Real Home, Real Family, Real Life
From the category archives:
I don’t do a whole lot of Halloween decorating. Not because I don’t like the holiday (I love it!), but mostly because it usually sneaks up on me and I’m not prepared. Shall I show you my boys store-bought costumes as proof? But my boys are of the age where a little bit of spooky [...]
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How adorable are these yarn wrapped pumpkins? Totally huggable. I think. I am crushing on all things yarn right now because I can’t resist all the yummy fall colors. I bought a few fake pumpkins last week (and pulled a some smaller ones from my stash) and wrapped them up in different shades of yarn [...]
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via A couple of months ago, I saw this picture of Martha Stewart’s Gourd Garland on Pinterest. I loved it. So simple and pretty. And it made me want to put a split-rail fence all around my yard. I have no doubt that Martha’s version is made with hand-twisted, organic jute twine and air dried [...]
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Some friends sent us a piece of artwork that I treasure. I wanted to display it in a special way, so I put together a DIY cork board that works perfectly. Making the cork board was ridiculously easy. I already had a thrifted frame that I turned into a chalkboard for my Good Enough Mudroom. [...]
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I had an empty wall in my laundry room that was begging for something fun to fill the space. Last month, I saw this project over at Young House Love and I couldn’t get it out of my head. But I didn’t need a clothespin chandelier. I needed something to hang on the wall. So [...]
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We added two new birthday traditions to our home a couple of weeks ago. I love having fun little traditions that the kids remember. Last week, I shared the birthday balloon wreath and this week, I’ll give you a peek at our new birthday banner. It really was super easy to whip up and even [...]
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Hello, my friends! Yes, I am still alive. Somehow, the last couple of weeks have slipped through my fingers. I’ve been savoring the last few drops of summer and our time has been filled with bubble blowing, birthday celebrations, camping and the stuff of real life. All wonderful, if a bit overwhelming at times. Can [...]
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For years, I have envied all of you who have easy access to your beloved Hobby Lobby. I’ve watched longingly as you’ve browsed her aisles of picture frames, mirrors and artwork. I’ve drooled a bit seeing you snap up her throw pillows, serving trays and Christmas ornaments. And don’t even get me started on the [...]
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We’re squeezing the last drops out of summer here. I get misty just thinking about school starting in 2 weeks. The kids have been asking to cross “Make Homemade Bubbles” off of our summer list for weeks and we finally had a free evening to do it. There are numerous recipes for homemade bubbles out [...]
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We’re all about transparency here at ASPTL. So when a project fails, I’m gonna tell you. My easy cork wall stayed securely attached to the wall for 2 whole weeks. I used double-sided foam tape and it seemed to be holding just fine. Then we went on vacation for a week and came home to [...]
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Hello sweet friends! I hope you’re all having wonderful, relaxing summers. I can’t exactly say ours has been relaxing, but it’s been fun. I’ve been neck-deep in kid’s crafty stuff since I was helping in our VBS craft tent all last week. And summertime is always crafty-time around here. Since I have kid’s crafts on [...]
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I love projects that are quick, easy and have a big impact. This one hits all three and it got me a “MOM! That’s cool!” from my son. I seriously want to cover an entire room with cork right now. It gives my little collector a place to display all of those very-important-for-the-moment treasures. Between [...]
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Several months ago, I shared the Kid’s Artwork Gallery Wall that I put together in my hallway. Over the summer, we’ve created lots of new masterpieces, so I’ve been changing out the artwork pretty regularly. The only downside to my display is that taking down the frames and changing out the artwork is a bit [...]
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I’ve been wanting something new for my front door for a while now, but I can never figure out what to put on the door in the summer. A wreath feels too fall-ish or winter-ish. And I’m not a huge fan of fake flowers, but these silk hydrangeas look almost as good as my real [...]
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It all started with Meg from Whatever. Her Summer List idea has become a bit of a phenomenon in the blogging world. I latched onto her idea and it’s changed the way we do summer. This is our 3rd year doing a Summer List (check out 2009 and 2010) and it helps me be more [...]
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One of my pet-peeves are poorly placed light switches. You would think that since we built our house, that all of our switches would be perfectly placed for function and eye-pleasing-ness. You would be wrong. I think part of the problem is that until you live in a house, you don’t know which way you’re [...]
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My poor front stoop looked severely neglected after a long, hard winter. The doormat was literally torn in two. And the ick and gunk that had accumulated underneath it was too horrifying to mention. Not very welcoming is it? It’s a little too soon (up here in the cold midwest) to put out my flower [...]
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A few weeks ago, I saw Centsational Girl’s pretty blossom candle and I was reminded of a craft that I recently did using inexpensive prayer candles. I made these with a group of kids at church, but I think it would be fun to do as a DIY Mother’s Day gift for grandma (or auntie, [...]
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Hello, sweet friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Ours was spent hiding indoors from Old Man Winter who made a very unwelcome return. Doesn’t he know it’s spring? I’m ready for some sunshine, people! But lucky for me, I had some spring inside the house because, last week, I started growing some [...]
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Because I think their Anna Moss Basket looks a wee bit like my Moss Easter Basket from last year. Check out this post for easy instructions for your own DIY Moss Basket.
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