Color Fun in the Kitchen...for Now

Hi Ho!  Hope everyone is having a great week.  We are gearing up for Halloween and the many parties, activities, gatherings we have approaching.  Today I thought I'd take a break from fall and share a little summer project we did.

During my summer break I failed to share some DIY curtains with you.  I got really tired of staring at naked windows (gasp!) so while perusing Hobby Lobby one day, I stumbled upon a fabric I absolutely love.  It's all my fav colors in a chevron.  To.  Die.  For.

So...I made some curtains!  I use the word 'made' in the loosest fashion as I am no seamstress.  In fact, no needle was brought to this fabric.  I used heat bond and it works great. I highly recommend.  I consider myself pretty good in all thing home related, but I did not get the sewing gene from my fabulous seamstress of a mom...

I'm loving the color...

However, now that I've put this little dresser on this wall (which I love for storage purposes), they are too big.  The curtain is trying to suffocate the dresser, the dresser is letting angry words fly.  It's becoming a scene.  So, in the effort of keeping things around her G rated, I think these bad boys will be moving up to my new studio/office.

I haven't shared this room with you yet, but I can't wait.  It is everything I love.  Maybe too much so, but I don't care!  It's my fun room and these drapes will fit right in.  And hopefully not start any fights...

This is an easel...in case you weren't sure!

So there's how we lived all summer...but you know me.  Nothing stays put for too long!

These cute little stools were on clearance at Target this summer and I scooped them up for future playroom/family office use, but I'm loving them in the kitchen for right now.  Perfect for playdate lunches.

Any switcheroos at your house lately?

XO,
  Sara

Halloween Crafties!

Hello Friends!

 The haunted holiday is fast approaching and Little and I have been crafting it up to decorate for the occasion.  Michaels is kicking it with some amazing craft kits this season.  They include everything you need to make a cute craft and they're super affordable.  Win win!!

We started with these super cute bat and spider friends.

We had a big debate over whether or not the bat was really an owl.

Little thinks it is definitely an owl, although the packaging clearly states 'bat'.  He is convinced they made a mistake.  I'll let you decide for yourself!

 After a little gluing, we had some fun little friends to decorate our counter top!

Have you done any crafting this season?  We have some fun Thanksgiving crafts on deck for next month.  Thank you Michaels for understanding life with an artsy four-year old!!

XO,

 Sara

Fall Decor on a Budget - Restyle, Rework, Reinvent

Look at me with some regular posts!  You know I love fall and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to share how we've brought the season inside.  Today's post is brought to you by the letter "R".  Three "R's" to be exact.  Restyle, Rework, Reinvent.

Last year I went with a rustic glam look with gold and silver pumpkins and pine cones.  You can check that out here.

I followed the same color pallet this year, but reworked some of my vignettes to keep it fresh.  I'm a firm believer in using what you have and making it feel fresh.  Mister had some extensive work done to his car recently so new decor just wasn't in the budget.  Does that mean we sit around and let everyone else have all the fun?  No way!  Restyle, rework, reinvent!

My favorite way to start any new decorating project is to take everything I have to work with and put it all on one table.  Then, I "shop" from there.  It's pretty fun and I always come up with a new way to use things I already had.

Here's a look at our fall entry...

It really just makes me smile every time I pass by.  And isn't that what decorating is all about?

Our dining room is very visible when you enter our home so it also got a little pumpkiny glam.  I just love the way the tray corrals the big pumpkins.

Little collected all the pine cones.  He was very excited to help!

The mantle is full of color and texture.  I love the mix of bright foliage, rough nature textures, and pretty mercury glass.

The acorn art was a special project with Little.  I'll post more about that later...

So there you have it.  Not a dime spent, but a whole new look from last year.

Are you restyling this year or making a few stops around town for new decor?

XO,
  Sara

Easter Table 2013

If you popped in to check out my Easter mantle from yesterday, you know the name of the game this year is 'simple'.  After a big birthday party and a trip to Disney, I kept the table as low-key as possible.

I pulled out my swag of burlap again to be the runner.  I wonder if I'll ever tire of this thing?!

Then, I added a white pitcher from my collection, popped in some botanicals from Target, plunked my cute Target bunnies down and scattered my Kroger eggs about.

Hopefully it looks a lot better than it sounds!

What have you been putting up for Easter?  Has it warmed up where you are?

I just love this time of year.  Get your white shorts and sandals ready girls!

XO,
  Sara

Easter Mantle 2013

We're back from a fantastic visit with the Mouse.  There is nothing like Disney World with a 4 year-old.  He loved it, we loved it.  We all need a vacation to recover.

While I let the laundry sit and the grocery shopping go undone, I'll share with you the Easter mantle I put together, because folks, it's this weekend.  Say what?!  So. Not. Ready.

I kept it very simple this year by using things I already had, along with a wreath and eggs I stumbled upon at Kroger.

The wooden bunny is from Marshalls and the wire basket is from the Target $1 spot.  I think it was $3 though...

The mercury glass candlesticks from Pottery Barn are still going strong.  I love a purchase that keeps on giving!

I've had the wicker vase forever.  I think I found it at Big Lots.  The botanicals are from Pottery Barn.

And there you have it.  A fresh, clean, approach to Easter.  It makes me feel so calm.

Now, to get that Easter bunny cracking on the basket!

XO,

  Sara

Dino Party - The Mantle

I promise this is the last post on the Dinosaur Birthday Party.  There were a lot of parts!  It would have shut my blog down if I'd put it all in one post...hope you don't mind! :)

I told you yesterday I love to set the table first for any party or holiday event.  Second, the mantle.  These are just the natural places I go to add a touch of whatever festivity we have happening.

I used a Target garland to start and then shopped my house for the rest.

The wicker vase is from Big Lots and I filled it with curls of the same wrapping paper I used to run the dining table (you can see that post yesterday).

The dino is a DIY attempt out of poster board and markers.  I think he turned out okay!

I had the graphic already and I think it was from Pinterest.  

My Mister's aunt gave us the cute dino cookie cutters.  After I baked all the cookies, I used the cutters to spice up the mantle.  I love the extra texture they add.

The two yellow candle holders are from Kirland's and I made the chalk quote bubble out of poster board and chalk spray paint.

It was a fun and spirited way to great our guests and pay special tribute to my favorite little dinosaur!

Do you see the blue painter's tape holding up the bubble?  We had some difficulty!

I hope you've enjoyed the dino series.  I am officially dinosaured out.  It was a blast and it sure made Little happy and that's the whole point!

XO,
  Sara

Dino Party - The Table

The first thing I do when planning a party is come up with the theme and/or colors.  Then...the table!  I love to set the table first because it sets the tone for the rest of the party and usually takes me in a direction I hadn't anticipated going.

I thought it would be fun to seat the kiddos in the dining room for Little's 4th Birthday party.  They thought it was pretty cool to be at the big table while the mom's ate in the kitchen.

I started by using a roll of wrapping paper from the Target $1 spot for the runner.  I also used some of this paper for the juice box covers.

Next, I used two of Little's favorite toy dinos as a focal point, some flowers and a birthday balloon.  Because how can you not have a Happy Birthday balloon at a child's birthday party?!

Last spring I DIY some chalkboard chargers.  These were the perfect place to give our guests their very own dinosaur name.

I topped each charger with a yellow paper plate, a red dinner napkin, and some very cute blue and white rugby striped appetizer napkins.  The plastic dinos were another favor the kids could take home.  They came from the Target $1 spot.  Got to love that place!

The whole table probably cost me $15, with the cost of all the dinosaurs and the flowers.  Not bad for a very cute, very festive table!

The little ones sure seemed to like it...

Up next, the mantle.  Then I promise I won't bore you with my dinosaur birthday party anymore!

XO,
  Sara

Dino Party - Decorations

Welcome back!  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  We were running all over with baseball, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  Did I tell you my Little Man was awarded the game ball after his very first game?!  So proud!

                                       

Last week I revealed the Dinosaur Party we had for my son's 4th birthday.  Wow.  Four.

If you missed any of that, you can find the cookie favors here, menu here, and volcano cupcakes here.

  

Today I'm sharing the decor.  It was pretty easy and very DIY.  I started with some clearance Target party pennant banners.

I have three so I used them in the entryway...

In the dining room...

and on the mantle.

On a whim, I decided it would be fun to make giant dinosaurs.  I bought big white poster boards and drew a T-Rex, Triceratops, and Brontosaurus on them.

  To tie them in with the fun patterns on the pennants, I rugby striped and polka dotted them in coordinating colors.  I was pretty happy with how they turned out!

Two dinos stood on the dining room hutch to welcome out little guests.

The T-Rex took over the mantle.

Once the dinos were up, I felt they needed to a little something.  Actually, I felt they needed to be saying something, so I used some leftover poster board and made three quote bubbles.  Then, I spray painted each bubble with chalkboard paint.

The Tri and Bronti say "Roar!"  and "He's 4!"

Rexxy says "Happy Birthday Japhasaurus!"

They were very easy, and made a great impact.  And, they're reusable!

Of course, I had to pull out my balloon wreath again.

 I just changed the circle label to say "Happy Fourth Birthday".

Fresh flowers are always a must for any party.  I got mine at Kroger and split them up to make 2 bouquets.  I had the vases already.

Little absolutely LOVES balloons.  Actually, I've never heard of anyone who loves them more than he does. So, naturally we had out own balloon tank and blew up a ton of balloons.

 We also took a trip to the store where he got to pick out his own Dino balloon.  Very exciting.

Tomorrow, I'll break down the birthday tablescape I put together, as well as the birthday mantle.

See you then!

XO,
  Sara