Advent Calendar & Old Sign Stencil Giveaway

WINNER WINNER AND WINNER.....

The generous sponsor of the giveaway, Old Sign Stencils, decided to pick three names, to receive a stencil of their choice. This giveaway is now over. 

Winners are: Sandy at Primitive Skate, Marie at Interior Frugalista, and Linda at Itsy Bitsy Pieces. You'll be contacted shortly to claim your wins!

Many thanks to everyone who entered and visited these wonderful projects!



Have you ever tried your hand at stenciling?  Well don't think you can't do it, you can, and you can make some fun stuff by mixing the stencils up.

And what better way to give you the confidence to try, than to band together with other bloggers who have been around the stencil block a time or two, and who will inspire you with the possibilities.

AND at the end you have a chance to win an Old Sign Stencil of your choice!

Homemade Stenciled Woodsy Gifts

It's the most wonderful time of the year.  The season of bloggers gathering together to showcase talents, twenty to be exact, on this tour of Christmas ideas.

There'll be table-scapes for hosting, porches and decks for boasting, with two gift wrap ideas to be had.

Christmas mantels are glowing, and I will be showing three homemade woodsy gifts out in the snow.

All the links at the bottom, so you can click on 'em, more ideas than your brain can now stow.  It's the most wonderful time of the year.......

It's ok if you're rolling your eyes at my song parody, I never claimed to be a lyricist, only that there would be occasional silliness.

FlyOver America at the Mall Of America

Last weekend we set out on an adventure to explore some sights in our own neck of the Twin Cities woods.

Since I'm not native to Minnesota, and even after 30+ years living here, there is still a lot of uncharted territory and places to visit right in my own backyard, and within an hour driving distance.

We don't paint and build every waking hour around here, we do take time to play, and when I find something away from DIY that I think my readers will enjoy I share it.

One of the places that is not uncharted territory is the Mall Of America.  When it first opened its approximately 600 doors, we went there often to shop. My daughters went for the clothes, my sons everything else.

Thrifty Holiday Decorating Ideas

When it comes to Christmas decorating I lean toward the tradition of what I've always done.  I only see those decorations once a year so I like to use them every December.

Sure my tastes may change or I see something at the store or on Pinterest that I think would be a nice addition to what I have, but I certainly don't want to go out and buy new decorations every year.  Our memories are caught up in the familiarity of the season, and the decorations I have always used set the scene for that.

To change up the look it can be as simple as using what I have in different areas or give something a new look without adding cost to my wallet.

November's Thrifty Style Team has a holiday theme, and I'm offering up 7 decorating tips to frugally turn your home into a place that says Christmas is coming.  From easy instant atmosphere and reusing what you have, to making it yourself for simple DIY.

It doesn't have to be expensive to change up your holiday home, but it might take an investment.  What do I mean by investment?  Well for example seasonal pillows.......

White Ikea Bin Turned Dog Food Container

I'm a fan of the bins at Ikea.

I've had a bunch of Ikea galvanized tubs for 15+ years that I bought for toys, and those are still keeping the Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head parts corralled.

When we had large dogs -as in Great Dane and Rhodesian Ridgeback size- we kept a full size trash can in the garage filled with their kibble.  The local chipmunks appreciated that and their offspring are probably still eating from the stash of dog food that their ancestors hoarded.

The previous spoiled puggle had a wooden half barrel bin that he knew how to open, and it wasn't quite big enough for a 20+ pound bag of dry dog food.  So when the girlfriend of #3 son wanted to go to Ikea it was perfect timing to pick up a new dog food bin for Honest Abe the 8 month old ranch dog.

Little Shed Makeover

We've got this little shed in our backyard and I'm going to take you on a 4-season tour of it, with a painted update and a sign.

The shed has lived 26 years in the same place and was moved to that spot from a different house, putting the actual age of the build at about 31.

The wood was hammered together back when men wore short shorts like Richard Simmons, which was the style while they were getting physical and listening to their body talk.

I didn't invent the length of the shorts or that song, but both were popular in the 80's when the little shed was born.  I'm not going to include the picture of my husband wearing that style, his children have already ridiculed him enough.

Thankfully mens shorts have since gotten a makeover, and it's time the little shed did too.

Behold the shed in the glory of early Spring. We took out a large shrub to the left and planted some hostas and grass and that's about the time I got the ambition to finally paint it.

Working right up close to it made me realize how really crappy it actually looked.

Before the Summer miracle that is paint

Step Stool Makeover, October Thrifty Style Team

In September's edition of the Thrifty Style Team,  I gave a vintage enamel bucket a makeover and explained how a local auction house groups things together so if you win the bid you come home with other treasures you may or may not want.

Same scenario for Octobers step stool - it was grouped in the same winning bid as the enamel bucket and sat in the garage til I took a paint brush to it.  A thrifty update to a thrifty castoff.

And speaking of thrifty, this month there are 16 Thrifty Style Team projects to check out, those links come at the end after I'm done blabbing.

Vintage School Chair

I've got some factual tidbits today from back before dirt was invented.

OK perhaps not quite that long ago, but long enough that it was hard for me to remember much about when I was in 2nd grade.

Fact; this metal and wood school chair did not belong to me during my elementary years.

My rear end never hit that seat to read about Dick and Jane or to see Spot run, and I think this style was in use before my days in the classroom.

Fresh Cut Flower Wreath, 29 Bloggers Fall Ideas Tour

Is it getting Fall-sie where you live?

Do you bring the outdoor colors inside?

At my place there are crisp nights, apples galore, and tons of Autumn decorating inspiration from the group of bloggers in this tour of ideas.

This is an annual tour for five days with 28 other bloggers, and I'm excited to be part of it.  There are links at the bottom so you can come along on the tour with me and see what each day of the week holds in store.

Imperfect Pumpkins Sign

One thing I am positive about is that there is never a dull moment around here, and there is also never a shortage of things to do, work or otherwise.

Along with my new found love of growing dahlias, we have a couple of kids with green thumbs growing their own veggie gardens, and this year Daughter #2 is throwing her hat in the pumpkin growing field.

Last Fall  D#2 decided she wanted to have a pumpkin patch so she saved seeds to sow in spring from her unusually shaped pumpkins and gourds that were sitting on her porch.