Added color.

Several weeks ago, I found this idea on Pinterest. My mom does not just have a green thumb... she has a green hand. And not a bit of that rubbed off on me. But I do love a blooming flower.

I loved the bright colors from the post, but knew our house needed something a little more subdued. I used three clay pots and spray painted them black. I used my Cricut to cut out white vinyl circles and add them to the pots. Once I put the soil in the bottom pot, we put a metal rod through all three pots so they wouldn't blow off.  

 We are enjoying petunias for the spring and summer, but can't wait to add pumpkins in the fall! There is so much potential!

Last minute decor

Several months ago, my friend Beth talked about a Pinterest find that featured old Christmas card pictures and numbered them according to the years.  I loved the idea but never found the time to get the pictures printed. She mentioned how much her kids loved looking at past pictures and it dawned on me... I kind of like that too :)

A few weeks ago, Shutterfly offered a great deal that included free prints! I quickly got our Christmas card pictures from the past and a few pictures from the years we didn't send cards printed, then used my Cricut to create a background. I finished them off with the years on the back.



My favorite part is seeing where we have been and what we have done each year we have been married. I imagine hanging them from our steps when we are in a larger home, but loved how welcoming they looked on our entry mirror.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Dare to DIY- Homemade gifts

This week's Dare to DIY Challenge is homemade gifts!

My problem with homemade gifts is that I tend to kill a dead horse...

I make the same thing a billion times and it is no longer unique or fun, so I love this challenge to get new ideas!

My favorite homemade gift this year was inspired from Pinterest (of course!)
When I found this Christmas mantel this summer, I immediately knew I wanted to try to make one of the O Holy Night boards- so cute and such a perfect addition to any Christmas display.

I used a 1x6 piece of wood for the background and asked the hubs to cut, sand, and spray paint it. I used my Cricut and Sure Cuts Alot software to cut the letters, then modge podged them onto the board. I let everything dry, then placed a hanger on the back and voila!
We actually made our first board in August for my mother-in-laws birthday, but have made two more recently for a friend to give as Christmas gifts.
I also made one for Emily Ann's nursery- I love that any phrase can be appropriate. Simple and elegant.

Another favorite homemade gift I am enjoying right now is the yarn wreath. I made a cute gold one for the fall, but wasn't quite finished with my obsession, so I made a Christmas one as well!

There are tons of fabulous directions around the blog world, but they are super easy and such a clean door decoration. The red on the door pops from the street- so much fun!

Have a great night friends!

Dare to... Entertain!

This week's Dare to DIY challenge is Dare to Entertain!

Brian and I began hosting a friend's Thanksgiving potluck dinner our second year of marriage. It is nice because it gives us a chance to pull out our fine china, try out new recipes, and spend time with friends. We have been with different people and done different things each year, but we always try to make it part of our Thanksgiving celebration. 

This year's dinner is tonight and I am so excited! There will be 10 people eating, so we had to be creative with our chairs- I was just excited we were able to fit 10 chairs around our table!

I started with my burlap runner and topped it with a more narrow brown runner. I used my new wooden candle holder (a freebie from a sweet friend!) and alternated each votive with either a flower or a candle. I had a few extra tea lights, so I used them around the candle holder. I also sprinkled coffee beans all over the table for a little fall feel.

We pulled out our fine china and silverware, but went with mason jars for drinking glasses. I really like the mix of the formal and casual and can't wait to find more uses for the mason jars! I wrapped our silverware in brown napkins, then tied a strip of burlap over them. I attached homemade place cards to each napkin with a piece of twine.

Once I was done with the table, I added a bit of festivity to our buffet as well. I hung my Thankful banner over the buffet.  Next, I placed a piece of wrinkled burlap on the corner. I topped it with our pumpkins and our letter J. I also added the two extra mason jars with flowers and a few more coffee beans to add congruency. We will put our desserts on the buffet!

Thanks for checking out our Thanksgiving table!

It's not too late to join the party! Head to Newly Woodwards and link up!
Next week's theme is Dare to... Eat Cookies! Can't wait to find some new recipes and bake some cookies!

Don't forget! 20% off everything in my Etsy shop until Tues., Nov. 29th! Coupon code Thankful!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Hi everyone! Happy Wednesday! I am linking up to This Kind of Love for What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I am LOVING that it is Thanksgiving Break! It was so nice to sleep late this morning! And I'm excited tomorrow's Thanksgiving!

I am loving that I finished my 100 hours in the school library for my graduate internship on Monday. This was the last of my three 100 hour internships, so 300 hours later, I am THRILLED to be done.

I am loving that Friday is the Iron Bowl. For those of you not from the state of Alabama, the Iron Bowl is the Auburn vs. Alabama game. It's pretty major. I am nervous about it. War Eagle.

I am loving these cute little people! 

They are the beginning of Christmas ornaments for my class. I used the Paper Dolls Cricut cartridge to cut them. Today I am going to get "blue jean" paper, some cute paper for shirts, and paper that would work for dirty blond hair. But they are kind of precious the way they are!

I am loving the fact that we are starting to put up Christmas decorations tonight! That way when we get home from Thanksgiving lunch at my parent's house tomorrow night, we can kick off the Christmas season right!

I am loving my handsome husband!

Happy Wednesday my friends!

What are you loving this Wednesday?

Cricut Dreams

Last Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, Brian and I went see our great friends Brad and Katie in Demopolis. Aside from a wonderful time of fellowship and catching up, I was introduced to the Cricut. We spent the weekend finding creative ways to use it. I fell in love and began dreaming of great and fabulous things I could do with it- gifts, classroom, our house, a future nursery. Nothing seemed too big or small for the Cricut.

For our anniversary, my sweet Brian gave me a Cricut. I am beside myself! I have been in heaven creating things for my classroom and am anxious to try cutting fabric and vinyl. I have worked for hours making a word wall and letters for my bulletin boards.

We recently had a new teacher join the 2nd grade team at our school. Aside from the fact that she is Godly and wonderful, she is also VERY creative and fun. As she was setting up her classroom, she hung a painted canvas on the wall to add a homey feel. I decided I needed to do that in my classroom as well and was determined to use my Cricut. After browsing the aisles of Hobby Lobby, I came home with black paint and bright polka dotted paper (I had the canvases at home.)

My final project?

They look awesome in the room, but could also be useful in a playroom one day. I have cut out the words "be creative" and "make good choices" too, but am completely out of black paint. I hope to do those later this week. I have a lot more work to do before I am good at the Cricut, but I am loving the chance to practice! Hopefully you will see more Cricut projects here in the future!