Monthly Archives: December 2012
Since we are about to start off a new year, I thought I would reflect on this year’s favorite posts.
When I first started reading other DIY blogs, I have to admit I was a bit intimidated. Every project they did looked so perfect. When there was a tutorial, a lot of them used terms or techniques I wasn’t familiar with, and so I would never try them.
I was searching for a blog that brought it down to a beginner’s level. I wanted one that would say “Hey, I’m no expert, but this is what did or didn’t work for me.” I didn’t just want to see perfect houses with their perfect lives. I wanted the “Hey, my husband’s been out of town, my house flooded, the kid is sick, and the house is a wreck … but here’s this easy project I completed in the middle of it all.” I wanted real life. I wanted someone to tell me that not every project they do turns out perfect, or that they had to do a technique 3 times before they got it right, and I wanted to learn from their experiences.
Happy Pinterest Party Friday everyone!!!
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are putting some fun New Year’s Eve plans into motion. I thought I would kick the weekend off with my favorite pins of the week:
While in between projects yesterday, I decided to put my crafty skills to use. I wanted to make a wreath for my door for Christmas, but time got away from me, and it just never happened. I decided to make one that I could use the rest of the winter.
This wreath is definitely at a beginner level, it just takes a little time.
Here is what you need: 2 yards of felt material I used white, but you could use any color. I got mine at Hancock Fabric and uploaded their 50 % off coupon onto my phone to use. A foam wreath (you could use any size but I used a 14 inch) — this cost about 7.99 at Michaels, but I used the 50% off coupon in Sunday’s paper, so it wasn’t too bad.
Merry Christmas from Restoration Redoux! I hope all of you are having a wonderful day!
This year, with all of my big projects all due by Christmas Eve, I didn’t get around to getting any Christmas cards sent out. Therefore, I thought I would share with you last year’s Christmas card.
Now trying to get a teenager and three dogs all looking at the camera at the same time was a bit challenging. One hundred, forty four camera clicks later, this was the winner.
Since Christmas is literally right around the corner, I thought I would share my top ten favorite things about Christmas:
1. Christmas Music … from Thanksgiving day to the last hour possible on Christmas day. Of course this makes Topher and the unnamed child insane, but they just have to suck it up.
2. Willams Sonoma Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate, with their fantastic marshmallows. This is my dessert each night around Christmas time.
Happy Last-Friday-To-Christmas people!
Has everyone been to the grocery store? Finished your shopping? And my least favorite Christmas activity, wrapped all your gifts?
For me it’s check, check and mostly.
The unnamed child finished finals Thursday, so that means for the next 12 days I am her personal coiffure, ATM, and overall mean mom for not letting her have a house of kids over every single night. Same old, same old. But at least we don’t have to argue about getting homework finished, outfits being laid-out, and what Pinterest-inspired hairstyle to undertake.
When we were discussing Christmas traditions last week, I forgot to mention an important one of mine.
Growing up, my next door neighbors were like surrogate grandparents to my brother and me. Both of my parents worked full time, and my brother and I would spend hours there. They were the original DIY’ers. They had huge gardens, June made her own clothes, and Cecil was an amazing wood worker. He would make amazing toy trains and little wooden dolls, and then June would sew their dresses and paint their faces.
Under June and Cecil’s guidance, I learned how to knit and sew (by hand — I can’t run a sewing machine to save my soul). My brother learned to work on cars. We would make popcorn on the stove. We loved spending time with them, and my parents loved that we weren’t home alone so much. They truly were a couple out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
As you all know Christmas is my favorite holiday. While I love all the decorations and fun traditions, the best part of this holiday is spending time with my family.
While I am looking forward to our time together, I am also so very saddened for the people that lost loved ones at Sandy Hook Elementary last week. I can’t imagine being one of those parents, waking up on Christmas morning with no child running down the hall to see what Santa has brought. To know that a child had been robbed of all that they could have become. That so many lives will be permanently changed.
As I looked at the paper where they listed all of the ages of those killed, and they printed the numbers 6,6,6,6,6,7,6 beside each of these children, it shattered my heart. Also, the children that lost their parents, and how they will never have a father to walk them down the isle or a mother to help heal their first broken heart. Also the first responders. Those horrific images burned into their minds will forever change who they are.
Happy Monday!
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working on some large furniture projects and I wanted a little break to keep my sanity in tact. I decided I needed a little more Christmas spirit, so I cranked up the Christmas music and made a tree out of old book pages.
Let me warn you, it takes a bit of time: about 2 hours. If you are sitting watching Christmas movies by the fire, this is a fairly easy project — as long as you keep away from the fire.
Happy Friday everyone!!!
I hope everyone had a great week. I went to the mall yesterday to get a few stocking stuffers, and it was CRAZY. Some serious lines people!
I am now finished, so on to the wrapping.
Ick.
I am a terrible gift wrapper. We aren’t just talking “bad”, but really terrible. When my daughter was little, and we would bring our horrifically wrapped gifts to the family gift exchanges, everyone would say “Oh look how cute! You let [Unnamed Child] wrapped the gift!”
The sad thing was I never corrected them.
 I'm a wife,
a stay at home mom of 3 dogs, a cat and an ama- zing teenage daughter. I'm
a lover of yard sales, decorating, DIY and great deals. I believe
decorating doesn't require a lot of money just a lot of
creativity.
I'm
far from a DIY expert, but hopefully in this blog you can learn
from some triumphs, and mistakes, and have a little fun along the way.
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