[dwell] Fall Home Tour

 

This is a small glimpse of fall at the Johnson's. Yes, yes I know: fall doesn't officially start for another week or so. Doesn't matter to me! September = beginning of fall. 

Onward! 

Candy corn paper banner with mini pumpkins...

Top of entertainment unit all decked out...

Wooden pumpkins from Hobby Lobby displayed on the piano...

Dining room complete with scarecrows, a metal pumpkin, and a vintage sign from an antique show (orange and black can mean fall, right?). 

Who else has decked their... walls... and furniture for fall? I can't be the only one who decorates early, right?!

[chrissy]

[dwell] Mason Jar Sweetness

Remember the farmhouse table we purchased at a huge antique sale last fall?

No? Click here.

Anyways, it is beautiful and gorgeous and most definitely the focal point of our home, at least one of the major ones. However, it is so hard to create a centerpiece for the table because it's so huge! It seats 8-10. I mean, HUGE.

I decided to add a bit farmhouse to the farmhouse table. With mason jars. And fresh flowers. Who knew that these two things could make me so happy?!

Of course, I began with a burlap runner. They sell rolls of burlap fabric at Hobby Lobby (this wide: I didn't trim it: perfect fit!) and all I had to do was cut it to the appropriate length. Next, I lined up the jars, placing a tall wicker vase thang in the middle, and put fresh flowers in every other jar. The rest of the jars have a tea light in them for when we feel romantic and all. Let's just see how long it takes me to kill these flowers. I do nottt have a green thumb.

What little touches do you add to your home that make you smile? The little things in life...

Happy Monday!

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7

[make] Book Page Garland

Yesterday, Nate and I went "junkin'" (garage/thrift store/estate sale hunting) with another couple who are friends of ours. We had such a good time rummaging through other people's treasures and making a few our own... we got some GREAT deals that I cannot wait to share with you!

One purchase I made was a hardcover book for $1. It was published in the late '50s and I had no desire to read it, but instead to use its yellowed pages for a craft... I wasn't sure what craft until I perused Pinterest and found Meegan's Book Page Garland... umm yes, I sure did make one too!

Old book. Torn pages. Fan pages into quarters (three folds). Hole punch in the middle and string onto twine. DONE. Super easy, but kind of time consuming. This garland hangs above our mirror in our dining room and it's a little over 100 pages. Not very long, but you can spread them out if you are covering a longer area. The way the pages spin on the twine is fun too!

I start in-service on Friday this week and then next week begins every.day.in-service. I suppose I can say "buh-bye" to summer, but it was a great one! Now to prep for my classroom :) The FUN part!

Have a wonderful week!

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." Psalm 56:3


See where I link up: Monday Made it @ 4th Grade Frolics, What I Whipped Up Wednesday @ Sugar and Dots, Craft-O-Manic Monday @ Craft-O-Manic, Monday Funday @ C.R.A.F.T./Lines Across/Uncommon Designs/That's What {Che} Said/Creatively Living, Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts, Show Me What Ya Got Linky Party @ Not JUST A Housewife, {Wow Me Wednesday} @ Ginger Snap Crafts, Link Party @ Destination: Craft, The Inspiration Exchange @ Clean & Scentsible (and others), Before & After Party @ Thrifty Decor Chick, Weekend Wrap-Up Party @ Tatertots and Jello, What I Wore Wednesday @ The Pleated Poppy

[make] Guest Bathroom Inspiration

I am back at home and ready to get back to regularly scheduled posting! I know, you're all on the edge of your seats :)

This week's project inspiration has come from Jesse Kate Designs. Unfortunately, the blog has been removed, so if you know where it was relocated to (or anything about its whereabouts), just let me know in the comments so I can give proper credit to the photo below! 

With all of our traveling this summer, we have acquired quite the tiny toiletry collection. You know, the small shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, bar soap, etc. that hotels leave for you in your room. I actually saw this pin before our trips, so I made a point to collect any and all tiny toiletry items for our guest bath. This is a small upgrade, but it really adds some impact for your guests and their time at your home (I think, anyways)!

[image taken from Pinterest via www.jessekatedesigns.blogspot.com]

This week, I plan to add this plus a couple of other fun touches to our guest bath before, you guessed it, we go out of town again this coming weekend. I just have to remind myself... "Live it up, it's summer!"

Stay tuned! Have a great week!

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

[celebrate] Happy 4th of July!

We are a blessed nation to have the freedoms we have daily :) Thank you to all who are serving to protect those freedoms: we know that freedom is not free, and you all are a blessing to our country! May God continue to bless our country, our leaders, and our communities!

A few snippets from our 4th of July celebration, which started yesterday on the 3rd! The celebration will continue today as well!

*paper straws from World Market
*red/white/blue action within our silverware
*pretzel sticks and peanuts coated in white chocolate and red/white/blue sprinkles
*red/white/blue daisies from Walmart
*red vines wrapped in red/white/blue ribbon

Have a wonderful day celebrating our country! Remember that TRUE freedom comes through Christ, and it is through Him that we are able to have access to God, our Father in Heaven! Thank you Lord for Your wonderful mercy, love, and grace!

"Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence." Ephesians 3:12

[make] Calligraphy Canvas Art

Well, I didn't have that many guesses as to what hymn I used for my version of calligraphy art, but here is what I did!

Did anyone internally guess "It Is Well With My Soul"? I just love that hymn. The story behind it, the power with the words. I thought it would be a fabulous reminder to have around the house.

I started with a blank canvas that I had originally painted something else on about three years ago, but I painted over it with gray and then distressed it some with a scrap of burlap fabric. I used a white art marker for the writing: I'm not sure where it's from because I inherited it from my aunt along with a b-u-n-c-h of other craft supplies. I'm sure you can find one at Hobby Lobby or Michael's.

I used a scratch piece of paper to make sure I knew all of the words in the right order, and then I sketched out how I wanted the calligraphy letters to look on each line. Of course, by the time I got to the bottom on the actual canvas, I ran out of room... but that's okay!

I used my white marker on the canvas and wrote slowly in cursive, adding little flairs here and there throughout the wording. 

This is how Emily's calligraphy trick works: the first picture is the original, and the second picture is the calligraphy trick. She adds a thicker line to all of her downward strokes. As in, when I write a "t", my marker starts at the top and goes down. As soon as the marker begins to go up for the letter "h", my thick line stops until my marker starts to go down again. I hope that makes sense, but if not you can always click the link above to see her explanation!

Ta-da! Isn't it gorgeous? I like how it looks like chalkboard since I used gray paint and a white pen. A happy accident since I was not intending to that originally! 

I hung it in our living room below our engagement canvas that people signed at our wedding [our photographer's idea: we took a photo in downtown Dallas, Deep Ellum, in front of a brick wall, and it now looks like graffiti with all of the signatures! Super cute idea!]. 

Who else is a fan of calligraphy? I am thinking about doing a large canvas piece next, but that makes me so nervous! It was fun though, very therapeutic to focus on the strokes and alignment of the words... Does that make me a nerd or what?

[P.S. Who is stuck watching Game 7 with their hubs? #iam #gospurs #onlybecausetheyarefromtexas #reallygomavs #cantstandspursorheat]

[P.P.S. I have 201 followers: you all followed through, yeaaa!!! Thanks!!!

Happy Thursday!

"Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations." Matthew 12:18

[make] Calligraphy Inspiration

Do you read Emily's blog at Jones Design Company?  I adoreee her style both in the home and how she dresses, so classic and chic. Anyways, I think I've blogged about this before, but she teaches an easy way to do "calligraphy" by adding a thicker line to all of your downward strokes. That is my project this week, and ahem... I've already done it ;) BUT I will show you these inspiration photos before I reveal the finished product tomorrow!

This beautiful piece from Life Made Lovely

Source: lifemadelovely-blog.com via Chrissy on Pinterest

This gorgeous art from Kate's Letters (etsy shop)

Source: etsy.com via Chrissy on Pinterest

And this piece from The Nester... stunning!

Source: thenester.com via Chrissy on Pinterest

Classic hymns in beautiful lettering make for an amazing and sentimental piece of artwork. Hint: I also used a classic hymn... any guesses as to what it may be? I'll give you a multiple choice test and maybe you can guess ;)

a. "Great Is Thy Faithfulness"
b. "It Is Well With My Soul"
c. "How Great Thou Art"
d. "To God Be The Glory"

This should be fun! Check in tomorrow to see which hymn I used for my piece of art.

Happy Wednesday!

"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." Psalm 126:3

[make] Chalkboard Glass Bottles

Another summer project crossed off the list! And it is s-u-p-e-r easy too. I actually finished these well before my vacation last week, but we were too busy having fun for me to write a blog post on it! I figured you all would understand :)

I used an old Mason jar, a Sta*bucks Frappucino bottle, and a Sweet Tea bottle. Any glass would work, really! Just depends what you'd like to use.

This stuff is fantastic. Chalkboard spray paint, yes ma'am. 

I took the bottles outside and used an old gift box top that I had on hand as their base to stand on while they got their new look... I did two coats on them, plus laid them on their sides so I could get the bottoms. Consistent spraying back and forth will prevent drips (although I did have a couple of drips still... ugh).

I love the way they look vintage-y and matted. These would look awesome if you had a bunch lined up on a shelf too!

But the fun does not stop there. I plan on using a 3-lettered "theme" word for each month to write on the bottles. This may change over time if I move them to another place in my house, but for now, they will be themed art :) June's word is "SUN" since summer is officially here!

Here's what I have for the other month's so far... the ones that are blank I cannot think of a 3-lettered word that "goes" with that month: I only have half of the months figured out!!! If you have any suggestions, feel free to share!

Jan:
Feb: LUV
Mar:
Apr:
May:
June: SUN
July: USA
Aug: ABC (Since I'm a teacher and all, and it's back to school time!)
Sept:
Oct: BOO
Nov:
Dec: JOY

Happy Monday!

"So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun." Ecclesiastes 8:15






***update: I just noticed that I am TWO followers away from 200. I mean, I know that isn't a big number for many because so many of you are well past that! BUT one of my 30 before 30 (I mean, that is still 3 and a half years away, so I've got time) is to get 1,000 followers. Let's see if I can make it to 200 by the end of the day or at least the end of the week! Tell your friends ;)


See where I link up: Monday Made it @ 4th Grade Frolics, What I Whipped Up Wednesday @ Sugar and Dots, Craft-O-Manic Monday @ Craft-O-Manic, Monday Funday @ C.R.A.F.T./Lines Across/Uncommon Designs/That's What {Che} Said/Creatively Living, Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts, Show Me What Ya Got Linky Party @ Not JUST A Housewife, {Wow Me Wednesday} @ Ginger Snap Crafts, Link Party @ Destination: Craft, The Inspiration Exchange @ Clean & Scentsible (and others), Before & After Party @ Thrifty Decor Chick, Weekend Wrap-Up Party @ Tatertots and Jello, What I Wore Wednesday @ The Pleated Poppy 

[windowshopping] Marshalls

This weekend, Nate and I took a date night that included dinner and some shopping. While he was checking out Bass Pro Shop for his next-day fishing trip, I scooted on over to Forever 21 and Marshalls: I got a bracelet and headband from Forever 21, but this post is to share about some sweet goodness I saw at Marshalls. If only money were not an issue... Don't get me wrong, Marshalls has fabulous prices. But I couldn't buy EVERYTHING! Now I am not paid nor perked to share these things, just a fan of the store! Here are a few goodies I wouldn't mind having in my home:

First up, these fantastic stools, which could also be used as end tables. They were weighty, almost like a ceramic material? Don't remember... But I really like their modern look in solid colors. Cute!

Now I wouldn't buy this, but it gave me inspiration to make my own: succulents, glass jar, soil, pebbles. Adorable terrarium!

These pillows would be a great inspiration piece to pull colors from for all of the rooms in your home: I wouldn't mind having these pillows in my living room! It has the green for my kitchen, blue for our guest bath, and the warm, cozy colors in our new kitchen rug. Yes please! And I think these cost somewhere in the teens... $15, $13? Don't remember. Great prices!

Wouldn't this galvanized tin tray look great on an entry table or coffee table as a catch all for mail, remotes, or other knick knacks? Goes great with our farmhouse modern decor style! And I think it was $9 or $10.

 I would love to get this for Nate's office! We are hugeee Rangers fans!

This is what I ended up purchasing: another "J" to add to our collection! I hope to have a wall of J's, like Emily at Jones Design Company has in her home. Gorgeous!

Do you have a Marshalls near you? Do you like to get inspiration while you are out and about? Window shopping is half the fun!

Happy Monday! And Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all of my fellow teachers! Two of my parents nominated me for a makeup makeover tomorrow at a spa in our community and I WON! So tomorrow at 5pm, Lord willing, I'll be getting my pamper on :) Happy Teacher Appreciation indeed!

"The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness." Jeremiah 31:3
 

[love] Kitchen Nook

My solution for everything regarding home and adding additional coziness: put a rug in there!

Our kitchen is FULL. OF. TILE. Basic, builder grade tile. It's fine, but there's so much of it. So while perusing at Walmart this weekend, we found this fabulous 5x7 rug (in the outdoor section: at WALMART) for $49. It has the perfect pop of green that matches our colorful backsplash wall and adds warm tones of brown, red, orange, black, and white. I really like using outdoor rugs for eating areas: they are durable and can handle spills (and paw prints). A good combination for our house! Forgive the dark quality of some of the pictures... but I do love our windows that look out to the backyard!

The rug breaks up a lot of that tile and adds the perfect amount of "cozy" to that space in our home. Seriously. If a room "needs something", it's probably a throw rug. Or a throw pillow. My two go-to's!

Happy Tuesday!

"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love." 2 John 1:6

[love] Secondhand Scores

There are many perks to living in a teensy tiny town. 30 second commute to work... Hardly any traffic... Everyone-knows-everyone community bond (in a good way: it can also be a bad thing). However, a downfall is that there is not much to offer in the form of shopping and entertainment. For example, the closest secondhand store is 20 minutes away in the next town and it is only open on Fridays and Saturdays. Hmph. BUT Nate and I have found some treasures each time we go, so it is definitely worth it to make the short trek for some sweet finds. Here's what we picked up this weekend!

First up: this wicker tray for $1. A great little caddy for my chalk mug, plant, and Scentsy (which I know is disgusting: I cleaned it immediately after taking this picture!) It gives a great texture along with a pop of neutral, natural fiber.

This huge basket/water canteen/thingy: $3.50. A new centerpiece for my farmhouse table! Now I need to find flowers to fill it. Probably fake ones. Don't judge ;)

Nate found this set of four "Learn-A-Language: Italian" records for $2: he loved the throwback "The Houston Post" label on it. It's unfortunate that it's ripped, but the second box in the stack has a much neater looking label. Also, if you look at the original mailing stamp, it says 1964 on it. Pretty neat! He will probably take the records out to hang up in his music nook in his office. I'll use the boxes as shelf decor :)

 He also picked up three books for $2... my little reader (photo taken from his Instagram)!

So there you have it. Please tell me I'm not the only one who loves to dig for treasures at secondhand stores! Okay, when I say the word "dig", I mean "look carefully". I'm a bit of a germ-a-phobe :)

Happy Monday!

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21