My summer bicycle wreath got the ball rolling for sprucing up and restyling our front porch area for the summer. I tell ya – every project I do has a domino effect. I finish one thing and that makes me think of another project I can do to make it even better, and thus, the to do list lengthens. You can add my husband to your prayer chain. Bless him.
The red and yellow in the wreath were so happy and summery, so I wanted to keep things bright, cherry and fun!
I bought this Moroccan patterned indoor/outdoor rug from Joss and Main a few months ago. It was intended for our bathroom, but it turned out to be the wrong blue. I was about to sell it, until I had my light bulb moment. I knew it would look awesome on our front porch {The other welcome mat that has been out there since we moved in was moved to the back door, since we needed a mat there anyway. Win, win!}.
The rug and wreath look awesome together! The modern, graphic patterns keep the primary color scheme from looking too childish. It just looks fun and relaxed.
I ditched the boston fern that was in the urn {that my Grandma had done a faux finish on} in exchange for an arrangement of succulents. The fern and I didn’t get along very well. I’m learning that the key to having a pretty garden and plants is to learn which plants you do well with. It pays to do a little research about which plants do well in your area, and what kind of light/watering they need.
The succulents are much more “me” than the fern was. They are modern and sculptural, plus they don’t overtake the urn. Oh, and {BONUS!} need very little care.
I still love my rustic chalk board. I enjoy changing up the chalk art with different seasons and events. It’s fun to find new quotes, dig up old favorites, or just add a little doodle. This time, I chose this wonderful quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson {one of my faves as far as poets go}. It’s appropriate for summer time, isn’t it?
I ran a piece of chalk through my pencil sharpener to do this little chalk doodle, but a reader introduced me to the wonder of chalk pencils. Hello! I’m definitely going to have to try these out!
I am so enjoying our summertime porch update! It almost redeems the torturous summer heat here in Texas {almost}.
Is it starting to feel like summer where you are? Are you welcoming it with open arms, or trying to fend it off a little bit longer?
I told y’all you would see more terrariums, didn’t I? You can’t say I didn’t warn you! Sure enough, after making my first venture into terrarium-hood, I was hooked. I took a different approach this time and made miniature terrariums. These tiny little worlds are so fun and great to scatter here and there around the house.
For the containers, I used rounded votive holders. I bought mine from Hobby Lobby for about 50 cents a piece {on sale}, but I’ve also seen packs of these at the dollar store.
Anytime I’m working with succulents, I always start with a little bit of gravel to help with drainage. They don’t need or like a lot of water, so proper drainage is a must. You can also buy soil specifically for cacti to help with drainage.
Once you’ve got your base, the fun part begins. Ad your tiny succulents, moss, marbles, or other trinkets. Get creative and have some fun with it!
In what ways are you bringing the outdoors in this spring? If you like this, be sure to check out my large scale terrarium and soup can succulents!
So, there’s less than a week until Mother’s Day, and you don’t have a gift for your mom yet. Have no fear! I’ve rounded up 10 easy, DIY Mother’s Day gifts for you last minute gifters. There is something here for all of the moms on your list! Each of these gifts can be finished in an afternoon and for under $30. You can’t go wrong there! Besides, what mom doesn’t love a handmade gift?
1) DIY Ironing Table :
If the mom in your life is crafty or loves to sew or quilt, why not makes things a little easier on her with this DIY ironing table made from a TV tray? This table makes it easy to tackle ironing quilting squares or other sewing projects without having to haul out the ironing board. It’s perfect for having next to your crafting area.
2) A Terrarium
There are so many ways to customize a terrarium to fit your mom’s personality. Get creative with the container you use, or try adding small trinkets. If she loves the beach, add a few seashells. These little worlds are sure to please, and will last much longer than the usual bouquet of roses.
3) Chalkboard Menu
For the mom that loves to cook : help her stay organized with a chalkboard menu.
4) DIY Jewelry Hanger
This DIY jewelry hanger is simple and inexpensive to make. It’s a beautiful way to hang jewelry – art and organization in one!
5) Bake a Cake
As Pedro said, “Build her a cake or something”. Every celebration calls for a little cake! Make her favorite flavor and celebrate how awesome she is! You can find my strawberry cake and cream cheese frosting recipes here.
6) Cupcake Bouquet
Bump that cake up a notch and create a cupcake bouquet! -Stephanie at 52 kitchen adventures has an awesome tutorial on how to create one, and also a great video showing how to frost in a rose pattern.
7) Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods
If you’re wanting to make her a sweet treat, but cake isn’t her thing, try these chocolate dipped pretzel rods. These are super easy to make and the perfect mix of salty and sweet. Sprinkle on her favorite colors before the chocolate dries to add a personal touch.
8) Teacup Candle
I have loved these DIY Teacup Candles that I’ve seen all over Pinterest. These would make a great gift for the mom in your life! Thrift shops, like Goodwill, often have pretty, neglected tea cups that are perfect for a project like this. Createlive has an awesome tutorial on how to make these candles out of old ones!
9) Framed Printable
If you’re looking for a more sentimental gift, take advantage of all of the free printables out in blogland. Print out your favorite, and stick it in a pretty frame. Lovely Living has this sweet Mother’s day subway art available in 4 colors.
Yesterday on Tuesday also has a vintage-inspired printable set for Mother’s Day, including a banner, gift tags, and an “All About My Mom” printable to get the kiddos involved.
10) Yarn Wreath
Make something beautiful for your mother’s home. Create a yarn wreath with felt flowers to brighten up her entry way. There are so many ways to customize these to fit any decor.
For more great ideas, you can visit my Mother’s day Gift Ideas pin board here!
I am an extremely thorough shopper. I read a lot of reviews before making a purchase, and I do an adequate amount of comparison shopping to make sure I’m getting the best deal. It is almost obnoxious how thorough I am.
My most reliable sources are product recommendations from friends and family. I love to hear which products do and don’t work for them and where they score their best deals, and I love returning the favor! That’s why I was so excited to be chosen by Influenster to receive their Sugar n’ Spice Vox Box. I get to be the guinea pig and let you know which products to run out and grab, and which ones to ditch.
VoxBox day was an exciting one! I had no clue what would be inside, and was pleasantly surprised to see some newbies I’d never heard of amongst some oldies {with a twist}.
First up was the Colgate Optic White line. There are two things in this life that I really appreciate : a really good pair of socks, and a nice new toothbrush. I was over the moon happy to have an awesome new toothbrush in my possession. Yes…I really am that boring. I ripped that puppy open and got to brushing. I was in love. Seriously. It’s a great toothbrush, and I liked the toothpaste as well. Next was the mouth wash. You’re supposed to swish the mouthwash for a full minute before spitting. Ohmygoodness. I could never make it the whole minute. It definitely had a kick to it. The more I used it, the more I got used to the stinging and the strange taste. It does foam up very nice so I really felt like it was doing its job. After I used all 3 products, I felt like I had just had a cleaning at the dentist. I loved that!
Will I use these again? I’ll definitely buy another toothbrush. It’s a quality toothbrush and I like that is has a scrubby on the back for your tongue {gross, I know.}. The toothpaste and mouth wash? I’m trying to be a little more crunchy and use more natural products and ditch some of the chemicals, but if I’m planning to buy normal store-bought items, and I have a coupon…I’d definitely try these again.
The morning after I received my box, I decided to try the Belvita breakfast cookies. I was loving the flavor they sent me – I love me some cinnamon and brown sugar! I had my biscuits with a side of strawberries and my morning coffee {the first cup, at least}.
They were pretty good and I actually stayed full until lunch time. I didn’t seem to have an extra burst of energy that day, but I was happy to not be starving by 10:00 like I thought I would be. These are great if you’re running late and don’t have time for a full breakfast. They have a variety of flavors, so if cinnamon and brown sugar aren’t your cup of tea, there should be something for you. Remember what I said about trying to be crunchy? Yeah…packaged foods don’t really fall under that category. Not to say I never eat packaged foods {Lord knows I do!}, but we are definitely trying to cut processed foods out of our diet as much as possible. Also, see where it says “natural flavors”? A lot of times that means MSG {not always, but more often than not}. I didn’t get sick from these like I normally would with and MSG filled product, so it may not be such a big deal. Over all – great product, it’s maybe something I’d get for crazy mornings when I’m running behind or for a road trip.
While we’re on the topic of food, let’s talk about Nectresse! I had never heard of this before, and I’ll admit that when I saw the Splenda logo on the top, I rolled my eyes and gagged a bit. Artificial sweeteners = bad bad bad in my book. Not only are they terrible for you, but I hate the taste, too. I kept on reading through the box though, and was happy to see that this is nothing like Splenda. Is it really all natural as it claims? I doubt it, but would also agree that this is a better alternative to artificial sweeteners. Stevia would still be your best all natural, no calorie sweetener….but if you’re like me and can’t stand the after taste, Nectresse might be a good option. It’s really very sweet, so you don’t need much at all.
I really liked the Vaseline Spray & Go lotion. It’s easy to apply and is not greasy at all and dries quickly. It left my skin feeling very soft, so of course I was happy about that! It does have a pretty strong scent to it {at least I thought it was kinda strong?}. I didn’t mind the scent too much, but I know a lot of people have trouble with that. I wouldn’t use this if I were still at my old job where I was in direct contact with a lot of people all day, only because I’d be worried that someone wouldn’t be able to handle the fragrance.
My favorite product out of the box was the Dickonson’s Witch Hazel wipes. I had recently started using this witch hazel recipe as my daily astringent and was loving that, so I was interested to try these as well. I really liked them a lot. Each towlette is individually wrapped, and to my surprise, were really large. They left my skin feeling very fresh and soft. I’m definitely a fan. These are especially awesome for someone like me who has oily skin {especially leading into the summer months} but would also work just as well on someone with a drier complexion. I plan to stick to my homemade astringent for day-to-day use, but will keep these around for after workouts, etc.
Have you tried any of these products? What are your thoughts?
I hope you all have an awesome day!
Disclaimer : I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.
We’ve arrived at the portion of the week where I dump my Instagram and iPhone photos on you.
If you want to follow along every other day, you can follow me @likeasaturday.
First things first…the inevitable Macy photo. It’s called “creature comforts” for a reason. Sister knows how to live in the lap of luxury.
It is good to live in the South. It is even better to be from Texas, y’all. Two words : country.breakfast. Three words : treat.yo.self.
Seriously. SO good. My baby sis was in town. We are both breakfast food fiends. Bonus! I get to go back tomorrow morning. PTL.
I missed InstaFriday last week. All of last week was shower prep. It included a night at my amazing friend, Jennie’s house for a fondant extravaganza. She is awesome for showing me the ropes, and even awesomer {it is a word. promise} for figuring out how to do all of this stuff. She is one of those people who says “I think I’ll try my hand at this!” and then is like “Oh! I’m amazing at this thing I taught myself 5 minutes ago!”. Seriously. Everyone need a friend like this.
Shower prep also included trying my hand at chalk paint for the first time. The jury is still out on how I feel about it since I’ve only tried it on terracotta pots and not a piece of furniture. It will happen though, and I’ll let you know. The French Linen looked really good with my kitchen rug…perhaps I’ll have to find something in there to paint!
Another perk to being a Southerner….crawfish season. My pops and I split this HUGE boil platter on our lunch break last week. We wore bibs. My husband has classified me as a redneck. If eating delicious creatures that burrow in the mud, and then washing it down with a bottle of coke {with peanuts in the bottom!} is redneck…then I don’t want to be anything but!
My house {and myself} are finally recovering from Bridal Shower Bonanza 2013. Everything was dumped in my kitchen when we got home since I was too exhausted to deal with it, and I’ve been chipping away at it all week. It’s nice to see my kitchen table again, and you can never go wrong with fresh flowers and greenery!
This weekend is one of two free weekends between now and my sister’s wedding at the beginning of June. I’m planning on using it to get some deep cleaning and a few small projects done. Not too much though, because rest is good too.
What are your plans for the weekend? Anything super exciting, or laying low? Don’t forget you can hope over and follow me on Instagram @likeasaturday!
