DIY Mirror Vase

Fall is in the air and it feels gorgeous!
Today was a perfect day for some DIY fun. I’ve been meaning to do this project for a while! I saw this type of spraypaint featured on one of those random sponsored Facebook ads a couple of months ago. It’s called “Looking Glass Mirror-Like” spraypaint and I’ve seen some awesome results pictures from it.

I got a cheap 97 cent vase to test it out.

The results were amazing!

It took about 3 coats, which unfortunately was the whole can. That’s kind of a downside – the can was about $8. Haha. But on the plus side you can make matching sets out of anything! So I think the cost is fair. I was just a little spraypaint happy this time. 😬 

Here’s the final result – I added a couple of cheap fake florals from Wal-Mart (less than $2!).

Of course, after I was finished, I was like this…

Haha. 

DIY success! The girls got to join in on the fun too, but from a distance since I used spraypaint. Abby was absorbed in sidewalk chalk world and Anna watched from her walker.

While it dried, we walked all over our mountain. Abby is quite the explorer…Anna just went along for the ride.

To sum this up, we had a wonderful day! I love the idea of repurposing and I especially love involving my girls. 

Oh…and I picked up some paint swatches while I was out today, so stay tuned! 😉

I’m obsessed with fall! I never really experienced it in Florida so now I look forward to it with much anticipation! What are some of your favorite fall activities?

I “Lien” Not On My Own Understanding.

Well.

In the last week, some news about the house we are buying unfolded and it didn’t end with “good news”. When we found out, all we did was laugh. I mean, this is the third time this has happened and each house that we’ve gone through has had something crazy go wrong with the process. This time, we found out there is a lien on the house (Get the title? 😉 ) that would keep us from reselling it for like 30 years…maybe. And of course, there’s more to it but the bottom line is, we are no longer buying this house.

Back to square one. For the fourth time. (To preface, this is not a discouraging post!)

Even the lawyer involved said that this situation was extremely rare. It only happens every 100,000 houses that are sold.

Our first thoughts were, “Wow. This has to be God.” Yes, you read that right. The last few times this has happened, we have been discouraged and frankly, upset. But this time was different. God’s presence swooped in the moment we looked at each other and realized that the pursuit of this house was over and we both had a strange feeling.

Relief.

I can’t even pinpoint why. I wasn’t stressed or nervous about this house at all. In fact, I have felt excited about it since we started the process. It had to be God. To know that He has our backs and is taking care of us…what relief!

And what’s more amazing is realizing that He has something better for us. We’re just expecting something incredible that we could have never even imagined. He is working things out for our good because that’s His nature. I’ve tried to stress about this situation (because that, unfortunately, is MY nature) but I can’t! Kaleb and I are excited for how He is going to show off for us.

What’s more incredible is that some other things immediately started coming together the day that we found out about this house. God proved to us in that very moment that He has not, will not, and will never leave or forsake our family. What reassurance.

All I can be is open and candid about our house-hunting situation…and anything else in our lives for that matter. My hope is that someone reads this and realizes that things are not hopeless. What we could allow to bring us down has actually revealed a part of God’s character to us – and that is worth it all. We are by no means perfect. Had I started this blogging adventure a year ago, I would have had different feelings for sure. I have learned so much through this process. But one thing I know for sure is that He is not going to leave us to be homeless. 🙂

So here we go again! Back to the drawing board. And I can’t wait to see the home that God has chosen for us!

What “good lessons” have you learned in hard situations?

 

Inspired.

We’re getting closer and closer to closing on our house. Yay! In the meantime, I have decorated the entire house on Pinterest. Ha. But for real…I love dreaming and casting vision for our new home. I can’t wait to get in there and get creative.

My projects are still kind of on hold. The husband, the girls, and I have been battling this upper respiratory crud for TWO MONTHS now. I was literally angry a few days ago because I have had this lingering cough and sinus pressure for forever. And I especially hate to see the babies with it. Grr. So the priority the last couple of weeks has been staying in and getting well.

We’re also still in revival! Praise God! We’re right in the midst of what has been called the “Appalachian Awakening” and an awakening it truly is. We’ve only just seen a taste of what is to come and it’s exciting to see the Lord’s will unfold in this region. What has been labeled a place of hopelessness for so long is now becoming a place of restoration that people are flocking to. WOW!

In the meantime, I have been researching (AKA…Pinteresting) décor ideas for the house. Here are some pictures that have inspired me.

This is the exact look I envision for our living room. What makes this even greater is the fact that our living room has large, open windows like this picture. I love all of these neutral colors. The only thing I might would change is the color of the sofa since we have a toddler 😉

This is a great decorative area. I actually have many of these types of items already – I’m just keeping an eye out for a similar table to repurpose. Piece of cake.

During my maternity leave this year, my husband and I binge-watched the entire series of Parenthood. One, it was a GREAT show. You can’t help but fall in love with the family and wish that you were a part of it. Two, they had a GREAT kitchen. The color scheme and glass cabinets in this picture are similar. We decided that we needed to have a kitchen that looked like this…and that we should definitely have at least 4 kids. Ha. Half-way there! (The other half will not be happening for a while…this mama’s body needs a break!)

I actually think it’s important to put “decorating the bathroom” toward the top of the to-do list. It’s not only a room that you use multiple times a day, but it’s a room that guests will also see that truly reflects your personal, private life. Ha. However, I’m not one to spend a ton of money on this room. I think this picture reflects my personal style to a tee. It’s stylish, yet simple. AND functional. Seriously, I don’t know who is able to have a bathroom without closets, cabinets, and drawers…

While I am a huge fan of the farmhouse look, I’d say that I probably won’t follow it accurately. I would actually describe my style more as “Garage Sale Chic”…I like finding neat knick-knacks to incorporate into my décor. But I am finding myself drawn to farmhouse style knick-knacks like pails, metal tins, twine, baskets, windows, etc.

I can’t wait to start scavenging antique shops, thrift stores, and yard sales. I’ve picked up a couple of things here and there but space is our enemy right now since we’re in transition. But the DAY we get the keys to the house, you can bet I’ll be making some purchases! We’ll have the storage space 😉

Kaleb and I are so blessed to be in the position that we are in right now. Buying a house, making incredible ministry connections, opportunities coming available that will greatly benefit our family…the list goes on. We have a good, good Father. He has been providing for us and loving on our little family.

How would you describe your décor style? And are you making it happen?

 

Life As Of Late: Setting Goals

Things are moving forward with the house! We’re looking at closing at the end of this month. This is getting exciting because now I’ll be able to start keeping an eye out for furniture deals! I literally can’t wait to find a beat of dresser and repurpose it. Anyway, we’ve been pretty busy with the process, so my DIY projects have been put on hold the past couple of weeks.

Boooo.

And when I do have a spare minute, I’m trying to SLEEP. Sweet little Anna…she’s a happy little baby and one of the loves of my life, but she never sleeps! And this full-time working mama is extremely tired. I’ve literally had about 4 hours of good sleep in the past 3 days.

COMBINED.

And let me tell you, it’s not easy being on my A-game with 160 middle-schoolers. Luckily, I’ve built great rapport with them and they have been awesome. I think they just really enjoy seeing me “slap-happy”. Ha.

However, I HAVE been adding to my “to-do” pile of projects. I’ve got about 5 that are ready for my attention. Here’s my current list of projects:

1. Part 2 of my mason jar wall décor
2. Revamping an old vase with some spray-paint
3. Making my own light fixture (Think twine!)
4. Fixing up shelving units with baskets I found at a thrift store
5. Sewing a toddler headband (Buying those things gets expensive )

My goal is to finish at least 3 of these by the end of May. I’m trying to be realistic, but still achieve goals! I’m one of those people that HAS to make a visual to-do list because I immediately feel the need to cross things off of it. 😉

So, that’s life as of late. We’re incredibly sleepy BUT incredibly blessed. We have 2 healthy, happy little ladies and in a couple of weeks, a house.

We’re ready to plant our roots and make this house into our home.

Are you a goal-setter? How do you keep yourself accountable to fulfilling your goals?

One Of Those Weeks

Me time? Ha. Righhhhht.

It was one of those curveball, absolutely exhausted, “Is it Friday yet?” kind of weeks. Needless to say, I didn’t complete any of my DIY projects that I have been storing up.

At school, I had to deal with one of my classes needing an attitude adjustment. I knew it was coming. It never fails…this is the time of year that 7th graders absolutely lose their everloving minds. Spring has sprung…and so have their hormones. Everything is out of whack. Don’t get me wrong, though. I love this age group. They’re weird and unpredictable because they’re starting to learn who they are and it is so entertaining. But man, are they exhausting during this phase. 

Not to mention we were coming right out of Easter weekend, which left me extra tired Monday morning. We had an awesome day with family after putting on a production at our church for the morning and evening services.

We had two evening meetings and youth church all by Wednesday, so we were looking forward to an agenda-free Thursday evening. Only then, I came home to a feverish Abby so our evening consisted of a doctor visit and trip to the  pharmacy for an antibiotic. This is the first time she has ever been sick so we dropped everything to take care of our sweet girl. It’s now Saturday and her high fever is finally gone, but we’re still monitoring a low grade fever. 

So in a nutshell, life happened this week. A project did not.

And that’s ok. Family is everything to me. Any spare time I had this week was spent talking with my husband and taking care of the girls. Projects can wait because they will always be there. Was I looking forward to trying out my new “mirror effect” spraypaint? Absolutely. But I’m not disappointed. It’ll get done 🙂

Even though I did not complete a project this week, my spare time was definitely still well spent. Abby is feeling better, my students are straightening up, and today I was able to sleep in and catch up on rest…and Fixer Upper. 😉

Have you ever had “one of those weeks”? What got you through it?

Mason Jar Wall Decor (Part 1)

I’m obsessed with mason jars.

I think I may easily incorporate mason jar decor in most every room in our house. They’re inexpensive, versatile, and the possibilities for their use are endless.

Pinterest is flooded with ideas, but these particular pictures caught my eye.

I used these examples as inspiration, but still wanted to add my own personal touch! A couple weeks ago, Kaleb and I finally got a chance to go on a date and I got to choose our outing. So naturally, I chose Hobby Lobby! As we browsed went down every aisle in the store, I looked for pieces I could use to decorate my mason jars.

First off, it was a lovely date. We don’t get the chance to go off on our own much with our busy schedule and growing family. That man could drive me to McDonalds for a coffee and I’d be just as happy. (Which is what we usually do!) I love dating my husband 🙂

Anyway, I shared my vision for the project with him and he helped me find what I needed. Here’s what ended up in my shopping bag.

The first phase of this project was pretty easy. And it was fun! I had both little ladies on the floor “helping” me. Abby turned the lids of the jars into bracelets while Anna watched her sister from the Boppie.

First, I used some hemp cord and wrapped a different color around the center of each jar. This part required zero glue. I held the first end of the cord against the jar and started wrapping. Once the end was secure, I wrapped until I was out of the cord. When I reached the other loose end, I matched it with the first end and tied a double knot.

Next, I played around with the embellishments I bought to see what would look best. I ended up going with small burlap flowers. I found that less was more for this project!

.

I also added fixtures so that I can hang the jars from a piece of pallet wood. All 3 jars have a different look, but are cohesive.

Phase one of my mason jar project is complete! Phase Two will consist of making a fixture out of pallet wood so that the jars can hang on the wall. I also have a couple of ideas about what to display inside the jars.

So far, this project is turning out great! What I have created so far doesn’t look anything like the pictures I used for inspiration. Ha. But that’s the beauty of DIY projects. Instead of buying something that anybody else could have, you have the opportunity to create something unique that resembles YOU. I’m excited to finish the next phase of this project. Now to get my hands (or more than likely, my husband’s hands!) on a table saw…

What have you created lately that is a “completely you” piece?

Exciting News!

WE GOT A HOUSE.

We are beyond ecstatic, as we have been in this process for a year. We had several letdowns along the way, to the point where we were getting completely discouraged.

But then we took a step back and relinquished all control to the Lord and man, did He show off!

A house came on the market at a stupid, crazy low price. In the same weekend, we looked at the house, did some research on it, put an offer in, and WON. Kaleb told me in person when we met up to swap out the kids when I got off work yesterday. We hugged in our church parking lot, laughing and crying with joy and excitement.

It’s been quite a journey.

The house is a little “fixer-upperish” but this makes it all the more exciting! We’ll get to make this house perfect for us. Plus, I will get to channel my inner Joanna Gaines 😉

Oh, and it has an in ground pool!

I can’t wait to get started on bigger projects for our house -furniture, remodel, decor…and I’m excited to document the journey.

Here’s a sneak peek:

Now let’s turn this house into a home.

God is faithful to our family. What are your testimonies of His faithfulness?

Rustic Candle DIY

This is my first {documented} DIY craft project! I found my inspiration from this picture on Pinterest.

We are in the middle of house hunting, so furniture projects are a bit tough at the moment. We don’t exactly have the space to “house” new furniture (pun intended). BUT, we are huge fans of the rustic/farmhouse look, so I’m finding smaller projects that will easily fit into the décor of our (hopefully, soon!) new home.

First off, the weather on this day was gorgeous! I already had the basic supplies needed and a free schedule for the day…score! Seeing as the main supplies are twigs, I couldn’t wait to get out in the backyard with my Abby to collect what we needed for our project.

Here are the materials:

1. Hot glue gun
2. Glass vase
3. Sticks
4. LED candle (or a real candle…I didn’t want to deal with melted wax)

….that’s it! I can SO do this.

All I needed to purchase was the vase, as I already had everything else. For some reason, I had the LED candles laying around. I checked vases out at Wal-Mart first (Dollar Store was a back-up), and alas! Wal-Mart had a tall, cylindrical glass vase for a whole 97 cents!

This whole project only cost 97 cents…what?

(If I had not had the candle, it still would only have been an extra $2!)

So to get started, I grabbed a bag and headed into our mountainous backyard with Abby. Oh, twigs galore! What could have taken me about 5 minutes took about half an hour…because Abby loves being outside 🙂 She even helped me pick up sticks and place them in the bag. Love her little heart. She eventually got thirsty so we headed back inside and I set up shop on the living room floor.

The rest was easy! I started laying sticks out that were around the same length and hot glued them around the vase. Yep, that’s it. It took me about an hour, but I was being quite particular about my choice of “stick layout”. Haha. Plus, Abby wanted to help a little 😉

Here is the finished product:

Pretty neat! All in all, this was a fun project. It was “me” time, even though I was fully engaged with my whole family. That’s how I like it. I was sitting on the floor while my husband rocked Abby with Robin Hood on in the background. And little Anna…well, she slept through the excitement. My love language is “quality time” so this afternoon’s spare time was the best of both worlds!

How do you involve your littles in your spare time projects?

Why Not?

Spare Time.

What is that?

I’m a full-time wife, mom of 2, middle school teacher, and youth pastor/worship leader with my husband. So basically, I’ve learned to function off of very little sleep and LOTS of coffee.

So when there is a spare moment, usually on a calm Saturday, I like to find a small project that adds to our home and quenches my desire to do something creative.

Most of my projects are inspired by Pinterest, as I do not claim in any way to be naturally artistic! Ask my kids at school – I’m a stick figure extraordinaire. But every once in a while, I’m inspired by a project and think, “Hey, I can do that!”

So that’s the purpose of this blog. I never thought about starting one because honestly, I am not that trendy and I really don’t have loads of time. But I decided to just keep it simple and not get too fancy because if I’m going to do this, it will have to fit into my spare time schedule. If it’s easy, I think I can do that 😉

Because….why not?