re-DESIGN-ing the kids' bedroom post Christmas presents

So Christmas has come and gone... But all those old toys remain and now there are oh SO many more!!!

I took advantage of the kids spending the night at my in-laws to go through every inch of the their room. Three overstuffed garbage bags and a full day later, you can actually find the floor- yippee.

We live in an old home with big rooms and high ceilings, but there are only two feasible bedrooms. Therefore, I had to find a gender neutral theme for my young son and daughter. With the last name of Boatright and a family love for the water, a nautical theme seemed obvious.

There are a lot of different REAL simple DIY ideas in this room, that I will share in the future... Today's project was the wave edged rugs. It only took me a year to fulfill my vision, but knowing I was facing the REAL-ity of thinning out post Christmas, I checked the local hardware stores for some inexpensive carpet. I got lucky and found a large scrap piece of dark blue, indoor/outdoor carpet at Home Depot. For around .30 cents a sq ft, I got cheap, durable, won't break my heart if the kids destroy it, carpet. I took the large piece home cut it into two equal pieces and then folded over the one edge. I then proceeded to hand draw the wave shape on the back of the rug with a marker and then cut it with scissors. Waves have a natural inconsistency to them, so don't get caught up in making them perfect, just have fun with it.

This one element has given new life and warmth to the room- a simple re-DESIGN can take you from dreading walking through the door to feeling like spending extra time sharing the space with your kids.

Time to start setting the holiday table

We will be holding Christmas brunch for the extended family at our house this year... First of all this is the first ever brunch and second of all this is the first ever for me to have to make and TIME the majority of the food- wish me luck! Typically my parents are around for these big events and after years of hosting family holidays and owning a bed and breakfast the cooking is left to them and the decorating to me, but not this year. So I am trying to stay ahead of the craziness by going ahead and setting up the various food, drink and dining tables.

I kept with the silver theme of the dining room by tying the silverware in napkins with pretty silver ribbon (Michael's 70% off). Next I added these great sparkle ice skates that I purchased at the gift wrap factory store. They are really gift tags but in this case they add that little extra touch to the table. I used silver doilies, also from Michael's to add some extra texture and shine. Lastly, I was not impressed by a white plate on a white tablecloth, so thinking on a budget and outside the box I unfolded the cocktail napkins I bought and placed them under the plates. Even though chargers have become extremely reasonable, I just could not justify buying 12, so napkins it is.

Remember it only takes a few extra touches to take a place setting from ordinary to extraordinary!

Great idea for thinning out the kid's toys before Christmas

Check out this great idea from www.designdazzle.com, for leaving old, broken or outgrown toys for Santa to pick up on Christmas night and bring back to the North Pole for the elves to fix and give to other boys and girls.

My daughter is a classic "hoarder" she can not even throw away a paper menu from a restaurant, but this idea worked!!! We have officially started our bags of toys to leave for Santa. Such a great idea and just in time for all those new toys!!!

I love you SNOW much- Fun Christmas DIY project for kids

Today was my daughter's kindergarten Christmas party and I was in charge of providing fun projects for the kids to make.

The chalkboard ornaments I posted a little while back were an obvious choice, but coming up with a second easy to do project, was a bit more challenging.

I came across the saying "I love you SNOW much" and just had to figure out a way to to use it. So I came up with a paper snow globe project. I found precut circles at Michael's (I used my 50% off coupon that you get via email and the best part is there is no need to print, just show them your phone). Next in Microsoft PowerPoint I wrote the text and inserted a trapezoid shape. A couple of copy and pastes later I had 6 per page and printed them on green paper. I cut them out, hot glued them to the circles and brought them to the class. There each child was told to color a picture within the circle, then take a glue stick and spread glue wherever they wanted snow. Lastly, I placed the the snow globe on a small tray, sprinkled fake snow on top and then shook of the excess.

The result, these REAL simple, REALly cute pieces of artwork to take home to the one they love snow much.

A family ornament DIY tradition

Every year I try to give close family and friends an ornament that includes a photo of the kids (of course somehow I always forget to include one for us in the count).

This year I took inspiration from our Christmas cards. I purchased clear, plastic ornaments at Michael's.

-plastic is always better when "helping hands" want to join in on the fun of making these treasures.

-purchase them early, when Michael's first starts their holiday sales. I went today for a couple more and although they
were now 70% off instead of 50%
there was absolutely no selection left to choose from and at $1.99, 50% off is still a great price.

I then printed the photo of the kids and used an exacto knife to cut close to their profile. The kids helped sprinkle in some fake snow and paper snowflakes to add a little extra touch. Next I tied some ribbon to hang it from and put the date on the back.

Always remember to date your ornaments even if it is just one you bought at the store to give as a gift. It is always nice to remember the times of the past when you decorate your tree every year.

Cotton: the "snow" of the south

Well we might not have a snow white Christmas here in Southern Georgia, but we do have our own fluffy fields of white- cotton fields.

I just love driving by the huge fields of white fluff in the late fall; if I squint my eyes just right, I am brought back to my days in Upstate New York when the first flakes would land, creating a beautiful landscape of snow on the last remnants of the fall harvest.

So I have added some of our fluffy white to my holiday decor. Again a great way to add some rustic into your chic.

Use tulle to add some chic to your rustic Christmas tree

Everything these days is about texture layered on texture, about hard lines against romantic ruffles, about rustic marrying chic...

What better way to continue this trend in your home, than using .99 cent tulle from the Dollar Tree, cut in pieces and tied randomly to your Christmas tree. The juxtaposition of soft tulle folds, against the sharp green needles of the pine, creates a beautiful compliment to your favorite ornaments. Furthermore, the glow of the lights further enhances this wonderfully inexpensive, holiday reDESIGN.