greenhouse from salvaged windows

 going through an old journal, i stumbled across these photos... from 1995.

(that's so long ago that i used an old-school film-loaded camera and had them printed!)

they show a very sweet birthday surprise that my late husband created for me:
a small backyard greenhouse, made from vintage windows.

he covertly collected vintage windows and a door (free off of Craigslist!)

then built the frame and inserted the windows to make this charming little place for me...

it was one of the nicest birthday gifts he ever gave me.

(i just wish i had been a better photographer back then!)

continue reading for more photos, and details about how he built it...

paint chip shamrocks!

it's finally MARCH!
so now i can divulge the second decor project that i came up with
after creating my 'painted paint chip' paper <<< click for tutorial
(this project was actually the REASON i came up with that alternative to using actual paint chips)

inspired by my own pink 'paint chip hearts' shared back in February, 
i tweaked that process to make shamrocks to decorate with, in honor of St. Patricks' Day - 
and it's SO easy, even your kids can do this!

continue reading for an easy-peasy spring decor craft that your little leprechauns will love...

painted 'paint chip' wall art

in a past post, i used pink paint chip cards to make decorative hearts.

i also talked about how it is decidedly NOT cool 

to grab handfuls of paint chip cards from your local hardware or paint store, 

and suggested a few ways to obtain said paint chip cards without being greedy.

today, i came up with another alternative - just paint your own 'paint chips'!

i grabbed some heavy white paper and some craft paints to try out my idea,

and it works so well that i immediately made some wall art out of it!

continue reading for an easy paint tutorial,
and in just a short time, you can have SHEETS of 'paint chips' to craft & decorate with!

salvaged galvanized bucket fountain

when we moved into our newly constructed house almost four years ago, 

the entire backyard was nuthin' but dirt.

together, Mom and i came up with ideas for our own personal oasis,

i created a plan and sketches, and after a harrowing journey with the WRONG contractor,

we got the RIGHT guy - and our vision finally began to unfold.

when it came to the center of the yard design, we knew we wanted a fountain -

but we couldn't find anything commercially that we liked.

so i started looking at what we had and what i could do with it...

and what we HAD were some galvanized buckets and watering cans!

continue reading to see how i created an easy fountain with them...

faux concrete paint effects

one of my 'Most Popular' blog posts is my 'faux concrete pumpkins paint tutorial' *

shared in fall, 2014, traffic on it has been crazy ever since - all year long!

when i saw THIS PHOTO on a friend's fb page,
i loved the look of the aged, patinaed concrete swan.
it inspired me to make over an old project using my paint technique...

continue reading to see how i used paint alone to create the same effect!

freshening up!

as March approaches and spring arrives, 
i tend to gravitate toward greens and yellows as accent colors in my neutral home...
what's YOUR favorite color right now?

wait - what??? COLOR? ooooh, scary, right?

you can live with color without committing to long-term change!

add a few simple colorful accessories to your office or entry way

and your neutral rooms will SPRING to life! 

in this past post, i shared some of my office organization & decor ideas,

along with photos of my own studio spaces over the years.

i recently came across photos of another office space i had in the past,
that i spruced up with a shot of bright chartreuse green.

this seems like a good time to share those, with a seasonal change on the way.
giving our spaces a face lift as spring approaches is a great idea...

continue reading to see how offices and front entries can quickly look and feel 'spring fresh'!

a quick Valentine's Day table to love

the truth is, incorporating seasonal decor in my home

all started for the simple reason of making my four children smile.

i loved doing things each month that would delight them, and make them feel special...

every month of the year, there is a holiday - some are major, some are minor.

and if there wasn't one on the calendar, i'd make one up: "It's SUNSHINE day!"

on the 'big day' (whatever that was - including birthdays), 

the kitchen table would be decked out colorfully in the theme for the day.

a fun breakfast table and a special treat like cookies, stickers, or a tiny stuffie from the dollar store

started their day off in a happy mood and let them know that they were special to ME... 

worth the effort to make things fun just for them.
(what can i say? decorating is my love language!)

now, i'm not ashamed to say that we had very little money while raising our four kids.

so i didn't run to the store and grab a bunch of new decor each month...

i simply looked around the house and pulled together things we had that were the right color

(toys, books, crafts made by the kids, decor accessories, flowers, etc)

and made little decor elements out of scraps (sweaters!) and trash (paper!) to coordinate.

i literally 'shopped the house' to create a fun atmosphere for my kids.

today, i'm sharing how i did exactly that with what i have on hand right now!

 continue reading to see how to simply pull together a few items from your home

and instantly create a sweet table to enjoy on Valentine's Day...

gift bag wall art tutorial

i love making somethin' outta' nuthin'! using inexpensive or free supplies is my jam.

and i love sharing those kinds of ideas here.

we all know that crazy-cheap retailers like Dollar Tree have loads of paper gift bags every season:

(Dollar Tree photo)

did you ever think of those as not just gift bags but craft supplies?

doing something unexpected with things is my jam, too...

like turning gift bags into wall art that echoes the current 'handlettered sign' trend! 

continue reading for this super 'fast, cheap & easy' project tutorial

heart of glass

 if you're as old as me, you might know that this blog post's title is actually a song title.

(by the band Blondie, waaaaaaay back in the late 70's)

in the song, a heart of glass gets broken.
around here, there are some glass hearts that have been in our stash SINCE the late 70's -
and the fact that they haven't broken yet is kinda' amazing, if you ask me!

by incorporating those small-ish glass hearts into our existing winter decor,
they instantly bring a Valentine's Day vibe for the month of February.

continue reading to see how...