Out On The Porch

 
….is this.

This is what we see from the dining room. A colorful collection of birdhouses!

I repainted this birdhouse that I got at Goodwill for $4. It was a sage green and white so I made it more me.

Because I’m not a sage green type of person. I’m an apple green type of person.

This is really all I did this year out on my cold screened porch. Since we’re moving I didn’t want to do a whole lot since I didn't want to have undo a lot!

If you’d like to see what I  did out here last year go here for last year's cozy winter porch – fireplace and all (sold the fpl to a neighbor during the summer).

Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend! Looks like a winter storm is headed our way and I wish I still had the fireplace. Brrrr!

Prism Tree & Organizing Book Winner

Hello everyone! The winner of the book is Miss Pink Ponsonby @ Miss Pink Ponsonby's Swell Soiree (isn’t that a fun name for a blog). Visit her blog to say congratulations when you get a chance. Miss PP I need your mailing address and I’ll ship it out Monday.

I’m taking down the last of the Christmas decor today but I wanted to show you the little arrangement I made for my foyer.

While organizing my linen closet (post to come), I found some blue prisms that used to hang on my sconce in the living room (when it was decorated in blues and browns –can you imagine?) and some extra clear ones. I saw this idea in a magazine while waiting at the dentist, but they just used a few clear prisms (don’t remember the name of the mag).

My moss is being blocked by the Christmas boxes in the mess that is my garage,  so I used some filler from a box of Hickory Farms Sausages on top. It looks a bit messy in the photos but in person it looks like ruffles around the edge of the vase.


Just a little something sparkly to greet you on these dark January days.

A Fresh Start - Book Give Away

              Happy New Year!



Hi everyone! Hope you all had a fun and safe New Year's Eve.The New Year always feels likes such an exciting time to me – full of hope for what’s to come. All those blank calendar pages waiting to be filled!

It also seems like the ideal time to start something new doesn’t it?  Maybe it’s a resolve to exercise more or maybe learn to knit/bake bread/sew etc. Or maybe you’ve decided this is the year of doing less. Just because it’s a New Year doesn’t mean you have to add more things – you can take away :)

This year I’m not making any “resolutions” or “goals”. This year I’m going to focus on a “Word of the Year”. My word for this year is “Organize”. As we get to the final countdown of listing this house, coordinating projects and decluttering will be top priorities. Then finding another place to live, the logistics of moving, setting up home in a smaller space (we are downsizing) and everything that comes with moving to a new place will be next. I think being organized will go a loooong way to making everything run more smoothly and hopefully result in less stress for us all (especially me since it’s up to me to make sure it all happens)!

For the last two years I’ve given away Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover because I believe in his system - I know it works! But this year I’ve decided to give away Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider. She writes the Simple Mom Blog. A really wonderful blog that for some reason is new to me (so many blogs so little time).

All you have to do is leave a (one) comment on this post to be entered. You have until Tuesday night to do so. Unfortunately finances are tight with all this remodeling work that we are doing and I can only ship to the U.S. The winner, chosen randomly, will be announced Wednesday. Both TMMO and the give away book are in my Amazon widget on the sidebar if you’d like to read more about them.

Thank you all for reading this blog - without you it wouldn't be half as much fun! Happy New Year and have a great weekend!

*******Thanks to everyone that entered. This give away is now closed. Check back tomorrow for the winner!****

My Top 2010 Projects Review

I was planning on doing this post next week in 2011, but my friend Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality is having her projects party today so I thought I’d join the fun. Please visit her to see the other party goers.

These are just some of my favorite projects!

This year I replaced the center of a kitchen cabinet with chicken wire and rooster toile.
Cabinet Makeover

I also altered some books with spray paint, stamps and scrapbook paper.
Painted Books & A Fireplace Vignette

One of my very favorite pieces of furniture and my favorite furniture makeover is of a halltree I got at Goodwill.
My Red Foyer


I made my own toile candles and this is such an easy way to personalize your own candles!
How To Make Those Toile Candles

Another piece that I madeover that I’ve used a lot this month is the kitchen cart I got at Goodwill.
Another Goodwill Makeover

Like practically everyone in blogland, I made a coffee filter wreath plus  a few different wreaths like this 
Fall Book Page Wreath Tutorial

and this  Valentine yarn wreath.

So far my very favorite project of the year has to be my dining room! A can of paint, some molding, and decluttering is all it took.
The Dining Room Is Finished

As many of you know, I’m preparing my home to be listed for sale the end of March so I’ve got a “few” more projects left to do - two bathrooms, two bedrooms, lots of decluttering and organizing and some yard projects too!

Thanks so much for stopping by to see what I've done in the past and I hope you all stick around to see all my new projects!

A Snowy Cozy Christmas Weekend

We had a really lovely Christmas and I hope you all did too! The thing that made this Christmas super special is that we got snow!!

It rarely snows in Atlanta in December and it’s even more rare to get snow on Christmas Day. It was a lovely surprise and made the day even more special for everyone. I think the children in the neighborhood enjoyed the snow more than any presents they received under their trees!

Here are a few wintery scenes from my garden….I’m sure the  snow will be gone by tomorrow.







Maxie is enjoying the snow and doesn’t want to come back inside. Yes, I’m leaving you and going inside where it’s warm…crazy dog!

I’ll make some scrumptious hot coffee with Peppermint Mocha creamer, snuggle under a plush throw, have a few Christmas cookies and enjoy my new books for the rest of today!

Thanks for dropping by and please come back on New Year’s Day for my annual A Fresh Start Book Give Away!

Decorating For Christmas

or maybe I should say not decorating for Christmas? I didn’t even do a quarter of the stuff I normally do, but that’s o.k. I just don’t want to invest in the time to pull all that stuff out AND put it  away (we’ve already started packing some stuff up for our move next year).

But I thought I’d show you what I did do this year.

Starting with this little garland I made from a box of knit gloves/stocking I found at Big Lots. I think they’re suppose to be ornaments.

I just tied them on to some Christmas ribbon and hung it above my sofa. I figure this can stay up through winter.

Now I had the best intentions to make another garland using these yo-yos above. But just never got around to it and don’t know if I will (I can’t believe Christmas is so soon – I just got started with my shopping!!!).

But if you want to try it – this is what it’s supposed to look like. Cute isn’t it? This is from the Holiday 2010-2011 issue of Quilting Arts Gifts Magazine.

It has soooo many really cute ideas like these no-sew ornaments that I was going to do in various red fabric and hang off a white tree (maybe next year).

Every year I do a china tree in my dining room. I think it’s a fun tree for a dining room!

This year is no different except I used a white tree and added some of my vintage monogrammed silverware.

Last year I hung small plates as well as the cups.

If you can’t find already made up ornaments (I’ve been lucky with TJ Maxx), a few years ago I took little teacups and saucers from the thrift store and glued the two together (example above). You could also use those play children’s tea sets.

If I had room I’d do a tree  in my kitchen and hang kitchen stuff off it! Fortunately I don’t :)

Finally, I’d like to show you the beautiful burlap table runner the Becky @ Sweet Cottage Dreams made for me. She had a give away last month and I was lucky enough to be one of the winners!

As I told her, I had been wanting to make one for the longest but never got around to it. So how perfect that I won one of hers!

Look at the pretty double ruffle she added! Thank you Becky – I really really love it!

Well gang that’s it for me until next year. I’m going to take a break from blogging. I plan on reading some good books, my daughter and I are working on a puzzle and I’m going to watch season 6 of Gilmore Girls (again) plus a whole lot of other things that have nothing to do with decorating or renovating.

I hope you all make time to really enjoy this holiday season and I hope it’s filled with nothing but good things for each of you.