a suite christmas

since we've downsized to a one room suite, Christmas decor needed to be chosen carefully. so the dollar store came in so very handy. my sister in law planned a Pinterest craft to make the wreath with just dollar store bulbs and a hanger. and Design Sponge taught me how to make votives with just an LED candle and some wax paper.

and a few bucks filled my frames. literally. on a few levels.

and this little guy was just too cute

and ian picked a baby red tree

downsizing can be a beautiful thing. we brought the best - our homemade stockings from our first Christmas and our mistletoe. that's all we need.

moss covered initial

here's a really simple project that only took me a few minutes to make.

i found this wooden "M" from a thrift store for 50 cents about a year ago. but i never really knew what i wanted to do with it. until yesterday, when i came across a bag of moss i used for christmas ornaments last year. once i got the idea, the glue gun did the rest...and voila!

happy autumn everyone!!

my favorite spot in the world. at least for now.

it's a simple porch, attached to a simple house. yellow brick stack by stack. the first time we visited, i merely looked past it, more curious as to the inside of the house. i thought it would just be a place that we would neglect. my mother in law saw it properly though, "this porch is perfect!" i didn't quite have the vision.

but then came summer and meals outside. and two years later of renting, it's my happiness. 

we seem to never leave it and have now grown accustomed to sleeping all night on the futon that sits against the three sliding windows.  the curtains that i made blow softly when a breeze slips past. even the rain can't reach us - it can only send a little mist through like earlier tonight.

i love this space of our home.

wooden wall art.

i am not a huge fan of traditional wall art, and thus i love anything that plays off of my obsession with old wood and tarnished treasures.  my friend and i decided to make these wall pieces for our homes several months ago and i must say, i can't get enough of it.  using some wood, stain, and simple letter stencils or stamps, it's a fairly easy project and a lot of fun. 
we followed the tutorial on the lettered cottage blog.  although they no longer have it up, you can follow a similar tutorial here.

doesn't this piece just make you yearn for the warm breezes of summer?  i, for one, cannot wait...

old home, new room

i think i might have a love-hate relationship with old homes. on the one hand, i love finding character and personality in so many little details...such as glass doorknobs, window pane cabinets, and lovely hardwood floors. on the other hand, there are certainly aspects i could do without...such as the discovery of ominous cracks and holes critters can crawl through, dry-rotted window locks that couldn't keep out a five-year old, and the "interesting" pinkish/mauve/taupe hue someone decided to paint in every room. but when all is said and done, i wouldn't have it any other way.

below is a quick before and after of our bedroom. i haven't done any wall decorating yet, but here's what we've got so far.

also, i found adorable matching bird lamps at world market which just make me smile. so i thought i'd show you too...

frame it

several months ago i decided to make a quick stop into one of my favorite antique stores, and lo and behold; they were going out of business and giving everything away.  yes, i said giving.
i snagged about 15 empty antique frames, not sure what i would do with them, but knowing that they had potential.  here are some of the ways that we have used them in our little home...

although i had doubts in the moment, it was definitely worth it lugging all the frames into my car on that blustery winter's day...