Naughty & Nice Christmas Bedroom

I'll be home for Christmas, although if you're reading this before December 25th then I'm actually not home, I'm gone.

But I will be coming home eventually and I'll greet you if you show up at my door bearing gifts, however there is a good chance I will be snuggled up under the covers in our decorated bedroom trying to stay out of trouble as part of the "Come Home For Christmas - Room To Room" holiday blog tour.

The tour is organized by the talented twosome at 2 Bees In A Pod  along with other bloggers who have a knack for decorating that is by far better than mine, so make sure you tour their rooms which includes entryways, living rooms, kitchens, dining rooms and bedrooms - all decorated for the holidays.

I think the other Come Home For Christmas participants must be on the "nice" list.

Painting The Little House, Part 2

This post is a continuing story about a rental I came to own that I'm calling the little house.  If you missed the first post and want to be brought up to speed, the link to Part 1 is at the bottom.

I left off discussing how I hate painting and how the little house needed top to bottom paint.  Of course, oh joy.

As most everyone knows, painting is the most affordable update homeowners can do, which is good since the little house was needing it.  Paint = big impact for little price.

And when you have the right tools, some projects go more smoothly.

An electric spray gun is about the handiest gadget for painting tasks, and the one we used is the Tacklife paint sprayer  which you can find on Amazon for under $50 bucks. (I am not an Amazon affiliate so no I am not compensated for telling you that, click the link and take a peek at the sprayer).

I think what I hate the most with painting is the prep, taping up everything.  I'd rather gnaw off a limb than tape up walls to paint.

Thankfully my husband has a long wing span so taping off for painting is an easy task for him.  Believe me when I tell you that to have me tape the trim means lots of wasted tape, frustration and swear words on my part.  If there is a trick for this job I don't know it.

The Little House Part One

How about some house talk today with a few Autumn tree pictures?

And when I say talk, I mean talk, there isn't a bunch of DIY photos.

Just because I've been busy posting wedding stuff doesn't mean that there isn't the constant renovation of something going on in our world.... there is.

This post is going to start out with a story, and the next post will have some of the DIY.  So if you're not in the mood for a wordy post, you might want to skip this story and stop back in next time.

What you will get this time is the story of the little house, and why it's going through some changes.

In 1992 my dad had a stroke enjoying his retirement with a round at the golf course.  At that time my parents lived in California where they had been for the past fifty years.

Updated Mudroom Faucet With Pfister

20+ years ago we installed the hardest working faucet in our house in a tiny mudroom wash and go area.

I say it's the hardest working because in those 20 years it was the faucet that saw the grimiest of hands, and it was the first place of rest when anyone ran inside in a hurry, if you know what I mean.  PU!

Hands working hard in the garage, out in the yard, and the faucet that six kids delivered their dirtiest paws too.

Oh, and it saw animal paws as well.

My family put the mud in mudroom.

Wood Bow Ties Thrifty Style November

Hello hello hello, welcome to the November installment of the Thrifty Style Team, where a gaggle of gals show us how to be thrifty in our homes and lives.

I happen to be one of the thrifty gaggle gals, and today I'm going to show you how around here last month we used thrifty style to be stylish.

I guess you could say I'm putting the style in thrifty style this month.

Now I will tell 'ya, as far as style goes I'm the last person who would ever claim to be any kind of a fashion plate, but I do know a good-looking bow tie when I see one.

Napkins That Fool You & Wedding Menu Bands

These napkins fool 'ya.

Show of hands; how many of you know that there are napkins available that look and feel like a linen fabric but they are actually a quality disposable?

And now you are wondering why you need something like that right?

Well.... for any event, party, or get together where you need a napkin nicer than the standard kind, but real linen won't work.  Like say a wedding in a tent.

I needed a quality paper napkin so 250 people could wipe Chinese food off their lips, and I kid you not I love this product, and no I am not getting paid to say that!

The napkins are made by SimuLinen and they are a linen-feel premium quality paper napkin.

Lazy Halloween Door Decorations

In these parts I'm known as the Halloween Queen.

From years past hosting a haunted trail in the woods, to some epic parties in the back shed, if I'm gonna do Halloween up, I'm gonna do it up right.

Usually.  But not this year.

Or for that matter not Halloween 2014, '15, or 2016 either.

Hard to believe the door things that you are about to see is the work of the same woman who made these awesome party invites......

Or whose party buffet spread sports glowing fake windows.....

Let Them Eat Cake, From A Mosaic Cake Stand

While other folks are readying their homes for Fall, I'm still winding down from wedding preparations.

I don't really have the desire to decorate anything since I'm still un-decorating from September.

So let's have a chat where I discuss cake, smashed china cake stands, and make no mention whatsoever of pumpkin spice anything.

Daughter #2 wanted a simple wedding cake, she's not a foofy girl, and her request of Amy from Amy's Cupcake Shoppe in Hopkins Minnesota, was for cake with a dark sage green and a touch of gray, sort of earthy to match her rustic outdoor wedding.

Popcorn Cart Stocked With PoppedCorn Gourmet Treats

Over summer our place was like a bee hive.

Worker bees everywhere.

Coming and going, hammering and nailing, flying in and out of the hive with pieces of pallets.....free pallets was our form of honey.

Then just like that in one day it's all over and as they say, all that's left are the memories.

But if you're lucky there are a few bags of popcorn left too!

October Thrifty Style Team Glass Light Globes

It's the October Thrifty Style Team, and I'm going to show you the glass globes I have that keep on going.

Or is that glowing?

Or globe-ing?

Whatever you wanna call 'em I have reused them four different ways -  not too bad for a thrifty find.