A Little Bling

So I saw this in the Thanksgiving Point mailer yesterday and fell in love with it.  Armed with the picture, I headed to Hobby Lobby to get materials to recreate it!

The flower was on clearance for $2.  I paired it with a $.37 paper mache egg.  I bought two different colors of burlap (1/3 yard for $1.33).  I layered the greenish burlap in a mound gluing the layers.  Then I did layers of book pages and glued on the flower and egg. 



Then I glued two layers of grosgrain ribbon bows on the cream burlap and tied a piece of jute around it.  On the back, I put a little bundle of sticks ($4 for the large bundle from Hobby Lobby) and tied it with the jute.



The jeweled letter B was on clearance for $2.  I stuck it in the middle and glued it on the back to the burlap.  Then I simply tied the whole thing with the jute to the bird cage.  I love it.  It was super easy and was inexpensive.  TaiPan has cheap birdcages right now.

I love how it took my birdcage from boring to "blingtastic!"

Welcome Spring

I love changing the porch decor after the holiday ends.  Welcome Spring!!!

I love this addition.  I got the window for free from a friend.  It was red, so I spray painted it white and hung the wreath with a ribbon by nailing to the back of the window.  It didn't cost me anything!!

I felt like my canister of Gerber daisies needed something else this year.  I found this little stool at Forget Me Not for $13.  I added the candles and ribbon as well as the lantern and ribbon.  Aside from the stool, I had all of these accessories in my basement.  Look around and see what you can use that you already have!

New Porch for Fall

For my birthday Lisa and Kallee surprised me and redecorated my porch for fall!  It was such a great present!  I love how it turned out!

Lisa found the pillows at World Market...$10 each!  I love the design on the seat cushion.

And what better way to spruce up a pillow than with a fall pick!  Great touch!

I think the owl is my favorite...they found him at Hobby Lobby



I also love the acorn picks...also from Hobby Lobby along with the fall pick behind them. 



I loved their idea to buy a pick with a little more bulk and tie it to my wreath hanger...a new touch that I love!



Thank you to my two wonderful friends for the porch makeover...it desperately needed it and I am thrilled with it! 

Forget Me Not- Lehi Round Two

So Lindsay posted last week about our favorite new home store.  It is Forget Me Not in Lehi.  I scooped up all of their stools, and a few other gems that I'll share this week.  One of the stools is pictured below.  It fit great with the other items I use for my summer porch display.

(Side note, the red pillow is one I had previously used on my couch a few years ago.  I found it downstairs and thought it would be perfect on the porch.  I was right.  Look through your house and repurpose, repurpose, repurpose!)

This is the stool from Forget Me Not.  It was $16 and is the perfect stool for Mr. Rooster.  Their hours are Wed-Sat from 10-6.  You will love it!  Check back tomorrow for the first installment of Khloe's big girl bedroom makeover!

Spring Porch Decor

 I love Spring!  It means that Winter is almost over, and that we will soon be outside enjoying better weather.  Although it snowed twice in the last two days, my porch thinks it is Spring.  Here's my decor set-up for Spring.  I love pillows on the porch.  I bought this one at Target for $10 and tied contrasting crosgrain ribbon around it to give it dimension.  My friend Mister Owl was described yesterday.

 This darling wreath came from Scrooge and Marley's.  It's $14.99, but I used the 25% off coupon found in the weekly coupon mailers, so I only paid $11.24.

 I got this metal sign from TaiPan and added a $1 worth of ribbon.  Adding ribbon to anything makes it better!

 I am a big fan of birds.  These two came from Rod Works for under $10.  They are ceramic and a good bargain.

Lastly, I put this big pot of gerber daisies of all sizes on the other side of my door.  I love the variety of pinks and the punch of color it adds with the blues and greens on the porch table.  The flowers came from Roberts and are usually on sale for 40% off.  Hope this inspires you to bring a little sunshine to your front porch!

Here's a Rod Works Coupon:

Hoot, Hoot

My fun find for the day is this darling owl from Rod Works for $19.99.  I used my 25% off coupon so he was $15.  He is my favorite addition to my spring porch decor.  I love that he is unique.  I added a yard of ribbon to his neck also from Rod Works.  I chose the ribbon to match the colors in my other decor.  When looking for decor items, look for unusual or unique items.  When you find one you love, buy it.  I'm so glad I found him.

Fun find...bird cages

Need something cheap and cute for your front porch decor?  Why not add a bird cage...

Tai Pan has a big selection of them right now starting around $12 in different sizes and styles.  A collection of a few set on a small table would be a perfect spring addition to the front of any home!

Repurposed Valentine Decor

My fun find for the day is cheap Valentine decorations.  Both TaiPan and Rod Works have all of their decorations on clearance right now.  Last year, I bought all my Valentine Decor CHEAP!!  How you may ask?  Well, to start. . .

 I bought the heart ornaments and heart pillow at IKEA after Christmas.  They were meant as Christmas ornaments but totally fit for Valentines Day.

 The pillow was $4.99.  I already had the candles.  I bought the stick bundle at Rod Works on clearance for $6.99.  It was part of their Christmas clearance but totally works for Valentines.

 The ornaments were $.75 for a pack of 4.  CRAZY price!  I wasn't even looking for Valentine decorations, but when I saw these at that price, I had to have them.

I used grapevine garland that had been sitting in my closet for years (purchased from Roberts for $6 but never knew what to do with it) to make a heart.  I wrapped it with red christmas ribbon, put it in my red bucket that I use on the porch during the summer months, attached a valentine ornament with duct tape, and voila, instant, cheap, repurposed decorations.  Look around your house.  Your decorations don't have to be expensive or brand new.

Christmas Lights!

 This post is a combination of doing it yourself, and hiring others to do what you can't or your husband won't.  Last year, Davy decided he would put Christmas lights on the house.  After climbing on our steep roof, he changed his mind and we called "Lights Up".  They are a local Lehi company and do a fantastic job.  They cut the lights so the peaks of your home are perfect.  Moreover, they let you pay 1/2 when they put the lights up, and the other 1/2 when they take them down.  They store the lights for you, so you don't have to find room.  Call Julie Adams today at 801-766-4222 today for a free estimate.  You and your husband will be glad you did!

Now for the part I do myself:  The Porch!  It's the perfect place for my Alpine trees and garland.  When we first got married, these trees were our "Christmas Tree."  Now, they are used on the porch.  For the garland, buy it at Target for $4.  Then buy a strand of 50 lights for $2.  Wear leather gloves to wind the lights through the garland.  (This saves your hands from becoming raw from fluffing the garland.) Pre-lit garland is nice but for half the price, you can do it yourself! 

Spooky Porch Finds

 I couldn't wait any longer to put out the Halloween Porch decorations, so here are my great finds and tips.

 Found this wreath at Target for $19.99.  Added the "Spooky" sign for $5 from Scrooge and Marley's.  If you want to make your own, buy a styrofoam wreath, spray paint it black, and hot glue black feathers in a similar pattern.  The styrofoam is on sale right now at Roberts.  Joann's has a package of black feathers for $1.99.  You'll probably need at least 5 packages to achieve the same look.

 This is my fun cheap find.  I bought the witch hat at Target for $1.  I love that dollar bin!  I bought the wreath from TaiPan for $5.97, as well as the broom for $2.97.

 Okay, this is my favorite Halloween decoration trick.  Find a great pumpkin with a long handle.  Turn it on its side and add a witch hat.  I found this hat at Walmart for $9.99.

Fresh Market has pumpkins on sale for $.19 a pound and has a great assortment.  The small hay bales are also there for $5.99.  The "Cemetery" sign is another gem from the Target dollar bin.  The other signs, spider web, and bat are all TaiPan treasures.  25% off TaiPan coupons came out in the mail yesterday.  Also, Rod Works is having a big sale starting tomorrow.   Don't forget that tomorrow is our drawing for the TaiPan gift certificate.  Make sure you're a follower to be eligible to win!

Porch: An Extension of Your Home

 I have a pretty specific decorating philosophy when it comes to the porch of your home.  The porch is the first impression people have of what your home will be like on the inside.  Thus, it is the perfect spot to say "Welcome".  Each holiday, I change up the porch decor as well as the wreath on the front door.

 Let's start with the black bench.  I bought this at Home Again for $20 and can use it year round.  The basket, metal tray, and rust tin with grapevine sprigs I got at Roberts on clearance.  The rust tin and sprigs were normally $70.  I got them for $15 by waiting for the 75% off end of season clearance sale.  If you want to get the most for your dollar, go to Roberts and see what you like, but wait to buy it when it's on clearance.  They always have loads left.  I bought all of the picks in the basket and the cornucopia from Roberts on sale for 35% off.

 I picked up this darling sign at TaiPan for $7.99.

 I use this grapevine wreath year-round. (Always at Roberts for $6.99 then use 40% off coupon).  I got the wreath stand at Rod Works for around $8.  To make it tie in with fall, I simply added three picks from Roberts. 

 Now for the deal of the week, I found this grapevine pumpkin at Target in the dollar bins for $2.50.  What a steal.  Roberts is selling them starting at $6.99.  I simply paired it with straw balls from Rod Works that I already had.  Grouping things in odd numbers always looks best.

I hope this information helps you dream a little bigger for the welcoming power of your front porch.  Can't wait to show you what I have in store for October and Halloween.