Random Act of Kindness #11

Yea for Thursday! Today's a big day around here, Jennifer and I are hosting our decorating party tonight. There's so much to do to get ready for events like this! My daughter woke up and said,"I bet you're excited for tonight!" I had to stop a minute and learn a quick lesson from her. You see, my initial thought was about the millions of details I need to wrap up and to be honest, I'm feeling a little stressed. When I look at it through my daughter's eyes, it's such a great reminder that I need to be excited and not get bogged down. Yet, rather embrace the excitement that came along with the initial idea. Kid's have so much to teach us!

Moving on, today's RAK challenge involves this...

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RAK Challenge: Pray for your children's "to be" spouses.

One day we're going to be adding a daughter-in-law and a son-in-law into our family, God willing. My husband and I have decided to start praying for these two wonderful beings now. I ask God for protection over them. I also pray for their parents' marriages. It's my hope that their parents' are modeling a healthy marriage and growing them in an environment that will one day lead into a healthy marriage with one of our own children.

Our kids are growing up with so many difficult decisions and temptations staring them right in the face. I ask God to guide the path of these little ones and to bless them with wisdom beyond their years when it comes to their decision-making.

Today's RAK will touch the lives of many...yours, your children, and people you haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet!

If you're new to my blog, there's lots to catch up on. You can start here and here. It's never too late to start spreading kindness!

Yet another use for drawer pulls...

What's one to do with extra drawer pulls and a cutting board? Make a serving tray, of course! Isn't that the logical thing?

For this simple DIY project, I had to call in the big guns...

Me: "Honey, can I use your tools? Oh, yeah, and can you give me a quick little how-to session?"

Big gun: "Sure, mom. Should I just do it for you?"

Me: "No, I think it's time for me to learn how to do it myself. Thanks, though!"

Big gun: "Okay, but I can help you when I get home from school if you need me."

So let's break it down, friends...

First, hit Hobby Lobby for drawer pulls and Ross for inexpensive cutting boards. Those yellow clearance stickers sure are pretty, aren't they? 

Next, attach the handles with a handful of screws and you're done! Could it be any easier?

These handy little trays would make great hostess gifts if you're headed somewhere for Thanksgiving or just add them your spread if you're the one doing the entertaining!

This fabulous idea originated at The Creativity Exchange.

Need help turning your house into a place you can't wait to come home to?... Contact me!

Linking to: DIY by Design              Savvy Southern Style
                  Blue Cricket Design       The Thrifty Home
                  House of Hepworths      The Shabby Creek Cottage
                  The Shabby Nest

Crazy Cool Product

I think I just found a new (to me, at least) product that might just become a quick favorite. Have you heard of happytape? If you're a lover of ribbon and accessories, get ready to add this to your list. 

Tina Rice

Isn't this oh so pretty and fun? So the story goes that Tina found this patterned masking tape in Japan and couldn't find it anywhere in the United States. And what's a smart person to do when you realize something isn't available in your region?...find a way to make it available! That's exactly what she did.

Several other selections that rock:

Let's get our creative juices flowing and think of how we could use these pretties? I was quick to think it'd be a neat way to dress up the packages under the tree. If you like to involve your kids when it comes to decorating, it would be super simple to hand them a few strips and let them bring the gifts to life. 

Here I am thinking this is such a fun idea so I go to search for a few images of Christmas presents and lo and behold, what do I find? Martha Stewart beat me to the punch! Can you believe it? She stole my idea! (Yeah, right)

This is how she does it...

Earlier I mentioned this product was "new to me" because once again, I'm a little late in the game. Check out what these two wonderful bloggers created with happytape.

Little Green Notebook

A Creative Day

Eileen, from A Creative Day, has a great giveaway going on right now. You may want to stop by and enter. If you don't, that's okay too, so I'll have a bigger chance of winning!

I hope you've found some inspiration today, friends. Remember, great ideas were meant to be copied...just give credit where credit is due!

If you'd like a little help creating something fabulous in your own house, contact me! Let's get started!

**Gift certificates available for design services. Add it to your Christmas list today!***

Great Idea Up for Grabs

Happy Monday, friends! Was you're weekend fun? Did you work hard or play hard? Between my family we managed to fit in 3 birthday parties, 1 movie, a grandparent sleepover, church and mowing the yard. Whew, it was a busy one around here!

Today I'm offering up a great idea and hoping someone will snag it and send me pictures! I want to do it in my own house, but since my house is one-story I don't have a wall large enough.

It all began when I was helping a sweet friend brainstorm some ideas for her home last week and I came across this picture.

Pinterest

Wow, right? Talk about a statement! Many two-story houses have huge wall spaces that are really difficult to fill up. Well, here's your solution, friend!

It seems like this would be a fairly easy DIY project if you are at all handy with a saw, or know someone who is!

First, go to IKEA and buy your mirrors. They have some that would work perfectly and there are a variety of shapes available. This will definitely make space planning much easier.

Here are a few:

Based on size, they range in price from $14.99 to $39.99. 

Next, use a little Liquid Nails to adhere the mirrors to the wall (after some careful measuring and marking off the walls, of course).

Using half round trim, frame out each mirror.

Next, use 2x4's to frame out the large areas. 

Last, finish it all off with a little, okay, a lot of caulk then paint it up pretty!

Of course, this look is great painted white, but I think it'd be super dramatic painted in a deep color as well. So, are you the one who's going to run with this idea? Send me pictures if you do!

If you're ready to bring new life to one of your rooms, contact me.  

***Gift certificates available for design services. Add it to your Christmas list!***

Mirror Design Board

Mirror, mirror on the wall... make my room the prettiest of all! 

This design board speaks for itself. It's a simple look to duplicate. It can cost you tons or patience and frugality can be used to replicate it on a dime. Mirrors are easy to find at garage sales, thrift stores and of course, wait for Hobby Lobby to run them half off. Collect a few here and there and before you know it, you've got an entire wall of decor that will add great reflection and interest to your home.

If you're not the patient type, then you're in luck...shop this look at the following sites:

1. Starburst Mirror, Crate & Barrel

2. Walker, U Mirror, Target

3. Kylie Wall Mirror, Home Decorators

4. Portico Mirror, West Elm

5. Orleans Wall Mirror, Target

6. Home ORB Sunburst, Target

7. Clara Table Lamp, Home Decorators

8. Azure Sofa, Crate & Barrel

9. Zebra Oblong Pillow, Target

10. Aqua pillow, Target

11. Driftwood End Table, Crate & Barrel

Fun news... I'm offering on-line design boards for as low as $50! If there's a small area in your house that you just can't seem to get right, $50 will get you a quick solution. Send me a wall, a corner or a niche and we can create a great new space that just might become your jumping off point for the rest of your room. If this interests you or if you're wanting to create an entire room of wonderfulness, contact me!

 I'm also offering gift certificates for design services. So, quick, copy this link and send it to your best gift-giver as a little hint for the holidays! 

Hope you have a great weekend, friends. Looking forward to meeting back here with you on Monday!

Random Act of Kindness #10

Good news, friends! We're keeping today's RAK challenge in the family again, just like last week. I'm giving you one more week to work within your comfort zone, before I challenge you to go outside your comfort zone and RAK a stranger. Oh, that was bad, wasn't it?!

Now that I've offended you, let's move on.

RAK challenge #10: Write a love letter to your husband!

Don't you think the art of writing letters is becoming a lost art? If I'm working with a client that has old letters from family, I'm quick to suggest framing it and hanging it in their home. Old script is beautiful!

I cheated and completed this challenge last night since my husband reads my blog! He was my first follower. How's that for a supportive hubby?!

John and I have written hundreds of letters to each other over the years. No, we're not that romantic...we had to do it out of necessity. I'm about to make myself sound like an ancient dinosaur. Ready? When we were in college we dated long-distance for 3 years and we didn't have email until our last year in college! Yes, you read that right. We were forced to use snail mail and being true to my frugal ways, we only called each other once a week because long-distance rates were too high!

Sadly, once married, the love letters slowed down. That's why I decided to incorporate this need in my life into a RAK challenge. When someone takes the time to put nice words into writing it means so much.

I slipped my note under his pillow so he would have a nice little surprise before bedtime!

So, friends, carve out a little time today to resurrect a lost art and let that special someone in your life know just how much they mean to you!

Check out the blog archives on the sidebar for past challenges. It's never too late to start spreading kindness!

Thanksgiving exploded in my Dining Room!

In one week and one day, I'm co-hosting a decorating party. Right now this is the state of my surroundings.

I have to admit, I'm feeling a little anxious. I find myself waking up in the middle of the night, and darn  if I don't start "decorating" my table, my island, my coffee table...etc. Then, of course, I can't go back to sleep!

I am excited about the party though. I'm partnering with my friend, Jennifer. You may remember her from our wedding adventure, here. She's a floral designer. We've joined forces to provide an evening of short decorating demonstrations then we're going to let our friends get their hands dirty and start creating! We'll walk them through a holiday decor craft and a floral arrangement. We've chosen ideas that can be translated in various different forms so they can adapt what they learn and use the concepts all year long!

I'm dying to take pictures of the progression of things, but I don't want to spoil the fun for those who might be attending. Don't worry though, I'll post lots of pictures after the event and couple these with some how-to's!

So, based on the messes above, do you think I've got my work cut out for me? I know it'll all make sense eventually...right? Doesn't it seem like a tornado hits your room before it begins to take it's final shape when decorating?

I'd hate to leave you without pretty pictures to enjoy today, so here are a few of my inspiration shots.

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That's it for today, friends! I'm off to make my 134,745th trip to Hobby Lobby and Michaels!

If you'd like help decorating for the holidays, contact me. It'll be fun!