Year: 2013

2013 Year in Review + {Link Up}

Written by Jenna on December 30, 2013. Posted in Uncategorized, Year in Review. 14 Comments on 2013 Year in Review + {Link Up}

What a year it’s been. I don’t know about you, but for me, it’s gone by in a blink of an eye. Seriously. I don’t think a year has ever gone by so fast. Anyway, the past year has been filled with many unexpected and rewarding opportunities – I can’t be more thankful. As always, it’s fun to look back on all the DIY creations and projects that have been accomplished around the ole’ homestead. Let’s head down memory lane for 2013…

January started out with revamping my central command center with a new chalkboard wall behind. Who knew at the time that it would be chosen to be featured in a national magazine, Better Homes and Gardens (on stands now). Crazy. This 30″ spot in our home is incredibly functional and truly keeps our family on track so we know where we’re going when.

I will mention, since a year ago, this spot has changed once again (as our needs have changed) and it’s one of the first projects I’ll be sharing with you in 2014.

Along with this fun + functional wall, January was also filled with inspiration on starting a blog, fixing unaligned furniture, and turning trash into treasure (lamp to vase).

As we headed into February, the focus was on designing my new office / family room and all the new details that went into creating it like the striped window treatments using paint, the modern to industrial-style coffee table, and the creation of my GIANT inspiration board. The backstory of how the room evolved over the years is quite interesting…

What a busy month!

March was another busy month around my neck of the woods, along with a few client projects. The MEGA craft room with bright + vibrant colors that I had finished was finally ready to be revealed…

…as well as a newly renovated client kitchen. Both were such rewarding projects (and both were photographed for BHG and will be featured later this year). Pinch me again.

April was another exciting month with the start of my powder room makeover. And still to this day, I just LOVE it. The renovation started with removing the existing toilet and sink, then the following month I moved on to wallpapering the space, and installing the new toilet, sink, and accessories.

Also in April, I shared inspiring Spring porches + entryways, ideas for infusing color into the home, and superb Spring mantels. So much INSPIRATION to go around. The biggest project in April though was definitely the creation of the Vertical Garden Pallet for my front porch.

Spring was one of my favorite seasons on the blog because I hosted a beautiful blog series about Creating a Meaningful Home. Many of my blog friends contributed and opened up their homes to share how they’ve created a meaningful home. If you want to see the entire series, this link will take you there.

On the DIY front, May was a big month because we finally tackled the staining of our exterior wood deck. Looking back at the before picture makes me simply shake my head. I can’t believe how desperate it needed some TLC. It was a big project to tackle, but so worth it in the end!

In June, the Creating a Meaningful Home blog series continued, but it was also a month filled with making cute mason jar terrariums with the kids, sharing inspiration on 5 upgrades for a killer kitchen, and my new entry drop space. The entry upgrade has made the foyer space so much more user-friendly and even though it’s not a huge area, extra room for coats and bags has been wonderful.

As the summer rolled around, the powder room kept me busy throughout the month of July. Once it was finally finished near the end of the month, I was able to share the big reveal. What a CHANGE!

During the Summer, I was also asked to become apart of the Apartments.com team as a Brand Ambassador. Through my partnership with Apartments.com I have been able to share ideas + inspiration about living in an apartment and/or a small space. We’re all looking for strategic ways to maximize our space and often with a little planning and outside-of-the-box thinking, a better use of space is possible. As a Brand Ambassador for Apts.com, over the past few months I have shared many easy-to-create DIY projects, like these rope wrapped vases and glasses.

August was a slow month on the DIY homefront, but it was a busy month in general because my family and I hit the road for the biggest roadtrip we’ve ever taken. We headed to Atlanta for the Haven Conference in a 2300+ total mile trip. The trip truly changed my life. I finally got to meet so many friends that I had only known thus far through the computer. It’s amazing how blogging has made such an impact on my life.

Once I returned from Haven, I was still a busy DIY girl! I kept myself occupied with revamping my bookcase backs, sharing inspiration on ideas for open kitchen shelving, and my latest DIY creation – a new pallet gardening table.

Also in late Summer, I became a covergirl by having a space I designed featured on the cover. I had worked with a local magazine called, Saratoga Mama, and their Fall magazine featured a Kids Corner Craft area that I designed. It was such a fun project to be apart of!

As Fall rolled around, and we welcomed September + my 3 year blog anniversary, ideas for a foyer revamp started to fill my head. And when I set my mind to something, I usually can’t let it go. The best part of the foyer makeover was definitely the addition of wide horizontal stripes. Of course, I shared a few tips + tricks I learned to achieve the most perfect stripes…

A few other favorite projects + posts in September were how I created drop cloth curtain panels with a leading edge (one of my most favorite projects to date), my unique Fall wreath with plums + peacock, and ideas + solutions for the wall BEHIND the TV.

In October, I tackled quite a few fun and easy DIY projects like the creation of the stained yellow coffee table with dipped legs, the chevron patterned pillow, and how to bring the outdoors in with Fern Art…

October was also an exciting month because I got to share the final foyer reveal with you. The space has had quite the evolution of styles over the years!

November brought the start of the Christmas decorating season. We started early this year! But before I began showing you all things Christmas around the house, I opened up a secret door in the house. One that is often not revealed to anyone. What am I talking about?? The inside of the kitchen cabinets, of course. But I was okay with opening them up because I reorganized them and they looked fab.

As December rolled on in, the house transformed into a seasonal wonderland. I was honored to be apart of the Jennifer Rizzo Holiday Housewalk Tour and opened my home for Christmas Tour. I was blessed to be apart of this well-known blogland tour and had a great time showing you around my holiday decorated home.

And to round out this blessed year, my kids and I are currently featured in the I Did It section of the Better Homes and Gardens January issue – which is on stands now. I shared all about the behind the scenes of the day just a few weeks ago.

What a year it’s been. To be honest, not until putting this post together did I realize how much we’ve tackled and accomplished this past year. Like I’ve said so many times, it’s been an incredibly surprising and rewarding year. I can’t wait to see what 2014 brings…

A few of my friends and I are hosting a link up for you to share your “Best of 2013” or “Year in Review” posts. These types of posts are great because they give a fantastic recap into the biggest accomplishments throughout the year.

After you’ve linked up, head on over to Beth, Carrie, and Jessica’s blog where they are sharing their recaps + your “Best of 2013” posts will be seen on their blogs too.

Beth, Unskinny Boppy

Carrie, Making Lemonade

Jessica, Decor Adventures

The only party guidelines: Visit the co-hosts and if you link up, perhaps publicize the party on Facebook or Twitter so others can find out about it as well. The more the merrier!

DIY: Personalized Word Christmas Ornament

Written by Jenna on December 18, 2013. Posted in Christmas, DIY. 7 Comments on DIY: Personalized Word Christmas Ornament

One week to go and Christmas will be here. Can you believe it?

As you know, my home has been decorated for quite a few weeks, but I have still been working on new holiday projects here and there to add to this years decor. Once the house is ‘set’, I still enjoy adding new and unique touches for the season.

Since adding in a second tree this year, which is more of a pretty tree versus the sentimental traditional tree we decorate as a family, I’ve had fun with the gold + brown theme. Along with the ball ornaments, I’ve added in some gold feathers (yes gold + feather in one combo: heaven) and just this past weekend, I jazzed it up even more with my latest DIY creations, word Christmas ornaments…

Super fun, right?! I got the idea from seeing a beautiful vignette in the Garnet Hill catalog. I didn’t see the ornaments for sale (not like I would buy them anyway because they’d probably be $10+) and decided to create my own version.

I started off by grabbing a box (set of 6) of clear bulbs and a gold Sharpie marker at AC Moore. With my 50% off coupon, I ended up getting both items for a few cents over $6. Not bad for 6 ornaments, which = about $1/ornament…

Before putting pen to glass, I wanted to find the perfect font and words to write. I decided on the words Joy, Peace, Shine, Merry. All words that are meaningful around Christmas. For the font, there was a toss up between Jenna Sue and Channel.

In the end, I decided on the Channel font because I thought bigger and bolder would be better, plus it’s a little more forgiving – I’ll tell you why in a moment…

I started out by copying the script font from the computer screen to the ornament.

The result… Not exact, but pretty close.

For each word, I started out with one line, then embellished each letter with thicker lines. This type of font is more forgiving because you can layer and add onto each letter instead of it being a ‘one shot deal’.

Once the first layer of gold Sharpie was dry, I added another layer for a second coat.

Each ornament took about 8-10 minutes, so within about 40-60 minutes, I was done with the project.

All 4 unique and personalized ornaments would be perfect for a gift. Any words could be used. Maybe each ornament could say a member of the family or something silly about the holidays…

Once I was done, the ornaments were ready to immediately hang since Sharpie’s take no time to dry.

So what do you think? A project you’d consider tackling? What type of project does it inspire you to make?

I Did It: Better Homes and Gardens Feature

Written by Jenna on December 16, 2013. Posted in Featured Publication. 25 Comments on I Did It: Better Homes and Gardens Feature

I’m over the moon to share some exciting news with you. First though, it can’t go without saying that I find it truly incredible how one’s life and journey evolves over time. For me, I have put so much time and effort into my passion for design and inspiration, and I have been incredibly blessed with unimaginable opportunities – opportunities that have exceeded hopes and dreams. By being open minded (somewhat) and following my destined path, I have been given, rewarded, and I am ever so grateful.

On to my exciting news… I don’t even know where to begin or how to start, so here I go… My kids and I are featured in the I Did It section of the Better Homes and Gardens January 2014 issue. This feature is beyond amazing. It’s the last page of the magazine, so it’s really just as important as the front page (if you’re a back to front reader like me, ha).

Here it is…

Crazy, right?!

How did this happen?

I’m still pinching myself.

About a year ago through a friend/client, I was lucky to meet the incredibly talented Donna Talley, Stylist and Producer for Meredith Corporation (publisher of BHG and many other magazines). We worked together on a few project submissions and photoshoots (more of which will be coming out in other BHG magazines in 2014), which then led to the submission of my central command center. After review, the BHG team loved it’s incredible function and ease for any family to implement. They thought it was perfect for their get organized-theme January issue.

From that point, a date for shooting took place, which was in mid-June, and the rest was history. O wait… I failed to mention one important detail. My kids were also asked to be in the feature with me. Yikes. That news alone made the pressure (pressure I put on to myself) for perfection that much more. Not only did I have to look good, but I had to worry about how my kids would look (not too big of a deal) and how they would act (sometimes a challenge).

And the biggest challenge of all… WHAT TO WEAR!

In the end, nothing went as planned, yet ALL went incredibly well. And it was ALL incredibly fun!

So here’s a little insight into the day…

Initial ideas for clothes. In the end, totally different choices were made.

A central command center, of course, needs organization!

And there were many options. Working with Donna, options are everything. The motto Less is More, is not allowed.

It’s all in the details, so my nails were done…

And a few curlers helped my blah hair…

my sweet friends on IG left me some nice comments. xo

And then I was ready and in front of the camera.

Photos were taken. Outfits were changed. More photos were snapped. And then the result. On the back page of BHG magazine.

It surely was a wonderful and eye-opening day. The amazing Donna Talley vamped up my central command center like no other. It was perfect-i-o-n. And the talented, John Bessler, photographer extraordinaire, made my kids at ease and as always took beautiful, engaging photos.

Since being involved in about 10 other photoshoots with Donna, it still amazes me how much goes into the set up and lighting. Pictures in magazines look effortless, but there is so much that goes into making them camera-ready. For my little 30″ command center wall, look at how the room needed to be transformed.

To get the light ideally balanced takes an incredible amount of work. Something that I surely took away from the shoot and try to implement in my own blog photoshoots.

And lastly, a few pictures that I took of the central command center once the day was over and everyone was long gone.

These pictures are certainly not like the professional ones. But they are good enough for me 😉

And that’s a wrap. Phew, I am so glad I could finally share this exciting news with you. It’s been a long 7 months holding it in!

My take away from this whole experience… Amazing opportunities and experiences can happen to anyone. Simply do what you love. Put in the effort and your reward will come.

If you’d like to get your hands on the January issue, it’s on the newsstands now. Not only is my feature fun, but the entire issue is jam-packed with great organization tips.

If you want to see more of the central command center, visit the original post.

I will confess that the command center has been updated since the photoshoot and I’ll be sharing more of that in 2014!

Cozy Adirondack Christmas Porch

Written by Jenna on December 12, 2013. Posted in Christmas, Decorating. 21 Comments on Cozy Adirondack Christmas Porch

Christmas is officially less than 2 weeks away. It’s crazy how the season is passing us by so quickly. Are you ready?

So I’ve got another surprise for you today… Yes, another secret!

Since I shared a tour of the inside of my home last week, it’s time to take you outdoors… to my newly decorated Cozy Christmas Adirondack Porch.

Welcome…

I’m usually so focused on decorating the interior for the Holidays, that the porch often gets little thought and sadly neglected – are you like that? Well not this year!

On a way-too-cold-to-be-outside day a few weeks ago, myself and the troops (a.k.a The Mister and the kids) ventured outdoors to decorate. After a few hours, way too many decorating edits, broken bulbs (and they were brand spank-in new), and a couple of trips to Lowes, I was finally satisified with the result of this year’s cozy adirondack-style front porch. And I have to say, itâ€™s our best yet.

Thankfully I can say that I live in the adirondacks, so having a front porch with a rustic, natural aesthetic is so apropos. (my interior doesn’t really reflect the same look, but that’s okay).

I didn’t start off the porch with a specific idea in mind, but as the family and I started decorating, it all came together (over many cold hours) to create a cozy outdoor haven. We began the transformation by removing some of the porch furniture that we have out for the summer. We left the pretty lutyens bench though, draped a blanket over the back, and added a few pillows – it was the beginning of the adirondack porch.

In front of the bench, I positioned a round table (which is actually an electrical cable spool that I found on the side of the road) and added some festive elements including “dressed-up” mason jars, a lantern, and some pine and berry sprigs.

I said to the Mister that afternoon, “Let’s get some hot chocolate, cuddle under the blanket, and enjoy our newly decorated porch”. Well we all ended up being too chilly and unfortunately ‘sitting and enjoying’ hasn’t happened yet, but it sure looks so inviting.

Would you stop over and have a cup of-something with me?

On the other side of the porch, I created a small festive vignette. I stacked two large slices of cut logs and topped them with a poinsettia and a small pile of pinecones. As a larger and taller anchor, I brought in the potted boxwood (which sits throughout the year next to the garage), two lanterns filled with a large candle, and another poinsettia. The varying heights and sizes of the elements, plus the differing textures, in the vignette, create an interesting composition.

Behind the poinsettia and pinecone vignette, I wanted even more height and added a leftover piece of pallet scrap, which I added a quick coat of white paint to and wrapped with twine. A super simple 3 minute project!

Of course, we needed some greenery on the porch and I surely didn’t fail in that department.

On either side of the front door are two small (3′ high) faux trees decorated with petite ornaments and twine for garland. Plus we added more greenery on the columns with a garland mix of pine and cedar.

The last element that we added to the front porch are the hanging ornaments. This was the last addition and definitely my favorite!

The overall porch…

And alittle more ornament action…

And of course donned on my front door is my whimsical winter wreath that I made a few years ago. Still a favorite.

Thanks so much for taking a tour of my newly decorated cozy adirondack front porch. The porch and/or entryway of a home sets the tone for what’s to come inside. Whether you have a simple wreath on your door or you go all out with lights, festive decorations always bring happy cheers and smiles.

Christmas Home Tour 2013

Written by Jenna on December 4, 2013. Posted in Christmas, Decorating. 35 Comments on Christmas Home Tour 2013

Surprise!

A secret that I’ve been keeping for too long can now be shouted from the rooftops.

I am one (#17 to be exact) of the 25 homes on the amazing Jennifer Rizzo Holiday House Tour. I am so excited not only to show you around my home but to be amongst a great group of Bloggers who are opening their doors this Holiday season.

If you’re new here, you just headed over from the house tour by Vanessa of At the Picket Fence. Wasn’t it amazing?! She has a beautiful home and opened her doors for all to see in the Creating a Meaningful Home series earlier this year. She is just the sweetest person ever!

Ok, well let’s get this tour started. Are you ready?

Welcome. Grab a cup of coffee (or tea, if you prefer) and stay awhile. Let me show you around.

The new addition to this year’s Christmas decor is our new white Christmas tree. Wanting to have a bling, bling pretty tree, this new beauty sits in the blue room, a.k.a. my office / family room. With the dark hue on the walls, the white tree with varying shades of gold & brown ornaments, is the perfect contrast. This room is a favorite of mine in our home because of all the light that comes shining through from dawn to dusk. The filtered light accents the golds + my new disco ball just right!

The coffee table got a quick festive makeover by using a round mirror as the centerpiece topped with a montage of Christmas favorites – gold trees, ornaments, the light turned vase that I created earlier this year, and of course Santa.

Also on the coffee table is my newly created Nate Berkus knock-off wood block candle holder. What do you think? I love how it adds so much height to the vignette.

Transitioning to the dining room, I used a few similar ideas by using another mirror – the clock turned mirror – as the dining room centerpiece topped with more gold trees (that I scored from the Christmas Tree Shop last year) and a small tree adorned with miniature ornaments.

Simply, but elegantly set, our Christmas table is filled with a whole lotta candles – one of my favorite items to decorate with.

The buffet is set with treats for all to enjoy. As I shared earlier in the week, the sidebar / buffet in the dining room is filled with varying sized glass jars, ceramic houses, and other festive decor. My favorite element of the space is the charlie brown tree with colorful ball ornaments. Okay, well it’s really not really a charlie brown tree, but instead branches from my backyard put into a glass jar to bring height to the overall space. It would make a great table centerpiece too.

Also in the dining room is my kids favorite part our home tat the Holidays, the Christmas Countdown Tree that I made using pallets and leftover scraps of wood. It’s such a whimsical, colorful handmade creation!

Heading over to the last space in our home, the living room. Our hang out space…

And there is a peak at our other Christmas tree… The tree that is filled with our family’s sentimental ornaments that we’ve collected, made, and bought over the years.

The main wall of the living room features our mantel and it’s totally decked out for the Christmas season. A large wood panel is set as the backdrop with my newly created vintage-inspired J-O-Y sign as the focal point.

Other pretty festive elements adorn the fireplace and the creme de la creme are the felt + dropcloth Christmas stockings that I made a few years ago.

Another handmade element that we love + adore is the Christmas Card Holder where we treasure and enjoy all the cards and photos that family and friends send throughout the Christmas season. How do you display cards sent to your family?

Well that’s the end of the tour. I wish it wasn’t over, but I really hope you enjoyed our home decorated for Christmas.

Hasn’t the Holiday House Tour been fabulous?! We’re only on day 3 of the tour, and there are many more houses to see. So don’t stop here! Grab another cup of joe and head on over to my friend Roeshel’s house at The DIY Showoff. She is an amazing creator and surely won’t disappoint. ENJOY and Merry Christmas!

Christmas in a Minute: Vintage-Inspired JOYful Sign

Written by Jenna on November 25, 2013. Posted in Christmas, DIY. 9 Comments on Christmas in a Minute: Vintage-Inspired JOYful Sign

Happy Monday! What a busy week upon us with Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and the official start to the holiday season. As the crazy Christmas sprint begins, I’m thinking simple, easy, and quick. So this weekend, I created this fun + easy vintage-inspired JOYful sign. Scraps of wood and a little bit of paint makes this a simple and very inexpensive creation. It would be great for the mantel, outside patio, or as a gift.

Here’s the breakdown…

Simple-to-follow tutorial on how to create a JOY sign

1. Cut the wood to your desired height and width. I used leftover pallet scraps to create this sign, but you could also use new wood instead. I like the old pallets because theyâ€™re free, plus they have a distressed, worn look, which means no â€œbeating upâ€ the new wood.

2. Create the sign and sand. If you have more than one piece of wood, youâ€™ll need to attach them from the back. Across the two pieces of pallet boards, I nailed two smaller pieces of pallet scraps on the back so the sign stayed together. Then I gave the wood a good sanding on the top and sides.

3. Paint the sign. I painted the base of the sign with plain oleâ€™ white paint leaving some of the raw wood to show through.

4. Outline letters. I freehand sketched the letters J â€“ O â€“ Y on the sign. You could use a stencil or silhouette if you wanted.

5. Paint the letters. Then I filled in the letters with red craft paint. I used about 3-4 coats, but it dried quickly. To give an even more distressed look, I gently went over the surface with a piece of sandpaper (by hand).

And thatâ€™s it. Pretty simple, right?!

Pallet Christmas Countdown

Written by Jenna on November 21, 2013. Posted in Christmas, DIY. 6 Comments on Pallet Christmas Countdown

Christmas is a comin’!

In less than 10 days, we’ll be counting down the 25 days till the arrival of Christmas. To make the countdown a bit more fun and bearable, since for every child (and maybe a few adults) thinks the 25 days leading to the special day are SO LONG, I created a Countdown Calendar in the shape of a tree using my favorite material, pallets and a few other leftover scraps of wood. Check it out…

Isn’t it so colorful? The ornaments truly make it come alive.

When Lowe’s challenged the Creative Team to come up with something for the Holidays, I was so excited to create something unique and perfect to celebrate the coming holiday. Last year, my December project was a creation for holding cards and this year, I wanted to create something just as dynamic. When thinking about a project, I realized we didn’t have a countdown calendar, so that’s what this years project would be.

The project started out by taking 10 steps outside to the garage. Yup, this creation was put together using only materials I already had on hand. This is what I gathered…

Pallet and wood scraps – the more dented and imperfect, the better
Nails (3/4″ – 1″ deep)
Number stencil
Black Sharpie
Hammer
Circular Saw
(25) Colorful ornaments

1. I first started out by looking through my wood scrap pile and leftover pallet scraps. I collected a bunch of pieces all in different colors and sizes. The more imperfect the better.

Then I took some time and put a drawing together to figure out how many rows of wood would be needed and how the 25 ornaments would sit on the “tree”. In the end, 7 tiers worked best and 2 of the rows have 4 nails, creating the 25 spots.

A little math is needed, but it wasn’t tough…

2. Now that the hardest part was over (a little mathematical equations), I laid out the pieces of wood to determine what looked nice next to each other and then the widths of each tier.

On the backs, I then labeled each row.

3. Then using a circular saw, I cut each piece to form the “tree” shape. Once that was complete, I added a scrap piece of wood to the backs of the pieces to attach them together.

Hammer, hammer, hammer using 3-4/” – 1″ nails.

I added a few more pieces of scraps (old paint sticks, to be specific) to the back. This looks kinda messy, but hey, who’s lookin’ at the back???

No more looking at the back. Let’s turn it over to the front where it’s prettier looking.

Now to the nails + the numbers.

4. By eye (no more math needed), I marked the locations for the 25 ornaments. Then I added a nail at each location leaving about 1/2″ exposed for the ornament to hang.

5. Once the nails were in, it was time for the numbers. Using stencils I had from a previous Martha Stewart project, I outlined the numbers with a black sharpie. Again, the more imperfect the better.

Once the numbers were done, the project was complete. And here’s the result…

Plain + Decorated.

I love how it came out…

It’s so colorful and brings such whimsy to our holiday home decor.

The kids love it too and they can’t wait for the 1st of December to arrive to start adding an ornament each day. While we wait, the ornaments that all came from this years Lowe’s collection, sit in the brass light turned container.

I hope you enjoyed my latest creation as much as I. It was fairly easy to make, and I loved that I was able to create it using materials I already had. How much better does it get?! The anticipation and excitement leading to Christmas day can be a bit challenging, but hopefully my countdown calendar makes it a tiny bit more fun.

To gather even more unique, fun, and creative ideas for your indoor and outdoor Winter spaces, I would definitely suggest downloading the Loweâ€™s Creative Ideas app on your iphone and/or ipad. Iâ€™m always checking out the FREE app for great seasonal + do-it-yourself inspiration. And even better, this Pallet Christmas Countdown creation will be featured in the upcoming Winter guide – how cool, right?!

Also consider following Loweâ€™s on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram as well.

Disclosure: I am part of the Loweâ€™s Creative Team and was provided with a Loweâ€™s gift card to purchase items for my project. I was also compensated for my time to use the products. No one told me what to create, what to buy, how to use the product, or what to write. All opinions are 100% mine!

Easiest + Fastest + Cheapest Tree Skirt EVER

Written by Jenna on November 18, 2013. Posted in Christmas, DIY. 6 Comments on Easiest + Fastest + Cheapest Tree Skirt EVER

Monday Morning Confession: I already started decorating for Christmas. It might seem early for some, but I have a few surprises up my sleeve that I wanted to prep early for this year. While many of my daily favorites get tucked away for the next 6 weeks, the holiday decor is once again making it’s debut for another year. As some ‘old’ traditional elements remain, there are many new projects and vignettes that I’ll be sharing over the coming weeks. One in particular is my new tree skirt. Definitely the easiest + fastest + cheapest tree skirt you ever did see…

For the last few years I’ve wanted a new tree skirt. I had grand plans of making something beautiful and chic, but honestly it just never happened. And anyway, is something pretty + most likely expensive, even worth it? I’ve found over the years that the tree skirt ends up getting thrown around either from the kids or the cats, and then once the presents are added, you don’t even see it. Well this is in my house anyway. maybe it’s different in your casa…

So after living with no tree skirt for a few days once the tree was up, I thought let me test out this pretty black and white striped fabric. I threw it under the tree and loved it’s whimsical, non-perfect, simple look. Plus it cost me nothing. So here we go… The black and white striped fabric I had on-hand was 1 yard, but I would recommend using 1.5 yards or even 2 yards for a fuller look. I placed the fabric in front of the tree.

Then took the two top corners and wrapped them around the bottom of the tree so they meet in the back.

Lastly, I tucked the bottom corners and all the loose edges underneath.

Literally, this took all of 30 seconds and it was done.

By the end of the day, the tree skirt is all dishuffled anyway, so within seconds it looks good again. There really is no right or wrong to this tree skirt, which makes it perfect for me!

And the best part is, it cost nothing and the fabric can be used for something else after the Holidays. Next year, I may want a totally different pattern and I won’t be married to something store-bought or a creation that took hours. I hope you enjoyed my 30 second tree skirt creation. Sometimes the easiest things are the best!

Be sure to check back next Monday when I’ll be partnering with a few Blogging friends who will all be sharing super simple holiday projects for our Christmas in a Minute series. Cheers to a festive season. xo

DIY: Wood Spice Rack

Written by Jenna on November 6, 2013. Posted in Rack, Uncategorized. 1 Comment on DIY: Wood Spice Rack

Earlier this week, I shared my newly organized kitchen cabinet interiors where I added multiple materials to make the vertical space on the interiors of the doors super useful. One specific element that made a world of difference, as far as storage, are the 2 wood spice racks that I made from scratch.

While originally gathering materials for the project, I was on the search for pre-made spice holders. I didn’t have a specific style in mind but was hoping for wood. In the end, I didn’t find anything, so instead I DIYed them.

One of the best sponsor gifts I came away with from Haven over the Summer was my new Kreg Jig Jr. I had been eyeing a jig for a while because it makes building furniture so much easier by allowing for the screws to be concealed. When the wood spice holder came to mind, I knew this was the perfect first project for using my jig.

But before getting to that, I headed to Lowe’s for my materials. I purchased (1) 1″ x 3″ x 8′ piece of wood, which are the actual dimensions of 3/4″ x 2.5″.

And here is the breakdown of the pieces needed:

(2) Side Pieces – 3″ high x 2.5″ wide
Bottom Piece – 2.5″ wide x 11.5″ long (length to be adjusted depending on cabinet door width)
Dowel – 1/4″ round x 12″ long (length to be 1/2″ longer than bottom piece)

A picture to explain it further…

And a quick drawing to explain it even more…

This is a front on view of the cabinet and the spice rack

The first step when using a kreg jig is to figure out the depth of the wood to set the jig placement. My wood depth was 3/4″, so the jig and depth collar on the kreg drill bit were set to 3/4″. Kreg really makes using this handy-dandy gadget SO EASY!

After securing the wood and the jig with a clamp, I drilled a hole on each end of the base piece.

Once that was complete, it was time to add the (2) end pieces + the dowel.

Sorry for the lack of pictures for this part. I was so excited about my new jig I forgot to grab my camera. Anyway, positioning about 1/2″ down from the top of the end piece and 1/2″ in from the front, I drilled a 1/4″ hole about 1/4″ deep for the dowel to fit in.

Then I put the dowel in the two end pieces and connected the end pieces with the bottom piece using the Kreg screws specifically made for 90 degree connections.

After filling in the holes with paintable putty, it was complete.

I decided to add some color to the new spice holder and used Valspar Spring Sprout in Satin.

In about 10-15 minutes, this was the result…

I attached the newly made wood spice holders using a very very very strong adhesive – Loctite Epoxy Instant Mix. Basically it’s two formulas that mix together and provide a major adhesive mixture. DO NOT TOUCH IT. I carefully applied the mixture to the back of the wood holder and placed it on the interior of the cabinet. I held it in place for about 3-5 minutes until it was completely adhered to the surface. I will be honest, the wood started to slide a few times, but I was close by and slid it back into place. There are other epoxy mixtures that dry even quicker – 1 minute of less.

I was a total novice at using a jig and I was very happy with the results. I couldn’t believe how easy it was. Now I can’t wait to get my hands dirty with even more furniture projects. Boy, do I have a list!

To see how I organized the rest of this cabinet, plus more of my kitchen interiors, head over to Kitchen Organization: Ideas for the Inside of the Cabinet Doors.

How do you organize your spices? In a cabinet or in a drawer? Is this project something you think you would tackle? With every new tool, there is a learning curve, but it was fairly easy.

Kitchen Organization: Ideas for the Inside of the Cabinet Doors

Written by Jenna on November 4, 2013. Posted in Cabinet, DIY. 57 Comments on Kitchen Organization: Ideas for the Inside of the Cabinet Doors

Happy Monday! I was feeling a bit under the weather last week which is why the blog and my other favorite places to share + converse on the ‘net’ – IG, FB, etc – were quiet. I’m still not feeling 100%, but am excited to share something I’ve been working on lately… getting my kitchen organized.

For me, organization is a never ending battle. I never feel like everything completely has a home, but I’ve accepted that and continually try to work towards creating a more efficient, more organized home.

When Lowe’s put to me to the challenge this month to tackle the kitchen, I knew it was a win-win. To start off, I took a step back to analyze how the space could be more organized and user-friendly for cooking and storage. I made a few moves of pots and pans, but what I really wanted to put-to-good-use was the insides of the kitchen cabinets. All that vertical space going unused? The ideas started to flow…

My kitchen isn’t small, but it isn’t huge either. With no pantry or extra storage for food, I’m always thinking about how to best store the food / “pantry items” in the cabinets. For the most part, we eat real food / very little processed food. That means no snacks that have to be stored for a long period of time because the food I buy has little “shelf time”. Good for me, that the food we buy takes up less shelf area. Bad for me, I go food shopping a lot.

Anyway, there is one large cabinet that all the food is stored in. It’s a large cabinet at about 30″ wide with (2) doors. Take a look…

don’t you just love peaking into other peoples cabinets??? What are they eating? What do they buy? We use a lot of coconut oil – 3 jars right there in front.

Great change, right?! Nothing from this space had to go, but instead everything was reorganized to be easier to get at in an instant.

Let me show you a bit more of what I did…

On the inside of the left cabinet, I lined the inset panel with stylish geometric patterned contact paper. Similar to what I did for my TV cabinet back in the Summer. I purchased the roll of contact paper at TJ Maxx for about $5 – what a great score.

Once I aligned the contact paper on the cabinet and pulled off the backing, I used a straight edge to trim the excess.

Once the contact paper was adhered, it was time to dress it up.

Before my interior cabinet updo, I never had a great place for spice storage, so that was a major need on my list. I looked around for pre-made styles, but nothing fit the bill just right, so I made my own. I’ll show you more on that in an upcoming tutorial, but this is the result…

For less than $8, I created 2 fit-to-size wood spice racks.

At the top of the interior of the cabinet, I added a half round piece of trim, which I then added metal screw-in hooks to.

I attached the half round piece of trim + the newly made wood spice holders using a very very very strong adhesive â€“ Loctite Epoxy Instant Mix. Basically itâ€™s two formulas that mix together and provide a major adhesive mixture. DO NOT TOUCH IT. I carefully applied the mixture to the back of the trim and spice holder, then placed it on the interior of the cabinet. I held it in place for about 3-5 minutes until it was completely adhered to the surface. I will be honest, the wood started to slide a few times, but I was close by and slid it back into place. There are other epoxy mixtures that dry even quicker â€“ 1 minute of less.

It really is the perfect spot to hang many of the kitchen utensils. Here’s the result…

Heading over to the other cabinet, the right side, I added a decorative magnetic metal sheet that I found at Lowe’s and adhered it to the inset panel with 3M 77 Multipurpose Adhesive. I sprayed the adhesive outside on a towel and then ~~ran~~ brought it indoors and positioned it. All went to plan and my fingers only stuck together a little, phew…

Having the magnetic sheet on the inside of the cabinet door has been GREAT! This large vertical spot is great to keep my grocery list, to do’s with the kids, and of course our random chinese fortunes…

For the interior of the cabinets, I took everything out and simply organized it all. Well, it wasn’t simple, but it sure was worth it! For things that could be grouped – like snacks, baking supplies, medicines, teas, etc. – I added bins and labeled them with washi tape. So easy. The bins are from ClosetMaid available at Target and they are leftovers from when I reorganized the kids rooms. They are the ideal size for a typical kitchen cabinet.

For the rest of the food items, I grouped them and organized them as I saw best for how / when I would use them. Really no rhyme or reason…

On to the other large cabinet, the space that holds ALL the dishes. Another material that I thought would be extra helpful in staying organized in the kitchen was cork. I purchased a roll of cork and double layered it, then added it to the inside panel of the cabinet interior, again using the 3M Multipurpose Adhesive.

This is such a great spot for the school calendar, plus random coupons, and reminders. I also use the cork board when following a recipe. I pin it on the board and it’s right in front ready to follow as I’m prepping.

Also on this inside cabinet, I added another half round trim piece for added storage. Right now all I have is a pin with a pen hanging, but it can be used for so many other things. Maybe more kitchen utensils???

Here is the result of my kitchen organization, with all the doors open…

Inside and out, I’m loving this space.

If you haven’t been following along with my blog from the beginning, you might not know that I redid the entire kitchen by hand (total down-and-dirty do it yourself) a little over 2 years ago. It included painting cabinets, painting the countertop, adding backsplash tile, adding decorative brackets,and more. See the before and after by clicking here.

I’m still on a path for more organization, but I feel one step closer to a more efficient space. On to the next room…

I truly love using every square inch of a space. Vertical surfaces often are forgotten as the ideal spot for storage. If you use all the interiors of your kitchen cabinets, how much more could you store?? Ask yourself.

To gather even more unique, fun, and creative ideas for your indoor and outdoor Fall and Winter spaces, I would definitely suggest downloading the Loweâ€™s Creative Ideas app on the iphone and ipad. Iâ€™m always checking out the FREE app for great seasonal + do-it-yourself inspiration.

Also consider following Loweâ€™s on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram as well.