DIY FLORAL WALL

I have to admit I love having my own office/studio. Our last house it was all open. I needed to be able to close the door for sure! With all the recording I'm doing constantly, writing, etc I needed to not have any distractions. A little haven if you will. I loved being able to be creative and create my own personal space. All girly and simple. A bit different then the rest of the house. It's almost finished! A tour will be coming soon!

 

Christmas decor 2021

 So the last two years I’ve desperately wanted to decorate for fall. I’m obsessed with my cute little pumpkins. Then I wait too long or overwhelm my mind with different decor ideas and then I don’t execute those ideas.

I swore I would make it happen but sure enough right before thanksgiving even started my whole family
Starts playing Christmas music trying to push out my pumpkins and any dreams I had of cute little decor ideas for them. The time came for thanksgiving to be over and out comes the boxes from the basement. I don’t recall giving my permission at all! Simultaneously had a Christmas tree I was forced to decorate and my little baby pumpkins still on display for all to see on my fireplace mantle. They looked so happy and proud. But without a doubt Christmas took over. Overpowering with it’s bright lights,  pretty ornaments, egg nog, and special music. Not to mention the peer pressure from my children.

Then I gave in! I did. I gave in to peer pressure. But then I was quickly abandoned in the decorating department. I stayed up late and did the whole thing myself.
So here for your viewing pleasure. I now present Christmas decor 2021!


Cheers! 

Home Decor

 Now that I am over my jet lag I feel like I can get my act together on this blogging life. 

The kids started back to school the day after we got home. Remind me to not plan a trip like that again. Yes! The kids are back to full in person school. Last year we had some back and forth that was really tough. But we are finally back into a somewhat normal routine. I am officially living that sahm life where I can get some cleaning, alone time,  and some TV watching done. 

I can focus on some decorating projects. I have been so focused on what I should do or not do that I wasn't actually following through with my ideas. So I decided to just do them and sit with them. I can always change things up later. This last week I had one of those very moments. My friend was in town for the day and we talked about another idea I had for my office/studio. She thought it might be pointless because we are moving again. (Maybe soon, maybe not) But I really wanted to just move in and finish projects. The next day I was just needed to do something creative. 

A little back story. It was the anniversary of my Dad passing away suddenly. I always never know how to feel exactly. I felt moody, numb, sad, not sad. It's always a guessing game to be honest. I needed a good distraction. Since the kids were at school and I had the house all to myself I got to work. 

Originally I wanted to print out sheet music to my own songs to put them all over the wall. Then I found this little book of sheet music from old hymns in some of my dads old stuff. I decided I would use those instead because it is what I had on hand. I figured I would pick ones out but as I sat there looking through all of the titles I realized a new/better idea was born. The names of these hymns were so encouraging. "Jesus heals a broken heart", "God answers prayer", "My Redeemer", etc. I felt like I was taping up the full armor of God onto my wall. I got emotional. It turned into something that it was meant to be. I love when that happens. I am thankful to be able to notice when it does.

Floral: Michaels, Sheet music: Family, Mirror: Five Below

DIY Sunday Edition

I have a stockpile of DIY projects. I'm not sure what I was doing with my time in Georgia but I didn't get any of them done.  Well, with the exception of my entryway bench.

I just kept adding to my list.

I found the easiest projects to accomplish at home with what I had on hand to start off with.
I had a couple canvases for the kids to paint on {that post coming soon}
Then I had this lovely piece. I found some old spray paint in the basement that survived the move. I had some sandpaper and my task presented itself.
This piece came attached to our TV stand that we got a few years ago. I didn't want to throw it away because I had a vision for it. Time got away from me and I never did it.
After watching several DIY videos on youtube I finally felt motivated.

I waited for a nice sunny warm day and went outside. I removed all the cardboard and huge staples and started sanding away. The paint I had was a primer and paint combo so I didn't have to worry about priming it beforehand. However it did take more paint that anticipated. I had to bring it in for a few of the cold days while I waited for a time to snag a couple more cans from Home depot. Now with everything getting worse and more stores closing and limiting customers I'm glad I did it when I did.


PROJECT:
2 1/4 cans of Rustoleum all surface paint and primer in "Flat Chestnut"
Sandpaper
Flathead screwdriver  with help from the hubby for the difficult ones (to remove staples )







{BEFORE}

Voila! I give you my version of a blanket ladder! Just upcycled some packing material that's it. It can also probably be used for a planter outside. There's tons of different ideas. You just got to use your imagination.

{AFTER}

 Here's a list of my favorite DIY'ers

XO, MaCenna
Liz Fenwick
Lone Fox
Mr Kate
Living to DIY with Rachel Metz




Happy DIY'ing while you are quarantined! I'd love to see your projects too
send them to me via IG or comment below with a link to your project. 

Georgia House Tour Part 1

I realize the title of this post might have you confused. But previously I did promise you a belated home tour post from our Georgia house. I frantically cleaned and took pictures before we moved. I like to do that for our own memories anyway. It was definitely not completed to my standards. I took way too much time being indecisive. I have stuck to my plan to not do that in the new house. More on the new house to come soon. But for now this is part 1 of our Georgia house tour. 

I'm not really sure what to call my style. I'm very eclectic. I combine my taste for boho, vintage, and flea market style. I love classic neutral colors with a pop of color. If you have ideas on what kind of style we can call that or if there's already a name for it let me know. 

The living room was a mixture of new, thrifted, and DIY projects. 

My newer pieces I purchased during our time in Georgia were the TV stand which was from Wayfair. We had a corner TV stand that I got from the Salvation Army back in Massachusetts. It didn't work for this space and was very big so we had sell that. 

This lovely china cabinet I bought from a huge thrift store in Charlotte, NC. I paid a whopping $65 for it. A steal in my opinion seeing how most of these pieces at thrift stores come already redone and are selling for over $300. Not in my price range at all. 

All my lovely old hardback books were bought fom the local library. With the exception of some I got from my grandparents like this very special copy of "Little Women".

My DIY project for my hanging planters. {Spoiler Alert} They aren't real plants. Click the link for how to do this project.

This mirror was another thrift store find in Alabama. Some mixed knick knacks from Target Dollar Spot and Hobby Lobby. As well as another original DIY project my lace vases that have been going strong for almost 10 years now! That's saying something with how many times we move. 

Another cool story about this old Army trunk. It's actually my hubby's Grandpas World War 2 army trunk. When I first got it almost 10 years ago I had no idea what to do with it and it sat in the basement. Until someone said it needed to be displayed a few years later. It has been ever since. I love it. I love having a piece of our family history forever.

My take on an art display above the couch. Those red ones actually had roosters on them from Hobby lobby and I painted over it with chalk paint. I don't hate it now but I don't exactly love it either. I see more mickey mouse ears. It definitely needed something that I had intentions of doing but never got around to it. Not it is serving a different purpose in this new house. We shall see as time goes on here if it will get reinvented.

My music room/office space. Which was actually the formal dining room designated space. As you can see I have a huge upright piano that is a beast. We got it for free in Massachusetts and it is a must wherever we go now. It will not get sold or left behind. Even more now since I have written songs on it and Ri has learned piano on it. It's also the last piano my dad ever used. It's a permanent fixture in my house. Combined with more finds from Salvation Army and family heirlooms the end table, and desk.

I do miss this house. It felt homey, cozy and creative. I'm still working on making the new house feel the same way. I hope you enjoyed part one of my Georgia House tour. 

Stay safe, Stay home!

Home is where the heart is {Guest Feature}

One day I had an idea. While I love home decor and I love giving home tours of each houses we've lived in. I've been slacking for the last few years. I thought to myself while I was visiting a friends home recently. I'm always complimenting friends on their home decor. I have a handful of friends who just have amazing homes. They always find random things from thrift stores, yard sales, even the side of the road. They bring it home polish it up and make fit so nicely into their home. Not only have I been inspired by their homes and their unique ideas. I was inspired to do guest featured posts about their homes on the blog. My first featured friend is Jessica. I first met Jessica in a women's bible study and I later took Christmas photos for her of her sweet daughters. I loved how she found unique pieces for her home. I knew she was going to be one of the friends that I asked. 

I hope you are inspired as much as I have been.

 

Jessica used this clever way to camouflage her electrical chords from her TV.

Jessica got water color pictures done of all their previous homes. Then paired them with these inexpensive white frames from Wal-Mart. An awesome and unique way to personalize your home decor.

 KITCHEN & DINING