Mardi Gras Entertaining

Mardi Gras is finally here. Many of us will be heading out to watch parades this weekend and others will be celebrating with friends and family. Make your home the gathering destination this year. It is inexpensive and fun to get everyone in the mood. Embellish serving areas with colored beads, coins, feathers and masks. Place candies in glass trays or dishes. Serve shrimp with cocktail sauce and be sure to have your favorite Mardi Gras cd playing to get everyone ready to celebrate. You can stay in for the evening or have your home as the gathering destination before heading out.

Repurpose a closet to a home office

Want to add more space to your house? It's easy when you think outside the box.  We turned this extra closet into a private study space or home office.  This closet held a lot of off season clothes that we sorted into bins for charity and bins for storage.  When the clothes were condensed, we had an entire closet full of space.  We painted this space the same color as the adjoining room, then added a desk and chair, computer and printer, and a few accessories.  The great thing about this space is when it's not in use as an office, just close the doors and it disappears! 

Decorate Your Front Door

It is always fun to add a new and fresh look to the front door of a home. Here is a very inexpensive and fun way to add a cheery welcome. We purchased a plastic tray from a local Dollar Tree for $1.00. Next we painted two coats of chalk board paint in the center. You can purchase this at any hardware or paint store. Then hot glue ribbon onto the back to create a hanger and add ribbon to the front and create a bow. You can change your message any time or just add a monogram.

 

DIY Seaglass Vase

Spring is all about flowers and bright colors - blues, corals, and yellows are in fashion for the home.  A simple Done In A Day project turns an iced tea glass into a beautiful faux sea glass vase.  Just mix Elmer's glue with food coloring, then paint the mixture onto the glass with a foam brush - be generous with the glue mixture, but smooth out any drips.  Allow to dry several hours, then fill with floral stems.  Note:  This "paint" is not permanent. To remove the paint mixture from the vase, simply wash with soap and warm water.      

Energy Bites!

My yoga instructor introduced me to these delicious little bites of fiber that are great for a mid-morning or afternoon snack.  There's no baking involved - just combine whatever ingredients you like from the list below, refrigerate for 30 min, then shape into balls.  A healthy snack to keep that metabolism burning throughout the day! 

Energy Bites

1 cup dry oats (I use old fashioned)

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup flaxseed

1/3 cup chopped nuts 

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I prefer dark or mini)

1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries

2/3 cup coconut (I toast for a few minutes) 

1/3 cup honey - (I adjust so mixture isn't too dry or too sticky)

1 tsp vanilla

Bring on Spring

I'm done with all the gray slush of winter.  Oh sure, I remember last October when I happily welcomed fall with it's rich golds, greens and reds - my favorite season to decorate because it lasts from September through November.  Then, of course, everyone loves to pull out the glitter and glitz for Christmas.  By January, we welcome white blankets of snow and cheerful snowmen as we start fresh with a new year.  But I'm over it.  White has turned to dirty gray, and I've spent too much time indoors.  I need a change. 

I start in one room.  If you can't visualize a change, take everything off the walls, shelves and table tops (deep clean while you're at it), and stack it on the floor or just outside the room.  Push the furniture toward the center of the room and think outside the box.  Move the biggest piece of furniture first, and keep it away from the wall.  Then, add other pieces around it to "fill in" the room.  Add accessories in layers.  Think in odd numbers - one floral arrangement, three picture frames, five votive holders, etc.  Vary colors and textures.  Stack a floral arrangement on top of 3 books.  Add 3 candles of different heights, and one picture frame.  "Shop" other rooms in your home for similar colors and start grouping things together.  Make it a treasure hunt - it's fun to realize all the potential you already have in your home!  Create a shopping list of things you'd like to add to your decor - if you don't have a third candle holder in a different size, add it to your list for your next visit to the thrift shop or sale racks. Enjoy your new room!

 Share your before and after pics with us at askcreativeliving@gmail.com! 

Valentine's Greeting Chalkboard

Chalkboards are a casual, fun way to combine design and function.  We created this chalkboard easel with 1/4" plywood, chalkboard paint (available in most discount and craft stores), and a picture frame easel.  At the top, we drilled a small hole, which will allow us to change decorative accessories for holidays.  For Valentine's Day, we re-used a tin heart from Valentine's past, drilled a hole through the back and affixed with a screw and nut.  Displayed on a counter or other high traffic area, your family will appreciate the communication, and look forward to dinner! #Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine Treats - It's All About the Candy!

For kids of all ages, Valentine's Day is all about the candy!  Here are some fun ideas to satisfy your Valentine's sweet tooth! 

                                                                  Candy Bar Bouquet

                                                                 Candy Bar "Shake"

Silly Lips and Mustache Suckers

Valentine Hugs & Kisses Door Decor

Valentine's Day may be a "holiday" invented to sell flowers, candy and cards, but it certainly is a fun excuse to spread the love.  We'll dedicate this week to some fun Valentine's ideas, starting at the front door!  This "Hugs & Kisses" door decor was so easy to put together:  The "O" is simply a grapevine wreath covered in berries (raided from the Christmas decorations!) and finished with a red bow.   Our "X" is made from sticks collected from the yard, tied together with ribbon, and embellished with berries and a bow.  We love this because it's unique and so easy to make with supplies you probably already have in your home!

Easy Doily Bowls

Doily Bowls are easy and inexpensive to make, and add a touch of Victorian romance to any gift or decor.  We love to make these decorative bowls to display treats in our Valentine's Day tablescape.  

First, find a cloth doily - if you don't have one, you'll have great luck at thriftshops - and a bowl to use as a mold.  Turn the bowl (mold) upside down, and cover the outside of the bowl with wax paper or Saran wrap.  Dip the doily in liquid starch or fabric stiffener (available at discount stores or make your own with cornstarch and water), squeeze off excess,  and press doily over bowl mold.  Allow to dry overnight, then remove from bowl mold.  We embellished ours with a ribbon, button and rhinestone, secured with hot glue.  If serving food in the bowl, we suggest lining it with Saran wrap.  When finished with the bowl, you can wash out the starch and reuse the doily.  Filled with homemade cookies, these make a great gift for Valentine's Day!

  

Accent lighting

Lighting is one of the most overlooked aspects of a home.  Experts say a good rule of thumb is to plan 100 watts per 50 square feet of space. This may include Ambient (overhead) lighting, Task lighting (pendant lights, under cabinet lights) and Accent lighting (table and wall lamps.)  

Accent lighting adds visual interest to any space and doesn't require an electrician.  We added a strand of Christmas lights inside this tall wrought iron lantern.  Placed on the fireplace hearth, it's a quick and easy way to warm a space with light. 

Candles also add a warm glow to any space.  We love the new flameless candles that are available in so many varieties -- scented, battery operated with timers, and remote control.  We set our candles with timers, and love coming home on dark winter days to a warm, cozy room, accented by candles.  And there's no better way to light up a room quickly in a power outage than with the remote control candles -- speaking from experience!

Family Tree Mural

The goal was to display a collage of generations of family photos on a large focal point wall.  Michelle Mayden, of Michelle Mayden Murals, hand-painted this whimsical tree in shades of browns and metallics to reflect the colors in the photo frames.  Different size photos of several generations of family members in coordinating frames add the finishing touch.  Goal accomplished! 

Done In A Day Project: Focal Wall Stencil

Done In A Day Project: Create a focal point wall using an allover stencil - the larger stencil allows you to do the entire wall in one day. We used a Marrakech Trellis pattern stencil, painters tape, stencil adhesive, a foam roller, and a quart of paint (or less, depending on the size of your wall.)

Snow Day Snowman Cookies

Another Snow Day here in the Midwest! These Melting Snowmen cookies are fun to make and pair perfectly with a cup of hot cocoa.  First, using your favorite sugar cookie recipe, roll the dough into 1" balls and flatten - they don't have to be perfect circles!  (We use the bottom of a round glass dusted with flour so it doesn't stick to the dough.)  While the cookies cool, mix up powdered sugar icing (1/2 cup of powdered sugar mixed with 3-4 TBSP of milk, and 1 tsp vanilla), and ice the cookies.  Next, place large marshmallows on a plate and microwave for approx. 20-30 seconds to soften.  Grease fingers to lift marshmallows off the plate,  placing a marshmallow on each cookie.  Decorate cookies with gel icing tubes in assorted colors to add eyes, nose and mouth, arms, buttons and a scarf.  Happy Snow Day!