I Heart this Wreath…

Today I am re-posting a Valentine project from a couple of years ago. It's hard to believe it has been 2 years since I made this pretty little wreath. I do not use alot of Valentine decor...but this one is still a favorite that I put out each year.

This project started out with a wire coat hanger, sheet music, a roll of .20 gauge wire, and mod podge…

After bending my wire hanger into the shape of a heart…I stalled and was not sure exactly what  I was going to make. Then, I came across this wreath from Lucy at the blog Craftberry Bush, and found the inspiration I needed!

Since mine is a little bit different, I will show you a quick step by step on how to create your very own.

Start by bending your wire hanger into the shape of a heart. I decided to leave the top so it could be used to hang your finished wreath. Then form a length of your .20 gauge wire into the word Love...

Next, attach the Love to your heart shape. I used a little bit of thinner wire to attach the letter “L” and just wrapped the tail of the letter “e” around the heart…

Now for the messy part…wrap your strips of sheet music all around the heart and the word Love…lots and lots of strips…

While that is drying…cut out some paper leaves and make some paper rosettes. I followed the easy step by step directions by Emily at Jones Design Co. here. I also covered some wire to create the curly pieces and went out into the yard to collect a few twigs…

Then just hot glue all of your adornments onto your wreath however you like. I also decided to add some paper butterflies cut out from book pages. You can add whatever you like to customize your wreath…

Have fun with it!

I Love this Wreath!

Happy Thanksgiving…

The Secret to Dried Hydrangeas…

 

 

Yes, I know the secret…and I am going to share it with you! Here it is…

 

 

Put your beautiful bunch of hydrangeas into a vase with just enough water to cover the stems.
Then...let the water evaporate!

That’s it!

 

 

By allowing the water to slowly evaporate on its own, the cut hydrangeas dry perfectly. Every time!

 

 

 

 

 

I am giving my friend Lynelle the credit for this clever tip…and the credit for these beautiful blooms from her yard.

Thanks Lynelle!

 

 

 

 

October Chalk Art…

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday I finally changed my chalk board canvas to something a little more festive…

 

 

Witches, broomsticks and a little Hocus Pocus seemed fitting for the season!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, I just freehand my drawings and doodles. Sometimes I will browse my Pinterest board titled Chalk Art…see it here…for inspiration and ideas. My Halloween chalk art from a couple of years ago is one of my most popular pins!

 

 

 

 

See how I made my chalk board in this post. It is the perfect place to add a festive touch to my family room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life is a beautiful ride…

And so is my new Electra Cruiser!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been wanting a new bike, and specifically a cruiser, for a long time now…so what better time than your birthday?! I spent a few minutes browsing thru Pinterest and fell in love with some of the beautiful photos of bicycles…

 

 

 

via

 

 

source?

 

 

via

 

 

I visited our local bike shop and picked out an Electra Cruiser 7D. This classic beach cruiser style comes with 7 gears and hand brakes. Perfect for cruising around town and to the market.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love the vintage styling and quality of the Electra brand bicycles. I was able to select a favorite color…Seafoam Green..and a few custom pieces like the  brown seat, grips, basket, and  white fenders…

 

 

 

 

 

I stopped by Trader Joe’s on the ride home and picked up some pretty fall Sunflowers…and just could not resist taking a few stylish photos of her…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I named her Genevieve. She is classic with just a touch of pizzazz on her handlebar bell…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Riding to the Farmer’s Market will be extra fun on Saturday mornings! Life is a beautiful ride…especially on a classic cruiser named Genevieve!

 

 



 

Happy Fall!

 

 

 



 



 

 

My (non-fall) house tour…

The title of this post is due to the fact that most all of my favorite bloggers are sharing their beautiful homes decorated for fall. I have not yet put out any fall touches…just some fun party décor!

via Instagram

 

 

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you know that I have been decorating for my birthday/open house party! Since we were under construction pretty much all summer, I decided to throw a big party to celebrate my new decade…and our new kitchen!

 

Here is my party chalk art…

 

 

 

 

 

I was so happy to get my chalkboard canvas back up on the wall. I love having a prominent place to doodle and create.

 

Lets start the tour at the front door. We replaced our double front doors to add a larger single door with side lights.

 

 

 

 

 

After…

 

 

 

Door color ~ Sherwin Williams /  #7624 Slate Tile

 

 

 

The old door had 2 very small obscure glass windows that left our entry rather dark. The new door is 42” wide and fit perfectly in the space after removing the old 36” double doors. We found that we rarely opened and used the double door opening…maybe twice a year…once at Christmas to move in a tree, and if I bought a new large piece of furniture. The wider single door will now accommodate those two occasions…and lets in much needed light to our entry way.

The entry hall…

Ceiling Light ~ Overstock

 

 

We repainted the entry wall white which also helps lighten the space. I added a pretty new ceiling fixture with a few crystals that bounce the light around in a fun way.

The living room…

 

 

 

 

 

 

View into the new kitchen dining area…

 

 

 

 

 

Note that I still need to finish painting my Craig’s List chairs white…add it to the list!


The family room with the new mantel. I have been wanting to hang a mantel on this fireplace forever. When we were shopping for reclaimed wood at Heritage Salvage, I found this beam that I knew would work perfect! It is a solid redwood beam once used at Rodney Strong winery to hold wine barrels…cool! Our friend Steve came over the night before the party and hung it, as is, in about 10 minutes. I did not even sand or refinish it at all…I like its rustic and natural style…

 

Thanks Steve!

 

 

Here is a little peek at our back sun room…

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m pretty sure I have never shown this room before. It was an addition to our house, built by a previous owner. I love the all the windows and the french doors that open onto the back yard…

 

 

 

The yard, all dressed up and ready to party…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am happy to report that the new kitchen is done and ready to work in! Steve’s son Aaron is a talented chef and he prepared some delicious food!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Such a fun day spent with family and friends. I was so happy to open up our home after a long summer of the dust and disarray of remodeling.  I will be enjoying this festive décor for a few more days…then I will be ready to add some fall touches.

 

 

 

 

Happy Friday!