Curly Willow Spring Wreath

Much to my dismay, it is snowing this morning at my house.  Although I do love the snow, I think it has it's time and place like......      Christmas Day.  LOL ;)  


No really, it is good to have the snow {we need the moisture} and if it's gonna be cold it might as well snow, but I am ready for Spring.  (I think I may have mentioned that before.) 


So in the hopes of warmer weather I want to share a wreath I created for my Mom's hair salon. For this one I wanted a natural look as if the flower were growing right on the wreath.  I think it is happy and Spring-y and I hope it inspires you to get ready for Spring as well. :)

Also, HGTV.com asked me to do some wreath tutorials and this was my first one. You can check it out here. http://www.hgtv.com/topics/wreaths/index.html

 http://www.hgtv.com/crafting/dogwood-spring-wreath/index.html

Linking up with...

Is Spring Here Yet?

Are you ready for spring as much as I am?!  I have had fun getting started on some spring custom orders as well as stuff for my Etsy shop!  I want to share this sweetly simple arrangement I made for my home with mostly things I had.

I am first to admit I have a slight obsession with moss.  I don't know...I love it.  I found these crazy cool moss sheets at JoAnns.  I was going to be a really good blogger friend and remember the exact name, etc. so you could find it if you wanted.  BUT...I didn't.  Sorry.  (But I will find it and update the post ASAP.)  Anyway, it came as a 24x24 inch sheet.  It is moss attached to a nylon backing.  This makes it really easy to cut into shapes and attach to whatever you'd like.  They even say you can reuse.  I quite like it!

I decided to wrap it around a sturdy cardboard box I had.  I wanted a moss container, so why not use something FREE and cover it?  I just measured, cut and secured with hot glue. 

Next, I filled 'er with some foam and started adding in my flowers.  I grouped together 3 sets of 3 little tulips and arranged them in my foam.  Then I added some Queen Anne's Lace Flowers as a filler.  I wanted this packed in pretty thick, so I kept adding until I got the look I wanted.  I had all these tulips left over from another project and my grandma gave me the QA's. So that means F R E E. :)  We like that right?

Once, I got all the QA's Lace in I decided I wanted my Tulips to pop out a bit higher.  So, I removed them and simply added a longer stem (I used the stems I cut off of my QA's Lace) with floral tape, and placed them back in.

For the finishing touch I put in a small tie of ribbon on one of the corners.  This was a fun little project which included very little money or time and it's feeling warmer already!! ;)

Linking up...
Someday Crafts It's So Very Cheri

Keys To My Heart

Over the holidays, my wonderful Grandma gifted me her mother's piano!  It is amazing how things work out.  My daughter is very musical and I wanted to get her in lessons and I would love to brush up on my piano skills (inallmysparetime) plus, I think pianos are pretty. ;)  I have been looking to get a piano for months now.  I didn't want spend a ton of money and I love things with character so I was looking at a lot of older pianos.  Nothing really worked out and then one fine day my Grandma called and asked if I wanted my Great Grandma's piano.  Well, um yeah, I guess I will take it off your hands!  Are you kidding?  I was sooo excited!  Not only do I get a FREE piano (this always makes Mr. Husband happy), but I get one that belonged to my Grandma who I loved so dearly with all it's character and sentimental value!

My Great-Granparents purchased it in the 1950's.  It's beautiful mahogany wood with real ivory keys.  My grandmother learned to play on it and once she had kids it was in her home so my Mom learned to play on it...aaannnd, when I first started taking lessons we did not have a piano, so I learned to play on it as well!  How's that for sentimental value?!

It could definitely use some refinishing and I will touch it up a bit, but I don't want to lose any of it's charm.  Call me crazy (Mr. Husband does)  but I LOVE all it's little imperfections and "history". Sure it needs a new knob and it is missing it's bench, there are some dings and dents, but I love the story it tells.

This beautiful mark here?.... When my mom was little she left the piano lamp on, it tipped over and almost burnt the house down.  Love it!

I love the angles the curves and all of the amazing details as well.

What makes a house a home?  To me it is filling it with warm and interesting pieces that make you feel good.  I want my home to tell a story.  The story of a family and a life.  I want it to be comfortable and inviting, a place my kids feel they can be themselves.  A retreat from the crazy world out there. Some may look at this piano and think it is a piece of crap.  But, that doesn't matter to me.  Surround yourself with things you love and do what makes you, YOU.

I love that this piano is now in our house.  I love what it represents and I love that it will fill our home with beautiful music.  And every time I hear a note I can hopefully be reminded of my Great Grandma, Grandma and Mom and the amazing women they were and are.  That makes me happy. :)

Feeling inspired so I'm linking up...

Neglected Mantel...No More!

Where did January go? (and now almost half of February!)  Between the recovery of the holidays,  both my kids being sick for what felt like forever, and a fun family vacation (which was wonderful!), my house has been a bit neglected.  For example, after the Wi took over my mantel (very sad) it went from this to this...

It seriously has looked like this for over a month and has been driving me crazy!!  So I have finally taken action!   My Christmas Mantel was traditional and symmetrical.  I wanted something a bit more casual and eclectic.  More of a comfy feel.  I started with this runner I customized a while back.  It was such a rewarding project! 

 It is simply my $3 table runner from Target, to which I added my favorite bargain trim.  I found it on ebay for super cheap.  I used in to customize my store bought curtains and the left over finished out this lovely mantel swag. Ok, back to the mantel.

Next I  added this arrangement I put together.  I wanted it to look as though I walked through the garden of my French cottage and picked out my favorites and simply placed them in a bucket. (yes, a regular day dream of mine)  I really like how it turned out.  It's a mixture of dried and silk floral and has a very free, natural look with hint of Spring. (wishful thinking!) The galvanized metal brightens things up a bit.

 On the other side of my framed art piece lovely TV, I have this sweet little planter I made last Spring (that word again ;).  I love the container! It's fun how you can give simple greenery a unique look by using interesting containers.

I set on top of some faux books and joined with a decorative finial and one of the candle lamps I had on the mantel before.  I took the shade of to stay with my laid back motif.

Finally, since it is the LOVE month, I made these little X O's.  They are just wood letters from Michaels that I mod podged Christmas wrapping paper on.  I painted out the sides in burnt umber and then added a tiny bit the the mod podge to give it an all over aged appearance.  Just a simple little Valentine touch to add a festive-ness to my mantel.

Completing this 10 minute project has taken a load off my back.  Why do I put off simple things that make me feel so much better? Does anyone else do this but me?  I feels so great, I am ready to take on all the other things that have been making me nuts this past month. There is a looooonngg list!  I hope all of you can beat this winter blues and do the things that make you feel good and hopefully Spring will be here soon!