Decor on a Budget

The winter holidays have always been my favorite time of year. I was so looking forward to having my own home and creating an amazing home decorated with all of the latest trends. Once making the move, I realized how expensive it was to keep up with current trends. This holiday season, I decided to look at three different trends and come up with my own, thrifty spin on them.

My first project was a beautiful holiday wreath. Many stores are selling lavish wreaths with large Christmas bulbs and ribbon threaded through. They are incredibly beautiful, but also very expensive. To create a similar look, I visited my local dollar store and also the thrift store. I found an old wreath at the thrift store for $1.00. It wasn’t the most fashionable, but provided a great base for what I wanted to do. I purchased Christmas ribbon and beautiful round ornaments at the local dollar store. Once I got them home, I simply wrapped the purchased ribbon around the wreath and attached the bulbs with hot glue. Once all of the bulbs had been attached, I wound the ribbon through them and secured with hot glue. The wreath turned out beautifully and cost less than $10.00.

Although I have been decorating on a budget, we have been able to have a beautiful home that provides the true spirit of the season. There is no reason to spend a lot of money on expensive decorations, when you can create memories with your family making duplicates much cheaper.

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Lift Your Autumn Spirits: DIY

Do you feel uneasy in your home? If so, you make be able to make some simple changes to improve its look and feel. These changes may range from buying new appliances to painting a wall. Consider how these simple changes can improve the overall appearance of the home and lift your spirits.

Paint a Wall

This is an inexpensive do-it-yourself project that does not require much skill or effort. Every fall many people repaint their homes. This autumn also try painting an accent wall with a vibrant color such as lime green, red, sky blue or yellow. Vibrant colors are in this season. Grab a paintbrush and maybe even some friends and paint a wall. Your mood will be lifted by the vibrant colors. 

Add Plants

Nothing adds life to a room faster than houseplants. The plants help us breathe cleaner air, and the plants help to improve the mood of people in the room. The project is simple for those who want to add hanging plants to the home. Many do-it-yourselfers will paint ceramic or decoupage plastic containers to hold the plants. Depending on the number you complete and the complexity, a single project would take one day.

Reupholster Your Couch

If you want a new look, try reupholstering the couch. Bright and bold solid colors or prints are also popular this season. Try integrating this trend on the couch. It is a great way to update something old and make it new again. The material will be much cheaper than buying a new couch. Reupholstering is recommended only if the basic construction of the couch is still intact. Consider this simple DIY project to give the room a makeover.

DIY This Weekend

If you have nothing better to do, try a DIY project this weekend and then, host some friends for a small gathering. The new update may make the room better for entertaining guests and also make the room feel more festive. Have some fun and try a new project this weekend.

 

Party Weekend!

It’s time for me, my family and my friends to celebrate our Independence!

So excited to spend it on the lake…. then back to the grind on Monday!

xx AJ

Proud to be an American!

Fourth of July is approaching fast and it is one of my favorites. It is a time to relax and hang out with family and friends as we celebrate America’s independence. This year it falls on a Wednesday so you have the weekend before and the weekend after to celebrate!!

With so many parties going on it is important to have a few different fashion options. Remember to represent the red, white, and blue! There is no need to be so literal with your patriotism, forget the t-shirt with a flag in the middle of it, try cute and stylish ideas!

Since there may be different types of parties going on, (Grandma’s House, Roommate from college, Company Party, or just a great get together with friends and family) you’re going to need to be prepared.  Keeping it simple and within the color scheme will get you a fashionable outfit. Do not try to mix and match all three of the colors because that will only make you look like a flag. Try one or two of the colors together. It is ok to venture out of the standard red and blue. Try different shades like teal, turquoise, cranberry, and coral.

You can mix and match so many different shorts and tank tops you probably already own, to come up with a cute BBQ outfit.  With this outfit I suggest a cute pair of red, white, or blue Keds.  Flat sandals or wedges that fit the color scheme would be cute as well.  (It could dress up the casual look a bit).

A dress is a safe outfit at any party. Remember to add cute jewelry and shoes to complete your style. Find a festive pair of earrings and a simple bracelet or your everyday watch to add style.  If you are going to be out at a BBQ in the grass playing your favorite summertime games, wear a pair of sandals or flats.

When the weather is nice, pool parties are a hit! A cute red, white, or blue bathing suit with a patterned top and solid bottom will do the trick. Remember cover-ups are fashionable so bring one to throw on after you’ve cooled off.

You can mix and match so many different pieces to come up with something fun and stylish for the different occasions. Remember it is important to have your outfit flow, so use your best judgment on what looks good to you.

Live – Laugh – Love – Travel  xx AJ

St. Patricks Day Fun for the Entire Family

This week I had the privilege to play with my nieces and nephews and some of their friends.  We did some fun crafts, so I decided to write a little piece about what you can do with your kids for fun on St. Pattys Day.  I hope people are able to read this and take something from it! Enjoy 🙂

My Nieces Socks!

Holidays are always a welcome experience to break up the monotony of everyday living. They allow us to bond with our families and friends, they let people of all ages just kick back and have some fun and they maintain traditions that have lived on for hundreds of years. When people think about holidays the focus generally shifts to holidays like Christmas or Halloween or Thanksgiving, but there are plenty of other holidays out there that are rich in history and fun for the whole family and one of them is St. Patrick’s Day.

St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday made to commemorate the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. St. Patrick was one of the first people to bring Christianity to Ireland and is well known for a legend that states that he explained the Holy Trinity through the use of a shamrock, which is a clover that grows in Ireland and generally has three leaves.

St. Patrick’s Day is now celebrated in many different countries, not just Ireland. The people who celebrate it generally take part in the various traditions of St. Patrick’s Day such as wearing green, going to parades and going to church. It’s also common to see people wearing some form of shamrock during St. Patrick’s Day.

There are many different ways you can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the whole family. For instance, you can cook some Irish food. Corned beef and cabbage is a very popular Irish dish to make on St. Patrick’s Day. In addition, there are dishes such as Irish soda bread, corned beef pizza and deserts such as lime pie and green velvet cupcakes. It’s always fun to try new and exciting dishes that are popular in other countries. You can find numerous recipes for traditional Irish meals through a quick search on the Internet or various cookbooks.

Another option is to get creative with regular food. Some people dye their food green for St. Patrick’s Day or arrange it so there are many green items on the menu. A fun option for the kids is to make shamrock shaped sugar cookies made with green sugar on top. You can also let them decorate some cupcakes with icing in Irish designs.

The fun doesn’t have to end with the food. You and your children can also have fun with some St. Patrick’s Day arts and crafts. For example, with some green, black and gold construction paper or felt, some scissors and glue or tape you and your children can make leprechaun hats to wear on St. Patrick’s Day. You can also get some cardboard, green paint, scissors and safety pins to make shamrock pins that you all can wear. You can also stick with a classic and get some gold construction paper along with a small cutout of a shamrock to make a gold paper chain shamrock necklace. Some free time to draw can also exercise their imaginations for St. Patrick’s Day.

Celebrating the holidays with your children is one of the best feelings a parent can get and it creates some great memories for your children as well. Break out your best green clothes, grab a shamrock and gather your children so you can all celebrate St. Patrick’s Day to the fullest.

Live – Laugh – Love – Travel

AJ