LOWE'S DECK THE HALLS EVENT

Hello!! Is anyone still out there? I know I've neglected this blog as of late and as I've begun some year end reflection, I have come to realize that I have missed sharing my DIY projects and ideas. I'm working on a 2013 recap post where I'll share more of why I've been absent on this blog, but for now, I've got something really fun to show you!

A little while ago, Lowes invited me to attend their "Deck the Halls and Walls and All" event! They invited some amazingly talented bloggers (Oh Happy Day, Little Green Notebook, Design Mom, P.S. I Made This, Brit + Co., and Curbly) and they each designed a room in a makeshift loft area for the holidays. It was the perfect way to get inspired on how to decorate my space. 

Gabrielle of Design Mom decorated the front walkway and "outdoor" area which I just loved! I especially enjoyed the vignette near the bench, complete with cozy pillows and snowshoes. And who doesn't love a perfect line up of Hunter boots filled with gifts?

Then, Jenny of Little Green Notebook decorated the front entry and it was perfect! I loved the unexpected color combinations. For the mirrors shown below, she just strung ornaments on a wire and then glued them to the oval mirrors. So cute, right?

I hadn't seen these lamps at Lowe's before, but I love what Jenny did with them. She filled them with painted nutcrackers! I think these would be so fun to have and to change out the items seasonally. I love transitional decor.

Another great thing Jenny did was to dip ornaments in different shades of paint to make an ombre tree. It was massive and amazing. And it's not too late to do it this year if you're still wondering what to do this year! See more details of this project on Jenny's post. 

Next up was Jordan of Oh Happy Day and she was in charge of the bedroom and bathroom. She painted the bedroom with chalkboard paint so it was dark and dramatic. I loved that she brought in lots of plants and that the chalkboard paint leaves room for some festive sayings on the walls. 

Jordan's bathroom was so cute...subway tile with dark grout just gets me every single time. She added the red berry garland which I thought was such an easy festive way to give the bathroom some holiday love.

Erica Domesek of P.S. I Made This decorated the living room and it was full of color and fun, crafty details!

If there was ever a tree topper with my name on it, I think these gold scissors would have to be it!

Next up, the dining room decorated by Curbly! I loved that this room could easily be used for fall gatherings and then transition to holiday parties. The addition of blankets and pillows on the seating made it feel so cozy and welcoming. And what an easy way to make things feel special!

Lastly, the kitchen designed by Brit + Co. You guys! This space had so many amazing details! The barstool legs in the photo below were made by just adding white tape to the legs. I mean, come on!

And my favorite detail of the whole event...the washi tape on the edge of the kitchen countertops! (photo by me)

The entire event was such a blast. We did some crafting at the event (I could have stayed at those tables all night!). The dowel rod wreath on a kitchen shelf (shown two photos above) was one of the crafts. They had pre-cut dowel pieces and hot glue guns at the ready and you better believe I went to town. 

A huge thank you to Lowe's for inviting me to the event and for inspiring me in my holiday decorating. This is the first year my husband and I have put up a tree (we've always traveled in previous years) and we're loving how festive everything looks at our house! 

(all photos in this blog post are by Patrick Schneider and are provided by Lowes unless otherwise credited)

DIY: Cork Napkin Ring

I have such a fun DIY to share with you all today. It's a collaboration with the fine folks of Robert Mondavi Private Selection Wines. We teamed up to create the perfect summertime napkin ring for all of those al fresco moments. And as the weather starts to cool in the next few months, fear not, these napkin rings will easily transition to indoor use. Keep reading to get the full tutorial on how to make these napkin rings using corks straight from the bottle. Cheers!

MATERIALS

- glue

- 19 gauge wire (about 7" per napkin ring)

- two Robert Mondavi wine corks

- needle nose pliers (optional)

- power drill with 1/16" bit (shown below)

Step 1: Mark the center of the cork and using the power drill and 1/16" drill bit, drill into the cork about  a 1/2". You don't want to go all the way through the cork. 

Step 2: Dip the end of your piece of wire into the glue.

Step 3: Stick the glue end of the wire into the drilled cork and let dry. 

Step 4: Repeat step three on the other end of the wire. 

Step 5: Next you start to bend the wire. Marking the middle of the wire between the corks, slightly bend, creating a half circle. 

Step 6: Bring the corks together, overlapping the wire as close to the corks as possible. This will ensure a secure finished product. 

Step 7: Grabbing the wire portion of the item, twist once or twice until secure. 

Step 8: Finally, bend the wire portion slightly to make a circle form.

Slip a napkin through the ring, call your friends over for dinner and admire your handiwork. One last helpful tip. I loved how the dark napkin offset the light color of the corks. I thought it really set off the project. 

Trade & Made, bonus round!

Did you enjoy the Trade & Made reveal? I certainly did! I loved seeing all of the fabulously creative ideas everyone came up with! I have one more project to share with you that I'd say came from the "leftovers" of the supplies I used. Just a simple cork necklace, dipped in glitter and strung with embroidery thread. Enjoy!

DIY NECKLACE HOLDER

As promised yesterday, I'm sharing the second DIY project I came up with using the supplies from the Trade & Made challenge. It's another jewelry organizer, just created in a different way, but wouldn't you know it, it's so similar to what Erin came up with? When she posted her project I laughed to myself because we came up with this whole project together, but never talked about our plans. I guess DIY bloggers sometimes think alike! Read below for the tutorial.

MATERIALS

- square wood plaque

- deco art paint in white and green

- two 1" wooden balls

- one wood dowel

- deco art paint brush

- pink embroidery thread
- drill & drill bit (not shown)

Step 1: Paint the wood plaque white. Let dry. 

Step 2: Paint the wood balls greet and let dry. 

Step 3: With a pencil, mark two spots on the wood plaque for where you want your "hooks" to go. I spaced mine evenly apart and used the wooden balls as a guide. You want to be sure the hooks aren't too close together, but still fit well onto the plaque.

Step 4: Using a drill bit the same size as the dowel, drill about 3/8" into the plaque.

Step 5: Cut two pieces of the dowel to 2 1/4". I cut one piece off each end to ensure I had two smooth ends to work with that were shown. I hid the cut sides into the wood plaque.

Step 6: Stick the dowels into the plaque. They should fit snuggly. If they don't, reinforce them with some glue suitable for wood. Next, wrap the dowel with the pink embroidery thread, leaving enough space at the end of the dowels for the ball to fit onto.

Step 7: Add the ball on top and voila! (Also paint the end of the dowels the same color as the balls for a more finished look.)

Hang it on a wall, add your necklaces and admire your simple, yet useful organization system.

DIY JEWELRY ORGANIZER

Trade & Made reveal day is finally here!! I can't wait to see what everyone came up with! Be sure to visit the parent site where you can find links to every participating blogger. And again, a huge thanks to our sponsors, who without their help and support, we couldn't have done this: Michaels, DecoArt, For the Makers, Clear & Simple Stamps and Specialty Bottle.

I'd also like to thank Erin of House of Earnest. She's been my partner in crime through all of this and a huge help! She gathered lots of supplies, packed all of the boxes, sent them out and I've had so much fun working on Trade & Made with her. What started out as a somewhat offbeat idea last year has become something really fun and exciting.

And now for the reveal! I actually made two projects, both jewelry organizers to hang necklaces. I'll share one today, and one tomorrow.

MATERIALS
- circle wooden plaque
- glass vial 
- metallic gold paint
- paint brush
- embroidery thread (mint shown here)
- 3/4" drill bit (not shown)

Step 1: Paint the plaque with the metallic gold paint and let dry.

Step 2: Find the center point on the plaque and drill about a 1/4" into the plaque. Add touch up paint if desired.

Step 3: Take the glass vial, without the cork lid, and fit it into the drilled hole. If it doesn't fit snuggly, add some glue. I used hot glue and it worked great!

Step 4: To add some color and interest, I wrapped the end of the vial with embroidery thread. I liked doing this because it made it fun and personable. I did this in the same way as I showed here, gluing the end to finish it off.

That's it! Just hang it up and organize your jewelry! I love this solution because you can stack a few necklaces and be set for the week. It also helps detangle necklaces.

So, did you guess what I came up with? What would you have made with the supplies? I'd love to know! And don't forget to come back tomorrow when I'll reveal the second project I made using the Trade & Made supplies!

TRADE & MADE

GUYS! I'm back! I know I've taken a long break from blogging and I apologize for not giving you all a heads up. In short, I needed a break to have some time for myself and to explore some more passions and to figure out what really makes me come alive. It's been a healthy time of rejuvenation and slowing down. I've continued to create several projects that I can't wait to share with you all and I've got some new endeavors in the works.

First up is a bigger and better version of Trade & Made with some amazing DIY bloggers! Trade & Made started last year between Erin Souder of House of Earnest and myself where we traded a box of DIY supplies with one another with the challenge to come up with a project using only the contents we received. (See the things we came up with here and here.) The project was so fun and we received such great feedback that we decided to invite DIY enthusiasts to join in on the fun.

The project begins today with bloggers sharing the contents they received and a hint to the projects they are dreaming up. See the complete list of participants and catch up on there plans right here at www.trade-and-made.com.

So what's in the box?

I was so excited to open the box and find such great supplies! A huge thanks to our sponsors: Michaels, Clear & Simple Stamps, For the Makers, Deco Art and Specialty Bottle. This project certainly wouldn't have been possible without your support! And also a loud shout out to Gloria of Little White Whale who designed the most lovely site for us to house this project on. THANK YOU! Some of the items included are paint, brushes, containers (glass, plastic & tin), tags, wooden plaques, a paper mache cone, paper boxes and tags, beads, plastic bags and embroidery floss. Now let the brainstorming begin!

Come back next Wednesday for a full reveal and tutorial on the project I've decided to make using at least four of the items you see here and don't forget to follow along with all of the participants at Trade & Made.