Colorful Christmas Mantle

I like color, fun, and bright in the house during Christmas. Using glitter present garland, stocking holders, regular garland, and some fun picks I was able to create this mantle display. Of course, the wreath is from a previous year that matches well.

Christmas Candy Cane Wreath

Wreaths are really my favorite part of any holiday. Dressing them and making them match a theme is so much fun!

This year, we decided to go with a candy cane theme on our house and we definitely needed a wreath to match! Here is what I came up with using a regular wreath, a few picks I picked up at the local craft store, plastic candy canes, and of course ribbon!

Old Mirror - New Chalkboard!

I came into contact with this old beautiful mirror a little while ago. The only problem? There was no glass in it any longer. It sat in my living room for months just waiting to be re-purposed but I couldn't figure out what to do with it.

 Here is the before:

After much thinking, I painted it with chalkboard paint I had left over in the garage and took off to find the perfect poem. Here is the final result and it was not as hard as you would think! I found a tutorial that suggested keeping the chalkboard damp as you wrote on it and I would suggest it too. It made the writing neater and easier to continue the writing. 

Home inspiration

Home inspiration. Okay, so we moved to our home when I was 22 weeks pregnant with our twins and had an almost 2 year old running around. House decorating got put on hold for a little while... well honestly until recently. My living room is the first room you see when you walk in the door and really left something to be desired.

I did what any person would do, and enlisted to help of my facebook friends. Everyone had a suggestion: painting the walls, putting up art work, moving things around. Then one friend asked if she could come over to help me. And that she did! Not only did she come with suggestions but she brought things with her to show me what it would look like. I took her ideas and ran with it! The end product, I am definitely proud of and wanted to show you what under $200 in just a few purchases can really do to a home!

Ikea white shadow frames with matting: $19.99 each. Scrapbooking paper: already on hand (but if you bought it would be about $1 each). Throw pillows from discount store: $40 total. Tree bought 2nd hand for $20. The lamp was being thrown out by its owner since the shade broke. It was a brown color. We changed the color (spray paint) and glued the shade back together and viola!

Hope this inspires you to look around 2nd hand and keep your eyes peeled for some good deals!