New Back Door!

This Christmas, we decided to upgrade a few things on the house instead of exchanging gifts. Today we had one of those upgrades completed! We got a new back door!!!

I didn't think I would ever be this excited over a door but I happen to LOVE the new one! The old one was a solid door without a deadbolt...which always worried me.

We thought a glass door would let in a lot more light and give us a chance to add a deadbolt lock.

We were right! It lets in a lot more light and I love the additional view of the backyard!

Here are a few before pictures:

 

Here is the new door:





Here are the doors next to each other for an easy comparison :)

Saturday Crafting

Today was such a BEAUTIFUL day here in NC! It started off a little foggy but turned into such a warm and sunny day. We were able to get a lot done around the house today and I was able to complete a few small projects that have been on my list.

I have been wanting to change up the wall above my coffee cart. I have a cute little tea pot frame that I had in the kitchen and wanted to relocate it to the coffee cart. Once I did that, I needed more to fill up the large area.

I decided to make a new small round chalk board to go on the wall. I bought a round frame at a thrift store for a dollar, someone used it to frame something they had cross-stitched. I just took the frame apart, painted the back piece with chalkboard paint (Krylon's chalkboard spraypaint), and spray painted the frame as well.



That left me with this...


I then added my book page "N" to the wall to complete the look!






I am really loving the wall now! It's amazing what you can do just by shopping your own home to change up the look of an area.

While we are on the topic of coffee carts, I want to show off my BFF Taylor's coffee cart in her kitchen! She and I have very similar tastes and we made our teapot art together!




I also made a few things that I have had on my Pinterest boards for a few weeks now...

I made this cute jar for my vitamins...

via

I also made this pillow for our bed!

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I'll leave you with my cute tiny succulent in my vintage sour cream jar :)


Hope you are all having a great weekend!!!

Living and Dining Room Update

We have made a few changes to our living room and dining area. Most of the dining area changes are minimal but we did rearrange the furniture in the living room, giving it a really different look!

Check out some shots of the rooms!






 

We have some exciting projects planned for this year! Can't wait to get started on them!!!

Project Highlights of 2012

As we start the new year, I have been thinking alot about what all took place in 2012. To kick off the new year, I want to do a quick recap of my favorite projects from 2012. It was hard to choose just one project per month (with the exception of the two months I took a break!) but I narrowed it down!

January

 Master Bedroom Makeover

February

Burlap Curtains

March

 Spring Wreaths

April

 Front Porch Makeover

May

 Burlap and Blue Party Decor

June

 Photo Transfer onto Canvas

July

 Record Bowls

August

 Fridge Frames

September

 Fall Buffet

December

Coffee Cart Station

I am so excited to see what the new year brings! I can't wait to kick off the new year with some projects! Coming soon!

DIY Gifts: Part 2

Last night, we celebrated Christmas with Gabe's family! More handmade gifts were given that I want to share with you!

My hubby made his dad a desk clock out of an old VW hub cap. He is writing a tutorial on this to share soon!

I made my mother in law a house number wreath...

I also made her some nautical rope coasters for their new place at the beach. I was inspired by the coasters on Style Me Pretty. These were so easy to make. I just bought rope and rolled it into a circle, hot gluing as I went. I made four of them. Once the glue dried, I painted an anchor on each coaster using a stencil I cut out of cardstock using my Silhouette.

For my brother in law, I glass etched a set of beer mugs with a fire fighter emblem on them!

I also glass etched a pyrex dish for Gabe's grandmother so that her dish is always returned after family and church functions.

For my sister in law, I embroidered her name onto a tote bag and found a ball jar lamp that I updated with a blue ball jar that I bought at the local flea market.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!!! Thanks for reading! :)

DIY Gifts: Part 1

This year we decided to make all of our Christmas gifts for our friends and family. Since I am always looking for new DIY gift ideas, I wanted to share what I made with you today.

I made my dad a tablet case using Mr. Kate's tutorial.

I made my mom this pillow out of dropcloth. I had my friend, Sarah, paint "It's all about Grace" on it using acryllic craft paint.

I also made my mom a bird's nest necklace using Sarah Ortega's tutorial. I haven't made much jewelry before, so this was a fun project!

For my brother, I glass etched a set of beer mugs and made some record bowls.

Part 2 of this post will be up after our second gift exchange tomorrow night!

Cookie Party!

Last night, my bestie neighbor, Allie, and I cohosted a cookie party at my home! It was for our girlfriends and it was a blast! We had yummy snacks, warm drinks, and cookies to decorate!

This group never fails to be tons of fun and with three new babies joining us, it was a busy night!

Here are some shots of the party!

The cookies were decorated in the dining area. We had sugar, gingerbread, and peppermint cookies!

 

I made Crockpot Hot Chocolate! I used this recipe! It is AMAZING!  We used little gift tags to write our names and tie to our mugs!

 
 There's the gang!

Merry Christmas!