Author:Lori

A String of Good Luck!

February 26
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St. Patrick’s Day is a big deal in our house!  Ever since my boys were little they looked forward to seeing what pranks those pesky Leprechauns played while we slept on St. Paddy’s Day eve!  And no matter what havoc they wreaked, they always left a consolation…gold coins in the kid’s shoes!  (however, they should have left ME money since I was the one to clean up the mess…even though I created it!)  But even though they’re older and the belief that those pranksters are real was lost some time ago, it wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t have some Irish festivity leading up to our annual corned beef & cabbage feast!  And even though I LOVE creating holiday fun for my family, it’s not the only reason I continue on with it…I hope that these traditions we’ve cherished through the years will continue on some day when my boys have families of their own!  So I don’t tear the house apart any more pretending that the Leprechauns were the culprits…but I still leave coins in the shoes and always create some Irish joy in the house–somewhere!  This year my inspiration came from some tiny clips that reminded me of a rainbow.  And since coins are always found at the end of the rainbow, I decided to make a whimsical garland celebrating the gold at the colorful end!  Have a look at this easy DIY that will sure to bring smiles to kids of all ages!

at the end of the rainbow…

Spare Room Share…

February 24
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After my little revelation last week I really did decide to make the best of what I’ve got…and what I’ve got is no room to craft!  But no matter, my spare bedroom has served as my “craft room” for years and with the exception of having to box up all my stuff when guests stay over (or just put my parents in that room…they’re used to the organized chaos!), the spare room/craft room has work out pretty well!  So I decided to spruce it up a bit, make it a little more organized, and make it look like it was intended to be this way all along!  I may not be able to have this entire space dedicated to crafting…but I can certainly make the best of it!  All it took was some cleaning, organizing, and finding items to contain lots of trinkets!  I only made a couple purchases to keep my supplies tidy so the bed could be free from boxes of buttons or whatever else is stacked upon the mattress!  All in all, I’m pretty happy with the results!  And I’m thrilled to say that plenty was re-purposed so that I didn’t just save money but created unique storage options that are as fun to look at as they are useful…which makes for a happy space to get creative in!  If i want, I can kick back on the bed for some “creative relaxation” too!  Have a peek at my spare room that shares a bit of…

my creative side

What’s in that Pretty Package?

February 22
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It never ceases to amaze me how many talented people live in my community!  Today I would love to share with you the fine talents of one of my friends…a wonderful artist and an exquisite jewelry designer!  I’ve known about her beautiful pieces for some time and have always admired her unique and artful designs…not to mention I have several on my own wish list!  Catherine DiSalle has been designing her stunning pieces and showcasing her line of jewelry at Harold Jaffe Jewelers...and if you’re in the Toledo area you really need to stop by to see her gorgeous creations in person! (plus you might try them on…pretty much guaranteeing that you won’t want to leave empty handed!)  Her modern classic designs are inspired by nature and they are one-of-a-kind pieces to be treasured through time!  Check out the link above to find out more about my talented friend!  The other great news…I’m so excited that she’s in the process of having her own website up and running in the near future…so everyone can have an opportunity to purchase some of her stunning silver and gold!  Have a look at her beautiful creations…

Catherine DiSalle Jewelry…

Spring Fever…

February 19
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It must be something in the air because I’m so much more restless for the arrival of spring than I think I’ve ever been!  In fact, I’ve been a bit impatient overall this year!  Some of my friends were teasing me recently because I was counting down the days to when I could move on from Valentine decor and jump into something new!  Not that I don’t fully enjoy each holiday…but for some reason I’ve had this itch for change!  Which may also explain my seemingly countless list of home projects I hope to complete!  So for whatever the real reason for my impatience–the weird winter weather, life changes, thinking ahead for blog posts, or simply a bad case of spring fever–I’m trying to sit back and enjoy the moment rather than unintentionally wishing the days away!  I’m still happy that spring IS marching forward however, giving me permission to go ahead and dream about bringing the fresh, new season into my home!  But I’ve made this promise to myself to slow down and soak in the happiness that each project really does bring to me!  I heard a quote on the radio yesterday that really made me reflect…”the happiest people don’t have the best of everything…but they make the best of everything they have!”  I love that!  And while this quote doesn’t necessarily pertain to my impatience…it does give pause for thought.  Making the best of everything means not just finding contentment in the possessions I have or don’t have, what nature has given me or not given, or the tally of all my successes or failures…it also pertains to seeing the relevance and joy of each moment, season, or holiday and enjoying every second it’s here!  So today I’ll share my first spring craft…in plenty of time to enjoy the earliest signs of the new season and all the simple pleasures it brings!  Have a peek at this tiny craft which is big on happiness!

cherish the tiny treasures of spring…

Save it for Later

February 17
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If you love to decorate for holidays and special occasions as much as I do, you know that it steals pennies from your bank no matter how economical you try to be!  But since it makes me happy to create those whimsical spaces in my home AND save money, I really try to find ways to keep my projects within a budget!  Luckily, I have three helpful suggestions on how to do this!  One of my favorite ways is to recycle!  reusing past party or holiday decor always helps to stretch the dollar!  Another is to scavenge all the after-holiday sales and clearance sections every time you visit your favorite shops…and not just the first day after the holiday!  Often times seasonal items will be priced up to 90% off at the very, very end of the sale!  Of course, at that point the shelves will be pretty picked over but you still might stumble upon just the right item at the perfect price…practically free!  My suggestion in shopping clearance is to only buy it if you REALLY love it or might ACTUALLY use it…not just because it’s cheap!  Because when the same holiday comes ’round the following year, you can be certain that you’ll find an entire new array of decorating goodies just begging you to buy…so you want to give your last year’s sale item a fighting chance!  And lastly, I find it helpful to stock up on certain supplies…like staples in a food pantry, you’re stocking your party pantry!  Over time you can collect an inventory of common items that you’ll use over and over again!   Now the only obstacle is finding easy storage.  We all have different storage situations…some have plenty of extra spaces and some of us, not so much.  So I really try to find cute storage options just in case it needs to sit out in the open!  And having storage that’s easy to access also helps you to not forget what you’ve got tucked away!  Today I’d like to share some of my favorite supplies and the ways I hide them until I’m ready to use them again!  This way I can buy what’s on sale and save it for later!  I hope you find some inspiration that will work for you!

tuck it away…recycle and reuse!

Favorite Things

February 15
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So Valentine’s Day is over…and I’m hoping you all had a wonderful holiday weekend spending time with those who are most special to you!  And since today is President’s Day, hopefully you’re also able to extend your weekend with some extra hours of leisure!  I spent the last few days not just celebrating Happy Hearts with my family, but scraping and painting our foyer and upstairs hallway…I’m sure you’re jealous, right?  Seriously, I kind of enjoy home improvement projects…especially when my husband and I work together to fix things up and cross them off the never-ending list of things to-do!  It reminds me of when we were first married and spent pretty much all of our free time rolling up our sleeves and sprucing up the spaces in the place we called home!  And at the end of our day we’d find ourselves sitting on the drop cloth covered floor, dressed in tattered paint clothes, eating pizza with a glass of wine, and admiring the hard work we’d accomplished so far…those really were wonderful days!  And I’m happy to say that our Valentine weekend was much the same with the exception of the meal…we devoured several rolls of sushi in place of the pie!  And the other exception, we had cheerleaders this time…shockingly, the boys opted out of helping but were happy to give the occasional “thumbs up” at our progress!  Anyway, enough of my sentimental chatter today…what really drove me to repaint was the fact that I’m truly wishing for some springtime!  I’m ready for bright, I’m ready for cheerful, I’m ready for fresh.  My foyer, while cozy, has been a dark, chocolaty brown for a LONG time…and I just needed a change!  So today I thought I’d share a couple of my favorite things…which have NOTHING to do with the paint project but have the same effect!  Some wonderful goodies to bring spring and summer to mind…until it actually gets here!  OR you could go paint some walls…but picking up one or two of these treasures is much easier!

get inspired for spring!

Last Minute LOVE

February 12
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We can now count the hours until Valentine’s Day!  and if you want to put some last minute “love” in your decor…I’ve got some SIMPLE ways to do it!  Time is ticking…but it’s not too late for some easy holiday “hacks” to add a touch of festivity!  Check out these tricks…letting you cut corners but never style!

holiday hacks…

Shot Through the Heart!

February 10
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While wandering around in Target…(I swear you can get as much inspiration there as you can by scrolling through Pinterest boards!)…I stumbled upon these adorable Arrow & Heart Kits for kids to to craft with.  They consisted of simplistic foam shapes, intended for small hands, but I LOVED the idea!  And after purchasing some of the sweetest paper hearts at one of my other favorite places (Alice-Louise Press), I knew right then exactly what I was going to do with them!  Have a look at these fun and whimsical arrows, shot through the pretty paper hearts that will crown some dinner plates for a Valentine’s Day Meal!

DIY holiday place cards…

Monkey Around!

February 8
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Today is officially the beginning of the Chinese New Year…the year of the Monkey!  If you’re feeling festive, it really is easy to pull off a quick party theme…especially since you can order takeout from your local Chinese restaurant and add thematic touches with store-bought items like fortune cookies and chopsticks!  So we pulled off a fun celebration with several family friends over the weekend…a semi-new tradition started by my youngest son a couple years ago!  I’d like to share some of the simple ideas for a Chinese New Year or even a casual, Chinese takeout dinner party…it’s easy to make a simple meal simply festive!

2016…the year of the monkey!

Gettin’ Ready to Monkey Around!

February 5
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Life seems to throw tons at us all at the same time!  The next few days are about as packed full of celebrations as you can get…Super Bowl Sunday is followed by the Chinese New Year on Monday followed again by Mardi Gras on Tuesday!  Not to mention that Valentine’s Day is right on the heels of all those potential parties!  I think it’s fair to say there’s NO way I can pull multiple celebrations from my sleeve…so now it’s just which one to choose?  For my family, the Super Bowl is out of the question since it happens to be on a school night!  And even though we don’t have guests, we still fix up a big platter of spicy wings and stay up to watch the game…or most of it anyway!  So out of the remaining two,  we decided to celebrate the Chinese New Year…and will be doing so a couple days early so we can have our holiday fun over the weekend!  It seemed natural to pick this celebration since our oldest just took a school trip to China this past summer…and bonus, he brought back some fun souvenirs we can decorate with!  Monday will be the beginning of the Chinese New Year and according to the 12-year Chinese animal zodiac, it’s the year of the monkey!  And even though this animal year is considered to be the most unlucky, there will be plenty of good fortune abounding around here!  As I prepare for our weekend fun, I’ll share a sneak peek at what’s to come…you’ll have to wait ’til Monday for the rest!

a new year celebration in the works…