Things: New Dining Accessories

I like packages in the mail.

I also like packages in the mail from World Market.

I also like receiving packages in the mail ESPECIALLY after an exhausting day of being teacher/counselor/mommy/nutritionist/behavior specialist/etc. to 27 five and six year olds... Whew.

Anyway, to the goods!

New placemats in a beige/lighhhttt yellow color AND these adorable napkins! The pictures show yellow flowers, but there more of a deep yellow/orangish color.

And I KNOW the fabric looks like it should come off of an 1984 floral couch at a retirement home in Florida or something..

I knowwww, but they are FUN!

We are REALLY trying to bring more color into our home... it feels like we live in a white/brown/taupe/black box.. we need some oomph! We are using mostly blues, greens, golds, and yellows, but our master bedroom will get a hit of purple too. And of course we will still stick to the neutrals.

I played around with them on the table a bit: they look great with our already owned napkin rings (from Target, I believe):

I even played around with some table settings using dishes (and P.S. I am such a dork):

Funky/colorful plate (from Target)

Colorful plate plus white salad plate

My favorite combo, I think: use colorful plate as a "charger" and add white bowl (it is a bowl, promise)

Go neutral and add a taupe plate

Or have another colorful plate :)

SO excited about this colorful addition to our dining area! And they were on c-l-e-a-r-a-n-c-e, which you know is my favorite word! However, now I'm thinking I want a new (colorful/bright) rug to go with these napkins (is that weird?)

Who else likes receiving packages in the mail?!

Things: Christmas Wrapping Scheme

Are you like me and like to come up with a "scheme" or "theme" for your gift wrapping?

No? Just me? Okay then...

Let's check out this year's wrapping, shall we? The scheme: red and green brightness :)

Red and white striped paper with a red/green/gold glittery ribbon

Bold print of holiday words with green and red stocking ribbon

(Isn't this paper fun? from Kohl's)

The first paper with the second ribbon :) We like to mix it up at Casa de Johnson

The cutest little helpers around! For some reason, they love to cuddle in our laps when we are busy doing something, i.e. wrapping presents :)

Things: Print Art

I've been seeing inspiration on Pinterest lately of various subway, font, script, etc. types of art. And I want to recreate all of them. And I just found a place in my itty bitty town that sells pallets for a DOLLAR. What? I'll be checking that out a.s.a.p.

Anyhoo-

Here are a few that have caught my eye.

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A sweet sentiment, could easily be recreated on pallet boards or canvas.

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The wood, its stain color, and the sweet but simple message. All good things.

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Yep.

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I have lots of scripture references like this pinned on my "Crafty" board, things that either I could print or recreate with my own layouts/colors/fonts. These would look great in a set in matching frames. And of course, they are always excellent reminders.

Now it's time to start CREATING (instead of just looking, wanting, pinning, etc). I have the inspiration, now I need to get the drive and motivation to just do it!

Any letter/print/saying art that you're wanting to recreate?

Things: Fall Porch

One of my favorite pastimes of fall (well, for the past two fall seasons that we have been married) has been purchasing pumpkins and creating displays! See last year's porch display here.

A lot didn't change from last year to this year. I still brought out my $8 Walmart scarecrow (his name is Randall) and the wreath I made last year. The only difference this year is that I added a Hobby Lobby Halloween sign to the middle of the wreath (after 10/31, I will take the sign out and leave the plain wreath up until Thanksgiving).

This year, I wanted to use two brown urns that we have to create a pumpkin topiary of sorts that I pinned (of course) on Pinterest via The Soladay Family:

So Nate and I headed to our local garden store and picked up two large pumpkins and two pie pumpkins for the tops. We get home... they are TOO small for the urns. If we put them in, you could only see the tops... barely...

The urns got nixed and I stacked two pumpkins, painted some cute ol' polka dots, and added a ribbon... Now before anyoneee says it, I know: they look like SNOWMEN. Gr. But if you look past the obvious, it looks like cute pumpkins stacked together :)

(sorry for the TERRIBLE pictures: our ginormo tree in the front yard makes it impossible to get a well lit picture any time of the day...)

That's how I see it.

Hooray for fall!

Things: Closet Organization

It's funny. The past two days, Nate has received not one, not two, but THREE Women's Day magazines addressed to him. Awkward... Anyways, I've made out like a bandit with these freebie mags because they have some great ideas in them!

I read a little gem this afternoon about closet organization. Our closet is hugeee, but we have tons of clothes that we definitely haven't worn in 6+ months.... So to tame that nonsense...

Hang your clothes backwards! 

Each time you wear something, turn it the correct direction (which signifies that you DO wear it and often). At the end of 6 months, look at the clothes that are still hanging backwards and re-evaluate if you need that in your wardrobe or not.

Simple tip, but those who are wanting a more organized closet with a lot less clutter (and a lot less of what you don't even wear) this is a good idea!