April Showers brought May Flowers!

The other day, Charlotte and I took a walk around the yard to pick some flowers.  I was so surprised by what we found!  That is one of the lovely things about living in the country - lots of wildflowers!  

(and some that I'm pretty sure the previous owner planted :)  

Here's our gathering:

We put them in vases:

This is Charlotte's vase:

And this little bud holds promises of beauty:

Here's a pic of the beautiful Japanese Red Maple behind our home - love it!

So tell me. 

What lovely flowers do you have growing in your yard?

xo

jessica

DIY Anthropologie-inspired Hairbows

These hairbows are easy, sweet, and a great way to use up fabric scraps!

I saw this bow on Anthro:

It's cute, but it is 7" wide and 5" tall.  Pretty big bow.  I wanted to make a few last minute bows to slip into Charlotte's Easter Basket - somehow our bows are always disappearing.  I altered the bows to be about 2" wide and 1 1/2" inches tall.  I made two of each color so she can have one on each side.  If you want to make some for your little one's Easter Basket here's what you'll need:

Fabric scraps (at least 3"x2 1/2")

Sewing machine/thread/scissors

Hair clip

Wire (I used the kind for jewelry making)

Hot glue

Paint chips (optional)

Step 1:  Cut out your fabric scraps 3"x 2 1/2".  Cut two rectangles out for one bow.  Since I made 8 bows, I cut out 16 rectangles.

Step 2:  Lay the fabric right sides together and stitch around 3 sides, leaving one end open (like sewing a tiny pillowcase).

Step 3:  Flip it right sides out and turn the raw edges inside.  Press.  Topstitch the opening closed.

Step 4:  Now twist the rectangle once so that it makes a bow shape.  Wrap the wire around the middle a few times so that it will hold it's shape.

Step 5:  Hot glue the bow to a hairclip. 

Let it dry and that's it!

Step 6:  I had a few paint chips lying around so I made some slits in the cards with an exacto knife

and clipped the bows onto them.

Perfect way to slip them into her little Easter Basket!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

jessica

"Pallet-able" Home Decor

While browsing Pinterest the other day, I came across a gorgeous, eclectic coffee table that I just loved.  It was made from wooden pallets, and I thought, "Ryan could make that".  So I showed it to him. 

He had scooped up some free pallets a while back and was excited to have something to do with them. 

This project was super easy and fast - he cut two pallets down to size, then stacked them on top of one another.  He then white washed them with a mix of water and white paint.  Lastly he added the casters so we can roll it to the side for impromptu dance parties. 

It's a very sturdy table, and I love the second shelf , because we can put some of Charlotte's books there. 

It really brightens things up in our living room!

hope you had a great weekend! 

xo

jessica

Spring Cleaning Update

I've been playing along with Ask Anna...'s Spring Cleaning Challenge.  I have to admit - it's been kinda hard but totally rewarding.  Here are a few pics from my cleaning adventures.

I cleaned all my windows using hot soapy water and a squeegee:

I dusted all of my vents:

dusty

clean

 

I washed my drapes:

I cleaned my floors ( I scrubbed the corners with a toothbrush and everything...)

Wiped down my walls, cabinets, and doors

(yuck!  how did they get so dirty?!)

much better :)

Cleaned out and organized my freezer/frig (don't worry I did buy food yesterday...):

Dusted everything in my house - including the insides of my cabinets:

Just a few more days to go!  My house really looks great!  

Have you been spring cleaning?

xo

jessica

Hello....Cupcake?

This is not my idea.  I totally copied it. 

But Ryan and I thought it would be funny to make these cupcakes for him to take to work today.

They're small and cute - in happy spring colors.......

and made of meatloaf and mashed potatoes ;)

Happy April Fool's Day!
xoxo
jessica

Decorating for the Seasons

So....guess what decorations are still up in my house.  St. Patricks?  nope.  Valentine's Day?  nope.
Snowy wintry snowman?  nope.

Christmas.

That's right.  Christmas.  I would like to tell you that I forgot to take it down because it was adorning some out-of-the-way corner - but it's not true.  It is hanging above my entertainment center. 

I stare at it every day.  When we sit our tired bums down in the evening we are greeted by this:

Cute for December.  Not-so-much for March.  I don't know why I haven't changed it - or at the very least taken it down.  BUT in the spirit of good Feng Shui (more on that tomorrow) I decided it was time.  Seize the moment.  Just do it.  blah blah blah.

So I took it down.  Now what?  Gotta be something cute...I write a blog about homemaking.  So it was off to the Dollar Tree to see what I could find.  Here's what I emerged with:

plus two mermaids, a bunch of play grapes, and a pretend baby bottle ;)

I wrapped some neutral yarn around the moss stones, gathered the flowers into a bunch, and added one of my floral eggs. 

Then I glued these flowers and moss stones to a piece of cardboard.

I cut around the cardboard so you can't see it from the front. 

I taped it to the window pane.   Lastly I taped a picture of Charlotte's first Easter onto the window, and wrote the word Spring with a dry erase marker.

There.  That's much better. 

So tell me...what's the longest you've left decorations up after the holiday has passed?
xoxo
jessica

Come on Spring!

A few days ago, Charlotte and I were playing by the creek in our yard.

Everything looked so pretty - the grass is just starting to pop up.

Apparently, it's typical, but here's what my yard looked like today.

Winter had to have one last fling (I hope it's the last!) before spring.

 Mmmmm....spring.

hope you had a springy weekend

jessica