Spring Vignettes

There are little places or moments in our home that I enjoy.  Those little vignettes that remind you to smile and enjoy your home for what it is.  Its not perfect and I don't think it will ever be- but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it, just the way it is.  

We don't have a fireplace mantel in our home so my favorite place to decorate and change out things for the seasons and holidays is the top of our antique cabinet.  To create something new you don't need new things, you just need to grab a few items around the house and make a new grouping.  I tried to find similar hued items and wanted something that looked fresh and bright.

Here I used my DIY boxwood square wreath as a focal point, an old window, lanterns (I kind of have a thing for lanterns), a mason jar and a candle.  Simple.  Adding some fresh flowers really makes it springy for me.  I love that when I first made this wreath it was for Christmas - but it totally works for spring too...its all about reimagining and using what you have.

There are other moments I enjoy, like a succulent wreath on the door and adding different brighter pillows to the mix.  Sometimes just grabbing pillows from one room and changing their place really freshens up your space.

I love the mix of old and new, like a fresh hydrangea and an old milk bottle.  This just works for me, I will forever love blooms in an old bottle or mason jar.

So even though we have doors that need to be replaced, a room that needs to be painted, thresholds installed and the list could literally go on forever....I'm not going to worry over it and instead enjoy the good moments, because a home should be enjoyed and there will always be something to fix.

A Fun Two Year Old Activity

I have gotten ambitious this year and decided to start a garden by seed.  Not only was this something I was eager to try but it also turned into a really fun activity for Silas.  I know nothing about gardening so this is really a learning activity for both Silas and I.  Even if we never get any veggies, fruit or flowers from our seeds it has been fun to do with him.  The cool thing about doing this is that it doesn't cost that much at all to start - you need seeds, planters, soil, markers and water.  I really didn't have much of a plan when we started and just went with it.  So here is our little planting seeds activity...

We did this a couple of weeks ago when we had a shot of warm air and it pretended it was becoming spring for a moment.  It was nice being outside, and was a big tease.  Something I learned is that its really hard to get pics when you are covered in soil and are also trying to keep Silas from dumping the soil everywhere.  That was probably his favorite part, playing in the dirt.  So to get started on this activity we headed over to the dollar store (yes, the dollar store) and grabbed some seed packs - we chose sunflowers, tomatoes, watermelon and oregano.  While there I also grabbed some seed starter planters - these are cool because they can go right into the ground when you are ready to plant.  We already had some soil- its just regular garden soil nothing special.

I didn't realize however that I needed way more seed starters for the amount of seeds we bought.  So, I improvised and used some plastic punch cups that I had.  I also didn't think about plant markers until about halfway through - luckily I had a bunch of clothespins which worked perfect for this.  

Honestly I really had doubts that we would see any growth from our seeds but after about a week we started to see little sprouts come through!  Silas was so excited and checks on them every day.  We have them sitting in a windowsill and water about every other day - not much because I'm afraid of over-watering. 

Now the next step will be planting them outside - which I'm also really unsure about.  We still have some time before we can - especially since the weather has been so cold.  If any of you have some great tips for gardens I would love to know!  

Even if we end up getting nothing from out little sprouts it was still a fun activity to do together.

So how about you, planting any seeds this year?  Have you ever started a garden before and had success....or maybe not so much?  Share with me!

Spring Wreath DIY

I always love this time of year.  Things start warming up, the days start getting longer, you see little buds and blooms pop up, the grass turns greener, the air is fresh - its just wonderful.  Then the pollen comes and the humidity is quick to follow...but we won't talk about that.  Today is all about feeling springy and cheery.  I have a little wreath/embroidery to share with you today.  It meets my three criteria for projects- easy, simple and cheap.  For projects like this, just use what you have already and be creative.  No need to spend a bunch of money on seasonal decor.  I used pretty much leftover supplies from other projects to make this one.

For this project I used:

- Embroidery Hoops  (4"&12")

- Scrap Fabric

- Scrap lace ribbon & felt

- Embroidery Thread

You will also need a hot glue gun and needle

First step is getting your fabric framed inside your small hoop and then you just cut your felt and ribbon to the size you want and lightly hot glue it down to your fabric.  Cut a longer strip of fabric for the bigger hoop and wrap it around the entire hoop.  I used a little hot glue and the beginning and end to secure it.  I kind of love the frayed ends and shabby chic feeling of this so no need to fret over frays or fringe.  This fabric is actually a leftover kitchen towel from my luggage rack redo and the shower curtain I used when we built our fabric ottoman.  Both are from Target in case you are wondering.

Ok, don't let the next part scare you.  I simply stitched a little "happy" into my embroidery.  I was going for a vintage/shabby chic feel so its just a quick free-handed embroidery.  Really, really easy.  I don't sew at all and I can do this - so can you!

I also made a few rosettes out of my scrap fabric/kitchen towel for the larger hoop.  I used the same technique as I did with these felt no sew flowers.  They are super easy to make.  

Finish it off with a little lace ribbon and you are done!  Now my little faux mantel is starting to look all springy and bright.  

This milk glass vase and turquoise ball jar are two of my favorite things.  Now I just need some of our flowers to spring up so I have something to put in them.

Aren't you guys ready for pretty spring days?  What kind of springy projects are you working on?  Share with me!

Have a great Wednesday!

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