Fall Dining Room Decor 2017

October 10, 2017 By Linda 8 Comments

Fall Dining Room Decor – Neutral Decor for Fall.

Is it really fair to call this “fall dining room decor” if I exerted the minimum amount of effort that I could?

Is it fair to call it “fall dining room decor” if I dug a few faux pumpkins and faux acorns and threw them in the bowls on the dining room radiator cover …

Including this cutest ever mini grapevine pumpkin I found at JoAnn’s?

P.S. I also found some mini grapevine pumpkins on Amazon for you. Just click here on this (affiliate) link.

Is it fair to call it “fall dining room decor” if I just added a few faux white pumpkins to the table and called it a day?

Is it fair to call if “fall dining room decor” if I added a few mini grapevine twig wreaths to the backs of the chairs?

Okay, this one might be fair to call “fall dining room decor” …

… because some “effort” was extended to tie them up with a bit of burlap ribbon. 🙂

Whether it’s fair to call if “fall dining room decor,” this year I kept it simple. Natural. Easy.

Navy and white and natural …

for Fall. 🙂

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Easy Fall Wreath DIY

October 3, 2017 By Linda 2 Comments

Easy Fall Wreath DIY – Rustic Fall Wreath with Pumpkins

Sometimes the words come easily …

quickly …

so fast and furious that I can’t write and/or type fast enough to keep up.

And when I do write them down, I can barely make heads or tails of my own rapid-speed-scribbled-handwriting. 🙂

Other times?

Not so much.

Just nothing. A blank page. A blank screen.

A blank mind.

There’s nothing worse than staring at a blinking, blinking, blinking cursor that’s just waiting, waiting, waiting …

This writer’s block phenomenon becomes even more frustrating when a project is done. Photographed. Edited. And just waiting, waiting, waiting to go from the “Blog 2017” picture folder to a real, live blog post.

But when words elude me? The project languishes in the “Blog 2017” picture folder.

I want every post to be witty. Or wise. Or, at the very least, a moderately interesting read.

I don’t want to resort to the obvious. The “Hey hey there” opening. The “I love fall blah blah blah” opening to a fall project because that’s not what you signed up for.

I’ll be honest. I’ve been struggling for wise and witty words this year. This upside-down year full of daily shock and horror and outrage.

But I’ll try. I’ll dig deep. I’ll remember that we really are good and caring people deep down.

Right?

Because, honestly, I’ve lost a little faith in humanity.

Okay. That’s deep enough. This is a craft blog after all.

So here goes. Hey, hey there! I just love fall blah blah blah and you’re just going to love this super duper easy fall wreath diy project …

😉

Easy Fall Wreath DIY

Materials*

Grapevine Wreath

Decorative Grapevine Garland (found mine at JoAnn Fabric & Craft Store)

here are some on Amazon

Grapevine Pumpkins (found mine at JoAnn Fabric & Craft Store but here are some on Amazon)

*some affiliate links included.

Step 1: Attach decorating garland to front of wreath. Use gold floral wire to attach.

Step 2: Thread piece of gold floral wire through bottom of pumpkin.

Step 4: And then thread the gold floral wire attached to twig pumpkin through the wreath form.

Step 5: Repeat for all three twig pumpkins.

And that’s it.

A tutorial that used only a few words.

Stay safe, my friends!

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Painted Pumpkin Mason Jars

September 27, 2017 By Linda 5 Comments

Painted Pumpkin Mason Jars – Fall Mason Jar Craft Ideas

In my alternate universe Linda world, my house would be permanently and perpetually clean and organized …

without lifting a finger.

The cleaning fairies would get it done (quietly) while we slept soundly in our freshly laundered and fluffed beds.

Oh, and my house would be self-purging too. 🙂

In my alternate universe Linda world, my weight would never fluctuate …

no matter how little or much I ate. Or how little or much I exercised.

It would just readjust nightly as my house is cleaned by the cleaning fairies while I slept soundly in my freshly laundered and fluffed bed.

In my alternate universe Linda world, I would age backwards until I reached 30 (no full-on Benjamin Button here) while I retaining the hard-earned knowledge, experience and wisdom of my 54 years.

Don’t you love how I just called myself wise? Ha! 🙂

And in my alternate universe Linda world, this blog would run like a well-oiled-machine …

replete with monthly editorial calendars.

Calendars that would be mapped out to make sure there is a mix of posts alternating from crafts and decor to recipes and mason jars. With some Chicago (and my) life mixed in.

But, alas, I’m real world Linda. And that is the world I live in. A world in which things like this happen …

where I publish back-to-back mason jar craft projects.

Sigh.

But I really need to share these painted pumpkin mason jars today. Mostly because they’re so cute. Mostly because they’re so timely (with a listing up at my Etsy shop to arrive in time for Halloween festivities). And mostly because they’re so done …

as in completed, staged, photographed and edited. 🙂

How To Make Painted Pumpkin Mason Jars

Materials*

Pint Size Regular Mouth Mason Jars

Paint Brushes

Rustoleum Chalked White Paint

Folk Art Pumpkin Craft Paint

Folk Art Pure Orange Craft Paint

Folk Art Forest Moss Green Acrylic Paint

80 Grit Sandpaper

Design Master Clear Coat Sealant (my go-to sealant)

*affiliate links included.

Give your jar two coats of white paint. Let dry completely between coats.

Dry overnight. Distress lightly using 80 grit sandpaper over raised areas on jar.

Using paint brush, add orange dot (using FolkArt Pumpkin acrylic paint).

Add second dot of FA Pumpkin touching first dot. This forms your mini pumpkin shape.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. You get it … 😉

Using a thin tipped brush and FolkArt Pure Orange Acrylic paint, add three small lines to pumpkin. (This is optional to add a bit of depth to pumpkins).

Using thin-tipped paint brush and FolkArt Forest Moss Acrylic paint, add stems to each pumpkin.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. You get it … 😉

Finish with matte clear coat spray. Design Master is my go-to because it doesn’t discolor and/or add yellow sheen to jars.

Welcome to Linda’s real world. 🙂

If you prefer for real-world Linda to make these for you, click here for the listing at my Etsy shop.

And if you’re looking for something a little less subtle, I also have this Google Eye mason jar set at the shop soon. Click here for the listing …

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Nautical Striped Mason Jars … and is Anybody Out There?

September 21, 2017 By Linda 15 Comments

Nautical Striped Mason Jars – Coastal Painted Mason Jar Craft.

{Knock. Knock}

Hello?

{Knock. Knock}

Is anybody out there?

{Knock. Knock}

Is this mic even working?

{SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCHHHHHHHHHHH}

Oops. Sorry.

So after months of hit-or-miss-will-she-or-won’t-she, here I am with two … count ’em two … blog posts in a single week.

It’s a blog miracle!

Or a blog curse for those of you who prefer me to be more miss than hit; more won’t-she than will-she. 😉

I’ll be honest, I wavered about even sharing this project.

And if I’m truly being honest I have to honestly confess that, contrary to this blog post about what I did not do on my summer vacation, I actually did work on a few summery projects …

which means I’ve bent the truth a bit here. It’s not an all out trendy alternative fact. More like a massaging of the truth.

And most of the summery projects I worked on this summer involved mason jars. Like these nautical striped mason jars in navy and white and light blue and white chalky paint.

And once those summery projects were completed — like these nautical striped mason jars — they sat on my camera card. Patiently waiting for their time to shine in the spotlight that is this blog.

And as summer days marched on …

as July melted into August …

as August jumped into September …

there they sat. Waiting, waiting, waiting. On my camera card.

Which brought me to a crossroads. As I stare down the official first day of Fall … less than 24 hours away … do I dare share a summer project? At this late summer date?

Do I dare download these summery project images from my camera card to my laptop? Do I dare straighten and lighten and brighten and sharpen and …

do I dare? …

do I dare share them on this day? This day before the official first day of Fall?

I’ll give you two guesses about how I answered that dare. 🙂

How To Make Nautical Striped Mason Jars

Materials*

Regular Mouth Pint Size Mason Jars

Kilz Primer

Americana Chalky Finish – Honor

Americana Chalky Finish – Serene

Washi Tape

80-grit Sandpaper

Design Master Clear Coat Sealant (Matte Finish)

Jute Twine

*affiliate links included

Instructions

Give your jars 2 coats of primer (I let mine dry overnight between coats). Let dry overnight.

Use Washi tape to tape off stripes.

Paint. I only gave mine one coat to give them a beach washed look. You can give two coats for more solid coverage.

Once dry, remove Washi tape … to reveal bleed through.

Touch up with white paint.

Once the touch-up paint is dry (I typically wait overnight) distress with 80-grit sandpaper.

Seal with matte finish clear coat spray sealant.

Optional: Add jute twine around top threads of jar.

If you would prefer to buy this nautical mason jar set (vs. make this set), they’re listed at my Etsy shop. Just click here …

Pin It!

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For all my mason jar craft projects, click here …

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Falling for Fall Candles

September 19, 2017 By Linda 2 Comments

This post is sponsored by Chesapeake Bay Candle but all opinions are my own.

Brace yourselves people …

I’m going to equate each season of the year with a sense. Not scent. Sense. Human sense like taste, touch, smell, etc.

I know, crazy.

And yes, I do realize we have five senses vs. four seasons. But in the spirit of Tim Gunn, “I’ll make it work.”

Let’s start with winter. Which I’m assigning taste. I mean, there are Christmas dinners and candy canes and homemade cookies. Not to mention Valentine’s Day chocolates, Super Bowl party fare and St. Patty’s day corned beef and cabbage to consume. It’s a season of tasty morsels …

and expanding waistlines. 😉

Which brings us to Spring. And sight.

Yes, there will be the sight of what we look like after winter sweaters come off and we get to see the months of tasty morsel damage. But there’s also the sight of rejuvenation and growth as flowers burst through the soil and foliage returns to the trees. A true sight to behold.

Summer is all about touch. The touch of the sun on our skin. The touch and feel of sand between our toes. The cooling touch on our skin when we jump in the water.

But Summer is also about hearing. Throwing open the windows to the sounds of children playing and birds calling and cicadas cicada’ing. Not to mention waves crashing.

And then there’s fall …

and smell.

The sweet, delicious, decadent smells of fall. It’s all about the pumpkin and cinnamon and chestnut and spice.

Can you smell it?

I can.

Well, I can smell it because Chesapeake Bay Candle sent me their Heritage Collection of fall scents to sample.

And smell.

But before we talk smell can we talk packaging?

I’m inspired by the clean, rustic, modern simplicity of the design: frosted glass, wood lids and twine loop pulls. I especially love that each soy blend candle is natural in color and the frosted glass jars they’re housed in are reminiscent of ocean glass. Overall, a perfect fit with my coastal-inspired home design style … from a company that gets it’s inspiration from Maryland’s idyllic shoreline.

Like I said, a perfect fit … 🙂

Okay, let’s move on to smell.

Oh the delicious smells!

This Cinnamon Spice small jar (retailing for $15) offers a nostalgic scent of rich cinnamon spice intertwined with fresh notes of eucalyptus. Distinctive vanilla, bay leaf, and warm nutmeg mingle with sugar clove and cinnamon bark.

And you can enjoy that delicious cinnamon-spice-vanilla-bay-leaf-warm-nutmeg-sugar-clove smell for a 20-hour burn time.

Then there’s the three-wick Chestnut & Acorn Coffee Table Jar Candle which retails for $25 and can burn for 34 hours.

The fragrance is an earthy, chestnut nutty aroma with rich vanilla notes. The smells of a stroll through the park on a crisp fall day.

And it looks (and smells) perfect on my living room coffee table!

The Pumpkin Latte Large Jar Candle ($25 retail price) did not disappoint with notes of brown sugar, maple and creamy vanilla.

And, of course, pumpkin. And spice.

Seriously, this is Thanksgiving in a jar.

The Vanilla Biscotti Double Wick Tin Candle ($15) was claimed by my daughter before I even had a chance to light those double wicks.

The fragrance is a creamy vanilla with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar and toasted almonds …

… with a dash of nutmeg.

It smells like freshly baked cookies. Yum!

The best part: the Vanilla Biscotti candle, in its stylish galvanized steel tin, offers 20 hours of burn time. So while my daughter’s room may look a mess, it won’t smell that way …

well, at least for 20 hours or so it won’t. 😉

Finally, the Balsam Fir Large Jar Candle ($25) is the perfect segue from fall to winter with its scent of evergreen pine, fresh balsam, and spiced pomander.

This candle’s hints of clove, amber, and spearmint will inspire you to start making your list …

… and checking it twice. 🙂

You can find out more about Chesapeake Bay Candle here and the Chesapeake Bay Candle Heritage Collection here

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Sharing: | Savvy Southern Style | Between Naps on the Porch |

Nautical Table Setting

September 12, 2017 By Linda 9 Comments

Nautical Table Setting – Summer Table in Navy & White

Yes. I’m sharing summer.

In September.

Because … technically … per the calendar it’s still summer. Technically.

And while the rest of the blog world is embracing pumpkins and pies and dreaming about Halloween trick-or-treaters and Thanksgiving feasts and (gasp) Christmas …

I’m bucking the trend and talking about how much I like to eat outside.

In fact, my desire to eat al fresco has become something of a “thing” of mine that the kids rib me about.

Which is fine. Because in the end, mom’s win to eat outdoors is a win for all! 😉

I’m not sure how or when my need to eat outside started. Perhaps at all those family reunion picnics while growing up …

… perhaps it was all that time spent at the beach in my 20’s ….

… or perhaps (most likely) it’s all the cute sidewalk cafes and beer gardens that pop up in Chicago the minute the temperature is above freezing.

Because, honestly, when I’m driving home from the grocery store or the gym an I see people relaxing and conversing and eating and drinking at any one of the outdoor cafes along my route, all I want to do is stop the car and join them.

Which would be awkward, of course.

I also enjoy eating outdoors on our screen porch.

And we push the whole eating outdoors on the screen porch well into September …

… and even into October if we are blessed with an Indian summer.

So while the calendar may be pointing towards the arrival of fall …

and others are celebrating the arrival of Halloween and Thanksgiving and (gasp) Christmas …

we will continue to buck the trend in our backyard …

with a nautical table setting …

as we dine al fresco! 🙂

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Driftwood Sailboat Place Setting DIY

August 4, 2017 By Linda 7 Comments

Driftwood Sailboat Place Setting DIY – How To Make Driftwood Sailboats.

Is it just me, or does August feel like one really looooooooooooong Sunday?

I’m not sure why. It’s not like I’m going back to school come September …

and it’s not like getting the kids prepared for back-to-school has that same ominous feeling like it did back in elementary school days. A time when teachers handed out very specific pages-long supply lists and tracking down the right size white tops and blue bottoms for the school uniform at Target was like trying to find a needle in a haystack …

especially since just about every Chicago public school requires elementary aged students to wear white tops and blue bottoms.

And yet …

and yet that looming back-to-school deadline continues to … well … loom.

And I find myself paralyzed. Putting things off until September. And making August one looooooooooong Sunday procrastination session. 😉

Sigh.

And here is the part of this post where I confidently (and exclamation-filled) say,

“This is the year I’m taking back August!”

“No more loooooong Sunday’s for me.! No sirree.”

“August 2017 is going to the most productive month of the year!!!”

Which, basically, will set me up for failure. Right? And that failure will just lead to even more procrastination.

Double sigh.

So instead I’ll set no expectations. I’ll work on truly enjoying August. With a family vacation. And a family trip to take Sam back to college. And a family trip to start looking at colleges with Molly. And a few “staycation” day trips in and around IL and IN …

and I’ll even work to squeeze in a few fun projects and crafts. Like this driftwood sailboat place setting DIY:

How To Make A Driftwood Sailboat Place Setting DIY

Materials*

Driftwood (I found mine here on Etsy; I also found some here on Amazon)

Drill (I love my Ryobi drill)

Glue (I used Weldbond)

Small Dowel

Fabric

*some affiliate links included

Start by drilling a hole in your driftwood about a quarter a way from end.

Cut dowels to size.

I used a bit of sandpaper to smooth out edges of dowel where cut.

Cut a rectangle of fabric to size (I left a little room at top and bottom of dowel.

Fold fabric in half.

Using a rule, draw a triangular cut line

Pin fabric and cut along cut line.

Add some Weldbond glue to dowel and position in middle of triangle.

Add glue to fabric.

Fold in half. Let dry.

Add glue to hole in driftwood.

Insert dowel. Let dry.

To make flag, just cut from a piece of cardboard. Punch a hole. Write a name. Loop hole a piece of baker’s twine and tie to top of dowel.

Rinse and repeat.

These little driftwood sailboat place settings are my first step at fighting the Sunday blues. And blahs. 🙂

Pin It!

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Geranium Monogram Wreath & My Secret Pinterest Boards

May 9, 2017 By Linda 4 Comments

Geranium Monogram Wreath – Monogram Wreath DIY.

I have a “TV Shows to Watch” secret Pinterest board. You know, one of those boards that you can hide from public view.

That’s normal, right? Or is it a sign I have an excessive television viewing problem?

In my defense, between regular old network TV, 500+ cable channels, Comcast On Demand, and premium channel subscriptions (I’m HBO and HBO Go) it’s hard to keep up with what’s new and what’s watchable. Add in Amazon Prime and Netflix memberships and my head starts spinning like Linda Blair in The Exorcist.

I do balance it out with a Books board. Which isn’t a secret Pinterest board because it’s so much more respectable to share with the world that I read.

Or, more accurately, want to read …

if only I could find the time that doesn’t cut into my television viewing. 😉

I have another secret board called Retirement. We are a decade away from that “official” word. Maybe less. Maybe more. But we really have no retirement plans. So I started the board to pin potential warm, beachy places we may want to live. I also pin house plans from Southern Living on that board. Sweet cottages with wrap around porches and sun rooms and bright, airy, large and open kitchens …

hey, a girl can dream, right? Maybe in retirement I’ll finally get my dream kitchen.

Then there’s the New York trip secret board. Molly and I plan to spend a week (or very long weekend) in New York next Spring. Just the two of us exploring the big city. So I pin things we may want to see and places we may want to eat and tours we may want take …

would it be wrong for a 50+ year old woman and 17+ year old young adult to take the Sex and The City tour?

The hardest secret board to fess up to is the one labeled “movie.” It’s not where I pin movies to watch. It’s where I pin actresses who I would like to star in the Nancy Meyer-esque movie I will (or more likely won’t) write one day in the future.

Cart, can I introduce you to horse? 🙂

On the not so secret board end of things, I have your typical home design and crafts and kitchen boards. They all start with “it all started with (FILL IN THE BLANK).” You know, in an attempt to be clever and play off the blog name. Though, honestly, it’s probably not the smartest Pinterest strategy. Then again, I’ve never really had a Pinterest strategy.

Ah well ….

And then there’s the “it all started with DOOR DECOR” board where I pin wreath design ideas.

You know, decor for the door. 🙂

This Spring, I added a some of geranium and monogram wreath ideas. Which is where I found my inspiration for this Geranium Monogram Wreath …

Geranium Monogram Wreath DIY

Materials*

Grapevine Wreath (mine is 14″)

Faux Geraniums

Monogram Letter (I found mine at Joann’s)

Burlap Ribbon (found mine at Michaels)

Jewelry Wire

Wire Cutters

*some affiliate links included.

Start with your grapevine wreath (mine is 14″) and some faux geraniums.

Cut the geranium stems with wire cutters.

Insert the cut stems through the grapevines.

Continue to add flowers.

Also, pull off (or cut) leaves and insert behind flowers along edges of wreath.

Fill about half of wreath with flowers.

Add ribbon and monogram.

For ribbon, measure a length that fits around wreath. Cut and staple to secure.

For monogram, I attached a thumbtack to back of letter. Then I cut long length of jewelry wire and wrapped one end twice around the thumbtack.

I then fed the wire through the burlap ribbon and grapevine wreath and then back through to the front.

Then I pulled tight and wrapped the wire around the thumbtack a few times to secure.

The last step was to hang your geranium monogram wreath on the door. As decor.

Oh, and then be sure to pin it to your Pinterest board …

🙂

Pin It!

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Painted Rose Mason Jars

May 4, 2017 By Linda 6 Comments

Painted Rose Mason Jars – How To Paint A Rose Tutorial (Easy).

Dear Mollys,

Plural.

There are two of you in my life. My mother Molly and the daughter Molly to whom I am the mother. And while Molly is not my mother’s “Christian” name — it’s a childhood nickname that has endured eight-plus decades — it is the “Christian” name I bestowed upon my daughter; my mother Molly’s granddaughter.

Sadly, both my Mollys are facing challenges these days.

Challenges that come with age.

For mother Molly, reaching the eight-decade-plus-three-year milestone brings with it some physiological obstacles. An operation that, for her namesake Molly, would be a breezy out-patient procedure has turned into post-operative inpatient rehab and an assist from her now-grown children as she makes the transition from hospital to rehab to home life. Luckily the assist includes simple things like making a cup of hot tea, getting pillows for her back, and standing by the ready to catch her if she falls.

For the daughter Molly to whom I am the mother, her challenges are of the emotional kind. Those that rear their ugly heads in the tween and now teen years. Challenges that can’t be helped with an easy assist. I wish I had words of comfort. Wisdom. I wish I could help ease the transition from tween to teen to young adult with a cup of hot tea. Or a pillow for her back …

but I am standing at the ready to catch her if she falls.

As I stand here between my two Mollys — one 30 years my senior, the other 37 years my junior — I find myself feeling helpless. Wishing I could take the physical and emotional pain away.

But life.

I must resign myself to life. This is all part life.

Growing up.

Growing old.

And all I can do is just be. And be here for you …

with an assist …

my Mollys. 🙂

When I was making these painted rose mason jars, I had Mother’s Day in mind. Not even realizing, at the time, that my mother Molly’s “Christian” name is Rose.

How apropos! 😉

Painted Rose Mason Jars DIY – How To Paint A Rose

Materials*

Rust-Oleum Chalked Paint in Serenity Blue (you can also use acrylic craft paint in the color of your choice)

Americana Baby Pink Paint

Americana Pistachio Paint

Americana White Paint

Paint Brush

80-grit Sandpaper

Clear Coat Sealant in Matte Finish (this is my preferred brand)

*some affiliate links included.

Step 1: Give your jar two coats of paint. Let dry between coats.

Step 2: Once completely dry, distress raised areas with 80-grit sandpaper.

Step 3: Paint rough circles on the jar using a paint brush. They don’t have to be perfect. After they dry, give them a second coat.

Let dry.

Step 4: Using thin tipped brush, add leaves.

Step 5: Mix the pink paint with white to create a light pink. Using a thin-tipped brush, add a rough line of light pink paint to outer rim of the circle. Again, it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Step 6: Then add a few curved lines inside circle. Again, rough not perfect.

Step 7: Add a small line (or two) to center of circle.

Step 8 (Optional): Add white dots.

Step 9 (Optional): You can also add some white highlights to the light pink lines if you’d like.

Step 10: Once completely dry, seal with matte clear coat finish (this is my preferred brand).

I also made a version with roses on the clear glass jars that the Molly whom I am the mother to declared her favorite …

and requested a version with lavender roses.

It may not solve her current challenges, but if it will make her happy, it makes mom happy. 🙂

If you don’t want to make your own, I sell this mason jar set at my Etsy shop. Just click here …

Pin It!

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| Between Naps on the Porch |

Bath Bomb Easter Egg DIY

April 4, 2017 By Linda 2 Comments

Bath Bomb Easter Egg DIY

In today’s teenage girl news, I have some interesting new updates.

You see, I’ve been carefully observing the inner — and outer — workings of a real teenage girl up close and personal. This all started during the Christmas holiday break when we were confined to close quarters. But my fascination with the modern-day teen girl continues to this day … 🙂

Now, I won’t divulge personal details because … well … they’re personal. And not my details to share.

So names, locations, and dates will be ‘masked’ to protect the innocent.

However, I can share a few interesting observations …

First off, contrary to popular belief that teenage girls only text — or snapchat — their friends, they don’t. In fact, some (my unnamed teenager included) are going old school with their iPhones and (gasp) using them for their primary intended purpose …

as phones.

I know, right? Crazy.

Over the past few months, my unnamed daughter’s iPhone has been used as a phone. All day. All night.

She’s been talking …

and talking …

and talking.

It catches me off guard. Because I keep thinking she’s talking to me as she moves through the house with her earphones in and phone in hand.

Now granted, most of these conversations are via Face time. But that’s okay. Because the take-away here is conversations. As in real person-to-person-real-time conversations.

Perhaps inter-personal skills and socialization are not a thing of the past? Perhaps there’s still hope for this technology-dependent generation?

My second observation is that teenage love continues to be a fickle and fleeting thing. And the life of teen love can blossom and fizzle in the course of a week-and-a-half. There wasn’t even enough time to make a friendship bracelet … 🙂

Finally, I’ve discovered that (among unnamed teenage girls) bath bombs are da bomb.

And, yes, my unnamed teenage daughter would absolutely cringe at the “da bomb” mention. I’m pretty confident it would be accompanied by a dramatic eye roll. 😉

So, what are bath bombs you may ask?

They are highly scented colorful balls of Epsom salt and citric acid and baking soda and corn starch (all head together with a splash of water and teaspoon of oil) that create fizzing, colorful bathtub “fireworks.”

My unnamed teenage daughter purchased some at Lush as holiday gifts for her friends. They don’t come cheap. Well, they don’t come cheap on a teenage girl budget …

so I thought I’d try my hand at making some DIY bath bombs. For future gifts. And thought they could make a fun Easter basket stuffer when made using those plastic Easter eggs as bath bomb molds …

Bath Bomb Easter Egg DIY

Materials/Ingredients*

Baking soda (1 cup)

Citric acid (1/2 cup)

Corn starch (1/2 cup)

Epsom salts (1/2 cup)

Water (3/4 tsp.)

Scent of Choice (2 tsp.)

Oil (I used olive oil but you can also use coconut oil) (2 tsp.)

Food coloring (or soap colorant)

Round, plastic, snap together molds (I used plastic Easter eggs, but you can also find round molds at this link)

Whisk & Bowl

Optional: Clear Cellophane Gift Bags

*includes affiliate links

Instructions

Whisk together dry ingredients.

Mix together wet ingredients in separate bowl or mason jar.

Pour in wet ingredients a little at a time; whisk thoroughly after each addition.

Whisk until color evenly distributed.

Pack mixture into half of Easter egg or mold.

Pack mixture into second half of mold.

Squeeze two halves together tightly.

Carefully separate each half from mold. Let dry overnight.

Pack in cellophane bags and add to your unnamed teenage girl’s Easter basket.

In the interest of disclosure, I have to admit (despite the very neat looking tutorial photos) this Easter Egg Bath Bomb DIY was messy. Very, very messy. Bits of bath bomb ‘crumbs’ were everywhere. My kitchen counter tops were a mess. And since I food coloring dye for some of the bath bombs, my palms were stained. As were my counter tops. So my advice would be to cover everything … every surface … with newspaper or wax paper. And wear gloves.

🙂

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Valentine Day Gift Idea. Heart Mug.

February 14, 2017 By Linda 8 Comments

Valentine Day Gift Idea – Heart Mug.

Love.

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling like the world could use a little more love these days.

I’ll be honest, my heart has been feeling a bit raw these past few weeks. And I’ve been having a hard time getting my heart into crafting and decorating as the things seem to blow up left and right around me.

But I’ve come to realize I need to add beauty back into my life. To open my heart …

and let creating be a much needed diversion and distraction.

So I’m starting with baby steps. With a dollar store mug and Sharpie paint pens …

Valentine Gift Idea – Heart Mug DIY

Materials*

Dollar Store Mugs

Gold Oil-Based Paint Pen

Pink Oil-Based Paint Pen

Red Oil-Based Paint Pen

Heart Stickers

Clear Gift Bags

Hot Chocolate Mix

Mini Marshmallows

Pink Ribbon

*some affiliate links included

Attach heart sticker to mug. Using paint pens (I used three colors) start adding dots around the sticker. Concentrate them more densely closer to the sticker and then space out as move farther away.

Once dry, remove sticker.

Let dry overnight. To set paint, bake in oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Make sure you put the mug in the cold oven and then turn on. Then let mug stay in oven to cool off after you turn off the oven.

For a Valentine’s Day gift idea (or even a teacher’s gift idea) add a little packet of hot cocoa and mini marshmallows.

And that’s it!

Happy Valentine’s Day, my friends! And I promise to create more …

and stress less!

🙂

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Free Calendar Page for January 2017

January 9, 2017 By Linda 2 Comments

Free Calendar Page – January 2017 Calendar Page Printable.

Click here to download & print this free calendar page.

Here I am …

arriving late to the New Year’s party.

But am I really late? Or maybe the problem is I’ve been in a perpetual party state?

I mean, I didn’t take down the decorations until Monday, January 2. And I didn’t even take them all down …

one tree in the dining room remains. And the wreaths on the pictures in the living room. And the Christmas in the City village in the family room ….

We weren’t ready to give up all the twinkle lights in one fell swoop.

So we have dubbed the tree and wreaths and Christmas in the City village “winter” decor. 🙂

Which means they are still standing. Even today. On Monday, January 9.

Sigh.

But I am easing into the New Year. Mike’s back to work. Molly’s back in school. And we have just one child still on break …

but that all comes crashing down for him this weekend.

So I’m easing into the New Year with a free calendar page printable. Simple. With a touch of sparkle.

A little bit like me. 🙂

You can download and print out your own here …

Oh, and if you’d prefer a calendar page with mason jars, I’ve created this one too …

You can find the download links on my Mason Jar Crafts Love blog. Just click here …

Happy New Year …

nine days late! 🙂

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