Oh my gosh, I just love curbside freebies, don't you? If you're lucky, you may happen upon a freebie that is good as it is, but mostly it's something that needs a little TLC and creativity. That creativity can need a kick in the pants with some sort of inspiration. Last week I finally finished a project I started a few months ago after this DIY inspiration struck me for these curbside freebies! This summer I picked up a pair of tin jack-o-lantern pots in a free pile on the curb with the thought of repurposing them somehow. Then I stumbled upon this ... Keep Reading...
SIMPLE DECORATING TIPS
Vintage WWII Christmas Ornaments
In front of the south facing patio door of the dining room I have a new tree display this year. On it is a collection of vintage WWII Christmas ornaments. This spot, where the sun can beam through the clear ornaments, turned out to be a lovely location for such a display. The past few days I've had fun sharing some of my vintage ornaments with you. I've been collecting them for a while and highlighted this year's way I displayed them. If you missed the last 2 days, here are those posts: 'Vintage Christmas Tree Reflectors' and 'Vintage Christmas on ... Keep Reading...
Vintage Christmas on Display
Creating vintage Christmas displays, the Christmas trees, the miniature dioramas, and all the many little festive vignettes is so much fun! Here are a few of the vintage Christmas displays I have, along with a few details and a tiny bit of vintage ornament education. On the main Christmas tree in the living room, I have mostly vintage ornaments mixed with the ornaments I've received from my family over the years. (Yesterday I showed you the 'Vintage Christmas Tree Reflectors') This year I replaced the 1990's gold plastic bead strings with authentically old ... Keep Reading...
Vintage Christmas Tree Reflectors
Boxes of vintage Christmas tree reflectors were a fun find for me this fall... I could hardly wait to use them on our Christmas tree! Today is kicking off another 3-day run of Simple Decorating Tips posts, this time featuring vintage Christmas! Yippee!! I absolutely love vintage Christmas decorations and decor. For you 'young pups' reading this... (you know who you are, the ones that classify 1995 and before as vintage) I am talking truely vintage, not something that came from what feels to me like just a couple years ago. LOL As I'm nearing my 6th ... Keep Reading...
DIY Vintage Candolier Diorama
This vintage candolier diorama is the final post on this 4-part series of DIY Christmas crafts. If you missed any of the others here they are: Vintage Clock DioramaBarnwood Porch BannerKitchen Cabinet Door Wreaths This DIY vintage candolier diorama was such a fun project for me! I love creating vignettes and so this diorama, which is basically a vignette on a small scale, with an added bonus of a Christmas theme would be a given to be fun to create. Unlike the vintage clock diorama that just sort of fell into place, for this vintage candolier ... Keep Reading...
Kitchen Cabinet Door Wreaths
This DIY Christmas craft feature, (which is hardly even a craft, but more of a simple decorating project) is DIY Kitchen Cupboard Wreaths. It is part 3 in the 4 part DIY Christmas Craft Projects. (If you missed the others, here are the links: Day 1 Vintage Clock Diorama and Day 2 DIY Barnwood Porch Banner and the finale Vintage Candolier Diorama My kitchen, like most kitchens, doesn't really have much wall space. However, that doesn't mean it has to be left out of the Christmas decor festivities. I love the farmhouse style of mini wreaths hung ... Keep Reading...
DIY Barnwood Porch Banner
This is part 2 in a 4 part run of Christmas crafty projects. Today's DIY craft project feature is a DIY barnwood porch sign. If you missed any of the other 3 DIY Christmas craft projects, here they are: Vintage Clock DioramaKitchen Cabinet Door WreathsVintage Candolier Diorama My husband had his knee replaced a few weeks ago, that's limited the outdoor Christmas decorating a bit. The nativity was much easier to set up on the front porch this year, instead of the sloping front yard. (I actually like it on the porch and it was so much easier, this might ... Keep Reading...
4 Days of DIY Christmas Crafts
The other 3 DIY Christmas crafts are: DIY Barnwood Porch BannerKitchen Cabinet Door WreathsVintage Candolier Diorama This is a mixed bag of Christmas craftiness. These fun projects need basically little to no skill, a couple may be slightly more involved, but really, all are fairly simple. I hope you find some inspiration to create your own unique Christmas crafts. We'd love to see them, so pop over to the MeWe Simple Decorating Tips Group Share page and share YOUR pics!! One of my favorite elements about these DIY Christmas craft projects I'm ... Keep Reading...
Vintage Ceramic Fish Display
Last year I showed you how I did a little DIY to create a kitschy aquarium. Not only have I been collecting more vintage chalkware type fish and adding to that kitschy aquarium, I've also been collecting freestanding vintage ceramic fish. This post is about the fun way I came up with for displaying those free standing ones! Over our years of visiting Maine, we've collected a few really fun trinkets and found objects... From giant lobster claws and special trinkets found on the beach to beautiful antique pottery picked up at tag ... Keep Reading...
Display a Vintage Thermos Collection
Isn't it so interesting the things we start collections of? Like this vintage thermos collection. Who would have thought that a utilitarian object to keep coffee warm in would be such a fun thing to collect?! FYI: I'm using the word 'thermos' as a term for insulated beverage holders, as there are actually a few different brands besides just Thermos brand. Displaying this thermos collection turned out to be such a fun way to add some charm in our back entry mudroom. Not only is the actual thermos collection fun, but a couple more details make it extra ... Keep Reading...
How to Fix a Slippery Rug
A few months ago I bought some new rugs for our kitchen, but there was a problem... they were slippery! I have always had good luck using those waffle weave type no slip rug pads. However, this time, though they stuck in place to the floor, this slippery rug just slipped right off the 'no slip rug pad'. Not only did that become an eyesore with the rug pad exposed a couple inches, it also became a tripping hazzard as the rug moved onto the wood floor and got even more slippery with nothing under it to hold it. I love the new rugs. They are a ... Keep Reading...
DIY Natural Simmering Potpourri
Throughout the winter I love our house to smell good. Subtle orange or apple, clove and cinnamon wafting through the rooms evokes a warm cozy feel. Some people love to use candles, melting wax and plug-in room fresheners. Not only do I get sick from perfumed things like that, but have you read any of those articles out there stating that the perfumes and soot released from candles and room fresheners can actually cause unhealthy pollution in your own house! Yikes! Truth be told, after being perfume and fragrance free in our house for so many years, ... Keep Reading...
Cabinet Door Gallery
I'm not sure, but I may have just created the term 'Cabinet Door Gallery'?? I did for sure create one in real life though! Here's why I came up with the idea in the first place with a few simple tips for creating your own cabinet door gallery. We have spent the past couple years renovating our home. It was built in the 1970's, a little late for the charming 'MCM' personality so frequently associated with a mid-century house. Instead this house we bought a few years ago, was pretty basic, (in other words 'boring'!). The house situated on a knoll overlooking ... Keep Reading...
Autumn Mantel
Up here in NW Wisconsin the changing seasons are real. The hot humid summer is rapidly transforming to cooler days and crisp nights. The pumpkins and squash are ripe and being stocked at the local farmer's stands. I can't wait to get out to the apple orchards where they are boasting their fall harvests too. What's not to Iove about autumn? My husband and I were just stating how it's our favorite season. Unlike spring, where the earth is still cold as it melts the winter ice off... in the autumn, the earth is holding on to the summer warmth, but the air is ... Keep Reading...
DIY Self-Stick Tile
Hey! Hi! I hope you had a great summer. With this pandemic and social distancing in place, it's been a very different time. Some good news, we've been blessed with our 7th grandchild this summer. A beautiful baby girl! Where normally we'd be rushing down to meet her and celebrate her birth with her parents, the pandemic put a huge damper on that. Not gonna lie, that's hard. We did visit over one weekend, but the entire time that I wanted to be feeling pure joy, it was replaced with a knot in my stomach worried I may have picked up some germs traveling ... Keep Reading...
