Travel Destinations & Culinary Adventures

DIY

How to Make Evergreen Christmas Swag for Garage Sconces

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I’ve watched my mom make incredibly beautiful decor for the holidays on a budget my whole life. Even though our finances were tight, somehow we had multiple theme Christmas tress in our home and color coordinated holiday decor in nearly every room. Her whimsical and creative talent for design, while watching her bottom dollar, drew many compliments from visitors. They would say, “Wow, your house looks great!”

We knew that they were admiring seasonal decor that cost pennies. It felt awesome.

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My ability decorating on a budget is a skill that I’m proud I have thanks to witnessing my mom’s talent. This year I decided to purchase real evergreen from Home Depot ($6 for 12′) and use it to decorate the interior and exterior of our home. So many of our neighbors use artificial holiday wreaths with bows and place them over their exterior garage light fixtures.

But, I didn’t want to mimic their style and instead wanted vertically hung swags with red bows. How could I make something look classic but spend only a few dollars?

Using limited supplies from The Dollar Store and after gathering a couple supplies from around the house, I was set to create a festive display outdoors.

Supplies Needed to Create Evergreen Christmas Sconces for 1 Swag:

Step 1: Glue both large green floral foam blocks together in a vertical position.

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Step 2: Glue cut pieces of fresh evergreen to the front and sides of the foam blocks. (Don’t worry about the top or back side since people won’t be able to see it from the driveway.)

Tip: Wear work gloves when trimming the evergreen to avoid getting sticky sap on your hands.
Tip: Wear work gloves when trimming the evergreen to avoid getting sticky sap on your hands.

Step 3: Glue the artificial green moss on the areas not covered by the evergreen.

Step 4: Attach the red bow to the top/front area of your evergreen block.

Step 5: Cut off the hook section of a wire clothes hanger. Wearing work gloves, shape it into a long U-shape. Insert the pointed ends into the top of the foam block (just above the bow).

Tip: Push straight down when inserting the hangar into the flower foam.
Tip: Push straight down when inserting the hanger into the flower foam. I used a white wire coat hangar but you could also use a neutral color to blend into your exterior house’s paint color.

Step 6: Hang your awesome evergreen Christmas swag around your garage sconce.

outdoor-christmas-evergreen-sconces2The holidays are a special time to welcome loved ones into your home . Why not greet them with the spirit of Christmas from the drive-way? This project is incredibly easy, inexpensive to make, and gives your home a classic Christmas appeal.

Don't forget to decorate the front porch too! This antique sled is a trending decor item for the winter season. This one was purchased 40% off during Shop Small Saturday this year.
Don’t forget to decorate the front porch too! This antique sled is a trending decor item for the winter season. This one was purchased 40% off during Shop Small Saturday this year.

Comment below to tell me how you’re decorating your home this holiday season.

Happy Holidays!

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How to Make Your Sneakers Look New Again

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There is a stereotype that exists that girls love shoes. That we’re obsessed with them and buy too many. In some cases, that’s true. But you know what I’ve discovered? Guys sometimes love shoes even more. I knew a guy who wouldn’t spend anything on his home or invest in his future, but he had a closet full of shoeboxes.

A nice pair of comfortable footwear isn’t cheap either. My Saucony sneakers set me back a few pennies, but I would’t regularly wear any other tennis shoe brand thanks to their Shadow Original Sneaker’s padded tongue and marshmallow insole. It feels like I’m walking on a pillow-top mattress walking down the street. (Saucony is not an ODL affiliate. I just love their shoes.) Some people spend upwards of over a hundred dollars on their running shoes. Maybe that’s you. Wouldn’t you want to keep your shoes looking as good as they feel? 

A quick tip for maintaining that fresh-out-of-the-box appeal is to use nail polish remover on the white of your shoes. Let me show you! (Note: You’ll need a half dozen or so cotton balls and nail polish remover.)

Step 1: Partially soak a cotton ball in nail polish remover.

Step 2: Rub the cotton ball firmly along the once white part of your running shoe.

Step 3: Love the instant results!

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You can see the difference! The top portion of the shoe’s sole was cleaned with nail polish remover. The bottom portion remains water stained and dirty.
shoe-before-and-after
The left shoe shoes what your shoes look like after cleaning the sole with nail polish remover. (The right show is the “before” dirty shoe.)

Tada! Instantly clean! Warning: Once you clean one pair of your sneakers, you’ll want to clean them all so set aside several minutes of your day to do so. Have fun restoring your sneakers to their former glory.

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It’s Fall Y’all: Decorating Your Home For Autumn DIY Style

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Any Kansan will tell you that one of the many reasons we love our “flyover state” is because of its ever-changing seasons. For me, a mental shift occurs when I see the towering wild sunflowers basking in the afternoon sunshine. And the shift in outdoor temperature signals one thing: time to decorate our home for autumn.

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Because I love to decorate, I tend to incorporate new items each season and this season is no exception. My new fav addition this year is this hand-painted wooden sign on the mantel made by From Mama’s Porch purchased at The Vintage Rhinestone. It set the tone for the rest of the room from the Pumpkin Spice melts giving it a seasonal fragrance to the napkins on our dining room table.

pumpkin-signI took a note from designer Joanna Gaines and turned my antique book backward this year and topped them with little ceramic birds. These little guys make a year-round appearance in our home because we (and by we I mean my pilot boyfriend) is obsessed with birds. Why? Say it with me…”because they FLY.”

Create height and layers in your decorating to give it dimension. Turning antique books backwards is all the rage right now.
Create height and layers in your decorating to give it dimension.

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fall-mantel3I’m a big believer in decorating with bargain finds or crafting items with a bit of do-it-yourself ingenuity. These plastic pumpkins were way too bright for the neutral earth tones of our home decor so I simply painted them with Martha Stewart acrylic paint.

I'm pretty sure real pumpkins don't come with bright neon yellow stripes. Am I right?
I’m pretty sure real pumpkins don’t come with bright neon yellow stripes. Am I right?
Cover the stem with blue painter's tape prior to painting.
Cover the stem with blue painter’s tape prior to painting.
I like how the brush's bristles made for a natural texture.
I like how the brush’s bristles made for a natural texture. Allow the paint to dry overnight, turn over once dry, and paint the bottom of each pumpkin. After they dry, remove the tape, and ta-da!

painted-pumpkin-toolboxI added one of these pumpkins with some blinged-out gourds to an antique toolbox with picks nestled underneath it all. The rustier the metal the better, which contrasts well with our leather ottoman.

fall-flowersBut I don’t limit my decorating to the living room. It spills out into other rooms of our home and of course, the front porch too. You know, someone once asked me if our dining room table is always set as if we’re expecting dinner guests any minute. Why, yes it is and I love it too. These cream-colored chargers came from the Dollar Store, plates on clearance from Pier 1, and I can thank my friend’s garage sale for the copper napkin rings.

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fall-centerpiece

What reminds you of fall? One of my fondest childhood memories is taking a hay ride with my scout troop pulled by a tractor through the woods with hot chocolate in hand.
What reminds you of fall? One of my fondest childhood memories is taking a hay ride with my scout troop pulled by a tractor through the woods with hot chocolate in hand.

fall-front-porch2 fall-front-porch1If I inspired you to love fall as much as I do, give my new seasonal recipes at try including a delicious Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice Cocktail and my Apple Cider Pecan Muffins with Walnuts and Caramel Drizzle Topping. Are these muffins for breakfast or dessert? Who cares! They’re that scrumptious.

It’s fall y’all! Have a thankful, fun season of celebrating.

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How to Glamorize Dollar Store Frames

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Cruising down the aisles of trendy home goods stores, I’m always shocked at the sticker price for a simple picture frame. I love Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, and World Market but my wallet doesn’t. As someone who likes to decorate for the seasons and change up my household decor, I refuse to pay high prices to display family photos. You can create the same gorgeous look for your photo frames without spending big bucks. All you need is a Dollar Store frame and a little spray paint!

Supplies Required:

$1 photo frame of your choice

Rust-oleum Universal Metallic Paint & Primer In One

Painter’s Tape

Cardboard or Newspaper

Step 1: Remove the inside glass, if possible. I was unable to remove the glass from the larger lime green frame on the right so I simply used painter's tape to cover it. Step 2: Lay out your Dollar Store photo frames on a flattened cardboard box or use newspaper on a flat surface.
Step 1: Remove the inside glass, if possible. I was unable to remove the glass from the larger lime green frame on the right so I simply used painter’s tape to cover it.
Step 2: Lay out your Dollar Store photo frames on a flattened cardboard box or use newspaper on a flat surface.
Step 3: Make sure you're working in a well ventilated area before spraying frames. If so, spray an even coat of your favorite color of metallic spray paint and primer in one. I LOVE this spray paint because it applies evenly and never requires a second coat. Easy!
Step 3: Make sure you’re working in a well ventilated area before spraying frames. If so, spray an even coat of your favorite color of metallic spray paint and primer in one. I LOVE this spray paint because it applies evenly and never requires a second coat. Easy!
Step 4: Allow your frames to dry completely before handling. These frames required 8 hours of total drying time. Step 5: Display your frames with antique books and favorite sitabouts on the fireplace mantel or on a tray upon your living room table.
Step 4: Allow your frames to dry completely before handling. These frames required 8 hours of total drying time.
Step 5: Display your frames with antique books and favorite sitabouts on the fireplace mantel or on a tray upon your living room table.

I prefer Rust-oleum’s metallic and hammered options of their paint and primer in one. It can be used on wood, metal, plastic, and brick. The best part of using this brand of paint? You can spray it continuously at any angle without the nozzle gooping up. (These frames were sprayed with the hue Aged Copper, which can be found at any big box hardware store.)

The frames pictured above only cost $4 and couldn’t have been easier to redo. They will look dynamite next to a few fall pumpkins and burlap on the mantel this season.

What DIY projects are you most proud of? Share your upcycled home decor tricks in the comments section below. I’d love to borrow your fun idea for my next project.

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