Fall Door Decor

I just love this time of year. So much expectancy and the crispness in the air makes me want to freshen things up_ clean_ organize_ bake_ craft_ go apple pickin’… I just love all of it!

This week I finally got my Fall wreath hung and my door decorated. I’m still needing some pretty colored mums and a few smaller pumpkins for the space. But it kinda wasn’t in the budget for this week. So maybe later....

Thank you to all of you who asked about my decorations. You guys’ are toooo kind.

My wreath started out at the Blue Ridge Craft weekend. But I wasn’t feeling a total vision for it overall. So what I did do was wrap the whole thing there in a blue fabric. Hot gluing as I went.

Then after I got home I picked out the colors I knew I wanted to go with. In fabric and in yarn. I used 3 yarn colors. A white. A coral color. And a thicker gold/mustardy color. I wanted it to have texture and by adding in the heavier yarn and varying fabrics I feel that’s the look I got.

You can’t really mess this up. So don’t be afraid of that. I say just get started.  I started with one piece of fabric about 2 inches wide. Wrapping it_ hot gluing to the back_ and moving on to the next piece. Just continuing around adding on your fabric and then covering some of the meeting places of fabric with the yarn by wrapping a section. However, big you choose to wrap the yarn section is again up to you. Mine were varied in size.

After the wreath was all covered I got started on the felt flowers. If you’re not sure how to make these just google it and you’ll find there are a ton of tutorials.

Lastly, I wrapped a piece of burlap around the top and then tied a bow with a black & white polka dot ribbon.

Day view....

Night time view....

Other items I used included:

Vine lights: 3 strands from Target. Got mine like 2 years ago.

Made a little pendant with paper and ribbon.

Found the glitter ghost garland at Target in the $1 bin

That about sums everything up. I only wish I had pictures of the different stages to show. 

Didn't even think about it at the time.

Happy Wednesday and happy Fall decorating ya’ll.

Around here....

These days I am….

Feeling…. excited about leaving for a trip to New York next week. I’ve never been before, only driven through the state.

Looking forward…. to taking this adventure with my sister in law. We get to drive_ talk_ sing_ and drink salted caramel mocha’s together and I can’t wait.

Reaching out…. like never before. Because I have to. Because it’s imperative that i get out of my comfort zone.

Learning…. how much I really need those girlfriends and relationships that are real and raw and honest.

Practicing…. letting go whenever I'm hurt repeatedly by the same person. Forgiving_ letting go_ and moving forward so that I can move forward.

Appreciating…. so much my husband and the way he supports me in every way. He is my biggest fan and greatest support.

Noticing…. how we as a family, all of us, chose joy in the midst of a scary situation this week.

Believing…. Phil 1:6_ that he who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Loving…. my Fall wreath hanging out on my front door. It makes my door a little more happier. And happy front doors are the bomb.

Happy Friday.

WIWW with the hubs

I haven't done a WIWW post in forever. So i figured it was time to do so.

And here's the other deal. My first reason for blogging is that I think_ hope my kids will enjoy looking back on all the thoughts_ experiences that I typed out for them and so it hit me. 

 They will have to love seeing all the outfits we wore_ the outfits their mom wore, right.
Because you know how it is looking back on old photos of your parents' and seeing how they dressed. When i see my mom in her miniskirt or my dad in high water's I always think about what they must've been thinking when they put their outfit together. You know... was it thought out the night before. Or was it a quick throw on some clothes... 

anyway, I figure I may as well give them some good content to make fun of.

Top: Belk

Sweater: Target

Leggings: Wal-Mart

Boots: Kohl's

Pink Ring: My shop

Well and they may make fun of us for the way we dressed but hopefully they'll see that mom and dad crazy loved each other. Dad loved mom so crazily that he agreed to pose and take pictures while youngest had fun turning the camera sideways_ upside down and around to get their picture.

happy Wednesday!

Home Made Lovely

I am over the top excited to be over at heather's today for her Home Made Lovely Series.

It's one of my favorite things to watch for every Thursday.

To be able to see into other's home's and how they do things_ how they decorate is so interesting to me. 

So if you'd like to see our little abode then head on over there to read what creating a 

lovely home means to me!

Happy Thursday ya'll!

A Sweet Aroma: Blue Ridge Craft Weekend & a Giveaway

This weekend I had the incredible opportunity of going with 9 other ladies to the
Blue Ridge Mountains for a time of crafting_ hanging out_ shopping_ and sharing.
Can i just tell you how amazingly awesome it was.
I went not knowing really what to expect and a little nervous too. 

You know bc you never know how things like this will go.
You never know and i'm just being honest here, how 9 other ladies will wind up getting along.
But you know what there was.... a sweet aroma that hung in that mountain air.
I was left and took away the sweetest memories and some great new friendship. By each of them.
By the trip as a whole. From left to right here they are...

                    Lindsay, Alison, Autumn, Angie, Melissa, Me, Amy, Stephanie, Julie, Christa

Upon arrival we were each met by a basket of swag with our name on it.

Swag = a basket full of handmade goodness. I felt like i had gotten to go to the "Oprah's favorite things" show. I mean really. Each item was something to ooh & ahh over. Lots of the items had been handpicked for color or preference from our etsy favorites. The thoughtfulness, right?.

CREATE banner by Little Green Thread

8x10 art print by Pen & Paint

"love." wood block by Bubblewrappd

Set of "hello" note cards by Moon Beam Wishes

Natural Glycerin Soap by Sunbasil Garden

Fold-over clutch by Little Green Thread

Earrings by Happy Days

Paper Straws and Daisy Lids by Glitter and Gloss

Set of 16 "Handmade with Love" mini cards by Pen & Paint

20 yards of baker's twine by Milo & Molly

Ball Mason jar, wooden clothespins, wooden spools, scrapbook paper, 
2 rolls of washi tape, supplies for geometric, wooden bead necklace.

And a special thanks to Baby Boy Bakery who provided yummy goodies for each of our swag baskets!

Well not only did we get a basket full of swag but you have the opportunity to enter 
through Rafflecopter and win a basket, too. 
One winner will be chosen and announced on Saturday, Sept 22 to take away all of these lovely goods.

Just click on the link to enter the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Small Acts= Great Things

Of course I’ve had nice things done for me.

So why is it that sometimes it hits me hard and surprises me to no end!? 

Now I love being the one on the giving end of a gift. Be it big or small. 

Or maybe even the one offering a nice gesture. I love to be on that side and be the one to bring on the surprise. Love surprises.

But when I‘m on the recipient side it get’s a little weird _hard for me to accept. 

I’m sure I need counseling or something I know. But I never feel like I deserve whatever niceness is bestowed upon me and usually find myself shocked that someone would be so nice or thoughtful towards me.

Here is the other thing. I’m not always surprised or overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude for something done for me though. For instance, my husband does lots of small nice things for me within a day and I’m not perplexed by it. If I’m honest, I probably even take them for granted some. Because I know that he loves me and wants to help me. We want to help each other. And maybe that’s it. Maybe when someone does something so over the top nice it makes me realize that they must have wanted to make me feel special_ to brighten my day_ to help_ or to let me know I was being thought of. 

Lately I’ve had a few over the top nice things given to me and I have been overwhelmed by them. I find myself almost in a state of being broken by it. And let me say you will probably laugh when you hear the acts of kindness. But to me they meant so much.

The first happened this weekend when I went away for a craft weekend with some of the most wonderful ladies. I have a lot to say about this weekend and what I took away but that's coming later.

Anyway, I had talked with the girls on the drive up about how stinkin' cute Targets new line of coffee mugs are. Like I want them all. But one of my fave's was the motel one and I had shared that with them. Well I wake up the first morning there and go to get my coffee and we see a sign hanging above the coffee pot that reads “ good morning ladies. enjoy your coffee in a mug of your choice”. There sat my Motel mug amongst 9 other mugs. I did a little squeal when I spotted it. the squeal kind of faded into a groan or maybe a growl sound after I saw the paper sticking out if it that also said ”reserved for”. But as I got closer and looked inside I saw it read  “reserved for heather?” Now I’m about to let loose at this point and really do some squealing waking up the whole cabin. I couldn’t even believe it. I seriously was thinking in my head who’s the other heather….haha…

Then yesterday I’m sitting working away when the UPS man drops off a package on the front step. It said Scentsy and I immediately thought it must be a mistake. Like for my neighbor or something. But when I read it clearly it had my name and address printed on the label.

I opened it to find a handsome little owl that is going to make my home smell so yummy. Like pear caramel crisp. I wanted to cry. I kinda did a little. So sweet. So thoughtful. So generous of the 2 ladies that went in together to send it to me.

2 things I’m learning. Don’t ever underestimate no matter how little or small you may think something will mean to someone else. We can’t determine that and it just may mean so much more than you or we could ever imagine. Truly it just may be the Lord using us in greater ways than we could understand. And secondly, it’s not hard for me to accept and know that the lord loves me and wants to bless me. Sometimes anyway,,,,TO receive what he has for me. So I need to start receiving it through my friends. Through others. And believing that someone just may be thinking about me and want to surprise the pa-tooty out of me.

So who woulda thought that a stinkin' cute coffee mug and a handosme little smell good owl would bring about such emotion.  Sometimes it’s in the smallest gesture that means so much.

Thank you ladies for being so kind. The Lord used you in my life.

Love you girls.

linking up with jami for "we encourage tuesday"

Coffee+Mugs= Friends

this is my second year of participating in the Cuppakim mug swap!

it’s brilliant I tell you. before I even knew the date of when it was going to be i had started to get the itch. i had seen so many cute mugs that I was itching to buy one to give. obviously though, I couldn’t actually purchase one until I had been partnered up with my partner. it’s important to me that I try and get a mug that suits the person. it’s part of the whole challenge/ fun. it can’t just be a cute mug. 

it has to be “the one."

 I was tickled to receive my mug from Lorie and find out about her.

she had done her homework and knew that I really like vintage mugs.

it was the perfect little mug to add to my small but growing collection. and I love it.

Lorie messaged me thru insta-gram and we quick became following friends.

i love her style and she has the cutest little family…truly.

and always the best part…the cherry on top. making a new friend.

i figured i would post a pic of the one i sent to Richelle, too. 

she doesn’t have a blog but totally should. i met Richelle through my etsy shop because she was 

one of my very first orders. she is a mom to 5 girls and an amazing decorator. a sweetheart of a person.

thank you kim for such a great idea of connecting people over a cup of coffee and a cute mug. 

coffee+cute mugs= friends

.heather.