Category: home

October 19, 2016

Fall Decorating Ideas

As the leaves are changing and the mugs of hot cocoa are making their ways out of the cupboard, I’ve found myself in nesting mode. There’s just something homey about the fall season as the leaves change and warm layers come out.

Environment is one of those life areas that I’ve been building big goals around. I want to cultivate an environment around my family that is heartwarming, inviting and full of love. I especially wanted to bring all those factors into our home during this autumn season. I want my kids to feel that warmth in our home and maybe even form fond memories around the way our home felt or smelled during holidays.

Now, I’m not big on decorating (or very good at it), but I decided that putting together a welcoming fall display would be the perfect way to bring all those warm elements into our home. Then, after thinking on it, I found myself with this huge craving to go shopping for some festive fall decor.

I’m not a huge fan of skulls and bats and all the typical Halloween decorations. Plus, I wanted something more versatile that encompasses all of fall and Thanksgiving, not just Halloween, so I chose a pumpkin/leaf theme with lots of copper color thrown in.

I started at Joann’s because I had a gift card and coupons for there. I landed a whole bunch of decorations and only had to pay $5. I got a large light-up pumpkin, two copper candle holders with matching copper candles, a string of feathers, a string of purple and black lights, and a bag of candy corn for the counter.

Then, I made my way over to Hobby Lobby. There, I found a small ceramic pumpkin, a big burlap pumpkin, a glass tile, two ornate LED candles and some coppery leaves to make a garland.

I love these glazed ceramic pumpkins!

Dollar store glass jar and Hobby Lobby clearance LED candle

Garland-making TBD

Several days later I took a trip to the Dollar General for a few odds and ends and found a spool of ribbon with arrows on it ($2), two decorative fall sprigs ($1 each), a flower clip ($1) and one more burlap pumpkin ($5) that finished this perfect trio.

Burlap and copper theme. Left: Hobby Lobby, Right: Joanne’s, Back: Dollar General

These are all decorations that totally fit my style. Not too kitschy, but still sophisticated, warm and inviting.

I made the leaf garland that hangs over the fireplace a few years ago out of felt leaves and yarn, but I may switch it out for the copper leaf garland once I make it just because that fits my theme better.

I also created a glass tile decoration that I will share in a post in the next day or two. So, be on the lookout for that!

Now we have a bit of festive cheer in my house that I don’t need to change out until it’s time to decorate for Christmas!! AND I can save all these decorations for the next several years. Winning!

We love turning on all the lights at night and seeing the glow from the sitting room. It’s exactly what I was hoping for.

Do you do any fall decorating? Where do you find the best deals? Do you have strong memories tied to the decorations that your mom used?

December 2, 2015

Blessing Our Family’s New Home

Guess what??? We moved!!! Well, if you couldn’t guess that from the title of this post…

We found a country home where I know we’ll be closer to where we really were meant to be. Hubster and I definitely do not feel the calling of the city in our bones, we feel the openness and organic nature of the country. We feel like we will be in a much safer, calmer place. We will be in a much more closely connected place.

What the view looks like from our new home.

A photo posted by Jessica Collins (@boun_seejess) on Nov 5, 2015 at 10:33am PST

I will save the details of the home for another post, but I’ll just tell you we are very blessed and it was definitely meant to be. When we were putting our offer in, I prayed that if it was meant to happen, it would happen. And it happened, so I am at peace with it.

I felt a strong stirring to pray a blessing over our new home before moving in. I just think that God needs to be the first person to occupy it, to set the standard for our new place. We are just stewards of this home that is really God’s. When we got the keys, we took a truck- and camper-load to the house and I planned to take some quiet time to pray over our new space.

In order to give my prayers a sense of permanence, a way to reuse them, and a way to reference them later, I wanted to put them in writing. So, I gathered a group of Bible verses that spoke to me about our new home the most. I printed them up in a document, cut them out, pasted them to some scrapbook paper that I had on hand, and tied them together with a piece of yarn. On the back of the scrapbook paper, I wrote a note or two about what the verses meant to me.

For example, “peace be to this house,” not only means having our home protected by the Spirit, but it means a peaceful environment, one filled with warmth. I am hoping candles, blankets, artwork, and elements of nature will make our house feel like a haven. I want my home to be peaceful for my family in as many ways as possible.

If you would like to use my printable for your own home blessing, feel free to print it HERE. The very last page is where I hand wrote what I wanted to pray about.

This was the starting point of my prayers:

Lord, please
Bless our new home.
Bless the walls that hold our children and keep us safe.
Bless the memories that we will make here.
Bless our neighbors and our relationships with them.
May this be a place where people feel welcome.
Let every person that walks through the door know you are in our midst.
Lord, be where we are. Your presence is welcome and desired at all times.
Help us to honor you in this home as we start fresh in a new place.
Help our children grow in their knowledge of you here.
Help us raise them under your care and guidance.
There are reminders of your presence all around us here, inside and out.
Help us to really “see” them.
Help us to see you when we see your treasures in our backyard and inside our walls.

Amen!

October 2, 2013

DIY Jewelry Organization Makeover

My jewelry collection was an eyesore. Let’s just put it at that (you’ll see). I would forget about pieces buried in the bottom drawer of my jewelry shelf, all those necklaces had a tendency to get clumped together, and it just gave me a headache to look at it. Finally, in an attempt to make little spaces like this of my home environment more cozy and put-together, I decided to tackle the jewelry organization project head-on. With a little perusing on Pinterest, I put together some rough ideas of what I wanted the finished project to look like and headed to the thrift store.

I went through about three phases of putting this project together over the course of about a week, so I’m going to share those with you in case it provides some inspiration for you too:

Phase I

Thrifting a jewelry holder and giving it a makeover

What began its life as a collector spoon holder (I think??) is now the bearer of all my jewelry.

I went to the thrift store with the sole purpose of finding some old forgotten knick-knack shelf to repurpose, since they’re usually quite easy to come by. After perusing the correct aisle, I didn’t come across any that I was satisfied with. The selection was pretty picked over at the time I got there, so I went on my next mission in the store, to find some 16×20 frames. By chance, I returned to that original aisle again to return something I decided against buying and did one more quick sweep. This ugly gem was hidden under some other nondescript wooden things. It’s really made out of some quite durable wood and had that nice drawer on the bottom for earrings and such. Score!

After work the next day, I took a trip to the hardware store and stood a full 5 minutes in the paint aisle trying to decide what color I wanted this bad boy to be. I had green in my hand, but I was still debating. Our bedroom is green, but what if it didn’t quite match? I finally thought, why not make the jewelry shelf match some of the jewelry itself with a fresh coat of silver? While I was at the hardware store, I also picked out two drawer knobs and some ring screws to add to the shelf for extra storage.

The finished product. A HUGE improvement!

Hubster helped me find the right screw length for the side knobs, but I did all the work! These knobs and extra screws on the bottom provide extra storage for longer necklaces and such.

Phase II

Cleaning the jewelry

While I was going through my jewelry, deciding what to keep and what to donate, I came across a few pieces I still really like but that have become quite tarnished with age. With a little research online, I decided to try lining a glass casserole dish with tin foil, sprinkling baking soda over the jewelry, and pouring water over the top. This worked for some of the jewelry, but I had to go back and rub toothpaste on a few items to really get them to shine again. No expensive jewelry cleaner required!

Phase III

Jewelry organization

In order to tame the chaos that my jewelry had become, I wanted the finished project to be as orderly and visually appealing as possible. The first thing I did was gather some silver cardstock from my scrapbooking collection. I made these nice earring cards by simply poking holes in the folded cardstock with a thick tapestry needle that I had, but I’m sure a safety pin would’ve done the trick. I absolutely adore how my earrings are all organized and easy to grab now. I can get a good look at them all with one quick glance. And none of them are buried in a mess, only to never be used again. In fact, today I’m wearing a pair of earrings I had forgotten I even had!

Next, I strung all my necklaces on the spoon holder thingies, which turned out to be great necklace holders. Hubster happened to have a nail that perfectly matched the silver shelf, so I used that to affix the organizer to the wall behind our dresser. Now all my necklaces are completely visible, making getting dressed in the morning quick and easy.

Before

It pains me a bit to even show this (bad lighting notwithstanding) “before” picture. It’s really unnerving to keep my jewelry in such a disarray. And you can’t even see the dust bunnies collected there. *Shiver*

After

Not only does my jewelry look much better, but now my collection of glass perfume bottles is also on display again. Those pretties were kind of shoved behind my jewelry shelf and piled on with…random things. Now they’re all out for show again, just as I like them.

I’ve been collecting these pretties since High School

Ah much better

I forgot I even had this little ring holder in all my mess of things. It came in handy since I didn’t really have any other viable, convenient place to store my rings. The ring holder came with a matching vintage mirror and brush/comb set that I have on the dresser too. The vintage “dressing table” theme suits me perfectly!

That’s a wrap! I feel much more comfortable in my room now that I don’t have to look away from my dresser. Tackling these small spaces in my home, one at a time, has done wonders on my comfort level. I am so completely satisfied with these results and pretty satisfied that I tackled this project all myself.

How do you organize your jewelry at home? I’d love to see pictures or hear about your solutions too.

October 2, 2013

DIY Jewelry Organization Makeover

I went through about three phases of putting this project together over the course of about a week, so I’m going to share those with you in case it provides some inspiration for you too:

Phase I

Thrifting a jewelry holder and giving it a makeover

What began its life as a collector spoon holder (I think??) is now the bearer of all my jewelry.

The finished product. A HUGE improvement!

Hubster helped me find the right screw length for the side knobs, but I did all the work! These knobs and extra screws on the bottom provide extra storage for longer necklaces and such.

Phase II

Cleaning the jewelry

Phase III

Jewelry organization

Before

After

I’ve been collecting these pretties since High School

Ah much better

How do you organize your jewelry at home? I’d love to see pictures or hear about your solutions too.

September 26, 2013

My Second Ever Quilt

I never thought I wanted to tackle a quilt. However, after my first experience, I started gathering supplies for two more quilts before I was even finished binding up the first one.

This second ever quilt of mine is made with a vintage flower theme, mostly pinks and greens. I chose a fleece blanket for the lining instead of batting due to cost. I actually paid less for an actual fleece blanket than for as much batting as I would’ve needed, and I figured it would be really warm. See, Hubster doesn’t mind the pinks as long as the blanket is warm. Win-win, people!

The backside is a queen-sized bed sheet I found at the thrift store.

The quilted side is made with squares of fabric mostly from the clearance section at JoAnn’s and Walmart, cuz that’s how I roll.

Quilt top/fleece blanket/bed sheet

My grandma, the very person who taught me to sew, was very tickled when she saw my project one night when she came over for dinner. I just told her to not look so closely at the seams. I’m a total mess when it comes to sewing perfectly straight and all professional-like.

Peanut’s quilt is up next. His will be much more masculine, with fabric from several men’s 3XL flannel shirts and remnants I found at the thrift store. The back will be a cuddly soft deer-themed fleece blanket that he just fell in love with. It’s maybe a little too country for my taste, but it’s not my tastes that matter when it comes to him.

While I was all motivated and stuff to sew, I also whipped up some other projects that I’ve been thinking about for awhile. You see, Peanut has two Build A Bear animals that needed some more wardrobe items to choose from, particularly pajamas. So, I found a few tutorials online and took Peanut to the fabric store to pick out his own fabric. He liked the sailor anchor theme for the pajamas and the checkered racing fleece for the sleeping bags.

Tiger and Mr. Fluffy

There’s even a cutout for the tails! Be careful with the

tutorial though. The way you’ll be sewing the shorts isn’t

quite what one might expect.

Roll-up sleeping bags, aren’t these the cutest?

Sometimes I just really get on a roll with my sewing. I mentioned before that my Environment, particularly my home, is one of my biggest priorities in life (after God, family, that sort of thing). Home is the most important place on earth. I strive to do things that improve upon the comfort, serenity and security we feel at home. I tell ya, that quilt of mine is sure doing a number on my love for our bedroom. I just smile every day when I see it. Next up, I’ve been working on framing some pictures for behind our bed and DIY-ing a new jewelry shelf. You’ll see…

What projects have you been working lately?

September 26, 2013

My Second Ever Quilt

I never thought I wanted to tackle a quilt. However, after my first experience, I started gathering supplies for two more quilts before I was even finished binding up the first one.

The backside is a queen-sized bed sheet I found at the thrift store.

The quilted side is made with squares of fabric mostly from the clearance section at JoAnn’s and Walmart, cuz that’s how I roll.

Quilt top/fleece blanket/bed sheet

Tiger and Mr. Fluffy

There’s even a cutout for the tails! Be careful with the

tutorial though. The way you’ll be sewing the shorts isn’t

quite what one might expect.

Roll-up sleeping bags, aren’t these the cutest?

What projects have you been working lately?

September 18, 2013

Lately I’ve Been…

Sewing Build-A-Bear accessories for my Peanut’s stuffed animals. Those clothes get expensive and I found the perfect DIY projects online.
Fixing a workout bra that I somehow melted in the dryer. Didn’t even know that the fabric store carried bra hooks until I went looking for fabric for the above project. All I had to do was cut down the strap to the right size, burn the raw edges down with a lighter and sew the new piece on. So glad to have saved that one, since it fit really well. I’m mighty proud of my re-purposing skills on this one.
Re-seaming a thrift store T-shirt I found in college that I still like and has been sitting with pins in it for like 7 years. Ha!
Thrifting some necessary household items like 16″ x 20″ frames and some supplies for a jewelry storage makeover I plan on doing.
Spray-painting that thrifted shelving unit for my jewelry. I believe the wooden shelf I bought was once a spoon holder for collectors. Oh, you just wait and see what I did to it. I even went to the hardware store all by myself to DIY this one.
Hanging a collage wall in my dining room. I see these art displays in all my favorite home tours and decided to tackle one all by myself. It turned out sooo cute. I found this adorable $.50 vintage 3D picture that totally makes the wall. I’ll be sharing pictures soon.
Trying to keep my house from turning into a bachelor pad/frat house. Roomie just bought a beer brewing kid and a Soda Stream to add to my already cluttered counter space. Thinking of reworking the space a bit. This stuff doesn’t blend well with my vintage-chic aesthetic, as you might imagine.
Putting together bags of stuff to take to the thrift store. It feels good to get rid of more than we’re bringing in sometimes, especially when things start accumulating beyond my comfort level.
Registering for an EIN number with the IRS. I am now a registered business owner!
Eating soup alone at home while Hubster, Peanut and my Daddy-O go hunting. I’m really relishing this time alone.
Cleaning (finally!) one of the dreaded spots in my home. We have some high windows that accumulate spiders and webs and dust and ick. Whenever I clean it, I feel like the whole house is somehow much cleaner.
Making my bed with the brand-new quilt that I sewed. Can’t wait to share pictures of it on here soon. Just looking at it makes me happy.
Starting a new e-book project that I hope to launch on here in a few months. It’s in the baby stages right now, so I don’t want to share too much.
Buying tickets to the Sports and Fitness Expo being held in my town this weekend. Can’t wait!
Trying so hard to figure out how to connect my camcorder to my computer. I have a new cord on its way after a Radio Shack one didn’t work. I really want to add some workout videos for y’all. I may have to bite the bullet and buy a new, more laptop-compatible camcorder.
Dreaming up another trip “up-north” in October or November. I want to make this a regular tradition if we can swing it and Hubster can successfully get off of work. We stayed in Crivitz last year.
Writing up a job posting for the open pastoral position at my church. Since one of the committee members knew I was a writer, he thought I’d be the perfect person for the job. I like to help where I can.
Adjusting to having a child in all-day Kindergarten. Paying for hot lunches, meeting teachers, already dealing with bullying, packing snacks, collecting Box Tops, etc etc etc. I already get up at 5:30 to work out, run, and get ready, but we’ve somehow been running late anyway. This school thing is like a whole new world for me. However, I just love looking through the Scholastic Books order forms with him. I get all giddy like I did in school when those pamphlets come out. My wallet is never more open than it is for a Peanut who gets excited about reading and learning.

I think Chalene’s book was just the kick in the back end I needed to make myself even more productive than a Type-A person like me already is. I can’t believe all the things I’ve checked off my to-do list already. I use Wunderlist on my phone and it’s a true lifesaver and life improver, plus just seeing all the check marks I’ve accumulated already makes me happy. I have my to-dos broken down into “Today,” “This Week,” and “Soon.” Every day I try to do one thing to tackle one aspect of my priority list. For example, my home environment is one of my priorities. Therefore, many of the above listed items are helping make my environment more desirable from cleaning to small space makeovers. Another goal is setting up more of a solid personal training side business, so I am planning on networking at the Sports and Fitness Expo I signed up for and I finally signed up for an official EIN number (so simple to do, it’s pathetic). I’m taking steps each day to make this dream more of a reality. It’s really quite simple once you break it down into steps.

There’s something about fall that makes me feel like nesting. The little bit of chill in the air outside makes me want the inside to be the most cozy place my family could ever enjoy. Listening to the sound of Feist and blowing trees while tackling all these projects is just making my heart swell. I’ve decided that fall is officially my favorite season.

What have you been up to?

September 18, 2013

Lately I’ve Been…

Sewing Build-A-Bear accessories for my Peanut’s stuffed animals. Those clothes get expensive and I found the perfect DIY projects online.
Fixing a workout bra that I somehow melted in the dryer. Didn’t even know that the fabric store carried bra hooks until I went looking for fabric for the above project. All I had to do was cut down the strap to the right size, burn the raw edges down with a lighter and sew the new piece on. So glad to have saved that one, since it fit really well. I’m mighty proud of my re-purposing skills on this one.
Re-seaming a thrift store T-shirt I found in college that I still like and has been sitting with pins in it for like 7 years. Ha!
Thrifting some necessary household items like 16″ x 20″ frames and some supplies for a jewelry storage makeover I plan on doing.
Spray-painting that thrifted shelving unit for my jewelry. I believe the wooden shelf I bought was once a spoon holder for collectors. Oh, you just wait and see what I did to it. I even went to the hardware store all by myself to DIY this one.
Hanging a collage wall in my dining room. I see these art displays in all my favorite home tours and decided to tackle one all by myself. It turned out sooo cute. I found this adorable $.50 vintage 3D picture that totally makes the wall. I’ll be sharing pictures soon.
Trying to keep my house from turning into a bachelor pad/frat house. Roomie just bought a beer brewing kid and a Soda Stream to add to my already cluttered counter space. Thinking of reworking the space a bit. This stuff doesn’t blend well with my vintage-chic aesthetic, as you might imagine.
Putting together bags of stuff to take to the thrift store. It feels good to get rid of more than we’re bringing in sometimes, especially when things start accumulating beyond my comfort level.
Registering for an EIN number with the IRS. I am now a registered business owner!
Eating soup alone at home while Hubster, Peanut and my Daddy-O go hunting. I’m really relishing this time alone.
Cleaning (finally!) one of the dreaded spots in my home. We have some high windows that accumulate spiders and webs and dust and ick. Whenever I clean it, I feel like the whole house is somehow much cleaner.
Making my bed with the brand-new quilt that I sewed. Can’t wait to share pictures of it on here soon. Just looking at it makes me happy.
Starting a new e-book project that I hope to launch on here in a few months. It’s in the baby stages right now, so I don’t want to share too much.
Buying tickets to the Sports and Fitness Expo being held in my town this weekend. Can’t wait!
Trying so hard to figure out how to connect my camcorder to my computer. I have a new cord on its way after a Radio Shack one didn’t work. I really want to add some workout videos for y’all. I may have to bite the bullet and buy a new, more laptop-compatible camcorder.
Dreaming up another trip “up-north” in October or November. I want to make this a regular tradition if we can swing it and Hubster can successfully get off of work. We stayed in Crivitz last year.
Writing up a job posting for the open pastoral position at my church. Since one of the committee members knew I was a writer, he thought I’d be the perfect person for the job. I like to help where I can.
Adjusting to having a child in all-day Kindergarten. Paying for hot lunches, meeting teachers, already dealing with bullying, packing snacks, collecting Box Tops, etc etc etc. I already get up at 5:30 to work out, run, and get ready, but we’ve somehow been running late anyway. This school thing is like a whole new world for me. However, I just love looking through the Scholastic Books order forms with him. I get all giddy like I did in school when those pamphlets come out. My wallet is never more open than it is for a Peanut who gets excited about reading and learning.

What have you been up to?

June 11, 2012

The Grass Really is Greener

We recently got a new fence at our home. I felt that same amazement at the makeover as I did after we painted wood paneling in our home. I knew this fresh wood was going to look much nicer, but I didn’t expect it to transform the entire atmosphere.

We hired out for this project after much penny-saving, because this was a little bit too far out of our time/ability range. I’m sure we could’ve figured out how to erect a fence ourselves, but it sounded too much like a nightmare. Some things you just have to allow someone else to do for you. I’m trying to learn that, I really am.

I wish I had a good “before” picture, because this new fence actually makes the grass on our side of the fence look greener. Well, you can kind of see some of the “better” parts of the old fence in this picture:

BEFORE

AFTER

This dandy is a 15-20 year “no touch” fence, which means it might even outlast our stay. And we never have to whitewash, varnish, or paint it. In fact, the builders told us that painting it could actually decrease the lifespan of the fence. Hallelujah. That’s my kind of fence! Now if only this bright, new wood look would never fade…

I’m so excited to have more parties, backyard picnics, and friend-filled barbecues in our “new” backyard this summer. I’ve got some plans for a Peanut backyard birthday party in the works, and so far, I’ve kept one of my summer goals to keep S’more supplies readily on-hand in my pantry at all times.

That humble plot of garden you see in that last picture there is all filled with veggie plants now. I’ve been accumulating zucchini, tomato and cucumber recipes so we never have too many veggies than we know what to do with. I will know what to do with them now!

Oh summer, how I love thee…

April 5, 2012

Book Pages: Happy Homemaker

I love the iconic image of a homemaker–not the part about passivity, but the tender ways that she cares for her home, children and relationships. That’s still a wonderful thing, no? I really wish I could just make my bed in a way that would please a hospital caretaker. Really I do–it was even on my list of yearly resolutions to learn how to make the perfect bed. I don’t like the stuffy-ness of trying to keep a perfect house, but I do try to instill in my child the value of a clean, comfortable home.

So, when I saw this little dandy at the thrift store for like $3, I knew it was meant to be.

Originally though, it was the gorgeous imagery that endeared me to it. The Home Almanac was published in 2004, but the images look like they’re straight out of your grandma’s old issues of Good Housekeeping. They’re to die for.

If this doesn’t make you want to clean your bathroom sink, I don’t know what will. I mean, surely a little scrubbing will turn it into a Greek bath.

Every girl needs to know how to keep flowers fresh. Especially when receiving a bouquet from a suitor is a rare occurrence.

My grandma took me aside one time to show me how to properly iron clothes. It wasn’t that she thought I was incapable, it was because she had a vivid memory of her own grandmother teacher her. She wanted to pass that memory along to me. I accepted. This page reminds me of that day.

Shouldn’t we all treat our homes with such care? With our own elbow grease put into every corner, we can’t help but relish in our feeling of achievement. Plus, these youngin’s are just too darn cute. Ah, shucks.

I have a crush on this idea of backyard luminaries. And canvas party tents. Great Gatsby-style entertaining.

The words and images are almost poetic. Ah, to be poised atop chintz pillows and outdoor hammocks.

But seriously, this book from 2004 is a real charmer. It has the old-fashioned appeal with real-world modern applications. Yes, throw pillows really are a great easy way to freshen your living room with each season. From practical cleaning tips to interior design strategies, the pages are filled with everyday ideas to make a house feel like a home. If you can do it in high heels and an evening gown, you’ve probably got a leg up on the rest of us.

I noticed a comment on Amazon that someone uses this book as a standard gift for showers and housewarming events. What a precious idea!