Holiday Tour ~ Guest Bedroom and Entry

I don't know about anyone else, but we don't have all of our Christmas decor up yet.  We plan to get our tree on Saturday and spend the day getting it all prettied up for the season.

We had Thanksgiving at our house this year so there were lots of preparations that went into that.  And some of our dear friends from Maryland spent Friday and Saturday nights with us so that meant that our guest room had to be ready.  I repainted it a few weeks ago and then spruced it up for the occasion.  It's the only room in the house that's completely decked out for Christmas and I thought it would be a good time to do a little tour.

Most of the items in this room were things we already owned.  The bed was already in here, but everything else came from somewhere else in the house.  Some of it was in our garage, which may be featured on "Hoarders" soon if we don't get it emptied out.  The only thing that was purchased specifically for this space was the quilt and shams.

Welcome to our guest room!


I love the reflection of a Christmas tree in a mirror.

I usually just have a tiny 16" tree in here, but I found this one at an estate sale a few weeks ago and thought it would be perfect for the corner of this room.  It was already decorated.  I love easy.

Thankfulness project Day 20 ~ PAINT

For the month of November, I've been sharing things that I'm grateful for.  I've posted mostly on my facebook page or on Instagram, but also here on my blog. 

Today, on this 20th day of November, I'm thankful for...wait for it...PAINT.

Odd, yes.  But very true. 

Why?  Because paint gives you the most bang for you buck when you want to transform a space or a piece of furniture. 

I couldn't possibly count the number of times I've dipped my paint brush or roller into some paint and completely changed the look of something.  Dozens of times, if not hundreds.

I remember painting round rocks as a little girl and making them look like lady bugs.  And I loved it.

The most recent time I used paint was actually this morning.  I'm transforming an old picture into a chalkboard.  I painted the glass with the chalkboard paint, and repainted the vintage gold frame to look somewhat like an old Scandinavian piece.  I think I really like it.

Many are the reasons to love paint.  There are so many varieties. You can use it to make a chalkboard. You can use it to make a surface magnetic. You can use it as a wash or a glaze. It comes in a gazillion colors. It comes in metallic finishes. It is available as glow-in-the-dark. And it's very user friendly.

It can be a 10 minute project or a complete room redo lasting for several days.

Another big reason that I love paint is that selling it has provided my income since I was a teenager.  I won't say exactly how many years, but let's just say I had some really big permed hair back in those days. 

Yes, I guess I'm a bit biased.  But seriously, what's not to love about it?  Easy to use, easy cleanup, super powers of transformation.

So today I'm thankful for paint. 

I'll bet you didn't expect that, did you?

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful day! 

 

XOXOX,

 

Angie

Craft room inspiration

I don't know about you, but the best motivation on the planet for getting things done around our house is knowing that company is coming!  It's like there's an imaginary fire lit and it's torching my derriere to get in gear!

We're hosting Thanksgiving this year and also having some out-of-town friends visiting that weekend and you would be amazed at everything that I've gotten accomplished in the last few weeks. 

Is it just me?  Or does everyone else seem to put things off until they must be done?  Well, I guess it's not quite as critical as I make it sound, but we have been kinda putting some things off. 

One of the projects I hope to complete by the end of this weekend is converting our basement office into a craft room.  The girls are quite crafty and occasionally I get the bug to be creative as well.  I have been known to make pillows and curtains and bedskirts in the past, so maybe this project will inspire me to do some more of that.

I've been collecting inspiring photos of workspaces on my pinterest page for quite a while now and it's time to make some decisions on paint colors and storage options.  Here's some of what I'm considering. 

(None of these pictures are mine, I'm just using them for ideas.  If you're interested in finding out more about any photo, please click on the link below it.)

I like the darker floor in this room.  The room I'm working on has the same hideous floor as the one I faux painted earlier this year.  Although I'm not doing the same technique in this space, I am going to paint it.  Since I don't want to spend a lot of time on the floor it will probably just be a solid color, but not quite as dark as this one.

I really like the memo board-type area above the desk in this room.  Our office has a similar area over the desk space that I would love to do this to.  It doesn't look too complicated (famous last words).

Wrapping paper storage for the back of the door.  Genius.

 

We already have some shelving in there, so if I can find attractive bins like these I can recreate this look for papers and books.  My creative juices are starting to flow!

I hope to get started on this room on Thursday or Friday of this week and finish by the end of the day on Sunday.  I hope....

I'll be sure to take pictures of the before and after and let you know how it all turns out.  Let me know if you have any great ideas for craft room organization or storage.  And wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by!

 XOXOX,

Angie

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Thankfulness Project Day 5 ~ GPS

If anyone can get lost or mess up directions, it's me.  So today I'm grateful for one of the greatest inventions for someone like me...GPS.  It gets me where I need to be with a minimum of missed turns and turnarounds.

No maps required!  Now we can use them for all of those cute map-crafts I've been seeing on Pinterest for a while, like this cool map wreath made by haverfordhouse! (Yes, I have a board for mapcrafts!)

Source: haverfordhouse.blogspot.com via Angie @ on Pinterest

With GPS, I simply type in my destination, and it gives me directions.  Then I use the navigation app on my phone and it verbally notifies me when the turn is coming up soon. Modern technology is amazing!!!

I used it Saturday morning to find a customer's house that was, well, "out in the sticks" as we say around here.  And I almost got there without a turnaround!  The GPS took me about a block too far, but I called the customer and she got me to her exact location.  Before GPS, I would have been in the wrong county.  No lie.

So today I'm thankful for the genius who came up with GPS.

What are you thankful for today?

XOXOX,

Angie

Thankfulness Project Day 4 ~ Extra sleep!

Today I'm thankful for an extra hour of sleep!

 

Have a lovely Sunday!

XOXOX,

Angie

Thankfulness Project Day 2 and 3 ~ Family and Friends

Day 2 & 3.  I'm such a slacker when it comes to posting that I'm resorting to doubling up on what I'm grateful for!  I'm hoping to get better at it, but I will also be posting the things I'm grateful for on my facebook page as well as instagram.  My instagram user name is, simply, Postcardsfromtheridge. 

There's really so much I have to be thankful for.  And just so you know, these posts are in no way a ranking of my most important blessings.  That would take too much thought and planning on my part!

But definitely at the top of my list is my family.  I am blessed with a wonderful, supportive family that makes me laugh and smile, and occasionally even makes me a little frustrated.

Ohana means family.

As a working mom, sometimes I don't get everything done at home that I would like to and it stresses me.  I've been known to express my frustration (that's saying it nicely) from time to time and vent towards my family, even though they don't deserve it.

The girls are very helpful and even do their own laundry.  They keep their rooms clean and picked up.  Heck, their rooms are cleaner than the master bedroom!  They are wonderful girls who work very hard in school and I'm proud to be their mom. 

 
My husband is always appreciative of everything I do, and helps as much as he can.  He is in charge of the lawn mower and leaf blower, which is getting used this weekend!  He is the main provider for our family and we couldn't live like we do, which is comfortable but modest, without him working so hard.  I'll be devoting an entire upcoming post to him since he is my #1 supporter.

So even though I sometimes take my family for granted and they get to see the frustrated side of me sometimes, I am so thankful for them and proud to call them mine.  I love that I get to spend my holidays and spare time with them and cook for them whenever I can.

I'm also extremely thankful for my friends.  One of my closest friends texted me yesterday morning out of the blue and asked if I wanted to go with her to walk her dogs.  She must have read my mind because I was just thinking that it's been too long since I've been for a walk and since I've seen her!  We both work but were off yesterday and took a 2 hour walk, mostly on a trail through the woods.  It was great.  Even if I'm a tad stiff today! 

I know I couldn't make it without my family and friends and am extremely thankful for them all.

What are you thankful for today?

XOXOX,

Angie

Thankfulness Project Day 1 ~ Hands

Thanksgiving.  We know what it means, right?  Turkey, dressing, pumpkin pie, family, and football.  And a long nap after we stuff ourselves beyond what is comfortable.

But do we always take the time to take a look at our lives and truly appreciate everything that we have been blessed with?  Probably not so much.

I admit that I always seem to get caught up in the typical distractions of the season and don't reflect on the true meaning of this holiday, which by the way is my favorite of all holidays.

This year I'm inspired by some ladies who I met at the Southern Bloggers Conference last month that are naming something each day that they're thankful for.  And a few others who I haven't  met in person, but am glad to be participating with.

This project is the brainchild of Karen at  Dogs Don't Eat Pizza, who did this last year.

Some of the other ladies joining in on the gratefulness are:

 Holly at Storywood Designs, 

Leen from Leen the Graphics Queen

On this 1st day of November, I'm thankful for my two working hands that allow me to do most anything I want to.  Today I used them to paint baseboards.  Now I'm using them to type.  I'm getting ready to go into the kitchen and use them to cook dinner.  

 

They're not the most beautiful hands on the planet, especially when the have paint splatters on them, but they do what I need them to, when I need them to do it!

Whenever I see someone with severe arthritis, I'm always thankful that my hands are working in a way that don't cause me pain.  

 So that's what I'm thankful for today.

How about you?  What are you thankful for today?

XOXOX,

Angie