A Soft Place to Land HAS MOVED!

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2009-11-19T13:02:00.000-05:00

See you there!

A Very Kimba Christmas ~ The Ebook

2009-11-16T07:32:00.000-05:00

I am thrilled to announce the release of my new ebook, A Very Kimba Christmas.

It is being released at the new and improved A Soft Place to Land.

http://asoftplace.net

Come visit my new bloggy home.

Reminder! ASPTL has Moved!

2009-11-11T07:46:00.002-05:00

Please come find me at my new bloggy home:

http://asoftplace.net

While you're there, please sign up for my brand-spankin' new RSS feed.

You can also Follow Me using my new Google Friend Connect. Then my posts will show up in your Blogger Dashboard like always.

If you Followed Me on Monday, you'll need to add your pretty face again. Something was wonky with Google Friend Connect and the only way to fix it was to trash it and start over.

A Soft Place to Land is Moving!

2009-11-09T07:15:00.003-05:00

Important News!

I am so glad you're here! But please, please, please come find me in my new digs. A Soft Place to Land is now at...

www.asoftplace.net

I should have given you all some notice so you could come and help me pack. Now, I'm settling in and it would be so much better with you there. This moving business can get messy and I need all my blog friends to help me through it.

Click here to fly straight to my new blog home.

See you there!

photo credit: Mpopp

DIY Day Recap and a Winner!

2009-11-06T00:10:00.004-05:00

10 Minute Curtains @ Funky Junk Interiors (I NEVER would have thought to use hangers to hang my curtains. She's a genius!)

Farmhouse master bath @ Continental Calliope (Oh my goodness! What a beautiful bathroom!)

DIY Heather Chadduck Hanging Light @ For the Love of Older Homes (Heather is one of my favorite real designers and I have been in love with this lamp.)

Dining Room Reveal @ Cottage Instincts (If you think you can't makeover a dated, wallpapered mess of a room, think again. And check out this makeover.)

Burlap Dollar Store Wall Grouping @ Tatertots and Jello (I love that she used her kids initials in these!)

Book page wreath tutorial @ Living with Lindsay (WOW! Thrifty and beautiful!)

Craiglist Hutch Makeover @ Invited Inn (The green color she used is perfect!)

Revamped Dresser @ Centsational Girl (She did this for her brother's bachelor pad. It's perfect!)

Thanksgiving Countdown Thankful Jar @ Somewhat Simple (What a great idea to help us be purposefully thankful this month.)

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The winner of the $50 gift certificate from Molly Caroline Designs is Sherry from Creations from My Heart. Congratulations, Sherry! Shoot me an email and we'll get you set up.

A million thank-yous to Molly Caroline Designs for sponsoring DIY Day this week! Be sure to swing by her shop for tons of personalized goodies.

Quick Projects with Foam Stamps: A Guest Post

2009-11-04T12:06:00.000-05:00

Today's post comes from Sara at Creative Jewish Mom. Sara and I connected a few months ago and I am a huge fan of her site where she shares the joys of crafting, decorating, cooking, and gardening. I think you're going to love her too!

A scrap of awning fabric stamped with fabric paint makes a casual table runner.

The craft of stamping images onto fabric or paper is always fun and satisfying, so when I spotted a collection of large foam stamps at the dollar store a few years back, I scooped them all up, and wish I had bought duplicates! Foam stamping does not produce the crisp results one can obtain with stenciling so I wouldn't recommend doing it on your walls, but there are so many other ways to use this quick decorative technique.

Cover the blank walls at a school or community function with long stamped banners!

I have used these stamps for projects with children as young as 5 years old and fun was had by all. Even imperfect results are charming and can be used as wrapping paper or for gift cards and tags.

Plain brown boxes : now wonderful gift boxes or decorative storage containers!

Stamping is the kind of thing you just can't get enough of, so before you get started make sure you have a whole bunch of boxes, paper and anything else you can think of on hand! I used one of these stamps on cracker boxes turned inside out to make really festive Purim containers, but you'll just have to wait awhile to see them!

Stamping on colored paper with white or creme paint is quite successful. Cut your paper to the exact height of some good recycled cans, and make useful containers that look great!

These are the stamps that I used to make all the above examples in this post!

How To:

Buy some foam stamps like these, if you can't find them sit tight, I'll hopefully be teaching you how to make something similar in the future!
Using acrylic craft paint, apply paint to the stamp with a large brush
Carefully place stamp on paper and press down
Lift from paper to enjoy the results

Note from Kimba: Thanks Sara! I've always wondered what to do with those huge foam stamps at the craft store. Now I know. Here are just a few of my favorite posts from Creative Jewish Mom:

Container Gardening with Houseplants
Dimensional Fall Tree with Felt Leaves
Floral Pomander Balls
Whole Wheat and Yogurt Pancakes

Sara was born and raised in California, educated in New York and now lives in the gorgeous rolling hills of Northern Israel with her Israeli husband and five children.

She left a high profile designer life in Manhattan for spiritual pursuits and ended up meeting her husband in Israel. They have chosen to live in the North of the country to give their children a quiet upbringing close to nature and away from the distractions of commercialization.

Make Your Home More Welcoming - Challenge #8

2009-11-04T07:34:00.001-05:00

Foof up your entry way door.

Today's "welcoming" idea came right from one of my readers, Lynda from Ramblings of a Sports Mad Southern Girl.

I spend a lot of time making wreaths and pretty things for my front door. I love doing it and it makes the front of the house look great. I can't believe it never occurred to me to give the same treatment to the door that our family uses.

Today, we're going to hang something pretty on the door that our family usually uses. For me, that's the door from the garage into our kitchen. Maybe you use your front door and you already have something pretty hanging there. In that case, yay you! Now go hug someone. :)

I have no shortage of wreaths, so that's what I'll do. I also have my eye on a vinyl Welcome sign like this one from Back 40 Life.

You can browse all of our challenges and join in any time. Just click here to see the whole series.

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Make sure you check out the beautiful collection of Christmas stationery items and stamps that Purple Lemon Designs made just for A Soft Place to Land readers! There's a giveaway!

~~~~~~~~~~And DIY Day is still going strong! You can still enter your project and be in the running for our prize!

photo credit: Puzzler4879

DIY Day and a Giveaway!

2009-11-02T22:01:00.000-05:00

Welcome to DIY Day! Are you ready to share your latest project?

If you're new here, every Tuesday we get together to share our newest DIY projects. I'm really flexible about what constitutes a DIY project. A furniture makeover, an outdoor project, an indoor project, some new artwork...heck, even a great recipe could qualify as DIY, right?

Today, we have a fantastic prize from Molly Caroline Designs. This adorable etsy shop is full of so much personalized goodness that I could hardly decide what to show you!

Polka Dot Customized Plate

There are personalized plates and placemats that my kids would flip for (make sure to look in the Seasonal section to for Thanksgiving and Christmas designs).

Personalized water bottle

And I don't know about you, but my kids are always using plastic water bottles for sports and such. The plastic ones become totally YUCK after a while. We would love a couple of nice aluminum ones.

You definitely want to go browse around Molly Caroline Designs. She has the most adorable stickers and stamps, customized kids t-shirts, and stationery items. And her seasonal designs are too cute.

One lucky winner will get $50 to spend at Molly Caroline Designs!!! Yeeehaw! That'll take care of some of your Christmas shopping, huh?

All you have to do is link up a post to DIY Day and you're entered to win!

Just a couple of guidelines to help things run smoothly.

Link to your specific post, not the main page of your blog. I HATE having to delete these. It makes me feel like a big meanie.
Include a short description of your DIY project in parenthesis after the name of your blog. This helps people browse the HUGE number of projects. And you get MORE clicks!
Link to this party from your post so everyone can get in on the fun.

Now let's see those projects!

Broken Sugar Bowl

2009-11-02T11:36:00.002-05:00

I have a broken sugar bowl. My caffeine-deprived fingers fumbled its lid one morning as I was getting my coffee. My oldest son was nearby and said, "Don't worry mommy. You can get a new one."

Simple words that were meant to comfort me. Instead, they broke my heart.

My kids don't have a spirit of thankfulness. Things like toys, games, books and clothes come easily for them. They have generous grandparents, aunts and uncles. And they have a mom who is an uber-bargain-shopper. This has all lead to too much stuff.

And not enough gratitude. When something breaks, we just get a new one.

I decided that moment would be a teaching moment. We talked about being grateful for what we have and caring for our things because sometimes, when something breaks, it can't be replaced. Sometimes we fix what's been broken and sometimes we make due (do?) without.

And so we carefully pieced back together the lid of my sugar bowl. We found each little sliver of ceramic and super-glued it in place.

Nearly 2 years later, I still have my broken sugar bowl. I could run to Target and buy a new one for $6. I could probably find a nearly new one at Goodwill for $1. But the lesson that is remembered every single time we use that sugar bowl is worth more than a new one.

We still have too much stuff and not enough gratitude. We also have a bunch of friends who probably wonder why I have a busted sugar bowl. But now we also have a reminder. Even if it's only me that gets the reminding.

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I don't pretend to be a writer. But Emily from Chatting at the Sky IS a writer. And she has written the most beautiful post on brokenness. Trust me. You want to read it.

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Keep scrolling down or click here to read today's Make Your Home More Welcoming Challenge.

Make Your Home More Welcoming - Challenge #7

2009-11-02T07:34:00.004-05:00

Use the good stuff.

Do you have a china cabinet full of wedding china (or Grandma's china or thrift store china?) that only gets pulled out for a holiday or special occasion? How about some pretty glasses that don't get used because they're fragile? Is it REALLY the end of the world if one gets broken?

What's the point? Let's get out the good stuff and use it for our own family. Now, I'm not telling you to use Grandma's china if that's going to mean hours of hand washing afterward, but if it can go in the dishwasher...why not?

Me? I'm going to pull out some fun appetizer plates that I only use for parties and use them to serve lunch to the kids. Fun, right? And easy.

And I'm going to pull out my fancy goblets and use them for dinner.

Do you have something special that you don't use. Get it out and give it a spin! Maybe there's a bottle of champagne in the back of your fridge that's just waiting for a special occasion.

I say Monday is a special occasion. How about you?

You can browse all of our challenges and join in any time. Just click here to see the whole series.

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I have 1 or 2 spots left for holiday advertising. If you'd like information on reaching ASPTL readers with your fabulous goodies for Christmas, email me and I'll send you all the details.

photo credit DeusXFlorida

Sunday Morning

2009-11-01T08:40:00.000-05:00

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4: 8-9

photo credit: Roger Lynn

Purple Lemon Designs For You!

2009-10-30T07:29:00.004-04:00

Kelly from Purple Lemon Designs has designed a set of awesome stationery items and address stamps just for the readers of A Soft Place to Land! I am so full of myself today.

Psssst. There's a giveaway at the end of this post.

Kelly is a really talented designer and her printable stationery is pure brilliance. This Celebration Wreath design will be customized with your family's name.

Then you'll receive an electronic file that you can use to print as much as you want from your own printer. Each set includes folded cards, flat cards, note paper, enclosure cards/gift tags and an A-2 envelope template. The best part? It's only $10!!!!

The Message printable stationery is only $5.00! Seriously! $5.00, people!

I have used her printable stationery before and it couldn't be easier. It comes with step by step instructions for printing, cutting and assembling. So easy even this Cave Kimba can do it.

And if you're looking for some professionally printed stationery, Kelly has designed these Swirly Fun Flat Note Cards. Wouldn't these make a fantastic Christmas gift? Of course, yours wouldn't say Kimba. Unless that's your name. Which it probably isn't.

And yes, my friends, it is time to start thinking about your Christmas cards. Especially if you want something beautifully customized like these Red and Green Goodness Christmas Cards.

I have one of Purple Lemon Designs' Customized Address Stamps that I use for my business. I love it! And I'm totally wild for this Celebration Wreath Address Stamp! Your Christmas cards will thank you.

And this Ornamental Stamp is perfect for everyday use. I think it would make a fantastic Christmas gift for those newlyweds or someone who recently moved...or anyone with an address.

Stamps ordered from Purple Lemon Designs will be customized with your information and your choice of fonts.

Kelly has set up a special page on her site just for readers of ASPTL. Click here to shop these exclusive designs. They will be available at these prices for a limited time.

If you don't see exactly what you're looking for, you can also browse Purple Lemon Designs Etsy shop for a huge selection of custom stamps and stationery.

GIVEAWAY!

Would you like to win a Celebration Wreath Address Stamp from Purple Lemon Designs? I thought you might! Leave a comment here telling us your favorite item from Purple Lemon Designs ASPTL Collection. I giggle every time I write that!

And if you tweet about this new collection, then come back and leave another comment and you'll be entered again!

This post is sponsored by Purple Lemon Designs.

DIY Day Recap & Linky Love

2009-10-29T10:06:00.001-04:00

An amazing $200 kitchen makeover @ Blue Castle (It just goes to show what you can do with a small budget and some creativity.)

DIY Play Kitchen @ Mommy Words (Who needs Pottery Barn? You rock, Brittany!)

Pretty, pretty pumpkins @ Sweet Paisley (Wow! What a carving job!)

Wallpapering with fabric @ infarrantly creative (This is adorable!)

Sweater stockings @ Life in Grace (Could Edie be any more creative? I think not!)

Brilliant storage idea @ Classy and Sophisticated (I literally squealed when I saw this idea! Squealed and ran to show The Hubster.)

Before & After: Half bath makeover: Mabel's House (Liz has such killer taste. I love her use of grey in this bathroom.)

How to reupholster dining room chairs @ Thrifty Decor Chick (Great tutorial! And I love the new design over at TDC!)

Top 10 list for home decor bloggers @ The Stories of A to Z (This cracked me up! Thanks, Beth!)

Keep scrolling down or click here for today's Make Your Home More Welcoming Challenge!

Make Your Home More Welcoming - Challenge #6

2009-10-29T07:43:00.002-04:00

Make them something yummy.

Even if you regularly have a homemade dinner on the table at 6pm sharp (I don't!), there's something extra special about having a little something sweet made for the one's you love.

It doesn't have to be some takes-all-day project. I'm a huge fan of popping some break-and-bake or slice-and-bake cookies in the oven. It makes the house smell divine and when you serve them with a glass of cold milk, you'll get no complaints.

If you're looking for something a little more special (but still easy), try my Apple and Pear Crisp Fake Out. No one will EVER guess how easy it is.

Just joining our Make Your Home More Welcoming Challenge? Click here to read all about it and join in.

photo credit: ilmungo

Make Your Own Stick Bundles

2009-10-28T07:50:00.002-04:00

I love those expensive stick/grass/willow bundles (what are they called, anyway?) that you see in all the stores. But the ones I was looking at the other day were between $25 & $35. YIKES! Not happening!

Here's how to make your own. So easy and only $4.00!

Supplies:

Tin can
Brown spray paint
Plaster of paris
Grass, sticks or branches
Jute rope
Hot glue

Step 1: Paint your tin can brown (or another color that matches your sticks/grass/branches. That's so that if a bit of the can shows through the final product, you won't really be able to tell.

Step 2: Mix up some plaster of paris and put it in the bottom of each can for weight. You could use anything you wanted to give them some weight. But I wanted to make sure that whatever was in mine didn't spill out when my little hooligans knock them over.

Step 3: Hot glue a piece of floral foam into the can right on top of the hardened plaster.

Step 4: Start sticking in your sticks. My stick-grass stuff came in a big bundle from Joann for $4.00 (50% off!). You can find it at any craft store.

Step 5: Hot glue the sticks, grass or brances around the outside of the can. Don't worry if a bit of the can shows through because you painted the can brown, remember?

Step 6: A little rustic twine to finish off the bottom.

Step 7: Wrap it around a few times.

Step 8: Tie another piece of twine around the grass right above the top of the can. If you're using something stiff like sticks, you won't need to cinch it so tight.

This article was originally posted on October 16, 2008.

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My newest sponsor, Completely Coastal, is hosting A Cool Coastal Giveaway on her blog today. Check it out! Her site is full of all things beachy, nautical and coastal.

DIY Day!

2009-10-26T22:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to DIY Day! Are you ready to share your latest project?

I've been a smidge disorganized this week so we don't have a prize but I love seeing all of your projects even without a giveaway. So let's see 'em!

Just a couple of guidelines to help things run smoothly.

Add a permalink to your specific post, not the main page of your blog.
Include a short description of your DIY project in parenthesis after the name of your blog. For example, A Soft Place to Land (painted pumpkins).
Link to this party from your post so everyone can get in on the fun.
Double-check to make sure your link works and goes to the right page so it doesn’t get deleted! If you come back and see your link is gone, re-read these rules and try again. No worries!

Now let's see those projects!

Make Your Home More Welcoming - Challenge #5

2009-10-26T11:30:00.001-04:00

Make it smell good.

I don't know about you, but in our house we have 2 young boys. That means our house can smell like all sort of funkiness if I don't keep a breeze blowing.

Today's challenge is so simple...just make it smell good. That could mean lighting those fancy candles (what are you waiting for, anyway?) or maybe you could bake something yummy.

It doesn't get any easier, right?

Just joining our Make Your Home More Welcoming Challenge? Click here to read all about it and join in.

Bloggers Care: Operation Christmas Child

2009-10-26T07:42:00.002-04:00

One of the things I love best about having this blog is that it gives me a platform to talk about things that I really care about.

This is me talking about Operation Christmas Child because it's something I really care about.

Some of you may know Operation Christmas Child as the Shoebox Ministry, which is run by Samaritans Purse. Because of Operation Christmas Child, some 8 million needy children, in more than 100 countries on six continents, will receive personal, gift-filled shoe boxes this year. For many of these children, the shoe box gift will be the first gift they have ever received.

Operation Christmas Child partners with caring individuals, families, schools, churches, civic clubs and other organizations in thousands of cities in all 50 states and 11 additional countries to fill those 8 million shoe boxes with school supplies, toys, necessity items, family photos and notes of encouragement for needy
children.

Picture from Operation Christmas Child

More than 500,000 volunteers worldwide, including some 100,000 volunteers in the United States, will join forces to prepare the boxes for transport to distant lands.

Our church participates in Operation Christmas Child and each year our family fills at least 2 shoeboxes...for children the same ages as our sons. It's a great way to get our kids thinking outside of themselves at Christmas.

My friend, Sarah, from Real Life is partnering with Operation Christmas Child to reach the blogging community. She is going to host a blogging carnival for people to share their OCC stories (the carnival starts TODAY!) and a virtual packing party on her live MomTV Show. You can read all about Bloggers Care: Operation Christmas Child on her site.

When she asked for volunteers to help spread the word, I couldn't say YES fast enough. If you're a blogger, we'd love for you to help spread the word too.

And there are so many ways to get involved as an individual or as a group. You can pack boxes as an individual or you can organize a group to pack or you can donate. Be sure to see Bloggers Care: Operation Christmas Child at Real Life for more info.

Sunday Morning

2009-10-25T08:35:00.000-04:00

Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again; Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4: 4-7

photo credit: Roger Lynn

DIY Day Recap and some Linky Love!

2009-10-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

DIY sunburst mirror for $3 @ Ashley's Thrifty Living (She's a genius, people!)

A beautiful before/after bedroom makeover @ It's the little things that make a house a home

Feedsack footstool makeover @ Mustard Seed Creations

Beautiful YELLOW little girl's room @ Maman Tattoo (I adore yellow!)

Some sweet DIY artwork @ Little Red Roost

DIY vintage bird knobs @ The Graphics Fairy (Complete with step by step instructions and downloads for the graphics!)

Decoupaged Poe pumpkin @ Mrs B (Welcome back to blogging, girl!)

A great collection of her own Before & Afters @ Blue Cricket Design

Waxing leaves @ Clover Lane (If you've ever wondered how to preserve and display those gorgeous fall leaves, here's how. I'll be doing this with the kiddos!)

A fantastic makeover of a garage entry way @ Northern Cottage (I love making those those family only spaces more usable and pretty!)

Beautiful coffee table makeover @ Funky Junk Interiors (I love the paint and the tiled top! It looks fantastic!)

DIY refrigerator message board @ Flax and Spindle
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The winner of our prize from The Shabby Chic Cottage is Tiffany from La *T* Da

Many, many thanks to Gina from The Shabby Chic Cottage for sponsoring DIY Day this week.

Make Your Home More Welcoming - Challenge #4

2009-10-23T07:55:00.001-04:00

Get them something to drink.

Such a simple thing to do. It's one of the first things that I do whenever a friend comes over. It's usually the 3rd question I ask a guest...right after "How are you?" and "Did you bring me a present?". I ask "Can I get you something to drink?"

There's something welcoming and sociable about getting someone a beverage.

So today, I challenge you to pour a drink for the people you love without them even asking. The Hubster has a long drive home and usually grabs a can of Diet Coke with Splenda when he gets home. Today, I'll pour it over ice for him before he walks in the door.

I'm thinking that I should change the title of this series to "Make Yourself More Welcoming." But, we're kind of committed now, so we'll stick with what we've got.

You can join our Make Your Home More Welcoming Challenge any time. Catch up by reading:
Challenge #1
Challenge #2
Challenge #3

Stay tuned! DIY Day Recap coming in a little while!

photo credit: DRP via flickr

Decorating with Pumpkins and Gourds

2009-10-22T12:24:00.000-04:00

Country Living

One thing I love about fall is being able to decorate with the beautiful pumpkins, gourds and squash that I find at the grocery store and farmer's market. You gotta love decorating with produce.

BHG

I'm thinking about making this simple garland by wiring some mini pumpkins and real leaves to a piece of twine or rope. So beautiful for a kitchen window.

BHG

How beautiful is this simple mantle display done with pumpkins and gourds in shades of yellow and green?

Southern Living

I am in love with these mini-pumpkin picks! They would be adorable peeking out of a pot of mums on the front porch. Here is an easy tutorial from Southern Living.

Country Living

It doesn't get any easier than colorful gourds in simple white bowls. That's my kind of centerpiece.

Country Living

For a more abundant look, try filling a long container with gourds, leaves, apples, pine cones and candles. Pure natural beauty. I love that everything for this gorgeous display can be found in the produce section and the backyard.

What ideas do you have for displaying fall's bounty?

Scroll down or click here to read Challenge #3 of our Make Your Home More Welcoming Challenge.

Make Your Home More Welcoming - Challenge #3

2009-10-22T07:30:00.002-04:00

Turn on some music! Really. It's that simple. Just turn it on!

What does your home sound like? I'm a big believer that music soothes the savage beast. Whether that's my kids or me, I'll leave to you to decide.

I just know that when we reach the witching hour (that hour before dinner), turning on some music makes things a little better.

There are times when I'm cooking dinner and I can feel the tension rising. If I stop to listen, I'll usually realize that I have the news on the TV (loud enough to hear it in the kitchen) and the kids are ramping up their noise to compete with it. Everyone is hungry and we're ready for daddy to get home.

My irritation is rising by the minute and The Hubster usually walks in the door just as I'm about to explode.

I have found that the simple act of turning off the TV and turning on some music changes the mood. My mom bought us one of those under cabinet cd players like this onefor our kitchen a few years back. Thanks Mom! And I like to think that walking into a house with some tunes playing feels really welcoming.

I'll leave the tunes selection to you but two of our faves are:

Jack Johnson - Sing-A-Longs & Lullabies for the Film Curious George (The kids remember the music from the movie and Jack Johnson chills me right out. A total crowd-pleaser.)

and

Louis Armstrong - All-Time Greatest Hits (Fun enough for the kids. Cool enough for mom.)

Photo credit: Ian Hayhurst

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Are you on board with our Make Your Home More Welcoming Challenge? You can start whenever you're ready. Check out Challenge 1 and Challenge 2.

Stay tuned. Fun with pumpkins and gourds coming later today.

Fall Planting

2009-10-21T12:45:00.000-04:00

Did you know that fall is a great time to plant new trees and shrubs? Yep! The air may be cooler, but the ground is still nice and warm and that lets all those little roots take hold before it freezes. Then, come spring, your new tree already has a jump start.

The best part is that now is the time when most nurseries and garden centers (like Lowes and Home Depot) put their trees and shrubs on deep discount. The leaves on this tree may be a little crispy, but they'll be fine come spring.

We snapped up some new trees and bushes for 1/2 off over the weekend.

The downside is that you have to buy 'em when you see 'em even if you don't have the right vehicle. Otherwise someone else may snap up that Japanese Maple Tree that will be perfect for your front yard.

I wish I could say that this was the first time we risked life and limb (hardy har) and drove home with our heads stuck in a tree. My poor boys.

Don't believe me? Here's a article on fall planting from HGTV.

And here's a great how-to on tree planting from DoItYourself.com.

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You can still enter your project for DIY Day! If you have a few minutes, go browse through some of the projects. Amazing!

The winners of our giveaway from DiscHangers.com are:
Christi @ Life is Dancing in the Rain
Connie @ Shady Creek Lane
Ellen @ Handmade Recess

Congratulations! Shoot me an email with your address and I'll get you hooked up with your DiscHangers. And if you didn't win, remember that you can get free shipping at DiscHangers.com by using code FREESHIP09!

Make Your Home More Welcoming - Challenge #2

2009-10-21T08:17:00.002-04:00

Clean up your entryway.

I'm not talking about making a beautiful wreath to hang on your front door. That's for your guests...and for yourself, if you're a wreath-loving fool like me.

I'm talking about getting rid of the clutter and mess that's going on in the entrance that your family uses. For me, that's the door from our garage.

We're lucky that we have a little mudroom area between the garage and the kitchen. The problem is that it becomes a dumping ground for shoes, book bags, grocery bags, library books, stray dogs and pizza boxes. It makes me cringe every time I walk into it.

Actual, un-retouched photo. I'm so embarrassed.

We have big plans for a wall unit with a bench and hooks and shelves. Plans, but no funds. In the meantime, I've done nothing with it.

Today, I'm going to clean it up. I'm going to find places for all of the clutter that has made it's permanent home in our entry way. I'm not usually one to show you the "before" without the "after" pictures, but we're in this together. This is what I'm doing today too.

What if you don't have a mudroom? I know most people don't. So how does your family get into your house? What can you do to make it more welcoming? Does it need picked up? Can you add a little table with a bowl where you can drop your keys on the way into the house?

Do you have room for a little chair where you can stop to take off your shoes?

How about a hook on the wall for a coat?

Need a little inspiration?
Key Catcher @ The DIY Show Off
Informal entry way checklist @ Pure Style Home
Solution for lack of an entryway @ Apartment Therapy
DIY coat rack @ My Backyard Eden

Did you miss Challenge #1? Check it out by clicking here!

Another post and the winners of the DiscHanger giveaway coming later today. Stay tuned...

DIY Day and a Giveaway!

2009-10-19T22:01:00.000-04:00

Welcome to DIY Day! Are you ready to share your latest project?

This week's prize comes from my friend, Gina, at The Shabby Chic Cottage. Gina has recently opened an etsy shop that she is filling with beautiful vintage finds and her own handmade goodies.

Gina also hosts Transformation Thursday on her blog where her readers share their most recent transformations at home. You can see last week's edition here.

Things like this beautiful Beadboard Tealight Tray. I could use this in about 93 places in my house.

And this hand crafted Family Sign. I love how it's all rustic and scrappy and charming.

One lucky winner will receive this beautiful, shabby cake stand. Can't you just see it on your counter showcasing your sweets? All you have to do is link up a post to DIY Day and you're entered to win!

Just a couple of guidelines to help things run smoothly.

Add a permalink to your specific post, not the main page of your blog.
Include a short description of your DIY project in parenthesis after the name of your blog. For example, A Soft Place to Land (painted pumpkins).
Link to this party from your post so everyone can get in on the fun.
Double-check to make sure your link works and goes to the right page so it doesn’t get deleted! If you come back and see your link is gone, re-read these rules and try again. No worries!

Now let's see those projects!

Make Your Home More Welcoming - Challenge #1

2009-10-19T08:29:00.001-04:00

The topic of having a more welcoming home has been on my mind lately. When I think about having a warm and welcoming home, I usually think about how guests feel when they enter my home.

But lately, I've been wondering how my own family feels when they get home. There's nothing wrong with wanting guests to feel welcome and at home. In fact, I love doing that! But sometimes I wonder what would happen if I consciously spent that same time and energy making my own family feel at home.

For the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be issuing you some challenges. Simple things that you can do to make your home more welcoming to your own family. Don't worry. You won't be alone because I'll be doing these things in my home too.

This means I'll probably be posting multiple times a day on some days. I hope you can stand it.

So let's get to it!

Make Your Home More Welcoming - Challenge #1

What if we greeted our own family with the same attitude and and enthusiasm as we greet our guests? With a big smile, a welcoming hug and a warm "Welcome Home"!

I'll admit I'm often busy or preoccupied when The Hubster gets home from work. On a good day, he may get a quick "Hi Hon" and not much more. What's worse is on a bad day, he might get that "Hi" accompanied by snarling or sighing and a barked order to take care of this kid or pick up that mess. I'm a real charmer on those days.

So today, I'm going to make a purposeful effort to greet my own family with the same love and enthusiasm as I would greet a guest. For me, that will probably mean a big smile, a hug and an undistracted conversation. And this doesn't just apply to The Hubster. I'm going to give the kids this same treatment.

And if you're the one arriving home to your family, what if you made a purposeful effort to come home with a loving attitude, a cheerful smile and a warm greeting?

Let's get to it. Go hug somebody.

Sunday Morning

2009-10-18T08:42:00.000-04:00

I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.

Psalm 40: 1-3

photo credit: Code Poet

DiscHangers.com and a Giveaway!

2009-10-16T07:06:00.002-04:00

This giveaway is now closed.

Have you checked out one of my newest sponsors, DiscHangers.com? These are the most useful little things ever for those of us who love to hang plates (and other things) on our walls.

They're ridiculously easy to use. You just wet the back of the disc and smoosh it around with your finger a little bit so that the adhesive gets all tacky.

Then you stick the hanger to the back of your plate and let it dry overnight. No more metal brackets! Love these!!!

They're perfect for plates.

And they work for other things like this metal tray that could never be hung with a regular plate hanger.

I even hung this wooden tray with a DiscHanger!

You know how I'm always saying that I love to work with nice people? Well, Stanley of DiscHangers.com is one of those people.

He is offering free shipping to all of my readers. Just use code FREESHIP09 when you check out. Thanks Stanley!

Did I say something about a giveaway? I sure did! We are giving away 3 (yes, 3!) complete sets of DiscHangers. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post. No muss. No fuss. Just tell me, GIVE ME THE HANGERS! I'll select 3 winners next week.

Linky Love and DIY Day Recap

2009-10-15T00:00:00.002-04:00

Nearly 300 posts linked up for DIY Day and each one was wonderful! Thank you all so much for sharing your projects week after week. And for the newcomers, welcome! Here are a few of my faves.

DIY artwork for the fireplace (or anyplace) @ Great Oak Circle Designs

Vintage desk makeover @ Trey and Lucy (what a fantastic makeover!)

Free dresser makeover @ simple sage designs (paint and trim made this into a real beauty)

Fall decorating on the back porch @ The DIY Show Off (I LOVE the branches she used above the door. Brilliant!)

Dresser with number knobs @ Anything Goes Here (What a cool and simple idea!)

Desk makeover @ Mustard Seed Creations (What a fantastic makeover!)

The most stunning china cabinet makeover ever @ Enchantresses 3 (I've always wondered how a cabinet in this style would look with a good makeover. Now I know. Stunning!)

Laundry room makeover @ Moody Girl Projects (Chocolate brown paint and board and batten! Squeeeee!!!)

Mosaic house number plaque @ Creative Jewish Mom (Great tutorial! And I was so thrilled to discover her blog. Fantastic!)

Playhouse spruce up @ A Familiar Path (Oh how I wish I had a playhouse!)

Fall Wreath @ Beyond the Picket Fence (She used a silver tray in the center of the wreath, people! She's a genius!)

~~~~~~~~~~

Winners! Winners! Winners!

The winner of this week's DIY Day giveaway from Madison Reese Designs is Nancy Jones!

And the winner of our giveaway from Rondo Room is Bryssy from Motley Moms!

Congratulations, girls! Shoot me an email and we'll get you set up.

Good Enough Curtains

2009-10-14T09:46:00.016-04:00

I know that I've shown you this corner of my family room about eleventy-hundred times. At one point it was my quiet time/blogging spot. When we built this house, I had an image in my head of a bright corner with a couple of windows and a comfy chair.

Can I just tell you how much I hate trying to photograph windows? It took me 3 days to get these crummy pictures. Either the room is too dark or it looks like the Mother Ship is landing outside my window.

This is what it looked like before I hung the fabric. That "For Sale" sign that you see out the window isn't for our house. It's for the never-gonna-sell-in-this-economy lot next door. Who wants to come be my neighbor? Pretty please?

Something about this corner has bugged me since we moved in a year ago. It never felt quite right. Then as I was hanging the curtain rods, I realized that THE WINDOWS ARE DIFFERENT SIZES! Not a big deal but I can't believe it took me over a year to figure that out.

A few months back, I got my hot little hands on some Dupioni Silk fabric from Fabric.com for really cheap (like $5.00/yard cheap). Some of you got in on that deal too. I grabbed 12 yards of this beautiful khaki/gold/green silk. LOVE IT! Even at $10/yard, it's a great deal.

I used The Nester's Fold, Clip and Poof Technique, minus the poof. I tried the poof. It looked good, but I preferred no poof. The edges are completely raw but even the selvage of this fabric is pretty. I may cover it up with some pretty fringe at some point. But then again, maybe not.

Do you have any curtains that you usually look at from the side? This rod is primarily seen sideways from the kitchen. It always bugs me a little when the the curtains kind of hang away from the walls. Here's a little tip for you.

Take one of your ring clips and turn it around the corner so that it's hanging on the bracket rather than the rod. Then run the rest of your clips on the rod like normal.

It's a dumb little thing that bugs me and this trick fixes it right up. See?

One more picture just because I love it so much. I've got two more windows to do in this room but they'll have to wait until the painting is done.

~~~~~~~~~~

DIY Day is still going strong! Scroll down or click here to see over 250 project posts and link up your own. You might win a fantastic prize from Madison Reese Designs!

Today is the last day to enter our giveaway from Rondo Room. Winner announced tomorrow.

Speaking of giveaways, did you see that Remodeling Guy is giving away an Ipod Touch? My Walkman (my what????) just broke so I'm going to try and win this! Get yourself over there and get entered to win.

DIY Day and a Giveaway!

2009-10-12T22:00:00.006-04:00

Welcome to DIY Day! Are you ready to share your latest project? I'm dying to see it!

This week's prize comes to you from one of my dear sponsors, Madison Reese Designs. Her etsy shop is filled with beautiful handcrafted resin and silver pendants.

Love Bird Pendant

I bought two of her wood and resin pendants last week (The Brown Tree Pendant and the Our God Pendant) and I love them!

Rustic Cherry Branch Pendant

Her designs are so adorable and affordable, you're going to find something that you love.

Rustic Fine Silver Mini Monogram Necklace

One lucky winner will get to spend $40 at Madison Reese Designs on anything that she loves! All you have to do is link up a post to DIY Day and you're entered to win!

Just a couple of guidelines to help things run smoothly.

Add a permalink to your specific post, not the main page of your blog.
Include a short description of your DIY project in parenthesis after the name of your blog. For example, A Soft Place to Land (painted pumpkins).
Link to this party from your post so everyone can get in on the fun.
Double-check to make sure your link works and goes to the right page so it doesn’t get deleted! If you come back and see your link is gone, re-read these rules and try again. No worries!

Now let's see those projects!

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Get your free Mcklinky here...

In the Kitchen: Apple and Pear Crisp Fake-Out

2009-10-12T08:00:00.004-04:00

Every once in a while, I feel the need to be true to the name of my blog and give you an idea for creating A Soft Place to Land for your family. And there's not better way to do that than to fill their noses with sweet smells and their bellies with baked fruit and buttery, crunchy topping.

You're welcome.

This dessert is impressive enough to serve to company but easy enough to throw together on a whim. It's my go-to dessert in the fall because it's so yummy and no one ever knows how quick and easy it is. Trust me.

Here's what you need...Canned, sliced pears (Yep! Canned! No one will ever know), canned apple pie filling, oatmeal (regular or quick cooking), butter (Awwwww, yeah!), brown sugar and cinnamon.

Drain those cans of pears (4 of them) and dump them into a baking dish (I used a 9x13). Dump the apple pie filling (1 can) in there too. Give it a good stir. Wipe the sweat from your brow. This is hard work, no?

Mix together all your dry ingredients in a separate bowl. That's 1-1/2 cup oats, 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

Now cut up your butter (3/4 cup...That's 1-1/2 sticks) and put it in with your dry ingredients. Gosh, I love butter.

This next part is fun. Get your fingers in there and start smooshing the butter into the dry ingredients. Keep smooshing until your mixture looks like coarse crumbs. You could use a fork for this part if you have an aversion to getting butter on your fingers. But it's way easier to use your hands.

A note about crumble toppings...I have strong opinions on fruit crisps/crumbles/cobblers/bobblers...Most recipes have too much fruit and not enough crunchy, sweet, buttery topping for my taste. I've fiddled with this recipe over the years to get just the right proportion of fruit to crisp topping.

See? How pretty does that look? Just crumble the topping evenly over your fruit mixture and you're ready to go.

Bake this pan of fruity, sweet goodness at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes. You want the fruit to be all hot and bubbly and the topping to start to get crispy and browned.

Allow the crisp to cool for a few minutes and then serve it up with some vanilla or cinnamon ice cream. Do NOT skip this step. Ice cream is critical.

Enjoy!

Apple and Pear Crisp Fake-Out

4 cans (15 oz each) sliced pears, drained
1 can (20 oz) apple pie filling
1-1/2 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, uncooked
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, cut up
Ice cream

Preheat oven to 425º.
Combine pears and apple pie filling in 9x12" baking dish.
Combine dry ingredients (oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon)in bowl.
Mix in the butter using your fingers or a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Crumble the topping over your fruit.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the fruit is hot and bubbly and the topping is crisp and browned.

Edited to add: I just linked this post up to the Recipe Party @ Southern Hospitality.

Sunday Morning

2009-10-11T07:04:00.000-04:00

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion --
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61: 1-3

Linky Love and DIY Recap

2009-10-08T10:08:00.000-04:00

There are nearly 300(!!!) posts linked up for DIY Day this week! Here is a very small sampling of my faves. If you're looking for some project inspiration, you're sure to find it over there.

Fall-ified Window Boxes @ NewlyWoodwards (If your window boxes are looking a little ragged, you're going to love this idea for fall!)

A tricked out pumpkin (now a Daisykin) @ Room Remix (What a cute idea!)

DIY Plaform Bed @ Mommy Words (Awesome Pottery Barn inspired project!)

Tulle and White Lights for the Girls @ Chatting at the Sky (I'm giving The Hubster 2 choices. Either we put tulle and white lights in our bedroom or we're having another baby. I'll let him choose.)

DIY Play Kitchen @ Out of the Crayon Box (I love the story behind all of Jane's play kitchens.)

Office in the Closet @ Home to Three Duncan Boys (I don't care that we have separate office space. I want an office in the closet too!!!!)

The Best DIY Headboard Ever @ the BLAH BLAH BLAHger (It looks like it came from some swanky design shop!)

What a Difference a New Front Door Makes @ Isrel Space (An awesome reason to haunt the Habitat Re-Store!)

~~~~~~~~~~

A million thank-yous to Vanessa from V & Co on Etsy for sponsoring DIY Day this week.

The winner of our giveaway is Dee from September the March! Dee, you can choose 4 patterns from V & Co or a set of beautiful fabric balls! Congratulations!

How to Decorate a Coffee Table

2009-10-07T09:30:00.001-04:00

Are you the type of person who instinctively knows how to arrange your bits and baubles on a coffee table (or bookshelf, or sideboard, or whatever) in a way that looks beautiful? Or are you the type of person who arranges a bunch of junk on your table and it looks like, well, a bunch of junk?

Country Living

I would say that I'm somewhere in the middle. Over time, I've learned how to arrange my junk in a way that looks pretty and doesn't scream "Thrift store junk for sale!!!!"

I know. I'm deep. I could have been working on world peace and instead I was arranging tsotchkes.

Country Living

One of the ways to get better at the art of arranging is to copy displays by people who know what they're doing. I'm not suggesting that you go to Pottery Barn and buy everything in their beautiful display. But it is helpful to find a picture from a catalog and look at the size, scale and type of things in the display and try to create something similar with stuff you already have.

For example, here the Pottery Barn version:

Let's see...big tray, stacked books, small flower arrangement and some other little junk. Got it.

Here's my version...

Big rattan tray from the thrift store (I honestly have no idea why I bought this. I think I was planning to turn it into a table but it's just been sitting in the basement.)
Lots of pretty books from my grandpap
Lid from a funky green urn...Somehow I managed to lose the urn but I still have the lid. How does that happen?
Glass vase filled with beach pebbles and fake flowers. I'm not usually a huge fan of fake flowers, but these sunflowers aren't too bad. And mixed with some nice fake leaves, they're totally tolerable.
Pinecone and candles

See how the size, shape and scale of the things in my display are similar to the PB picture? I didn't buy anything new. I just scrounged around through what I already had.

Next one...Ballard coffee table

Hmmmmm...Ceramic urn with sunflowers, some kind of basket and a wooden bowl. OK, let's try this...

My version...

Galvanized metal ice bucket stuffed with faux leaves
Wooden dough bowl filled with pinecones
Bronze bowl/urn thing from Nester's Swap Meet

Again, the size and scale are similar even though the actual stuff is totally different.

Last one...Pottery Barn table

This one's easy...Wooden tray and metal bowl filled with apples. Stack of magazines with a rock. You gotta love it when PB starts decorating with rocks. Recession anyone?

My version:

Wooden tray from TJ Maxx...I grabbed it for $7.99 a couple of months back.
Bread basket filled with pinecones...That silly basket is precious to me because it came home with me from our honeymoon.
Stack of magazines
Rock from the backyard

I think this last one is my favorite. Mostly because it stands that greatest chance of surviving my boys and because it allows me to claim that my stacks of magazines are display worthy.

Now go arrange something.

DIY Day is still going strong! Scroll down or click here to see over 250(!) projects that have been linked up so far. Winner of the giveaway from V & Co on Etsy will be announced tomorrow so you can still enter your project.

You can still enter our giveaway from Rondo Room! Just click here and leave me a comment!

DIY Day and a Giveaway!

2009-10-05T22:00:00.003-04:00

Welcome to DIY Day! The hottest day on the whole wide inter-web! Time for all my internets-peeps to link up your latest and greatest projects from home. Let's see 'em!

This week's prize is so perfect for all of you crazed DIY gals. It comes from my friend, Vanessa, at V & Co (her blog) and V & Co on Etsy (her etsy shop). Vanessa is ridiculously talented and in addition to making beautiful handmade goodies, she writes and sells wonderful patterns and tutorials from her etsy shop.

Like this adorable (minimal sewing) fabric bracelet pattern.

And this fabulous ruffled pillow pattern. I have this pattern and it's the one thing that has finally inspired me to learn how to thread my sewing machine.

One lucky winner will get to choose 4 (yes, 4!) patterns from Uptown Jane.

Or, if you'd rather, you can choose a set of these beautiful decorative fabric balls. The no-sew pattern for these beauties is also in her shop.

To be eligible, all you have to do is link up a DIY project post. So let's get linking!
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Fall Mantle

2009-10-05T07:32:00.001-04:00

Sigh. I love the transition from the clean simplicity of summer to the lush, warm beauty of fall.

The greenery (or should I say fall-ery) on my mantle began it's life as a garland that I found on clearance. I don't usually use fake garlands (unless it's Christmas) but this one looks so real that I love it!

I cut it in half and used one piece on each side of the mirror. There are two 3M Command Hooks on the mantle behind the mirror. The ends of the garland are wired to the hooks to hold them in place.

A bunch of pinecones filling my favorite lanterns.

And some candles to light up one of my easy DIY botanical prints.

More fall mantles:
The Start of my Fall Decor @ Pewter & Sage
Fall Mantle Makeover @ Blue Cricket Design
Autumn Mantle @ French Garden Farmhouse
Autumn Mantle Decorations @ Classy & Sophisticated
Fall Mantle @ Life is So Delicious

Don't forget! DIY Day starts at 10pm (eastern time) tonight! And you can still enter our giveaway from Rondo Room.

Sunday Morning

2009-10-04T08:04:00.002-04:00

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Matthew 11: 28-30

photo credit: DaDaAce via flickr

Rondo Room Giveaway!

2009-10-02T07:13:00.005-04:00

I'd like to introduce you to the newest sponsor at ASPTL, Rondo Room! I got the chance to try out some of their fun, dimensional foam wall decor and letters.

Emily's Room as seen on Designing Spaces

The products couldn't be easier to use. Just peel and stick and you're done. You could foof up a whole room in no time. You can get a whole room like this one or pick and choose individual pieces to create your own look.

Kendall's Room

Rondo Room offers a large selection of letters, flowers, birds and dots. I think the polka dots used in this room are adorable.

I have some of the polka dots in my son's bedroom. Super fun!

Ashley's Room

Rondo Room has offered a prize of $50 plus free shipping to one reader of ASPTL! For $50, you could find all sorts of fun wall decor for your kiddo's bedroom or playroom.

For your chance to win, just visit the Rondo Room website and tell me one thing that you might get if you win.

You can tweet about this contest or write about it on your blog, facebook or myspace for additional entries. Just come back and leave another comment for each thing you do.

This post sponsored by Rondo Room.

DIY Day Recap and a Winner!!!

2009-10-01T07:11:00.000-04:00

Thank you all so much for packing up your tool boxes and paint brushes and moving with me to Tuesdays. It's feeling pretty good over here. I think I'm going to like DIY Day on Tuesday.

Many, many thanks to Back 40 Life for providing one winner with $40 to spend on vinyl artwork in her etsy shop. The winner is Joanna from The Casa and her DIY Growth Chart.

Here is a small sampling of the DIY-awesomeness that you all shared.

Glowing Monster Jars @ Not So Idle Hands (These are too cute! Tutorial here.)

A gasp-worthy mirrored nightstand makeover @ Santa Maker's Journey

A staircase makeover @ The Eck Life

New Look for the Mudroom @ Design A-Peel (You HAVE to see the baskets hanging on the wall. Brilliant!)

Mod Podge SHOES! @ Oops! I Craft My Pants

Ladder + Chicken Wire = Bookshelf @ Blue Castle (Oh my stinkin' chicken wire! I love this!)

How to Convert Cabinets to Open Shelving @ Not So Random Stuff

Dresser Drawers Turned Under-Bed Storage @ Finding Joy in the Simple Things

Hidden Office in the Dining Room @ Red Writing

On a different note...Does your kiddo have a teacher that you love? If so, head on over to GoodNCrazy and nominate him or her for a Max Mom Award. They could win $100 for school supplies! Did you know that teachers spend an average of $1,200 of their own money on classroom supplies each year? Let's help a teacher out!

DIY Day and a Giveaway!

2009-09-28T22:00:00.002-04:00

You made it! I'm so glad you're here! I was terrified that our move to Tuesday would mean that no one would make it this week.

If you're new here, every Tuesday (used to be Thursday), we get together to share our newest DIY projects. I'm really flexible about what constitutes a DIY project. A furniture makeover, an outdoor project, an indoor project, some new artwork...heck, even a great recipe could qualify as DIY, right?

This week, we have a fantastic prize from one of my sponsors, Back 40 Life. If you love vinyl wall art, you're going to love this one! One lucky winner will receive $40 to spend on anything you like at Back 40 Life.

Maybe you'll snap up one of these beautiful Oval Monograms?

I often joke that I need to have this verse tattooed on my forehead. Maybe I just need to have the vinyl decal on my wall?

A few of my other faves are the Curly Initial Monogram, the Front Door Welcome Sign and the Family Wrought Iron decal.

There are over 60 designs to choose from at Back 40 Life, so I'm guessing you won't have any problem finding something you love.

Good luck and let's get this DIY Day started! If you have something to share, then just add your link below. Here are a few guidelines to help things run smoothly.

Add a permalink to your specific post, not the main page of your blog.
Include a short description of your DIY project in parenthesis after the name of your blog. For example, A Soft Place to Land (painted pumpkins).
Link to this party from your post so everyone can get in on the fun.

Now let's see those projects!!!

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Quick Fall Decorating

2009-09-28T07:41:00.001-04:00

Don't forget! DIY is moving to Tuesdays starting this week! That means the post will go up tonight at 10pm (eastern time)! Get ready!!!

My fall decorating is usually pretty quick and easy and uses things I already have. By the time I get settled into fall, I start thinking about Christmas. So quick and easy works for me in the fall.

Some pumpkins and a pedestal on the hearth. Did you hear that there's a pumpkin shortage this year? You'd never know it by looking at the orange speckled fields on the farm next door.

My new favorite fall blanket. I love the color, pattern and fringe. Quite a deal from Overstock at $21.49 for a set of 2. One for me and one for a gift.

Some faux fall leaves in my favorite urn. When the fakes look good, one stem goes a long way. I found these ones a couple of years ago and use them every year. They were a little more expensive, but totally worth it.

A metal bowl that I snagged at The Nester's swap meet. Whose bowl was this? I love it!!! And I double-dog dare you to tell me that I should have used an odd number of candles in it. I'll be forced to throw a fake miniature pear at you.

Do you foof things up for fall or do you go straight from summer to Christmas?

Some more fall foofing:
Fall in 5 Minutes @ Nesting Place
Fall Decorating and More Fall Decorating @ Junk Garden Girl
Fall Nesting Tips #1, #2 and #3 @ The Inspired Room
Fall Door Decor @ Thrifty Decor Chick
Fun with White Pumpkins @ My Sweet Savannah

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The winner of the giveaway from last week's DIY Day is Michelle from The McCray-Z Life who linked up her kitchen island makeover post. You have to see the before pictures. Wow!

Many, many thanks to RHB Designs for providing a $40 gift certificate to her fantastic etsy shop! She makes the most beautiful hand-stamped jewelry. Check her out!

Sunday Morning

2009-09-27T08:29:00.001-04:00

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion,
therefore I will wait for him."

Lamentations 3: 22-24

photo credit: Life is Good Pete

Linky Love

2009-09-25T09:41:00.001-04:00

Seriously, folks. Way too many great articles this week! Here are a few from DIY Day and some other things that caught my eye(s).

If you're looking for DIY inspiration, keep checking out yesterday's DIY Day. At last count, there were 213 projects linked up. The winner of the giveaway from RHB Designs will be announced on Monday so keep linking!

10 Tips for New Bloggers from Rhoda at Southern Hospitality
5 Quick Dinners for Busy Weeknights @ Mom Advice (We'll be doing the Chicken Broccoli Lo Mein this weekend. YUM!)
DIY Apothecary Jars @ Shanty 2 Chic
Pottery Barn Inspired Sweater Pillow @ Ducks in a Row
Pretty Halloween Banners @ Style Sisters

Beautiful laundry room @ Kari & Kisja

Black & White Kitchen Makeover @ Unexpected Necessities (You MUST see the before)

Polka Dot Bags and Tags Printable @ Living Locurto

New Headboard from Scrap Wood @ New Every Morning

DIY Day and a Giveaway!

2009-09-23T22:01:00.005-04:00

Welcome to DIY Day on ASPTL! I can't wait to see the projects that you have to share this week. Don't forget! Next week, DIY Day will move to Tuesday which means the post will go up at 10pm on Monday night!

This week we have a fantastic prize from RHB Designs. One lucky winner will receive a $40 gift certificate to spend on anything in the shop!

Maybe you'll scoop up this beautiful Copper Dream Birdie Necklace. You could also have it personalized to include the name or word of your choice.

Or maybe you've been dying to get a mother's necklace like this Family Circle Necklace for yourself of someone you love.

RHB Designs has a huge selection of hand stamped necklaces and bracelets. Finding something won't be the problem. Narrowing it down to just one choice might be.

Good luck and let's get this DIY Day started! A couple of things to remember while you're linking.

Add a permalink to your specific post, not the main page of your blog.
Include a short description of your DIY project in parenthesis after the name of your blog. For example, A Soft Place to Land (painted pumpkins).
Link to this party from your post so everyone can get in on the fun.

Now let's see those projects!!!

DIY Day is MOVING!

2009-09-23T09:15:00.000-04:00

But not yet! This week DIY Day will start, as usual, at 10pm tonight and carry on all day Thursday.

Then NEXT WEEK DIY Day will make it's permanent move to Tuesday. That means it will start at 10pm Monday night.

I know. It's confusing. Just remember. This week. Normal.

Next week. DIY Day will start Monday night at 10pm. Got it? Now repeat it back to me.

This is all for my own posting schedule and sanity. I hope you'll all indulge me with this little change and keep bringing those projects!!!

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We have a winner of last week's DIY Day giveaway from MJ at The Dough Nut. Congratulations to creative little daisy and her rope covered lampshade! Girl, you are going to be in cookie heaven when you receive 2 dozen homemade cookies from The Dough Nut!

Shoot me an email and I'll get you hooked up with MJ.

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Speaking of giveaways, (nice transition, no?) One of my new sponsors, PK from Room Remix is hosting a giveaway for a your very own, little shopping spree. You get to choose the store! To be eligible, you need to be a follower of her blog. And her blog is totally worth following even without the giveaway, so it's a win-win!

PK is a designer with a passion for using what you already have and sticking to a budget. Love that!!! Her blog is full of fun projects and inspiration for your home. Here are a few of my favorite posts from Room Remix.

Family room transformation using only what they already had.
Folding screen artwork for a BIG wall.
Creative uses of small spaces.

Fall Wreath

2009-09-22T08:05:00.002-04:00

It was time for a little fall fluffing, so I decided to foof up my front door with a new wreath. And by "new", I mean I used a bunch of junk that I already had to make something that will get torn apart later in the year. Perhaps "temporary" would be a better word.

This wreath began it's life as 2 wreaths...a smaller, rather wimpy wreath that is full of walnuts and acorns. Nuts are fall-like, right? I got it on super-duper clearance last year and tucked it away. The other wreath is your standard grapevine wreath.

I wired the two together to give it more size and oomph. And by "wired", I mean I grabbed some twist-ties out of the junk drawer because I couldn't be bothered to search for my floral wire. I can never find that stuff when I need it. I'll find it the next time I'm making an omelet.

For extra fluff, I added in a ton of fake statis that I was lucky enough to score from a local store when it was closing it's floral department a couple of years ago. I've used this stuff all over...my spring wreath and my Christmas garland to name two. It's so useful as a fluffy filler.

Then a bunch of fake greenery that I love. I have no idea what it's supposed to be but it has a bit of brown in the leaves so it looks real-ish. I like it for fall.

And some orange-y, yellow berry-things.

The whole thing is hung up using Nester's brilliant wreath hanging technique. I love this idea! No more fooling with wreath hangers.

I cannot tell a lie (Well, I can. But I won't). I want to love this wreath. But I don't. And I can't figure out why.

It's big and fluffy. I like big and fluffy. It's got lots of fake, natural stuff in it. I like fake, natural stuff. It's got muted colors. I like muted colors. Especially for fall. Does it look like a Muppet?

What do you think? If you all love it, I'll leave it alone. But maybe someone will have an idea. Does it need a focal point? More color? Less stuff? More stuff? Maybe it will grow on me. Maybe it will fall off the door, scurry into my house and sing the Mahna Mahna Song to me.

This post just added to Get Your Craft on at Today's Creative Blog.

Outdoor Fireplaces

2009-09-21T08:10:00.002-04:00

This is my outdoor fireplace. Not much to speak of, but this piece of scorched ground has seen it's fair share of roasted hot dogs, marshmallows and mountain pies.

Something in the fall air makes me long for the sharp smell of burning wood and the sweet taste of a perfectly roasted marshmallow (golden brown and melty, please).

But I long for a beautiful outdoor fireplace like this one. The dog can stay.

Remodeling Center

I can picture myself curled up on that couch with a wool blanket a cup of hot apple cider. Care to join me?

Remodeling Center

Or sitting here with my dearest friends while we solve the world's problems and enjoy a slightly charred hot dog. Would you be allowed to roast a hot dog in something this beautiful? Well, it's my fantasy, so yes!

This Old House

On a slightly more realistic note, I could be perfectly happy with a beautiful fire pit like this one. Adirondack chair and a glass of red, optional.

So, what about you? Do you have a bit of the country girl in you? Do you like to burn stuff too? How about a little more inspiration...

This Old House ~ How to Build a Fire Pit
DIY Network ~ Build a Backyard Stone Firepit VIDEO
Young House Love ~ Build a Stone Firepit for $28
Explorer's Backpack ~ What is a Mountain Pie?
Field and Stream ~ How to Roast a Marshmallow

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In other news, I keep forgetting to announce the winner of our giveaway from Sarah at A Beach Cottage. (This is becoming a pattern with me, isn't it?)

Wendy from The Shabby Nest has won a beautiful set of place mats and napkins direct from Down Under. Congratulations, Wendy!

And if you haven't visited A Beach Cottage yet, stop by and say g'day to Sarah! You may never want to leave.

Sunday Morning

2009-09-20T09:34:00.000-04:00

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,
but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Each of you should look not only to your own interests,
but also to the interests of others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4: 3-5

Photo Credit: Lake Wentworth

DIY Recap

2009-09-18T11:19:00.000-04:00

Yowza! There are well over 200 projects linked up for DIY Day! That's a new record! I'm completely amazed by your talent and creativity. Go check out DIY Day for tons of inspiration.

Here is a small sampling of my faves.

The Shabby Nest ~ How to revive a dresser. Wendy showed us how she fixed things up when she hated her first stab at the rehab.

Cozy Kitchen by the Sea ~ Smoky BBQ brisket. This is similar to my brisket recipe. It's the PERFECT fall recipe.

Whimsy by Victoria - Reupholstered chair.

What a makeover! If you want to figure out how to do this, you're going to want to bookmark Victoria's blog because she's going to share how she did it sometime soon.

kojodesigns ~ Salvaged door coffee table. If you loved my door coffee table, this is a great way to do something similar without needing a carpenter.

Buildeth Her House ~ Make your own copper pumpkins. You know how much I love metallic spray paint. This project is perfect for fall!

creative little daisy ~ Rope covered lampshade. Another great use for jute rope or any kind of twine. So cute!

Farmgirl Paints ~ Faux tin backsplash. I've been toying with this idea for my kitchen and I'm totally encouraged after seeing these results.

August Fields ~ Painted piano reveal.

If you've ever thought about painting your piano, check out this post. Beautiful!

Let it Shine ~ Personalized topiaries. I love the real branches that she used for the trunks on these topiaries! She's been crazy busy with projects this week. Take a browse around her site for some great projects!

If you have some burlap coffee sacks, visit Marsha Mpressions to see how she made beautiful pillows! If you don't have your own sacks, then go see creative little daisy to see how to make your own.

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Huge chocolate chip thank-you's to The Dough Nut for providing 2 dozen homemade cookies as the prize for this week. I'll announce the winner on Monday, so you can still link up your project to DIY Day.

If you can't stop yourself from drooling over these delicious cookies, check out her Foodzie shop for out of town shipping.

DIY Day and a Giveaway!

2009-09-16T22:00:00.003-04:00

Welcome to DIY Day! Time to share your projects!

But before we get to the sharing, you are going to LOVE the prize that we have this week. Seriously love it.

MJ from The Dough Nut has offered to send 1 lucky winner a package with 2 dozen of her glorious, handmade, out-of-this world cookies! Yeah. You heard that right. 2 dozen homemade cookies.

Now, I don't want to go making you all jealous...'cause that would be wrong...but I've been blessed to receive a package of these glorious baked goods and I have one word for you. Oh. My. Glory. (3 words. Whatever.)

I had to wrestle my kids for the Chocolate Chip Cookies. And I hid the Swedish Ginger Cookies so I didn't have to share when I ate them with my tea. Don't judge me. Order some. You'll understand. MJ will surely be in charge of cookies in heaven.

If you live in the Greensboro, NC area, you can purchase these glorious cookies either baked or unbaked directly from The Dough Nut on her site. And if you live out of town (or want to send them as a gift), you can purchase them through her site on Foodzie.com.

And, speaking of Greensboro, NC, MJ has also recently started a fantastic site called Seek the Triad, the first online magazine dedicated to Greensboro, High Point, Winston Salem and the surrounding areas. If it's happening in the Triad, they want you to know about it.

Now, link up a project post! You just might win yourself some cookies!

Good luck and let's get this DIY Day started! If you have something to share, then just add your link below. Here are a few guidelines to help things run smoothly.

Add a permalink to your specific post, not the main page of your blog.
Include a short description of your DIY project in parenthesis after the name of your blog. For example, A Soft Place to Land (painted pumpkins).
Link to this party from your post so everyone can get in on the fun.
Double-check to make sure your link works and goes to the right page so it doesn’t get deleted! If you come back and see your link is gone, re-read these rules and try again. No worries!

Now let's see those projects!!!

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This One's For The Fellas

2009-09-16T09:57:00.001-04:00

About 3,574 of you commented or emailed that you were showing my board and batten posts to your men to convince them it was time to give this glorious wall treatment a shot. And all of you asked the same questions...

"How long?" and "How much?"

Perfectly reasonable questions, especially when the fellas get involved. I need to make a t-shirt for The Hubster with those words on it. Those are his first questions whenever I reveal a new hair(hare?)-brained scheme. Not that I think board and batten was hayre-brained.

So in the interest of making a short story as long as possible, I'm turning my board and batten story into a trilogy. If you missed the first two installments, you can see all the glory shots from Monday and the nitty-gritty details on Tuesday.

Let's start with "How long?".

I would say that this was a weekend project, but let me put that in perspective for you. We did 2 fairly large walls. One was 19 feet long and the other was 17 feet long. Obviously, it would take way less time if you're covering less wall space.

If I had to guess at an actual number, I would say less 20 man (or woman!) hours for our whole project. If you're working together, you could easily do this over a weekend.

Here's a breakdown of the time that we spent

3 hours painting the walls (I did 3, yes 3, coats of paint trying to get an even finish)
2 hours cutting the wood strips for the crown and battens
4 hours priming and painting the crown and battens
2 hours hanging the crown
5 hours hanging the battens
1 hour filling in nail holes
2 hours painting the finished walls

Total estimate: 20 hours

Now let's get to the even more important question...How much cold, hard cash did we outlay for this project? Here's the approximate breakdown:

2 sheets of 3/4" MDF @ $20 each = $40
1 gallon of primer @ $22
2 gallons for white paint @ $26 each = $52
2" finishing nails for nailgun @ $15
Caulk @ $5
Wood filler $3

Total estimate: $136

In our case, we had less than $100 out of pocket because we already had the primer, 1 gallon of the paint and the caulk.

And that's my story. The end.

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DIY Day will begin at 10pm tonight! Do you have a post ready?

Speaking of DIY Day, I realized that I never announced the winner of last week's prize from the fabulous gals at The Hip Hostess! The winner of the Black a la Mode sheath apron is Cheri from It's So Very Cheri. Congratulations! Shoot me an email and we'll get you set up.

If you're ready to make a purchase from The Hip Hostess, you can use the code "SOFT" to get 15% off your order!

Board and Batten ~ A Tutorial

2009-09-15T09:34:00.004-04:00

If you or your man can paint and operate a table saw, then you can do a board and batten treatment on your walls. The great thing about this treatment is that it can be as simple or as fancy as you want. We went with a very basic, sort of rustic design, which is perfect for our room. I've seen plenty of designs that use more trimwork or only cover part of the wall. Whichever way you like it, this is something you can do.

Here's our "before".

And the "after". If you want to see tons of "after" pictures, click here to see another post about this project.

I'll bet that most of you could figure out how to do this without our help. I'll give you the rundown of how The Hubster and I made it happen but you'll probably end up doing it your own way. Here's what we used:

Supplies

2 sheets of 3/4 MDF
2 inch trim nails
Primer (Kilz because that's what I had in the garage already)
Paint (Fence Post by Behr in semi-gloss because I had lots left-over from painting my kitchen stools)
White, paintable caulking
Sand paper

Equipment

Table saw
Miter saw
Nail gun

If you want a more detailed cost and time breakdown, click here for those details.

Step 1: Paint the walls. It may seem illogical, but the first thing that I did was roll on two coats of the paint directly on the walls. My logic was that getting that base color on with a roller would be way faster than doing it with a roller AND brush once the wood was attached to the wall. We had flat paint on the walls in this room so I didn't feel the need to prime (not that I ever feel the need to prime walls).

Step 2: Cut your crown pieces. The crown piece around our ceiling was cut from the 3/4" MDF. We decided to go with a 5" crown. No real designer-type reason. 6" seemed too wide (if we had 9' ceilings, I would have done 6") and I was afraid 4" would look like a 2x4. So we went with 5".

Step 3: Prime and paint the crown. Since this was made from MDF, it needed to be primed. It was going to butt-up against the ceiling so I decided it would be easier to paint it before putting it on the wall. No cutting in against the ceiling.

Step 4: Hang your crown. We started in the far right-hand corner of the room and worked our way around to the left. We miter cut each board where they butted up against each other then used a nail gun with 2" finishing nails to hang the boards. We used a power nail gun. You could do this by hand, but I don't think I would want to. It's a LOT of nailing. I would say rent or borrow a power nailer if you can.

You'll end up with little gaps where the boards don't line up perfectly. That's OK. You'll fix it later with caulking.

Step 5: Cut your vertical strips. We decided to go with 2" vertical strips (the battens). Not for any good reason. It just looked right. You could go wider or skinnier depending on the look you're going for. We used about 37 of the vertical strips.

We also cut a 45 degree angle at the bottom of each batten so that it doesn't overhang the existing baseboard where they butt-up against each other.

Cutting MDF is MESSY!
Step 6: Prime your battens. This was the most irritating part of the project. Priming each of those strips was a pain in the wahoozit. After about 45 minutes, I figured out that you could stack a group of strips and paint all the edges at once, then lay them out side by side to paint the top surface.

Step 7: Hang your battens. We decided to hang our battens 12" apart. It just looked right. We also did a little math ahead of time and figured out that 12" apart meant that none of the battens landed directly on the window trim. We cut 2 pieces of wood that were 12" long and used them as spacers. That way we weren't having to measure each time. It also helped make sure everything was plumb (that's the vertical version of "level"). We got the first board plumb and used a spacer at the top and bottom of each new board to make sure things were straight.

Once we got rolling, this part went quickly. Each batten needed to be cut to the right height as we went so The Hubster would do 4 or 5 at a time and we would attach them to the wall with the finish nails. Depending on your walls, you might want to use some liquid nail on each piece but ours were holding fine with just nails.

Step 8: Fill your nail holes. We used a lightweight, paintable wood filler to fill in all of the tiny little nail holes in the crown and on the battens. We also used paintable caulk to fill in an gaps in the crown seams and between the batten and the crown. I also ran a line of caulk between the top of the crown and the ceiling. It eliminated that tiny, annoying gap at the ceiling.

Step 9: Paint the whole thing. We used a brush to paint the sides of each batten and a narrow roller to do the flat surface. Since the main part of the wall was already painted, we just touched it up where needed. And don't forget to touch up the nail holes in your crown.

And that's about it. It wasn't a difficult process although it did get tedious at times. Here are a couple of lessons learned through this process.

1. I'm not sure that the process of painting the wall first was the fastest way to go. I could be convinced that it would have been easier to hang all of the wood first, then prime and paint everything (including the wall) at once. It's probably 6 of 1, half a gallon of the other. Is anyone still reading this?

2. It's HARD to get an even finish when you use semi-gloss paint on the wall. At some point, I might repaint with satin. Shhhhhh. DON'T tell The Hubster. Surely he's not still reading this.

3. This is addicting. I'm already dreaming of what we can board and batten next. The dining room. The master bedroom. The doghouse. We don't even have a dog.

4. I used the word "butt" 3x in this post. Heh heh.

So what do you think? Are you dying to try this? I'd love to hear if you have plans to try it out.

The Paint is Barely Dry

2009-09-14T09:43:00.008-04:00

And there's nothing hung on the walls, but I can't wait one more minute to show you the board and batten treatment that we finally finished in our family room this weekend! If you would like a tutorial on how we did this project, click here. For a breakdown of the cost and time involved, click here.

I love it so much that I'm giddy every time I walk into the room.

We had an ocean of drywall that just couldn't hold it's own against the stone fireplace.

Now we have a room full of charm and character.

The board and batten was a stroke of genius. It has completely transformed the feeling of this room.

I especially love where it wraps around the windows.

We went with a simple rustic design that goes all the way to the ceiling and it works perfectly in this room. The paint color we used is Fence Post by Behr because I had a bunch of it left over from painting my kitchen stools.

Tune in tomorrow and I'll give you more details about how we actually did this project.

Sunday Morning

2009-09-13T08:50:00.000-04:00

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4:6-7