Our Holiday Home - 2013

So many bloggers are showing off their magazine-worthy houses and I'm like "heyyy, come look at my artificial tree and dusty windowsills." Haha, I'm only kidding. Comparison is the thief of joy, afterall. Our sweet little town home is not a showroom. It is, however, lived in and loved. It's a work in progress. And considering the Great Second Floor Flood of 2013, I'll take it just the way it is.

We are kind of no-frills and simple for the holidays. Here are some of the little things that I'm crushing on around the house this holiday season:

our new porch lantern (Home Depot) and natural swag

the snowcovered holly tree off of our front porch

my felt mistletoe wreath

this sweet little pup who would be sure to greet you if you actually stopped by

our warm and rustic fireplace

the glistening of my favorite balsam candle against the ornaments on the coffee table

the bay window vignette, complete with faux sweater trees

especially that sweet little felt birdie from Ikea

the Christmas tree... bokeh and all

the Pottery Barn birch bark candles that I refuse to burn

<3 the collection of cards that Joe and I have sent out over the last five years <3

the chalkboard art wreath monogram

the fluffy pom poms and hedgie snowglobe jar

the itty bitty vignette above the kitchen sink

I ran out of sunlight to adequately photograph the rest (the short winter days are a blogger's arch nemesis for sure) but I hope you enjoyed this little peak into our life. 

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Spring Mantle Reveal

Maybe you recall seeing some sneak peeks of our newly redecorated mantle in my Instagram feed or on this week's Insta Replay Monday. 

I'm so excited that it is finally done. I wish I had some before pictures, but I didn't plan ahead and took all of our old stuff down as soon as the Mr. gave me the green light. If you're really curious as to what was up there before, think ships and globes... BLEH -- blame the Mr.! That's not our style at all, we're much more green than that. When I finally got the go ahead to restyle everything, I knew I would be bringing the outdoors in. 

A Pocketful of Posies Pillow

Thanks to all of you who voted at So You Think You're Crafty last week, I got second place! Week two is in full force right now so stop by and vote for your favorites! You might not know this about the competition, but whoever wins each round gives a tutorial of their project at SYTYC. Since I was not number one last week, I get to share my tutorial here at Spool and Spoon instead!

We are having one long winter over here so I was really excited to hear that the Week 1 theme was Spring. The competitors are supposed to interpret the theme in whatever way we want so I combined the florals, bright colored decor, and stash busting spring cleaning all into one. From a handful of rolled flowers, some gorgeous grey chambray and a bit of stuffing blossomed this "Pocketful of Posies" pillow.

DIY Washi Tape Tray

A year ago, I shared the book page banner that I put in our bedroom and as you can see from those pictures, all of the room is neutral. Guess what? It still is. I'm a little embarrassed to even admit that I'm incredibly scared of introducing color into our decor. When I found a bright red floating frame on clearance at Target, I knew it was due time that I went out on a limb. That frame became a fun springtime jewelry tray and all it took were a few strips of washi tape.

Isn't that red just perfect? It's so eye-catching and contrasts the beige and white in the best way possible.

Simple & Crafty Valentine's Day Vignette

While I wouldn't normally decorate for Valentine's Day, my wreath really got me in the v-day spirit! I set up a faux mantle in my craft room to keep my inspiration flowing. And get this, it's made completely out of leftover craft supplies... no purchase necessary. Check it out! 

Pinecone Curtain Ties

Earlier this year I transformed our window treatments with huge poppy curtain ties. They made such a positive impact on the room but it was about time to switch things up a bit. My original inspiration came when I saw this wreath alternative here. I fell in lust but since I already made my Star of Bethlehem wreath, I scrapped that idea and went inside with the pinecones instead.  That's when I decided on number seventeen of The 25 Projects of Christmas: Pinecone Curtain Ties. These will surely delight throughout the rest of the season. 

While the Mr. is super nice about letting me have free reign when decorating the house, I try not to press my luck. "Pretty" things just aren't his style. While I'd say that these curtain ties are definitely on the pretty side, he doesn't seem to mind. Yay me! Read on for how to make your own!

Halloween Luminaries

It's September! Guess what that means? The Autumn holidays are upon us. Yay! I am so flipping excited about the next few months. I couldn't help but to get a Halloween project out of the way already. 

These would look spooktacular clustered on your dining room table. They cast a fun shadow when lit and look eerie even when they are no flames inside. The best part is that they are completely customizable... you could do different shapes, colors, or even words! Just think -- how fantastic would these look spelling out Happy Halloween across your mantle?? The possibilities are endless!

Starburst Wreath

Have you heard of Pick Your Plum?? I just found it a week ago and have already made two purchases. I bought a set of craft paper labels and 4 packs of paper straws. Aren't they just dreamy? The colors and prints are so vibrant; I just had to have all four.

But, I have a problem. We don't have any children that are begging for fun straws for their milk. I don't throw cute little backyard soirres where these would be right at home. So what should I do? Make a wreath of course! A wreath? Yep! Considering that Summer is wrapping up (boo!), I figured that it's as good a time as any to replace my Hawaiian wreath with something a bit more transitional.

I went on a search and saw Yellow Mum's Sunshine Wreath and found myself drooling all over my keyboard. Even though Summer is almost over, Autumn is no where near here so it seemed a bit premature to whip this one together as is. Nevertheless, I pinned it immediately and figured I could put a spin on it to make it the best non-seasonal wreath ever. This is what I came up with:

As with most of my projects, it's pretty simple. You only need a handful of supplies:

• 35-40 straws 
• 2 old CDs
• Hot glue gun & glue
• Optional: paint (for CDs) and embellishments

1. If you'll be painting your CDs (I suggest you do), choose whatever color you'd like and go to town. Make sure they are completely dry before moving on.
2. Hot glue a single layer of straws in equal increments around the center ring on the CD. It took me 19 straws to get completely around it.
3. In between each straw, add another. This is what creates the trendy starburst effect! Don't worry if it's a little messy on this side because they'll get covered up soon.
4. Hot glue the second CD directly on top. See? I told you it would get covered up! If you'd prefer something simple, you could stop here.
5. Since it was a bit plain for me, I opted to add some embellishments. Since I used coordinating shades of gray and white, I wanted TEXTURE. I made a variety of blooms: pom-poms, a crocheted bud, a rickrack blossom, and a large ruffled flower. I affixed these finishing touches securely with some hot glue and I was done.

Isn't it lovely? Our front door has been open all day just so I can keep staring at it!

As you can see, we have a glass door so the straws are completely protected from the elements. I may have reconsidered this project if that weren't the case because I'm not sure how well the straws would stand up to rain.

We have a traditional colonial and the wreath brings just a bit of whimsy and pizazz to the front porch. It's modern but playful at the same time. Perfect combo if you ask me.

If you didn't already know would you have guessed that this was a couple of old CDs and a handful of drinking straws?! Probably not and neither will your visitors.

Even though I made mine as a wreath, I think this would be cute as a button in a nursery.

While it's important that I love it (and I definitely do), what do you think?

If you thought this was a great upcycling project, you should consider following Spool and Spoon via email or through Google Friend Connect for other tutorials and recipes that are sure to tickle your fancy. Also, did you know we have a Facebook? Hop on over so you don't miss any of the fun. 

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Poppy Curtain Tie-Backs

No one ever told me how long it would take to make a house a home. It's hard to believe that in less than two weeks we will have been here for an entire year and we're STILL in the process of accessorizing. A little (and slightly random) thing that I've been feeling like we needed were curtain ties for each of the windows in the living room. We have a very flowy and natural theme going on downstairs so I thought a big bold flower would be the perfect addition to the overlay curtain.

These are simple but stunning. They really transform the look of the curtains... just take a look.

MATERIALS:
Yards of organza (depends on how many and how big you want your flowers)
Matching thread
Coordinating button
Circle templates (small, medium, large to your liking)
Rotary cutter & self-healing mat
Candle
Pins
Material to be used as the curtain tie (I used thin rope)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Gather your materials

2. Cut out your circles. I used 3 large (11 inch), 6 medium (8 inch), and 3 small (4 inch).

3. Melt the edges over an open flame until they pucker. I purposely let mine burn a bit to coordinate with our white muslin and dark brown silk curtains. Arrange each layer until it begins to resemble a blossom and insert a pin through the center.

4. Sew a cross-stitch over the pin to attach each layer together.

5. Sew a button to the center of each flower. On the reverse side tack the flower to a curtain tie (rope, ribbon, fabric scrap, etc).

And there you have it, an eye-catching curtain tie back!

I know big flowers aren't exactly everyone's aesthetic but I am so enamored by them. They are delicate, earthy, and even a bit rustic. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out.

If you like this thrifty decor project, consider following Spool and Spoon via email or through Google Friend Connect for recipes and projects that are sure to tickle your fancy. Also, did you know we have a Facebook? Hop on over so you don't miss a beat. 

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Medicine Cabinet Makeover

When we bought our house last year, we were so excited for everything but especially to have a nice master bathroom to share. I'm not exactly sure how it happened but we each claimed our own: he has the on-suite and I have the upstairs guest bath. We have never even set foot in the same one at the same time. Since mine is all mine for now, I'm making it as feminine as possible; starting with a makeover for the original medicine cabinet.

All I needed was something to lend me inspiration. When I found this shower curtain at HomeGoods, I knew it was perfect. It's a great focal point with the big bold floral pattern and the color is luscious. It's the best shade of plum that I have ever seen because it's almost neutral and definitely nowhere near Barney. I wanted to start incorporating the color into the rest of the room but I'm much too much of a commitment phobe when it comes to decor to even consider painting the walls but updating the medicine cabinet was a painless decision.

My biggest complaint is that since my bathroom is also the upstairs guest bath, anyone who stays overnight will use it and see everything inside. Besides that, the cabinet was in the bathroom when we moved in and while it was simple and did the job, it was nothing special. 

Let me introduce you to Plain Jane the "just-okay" medicine cabinet. Do you see what I'm talking about? Oh and while we're at it, hello deodorant and wrinkle cream!

First thing's first, I wanted to update the look of the simple design by adding a bit of my favorite color. I antiqued the surface with a mixture of grey acrylic paint, purple acrylic paint, and glazing medium (equal parts of each). All I had to do was brush it on and wipe it off almost immediately. I was precise and applied the paint and removed it all in the same direction to keep it neat and still I was done in less than 20 minutes.

To address the privacy issue I removed the glass panels and used temporary spray adhesive to attach the vinyl lace placemats that were left over from the Cut Lace Carry-All. I then sprayed three coats of Krylon's Looking Glass paint over the entire thing. After the paint dried I carefully removed the placemats and then sprayed a coat of white paint over the glass panels to give the windows a two tone effect. Inserting the windows was a piece of cake and really changed the look of the whole thing.

Like it? I love it! It'd be a great addition to a cute little cottage somewhere on the coast but luckily for me, it's right at home in my bathroom. The purple is subtle but the impact is unmistakable. It brings a whole new level of pretty to the room. Better yet, everything is tucked inside and even though it's a bit cluttered in there, no one has to know.

a close-up of the antique finish... isn't it dreamy?

If you like this little makeover project, consider following Spool and Spoon via email or Google Friend Connect so you don't miss out on other pretty projects and really simple recipes!

I'm linking to:

DIY Showoff | S3 | Classy Clutter | A Little Tipsy | I Heart Nap Time | Mine for the Making | Flamingo Toes | Craftomaniac | Shabby Creek Cottage | Somewhat Simple | Saved by Love Creations | My Simple Home Life | My Girlish Whims | Stone Gable | Young and Crafty | Nifty Thrifty Things