Valentine Pom-Pom Wreath

I was cruising around blogland (when am I not?), when I discovered this adorable heart shaped pom-pom wreath by Wendy at Ordinary Miracles of Life.  I'm not usually one to decorate for heart day, but after seeing this, I had to make an exception.  Wendy made hers by winding yarn around three fingers.  I tried this with some yarn I already had and let's just say it didn't turn out as well.  :(  Hobby Lobby has their 40% off coupon this week, so after grabbing the wreath and festive yarn, I snagged a pom-pom maker.  

As you can see, two came to a package.  I purchased a 12" wreath (9" is shown, I plan to make a smaller one for Ava's room), three Red Heart yarn colors... Deep Red, Baby Pink and Soft White.

The directions on the pom-pom maker are super easy, so I'll skip the "how-to."

I tied each pom-pom around the wreath in a double knot.  

This is what it looked like when all were attached...

After snipping and primping...

The sweet valentine on the mirror came from my grandpa a few years ago.  He's 95 now, but when he was able, he'd send a single rose and valentine every year to all his daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters.  We live all over, so it was always thoughtful to hear from him.

The glitter hearts were given to me by my sweet cousin, Angie.  She has a blog too... check her out at www.flibbertigibberish.blogspot.com.

Thank you, Wendy for sharing this "sweet" tutorial with us.  It was fun to make!  I plan to purchase the smaller pom-pom maker to create one for Ava's room and for teacher gifts.

I'm linking up to:

Have You Been Expedited?

The New Year seems to always bring feelings of organizing, cleaning out and donating.  It's such a good feeling to clean out and donate to others.  In the first week of the new year, we went to Ikea to purchase an Expedit for the playroom.  Here is what it looked like before we started...

Not horrible, but definitely in need of some TLC.  Because of where the cable was installed, the television has been crammed in the corner for about 5 years.  It's at 3 year-old eye level... you should have seen all the finger prints!  We found some paintable trim at Lowe's that attaches to the baseboard to conceal cords.  It will be nice to be able to open both doors.  The small closet maid to the left was the only thing we had for easy storage and much of what you see here, the kids don't play with anymore.  Time to clean out!

We cleared enough space to lay out all the parts to start our build...

Here's hubby putting together this monstrosity!  

Almost finished...

I love how it adds height to the room and the television has its own little space.  I'll show more pictures of the room as we get it together, but had to show you what a difference this made!  

Where have you used an Expedit?  We plan to use another one in the craft room!  

I'm linking up to:

Show Us Your House at Thrifty Decor Chick

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Hi again!  We've been getting buckets of rain the last couple of days.  We needed it, as we've been on a water restriction for several months.  It would have to rain everyday for a month before they lift it.  Anywho... I came across this yummy ranch recipe and had to share it with you.  I was watching Chuck's Day Off on the Cooking Channel over Christmas and wrote the recipe down in my daughter's coloring book, the closest thing I could find.
This is what you need...

1/3 cup of mayo
1/3 cup of sour cream
1 tbsp of honey
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp of fresh garlic (1 clove)
1 scallion, finely chopped
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (I used table salt)

Combine all ingredients together in small bowl and serve!
Keeps in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

It's a different twist on ranch.  The honey and lemon juice make it tart and sweet.
My kids liked it!

Let me know if you try it and you like it!

Look what the guys in brown delivered yesterday...

So excited!  I ordered it on Sunday and it came Wednesday!  Wish me luck on turning that (^) into this...

I know what I'll be doing during nap time!  :)

I'm linking up to:

My New Craft Table

Hi!  I didn't realize it had been almost three weeks since my last post.
We've been busy with lots of exciting projects.  Speaking of which... I'm happy to start the organization process of my craft room/home office.  Back in October, we took our two HUGE desks to Furniture Buy Consignment, a local high end used furniture store.  In less than two months, both of them sold! 

The hubs and I made a deal that we (okay, I) would use the money from the furniture to re-do the room.   

I ordered this desk today from Home Decorators Collection.  It's the Martha Stewart Living Craft Space Table.  They were offering free shipping (through 1/23/12) and $10 off your order of $100 or more, so it was great timing!  Due to my bad back, I decided to get the 36"x54" size (countertop height).  For certain projects, I like to stand because it's better on my back.  After reading the reviews, many customers ordered the taller one for the same reasons! 

It's perfect!  I wanted a substantial table, but with an airy and light feel, if that makes sense.
Now I'm on the look out for a pair of barstools, one for me and a crafting buddy!  :)

My inspiration for this room comes from several of my favorite bloggers.
One in particular is Megan from Honey We're Home.  I adore her office and shortly after I found her,
I purchased the fabric she used for her office drapes.  

Waverly Bedazzle Silver Lining

I've had the fabric for almost a year and needless to say, I can't wait to sew them and watch the room come to life!  The two colors I'm considering for the room are:

Behr's Ashes or

Sherwin Williams Friendly Yellow

I'm leaning more towards the yellow because we have a lot of gray tones throughout our home.  

I'll be clearing the room and preparing to paint with one of those colors in the next week or so.

After that, we are heading to Ikea to purchase one of these...

Expedit

So, if I'm MIA for awhile, you'll know what I'm doing!

In the mean time, I plan to post some small projects I've completed!

Have a good week!

A New Year, A Fresh Start

Happy New Year!  It's been a busy first 3 days of this new year!  We've made some changes around here in the way of organizing, cleaning out closets and of course, packing up Christmas decor.  Over the long weekend, we made a trip to Ikea to pick-up an Expedit for the playroom.  With a new transformation, comes sorting and tossing of out-grown toys and cutting down on the clutter.  It has me motivated to hit other areas of the house.  I rearranged both of the kids bedrooms, as we get ready to transform Tyler into a big boy bed.  I can't wait for tomorrow, as it will be his first day back to preschool!  Both kids in school!  YAY!

While I'm getting things squared away and before I reveal the changes we've made,

 I want to share my wish list of things to accomplish in 2012.  I have had more fun browsing through all the recaps of 2011.  I've linked up to a few and I have to say, this is where you'll find the cream of the crop!
A few of these really inspired me to achieve my goals! 

To have a fresh and organized office with new paint, desk and area rug...

via World Market

I can't wait to use my frugal find from Garden Ridge... this Trellis Rug for $49.99!

Inspiration from these two ladies, using the Ikea Expedit will give me the organized office I've been longing for!

Source: Megan @ Honey We're Home

Source: Elsa @ Casa Greer

Inspired by Amber Lane Living...

I'd like to finish what I started in the pantry...

Using the fabric I chose as my wallpaper...

Make cushions for the painted kitchen banquette using drop cloth fabric...

What do you hope to accomplish in 2012?  My plan is to knock out these projects, so that I can move on to other exciting ideas that I don't dare start until I finish the above!  

I also hope to enjoy living in my house more than doing... one can only hope.