Snowbird Ornament Giveaway from Tree Classics

Hey, folks!
I hope you had a fun and safe Halloween and the only
bad spirits you encountered came from a bottle.

I know it's not quite Thanksgiving,

but it's time to start thinking about Christmas.

Making lists, checking them twice,

figuring out if you've been naughty or nice.

I can't really help with the naughty or nice part,

but I may be able to help with the decorating!

Tree Classics has asked me to help you make your

home into a winter wonderland this Christmas.

Founded in 1976, Tree Classics™ has a long history of
designing the World's Finest Artificial Christmas Trees.
We have since expanded our range of holiday offerings to
include artificial wreaths, garlands, and various accessories.
Our lasting success is a result of our dedication to quality
and personal service that delights customers year after year

I'm partnering with them to give away this

adorable set of Mini Snowbird Ornaments.

The splendor of the outdoors comes alive with

Tree Classics' Assorted Mini Snow-Bird Ornament Set.

These Christmas tree decorations capture the charm of

snowbirds perched on evergreens in the winter.

With a bristly finish & glitter embellishments,

these snowbird ornaments are perfect against the

rich green foliage of a classic Christmas tree.

Check out the Rafflecopter giveaway below and
enter to receive these sweet little snowbirds.
The contest runs through 11:59 PM MST on Nov. 11
and is open to U.S. residents only.
For more details, see the terms and conditions below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for coming by...and good luck!

Sharing here:

Crafts a la Mode

Happy Blessed Home
Simply Sweet Home
The Freshman Cook
Life On Lakeshore Drive
Reasons to Skip the Housework
Dwellings

Happy New Year! 2014's Top Ten!

Okay, well, I'm only slightly behind.

I mean, January's not quite half over yet, right?

It has been super crazy nuts around here the last few weeks.

So, without further ado,

allow me to present to you the top 10 from 2014!!!

I know, I know...

you're thinking...didn't I only post ten times last year?

No...I actually did a few more than that!

:)

As always, I feel these numbers would be totally

different if posted at different times of the year.

10. Hauntingly tasty Cookie Dough Jack-O-Lantern Truffles

9. Taking you into the clouds in my Valentine's "heart-air" balloon.

8. Absolutely wonderful and totally time consuming Paper Rose Trees.

7.  The "I still love going in there just to look" Planked wall bathroom.

6. The "keep calm and eat breakfast" Cheesy Egg and Sausage Bake.

5. "I can't believe I ate all the frosting" GF Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting.

4. The secret makeover of Sara's purple palace.

3. The Chalk Painted Dresser of my dreams.

2. The great TV Console maker

and the single most popular post from last year...

The super easy customizable DIY personalized cutting board.

And there you have it!
I had lots of fun in 2014 doing all these projects...
I hope you enjoyed them, too!

2015 looks to be challenging for my blogging time.
I just changed jobs and have much less free time now...
although I am totally stoked for this new adventure in the new year.

I know I promised a sweet treat before Christmas...
I am hoping to get it out to you in time for Valentine's day.

Until then, keep smiling!

Sharing here:

Craft Dictator
AKA Design
Crafts a la Mode
I Heart Naptime
The 36th Avenue
Reasons to Skip the Housework
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
The Chicken Chick

18 Easy Updates That WOW! {A Curated Board for Hometalk}

Have you ever heard of Hometalk?

Well....it's pretty awesome!

It's all things home and garden...remodels, makeovers, inspiration.

It includes posts from pros, bloggers, and non-bloggers.

It's an awesome resource for DIYers and gawkers alike.

I was recently asked to curate a board all about

small changes that make a big impact.

It started with that shiny, red KitchenAid mixer...and snowballed.

These updates are all pretty simple...and most of them only involve paint.

We all know the transforming magic of paint.

Here are a few of my favorites:

This garage entry makeover from Being Home

would be a happy greeting every day.

I love how this striped, painted porch

from Creatively Living looks so fresh and bright.

Can you believe the difference in this

painted fireplace from Involving Home?

This one isn't paint...but it's so pretty...

this fabric backed bookcase from Suga

makes me wish I had some bookcases to makeover.

Whew...it was hard to pick my favorites...

I was trying for just 3, but you know how it goes.

To see the details on these and all 18 easy updates,

check out my Small Changes ~ BIG Difference board on Hometalk. 

It's okay, you can go right now.

Sharing here:

A Stroll Thru Life

Stone Gable

Love Grows Wild

Upcycled Treasures

Designs by Miss Mandee

Just a Girl and Her Blog

Fluster Buster

Savvy Southern Style

Crafty Allie

The Turquoise Home

Ivy and Elephants

Maison de Pax

Living Well Spending Less

Lamberts Lately

From My Front Porch to Yours

Embracing Change

Saving 4 Six

Horrific Knits

AKA Design

Craft Dictator

Crafts a la Mode

Whipperberry

Love of Family and Home

The Golden Sycamore

The DIY Village

The Dedicated House

I Should Be Mopping The Floor

Kitchen Table Art

Dwellings

Sowdering About

HomeComing

Ivy and Elephants

Moonlighting

Howdy, howdy!

I've decided to start a new random series...

Moonlighting
No, Bruce Willis will not be making a guest appearance.
Too bad, huh?

I haven't had as much time as I'd like to work on projects...

or brain power to come up with new and fun ideas.

But I miss you guys and thought it might be fun to just share

some randomness and things I'm loving at the moment.
Maybe Most likely even some silliness.

This definitely falls under the "things in life that make me happy" heading.

Without further ado, on with the first installment:

*****

In my office at work, there is a chalkboard.
Once upon a time it was a white board.
No one ever used it...so I painted it with chalkboard paint and
now I have fun bringing a little happiness to our sometimes dreary days.

This is how it looks for the summer.

:)

*****

What I'm reading...



The 23rd alphabet mystery from Sue Grafton...W is for Wasted.
I've enjoyed sleuthing with Kinsey over the years.
Sometimes she irritates me, but I like her.
This book has been very engaging, with good character development.
I love when a book is a good read, continually moving and not necessarily easy,
but smooth reading, while still having extensive use of vocabulary.
I love words you can sink your teeth in to!

*****

Okay, how did I not know this existed?

EZ-Freeze Cereal on the Go



A freezable gel container to keep your milk
cold so you can eat cereal at your desk?
Yes, please!



Look! It even comes with its own folding spoon!
Not that I'd use it.
My family, and several others, tease me
because I don't like to eat with plastic utensils.
I've even been called a princess because of this preference.
Hrmph.

My husband thinks it's funny to quote this line:
I'm not a policeman, I'm a princess!
{Name that movie!}

*****

Sara asked for one of these for her birthday.
I had a coupon and a gift card so it was a done deal.



We've been enjoying lots of fruit smoothies thanks to her birthday gift.
Bonus: she has so much fun using it, she always offers to make them!

*****

Speaking of Sara...
We've been having a lot of fun this summer checking
out some of the 4-wheel-drive trails in Colorado.


See what a nice mom I am?

I even let her drive my Jeep.

:)

*****

I was hoping to get the post up for the hall bathroom makeover this week.

Alas, it was not to be.

We've been out of state with a family emergency for almost 2 weeks,

and when I went to edit my before and afters...

I realized I had quite a few in-betweens, too.

So...I'll be working on those pictures this weekend so I

can finally share my awesome new bathroom with you!

Here's a hint..and a sneak peek...we planked the walls.

I love it!

Make sure you come back and check it out!!!!

Until then...

sharing here:

Crafts a la Mode

AKA Design

 Craft Dictator

Horrific Knits

Love of Family and Home

Love Bakes Good Cakes

Natasha in Oz

Will Cook for Smiles

Reasons to Skip the Housework

Six Sisters Stuff

The Dedicated House

Sowdering About

Crafty Allie

Ivy and Elephants

No Reply At All

Are you a Phil Collins fan?

I don't have any albums, but

I think I'd say I am...

He certainly helped fuel my love affair

with Miami Vice back in the day.

I mean...who didn't have heart palpitations when Don Johnson

was walking around with all that sexy stubble and no socks?

Whooo.  Let me wipe the drool off my chin.

But I digress...that was so far off topic I need a map to get back...

Anyway...the bigger question here is:

   

I recently read this post from Chelsey @ Budget Girl

(okay, it wasn't so recently, this post has been sitting in my queue for a looong time)

that made me think about this in a whole new way.

You MIGHT be and there might just

be nothing you can do about it.

Because some of the things Blogger does is goofy.

So...I know I can be really bad about not responding to comments.

I DO really appreciate and love and read every.single.one.

But it feels contrived when I'm responding just to say "thanks" you know?

SO, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

...For being here, for reading my rambling randomness...

for taking the time to share some sweet words.

You're fabulous...just so you know.

Even if I don't respond to your sweetness.

 

However...if you ask me a question about some project or recipe or whatever...

I will do my best to get back to you as soon as I am able.

If you read Chelsey's post above...you'll find that sometimes

Blogger does not want to show me your email

address even if you entered it in your profile.

And if you have a Google+ profile it's no fun either.

I will spend a reasonable amount of time finding a way

to respond to you because I feel if it's important enough

for you to ask, it's important enough for me to answer.

If you ask a question and you don't get a response from me...

I am sorry...you may have to resort to checking

the post for the public reply on your question.

 

 

I know this is a frustrating topic,...

so, I've made you some cupcake cake pops so

we can drown our troubles in chocolate.

This is not huge, earth-shattering news...

but I wanted to address it and attempt to be amusing at the same time.

Shouldn't we always try to be amusing? :)

 

Well I hope you are having a fantastic week...

and if not, keep your chin up...

I'm pulling for you!

 

The bathroom makeover reveal is coming up soon...

I promise!

 

 

Happy 2014 ~ Top Posts from 2013!

source

My most heartfelt wishes for all the best for you in 2014!

Here's a little recap of 2013 with the top ten!

Although I always feel these numbers are a little skewed

because if the posting dates had been different the

numbers would be different...but...whatever! :)

Let's get started with the most viewed first:

I shared my misadventures while painting a tile floor.

Which reinforces the teaching that...

if at first you don't succeed...

have a glass of wine and try again! 

I showed you how I custom painted some champagne flutes

for a wedding using thrift store glasses.

You could do this for any occasion...not just weddings.

We devoured some simple but scrumptious

Overnight Blueberry French Toast.

Oh...and for Christmas breakfast we

made this with Blackberries....

OOOOOOHHHHH Yeah!

Good stuff!

Some found barnwood was transformed into

a flower box for all seasons.

The way this one was going...

I thought for sure it would be higher on the list.

But, alas, it was not to be.

I may have fueled some obsessions with everyone's

favorite DIY medium when I told you about

my interview for Confessions of a Spray Paint Addict.

I added to the Pumpkin Mayhem with

My Favorite Pumpkin Bread!

Bonus: this recipe can be used for

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins, too!

You won't even miss the wheat flour in these yummy

Gluten Free Blackberry Oatmeal Bars!

We beat the summer heat in the kitchen with these
delicious, light, and easy NO COOK Chicken Caprese Pitas.

I helped and ugly clearance tray reach its true

potential when it became a lovely pie sign.

And...I had a good laugh at myself when I showed you
how to...or NOT to build a chunky salvage style shelf.

I hope you enjoyed spending time with me this past year...

I know I enjoyed having you around!

Thanks so much!

And now a toast...

to new adventures and new friends in the new year!

Happy 2014!

 Sharing here:

Crafts a la Mode

Whipperberry

Craft Dictator

Love of Family and Home

Horrific Knits

Made From Pinterest

Serenity You

Lil' Luna

I Should Be Mopping The Floor

The Dedicated House

Averie Lane

The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Love Grows Wild

Home Stories A to Z

A Stroll Thru Life

Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Dwellings

Anyonita Nibbles

This Silly Girl's Life

Ella Claire Inspired

From My Front Porch to Yours

Embracing Change

Lamberts Lately

Ivy and Elephants

Live Laugh Rowe

Living Well Spending Less

Saving 4 Six

Put a Bird On It

Budget Girl

A Peek Into My Paradise

Cheerios and Lattes

HomeComing

Sharing at The Crafting Chicks today!

Hey all!

I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving!

I am sharing some yummy tarts and Christmas traditions

over at The Crafting Chicks' place today.

If you're not too tired from all that early

morning Black Friday shopping...

come on over!

♥ Kelly

I'm Sharing At OrganizedSAHM Today ~ Y'all Come!

Just a quick note to let you know...

I'm sharing my Rhyming Wreath Tutorial over at

Organized Stay at Home Mom today.

Come by for a visit and say "Hi" to Tara!

Then come back and check out the original wreath post

and my other Halloween projects:

  

Tricks and Treats Boxes              DIY Wonder Woman Costume

  

BOO Blocks                                     Polka Dot Witch Hat

Wicked Good Treats Pail

Lest we forget: