patio setting on porch

Do you dream of sitting outside at a Parisian café sipping your caffé mocha and reading the paper? The sound of the birds twittering in the background and the screaming and whining sounds of your offspring are non-existent. And that’s when you come back to reality and realize that you aren’t in Paris and panic as you realize that quiet kids means they are up to no good!

I can day dream once in a while about this little café in Paris. But sometimes I need a little help with those fantasies. I decided to create my own little café spot on our back deck using the table and chairs we already had and then add a few items to boost the charm factor.

With a little help from Lowe’s, my patio table went from drab to fab within an afternoon. I created this little retreat for coffee, dining or Mommy’s time out chair. 😉

My Shopping List: Read more

I’m just curious if I’m the only person who loses sight of her desk every week? I spend Monday mornings clearing the clutter and figuring out my plan of attack for the week. I could really save that 30 minutes each week by corralling my clutter in one place! On a recent excursion to Walmart, I found the perfect storage solution!


I also found lots of other goodies at Walmart. My friend Su and I had a blast shopping together. Su is the stay-at-home mom of five. She has a wonderful vivacious personality and is loads of fun to be around. If you haven’t met Su yet, head over to her blog The Intentional Home.

Being crafty gals, we set out to find some inspiration for a new craft project using the Plaid products that were sent to us.

(The Plaid paint selection is just like the candy aisle for me. Drooool!) In the past I have ordered aprons and canvas tote bags for teacher gifts, but now I know that I can pick them up at Walmart!

Sorry if I digressed a little, but that happens to me in those big super stores. Back to my storage solution. I found the perfect sized file bin at Walmart, but the design wasn’t cute enough for me. While browsing the aisles, I also picked up some cute pillow cases, and soon a plan was hatched to give my storage bin some personality. Here’s how I did it: Read more

I picked up this plain vanilla door mat a while ago at a thrift store. I knew I wanted to transform it into something stencil-tacular. But, I couldn’t decided on the right pattern.

While at SNAP I was introduced to Royal Studio Design stencils and won a free stencil to take home. The Chez Sheik design immediately jumped out at me. The moroccan look is very beautiful, don’t you think? Read more

I am amazed that we’ve had great weather for the entire two weeks of the DIY Talent Parade! Are you enjoying the parade so far?! Well, get ready to have your socks knocked off today. Our talented guest is an amazing multi-tasking mother of four. She cooks, she sews, she crafts and she makes everything she touches beautiful! Amy is beautiful inside and out which makes it no surprise that she has the talent to turn ordinary objects into gorgeous creations. Like this t-shirt turned bolero.

Wait, I think I see her coming this way…ummm…is she dancing? Why yes, she is! My goodness is there anything this girl can’t do?! Turn your heads this way and welcome the very lovely and very talented Amy from Positively Splendid. Read more

How was your weekend everyone? I had a truly fabulous weekend surrounded by some seriously creative and talented bloggers. I was in Salt Lake City, Utah attending the SNAP 2012 conference. Sadly, there was one blogger who is equally as creative and talented that couldn’t make it this year. (But, we’re going to have to tie her up and make her come next year!) This fabulously talented lady is none other than Colleen also known to the blog world as Mural Maker.

head shot

Colleen and I have never met, but we’ve bonded online because we have similar fine art backgrounds. Colleen is equally willing to share her talents and help empower others to paint just like she does (with step by step photographic tutorials.)

Ooo, ooo, ooo, I think I see her marching up the parade path right now. She has a paint brushes in hand and WOW, look at her toss that spinning artist’s palette in the air like a pizza pie. Now that takes talent! The crowd is excited. The colorful paints are beginning to fly. So, settle back and enjoy the show. Read more