Unique Christmas Ornament Idea

There are so many creative handmade ideas out there for making a memorable “baby’s first Christmas” ornament. Since this is Gwen’s first Christmas, I know I wanted to make something special.

I decided to make an ornament out of her handprint impression {a Pinterest inspiration} as a way to remember those cute little fingers we spend so much time kissing.

The recipe is easy: ½ cup flour, ½ cup salt, ¼ cup water. Once the impression was made, I baked it in the oven at 200F for 2 ½ hours.

I painted a santa design in the impression to add more interest to the ornament and varnished with a spray lacquer. I love it, and I admit, I sometimes stop by the tree just to look at it. 

It's a reminder of how blessed we are to have her in our lives.

The Most Wonderful Time Of Year

Christmastime is clearly the most won-der-ful time…of the year.  

I finally convinced the hubby to use an artificial tree this year. Let me tell you, this tree definitely beats our past “Griswald-esque” trees where the tops were bent at the ceiling because we clearly misjudged their sizes at the tree farm.

And finally our fireplace “scape.” I bought a pre-lit garland specific for the fireplace which really helps create a cozy vibe. I like to sit in this room, sip my morning coffee while enjoying the holiday décor. It’s a great start to the morning.  And yes, I still need to finish adding the names to our stockings...that's on the to-do list.

The Leaves Are Falling

It's fall time in O-H-I-O, my favorite time of year. What's not to love about football, colorful leaves and pumpkin flavored everything?  My husband and I take advantage of this beautiful time of year by taking our golden retriever and daughter for walks as much as the weather allows.  Here are a few pictures from our most recent walk.  Although not pictured, our excited golden {logan} was present...he was busy barking at the ducks swimming in the pond. 

Engagement Photo Session

When I’m not painting, I can be found dabbling in photography. Thus far, I’ve taken a friend’s maternity pictures {here}, edited my own maternity pictures {here} and now I can add engagement photos to my list of photography accomplishments.

During our family reunion in North Carolina, I had the pleasure of taking engagement pictures of my brother and soon to be sister- in-law. We took the majority of pictures on the beach, but I think my favorite ended up being a shot we took in front of these beautiful, curvy trees.

Another one of my favorites is of the lovely couple jumping in the air.

It turned out so cute, I made my brother take a picture of my husband and I also jumping :)

Stitch Free Curtains

Can you believe I made these curtains without having to do any sewing?  As crafty as I am, I never got into sewing.  I have been meaning to make curtains for this large window for some time now, but wasn't sure how to do it since it's so large.  Custom curtains would have cost hundreds of dollars and I was determined to make my own.

To make the white sheer curtains, I did the following:

• bought sheer fabric at the craft store along with iron-on velcro squares. 
• I cut the frabic in 1/2 to make two separate panels that were 1 yard wide. 
• I needed to create a loop at the top of each panel to hang them which was done by ironing on the velcro squares
• Once you create a loop at the top of each panel, slide the curtain rod through...EASY!

Next came making the brown striped decorative curtains that are drawn back.  These were made by adding striped fabric (the bottom section) to already made brown curtains (top part of curtains).  I bought the brown curtains at Target and the stripped fabric from a craft store.  I adheared the striped fabric to the curtains by using iron-on adhesive and then used safety pins in areas where extra support was needed. 

And that was it- I was able to make my own custom cutains for under $100!  It took about an hour to make them; probably the most difficult task was hanging the curtains which my hubby helped do since it required an extension ladder :)

My Craft Cave

I promised a while ago to post pictures of my craft room.  Well, I've been procastinating because it's always a mess and decided to heck with it...craft rooms are supposed to be messy, right?  So here it is...don't mind the mess :-)

I painted the room in a lime green and accented it with black & white decor.  I got a beautiful crystal chandelier which isn't captured in this picture very well, but it adds a lot of charm to the room and is one of my favorite features. 

To the side of the room are more white shelves to house my glassware and this mannequin which was a random impulse purchase.  I was going to use it for a T-shirt line I wanted to create, but realized I have no time for that.  I did manage to create a few designs, one of which is displayed on the mannequin.  So there it is, the place where all the magic happens!

My Maternity Photo Shoot

A few years ago, I volunteered to take my friend's maternity photos found { here }. It was so much fun and I loved how the photos turned out. I am now pregnant with our first child and being the DIY'er that I am, I decided to hold my own maternity photo shoot.


I obviously wasn't able to take pictures of my husband and I by myself, so I recruited the help of my brother who has no photography experience. From my perspective, all I needed was someone to take the pictures with the help of my creative direction, and then I'd edit them. My brother did a fantastic job and I couldn't be happier with the photos, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorites....Enjoy!

Windows to Our Past

One of my "to do" projects, was to find a way to hang our photos in a unique way on the wall next to our staircase. We have been in our house for 4 years now and I just completed my photo display and I loved how it turned out!
I ordered two vintage widows from ebay and turned them into picture frames by adding mounting hardware onto the backs of each window along with picture frame wire (all available at your local craft store). I used clear self-adhesive photo corners on each corner of each photo to adhere the photo to the back of the window.
In addition to the vintage windows, I hung these cool, shabby chic frames that I found at World Market. This wall of photos currently showcases our wedding & vacation photos, however they will evolve over time to house family photos as our family continues to grow :)

High Tea

For the first time ever, I got to experience "high tea" with my mom over the weekend. If you aren't familiar with this, "high tea" takes place before afternoon tea and was given its name due to the type of tables the meals were eaten at (high tables versus low). Our experience started with our own pot of tea served out of lovely teapots. After enjoying our warm tea, our first course was served which included a bowl of soup, followed by yummy quiche and an assortment of scones and finger sandwhiches.

Our high tea experience ended with a delicious array of desserts. My favorite was the chocolate mouse- how creative! This was a very fun experience that I would definitely do again.

Finished Nursery

The nursery is finally finished and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out! We went with a neutral color palette and accents of pink and green throughout the room. I managed to incorporate a bird theme into the room through the use of a bird cage photo holder above the dresser and a bird mobile that I made by hand.


On the wall behind her crib, I painted a white tree with our initials "carved" into it. We'll hang the letters of her name on the branch which are blocked out for now until we formally reveal her name when she arrives :)
Reading has always been a big part of our childhood growing up and we would like to continue this with our children. We created a special place to house her books that will also inspire her to read and to hopefully nuture her imagination. And now we wait for her arrival!!