diy: light up glass blocks

In preparation of my Christmas home tour, I wanted to do a little DIY post. 

I made these a few years ago.  Well, "made" really isn't the correct word.  I assembled these a few years ago.  I was at my sister-in-law's house and saw these two little guys underneath their Christmas tree.  I told her how cute they were and she explained they have received them as a gift.  I flipped them over and turned them sideways to memorize the details, and a few days later I bought the supplies to make my own set!

What you'll need:

• (2) glass blocks from the craft store, small and medium
• (2) kinds of ribbon, one wide and one skinny
• (2) strands of white mini lights
• extra adornments, as desired

Step 1:  Take the rubber cap out of the bottom of the glass block.  Push the strand of lights into the block, making sure you leave the plug and a little bit of cord outside of the blocks so you can plug it in.  Replace cap.
Step 2:  Tie the ribbons (and adornments, if you want) around the glass blocks.
Step 3:  Plug in.  

This may be my easiest tutorial ever!  These are so easy to make  assemble, I think everyone should have a set!  Make them for that friend or family member who is impossible to shop for, or just because you think they might like them.  They work great under a tree, on a mantle, on a bookshelf, or in a little corner that needs some extra light.

If you have any questions about this DIY post, let me know in the comments section!

(not my) christmas home tour

How are you?  I've been a little late on writing a new post haven't I?  ... Sorry about that.

I've been wanting to show you photos of my Christmas decorations.  This is the hold up: we have cats.

Now, perhaps many of you have mastered the art of cats-not-messing-up-pretty-things, but I have not.  We rescued two kittens (brother and sister) from an abandoned building near our chicken coop this past June.  We I didn't have intentions of keeping them, but after a few weeks, they were ours.  They are cute and funny and sometimes even adorable.  However, I did not fully understand the impact they would have on my home decor.  They knock things over, steal things and then hide them under the couch, and jump everywhere!  I have lived with dogs my entire life, so they were never on the kitchen table or counters...

So anyway, we put up our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving (I waited, as promised).  My husband gently informed me (via youtube videos) that cats can ruin Christmas.  I was horrified!  How did I not realize that so many of my friends and neighbors were being terrorized by their Grinch-y cats?!  So many Christmas trees knocked over!  So many dancing Santa's falling off bookshelves to their demise!  So many ornaments crushed to smithereens!

After being slightly traumatized, I compromised and we only put up the purely decorative ornaments and ones that were not easily broken.  Each day, to my disappointment, my husband would call with the Christmas casualty report.  Over the course of the week, the cats bent about 10 branches, broke 2 ornaments, and relocated about 20 more.  The tree skirt stayed in place for maybe 2 hours.  We didn't even try to put the train tracks and cars around the tree *sigh*  I was truly beginning to get depressed.  (Dramatic, right?)  I love all of the decorating that comes with Christmas!  I love watching The Grinch while hanging ornaments on the tree. And those darn cats were ruining it!

This past Sunday, I decided I would not let the cats ruin Christmas for me!  We finished the tree and I set gifts under it (really just to anchor the tree skirt more than anything).  Is it currently late Monday evening, and today only one ornament was knocked off the tree and the presents were a little rearranged.  Perhaps the newness is wearing off?  I don't know, I'm (clearly) not a cat whisperer.

So, long story long, I do not have any photos of my Christmas decor yet :)  But they will be coming soon!

In the mean time, check out some of these beautiful home tours:

 

I love seeing how other people decorate their homes for Christmas.  Even in just the few images I have here, you see a white/blue scheme, a "woodsy glam" scheme, a coastal theme, traditional decor and some with bright pops of color!

I dream of the day that I have extra nooks and spaces to put more Christmas decor.  Because of our space limitations, we have to keep things pretty scaled back when it comes to surplus holiday items.

Check back soon for my Christmas home tour!

thanksliving

I promise you this post will consist of decor for Thanksgiving.

I also promise that I will put heartfelt, reflective, and sincere thoughts in this post.

I hope you enjoy, particularly the latter.

Do you have your Christmas decor up yet?  A tree, maybe?  Or perhaps you have capitalized on the last bit of Fall weather and put your Christmas lights on your roof?  I don't blame you, or shame you.  The planner in me has tried to convince myself that it would be okay to start decorating a little early.  "The holidays are already so busy"  "It doesn't hurt to get started now"  "Christmas will be here before you know it".  I have tried very hard to hush this voice.  This is the voice that will talk so loudly it will drown out my grateful heart.

So I told you that I love Halloween.  And this is true, I really do.  But Thanksgiving is also one of my favorite holidays.  Do you know why?  It is not because of the turkey, or any other food I eat too much of.  It is because no matter how old you are, what religion you believe in (or don't believe in), what political party you support, or what color your skin is... we all have something we can be thankful for. 

I'm going to get a bit religious for a minute, if that offends you, skip on ahead :)

One of the most powerful quotes I have ever heard was:

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday"

There are a whole lot of days I would wake up with a bunch of nothing.  And you know what, it is because I do not always take the time to STOP and think about what I am truly thankful for.

Some women at my office started a weekly bible study a few years ago.  I make an effort to attend each week, but my schedule does not always permit.  This week I was able to attend and I am so happy because we talked about Thanksgiving - thanksliving.  The idea that we should live our lives, each day, with a grateful and thankful heart.  Thanksgiving comes around once a year, but we enjoy blessings each and every day.  This is why I love this holiday, because it is a nice reminder of the way we should live our lives year round.

So please, even if for just a fleeting moment, stop all the noise and think about the things you are grateful for.  Enjoy your time with family and friends, no matter how stressful it may be.  Take pleasure in sharing a meal together, even if you hate the way so-and-so makes (insert traditional side dish here).  Laugh.  Play games.  Look at old photos.  Put down your cell phone.  Be thankful.


Alright, I promised you photos... 

I don't put out nearly as much decor for Thanksgiving as I do for Christmas and Halloween.  It is a kind of a nice break between the two, lightens everything up a little bit before the house is full of Christmas-time-galore.

The main theme with my Thanksgiving decor is fall-type things (pumpkins, owls, etc.) and texture.  I feel like Christmas is consumed with glitter and twinkling lights and shiny things.  I really wanted to bring in some different textures before the glitter-takeover.

And of course, my fall wreath has to make an appearance!

  

New this year...

And my set of wood block pumpkins (available for purchase on my Etsy shop)

And finally, this cute little guy we found at the dollar store

What kinds of decor do you like to put out for Thanksgiving?  What are you thankful for?  Sound off in the comments below!

inspire: navy + pink

In case you haven't noticed, nautical is a big deal right now.  It is everywhere!  Nurseries, clothes, shoes, jewelry, living rooms.  You can hardly avoid it!

Well, I live in the good ol' Midwest, and the ocean is pretty far away.  We have a beautiful view of the muddy Mississippi (it is called that for a reason, by the way) and that's about it.  So, the full-on nautical thing isn't really my cup of tea, but I do like the navy paired with a punch of color, like pink.

Now, when I ventured out on the wide world of Pinterest to find some good stuff for this post, I was not prepared for what I found.  If you choose to do your own research, just know that I have spared you from some of the more, how should I put this, daring? saturated? blinding? versions of the navy + pink combination.

As usual, I like to stay on the more neutral side of the spectrum when it comes to color.  Here are some of my favorite photos:

All of these and many many more ideas can be found on my { home + decor } Pinterest board.

Head over to my Etsy shopping cart: navy + pink for some great finds!

etsy shopping cart: navy + pink

To supplement my post on navy + pink ideas, here are a few gems I found on Etsy!

shop: JuneCottage

shop: TRMdesign

shop: BeneathTheBarkAt825

shop: hydeandchicboutique

shop: CORAandPLUM

shop: LaviniasTeaParty

shop: LynettesArt

shop: ColoringTheirWorld

shop: LowCountryHome

shop: sarahhansenannapolis