St. Valentine's Day Wreath

 

After the Holidays, instead of putting away all the decor, why not transition to the next holiday by using the decor that you already have on hand. An easy idea perhaps is by re-using a Christmas door wreath.

 For this little project I simply used a Christmas berry wreath.

I purchased heart picks covered in glitter, both in red and in pink at our local Dollar Tree. I then placed them around the wreath to make it look more like a Valentine wreath.

 I also added three Valentine's Day pom-pom picks to the wreath for fun.  You may find a number of hearts at any craft store or section of a retail store that sells seasonal items. It only cost three dollars for this project.

You may apply it to a floral arrangement, table scape, or a tier trey. I slid the pick part of the hearts through the branches, and it held well.

This is so easy, it doesn't really need instructions, simply add the hearts or other decor pieces randomly around the wreath and you will now have a St. Valentine's Day wreath on your door. Get creative and extend your current decor to the next season.

Happy Decorating!

Christmas Home 2021

It has been a very long time since I have posted images for the Advent and Christmas season.

Today I will be sharing some of my Advent & Christmas decor.

We moved from our previous home several months ago into a new home. This is our first Christmas season in the new home. Let's begin our short tour with Advent.

This year I changed my Advent wreath center piece. I used a plain pine wreath that I purchased a few years ago and layed a candle holder within it. I purchased beeswax candles and decorated the wreath with pinecones and lambs ear branches. Then I placed the Holy Family in the center for now.  

I love how simple it is and that the Family is very visible. This week we lit the Third Advent candle which is the rose candle, and it represents Joy. We await the light of the world, which is the Christ child, Jesus. We light a candle each Sunday leading up to Christmas.  Technically it is currently the Advent season, the majority of people are not aware of this since over the decades, commercialism has distorted the celebration of the season.  I won't get into that though.  But we are in the season of Advent, the season of waiting for the birth of Jesus on Christmas day.  It is then the first day of the Christmas season and it lasts 12 days, hence if you are familiar with the song "The Twelve days of Christmas" now you know why they sing about it. Again, the song has great meaning, but again, I will not get into that now, but you may look it up.  This year's Advent wreath is on our dining table.

As you enter our home, you will see our favorite Hobby Lobby table that I purchased a couple of years ago.  You may have seen it on the previous Instagram account if you followed.

I have the Nativity displayed on the top. I purchased it at Kirkland's. 

On each side, I placed a little pine tree with lights and of course my diffuser sits on a corner to give the essence of the season since I do not have real tree.

On the bottom I have placed houses and a church that all light up to make the evening luminous.

There are pom poms and decorative branches to make it look festive. I'll changed it up next year.

 I do not have a cocoa bar this year, but instead have this lovely tier trey displaying some of our festive mugs. It looks like the shape of a Christmas tree and so I placed a small Nativity on the very top. We have a snowman family, St. Nicholas and other festive pieces.

Moving along, you then walk over to the breakfast area. 

Above I had a little snowman with flowers and no tablecloth.  Since this picture was taken, I have changed it to what it is below.  I placed a tablecloth and added a rosemary plant. Of the two, which do you like better?

And finally, we have our tree. 

This is the Kennedy Fir Narrow tree from Tree Classics.  

Tree Classics has now merged with Balsam Hill. This tree was the perfect size for this space so if you need something narrow, I recommend this one. It looks very real, and it is easy to assemble.

My theme is somewhat country, but I added pieces from when my son was little, snow, pinecones and other ornaments. My favorite are the cotton stems on the top of the tree. 

I hope that you enjoyed this very simple Christmas tour and hope that you will link yours below in the comment area so we can all visit your home tour. 

I hope that you enjoy the rest of the season.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Happy Advent and

Merry Christmas!

Bring on the Merry: Gift Ideas

I have been missing from here for quite a while and it has been due to life changing circumstances friends.  I want to thank you for sticking around. Life is certainly different, but I trust that along this difficult road my family & I are not alone. Getting back on track here will be a process as I try to figure out how to manage it. I know many of you have had difficulties in the last couple of years too.  It seems that everyone I meet now has gone through or is going through something difficult.

I find myself writing in journals and bible study books instead of online. It's easier and it feels rewarding somehow. I don't have to log on to anything, I can open my book and begin writing.

It's a healthier way to work with your talents, ideas and creativity. This book in particular helps bring in some peace of mind especially during the coming season.

The season is almost upon us friends and while we are preparing for Thanksgiving which will be very soon, I think one of the best places to shop is Dayspring online.

 One of the items available is this lovely journal. I think it will make either a great gift for someone or for yourself.  During this time, I think it is greatly needed to bring on the joy and cheer. Candace Bure is the author and if you are familiar with her then you know that you will get something good. Shop the Exclusive Candace Cameron Bure Collection now!  

There are daily devotionals in this book that point to life changing words from the Bible and encourage to focus on living in a relationship with Jesus- especially during this busy time of the year.  I love that there are interactive activities that guide me in reflecting more deeply on my readings. 

This book has lovely stories, poems, and song lyrics to keep the season alive as you read through.

I find that the best time for me is in the morning in order to keep all the goodness of it within and share with others like I am doing with you now. 

There are so many lovely items on Dayspring to get us ready for the season, gifts for friends, family and neighbors. I have chosen this lovely set of greeting cards to share with friends as a reminder of what Christmas is really about. 

This illustration is so simple yet so lovely. There are many to choose from though and you can't go wrong. There are also sweet gifts to share like the honey pot below.  It is simply adorable.

I love this honey jar, if you are interested in getting one just visit DaySpring Cards Inc before they are gone. This is definitely one to have. Lastly, I wanted to share my new mug with you, I will get some of these items as gifts for friends as well because they are beautiful.

The mug has a message on both sides, and I love that it is not heavy, it is well made and comfortable to hold. My morning coffee is extra special with the reminder written on it.

These make lovely gifts.  Visit Dayspring!

Thank you for stopping by and reading my post today, you are appreciated!

* This post may contain affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase.

10 Mistakes to Avoid with Raised Garden Beds

image: eartheasy

There are many people today that are creating their own gardens at home whether in their backyards, front yards, or even a small space inside their home.  There are also co-op gardens available for those that may not have space to grow their own produce on their property.

If you are someone who may be considering starting your own raised bed garden, here are several mistakes to avoid.

Creating a Border with Vincas

Today I will share with you how I created a simple border with Vinca flowers in my backyard. As you know, during the winter months, our yards tend to look pretty sad and dull and in the spring we can bring it back to life by planting flowers. I chose Vincas for this little project. I wanted to create a border with these flowers because they bloom year after year. They are round, flat flowers that appear on top of 12 to 15-inch stems. These drought-tolerant bedding plants thrive in any soil type as long as it is fast draining and not overly fertile. These are very easy to care for. I purchased small flowers in a pack of 12 that only cost me ten dollars, so I got a lot of starter flowers that will eventually grow nice and thick to fill the whole space and will look lovely. You may also plant these in pots if you do not have a yard or space in where to plant them.