{diy} mason jar pendant light

45 Comments

Yesterday I took a photo of our clean kitchen and posted it on Instagram.

I was just happy to have it clean, but I had some questions about the mason jar pendants hanging above our counter.

So, here I am with my first {diy} post…I guess you could call it a tutorial, right?!

{I use the IKEA Hemma light kit, but you can find something similar in the lighting section at Lowes or Home Depot}

home is…personalizing your space.

UPDATE: I recently cleaned our mason jars and added some vent holes to the top by tapping extra holes in the lid with a hammer and nail.

{our home} is what thrifting makes it

3 Comments

I started “thrifting” a few months ago.

I’ve always liked to go “treasure hunting“…at antique stores, the Farm Chicks show, and other local markets/shoppes.

Initially, I went through a run when I would stop at a Goodwill almost every day of the week.

Through thrifting, I have been able to finally turn my house into the home I had imagined on a budget that is realistic.

It has recharged my creativity…for crafts and interior design.

Not to mention, I’ve started a few collections…

Vintage children’s books, map puzzles, embroidery hoops, vintage toys, globes, scales, vintage board games funky old artwork, and vintage pyrex.

I no longer go everyday, but you can bet if I drive by a Goodwill that I will most likely pull into that parking lot for a quick look around.

These photos are from my sewing desk…I don’t actually sew there, but it stores my sewing machine, fabric, and other pretty stuff.

It makes me happy.

Oh, and I have ALWAYS collected Mary Engelbreit stuff.

What recharges your creativity?

Do you collect anything?

home is…creatively recharged.

constant battle

2 Comments

I LOVE a clean house.

I think my house is beautiful when it is clean.

It frustrates me that it is rarely clean.

I have to admit I am spoiled to have housecleaners come into our house twice a month to clean the toilets, mop the floors, and dust my shelves,

BUT…

it’s messy within hours of them leaving.

The constant flow of dishes, laundry, and messes {TOYS} drives me crazy.

And, what drives me even crazier is my creativity {projects}, procrastination, laziness, and lack of motivation for cleaning.

It’s a constant battle.

My creativity creates messes, piles, extra stuff.

My procrastination delays creativity and cleaning.

My laziness means I would rather take a “rest” than do laundry or dishes.

And, my lack of motivation for cleaning means I would much rather be thrifting, creating, or having fun with the kids…which all create more messes.

home is…a constant battle.

{thrifting} on a whim

7 Comments

This morning started out with Lorelai asking to paint.

She didn’t just ask to paint, she asked if she could paint a picture for me.

How could I say no?!

Ryan left for a business trip and about 30 minutes after he left the house I got this e-mail from him:

“Did I really leave my phones at home?”

Yes. Yes, he did leave his phones at home.

So, the kids and I were quickly out the door to Fed Ex.

Since we were already dressed and in the car I figured we should swing by a couple of thrift stores we hadn’t been to in a while.

We found some stuff…

hoops, pyrex, a wooden step ladder…

a Yahtzee from 1975, a red colander for plants, a globe…

milk glass bowl with a beautiful flower pattern from Germany, a yellow Samsonite train case with the key…

and some very cool vintage suitcases.

home is…deciding to do something “on a whim”.

{our home} gallery walled

1 Comment

I’ve been talking about doing a home tour here on the blog, and today I was inspired by Sarah over at Thrifty Decor Chick to share our bathroom.

Our little, tiny powder bath.

We painted and put a new vanity and light in there over a year ago.

It was improved, but boring.

If you’ve been to our home, chances are you’ve been stuck in the powder bath lately (up until last week, the pocket door would stick…bad).

The good news is there is lots for you to look at if you do get stuck in there.

After the holidays, I finally got around to hanging artwork and photographs up on our walls (it only took 4 years).

This spring, I started to find some fun items while thrifting.

Along with some original artwork from family, some photographs, the kids hand and foot prints, my old teddy bear, a chalkboard from The Farm Chicks Show, and a few frames filled with cork the walls of this small room filled up quickly.

There are still a few frames to fill , but I love this room.

After we installed the new vanity, I was bothered by the fact that the wall around the vanity needed to be repaired, the flooring needed to be replaced, and we were missing some trim. You can see it all in the photo below…

In hindsight, I would have left the old vanity and just painted it.

The artwork, paint, new faucet, and lighting add what I was really looking for in this room.

home is…something to look at.

super

6 Comments

We celebrated Reece’s birthday with friends on Saturday. It was a long awaited, talked about, and planned for party. We had a 1st birthday party for Reece in 2008, but since then we have not had a party for him.

This year, he wanted to have a party…

and, it was super.

As friends entered the house they were greeted by this…

I made the capes, they just added the decorations.

After the kids decorated their capes, the rest of the party was outside.

The tattoos were a hit.

It was so fun to see our yard decorated for the party and full of friends.

After some play and snacking it was time for the superheroes to save the day!

I love the look on Reece’s face as he’s watching the piñata be destroyed!

Everybody is ready to run for the loot…

The piñata was filled with superhero stickers, pencils, erasers, and fruit snacks.

The kids played for a little bit after the piñata.

One of the favorite places was the Batcave.

I threw some glow sticks under there for the kids to find. The girls took it over as their hideout…

Aren’t they all so pretty?

Cake was next on the agenda…

I have to admit, I did not cook a thing for this party. I bought the cake and put some of Reece’s superhero action figures on top.

Snacks were pretzels, popcorn, snack mix, and cheese puffs in buckets with paper bags for the kids to fill.

Drink choices were gatorade or water…and beer for the adults.

Finally, on to the gifts. The party was small enough that we could open the gifts during the party…and it was another “activity” for everybody to participate in.

Ryan was “warned” about the swarming that happens once gift opening begins…this is his reaction and description of actually seeing it happen!

Ryan was in charge of activities so I could take photos. He did an awesome job of keeping things under control.

Again, LOVED seeing friends filling our yard.

It was a super party.

Thank you to all the “Super Friends” who helped to make the day special!

I’ll be posting some of the details about the capes, bunting, invitations, piñata, and other homemade decorations in the coming days.

home is…a super celebration for our five year old!

super party prep

1 Comment

We have a 5th birthday party coming up.

So, I’m in SUPER party prep mode.

It’s kind of overwhelming…

I want to make sure he has fun with his friends.

I want it to be AMAZING.

I’m afraid I won’t do it JUSTICE.

I want it to be the WORLDS GREATEST.

And, in the end, a little bunting, some games, a piñata, and friends should be enough.

home is…reminding myself what’s important.

{summer list} some things are easier to cross off than others

Leave a comment

We’ve been checking items off our summer list.

Zoo

Splash park

Watch fireworks

We had some friends over on the 4th of July. We ate, drank, played, set off fireworks, and walked to the local fireworks show down the street.

And, today…

Potty training

We didn’t check it off, but we inadvertently started. Lorelai wants to wear undies. So, after she got out of bed this morning we put undies on. Shortly after breakfast, I decided that we needed to get out of the house while Ryan worked from home. My plan was to go to Goodwill and see where else the morning took us.

I asked Reece use the bathroom and gave Lorelai the choice to put on a diaper or try to pee on the potty. She refused the diaper, so I told her she would need to go pee on the potty before she could put her undies back on.

We sat in the bathroom for over 3 hours.

Fruit snacks.

Books.

Drinks.

Ipad.

Lunch.

Iphone.

Popsicle.

Hugs.

Finally, I gave in.

I was tired of sitting in the bathroom and she wanted to get off the potty. It’s been four hours…and, really, 6 hours since she got up and had her diaper changed.

She told me she will let me know when she needs to go.

I even offered her a diaper and she does NOT want to put one on.

We’ve moved outside, and she still hasn’t gone pee…

until just a second ago (at 3:15 pm) when she was standing on the deck and said, “I’m going pee!”

Six hours later.

I’m not sure I’m ready for this.

home is…working on our summer list (some items are easier to cross off than others).