Master Bedroom Reveal Part One

Master Bedroom Reveal Part One
Master Bedroom Reveal When we moved into our "new to us" home in TN about a year and a half ago, it was in pretty decent shape for a foreclosure. One thing I wanted to do right away was paint. Every single wall in the entire house was the same shade....that builder's grade sort of a salmon-browny-beige...pockmarked with holes where the previous owners had hung their pictures and shelves.


Great Getaway in the Smokies

Great Getaway in the Smokies
Spring Break in the Smoky Mountains Our kids had their Spring Break at the end of March and I fully intended to do a blog post about our trip sooner. But then there were Easter projects and crafts to blog about. So here we are... My in-laws gave us a week at a Wyndham resort this year and we chose this one... the Wilderness at the Smokies Waterpark Resort . It's in Pigeon Forge, TN...only a 3-1/2 hour drive for us. This resort had so much to do that we hardly left it the whole time we were there! We bought amenity cards which gave us access to everything the resort had to offer.  


Prayer for our Home

Prayer for our Home
A Prayer and a Promise Isn't this a beautiful prayer? Followed by a beautiful promise straight from God in the book of Isaiah.  I found this prayer at Creating a Life blog. She doesn't know the source but I think it's worth sharing because I think it captures what so many of us want for our homes...to have happy, peace-filled homes, to bless others, to extend grace. The first step to achieving that is to commit our lives and our homes to Him. I would love to redo this prayer onto my large chalkboard at home...but don't know if I have the patience! So I redid it in PicMonkey instead :) Please feel free to pin and share. bringing beauty to the ordinary, Sharing with these great parties: Have a Daily Cup of Mrs Olson ,  From My Front Porch to Yours ,  Oh My Creative - Whimsy Wednesday ,  The Happy Housie - Work it Wednesday ,  Carolyn's Homework ,  The Pin Junkie Common Ground - Be Inspired ,  3 Little Greenwoods - Show-Licious Craft &


Updating a Console Table with Paint

Updating a Console Table with Paint
Console Table Makeover I was recently commissioned to redo this console table for a client. The goals were to completely update the look to make it work in their bonus room, and to use a color that would work with the existing colors in the space but brighten it up. The client's existing furniture is a dark green, almost black. The space felt heavy with all that dark furniture and her goal, over time, is to lighten and brighten. This piece would be the first step to achieving that goal. We talked about color choices and looked at fabric swatches. When I suggested this color, she was right on board. Duck Egg Blue is such a versatile color. It can work just as well in beachy, cottage decor as it can in modern decor. I was eager to start painting, but before I could do that, this table needed a big of gluing and strapping. The bottom shelf had come loose from the legs in a couple spots. Mr. Diy to the rescue! I love how chalk paint covers super shiny furniture and


Planting Herbs and Flowers

Planting Herbs and Flowers
Planting my Herb Garden Did you make it to the Home Depot Black Friday sale?


Easter Breakfast Menu and Table Setting

Easter Breakfast Menu and Table Setting
Easter Breakfast Menu and Table Setting I'm not doing a big Easter lunch this year.  Don't judge... Mr. Diy and I leave for Cabo, Mexico a couple days after Easter so I've decided to keep Easter weekend low-key. No big meal. No big piles of dishes to wash! I was playing around with Easter table settings this week, so I have a beautiful one to show you...but because we're not having a big Easter meal then I thought, ...why not Easter breakfast?


Classic Banana Bread Recipe

Classic Banana Bread Recipe
An easy recipe for classic banana bread, like grandma used to make! This recipe has been passed down for generations in my family because it's a keeper! If you love a moist banana bread studded with chocolate chips, read on!


Kitchens that Combine Beauty with Function

Kitchens that Combine Beauty with Function
Kitchen Inspiration Every woman loves a great kitchen. Even if you're not an avid cook, a great kitchen is something that we all want. A kitchen is the heart of the home, after all. Kitchens are where games are played around the table after a great meal, and where homework is done. It's where family talks take place. It's where all the food is and where guests often congregate.


Family Banner Home Decor

Family Banner Home Decor
Family Banner Home Decor My love of DIY is wide and varied!  Lately it's been all chalk paint, all the time... but not so long ago... I was heavily into paper crafting and creating decor for my home. This project was inspired by these angels wings that I found at Pier 1. They're so pretty and all the loops are just crying out to hold something special and pretty! I think it was originally intended to hold Christmas ornaments. But I saw it holding something very different. Something unique that could be a part of a home's decor for a long time to come. Look closely at all the elements that I included: there's beautiful double-sided paper, ruffled eyelet and ball trim, mini crystals and pearls (jewelry making elements), gingham ribbon, mini butterfly cutouts, letters mounted on circles, micro beads. But the most important thing about this project? The thing that unifies it and brings it all together? family! Unique


Decorating my Mantle for Spring

Decorating my Mantle for Spring
Spring Mantle Where did Spring go?? That's what  I'd like to know. I'm a little miffed, I gotta tell you. It was warm and sunny...my daffodils and crocuses are up. All the trees are flowering. Today was kind of a shock to the system after all that sunny stuff. I'm feeling a little cranky and out of sorts! newyorknatives.com This wind and weird weather makes my allergies go haywire and it just puts me in a bad mood when  I don't feel well!! Sigh. The good news (thank goodness there is some good news!) is that I finally got around to painting my Master bedroom and bathroom this weekend and it looks amazing!! I just need to hang some stuff on the walls and organize a little and then I will post the full reveal! Oh wait, there is more good news :) I have all my Spring decorating and Easter crafts done! Yup, all I gotta do is buy the chocolate and Mr. Diy is usually good for that ;) thebluecloset.com Chocolate put


Gingham Painted Eggs and an Updated Basket

Gingham Painted Eggs and an Updated Basket
I'm sharing how to paint a gingham pattern onto eggs, as well as how I updated an old basket!


How to Stencil a Table Top

How to Stencil a Table Top
I am beyond excited to share today's project with you!!!  If you've been following along with diy beautify for awhile, you may remember a post where I needed your help deciding what to do with the top of a plain white folding table . Well, I'm happy to say that I finally found a solution!


Easter Shadow Box Decor

Easter Shadow Box Decor
Decorating a Shadow Box for Easter This might have been my easiest project to date! I think it took, oh maybe 10 minutes to pull together!  I had this great shadow box that I found at Michaels (on clearance) several years ago and had painted blue. It most recently held shells. Living in SW Florida up until last year, I have a huge shell collection; maybe even the Best.Shell.Collection.Ever! I like to display my shells and this shadow box is the perfect little display cabinet to show off a special collection! Of course only my very favorite shells will fit! The others are stacked in glass jars and hurricanes...I'll have to post about my shells someday :) I thought this shadow box would look really pretty with a collection of small Easter decorations that I already owned inside it. I have some fluffy chicks that my m-i-l crocheted for Mr. Diy when he was a kid, along with the cutest ceramic bunnies and some eggs. The hardest part was deciding what direction