S. If you're in looking for some great DIY furniture plans, Ana NEEDS to be your first stop. She has some amazing plans (think Pottery Barn, Ballard, etc...).

I'm also crazy about these bunk beds from Decor Pad. Think about it. The reason you usually opt for bunk beds is to save on space, but they end up being so huge and bulky! These don't take up a ton of visual space, which is great!

These last too aren't complete rooms, but they are kids spaces. I think it's important for kids to have their own space in the house outside of their room, even if it's small. Sometimes separate play tooms aren't an option, and these two spaces bring some definition to other rooms in the house, without completely taking over the room.

This reading nook  from Naptime Decorator, in what looks to be a living room, is adorable! The whole family can be in the same room at the same time, and still feel like they aren't invading each other's space!

And this Creativity Center from Modern Parents, Messy Kids fits right in the corner of their kitchen. How great would that be at dinner time?! Oh, and it's all from IKEA, so you know I'm in love. We already have that table and chairs, so I see one of these in Abbey's future!

Be blessed!

Heather

Dream House: A Perfect Patio with World Market!

Hi friends!

We're a big backyard family. My parent's house has a huge backyard with a great deck. We eat dinner out there as often as we can. I think a house is incomplete without an outdoor space. So I did some "window shopping" at World Market. Love that place! They always have interesting home decor, and I was not disappointed as I looked for patio goodies! 

Here's what I found:

1. Outdoor Deck Tiles: We had a "patio" at our old house. Well, we had a bunch of cement paving squares in the back corner of our yard. These would be SO much cuter!
2. Pagoda Blue Adirondack Chair: I love me a good adirondack chair. Make it my favorite color? Sold.
3. Rio Carnival Stripe Umbrella: Who doesn't love a pretty umbrella? Especially when it matches your new adirondack chair in your favorite color!
4. Catalina Pool Lounger w/ Tray: Every good back yard space needs a lounge chair for reading. I love that this one has a little tray for your favorite beverage! There are cushions in all sorts of pretty colors.
5. Wood Outdoor Cooler: To keep those favorite beverages cold. duh.

World Market also has an amazing (seriously!) sweepstakes going on right now. Check it out!

Look at those prizes!


**Grand Prize package includes:

- A trip for two to to Santa Fe, New Mexico including hotel and airfare
- Hands on Southwestern Cooking class with Master Chef
- Personally signed glossy cookbook
- Multi-course dinner at the acclaimed Geronimo
- Southwestern Foodie Tour with a cultural kick
- A $1,000 World Market gift card

** There will also be 3 runner up prize winners that will each receive a $500 World Market gift card!

**The Gourmet Getaway Sweepstakes runs from August 18, 2012 until September 21, 2012.

**If you share the sweepstakes with 5 of your friends (via FB share or email) you can receive 5 additional bonus entries. This is part of the registration process when entering. Users can also enter daily for more chances to win.

You can enter the sweepstakes on World Market's Facebook page.
You can also find World Market here: Twitter . Google+ . Pinterest

I'm off to get my entry in!

Be blessed!

Heather

This has been a sponsored post for Pollinate Media Group. All opinions are entirely my own.

Mommy Mondays- Dream House:Bedrooms

Hi friends!

I just noticed that there are a few new kids around here. Welcome, I'm glad to have you!

It's time for my next Dream House installment.

As much as I know what I want in a kitchen, is as much as I DON'T know what I want in a bedroom. The things I have pinned totally run the gamut. No common threads here, my friends!

Let's get to it!

I love this one from Chipping with Charm. I'm not usually a huge fan of Shabby Chic, but it's growing on me a bit. I love the simple take on a canopy bed without having to actually have a canopy. Note to self, add "old ladder" to the thrifting/garage sale list.

Mmmm...look at the colors in this room from House Beautiful! I'm definitely more of a cool color gal, so this room makes me happy!

Are we still doing grey and yellow? Is that still a thing? Well, I hope so, because I love this room from Dwellings by DeVore. Oh and look, another faux canopy! Maybe there are some common threads in here...

I'm also loving the grey/yellow combination with a splash of blue, like this one from 7th House on the Left.

Hey, now that I look at these, blue is a pretty common thread as well! Sweet! Maybe I'm not as scatter brained about bedrooms as I thought I was. I love when that happens!

Happy dreaming!

Be blessed!

Heather

Mommy Mondays-The Dream House: Kitchens

Hello friends.

I've got some more dreaming for you today! Not gonna lie, I'm in the last week of my Master's degree program right now, and taking a little dream break has been great for my mental health!

2 more days...I can do this. I can do this!

What is it about a kitchen? A bad one can completely ruin an entire house, but a good one can make up for a disaster house. They become the social center of the home, and double as learning space, play space, and impromptu dance party space. They really are the heart of the home.

So, on to the dream kitchens.

Really, I could just show you this picture from Homedit and call it a day. I adore green kitchens with white cabinets! We were close in our AZ house. We had painted the walls green, but hadn't gotten around to painting the cabinets. It's probably better that way, I would have been sad to leave it.

This one from It's Overflowing is pretty great, too!

For the sake of dreaming though, let's look at some more gorgeous kitchens.

Ummm....hello, gorgeous!!
This family took a standard tract home kitchen and turned into something amazing! You have to go over to Jilly & Mia and see the before and after pics. I love that the cabinets are different colors!

How great is this built-in breakfast nook from Elle Decor?? Can't you just imagine Saturday morning pancakes?

Ok, if you want to get seriously lost in some kitchen dreaming, check out Kitchen Design Ideas. This one was my favorite, but I could spend hours on that site! Look at those beams on the ceiling! Be still my heart.

See...I told you I have a thing for white cabinets! Ha!

Be blessed!

Heather

The Dream House: Living Room

Hi friends! I've got my next installation of my dream house for you. What's kind of exciting about today's post is that we're actually looking at some rental properties this evening! Woohoo! Maybe some of these things will become reality sooner than I thought. Today I have living rooms for you. The living room in our old house was done in tan, chocolate, red and sage. Of course, in the past year my tastes have completely changed. Take a look at these pictures and see if you can guess what the chance of me being able to use ANY of my old decor are. Haha!

Mmmmm...how yummy is this color combo from The Nester? Love that aqua with the tan. It just looks so clean! Part of me totally wants a white couch. Yes, I have a 3 year old. That's what bleach is for, right??

Source: thesavvyphotographer.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

Here's another take on that same color scheme. Totally different decor style, but I still love it. How great is that fireplace with the built in storage?

Source: google.com via Heather on Pinterest

Speaking of fireplaces with built-ins. I love how these cabinets have been added later, but look like they belong there!

Source: betterafter.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

And just in case we have a house with a big basement that's just dying to be finished. How fun would it be to have your own "movie theater"? This one is pretty simple to do, too!

Source: hgtv.com via Heather on Pinterest

I hope you enjoyed my dreaming.

Keep us in your prayers tonight as we look at houses!

Be blessed!

Heather