Decorating Military Housing For Christmas

There are still a few more things that need to be done...

but here is a little sneak preview of our Holiday House Tour 2012!

Now that I am back in the swing of things & caught up on all of my decorating (yes, a little behind.. but it is finally done) It's time for a little DIY ornament project!

This year, I wanted to keep with a very neutral and rustic theme for my Christmas decor, all while not spending a fortune on decor items. As we all know, ornaments can get expensive at $4 and up each, so I set out to use what I had on hand at home. Being that we have an 11 month old, baby food jars are constantly stocked up in our pantry. Instead of throwing all of those jars away every time they are used, I decided to re-purpose them into ornaments. Adorable little mason jar snow globe ornaments!

Here is what you will need:

- baby food jar(s)

- hot glue gun

-hot glue sticks

- silver metallic spray paint/

or craft paint

- small bottle brush trees

- twine rope

- hammer

-screw or nail

- flake snow

Start out by washing the jars well and removing the labels

Then gather your bottle brush trees. I found a huge pack, all assorted sizes at Lowes for only $12!

Hot glue the bottom of your tree to the bottom of the jar

Take your hammer and a screw or a nail and punch two holes in the top of your lid,

then spray paint with silver metallic paint

Once the lids are dry, take your twine and slip each end through the holes

and tie a knot on the bottom side of the lid

Sprinkle some flake snow on the inside of your jar, as little or as much as you like,

then attach the lid & you are done!

Adorable little mason jar snow globe ornaments!

Come back tomorrow to see my tutorial on more handmade ornaments & my Holiday House tour!

It's that wonderful time of year again...

for a FREE printable!

Put it in a frame, or even use it as a tag!

Click on the image & then save

Merry, Merry

Have you ever wondered what you could do with all of those baby formula cans?

With just a formula can and some twine, you can make beautiful office organization for all of your pens, pencils, or for whatever you please!

Rustic, Charming and Beautiful!

Remember this end table???

((My $15 find from Craigslist))

Well, it now is this...

My intention was to sell it, but in the process my Husband fell in love... and let's just say my Husband is not one to have much an opinion on our home decor. He just leaves that to me. After showing him the piece all finished he said to me "you're NOT selling that, RIGHT??" & who am I to turn his desires down ;)

So this little distressed beauty now has found a place in our home,

right in between our sofa and winged armchair

Do you like the color?? Well, check back soon for a coffee table re-do to match!

(& this one I can promise will be up for adoption!)

Many of you may have noticed the new trend lately of

{Monthly Subscription Boxes }

& if you haven't... well, I am about to open your mind

to a whole new way of shopping and trying out new products!

There are MANY monthly subscription boxes to choose from. They come in all different shapes, sizes, prices & products. There are many out there for beauty, food, organic products & more

This whole monthly subscription box craze is the *new age*

~~Wine of the Month Club~~ kind of deal

Personally I love the idea.

Especially being a first time Mom

One of the leading companies in the monthly subscription box industry is

Citrus Lane

Their company was one of the first ones that I discovered and loved that fact that I could try out new products, that would be delivered directly to my door and for one low monthly fee. I didn't have to commit to buying and testing products for my baby that 'might' work out, instead I knew that each item in the box was hand picked and tested by a team of mothers and parents who trusted in the brands that they curated. After signing up & receiving our first box, it was a huge hit with our baby girl (even if she was only 5 months old...) The 100% organic baby products & toys that were in the box, my baby girl absolutely loved! Now, we have been receiving the box for almost 6 months and each time I get that little brown & yellow box in the mail, it is like Christmas all over again! My daughter (now 10 months) even likes getting in on the action of opening the box with me and seeing what new toy is inside. Did I mention that not only do they have products for your baby, but for you as a Mommy too? Oh, AND exclusive coupons/ discount codes! You are getting so much more than what you pay for the box itself each month!

Ok, and just so y'all know... I am NOT getting paid for this review what-so-ever.

Nope, I just truly and honestly love their product!

With that all being said, I did a little searching around the Internet and found many more companies who have jumped on the monthly subscription bandwagon and decided to share with you all a few of my favorites that I have found & maybe even hope to try out for myself

As I stated above, there are various product categories to choose from.

But since I am a Mom, I want to stick to sharing only the baby/ children's product boxes (for now)

#1. WITTLE BEE

Wittlebee is a subscription-based clothing club for kids. Their aim is to keep parents well stocked with children’s clothes by delivering a box of new items to their doorstep every month. Members receive personalized packages based on their child's age, color preferences, geographic location and more! $39.99 per month

#2. WONDER BOX

Each month's Wonder Box is different, in every Wonder Box, you'll get instructions and all the supplies you need to do three fun projects, hand-picked by Education.com's experts to help your child explore that month's theme. Geared for ages 3 to 6 years old. $19.99 per mo.

#3. LITTLE P NUTS

Each quarter you will receive a Special Delivery thoughtfully curated by experts to meet your Little Pnuts age and development stages. Each Special Delivery will feature 3-5 Organic, Eco-Friendly, Natural or sustainably made toys. $25.00 monthly

#4. TEETHE ME

When you subscribe to TeetheMe, you will receive a monthly box of 4 to 5 products for your child aged newborn to 3 years old. (currently a wait list for new subscribers)

#5. BLUUM BOX

Monthly subscription box full of trusted baby products that have been hand picked by moms and dads. For infants & children of all ages. $14.95 per month

#6. BABBA BOX

BabbaBox is a monthly subscription box that is delivered to your home with ALL the physical materials plus know-how content to really engage with your kids. For ages 3-6 years old. $39.99 per month

#7. KIWI CRATE

This has to be one of my favorites! Each monthly box is full of items that are geared to engage and interest your child to use their creativity and imagination. Each item is hand picked and designed by parents, reviewed by experts and tested by kids. My favorite part about this monthly box? You can add on materials for a 2nd child/ sibling for just a small extra fee. No need to order 2 boxes! For ages 3-7 years old. $19.99 per month

I am excited to try some of these boxes out as our daughter grows. I think it is a great way to make our children feel special, it is a monthly surprise just for THEM :)

While doing my searching for children's boxes, I came across these that I absolutely fell in love with & that are just for us grown-ups!

For Us ONLY:

#1. UMBA BOX

Anyone that knows me, knows that I am an Etsy addict and lover of all things handmade. Any chance that I get, I support and buy from handmade businesses first. When I came across this company, it was as if they read my mind! Each monthly box is full of hand picked, handmade items, and in each box, they include a little background story about each handmade artist that they feature. $25 per month.

#2. WHIMSEY BOX

& here is another one of my favorites! When I found out that there was a monthly craft subscription box, I about died! I am so extremely excited to order one! Each month they send you a handful of craft products and a project tutorial. For $15 per month, this is an awesome deal! Also, online they have a community where you can share pictures of the creations that you make. How cool is that?! Plus, did I mention that they package each box in these super cute white boxes with silver label tag holders? You can keep the boxes & can organize all of your craft products!

I am a new lover of the monthly subscription boxes & think they are a great idea for keeping life interesting. It's just one more way to pamper yourself with a surprise for not a lot of money.

Have any of you tried these monthly boxes? If so, which ones are your favorites?!

It's that time of year, that we come together & give thanks

for all that we have,

who we love,

for the life we live...

& for FREE Printables!

In our home, we make sure to praise how blessed we are every single night of the year, but in November I especially love to have reminders around my home to "give thanks", adding a little festive touch to our home decor.

So enjoy these free printables as my THANKS to you!

& more... FREE printable Thanksgiving tags!

I am no expert at this whole chalkboard lettering thing... so I came up with an easy way that anyone (even if you have the worst handwriting in the world) can create perfect letting on their chalkboards! Just type up the wording and font that you want, in a word document